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Tim Squirrell

@tmsqrll.bsky.social
2K followers 1.8K following 625 posts

Professional abyss gazer. Tech horrors in 57 varieties, head of strategy @foxglovelegal.bsky.social but my views are shared only by the demented and damned. I also have a PhD in Online, so that’s Dr 🐿️ to you

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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Institute for Public Policy Research @ippr.org · 27/08/2026
Big tech dominance is stopping new ideas getting off the ground. More than a third of firms we surveyed had shelved a product because of a major tech company dominating the market. Stronger competition means more room to innovate and grow. Find out more at www.ippr.org/articles/bottleneck-britain
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Guy who makes the podiums for Downing Street announcements here, can’t believe that Burnham is already putting people out of jobs
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
We’re hiring for the coolest job in tech campaigning - Co-Executive Director at @foxglovelegal.bsky.social! jobs.theguardian.com/job/10151645...
jobs.theguardian.com
Co-Executive Director (Maternity Cover) - UK-based, ideally London. Remote with international travel (approx. 20%). job with Foxglove | 10151645
Seeking an experienced Exec Director with co-responsibility for our strategy, impact, advocacy, operations, fundraising and public facing work.
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Claes de Vreese @claesdevreese.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
🚨 NEWS: The European Commission finds addictive design of Instagram & Facebook in breach of the Digital Services Act "Meta did not adequately assess the risks of its addictive design on the physical and mental wellbeing of users, including minors and vulnerable adults" ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
ec.europa.eu
Commission preliminarily finds the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook in breach of the Digital Services Act
Today, the European Commission preliminarily found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act for the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook.
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Foxglove Legal @foxglovelegal.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
ICYMI: Watch Foxglove's @marthadark.bsky.social explain how Palantir dug their way into the UK's health service - and why they shouldn't be there at all:
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Foxglove Legal @foxglovelegal.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Another headline "benefit" of Palantir's NHS contract is looking "increasingly flimsy", according to the @financialtimes.com. A claimed "15% reduction in discharge delays" may be a product of a "litany of errors" in record-keeping, according to at least 4 NHS trusts.: www.ft.com/content/977a...
ft.com
Pro-Palantir data has litany of errors, English hospitals admit
Four trusts confirm there were errors in underlying hospital data on discharge delays after FT probe
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Martha Dark @marthadark.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
They're right. As they say: Palantir is a threat to public trust in healthcare, there are lots of UK alternatives and Palantir's stats on their kit aren't quite right. It's time to kick them out. Join @foxglovelegal.bsky.social & partners in the: No Palantir in Our NHS campaign. nopalantir.org.uk
nopalantir.org.uk
No Palantir in our NHS
Add your name now to call for US data company Palantir to be dropped from the NHS – and for the future of health data to keep faith with patient trust.
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Martha Dark @marthadark.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
A second government committee (Health and Social Care Committee) is now calling on gov to exercise the break clause on the NHS Federated Data Platform contract with spy-tech firm Palantir. committees.parliament.uk/publications...
committees.parliament.uk
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
BREAKING: a second select committee has called on the government to trigger the break clause in the NHS contract with Palantir. committees.parliament.uk/committee/81...
committees.parliament.uk
Drop Palantir’s Federated Data Platform and look for alternative, MPs tell Health Minister - Committees - UK Parliament
MPs have urged the government to cut ties with Palantir and the Federated Data Platform (FDP), and to begin looking for an alternative.
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
A quarter of terror attacks in Britain over the past decade have targeted Muslims, but some have gone largely unnoticed because of delays formally declaring them terrorism Most jihadist attacks, by contrast, have been declared within hours of taking place inews.co.uk/news/uk-terr...
inews.co.uk
The UK terror attacks you don't hear about - and how they go under the radar
Some incidents are not being confirmed as terrorism for up to nine months, leaving the public unaware about the threat on British streets
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Martha Dark @marthadark.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Amazing work from @tmsqrll.bsky.social @dncampbell.bsky.social & team @foxglovelegal.bsky.social this week. The NHS says its web page about the benefits of Palantir's NHS kit.. doesn't actually prove any benefits have been delivered to the NHS. Thank god £380mill of taxpayer money was spent on it...
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Foxglove Legal @foxglovelegal.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
NHS admits the 'Uptake and Benefits' page for the Federated Data Platform... does not in fact prove Palantir's kit has delivered any benefits to the NHS. We've written to Health Sec James Murray asking for an explanation. Great reporting from @laurahughesft.bsky.social: www.ft.com/content/9348...
ft.com
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Lighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · 18/06/2026
Britain will use AI to assess ages of asylum seekers in a world-first, with other countries likely to follow suit But our investigation, based on a leaked report and our own algorithmic audit, finds the technology is deeply unreliable
lighthousereports.com
Asylum by Algorithm
The UK has turned to AI to determine the age of asylum seekers, and other countries are likely to follow suit. Our investigation finds the technology is deeply unreliable.
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Lighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · 18/06/2026
Two ex-scientific advisors to the Home Office have spoken out for the first time, saying they weren't consulted on the plans & have grave doubts Meanwhile an open letter to the Home Office by @fox-glove.bsky.social, @hrw.org & more calls for a halt to the rollout
foxglove.org.uk
Foxglove, Human Rights Watch and 60 other organisations write open letter to Government condemning Home Office border tool aimed at asylum-seeking children
This open letter has been prepared by Foxglove and Human Rights Watch. A full list of signatories can be found at the bottom of the page.
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Martha Dark @marthadark.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
NEW: @foxglovelegal.bsky.social's investigation into the effectiveness of Palantir's kit for the NHS has been published in the @financialtimes.com today! www.ft.com/content/a3e9...
ft.com
Palantir NHS claims rely on just a few hospitals
Data shows some trusts have delivered fewer operations since adopting the US company’s technology
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Our investigation at @foxglovelegal.bsky.social found that nearly a third of NHS hospitals have delivered *fewer* operations since adopting Palantir’s Federated Data Platform, indicating its claimed benefits should come with a serious health warning. Exclusive in the FT. www.ft.com/content/a3e9...
ft.com
Palantir NHS claims rely on just a few hospitals
Data shows some trusts have delivered fewer operations since adopting the US company’s technology
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
3 weeks ago Ofcom put out a celebratory press release that X the everything app had agreed to try to follow the law. Right now if you search “Belfast” on X the everything app, the very top result is an uncensored video of an attempted beheading + call for mass deportation of “Africans”.
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
"X has finally pinky sworn that it will really try to follow the law about terrorist content" doesn't strike me as a stonking victory in the online harms arena www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
X to block UK access to accounts linked to terrorist groups in Ofcom agreement
Media regulator announces commitments by Elon Musk’s platform to crack down on terrorist and hate content
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Google have underestimated their planned data centres’ impact on the U.K. carbon budget by a factor of five. Thanks @aishadown.bsky.social for covering this @foxglovelegal.bsky.social find which has been driving me slightly insane ever since I noticed it. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Google developers significantly misstate carbon emissions of proposed UK datacentres
Emissions understated by factor of five in Essex plans for tech giant, while Greystoke’s Lincolnshire plans show similar error
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
truly devastating for the thousands of folks who were due to travel (or had already travelled) to Zambia for the world’s largest digital human rights conference.
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
One for the 'you couldn't make it up' pile: South Africa's govt has had to withdraw its draft AI Policy after it was found to include fictitious AI-generated citations apanews.net/south-africa...
apanews.net
South Africa withdraws AI policy after fictitious sources found
South Africa withdraws draft AI policy after investigations reveal the document contains fictitious academic sources.
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Months of investigative work at @foxglovelegal.bsky.social, now covered in the Guardian, have led me to one inexorable conclusion: the government hasn’t a bloody clue what it’s doing about data centre carbon emissions. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
UK departments at odds over energy demands of AI datacentres
Discrepancy in forecasts raises questions over government planning for net zero
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
After we @foxglovelegal.bsky.social worked with Carbon Brief to show the government’s data centres emissions projections were a fantasy, government responded by… deleting the projections and replacing them with a note that they are under “routine review”. So much for transparency.
Ministers were accused of being "asleep at the wheel after the government deleted an estimate of new data centres' carbon emissions when experts asked why the figure was so low.
Scant figures exist on projected emissions from the hundreds of facilities expected to be built in the next decade.
However, one government report said last year that emissions would be negligible, at only 0.14 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by 2035. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) calculated that data centres would account for only 0.05 per cent of the UK's emissions in 2035.
However, that is far lower than the amount for a single data centre planned in Lincolnshire. The Elsham Tech Park would emit about a million tonnes of CO_ annually, on a par with most of British Airways short-haul flights.
When Carbon Brief, a climate change website, asked the
DSIT
why
its
estimate appeared implausible,
the
department deleted the report. On
March 19, it uploaded a new version, without an emissions figure, saying:
-We... are updating this modelling to ensure it reflects the most up to date assumptions and analysis.
Carbon Brief found that the true figure could be as much as 500 times higher than the government estimated, at 70 million tonnes of CO2-
Tim Squirrell, head of strategy at the
non-profit
"tech
Foxglove, said:
justice"
group
"This shows that the
government is asleep at the wheel when it comes to the environmental impact of data centres.
"This was the only estimate we had seen from DSIT
of the carbon
emissions which would result from generative Al. It is deeply alarming that it bore no apparent relation to reality.
The Times reported recently that data centres could use more electricity than Britain now consumes at its peak.
The government expects data centre emissions to decline as the electricity grid decarbonises. An official said: "As Al rapidly develops, it is only right we keep the technical estimates informing our work under routine review."
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
seemingly massive turnout at the London march against the far right today. feels good to see so many people in this country still oppose fascism
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Foxglove Legal @foxglovelegal.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Foxglove's @tmsqrll.bsky.social: "In approving this monstrous data centre, the council failed to properly weigh the enormous harms to the environment of the sheer quantities of electricity this development will use [and] credulously accepted the developer’s incorrect figures"
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Well the council approved the data centre unanimously. They seemed compelled by the argument that it will bring economic growth and jobs, and that if it’s not built here it will be somewhere else. It’s deeply disappointing they ignored the impacts it will have on the climate.
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Speaking in opposition to this 1GW data centre at a planning committee today. So many things wrong with how they’re treating environmental impacts, but one especially sticks in the craw. Quick thread. www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
thetimes.com
AI data centre to match carbon footprint of BA flights
Planning documents for a £10 billion data centre project in Lincolnshire reveal its annual emissions will reach one million tonnes of carbon dioxide
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
get in losers, we’re doing the satanic panic again complete with credulous coverage that fails to ask the basic question of whether the people using ChatGPT for “therapy” are “recovering” real memories of satanic ritual abuse. sorry but this is terrible reporting www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
ChatGPT driving rise in reports of ‘satanic’ organised ritual abuse, UK experts say
Exclusive: ‘Witchcraft, spirit possession and spiritual abuse’ offending typified by sexual abuse, violence and neglect
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Great description from @foxglovelegal.bsky.social here (if I do say so myself), "inviting in foxes to consult on the future of the henhouse" www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Treasury calls in Blair thinktank to advise on using AI across public services
Unimpressed tech equity campaigners compare move to ‘inviting in foxes to consult on the future of the henhouse’
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
UKTV Gold Fascism: neofascist aesthetics but for an audience of 70-something ex-pats living in Spain
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Aside from anything else in this mess, it's galling to hear the co-founder of Childnet say "well we're an online safety organisation, *of course* we take money from Big Tech". That's not a given! You don't have to do that! www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
‘It felt hypocritical’: child internet safety campaign accused of censoring teenagers’ speeches
Exclusive: Childnet, a UK charity part-funded by US tech firms, edited out warnings by two young speakers at its 2024 Safer Internet Day event
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
I also FOI'd this and received a response saying the info was already in the public domain, referencing a letter correcting the '10.8m families use X as their main news source' figure to '10.8m families use X'. No actual source for the figures. So good to finally get a source. Shame it's *X itself*.
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
I just signed a petition calling for an urgent investigation into Peter Mandelson's dealings with Palantir. Did he use his position as UK Ambassador to benefit the US spy tech firm? Sign now: www.foxglove.org.uk/campaigns/ma...
foxglove.org.uk
The Government must reveal all details of Peter Mandelson’s links to Palantir - Foxglove
Sign the petition for an urgent investigation into Peter Mandelson's dealings with Palantir. Did he use his position as UK Ambassador to benefit the US spy tech firm?
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Foxglove is calling on the government to expose the extent of Mandelson’s involvement in contracts awarded to Palantir. We know he may have leaked to Jeffrey Epstein. The public deserves to know if Palantir, a client of his consultancy, also benefited. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Mandelson’s links with US tech firm Palantir must be fully exposed, campaigners warn
Government faces call for transparency on former peer’s involvement amid fears he may have leaked more sensitive information
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
do we prioritise the impending catastrophe that may make the planet inhospitable to life? or do we want these magic beans? for this government the choice is clear: beans, every time
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Ofcom has just confirmed that xAI (and therefore the standalone Grok app) is not in scope for their investigation of X. They need to urgently rethink this: Grok produces sexualised images of people without their consent that can be easily shared and used for public humiliation.
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
This quote from Kendall about AI is so telling. "If we can *show* that AI helps" -- not "if we can determine whether it helps". No curiosity about whether AI is a force for good or not, just zealous certainty that the people need to be made to see that it is. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Nick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 03/02/2026
A lot going on here and all ugly, but one thing I still can't get my head around is how any British government can do business with Thiel at this point.
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Andy Bruce (Reuters) @bruceandy.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
‼️SPAIN'S PM SANCHEZ: SPAIN WILL BAN ACCESS TO SOCIAL MEDIA FOR MINORS UNDER 16 ‼️SPAIN'S PM SANCHEZ: WE WILL CHANGE SPANISH LAW TO HOLD SOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTIVES ACCOUNTABLE FOR ILLEGAL, HATEFUL CONTENT
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
We @foxglovelegal.bsky.social are supporting a second case against TikTok for union-busting. Very proud to be helping with this action. www.foxglove.org.uk/2026/02/02/p...
foxglove.org.uk
Press release: UK TikTok hit with second union-busting lawsuit in two months  - Foxglove
Social media giant TikTok has been hit with a second lawsuit alleging union-busting and unlawful redundancies in London, just weeks after the launch of a previous lawsuit by its former …
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
This piece by Rebecca Solnit is one of the most deeply moving explorations of what tech takes from us, how it transforms us, how it demands we become more like it and less human, that I've read www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
theguardian.com
What technology takes from us – and how to take it back | Rebecca Solnit
The long read: Decisions outsourced, chatbots for friends, the natural world an afterthought: Silicon Valley is giving us life void of connection. There is a way out – but it’s going to take collectiv...
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Big win for @foxglovelegal.bsky.social and others as the CMA announces they intend to force Google to let publishers opt out of having their content used for AI *without being penalised in search*. This is what we've been asking for since last year. Cautiously optimistic. digiday.com/media/google...
digiday.com
Google’s forced AI opt out: what changes — and what doesn’t — for publishers
Publishers want the CMA to impose structural remedies on Google versus behavioral ones, to address the enormous leverage the tech giant has.
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Press Gazette @pressgazette.co.uk · 28/01/2026
The CMA has said publishers should be able to opt out of Google’s AI Overviews without it affecting how they appear in search The regulator also said the way Google decides how content is ranked in search results should be made “fair and transparent” pressgazette.co.uk/news/google-...
pressgazette.co.uk
CMA says UK publishers should be allowed to opt out of Google AI Overviews
The CMA has said publishers should be able to opt out of Google AI Overviews without it affecting how they appear in search results.
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
If you're in London, last spots available for this event at Newspeak House with Noortje Marres Alex Taylor @tmsqrll.bsky.social Dominique Barron @halcyene.bsky.social Annie Radcliffe Yasmine Boudiaf and Mukul Patel, on AI infra in public spaces luma.com/p4fmir78 (cc @edsaperia.bsky.social)
luma.com
AI in the street: Lessons from everyday encounters with AI innovation · Luma
What do smart bins, data centres, and delivery drones have in common — and how do everyday publics make sense of them? Join us at Newspeak House to explore AI…
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
🎉 UK govt today admitted a “serious error” in approving the hyperscale Woodlands data centre and said their decision should be “quashed”. Big win for @foxglovelegal.bsky.social and @globalactionplan.bsky.social. www.foxglove.org.uk/2026/01/22/u...
foxglove.org.uk
Press release: UK Government admits "serious error" in forcing through hyperscale data centre without environmental protections
This is the first time the UK government has admitted its decision to force through a new hyperscale data centre was wrong. It's a big win.
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
unfortunately I think this is going to be evergreen — “It’s now been revealed that one of the most shocking ChatGPT-linked suicides happened shortly after Sam Altman claimed on X that ChatGPT 4o was safe.” arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
arstechnica.com
ChatGPT wrote “Goodnight Moon” suicide lullaby for man who later killed himself
ChatGPT used a man's favorite children's book to romanticize his suicide.
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Reposted by Tim Squirrell
Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Come and join us for a fun early evening exploration of the AI in the Street project, feat. Yasmine Boudiaf, Mukul Patel, Noortje Marres, Alex Taylor, @halcyene.bsky.social @tmsqrll.bsky.social, Dominique Barron, Annie Radcliffe and me at Newspeak House luma.com/p4fmir78
Event flyer
AI in the street: lessons from everyday encounters with AI innovation 
Join us for an early evening exploration 
4pm - Creative diagramming workshop 
5pm - project presentation 
5:20pm Panel discussion feat Careful Industries, Ada Lovelace Inst, the LGA, and Foxglove Legal 
6pm: Drinks and networking 
4pm - 7pm, 27 January at Newspeak House
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
babe wake up OpenAI is appropriating feminist arguments about the invisibility of gendered domestic labour to tell you that ChatGPT, too, is undervalued www.ft.com/content/9c0e...
ft.com
AI will free households from chores and boost hidden productivity, says OpenAI
Tools such as ChatGPT provide personal benefits that do not show up in traditional statistics, argues chief economist
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Tim Squirrell @tmsqrll.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
While I agree with the sentiment, the phrasing "what Grok is doing" gives too much agency to what is a sophisticated computer program. The responsibility lies with the owner of the system, i.e. Musk's xAI.
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Luke McGee @lukemcgee.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Interesting story here about how the myth of rising crime in London is linked to troll accounts publishing AI bullshit www.standard.co.uk/news/london/...
standard.co.uk
How social media accounts are changing 'unsafe' London's narrative
‘This isn’t about whether London is unsafe. It’s about how online narratives form, spread, and shape public perception’, says KCL expert Dr Mark J. Hill
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