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Laura Edelson

@whiskeyocelot.bsky.social
3.7K followers 302 following 138 posts

Assistant Professor, Northeastern University Co-Director, C4D Formerly: Chief Technologist, DoJ Antitrust Division, DOJ Civil Rights Division

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Laura Edelson
Knight First Amendment Institute @knightcolumbia.org · 25/02/2026
Tune in to: How Do Social Media Feeds Actually Work? a panel discussion w/ Knight Institute Sr. Policy Fellow @oliviersylvain.bsky.social, and C4D's Laura Edelson (@whiskeyocelot.bsky.social) and @yaeleisenstat.bsky.social. Thurs. Feb. 26, 1-2 pm. Streaming: www.youtube.com/@Cybersecuri...
youtube.com
Cybersecurity for Democracy
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
In-home data center phase 3: buying chassis, compute, and storage. The ‘compute’ part is expensive but not complicated: low volume) availability of GPUs and CPUs is good right now. Storage is also $$$, but there are a lot of choices that require really thinking about your use cases.
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
And now the student has become the master.
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
In-home data center phase 2: tool and supply organization. The pain of not being able to find the punch down because it’s mixed in with the saws( or is it with the cabling) quickly was intolerable. All the hobby stuff got organized along the way because there’s too much of a continuum of what’s what
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
In-home data center phase 2: tool and supply organization. The pain of not being able to find the punch down because it’s mixed in with the saws( or is it with the cabling) quickly was intolerable. All the hobby stuff got organized along the way because there’s too much of a continuum of what’s what
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
Phase 1 of the in-home data center is complete.
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
This article about the property of 'stickiness' that content feed algorithms can have is absolutely fascinating. I'm thinking about how to study this in a larger way. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
washingtonpost.com
TikTok’s mental health ‘rabbit hole’? It’s not in your head.
It’s not just you: Data shows the app’s algorithm makes some topics ‘stickier’ than others
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
J. Nathan Matias @natematias.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Many thanks to Cornell CALS for a grant to support early organizing, and to our collaborators Marie Bragg, @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social, @sarahagilbert.bsky.social, Ashley Maxie-Moreman, Damon McCoy, Amrit Purba, Jenny Radesky, & Pamela Wisniewski. Thanks also to co-authors Avriel Epps & Daniel Susser
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Cardi B, Yann LeCunn, Banksy, and I have written a open letter calling for a ban on unicorn breeding. Geneticists say that unicorns will only bring benefits to humanity, but their reckless attempts to cross a rhino with a miniature pony could, in fact, doom us all.
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
It’s the world championships so #fightrobotsfight
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Backblaze unwrapped: you’re a data trillionaire!
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
A gondolier on a river at sunset
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Leaked docs on “Expedition Cloud” show the Chinese military-industrial complex building a digital shooting range for cyber ops. Not that anyone was in doubt about the importance cyber operations, but it's fascinating to look inside the machine. netaskari.substack.com/p/train-to-k...
netaskari.substack.com
Critical strike: China's hacking training grounds (PART 1)
Exclusive internal design documents reveal details of China's digital training grounds, set up to attack critical infrastructure of its "major adversaries".
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Also, this complaint is 🔥🔥🔥
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
dorian @doriantaylor.com · 21/10/2025
tangentially related: @erie.bsky.social and @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social suggest that people with technical chops punch way above their weight in policy circles: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...
lawfaremedia.org
Lawfare Daily: How Technologists Can Help Regulators with Erie Meyer and Laura Edelson
What tasks are technologists best-suited to help regulators with?
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 14/10/2025
On Lawfare Daily, @jshermcyber.bsky.social spoke to @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social and @erie.bsky.social about how state enforcers and regulators can better work with technologists, what technologists are suited to help with, and what roles technologists can play. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
Warwick History Post-Doc Club @post-doc-club.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Great news! JSTOR now have a free account with an Independent Researcher category. You can access 100 documents per month www.jstor.org/action/showL...
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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
The folks who manage our building put a flyer in the elevator every week. Along with the weekly weather and notes about building rules being broken, they often add a quote. This is one I snapshotted a few weeks ago:
Cropped photo of a flyer. Black text on white paper with a shine and a light reflection of the photographer behind. The top lines mention trash room, dumpster, and “Thank you for your cooperation.” The text below reads: “To do the useful thing, To say the courageous thing, To contemplate the beautiful, That is enough for one man’s life.” - T.S. Eliot
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
samuelwa.de @samuelwa.de · 11/09/2025
I spoke with @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social and @chinafile.bsky.social's Jessica Batke about their recent Locknet report, which provides a brilliant, concise, detailed but accessible overview of China's online censorship system.
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
I talked to @cbsmornings.bsky.social this morning about the rising tide of extreme content on social media in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination: www.cbsnews.com/video/what-c...
cbsnews.com
What can be done to slow misinformation in the digital age
The killing of political activist Charlie Kirk was followed almost immediately by a flood of misinformation and graphic content online. Northeastern University professor Laura Edelson about whether th...
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
David Gilbert @davidgilbert.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
NEW X helped spread ill-informed conclusions about the motivations of the Minneapolis school shooter based on cherry-picked words or phrases to millions. with comment from @ninajankowicz.com @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social @rothschildmd.bsky.social @maargentino.com www.wired.com/story/disinf...
wired.com
How Disinformation About the Minnesota Shooting Spread Like Wildfire on X
Under Elon Musk’s leadership, X has become the perfect platform to supercharge the spread of dangerous disinformation during breaking news events.
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
Yaël Eisenstat @yaeleisenstat.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
I'm one of the 37 targeted below by DNI Tulsi Gabbard. I haven't had a clearance nor worked in government since 2013. This is political theater & a dangerous example of government abusing its powers to punish private citizens for openly exercising their 1st Amendment rights. My full statement:
full statement by Yael Eisenstat
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
One of the things I was most excited that we got to do for the Locknet report was to produce these explainers of how the internet actually works. It’s not magic!
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
Open Technology Fund @opentechfund.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
@chinafile.bsky.social’s Jessica Batke and @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social, authors of a new report that reshapes our understanding of Chinese censorship, spoke to the @washingtonpost.com about how the “Locknet” works. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
I talked to @washingtonpost.com for this piece on China's digital ID system. It's a great example of two key features of the Locknet: 1) different aspects of the censorship system reinforce each other, and 2) pushing the policeman into citizens heads. wapo.st/4kBkkEc
wapo.st
Big Brother gets new powers in China with digital ID system
China is launching a digital ID system, giving Beijing greater control over online activity and further raising concerns about surveillance and censorship.
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
Can anyone help me identity this mushroom? It grew up in just a few days in my garden, and it’s currently over a foot wide. I’m definitely not going to eat it, I’m just curious!
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
ProMarket @promarket.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
NEW: @lancierifilippo.bsky.social (@georgetownlaw.bsky.social), @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social, Stefan Bechtold (@ethz.ch) explore how the political economy of artificial intelligence regulation is shaped by the strategic behavior of governments, technology companies, and other agents.
promarket.org
The Politics of Fragmentation and Capture in AI Regulation - ProMarket
In new research, Filippo Lancieri, Laura Edelson, and Stefan Bechtold explore how the political economy of artificial intelligence regulation is shaped by the strategic behavior of governments, technology companies, and other agents.
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
ChinaFile @chinafile.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
NEW: A ChinaFile investigation into China's powerful, but leaky, internet censorship system at locknet.chinafile.com 1/21
A collage depicting blimps, planes, drones, and ships trawling the sea and sky for digital devices and information.
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
Megan Iorio @meganiorio.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
EPIC collaborated w/ @commonsensemedia.bsky.social, Cybersecurity for Democracy (@yaeleisenstat.bsky.social @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social) & Tech Justice Law Project on a brief telling the Ninth Circuit to deny Meta Section 230 protections for its allegedly addictive design. 11 legal scholars joined!
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
Yaël Eisenstat @yaeleisenstat.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Thanks to @epic.org for leading the way, to @comminsense.bsky.social and TJLP for this collaboration, and the below legal scholars, who signed on in support. What a team! cc: @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social & @meganiorio.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/mega...
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
Open Technology Fund @opentechfund.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Supported by @opentechfund.bsky.social: @chinafile.bsky.social’s Jessica Batke & @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social explain that Chinese censorship isn’t simply a “firewall, but a “locknet” – a multi-level system of socio-technical controls. (1/4) locknet.chinafile.com/the-locknet/...
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
Daphne Keller @daphnek.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
So... I'm not saying you should sue any platforms under the DSA. But if you *did* want to do that, you'd definitely want to look at this article from @pjleerssen.bsky.social, Iris Toepoel, Anna van Duin, and @jvh.bsky.social It's basically a tactical guide. dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/u...
dsa-observatory.eu
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
Julia Angwin @juliaangwin.com · 12/06/2025
I bring you a tiny bit of good news — courts are finally reining in Big Tech in significant ways. We could actually be on the cusp of a totally transformed tech landscape - after 30 years of total lack of constraints. My latest for @nytopinion.nytimes.com (gift link)
nytimes.com
Opinion | Big Tech Is Finally Losing
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
There’s nothing ‘unofficial’ about this start to the summer.
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
The stars of the Memorial Day Fair, the town farm’s goats!
A parade float with a pair of goats on it.
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
Craig Silverman @craigsilverman.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
I left my job at ProPublica about a month ago. Here's why: I've teamed up with @mantzarlis.com to launch indicator.media, a new publication dedicated to exposing digital deception and to equipping professionals and the public with knowledge and skills to investigate it. Sign up for free below!
indicator.media
Indicator
Indicator is your essential guide to understanding and investigating digital deception.
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Reposted by Laura Edelson
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Since 2022, my colleagues and I have been targeted by political attacks. Early on, we worried that political actors would specifically target our projects & universities for defunding. But in the end, they came after everyone. The strategy of keeping heads down was never the right one.
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
You know it's 7PM on Tuesday because that's when you receive an email from your kid's teacher that the kids are all 'invited' to dress up like woodland creatures tomorrow! Go pull out that squirrel costume you definitely keep on hand for just such occasions. 🫠
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Rebekah Tromble @rebekahtromble.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
I spoke with Science about scholars—myself included—self-censoring. In my case, my team and I feared losing our NSF funding for Expert Voices Together (expertvoicestogether.org), a program, ironically, built to support researchers and journalists under attack. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Trump’s ‘fear factor’: Scientists go silent as funding cuts escalate
Many worry about retribution. But for others, speaking out is worth the risk
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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
"For me, the answer now lies in refusal, the withdrawal of participation from systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging." Today I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council. I wrote about my decision in TIME. time.com/7285045/resi...
time.com
Why I’m Resigning from the NSF and Library of Congress
I cannot participate in systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging.
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Valerie Hans @jurygirl.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Powerful statement and an inside look at what is happening to science in tge current administration . time.com/7285045/resi...
time.com
Why I’m Resigning from the NSF and Library of Congress
I cannot participate in systems that require dishonesty as the price of belonging.
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
Star Wars is fine. Completely fine.
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
New paper alert! We studied the lifecycle of content in the US, Ukrainian, and Russian ecosystems on Facebook and found: * Engagement is highly asymmetric * Lifecycles are short: most engagement happens in < 8hrs * Content takedowns are rare (<.7%) but slow, and therefore not that impactful. Quick 🧵
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
“Should not undo it” There, I fixed it. I was the Chief Technologist of the Civil Rights Division last year, and the CRA is *extremely* hard to enforce. DoJ has very few actual tools to do it- it can’t issue civil investigatory demands, just bring cases. It’s as fragile as a soap bubble.
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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
The canceled grands are shock and awe, but the real damage will come from the long-term (massive) reductions in funding to the entire US research ecosystem and the defunding of entire fields and initiatives for training, growing, and diversifying the research workforce.
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Another scientist detained when returning to the US. It happened last month, but her colleagues found out (or at least started talking about it) this week. Conference organizers need to figure out hybrid options ASAP and Universities should issue travel warnings. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
theguardian.com
Russian scientist working at Harvard detained by Ice at Boston airport
Kseniia Petrova was returning to the US from a trip to France when officials revoked her visa and detained her
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
The Onion is the only print news subscription I have and I can confirm the excellent value of this important publication.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 27/03/2025
thinking of one of abraham lincoln's great quotes this morning: "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy."
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Laura Edelson @whiskeyocelot.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
This is excellent and very much worth the hour!!
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Margaret Mitchell @mmitchell.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
If you're interested in language, AI, and cognition, this is the *must-watch* video of the week: Debate a few days ago between Dr. @emilymbender.bsky.social and Dr. @sbubeck.bsky.social on whether chatbots can "understand". Was a lively and fun debate to watch. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtIQ...
youtube.com
CHM Live | The Great Chatbot Debate: Do LLMs Really Understand?
YouTube video by Computer History Museum
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