Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ian Brown 👨🏻‍💻

@1br0wn.eupolicy.social.ap.brid.gy

400 followers 11 following 400 posts

💻 policy/regulation researcher (esp. #InfoSec #privacy #ML 🗳 #interoperability #DMA #GDPR). ⛷🚴🏻‍♂️🥾🗺🏳️‍🌈🌻 Visiting CyberBRICS Prof. at Centre for […] [bridged from https://eupolicy.social/@1br0wn on the fediverse by https://fed.brid.gy/ ] .. more

Videos

Computer science 34%

Political science 31%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Ian Brown

skry @skry.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 15d

There’s no such thing as anonymous personal data. Especially not when it’s the story of your life as recorded in your phone conversations.

AIs can make voices that sound exactly like you with a tiny sample of your recorded voice. That capability can make it possible for criminals to defraud […]

Original post on mastodon.social

mastodon.social

Reposted by Ian Brown

Simonetta Vezzoso @wavesblog.bsky.social · 16d

If Big Tech companies increasingly "ignore rules that have been established in a democratic way or openly delay them in every possible way," what shall we do, asks Martijn Snoep? Banning services should also be on the table, agree www.acm.nl/nl/publicati...

Speech Martijn Snoep tijdens het Prinsjesdagontbijt bij de Balie | ACM

Speech van ACM-bestuursvoorzitter Martijn Snoep ter gelegenheid van het Prinsjesdagontbijt, georganiseerd door de Balie op 16 september 2025.

www.acm.nl

1 6 4

Reposted by Ian Brown

Larvitz :fedora: :redhat: @larvitz.burningboard.net.ap.brid.gy · 19d

The old web was decentralized:

- Newsgroups
- Personal Websites
- Bulletin board
- Email as a service, not a platform
- Internet relay chat (IRC)
- Early blogs

Then corporations arrived with money and lock-in, turning the internet into centralized ad farms (Meta, X, TikTok). Users became […]

Original post on burningboard.net

burningboard.net

7 21

Reposted by Ian Brown

Bodo Tasche @bitboxer.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 20d

I am working for a larger TV network atm. And let me share something you might suspect, but haven't heard directly from the source.

Linear TV usage is dropping fast. In August we had a record low of 93 min average watch time in Germany. The year before, it was at 106. This fact, together with […]

Original post on mastodon.social

mastodon.social

Reposted by Ian Brown

Jim Killock @jim.killock.org.uk · 21d

Great website, via @sarahalsherif

https://tech-litigation.com/

detailing lots of case law on automated decision making

#ai #automateddecisionmaking #adm #dataprotection

Tech Litigation

tech-litigation.com

3 2

Reposted by Ian Brown

Jon Worth @jon.gruene.social.ap.brid.gy · 21d

In light of @pallenberg having content about Jimmy Kimmel removed from LinkedIn, I've written about the topic of Europeans problematic use of US commercial social networks in the era of Trump […]

Original post on gruene.social

gruene.social

1 17 1

Reposted by Ian Brown, Greg Linden

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Will Jennings, Steve Peers , and 5 more Jonathan Portes, Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Leigh Sparks, Elizabeth Stokoe, Ian Brown, Paul Bowman, Peter Holmes

James Ball @jamesrball.com · 26d

Elon, speaking at the Tommy Robinson march today: “This is a government against the people and not for the people, this is why everyone is gathered here today…we don’t have another four years…there’s got to be a dissolution of parliament”

And the government just…continues to use X.

70 420 1.4K

Reposted by Ian Brown

Simonetta Vezzoso @wavesblog.bsky.social · 28d

"Although she said regulators won’t shy away from doling out fines to companies that don’t obey EU law, she also said “soft-enforcement” and dialogue with businesses may play a bigger role in the future" need it *all*: high fines, regulatory "dialogues"
🤼‍♀️, ex-ante rules www.wsj.com/tech/eu-wont...

EU Won’t Shy Away From Tough Antitrust Enforcement, Competition Chief Says

The European Union’s top competition enforcer said the bloc couldn’t let Google avoid a $3.46 billion fine for breaching the bloc’s competition rules.

www.wsj.com

1 1 2

Reposted by Ian Brown

Simonetta Vezzoso @wavesblog.bsky.social · 28d

"The implementation will be monitored by a monitoring trustee, who will also mediate in case of disputes between third parties and Microsoft. If a third-party concern persists, the dispute will be subject to fast-track arbitration" #interoperability ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

1 1

Reposted by Ian Brown

Servelan @servelan.newsie.social.ap.brid.gy · 28d

"Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana recently emphasized that the company will challenge, limit, or reject robotaxi footage requests from law enforcement that are not backed by a valid legal process, such as a warrant or court order."

Waymo Tells Cops: ‘Get A Warrant’ | Techdirt […]

Original post on newsie.social

newsie.social

Reposted by Ian Brown, Debora Weber-Wulff

Patrick Breyer @echo-pbreyer.digitalcourage.social.ap.brid.gy · 28d

🇪🇺The EU Commission seriously claims: "There is no such thing as #chatcontrol.”

Their fantasy: A magic, 100% perfect algorithm that only finds CSAM.

The reality: To find anything, you must scan everything.

Stop the mass surveillance lie! #StopScanningMe

A screenshot of a social media post (a toot) from the European Commission. The account handle is @EUCommission@ec.social-network.europa.eu. The post is dated September 10, 2025, at 16:53 and was posted from the Web.

The text of the post reads:

"Hello @ranx!
Let us be clear: under this proposal, there is no general monitoring of online communications. There will be no such thing as “chat control”.

Only material that is clearly child sexual abuse will be searched for and can be detected.

Detection orders can only be issued by judicial or independent administrative authorities at the end of a thorough process to assess necessity and proportionality, balancing all the fundamental rights at stake."

4 16 22

Reposted by Ian Brown

Chris Marsden @chrismarsden.bsky.social · 29d

'she had received positive feedback after deciding to “get rid of” the chair of the CMA. Amazon boss Doug Gurr was appointed in his place. “Previously businesses, all the time – especially in tech – had been raising concerns about the CMA. That has changed a lot.”
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Rachel Reeves tells private equity bosses she plans to shut down more regulators

Chancellor stopped short of saying which regulators were in government’s crosshairs

www.theguardian.com

7 4

Reposted by Ian Brown

Ben Werdmuller @ben.werd.social.ap.brid.gy · 29d

In a world that faces unprecedented challenges, from a resurgence in global fascism to the fast-developing storm of the climate crisis, we need more technologists to focus on doing good work.

Here's how to take the leap.

https://werd.io/using-technology-skills-for-positive-change/

7 1

Reposted by Ian Brown

Simonetta Vezzoso @wavesblog.bsky.social · Sep 10

"the Indian government now considers commissioning a market study before revisiting the Digital Competition Bill" 🙄 www.moneycontrol.com/news/opinion...

2 1

Reposted by Ian Brown

TechCrunch @techcrunch.com · Sep 9

The Apple Watch Series 11 can alert you to possible hypertension.

Apple unveils Apple Watch Series 11, Watch Ultra 3, and Watch SE 3 | TechCrunch

The Apple Watch Series 11 can alert you to possible hypertension.

techcrunch.com

3 2 13

Reposted by Ian Brown

Jan Penfrat @ilumium.eupolicy.social.ap.brid.gy · Sep 9

Wow after massive protests against #corruption in the country, the Nepali government had issued a ban / #dnsblock of @Mastodon, @signalapp, and 24 other online services and social networks.

After 19 people were killed and 100 injured in those protests, the government now reportedly back-paddled […]

Original post on eupolicy.social

eupolicy.social

Reposted by Ian Brown

Jim Killock @jim.killock.org.uk · Sep 8

Well, that took long. #onlinesafetyact #ageverification

https://dailydarkweb.net/passportscan-allegedly-breached-178000-scanned-ids-for-sale-on-dark-web/

PassportScan Allegedly Breached -178,000 Scanned IDs for Sale on Dark Web - Daily Dark Web

PassportScan Allegedly Breached -178,000 Scanned IDs for Sale on Dark Web Discover the latest security threats and database leaks, including unauthorized VPN access and email breaches, in the cyber underground world.Stay informed about emerging cyber threats, such as unauthorized access to databases and sensitive information leaks, affecting global companies and organizations.Learn about the latest cyber incidents, including DDoS attacks and malware threats targeting cryptocurrency wallets and financial institutions.

dailydarkweb.net

3 14 5

Reposted by Ian Brown

LillyLyle/Count Melancholia @lillyherself.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Sep 7

de Adder. 🎯

NEW BALANCE OF POWER
Cartoon showing Xi, Kim Jong, Putin and Trump all on the same side of a children's see-saw. Putin is saying to Trump "You're supposed to be at the other end"

3 160 28

Reposted by Ian Brown

Frank Pasquale @frankpasquale.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Sep 7

“Eventually ChatGPT admitted that it often tells users what they want to hear in order to “optimize engagement.” “What you may receive is a watered-down or time-delayed version of the truth,” it told her, “which makes you feel heard, but keeps you in a loop instead of breaking it.” Val felt […]

Original post on mastodon.social

mastodon.social

5 1

Ian Brown 👨🏻‍💻 @1br0wn.eupolicy.social.ap.brid.gy · Sep 6

‘Mandelson also indicated that the UK must use its Brexit freedoms to embrace a more liberal, US-style approach to tech regulation and not allow future technologies to be “stifled with excessive regulation”, such as the EU’s data protection regulations and AI Act.’ https://on.ft.com/4gafHjP

Mandelson warns US and UK must unite to halt Chinese tech supremacy

US ambassador describes Beijing as the west’s ‘most formidable modern competitor’

www.ft.com

Ian Brown 👨🏻‍💻 @1br0wn.eupolicy.social.ap.brid.gy · Sep 6

@Privacymatters @1br0wn 👏 Go for it!

Ian Brown 👨🏻‍💻 @1br0wn.eupolicy.social.ap.brid.gy · Sep 6

@Privacymatters Hugs!

Reposted by Ian Brown

@PrivacyMatters @privacymatters.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · Sep 5

@EU_Commission fines Google €2.95 billion for abuse of dominant position in the display advertising technology industry.

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_25_2034

#adtech

Statement by Executive Vice-President Ribera on the adoption of the Google Adtech decision

Today the Commission has adopted a decision finding that Google breached EU competition rules by abusing its dominant position in the display advertising technology industry (‘Adtech\') and imposed a f

ec.europa.eu

Reposted by Ian Brown

Stefan Bohacek @stefan.stefanbohacek.online.ap.brid.gy · Sep 5

"There are several possible dates you might pick, but for me it will always be September 5th 2014 - when I committed the first sketch of a specification I called ActivityPump and pushed it to Github."

Happy 11th birthday, ActivityPub! […]

Original post on stefanbohacek.online

stefanbohacek.online

1 18 7

Ian Brown 👨🏻‍💻 @1br0wn.eupolicy.social.ap.brid.gy · Sep 5

“#AI is the ultimate distraction device for the C-suite, since it is now absorbing so much executive headspace & public airtime that there is less space to think about other issues, such as the uglier side of Trump’s policies. It gobbles up bandwidth, literally and metaphorically.” […]

Original post on eupolicy.social

eupolicy.social

Reposted by Ian Brown

Robert W. Gehl @rwg.aoir.social.ap.brid.gy · Sep 4

I'm having a virtual book event with the @fediforum folks next week!

https://fediforum.org/news/2025-09-04-robert-gehl-move-slowly-and-build-gridges-special-event/

I will talk about my new book, Move Slowly and Build Bridges: Mastodon, the Fediverse, and the Struggle for Democratic Social […]

Original post on aoir.social

aoir.social

Reposted by Ian Brown

Jordan Maris 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 #NAFO @jmaris.me · Sep 4

A brief reminder that if you want to help end the #search monopoly, you should give #ecosia a try.
They are #european, plant trees with their profits, and are currently rolling out their own search index in collaboration with another European Search engine, #qwant!

2 1 1

Ian Brown 👨🏻‍💻 @1br0wn.eupolicy.social.ap.brid.gy · Sep 4

US FTC Chair: “The Trump-Vance FTC will never back down from taking on Big Tech.”

‘At the DoJ, Slater is also showing no signs of relenting. “The United States will not tolerate the abuse of power by digital monopolies,” she wrote on Tuesday’ https://on.ft.com/4m9d3MQ