Jessica Vitak

@vitak.bsky.social

1.1K followers 260 following 190 posts

She/her. Professor at University of Maryland's iSchool. Director of the HCIL. General Chair for CSCW 2025. Research: privacy, surveillance, data ethics. https://jessicavitak.com

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Jessica Vitak is an American information scientist who is a professor at the University of Maryland. She is faculty in the University of Maryland College of Information (iSchool) and Communication Department. She serves as Director of the University of Maryland Human–Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL) and an Associate Member of the Social Data Science Center (SoDa). .. more

Communication & Media Studies 26%

Sociology 22%

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Reposted by Scott A. Imberman, James Goodwin, Jessica Vitak , and 1 more Scott A. Imberman, James Goodwin, Jessica Vitak, Anne Hilborn

GamerMomLuna 🌙⭐ @gamermomluna.bsky.social · 3d

This is your annual reminder that if you are in the US and have FSA funds that you won't use, Menstrual products are covered by FSA funds and can be donated to food pantries and shelters.

Reposted by Jessica Vitak

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 4d

New Pew report on Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots.

“…64% of teens say they use chatbots, including about 3 in 10 who do so daily.”

Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025

Roughly one-in-five U.S. teens say they are on TikTok and YouTube almost constantly. At the same time, 64% of teens say they use chatbots, including about three-in-ten who do so daily.

www.pewresearch.org

Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 4d

Cookies are now bagged and ready for cookie exchanges tomorrow and Friday. I put three of each in a self-sealing bag and attach a small note with cookie information.

cc @hcil-umd.bsky.social & @dmgreene.bsky.social

Picture of bagged cookies with descriptive tags.

Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 4d

Update: I made two batches of each cookie, which made way more than I needed. To my colleagues' delight, I was still baking away during some meetings.
*Gochujang -- 10/10, amazing
*Peppermint Choc -- 9/10, great if you love brownies

Close-up shot of baked gochujang caramel cookies (recipe: Eric Kim, NYTimes).

Close up of Peppermint Chocolate Brownie Cookies on a plate (recipe courtesy of Vaughn Vreeland/NYTimes).

Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 4d

In a warm-up for this weekend's massive Vitak family cookie baking extravaganza, I'm making two new (to me) cookies from NYTCooking for some work events: (1) the viral gochujang caramel cookies by Eric Kim and (2) Vaughn Vreeland's peppermint brownie cookies. Will report back with pictures.

Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 6d

Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.
***

Also: 1+2+2+ 1... no, 1+2+1+1

Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 10d

And if you're curious about my cancer experience, I wrote a post about it last year for the five-year anniversary of my diagnosis.
jessicavitak.com/2024/12/04/f...

Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 10d

I implore you--especially those in their 40s who may not think they need screenings yet--to get regular check-ups and scans. Your body and your health are the most important thing you can take care of! Don't put off seeing a doctor when something changes or a new symptom appears.

Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 10d

Happy Fuck Cancer Day!
Six years ago, I got the shock of a lifetime when I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 39 with no family history. Good news is I've been cancer free for 5+ years.
I share this every year as a reminder that there is no particular age or set of genetics that leads to cancer.

Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 18d

Little did these little beauties know that Vitak would quickly forget about them and less than an hour later, some of the sugar will have burned, making them inedible and requiring yet another trip to the store.

Pot filled with four bags of cranberries, sugar, orange zest and juice, and cinnamon sticks, pre-burning.

Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 18d

When I had my lumpectomy, they also removed five lymph nodes, and my surgeon told me at least one of them was bright blue--something she hadn't seen before. I'd gotten a half sleeve on that arm three months earlier.

Reposted by Jessica Vitak

Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 20d

Cool that @vitak.bsky.social's and my work on pandemic-fueled workplace surveillance was included in this Register article on the continued rise of bossware.
www.theregister.com/2025/11/23/b...

Bossware rises as employers keep closer tabs on remote staff

: A lot of companies are turning to employee monitoring tools to make sure workers aren't slacking off

www.theregister.com

Reposted by Jessica Vitak

Hal Daumé III @haldaume3.bsky.social · 23d

AIM's 2nd round of TTK hiring - building up to 30 - is up!

📅 Ddl 12/22/25
🔬 Accessibility & Learning, plus Sustainability & Social Justice
🧑‍🏫 Associate/Full Prof*
🔗 umd.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UMCP/j...

*Assistant-level candidates: apply to departments, mentioning AIM in a cover letter

Senior Tenure Track Faculty at the Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland (AIM) - Associate Professor/Professor (Open Rank Joint Appointment)

Job Description Summary Organization Summary Statement: The Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland - AIM (aim.umd.edu) - is hiring 40 faculty over the next several years, incl...

umd.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com

Reposted by Jessica Vitak

Kevin Collier @kevincollier.bsky.social · 24d

For a handful of reasons it can be really hard to report well on advancing domestic US government surveillance. This by @byrontau.bsky.social is so well done.

Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with 'suspicious' travel patterns

The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious.

apnews.com

Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 25d

So excited to see @kingjen.bsky.social on @aoc.bsky.social's Insta stories taking about things near and dear to my heart: data privacy. Jen was testifying on Capitol Hill on privacy concerns related to chatbots. Read more here: hai.stanford.edu/policy/jen-k...

Jen King's Testimony Before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee | Stanford HAI

In this testimony presented to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversights and Investigations hearing titled “Innovation with Integrity: Examining the Risks and Benefi...

hai.stanford.edu

Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 27d

"He's the Pepsi fan of the game til he gets thrown out."

Reposted by David Lazer, Jessica Vitak

J. Nathan Matias @natematias.bsky.social · 27d

Can public involvement in AI evaluation improve the science? Or does it compromise quality, speed, cost?

In @pnas.org, Megan Price & I summarize challenges of AI evaluation, review strengths/weaknesses, & suggest how participatory methods can improve the science of AI
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

How public involvement can improve the science of AI | PNAS

As AI systems from decision-making algorithms to generative AI are deployed more widely, computer scientists and social scientists alike are being ...

www.pnas.org

Reposted by Jessica Vitak

ACM CSCW @acm-cscw.bsky.social · Nov 10

Want to catch up on the latest developments at CSCW? Curious about the budget, rolling deadlines, or volunteering? We've posted a blog with responses to the Q&A at the #cscw2025 town hall session, held during the conference. Read more here: medium.com/@acm-cscw/cs...