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Michael Zimmer

@michaelzimmer.bsky.social

2.4K followers 400 following 360 posts

Privacy & data ethics scholar. Professor in Computer Science and Director of @MUDataEthics.bsky.social at Marquette University. I also curate @ZuckerbergFiles.bsky.social

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Michael Zimmer is a privacy and data ethics scholar. He currently is a professor in the Department of Computer Science at Marquette University and Director of the Center for Data, Ethics, and Society. Previously, he was on the faculty at the School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and director of the Center for Information Policy Research. Zimmer is on the advisory board of the Future of Privacy Forum, and was on the executive committee of the Association of Internet Researchers from 2009-2016. He was the Microsoft Resident Fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School from 2007-2008. .. more

Computer science 32%

Political science 22%

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Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 7h

::Staring at Apple::

The Verge @theverge.com · 15h

Amazon’s giant ads have ruined the Echo Show

Alexa, stop the ads.

www.theverge.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Luke Steuber @lukesteuber.com · 11h

What a shitty thing to have to worry about

Norway braces for Trump’s reaction if he does not win Nobel peace prize

US president may impose tariffs, demand higher Nato contributions or even declare Norway an enemy, analyst says

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Michael Zimmer

The Verge @theverge.com · 15h

Amazon’s giant ads have ruined the Echo Show

Alexa, stop the ads.

www.theverge.com

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Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 1d

Pleased to contribute my perspective to “Growing Demand for Ethics Expertise to Evaluate AI Tools Before Use in Healthcare” in latest Medical Ethics Advisor.

Building responsible AI systems requires not just technical rigor, but also ethical discernment. www.clinician.com/articles/gro...

Growing Demand for Ethics Expertise to Evaluate AI Tools Before Use…

In this article we cover Growing Demand for Ethics Expertise to Evaluate AI Tools Before Use in Healthcare. Stay up to date on the latest in healthcare…

www.clinician.com

Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 1d

Port Washington's $8 billion artificial intelligence data center campus project saw its strongest showing of vehement opposition since the project was announced in January.

But the swell of pushback may be arriving too late to stop the project.
www.jsonline.com/story/commun...

Port Washington's $8 billion AI data center sees swell of pushback. It may come too late

Port Washington's $8 billion AI data center project saw its strongest showing of opposition from area residents on Oct. 7. But it may be too late.

www.jsonline.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Rebecca Solnit, Jonathan A. Eisen , and 27 more Anna O. Law, Rebecca Solnit, Jonathan A. Eisen, Erich Fromm, Brendan Nyhan, Paul R. Bierman, Patrick A. Jansen, Patrick Dunleavy, Steve Peers, Christopher Wright, Steven French, Lisa M. Thompson, Laura K. Taylor, Marina Jirotka, Kevin J. O’Brien, Juan Cole, Erwin Dekker, Brian Medeiros, Silvia Secchi, W. Andy Knight, Michael Zimmer, Christine Kooi, Erica Weintraub Austin, Mark Rice, Ann Bartow, Henry Jones, Blair Fix, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Francesco Nicoli, Colin Woodard

Melanie D’Arrigo @darrigomelanie.bsky.social · 2d

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

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Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Walter Hickey @walthickey.bsky.social · 2d

this is a bfd sherwood.news/markets/orac...

Oracle tumbles after report that it’s lost nearly $100 million from renting out access to Nvidia’s Blackwell chips

Early returns from the AI boom look tiny for Oracle, per The Information....

sherwood.news

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Reposted by John F. McCarthy, Adam Bonica, John Collins , and 6 more John F. McCarthy, Adam Bonica, John Collins, Charles W. Smith, Michael Zimmer, Robert B. Reich, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Dan Immergluck, Timothy D. McBride

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Bondi to Blumenthal: "You lied. How dare you? I'm a career prosecutor. Don't you ever challenge my integrity. Do not question my ability to be fair and impartial."

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Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Marquette Center for Data, Ethics, and Society @mudataethics.bsky.social · 2d

It was so exciting to see the community turn out for @alexhanna.bsky.social's talk on "The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want" at @boswellbooks.bsky.social Boswell Book Company last night.
(crowd photo via Melissa Shew)

Image of Alex Hanna at a podium in a bookstore holding a copy of "The AI Con"

Image from the back of the room with a seated audience listening to Alex Hanna discussing her book "The AI Con"

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Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 2d

Hey Apple, please make something and take my money....

The Verge @theverge.com · 2d

The company says it’s still committed to smart displays, as Amazon doubles down on the category.

Google hints at a new Nest Hub

The Nest Hub may live again

www.theverge.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

The Verge @theverge.com · 2d

The company says it’s still committed to smart displays, as Amazon doubles down on the category.

Google hints at a new Nest Hub

The Nest Hub may live again

www.theverge.com

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Reposted by Philip N. Cohen, Janet Murray, Michael Zimmer

Siva @sivav.bsky.social · 2d

I wrote about the “compact” for higher education

newrepublic.com/article/2013...

Why This Essay Could Cause the University of Virginia to Shut Down

How Linda McMahon’s latest “compact” would do deep and permanent harm to American higher education

newrepublic.com

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Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Forbes @forbes.com · 3d

Trump’s youngest son taught his dad a thing or two about crypto. Now the NYU sophomore is making a fortune before he even turns 20.

How 19-Year-Old Barron Trump Is Worth $150 Million

Trump’s youngest son taught his dad a thing or two about crypto. Now the NYU sophomore is making a fortune before he even turns 20.

www.forbes.com

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Reposted by Daniel Aaron, Michael Zimmer

Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 4d

I think this is right:
"We've slid into some form of authoritarianism," says Steven Levitsky, a professor of government at Harvard. "It is relatively mild compared to some others. It is certainly reversible, but we are no longer living in a liberal democracy."
www.npr.org/2025/04/22/n...

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Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Michael Zimmer

Scary Werewolf Bar Kochba @dickius.bsky.social · 4d

Wow, it must be terrible being told that you can’t use the bathroom.

'Very difficult situation': Kristi Noem whines locals not letting ICE agents use restrooms

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem complained that her agents were not being permitted to use restrooms in Chicago because of opposition from residents.During a Sunday interview on ...

www.rawstory.com

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Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 5d

I'm listening to "The Gutenberg Parenthesis" by @jeffjarvis.bsky.social and am really enjoying revisiting some of the core ideas (McLuhan, Ong, Eisenstein) from my graduate work in Media Ecology through the lens of a contemporary writer who has suffered through the internet age.

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Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 5d

Discord said late on Friday that hackers stole users' government-issued IDs (passports and driver's licenses) from one of its customer support databases.

I wrote a few words about the risks of age verification laws, and why collecting people's government IDs is bad for security and privacy.

Discord says users' government IDs used for age checks stolen by hackers

Thanks to age verification laws, expect more data breaches of users' government-issued passports and driver's licenses.

this.weekinsecurity.com

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Reposted by Mark Bray, Brendan Nyhan, Trevon D. Logan , and 3 more Mark Bray, Brendan Nyhan, Trevon D. Logan, Michael Zimmer, Dean Eckles, Rebecca Zorach

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 5d

*A Republican lawmaker objected to reference to Charlie Kirk holding “often racist and controversial views” in local Alaska news
*The corporate owner took down the story and edited it
*The journalists resigned

This feels like more and more of our media now.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/u...

Journalists at 3 Newspapers Quit Over Edits to a Charlie Kirk Story

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Colin F. Camerer, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan , and 11 more Colin F. Camerer, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, Mor Naaman, Jennifer Dill, Robert C. Richards, Aaron Sojourner, Michael Zimmer, Erol Akçay, Dean Eckles, Ann Bartow, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Dan Immergluck, Timothy D. McBride

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 6d

Federal officer blasts chemical spray into vocal but nonviolent Portland protester, video shows

The interaction illustrates how federal law enforcement officers do use aggressive tactics against protesters who yell and needle officers but don’t appear to present clear physical threats.

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Reposted by Michael Zimmer, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe

L.A. TACO @lataco.bsky.social · 7d

DHS posted their response on X: “To be clear: We will NOT comply with Gavin Newsom’s unconstitutional mask ban." LAPD has kept quiet, following several L.A. TACO requests for comment.

By Aisha Wallace-Palomares

The full story: lataco.com/masked-law-e...

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Reposted by Michael Zimmer, Brian Keegan

Comfortably Numb @numb.comfortab.ly · 7d

TRUMP: Imma run extortion racket against higher education.

NYT:

Trump Offered Universities an Invitation for a Deal. Some See a Trap.

Trump officials want schools to sign on to conservative priorities for special treatment. Some in higher education say agreeing would end academic freedom.

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Reposted by Michael Zimmer

nilay patel @reckless.bsky.social · 7d

"What is this entire anti-terrorism memorandum if not an admission that terrorism works, and that terrorism has secured the White House?"

wake up babe @lopatto.bsky.social and @sarahjeong.bsky.social banger alert www.theverge.com/policy/79051...

It is of course helpful to remember that in the Trump regime, every accusation is a confession. Antifa might not be organized, but the Department of Homeland Security sure is. George Soros might not be paying professional protesters, but right-wing media personalities are bankrolled by Trumpist billionaires. In the case of Ben Shapiro, that’s billionaires Dan and Farris Wilks; for Rumble, thank Peter Thiel. This is to say nothing of Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News, or Elon Musk’s X, or the Daily Caller itself, which is funded by Charles Koch.

Indeed, the memo’s description of the environment that leads to terroristic violence applies cleanly to the entire right-wing ecosystem. But perhaps the most striking accusation-as-confession is this paragraph from the national security presidential memorandum:

This political violence is not a series of isolated incidents and does not emerge organically. Instead, it is a culmination of sophisticated, organized campaigns of targeted intimidation, radicalization, threats, and violence designed to silence opposing speech, limit political activity, change or direct policy outcomes, and prevent the functioning of a democratic society.

What is this but an elegant encapsulation of the past 10 years? It describes everything from the removal of Jimmy Kimmel from the air to the Libs of TikTok pattern of incitement to Charlie Kirk’s Professor Watchlist to Fox News’ defamation of Dominion Voting Systems and its employees to the celebrity worship of people like Kyle Rittenhouse.

What is this entire anti-terrorism memorandum if not an admission that terrorism works, and that terrorism has secured the White House?

a verge feature story with the headline / subheadline of "Everything is terrorism in Trump’s America /
Identifying faceless ICE agents. Mutual aid for jailed protesters. Calling JD Vance a fascist. The war on ‘antifa’ is a war on free speech, and it’s just getting started."

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Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Amir Attaran, Rebecca Tushnet , and 9 more Rosemary A. Joyce, Amir Attaran, Rebecca Tushnet, David R. Miller, Michael Zimmer, Brian Keegan, Alfie Kohn, Mark Rice, Joanna L. Grossman, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Dan Immergluck

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8d

Stephen Miller: "All that bullshit is done, over, it's finished. The gangbangers you deal with- they think they're ruthless? They have no idea how ruthless we are. They think they're tough? They have no idea how tough we are. They think they're hardcore? We are so much more hardcore than they are"

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Reposted by Marc Lynch, Joseph Schafer, Alan Richardson , and 5 more Marc Lynch, Joseph Schafer, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Michael Zimmer, Daryl Adair, Ann Bartow, David Darmofal

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8d

Q: How did the White House decide it was appropriate for Jared Kushner to be working on matters that involve Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia -- 3 countries combined that have given him more than $2.5b

LEAVITT: It's frankly despicable that you're trying to suggest that it's inappropriate

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Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 8d

This is precisely the form factor I hope Apple reveals this month to help simplify our kitchen counter.

The Verge @theverge.com · 9d

Amazon finally did the damn hardware right

Amazon nails it

buff.ly

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Jake Lahut @jakelahut.writes.news · 8d

"'My jaw dropped when I read it,' says an SBA employee who asked to remain anonymous... The employee says they worried that if someone actually used the email template, it 'would be a blatant violation of the Hatch Act.'"
www.wired.com/story/govern...

Federal Workers Are Being Told to Blame Democrats for the Shutdown

Workers at one agency were given unhinged, partisan language to use when setting out-of-office replies.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by David R. Miller, Michael Zimmer

Anthony Michael Kreis @anthonymkreis.bsky.social · 9d

The English in 1685: ehhh
Americans in 1776: absolutely not
Katie Miller:

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Reposted by Michael Zimmer, Michael Gentile

Karl Jacoby @karl-jacoby.bsky.social · 9d

Over the past century and a half, the US military has developed an entire body of law relating to the legitimate use of force that Hegseth completely erases here. To most in the armed forces, it is important to have a code of ethics (no matter how imperfect). Otherwise they are just hired killers.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 9d

Hegseth: "We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy. We also don't fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement."

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Reposted by Michael Zimmer

The Verge @theverge.com · 9d

Amazon finally did the damn hardware right

Amazon nails it

buff.ly

Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 9d

Reminder: We are thrilled to welcome @alexhanna.bsky.social co-author of "The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want" to Milwaukee on October 6, 2025 for a book talk at Boswell Books. Free & open to the public. Please join us! www.eventbrite.com/e/alex-hanna...

Image of Dr. Alex Hanna and cover of the book The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want

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