Michael Zimmer
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michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer
@michaelzimmer.bsky.social
2.6K followers 420 following 450 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%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Michael Zimmer, Scott A. Imberman, Brian Jm Quinn

fintwitter.bsky.social
FinTwitter @fintwitter.bsky.social · 13h
TRUMP: CREDIT CARD COMPANIES WILL BE IN VIOLATION OF LAW IF THEY DON’T COMPLY BY JAN 20 ON INTEREST RATE CAP

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Stephen M. Walt, Kori Schake , and 81 more

federalreserve.gov
Federal Reserve @federalreserve.gov · 14h
Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
Statement by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell
YouTube video by Federal Reserve
www.youtube.com

Reposted by Stephan Lewandowsky, Brendan Nyhan, Aaron Sojourner , and 5 more

ninajankowicz.com
Nina Jankowicz @ninajankowicz.com · 23h
I can't say this loudly enough: THEY ARE TRYING TO NORMALIZE THE KILLING OF CIVILIANS FOR PARTICIPATING IN FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTED PROTEST ACTIVITIES.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Homan: "We gotta stop the hateful rhetoric. Saying this officer is a murderer is dangerous. It's just ridiculous. It's gonna infuriate people more which means there's gonna be more incidents like this."

Reposted by Anna O. Law, John R. Hutchinson, Scott L. Greer , and 6 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 23h
Chris Murphy: "The amount of training that's given to an ICE officer has been cut in half by this administration. The number of days of training they get are 47. You know why they get 47 days? As an homage to the vanity of POTUS. No wonder the number of violent incidents are going through the roof."

Reposted by Patrick Dunleavy, Rosemary A. Joyce, David Rothschild , and 7 more

kevinmkruse.bsky.social
Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 23h
The message from the White House this morning is that, once again, it falls on ordinary American citizens to remain calm and professional when dealing with the heavily armed agents of the government because they are very emotional and might fly off into a murderous rage at the slightest insult.

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Reece Jones, Nina Jankowicz , and 38 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Homan: "We gotta stop the hateful rhetoric. Saying this officer is a murderer is dangerous. It's just ridiculous. It's gonna infuriate people more which means there's gonna be more incidents like this."

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Alan Lester, Michelle Everson , and 10 more

premthakker.bsky.social
Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 1d
This is stunning. Listen to this in Philadelphia.

Thousands singing “Hey-Oh, we won’t be silent while our friends are gunned down.”

Really listen to it.

Reposted by David S. Cohen, Michael Kevane, Melanie C. Green , and 5 more

jasonkirell.bsky.social
Jay Kirell @jasonkirell.bsky.social · 2d
Philadelphia sheriff Rochelle Bilal:

“No law enforcement professional wears a mask…No law enforcement professional shoots at a moving vehicle.

“What Trump’s private army is doing…is not only against legal law, but moral law.”

Vows to arrest agents on site who commit crimes.

Reposted by Johan P. Olsen, Rebecca Tushnet, Michael Zimmer , and 1 more

lopatto.bsky.social
Elizabeth Lopatto @lopatto.bsky.social · 2d
I sat in a fucking court room and heard Apple imply that a naked cartoon banana was somehow inappropriate but somehow Grok non consensually undressing women and children is ok?? www.theverge.com/policy/85990...
Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai are cowards
Once you’ve traded your principles for proximity to power, do you even run your own company?
www.theverge.com

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 2d
Stop this.
hypervisible.blacksky.app Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 2d
“Bee’s device, which can be worn on the wrist or clipped to a shirt, records and transcribes its owner’s activities, using that information to recap conversations and automatically create to-do lists in a companion app throughout the day.”

Reposted by Johan P. Olsen, Michael Zimmer

hypervisible.blacksky.app
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 2d
“Bee’s device, which can be worn on the wrist or clipped to a shirt, records and transcribes its owner’s activities, using that information to recap conversations and automatically create to-do lists in a companion app throughout the day.”

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 2d
I'm quite worried that getting the entire front page was part of the terms for granting the "interview"

Reposted by Steven French, Simon J. Greenhill, Fabián Muniesa , and 3 more

financialtimes.com
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 2d
Musk should remain member of UK Royal Society, says president ft.trib.al/tC0vaAa
Musk should remain member of UK Royal Society, says president
Paul Nurse tells FT that national science academy should avoid ‘making judgments’ about ‘character’ of fellows
ft.trib.al

Reposted by Johan P. Olsen, Michael Kevane, Michael Zimmer , and 2 more

kevincollier.bsky.social
Kevin Collier @kevincollier.bsky.social · 2d
New: Trio of Dem senators urge Apple and Google to enforce their own terms of service and ban X, Grok apps for their flood of nonconsensual sexual imagery.

I've repeatedly asked both Apple and Google about this for three days. They're completely silent, seemingly hoping the question just goes away.
Senators urged Apple and Google to remove X and Grok from app stores over sexual deepfakes
“Turning a blind eye to X’s egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation practices,” three Democratic senators wrote to Apple’s and Google’s CEOs.
www.nbcnews.com

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 3d
And yes, this also requires a recalibration of expectations for grad students and tenure review, which also have gotten out of hand.
(I recall as a grad student it was quite notable that I had one single-authored publication before graduating; expectations have since skyrocketed)

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 3d
As I stare blankly at numerous conference deadlines, I renew my hot take that academic associations should only hold conferences every-other-year. This would reduce the ridiculous publicaion cycle pressure, ease the reviewer crisis, increase overall affordability, and reduce environmental impact.

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 3d
The Times certainly seems more interested in highlighting the fact it got the interview than anything in the interview itself. (And even calling this an "interview" seems a stretch)
larryglickman.bsky.social Larry Glickman @larryglickman.bsky.social · 3d
This fawning characterization of the meeting between Trump and 4 NY Times reporters is remarkable in either spinning every issue in Trump’s favor or in giving him the last word, even when it is a non sequitur./1
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/u...
The Many Faces of Trump: What We Saw When We Interviewed the President
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

zombiewretch.bsky.social
Jess Weatherbed @zombiewretch.bsky.social · 3d
You may have seen reports swimming around claiming that X finally restricted the Grok deepfake/undressing features behind a paid subscription.

That simply isn't true. Not even close. www.theverge.com/news/859309/...
No, Grok hasn’t paywalled its deepfake image feature
X’s sexual deepfake machine is still running, despite Grok saying otherwise.
www.theverge.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

larryglickman.bsky.social
Larry Glickman @larryglickman.bsky.social · 3d
This fawning characterization of the meeting between Trump and 4 NY Times reporters is remarkable in either spinning every issue in Trump’s favor or in giving him the last word, even when it is a non sequitur./1
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/u...
The Many Faces of Trump: What We Saw When We Interviewed the President
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Seema Jayachandran, David Rothschild, American Library Association , and 7 more

carlquintanilla.bsky.social
Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 3d
Page One.

@nytimes.com

Reposted by Will Jennings, Janet Murray, Aaron Sojourner , and 3 more

caseynewton.bsky.social
Casey Newton @caseynewton.bsky.social · 3d
I'm glad to see this pressure on Google and Apple. If any other company was running an active CSAM generator in public you better believe it would have been removed from their app stores by now www.wired.com/story/x-grok...
Why Are Grok and X Still Available in App Stores?
Elon Musk’s chatbot has been used to generate thousands of sexualized images of adults and apparent minors. Apple and Google have removed other “nudify” apps—but continue to host X and Grok.
www.wired.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Mary Bosworth, Nandita Sharma , and 21 more

wired.com
WIRED @wired.com · 3d
We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe.
wired.com WIRED @wired.com · 3d
Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.

If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Joshua S. Weitz, Scott L. Greer , and 11 more

wired.com
WIRED @wired.com · 3d
Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.

If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Steve Peers, David R. Miller , and 2 more

whstancil.bsky.social
Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 3d
I keep going back to this. This is a taunt. They're taunting us. There is no other possible interpretation of what they're doing.

But media simply ignores this deranged behavior, because if they talk about it, one must conclude that DHS is a rogue agency, of villainous paramilitary thugs.

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 3d
Fair points, but still.....
reckless.bsky.social nilay patel @reckless.bsky.social · 3d
A million ways for this to go bad but it’s generally positive that OpenAI trying to put this huge amount of existing activity into a managed space. And keep in mind the alternative for these users seeking health info is most likely the YouTube grifter wild west www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, encouraging users to connect their medical records
But it’s ‘not intended for diagnosis or treatment.’
www.theverge.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

reckless.bsky.social
nilay patel @reckless.bsky.social · 3d
A million ways for this to go bad but it’s generally positive that OpenAI trying to put this huge amount of existing activity into a managed space. And keep in mind the alternative for these users seeking health info is most likely the YouTube grifter wild west www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, encouraging users to connect their medical records
But it’s ‘not intended for diagnosis or treatment.’
www.theverge.com

Reposted by Ken Caldeira, Michael Zimmer, Kate Jackson

404media.co
404 Media @404media.co · 4d
404 Media has obtained material that explains how Tangles and Webloc, two surveillance systems ICE recently purchased, work. Webloc can track phones without a warrant and follow their owners home or to their employer.
Inside ICE’s Tool to Monitor Phones in Entire Neighborhoods
404 Media has obtained material that explains how Tangles and Webloc, two surveillance systems ICE recently purchased, work. Webloc can track phones without a warrant and follow their owners home or to...
www.404media.co

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

jeffjarvis.bsky.social
Jeff (Gutenberg Parenthesis) Jarvis @jeffjarvis.bsky.social · 4d
Times editorial after Kent State: "It is evident from the eyewitness account of this newspaper's correspondent (who saw and heard no sniper fire) that the National Guardsmen shot at the students without warning in an unconscionable act of military panic."
Today, The Times is silent.

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

lukelebrun.ca
Luke LeBrun @lukelebrun.ca · 4d
Trump also says Renee Good “behaved horribly” and insists she *ran over* an ICE agent

Questioned on that claim, Trump beckons an assistant to play the video on a laptop

When the video doesn’t show an ICE agent was run over, Trump starts stammering and trails off

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/u...
Mr. Trump stuck to his position even as we pointed out the inconsistencies and the lack of clarity in videos circulating in social media. We asked if, in his mind, firing into a vehicle like that is acceptable. "She behaved horribly," Mr. Trump said. "And then she ran him over. She didn't try to run him over —" We told the president the videos on social media were unclear. "I'll play the tape for you right now," Mr. Trump said. Mr. Trump's aide Natalie Harp brought a laptop over to the Resolute Desk to show us what he said would be evidence of the woman's wrongdoing. Before the video began, Mr. Trump acknowledged the tragic nature of the shooting. "With all of it being said, no, I don't like that happening," he said, before pivoting to his common refrain of criticizing illegal immigration. As a slow-motion surveillance video of the shooting played on the laptop, we told him that this angle did not appear to show an ICE officer had been run over. "Well," Mr. Trump said. "I — the way I look at it ..." "It's a terrible scene," Mr. Trump said at the end of the video. "I think it's horrible to watch. No, I hate to see it."

Reposted by Michael Zimmer