Charles Mok
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charlesmok.bsky.social
Charles Mok
@charlesmok.bsky.social
1.3K followers 39 following 1.3K posts
Stanford Global Digital Policy Incubator Research Scholar | ISOC Trustee | ICANN Nomcom | ICTTM Board | Tech for Good Asia | DSET Taiwan consultant | Ex Hong Kong IT Legislator, HKNet | Purdue ECE Grad & Advisory Board | https://charlesmok.substack.com/
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charlesmok.bsky.social
The VPN panic is only getting started
The UK government is facing calls to restrict children’s access to VPNs.
www.theverge.com/tech/827435/...
The VPN panic is only getting started
Could age restrictions come to VPNs next?
www.theverge.com
November 28, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Reposted by Charles Mok
lawfaremedia.org
On Nov. 20, @kevintfrazier.bsky.social testified in front of Congress on the threats facing submarine telecommunications cables and why there needs to be an overhaul of how the U.S. regulates and protects the system. Read an adapted version of his testimony: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
The Subsea Sputnik Moment
China’s XLUUV exposes decades of policy negligence, demanding Congress reject bureaucratic inertia and secure the undersea cable system.
www.lawfaremedia.org
November 26, 2025 at 5:29 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
UK: Autumn Budget 2025: Key announcements for engineering and technology
eandt.theiet.org/2025/11/26/a...
eandt.theiet.org
November 27, 2025 at 7:18 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
Europe is scaling back regulations all over the place. Regulation vs innovation? It's governance. I hope Europe wouldn't overdo it and end up something they aren't, and it won't help them either way, anyway.

Europe is scaling back its landmark privacy and AI laws
www.theverge.com/news/823750/...
Europe is scaling back its landmark privacy and AI laws
The EU folds under Big Tech’s pressure.
www.theverge.com
November 27, 2025 at 7:05 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
AI for good.

TraffickCam Uses Computer Vision to Counter Human Trafficking
Hotels offer particular challenges for AI image recognition
spectrum.ieee.org/traffickcam-...
How Can Your Hotel Photos Help Combat Human Trafficking?
Abby Stylianou's app uses hotel room photos to aid in locating trafficking victims, showcasing the power of technology in social justice efforts.
spectrum.ieee.org
November 27, 2025 at 6:53 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
MIT study finds AI can already replace 11.7% of U.S. workforce
www.cnbc.com/2025/11/26/m...
MIT study finds AI can already replace 11.7% of U.S. workforce
Artificial intelligence can already replace 11.7% of the U.S. labor market, across finance, health care and professional services, according to MIT's study.
www.cnbc.com
November 27, 2025 at 6:50 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
This Thanksgiving feels different. But, give thanks always. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) (Photo taken in mid October in Indiana)
November 27, 2025 at 6:12 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
The full list of US universities at risk of losing state department funding over DEI support
State department proposes excluding 38 institutions from Diplomacy Lab partnership including Harvard and Yale
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
The full list of US universities at risk of losing state department funding over DEI support
State department proposes excluding 38 institutions from Diplomacy Lab partnership including Harvard and Yale
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 7:22 AM
charlesmok.bsky.social
My latest article is just out before Thanksgiving on The Diplomat. Let's see if I get this prediction right. Thoughts?

Never Say Never: The Coming Rapprochement of Taiwan and Elon Musk?
thediplomat.com/2025/11/neve...
Never Say Never: The Coming Rapprochement of Taiwan and Elon Musk?
Changing geopolitics and tech supply chain competition may bring the two back from estrangement sooner rather than later. After all, they really need each other.
thediplomat.com
November 27, 2025 at 6:55 AM
charlesmok.bsky.social
Google to build Australia-Thailand subsea cable
TalayLink the latest of Google's planned cables around Asia and Oceania
www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/goog...
Google to build Australia-Thailand subsea cable
TalayLink the latest of Google's planned cables around Asia and Oceania
www.datacenterdynamics.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:52 AM
charlesmok.bsky.social
When the going gets tough, Jansen isn’t going to Beijing anymore.

Chinese regulators block ByteDance from using Nvidia chips, The Information reports
www.reuters.com/world/china/...
Chinese regulators block ByteDance from using Nvidia chips, The Information reports
Chinese regulators have barred TikTok-owner ByteDance from deploying Nvidia chips in new data centers, The Information reported on Wednesday, citing two company employees.
www.reuters.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:46 AM
charlesmok.bsky.social
Pray for Hong Kong.

Pictures:
www.instagram.com/p/DRhrUS5gb1m/

Live update: www.bbc.com/news/live/c2...
BBC News 中文 on Instagram: "香港大埔的一個住宅區週三（11月26日）下午發生大火，多棟大樓被火焰吞噬，已造成至少13人死亡、15名受傷，一名消防員殉職。 此次火災是香港17年來首宗被定義為最高級「五級」的大火。中國主席習近平向大埔大火遇難人員表示哀悼，要求全力以赴撲滅火災。 隨著香港進入午夜，大火已經燃燒逾九個小時。目前仍未掌握有多少居民仍在樓宇內，消防人員亦難以評估...
8,537 likes, 121 comments - bbcchinese on November 26, 2025: "香港大埔的一個住宅區週三（11月26日）下午發生大火，多棟大樓被火焰吞噬，已造成至少13人死亡、15名受傷，一名消防員殉職。 此次火災是香港17年來首宗被定義為最高級「五級」的大火。中國主席習近平向大埔大火遇難人員表示哀悼，要求全力以赴撲滅火災。 隨著香港進入午夜，大火已...
www.instagram.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:55 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
Chitchatting with "AI" about stupid things like "should I change my name from Pete to XXXX" is a perfect example to show all that's wrong about how people use this thing labelled as "AI" or "intelligence" that isn't.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H3Y...
Pete Davidson books a ride with the all-new Alexa+
YouTube video by Amazon Alexa
www.youtube.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:52 AM
charlesmok.bsky.social
My essay on "Is There Still a Brussels Effect for Artificial Intelligence?" has been published in the volume of "Designing Europe’s Future: AI as a Force of Good", by the European Liberal Forum EUPF (ELF). Download:
liberalforum.eu/publication/...
and at:
liberalforum.eu/wp-content/u...
November 26, 2025 at 1:07 AM
charlesmok.bsky.social
Subsea shake-up: how new cables are wiring Southeast Asia’s AI era...where undersea cables handle vast data flows, hyperscalers are selecting new routes to navigate geopolitical challenges, enhancing AI connectivity while highlighting network vulnerabilities.
thetechcapital.com/subsea-shake...
Subsea shake-up: how new cables are wiring Southeast Asia’s AI era
In a region where undersea cables handle vast data flows, hyperscalers are selecting new routes to navigate geopolitical challenges.
thetechcapital.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:13 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
When the big dogs fight, it just draws other smaller players to seek to band together for survival.

Japan's Takaichi and India's Modi agree on AI, chip cooperation
Japanese PM focuses on New Delhi as China continues pressure campaign against her
asia.nikkei.com/politics/int...
Japan's Takaichi and India's Modi agree on AI, chip cooperation
Japanese PM focuses on New Delhi as China continues pressure campaign against her
asia.nikkei.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:58 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
I remember hearing from a German lawmaker in Berlin in 2019 that the German networks were too dependent on Huawei for 4G and then needed then to revitalize European network gear makers and avoid to repeat the problem with 5G. Will they get it done finally with 6G?

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Germany to Ban Huawei From Future 6G Network in Sovereignty Push
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Chinese suppliers such as Huawei Technologies Co. will be excluded from the country’s future telecommunication networks on security grounds as he pushes for more ...
www.bloomberg.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:49 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
In the A.I. Race, Chinese Talent Still Drives American Research
Although some Silicon Valley executives paint China as the enemy, Chinese brains continue to play a major role in U.S. research.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/t...
In the A.I. Race, Chinese Talent Still Drives American Research
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:44 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
美國也有釘子戶

A $100 Billion Chip Project Forced a 91-Year-Old Woman From Her Home
Azalia King was the last holdout preventing the construction of a Micron "megafab." Onondaga County authorities threatened to use eminent domain to take her home away by force.
www.wired.com/story/micron...
A $100 Billion Chip Project Forced a 91-Year-Old Woman From Her Home
Azalia King was the last holdout preventing the construction of a Micron "megafab." Onondaga County authorities threatened to use eminent domain to take her home away by force.
www.wired.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:19 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
EU plans to ease GDPR laws and AI constraints in major shift
Matt Pearson
The EU hopes changes will make doing business easier, but campaigners fear citizens' rights are under threat. What can we expect from the EU's proposed new laws on GDPR and AI?
www.dw.com/en/eu-plans-...
EU plans to ease GDPR laws and AI constraints in major shift – DW – 11/18/2025
The EU hopes changes will make doing business easier, but campaigners fear citizens' rights are under threat. What can we expect from the EU's proposed new laws on GDPR and AI?
www.dw.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:57 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
San Francisco Opera's The Monkey King: Wukong Just Wants to Be Free
The message hidden in this operatic rendition of the centuries-old Chinese fantasy carries new political overtones on the struggle between personal redemption and rebellion for social change.
charlesmok.substack.com/p/san-franci...
San Francisco Opera's The Monkey King: Wukong Just Wants to Be Free
The message hidden in this latest operatic rendition of the centuries-old Chinese fantasy carries new political overtones on the struggle between personal redemption and rebellion for social change.
charlesmok.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:16 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
Zhang Yuze: algorithms are not the culprit behind a polarised public
Lecturer in Beijing argues that algorithms are mere amplifiers of forces that long predate them—elite polarisation, partisan media, yawning inequalities and deep-seated psychological biases.
www.eastisread.com/p/zhang-yuze...
Zhang Yuze: algorithms are not the culprit behind a polarised public
Lecturer in Beijing argues that algorithms are mere amplifiers of forces that long predate them—elite polarisation, partisan media, yawning inequalities and deep-seated psychological biases.
www.eastisread.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:40 PM
charlesmok.bsky.social
Google announces plans for subsea cable linking Oman to the Christmas Islands
Dhivaru to also land in the Maldives
www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/goog...
Google announces plans for subsea cable linking Oman to the Christmas Islands
Dhivaru to also land in the Maldives
www.datacenterdynamics.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:11 AM
charlesmok.bsky.social
Meta completes core of 2Africa subsea cable
System ready five years after first announcement
www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/meta...
Meta completes core of 2Africa subsea cable
System ready five years after first announcement
www.datacenterdynamics.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:10 AM
charlesmok.bsky.social
Quantum physicists have shrunk and “de-censored” DeepSeek R1
They managed to cut the size of the AI reasoning model by more than half—and claim it can now answer politically sensitive questions once off limits in Chinese AI systems.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/11/19/1...
Quantum physicists have shrunk and “de-censored” DeepSeek R1
They managed to cut the size of the AI reasoning model by more than half—and claim it can now answer politically sensitive questions once off limits in Chinese AI systems.
www.technologyreview.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:29 AM