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empo11on.bsky.social
Aaron Martin
@empo11on.bsky.social
740 followers 320 following 61 posts
Assistant Professor of Media Studies and Data Governance at UVA https://sixfouronea.net/
sixfouronea.net
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empo11on.bsky.social
Aaron Martin @empo11on.bsky.social · Jul 29
New paper out in @bigdatasoc.bsky.social on #humanitarian #data #sovereignty💥

doi.org/10.1177/2053...

My deep gratitude to @kerenweitzberg.bsky.social, @margchee.bsky.social, @emryss.bsky.social, Quito Tsui, Paul Currion, @sophiebt.bsky.social, and @massimomarelli.bsky.social for the inspiration ❤️
Why sovereignty matters for humanitarian data - Aaron Martin, 2025
Technological interventions in aid are both complex and deeply ambiguous. Nonetheless, many contemporary controversies surrounding humanitarian data reflect und...
doi.org
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empo11on.bsky.social
Aaron Martin @empo11on.bsky.social · 3h
<< Overregulation of nuclear power has worsened the climate crisis, [Garry Tan] added. “What if we do that to the age of intelligence? The future won’t repeat but it will rhyme.” >>

www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Inside billionaire Peter Thiel’s private lectures: Warnings of ‘the Antichrist’ and U.S. destruction
In leaked recordings of private lectures by tech billionaire Peter Thiel he argued that “the Antichrist” is likely to take the form of a critic of technology.
www.washingtonpost.com
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empo11on.bsky.social
Aaron Martin @empo11on.bsky.social · 4h
Reuters: 'The modernization of the US Army's battlefield communications network being undertaken by Anduril, Palantir and others is rife with "fundamental security" problems and vulnerabilities; should be treated as a "very high risk," according to an internal memo.'

www.reuters.com/business/aer...
Anduril and Palantir battlefield communication system has deep flaws, Army memo says
The much-needed modernization of the U.S. Army's battlefield communications network being undertaken by Anduril, Palantir and others is rife with "fundamental security" problems and vulnerabilities, and should be treated as a "very high risk," according to a recent internal Army memo.
www.reuters.com
Reposted by Aaron Martin
jhereia.bsky.social
jess reia • 何杰茜 @jhereia.bsky.social · 4h
We are hiring! The DTD Lab invites applications for our 2026 postdoctoral cohort. Areas I'd love to supervise: gender/techno-authoritarianism, data visibility, urban governance, night studies, cultural practices, and all things related to tech policy. More info:
jobs.virginia.edu/us/en/job/R0...
This is a screenshot of a webpage. It says: Opportunities University of Virginia’s Digital Technology for Democracy (DTD) Lab invites applications for 2-year postdoctoral fellowships. The fellowships will begin in August of 2026 and run through August 2028. Application Deadline: December 15, 2025; notifications to made in March 2026. Interested in learning more? Join us for a Zoom info session in October or November.
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empo11on.bsky.social
Aaron Martin @empo11on.bsky.social · 1d
Has anyone written about which theories of addiction (e.g. choice, disease/neurobiological, learning, etc.) underlie different regulatory proposals meant to address social media addiction? It would be fun to unpack assumptions made about addiction and how specific measures address these (or not).
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Reposted by Aaron Martin
felipedlh.bsky.social
Felipe De La Hoz @felipedlh.bsky.social · 2d
You cannot be fucking serious
SCOOP: Apple Quietly Made ICE Agents a Protected Class
Internal emails show tech giant used anti-hate-speech rules meant for minorities to block an app documenting immigration enforcement.
migrantinsider.com
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Reposted by Aaron Martin
lorenzofb.bsky.social
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai @lorenzofb.bsky.social · 2d
Here's an updated list of all the technology ICE has in its arsenal to mass deport people.

We've added new sections on cell-site simulators and cellphone location data.

techcrunch.com/2025/10/08/h...
Here's the tech powering ICE's deportation crackdown  | TechCrunch
From phone spyware and facial recognition to phone unlocking technology and databases and more, this tech powers Trump's deportation machine.
techcrunch.com
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Reposted by Aaron Martin
josephcox.bsky.social
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 2d
All anyone wanted to do with OpenAI's new Sora 2 app was make clips of copyrighted characters. Now they can't, they're pissed. Literally what is the point of this app www.404media.co/sora-2-conte...
People Are Crashing Out Over Sora 2’s New Guardrails
OpenAI’s Sora 2 platform started just one week ago as an AI-generated copyright infringement free-for-all. Now, people say they’re struggling to generate anything without being hit with a violation er...
www.404media.co
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empo11on.bsky.social
Aaron Martin @empo11on.bsky.social · 2d
You’ll want a dust filter for a Hoover Max Extract® 60 Pressure Pro™.
Reposted by Aaron Martin
molly.wiki
Molly White @molly.wiki · 2d
"[Ars Technica] asked Cruz's office to explain why a senator pressuring Wikipedia is appropriate while an FCC chair pressuring ABC is not and will update this article if we get a response."

arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
Ted Cruz picks a fight with Wikipedia, accusing platform of left-wing bias
Cruz sends letter demanding answers from Wikimedia Foundation.
arstechnica.com
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Reposted by Aaron Martin
stephenturner.us
Stephen Turner @stephenturner.us · 3d
Want to be my boss? We're looking for an Associate Dean for Research here at the UVA School of Data Science apply.interfolio.com/168251 🧬🖥️🧪
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
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Reposted by Aaron Martin
datasociety.bsky.social
Data & Society @datasociety.bsky.social · 7d
How is AI changing the nature of scams? @lanalanalana.bsky.social & @alicetiara.bsky.social spoke to @alixdunn.com on @themaybe.org to explain how AI automates & scales the work already being done in massive, exploitative “cybercrime compounds” around the world. www.themaybe.org/podcast/gotc...
The Maybe
www.themaybe.org
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Reposted by Aaron Martin
jhereia.bsky.social
jess reia • 何杰茜 @jhereia.bsky.social · 9d
I have a short piece on smart infrastructure and techno-authoritarianism in Brazil in the new journal Dialogues on Digital Society ✨ Available here: doi.org/10.1177/2976...
If you cannot access it through your library, ping me and I will make sure you get a copy.
It is a screenshot of a short commentary paper titled "Smart infrastructure, techno-authoritarianism, and the threat to democracy in Brazil," written by Jess Reia and published in the journal Dialogues on Digital Society. It features an abstract and keywords. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/29768640251382644
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empo11on.bsky.social
Aaron Martin @empo11on.bsky.social · 9d
Melissa Villa-Nicholas analyzes this phenomenon in depth in her Data Borders book in terms of the “data body milieu”

www.ucpress.edu/books/data-b...
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Reposted by Aaron Martin
theverge.com
The Verge @theverge.com · 14d
The UK announces mandatory digital ID plans
The UK announces mandatory digital ID plans
Big Brother is watching.
buff.ly
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Reposted by Aaron Martin
lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social
LSE British Politics and Policy blog @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social · 14d
As Keir Starmer anounces a new Digital ID scheme, we revisit an article from the summer, warning that past attempts at introducing a national identity card point to a moral minefield without necessarily helping tackle irregular immigration.

blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
The Britcard – progressive or concerning? | British Politics and Policy at LSE
The Government is considering Labour Together's proposal to introduce mandatory digital ID cards in an effort to tackle irregular migration. There are problems with that.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
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Reposted by Aaron Martin
kerenweitzberg.bsky.social
Keren Weitzberg @kerenweitzberg.bsky.social · 14d
As I said on BBC this morning, the Britcard isn't a carefully thought-out digitization strategy; it's a reactive policy response to right-wing populism & moral panic about asylum seekers. A piece from earlier this year w/ @margchee.bsky.social & @empo11on.bsky.social
blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
The Britcard – progressive or concerning? | British Politics and Policy at LSE
The Government is considering Labour Together's proposal to introduce mandatory digital ID cards in an effort to tackle irregular migration. There are problems with that.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
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Reposted by Aaron Martin
emryss.bsky.social
Emrys Schoemaker @emryss.bsky.social · 15d
Apple demands EU scrap landmark digital rules
Apple demands EU scrap landmark digital rules
Big Tech rules have become a point of tension in trade talks with Donald Trump’s administration
on.ft.com
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Reposted by Aaron Martin
petertl.bsky.social
Peter Thal Larsen @petertl.bsky.social · 16d
New argument against AI regulation just dropped. Checkmate, atheists.
www.wsj.com/tech/peter-t...
For about a year now, Thiel has been publicly laying out his understanding of biblical prophecies and the potential for the rapid advance of technology to bring about an apocalyptic future. In a lecture Monday, he encouraged an audience to continue working toward scientific progress, whether in AI or other forms of technology. Fearing or regulating it, or opposing technological progress, would hasten the coming of the Antichrist, Thiel said, according to people who attended.
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Reposted by Aaron Martin
uvadatascience.bsky.social
UVA School of Data Science @uvadatascience.bsky.social · 16d
Assistant Professor Aaron Martin's recent publication examines data sovereignty and makes arguments for how it should be dealt with in humanitarian contexts. Read our interview with @empo11on.bsky.social here: https://bit.ly/46okcTz
Portrait of Aaron Martin wearing a black turtleneck and a dark coat, smiling against a blurred background of bare trees.
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empo11on.bsky.social
Aaron Martin @empo11on.bsky.social · 19d
It appears the UK Labor government is moving forward with plans to introduce digital IDs to address complex migration challenges www.ft.com/content/f2b3...

In July, @margchee.bsky.social, @kerenweitzberg.bsky.social and I wrote about the challenges that lie ahead

blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
Keir Starmer set to unveil digital ID scheme
UK prime minister hoping to avoid his Labour predecessor’s failure to push through plan in the 2000s
www.ft.com
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empo11on.bsky.social
Aaron Martin @empo11on.bsky.social · 20d
Indeed
empo11on.bsky.social
Aaron Martin @empo11on.bsky.social · 21d
On ICE and IMSI catchers

www.forbes.com/sites/the-wi...
How ICE Is Using Fake Cell Towers To Spy On People’s Phones
ICE is using a controversial spy tool to locate smartphones, court records show.
www.forbes.com
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empo11on.bsky.social
Aaron Martin @empo11on.bsky.social · 21d
A friendly reminder that use of Clearview AI's tech is highly restricted if not banned in many parts of the world like the EU, UK, Canada, and Australia. It's been repeatedly fined for contravening these country's laws.

www.404media.co/ice-spends-m...
ICE Spends Millions on Clearview AI Facial Recognition to Find People ‘Assaulting’ Officers
A new contract with Clearview AI explicitly says ICE is buying the tech to investigate "assaults against law enforcement officers."
www.404media.co
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empo11on.bsky.social
Aaron Martin @empo11on.bsky.social · 21d
What some call the "splinternet" others describe as the exercise of technological sovereignty

www.economist.com/business/202...
What the splinternet means for big tech
Unpleasant new trade-offs, for starters
www.economist.com
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Reposted by Aaron Martin
gquaggiotto.bsky.social
gquaggiotto.bsky.social @gquaggiotto.bsky.social · Sep 10
Ethiopia banned foreign imports of vehicles with internal combustion engines. China set up an electric vehicle assembly there. As a result, Ethiopia’s economy is decarbonizing: imports of oil and gas have been flat since 2019, while the economy grew 70% www.noemamag.com/the-new-geop...
The New Geopolitics Of The Green Transition | NOEMA
The only path forward for tackling the climate crisis hinges on cooperative industrial strategies to coordinate clean energy investment and infrastructure development.
www.noemamag.com
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