Maura Conway
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galwaygrrl.bsky.social
Maura Conway
@galwaygrrl.bsky.social
Moriarty Prof. of Gov & Int’l Studies, Dublin City University; Prof. Cyber Threats, CYTREC, Swansea University; initiator of VOX-Pol. Major research interests = online extremism and terrorism, online radicalisation, regulation, research ethics.
Reposted by Maura Conway
A *huge* vaccine victory. I've been writing on this for years; Australia has seen remarkable progress in cervical cancer prevention with the HPV vaccine. I love seeing science triumph like this.
Australia recorded ZERO cases of cervical cancer in women under 25 for the first time since they started tracking the cancer in the 80s.

This is the power of vaccines.

The HPV vaccine is extremely effective at preventing cancer.

Viruses can be oncogenic. Get your vaccines and protect yourself!
newsGP - Australia set for world-first cervical cancer elimination
Vaccination programs have played a key role, and GPs remain ‘instrumental’ in boosting screening rates to reach the 2035 target.
www1.racgp.org.au
November 27, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Reposted by Maura Conway
We’re excited to publish this piece by our friends in the @cais-research.bsky.social Platformed Visual Misogyny working group on misogyny in the mainstream media and politics

Thank you to @becomingbri.bsky.social
@shanamacps.bsky.social
@suayozkula.bsky.social
And all of our PVM colleagues!
Mayday! Misogyny Has Gone Mainstream and It’s Fueling a Political Crisis
Misogyny isn’t fringe anymore—it’s strategy. As the Netflix Show Adolescence demonstrates, there is a cost to ignoring it.
www.cifrs.org
November 27, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Reposted by Maura Conway
Florida man discussed livestreaming neo-Nazi terror attack before being busted by the feds, authorities say
Florida man discussed livestreaming neo-Nazi terror attack, feds say
Exclusive: The father of 20-year-old Lucas Alexander Temple, who was there when his son was arrested, told The Independent that he didn’t want to “inadvertently say anything that might hurt his case.”
www.independent.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Maura Conway
"It is against the TOS to be talked into suicide by our LLM" is possibly the most evil tech bro thing I've ever read
Additionally, OpenAI argues its not liable because Raine, by using ChatGPT for self-harm, broke its terms of service
November 26, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Reposted by Maura Conway
📣Call for panels & papers for the 2026 ECPR GC! Join the E&D‑endorsed section “Extremism in Extreme Times: Moving Beyond the Mainstream,” co‑chaired by C-REX scholar @drkondor.bsky.social and former C-REX guest researchers @gretajasser.bsky.social & Ryan Switzer. Submit now! ecpr.eu/Events/Event...
Extremism in Extreme Times: Moving Beyond the Mainstream
European Consortium for Political Research
ecpr.eu
November 26, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Reposted by Maura Conway
A big thank you to Respect.lu Center Against Radicalization in Luxembourg for inviting me to give the opening keynote ‘From tradwives to manfluencers: Understanding gender in algorithmic radicalization’ as part of their annual conference.

💻 livestream link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWYW...
November 26, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by Maura Conway
A new paper shows how social media accelerates extremism by flooding users with emotionally charged, divisive content that algorithms naturally amplify, making extremist narratives far more visible, engaging, and persuasive than they would be otherwise.
November 24, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by Maura Conway
Lots of people are calling out the fact that X is filled with fake MAGA influencers from far away countries, but I wanted to point out that this, not "ideological censorship," is why companies have trust & safety teams that work on stopping inauthentic behavior.
November 24, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Reposted by Maura Conway
I talked to Joan Donovan about Twitter's very old foreign influence problem, which was unmasked in the funniest possible way over the weekend: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Twitter's foreign influence problem is nothing new
The platform's just-debuted geolocation tool illuminates a disturbing and persistent issue.
www.motherjones.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Reposted by Maura Conway
Looking forward to this online event next week, which is open to all!

I will once again share a (virtual) stage with the wonderful @veghzsuzsanna.bsky.social 👩‍🎓
November 24, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by Maura Conway
We’re delighted to be in Melbourne supporting the 2025 Avert International Research Symposium on the theme ‘Signal or noise? Navigating the changing nature of violent extremism online.’ More info at www.avert.net.au/2025-symposium
November 23, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Reposted by Maura Conway
💯 this

Begone Tr*ump whisperers - you gave everything including our self respect and received bupkis.
European sycophancy towards Trump has won very little. it has telegraphed weakness and invited more punches. Interesting to compare the respect he shows those who stand up to him rather than the repeated, escalating humiliation he dishes out to Europe.
on.ft.com/4prynPF
Trump flattery will get you nowhere
Fawning after the US president is not only humiliating — it doesn’t work
on.ft.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Reposted by Maura Conway
It's funny, I just taught my students about stochastic terrorism (during "backlash" week in my evidence-based policy communication class) and look at elected officials immediately providing examples!

P.S. They read and really enjoyed your covid work @neillewisjr.bsky.social
November 20, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Maura Conway
The Overton Window (as it is popularly understood) is a useful concept that falls short because it presumes that the same range of speech is available across all of society. Today, there is one window for the right, and another window for the center and left.
November 20, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Reposted by Maura Conway
French authorities are taking X to court because Grok is now doing straight up holocaust denial. Gas chambers intended for disinfection, cyanide residue tiny, ‘story’ persists because of taboo against critical examination. (Full translation in alt text)
November 20, 2025 at 1:03 PM
"The AFP has set up a task force to target the gangs, and Barrett said it’s 'developing a prototype AI tool that will interpret emojis and Gen Z and Alpha slang in encrypted communications and chat groups to identify sadistic online exploitation.'” www.theregister.com/2025/10/29/a...
Australian police build AI to translate emoji used by crims
: Five Eyes intel alliance has created a team to target these scum who prey on kids
www.theregister.com
November 20, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Reposted by Maura Conway
Poverty is a policy choice. Concentrated wealth is a policy choice. Inequality is a policy choice. None of it is natural or inevitable. Remember: We have the power to build a system that serves the many, not the powerful few.
November 19, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Reposted by Maura Conway
Don't miss today's webinar on researcher safety and vicarious trauma!
Don't miss next week's C-REX/CANSES webinar: "Researcher Safety and Vicarious Trauma: Recommendations for Universities, Supervisors, and Researchers" with Clare McKendry, moderated by @audreygagnon.bsky.social. Nov. 20, 2025, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (CET), Online www.sv.uio.no/c-rex/englis...
Researcher Safety and Vicarious Trauma: Recommendations for Universities, Supervisors, and Researchers - C-REX – Center for Research on Extremism
with Clare McKendry, University of Waterloo
www.sv.uio.no
November 20, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Reposted by Maura Conway
Keep this in mind when people claim cars mean business — closing Central #Madrid to cars over holidays resulted in a 9.5% boost in retail spending on its main shopping street: STUDY.

There was also a 71% drop in air pollution.

Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople
Closing Central Madrid To Cars Resulted In 9.5% Boost To Retail Spending, Finds Bank Analysis
City of Madrid significantly boosted the takings of its shops and restaurants last Christmas by banning cars from the CBD, finds an analysis by Spain's second largest bank.
www.forbes.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:21 AM
Reposted by Maura Conway
The people who make Shein's clothes labor for ten to twelve hours per day (in violation of China's labor laws), some up to seven days a week, and earn as little as 15 to 30 cents per t-shirt.
November 20, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Reposted by Maura Conway
Russian spy ship on course for Irish waters, with UK threatening ‘military options’

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
Russian spy ship on course for Irish waters, with UK threatening ‘military options’
Vessel has automated tracker turned off but is being followed by RAF aircraft patrolling Scottish coast
www.irishtimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:04 PM
ICYMI, Dept of Enterprise officials warned Dept of Finance that latter's proposed rules requiring tech firms to vet ads for investment schemes on major platforms to curb scams could harm business and weaken Ireland’s appeal as a Big Tech hub. www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
Two Government departments clash over plan to pressure tech giants over social media scams
Department of Enterprise went to bat for Big Tech in online investment scam row with Department of Finance, emails show
www.irishtimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Maura Conway
Tech companies scraped copyrighted material without consent to train AI models. Yet universities penalize students for using those same models in papers.

A sociologist argues the ethical blame shouldn't fall on students alone:
Student cheating dominates talk of generative AI in higher ed, but universities and tech companies face ethical issues too
A sociologist who researches AI’s impact on work and education argues there are ethical dimensions to generative AI that institutions are not considering.
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 9:06 AM