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
"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
"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
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
📣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...
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...
💻 livestream link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWYW...
November 26, 2025 at 3:08 PM
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...
💻 livestream link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWYW...
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
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.
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.
X’s New Feature Reveals Why Trust & Safety Work Was Never About The ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’
For the last few years, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and their allies have spent considerable energy attacking both academic researchers studying disinformation and the trust & safety teams…
For the last few years, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and their allies have spent considerable energy attacking both academic researchers studying disinformation and the trust & safety teams…
X’s New Feature Reveals Why Trust & Safety Work Was Never About The ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’
For the last few years, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and their allies have spent considerable energy attacking both academic researchers studying disinformation and the trust & safety teams at social media platforms working to identify and remove coordinated inauthentic behavior—particularly foreign influence operations. They've insisted that any attempt to study and limit such operations is actually just "censorship" with various forms of cover, whether academic or operational.
www.techdirt.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:57 PM
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.
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
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...
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 👩🎓
I will once again share a (virtual) stage with the wonderful @veghzsuzsanna.bsky.social 👩🎓
November 24, 2025 at 3:52 PM
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 👩🎓
I will once again share a (virtual) stage with the wonderful @veghzsuzsanna.bsky.social 👩🎓
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
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
Reposted by Maura Conway
💯 this
Begone Tr*ump whisperers - you gave everything including our self respect and received bupkis.
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
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
💯 this
Begone Tr*ump whisperers - you gave everything including our self respect and received bupkis.
Begone Tr*ump whisperers - you gave everything including our self respect and received bupkis.
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
P.S. They read and really enjoyed your covid work @neillewisjr.bsky.social
November 20, 2025 at 5:14 PM
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
P.S. They read and really enjoyed your covid work @neillewisjr.bsky.social
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
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.
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
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)
"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
"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...
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
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.
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
Don't miss today's webinar on researcher safety and vicarious trauma!
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
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
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
There was also a 71% drop in air pollution.
Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople
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.
![Excerpt from a BBC article: ""We usually work, 10, 11 or 12 hours a day," says a 49-year-old woman from Jiangxi unwilling to give her name. "On Sundays we work around three hours less."
She is in an alleyway, where a dozen people are huddled around a row of bulletin boards.
They are reading the job ads on the board, while examining the stitching on a pair of chinos draped over it.
This is Shein's supply chain. The factories are contracted to make clothes on order - some small, some big. If the chinos are a hit, orders will ramp up and so must production. Factories then hire temporary workers to meet the demand their permanent staff cannot fulfil.
The migrant worker from Jiangxi is looking for a short-term contract - and the chinos are an option.
"We earn so little. The cost of living is now so high," she says, adding that she hopes to make enough to send back to her two children who are living with their grandparents.
"We get paid per piece," she explains. "It depends how difficult the item is. Something simple like a t-shirt is one-two yuan [less than a dollar] per piece and I can make around a dozen in an hour.""](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ks3gpa6ftoyaq7hmf6c4qx4c/bafkreiber7g4o5pujmzmjjzsp5dkz7blfexburuwjispfpv6dki7akjb7a@jpeg)
November 20, 2025 at 12:07 AM
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.
Reposted by Maura Conway
Russian spy ship on course for Irish waters, with UK threatening ‘military options’
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
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
Russian spy ship on course for Irish waters, with UK threatening ‘military options’
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...
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
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...
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:
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
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:
A sociologist argues the ethical blame shouldn't fall on students alone:
Reposted by Maura Conway
new paper by Sean Westwood:
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
November 18, 2025 at 7:16 PM
new paper by Sean Westwood:
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
Reposted by Maura Conway
This article by @awni-etaywe24.bsky.social is a fascinating & important read.
It echoes the patterns I’ve observed in my own research with Prof. Nuria Lorenzo-Dus, particularly around how violent extremists construct in-group identities.
🔗 tinyurl.com/27s8794j
🧵👇
#langsky #forensiclinguistics
It echoes the patterns I’ve observed in my own research with Prof. Nuria Lorenzo-Dus, particularly around how violent extremists construct in-group identities.
🔗 tinyurl.com/27s8794j
🧵👇
#langsky #forensiclinguistics
Violent extremists wield words as weapons. New study reveals 6 tactics they use
The language and rhetoric of extremists helps fuel brutal, often deadly, violence. Spotting the strategies can help protect people from radicalisation.
tinyurl.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:03 PM
This article by @awni-etaywe24.bsky.social is a fascinating & important read.
It echoes the patterns I’ve observed in my own research with Prof. Nuria Lorenzo-Dus, particularly around how violent extremists construct in-group identities.
🔗 tinyurl.com/27s8794j
🧵👇
#langsky #forensiclinguistics
It echoes the patterns I’ve observed in my own research with Prof. Nuria Lorenzo-Dus, particularly around how violent extremists construct in-group identities.
🔗 tinyurl.com/27s8794j
🧵👇
#langsky #forensiclinguistics
Reposted by Maura Conway
Interesting new Eurostat data. Ireland has the highest % of young adults 25-34y with a third level [uni/college] degree in the EU at 65.2% For reference UK is 60% & US is 51.3%*.
November 19, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Interesting new Eurostat data. Ireland has the highest % of young adults 25-34y with a third level [uni/college] degree in the EU at 65.2% For reference UK is 60% & US is 51.3%*.