Michael Zimmer
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michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer
@michaelzimmer.bsky.social
2.5K followers 420 following 400 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

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 3h
I don't believe this for a minute.

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

milwaukee.bizjournals.com
Milwaukee Business Journal @milwaukee.bizjournals.com · 5h
The change almost doubles the workforce that the company said it will employ in the area.
Foxconn pledges 1,300 more jobs in Racine County
The change almost doubles the workforce that the company said it will employ in the area.
bit.ly

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Steve Peers, Michael Zimmer

roryblank.bsky.social
Rory Blank @roryblank.bsky.social · 7h
Is this cheese grater conscious? Many users feel they're talking to a real person. Scientists say it's time to consider whether they're onto something.
a cheese grater that, if viewed from the correct angle, appears to have a friendly, stupid face, an example of Pareidolia

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Michael Zimmer

dell.bsky.social
dell cameron @dell.bsky.social · 7h
NEW: ICE has torn up its $180M cap on a proposed immigrant-tracking program and is now guaranteeing private surveillance firms at least $7.5M each, with potential payouts reaching $281M per vendor. The change signals a shift from “pilot” to full-scale outsourcing of street-level investigative work.
ICE Offers Up to $280 Million to Immigrant-Tracking ‘Bounty Hunter’ Firms
Immigration and Customs Enforcement lifted a $180 million cap on a proposed immigrant-tracking program while guaranteeing multimillion-dollar payouts for private surveillance firms.
www.wired.com

Reposted by Rebecca Tushnet, Alan Richardson, Michael Zimmer

wsj.com
The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 8h
Exclusive: Republicans plan to challenge vehicle-safety mandates, such as automatic emergency braking and alarms that remind drivers a child is in the back seat.
Senate Committee to Challenge Auto-Safety Mandates That Hurt ‘Affordability’
Republicans are questioning the value of some features, such as automatic braking and rear-seat reminders.
on.wsj.com

Reposted by Jean Burgess, Michael Zimmer

willbunch.bsky.social
Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social · 9h
"Nothing is riding on this except the First Amendment of the Constitution, freedom of the press, and quite possibly, the future of the country." -- Ben Bradlee as portrayed by Jason Robards, "All the President's Men."

53 years later...

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 13h
As every socio-technical scholar has been shouting for years....
"Cutting-edge research shows language is not the same as intelligence. The entire AI bubble is built on ignoring it."
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Is language the same as intelligence? The AI industry desperately needs it to be
The AI boom is based on a fundamental mistake.
www.theverge.com

Reposted by Jessica Vitak

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 1d
Cool that @vitak.bsky.social's and my work on pandemic-fueled workplace surveillance was included in this Register article on the continued rise of bossware.
www.theregister.com/2025/11/23/b...
Bossware rises as employers keep closer tabs on remote staff
: A lot of companies are turning to employee monitoring tools to make sure workers aren't slacking off
www.theregister.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

theverge.com
The Verge @theverge.com · 1d
Meta had a 17-strike policy for sex trafficking, former safety leader claims
Meta had a 17-strike policy for sex trafficking, former safety leader claims
Meta is in more hot water.
buff.ly

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

brianckeegan.com
Brian C. Keegan, Ph.D. @brianckeegan.com · 2d
Once upon a time you might’ve found me mustering a utilitarian defense of Facebook’s research ethics, but 10 years later it’s obvious they have no interest in critical research, user safety, or innovating on social networking if it gets in the way of using metaverse or AI to serve more ads.
lorak.bsky.social Lora Kolodny @lorak.bsky.social · 2d
Meta halted internal research that purportedly showed (young) people who stopped using Facebook became less depressed and anxious, according to an unredacted legal filing released on Friday. www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/m...
Meta halted internal research suggesting social media harm, court filing alleges
Meta is alleged to have halted internal research suggesting social media harm, according to court documents.
www.cnbc.com

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 3d
@aschrock.bsky.social to the rescue!

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 3d
I totally forgot about Slashdot.

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 4d
This is wild.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d
Trump frickin' loves this guy lmao

Reposted by Shibley Telhami, Rosemary A. Joyce, Anders Nilsson , and 6 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d
Trump frickin' loves this guy lmao

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 4d
Over the past couple of months I've have multiple major projects get published, and multiple long-term projects get rejected.
a man in a black sweater is holding a blue lightsaber in his hand .
ALT: a man in a black sweater is holding a blue lightsaber in his hand .
media.tenor.com

Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Robert C. Richards, Alan Richardson , and 5 more

chanda.blacksky.app
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 4d
Cheers to the person who leaked the initial changes www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
In reversal, Coast Guard again classifies swastikas, nooses as hate symbols
The new order came hours after The Post reported the service would instead classify such symbols as “potentially divisive” under guidelines set for release next month.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Tuomas Mattila, Michael Zimmer, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

404media.co
404 Media @404media.co · 5d
Grok has been reprogrammed to say Musk is better than everyone at everything, including blowjobs, piss drinking, playing quarterback, conquering Europe, etc.
Elon Musk Could 'Drink Piss Better Than Any Human in History,' Grok Says
Grok has been reprogrammed to say Musk is better than everyone at everything, including blowjobs, piss drinking, playing quarterback, conquering Europe, etc.
www.404media.co

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 5d
Just got a review request email with this compensation model. Peer-review crisis solved!
Screenshot from an email detailing incentives for timely reviews.

Reposted by Cas Mudde, Shannon Vallor, Nina Jankowicz , and 26 more

chrismurphyct.bsky.social
Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 5d
The President of the United States just called for Democratic members of Congress to be executed. "HANG THEM", he posted.

If you're a person of influence in this country and you haven't picked a side, maybe now would be the time to pick a fucking side.

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 5d
Really exicted to finally see our paper in print: “Web scraping for research: Legal, ethical, institutional, and scientific considerations”
A great interdisciplinary effort with @m-dot-brown.bsky.social, @orangechair.org, Gabe Maldoff, @solmg.bsky.social, @zevesanderson.com
doi.org/10.1177/2053...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
doi.org

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

hypervisible.blacksky.app
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 5d
What if we made the panopticon aesthetically pleasing.
Can surveillance tech ever be beautiful?
Swift Creatives' Carsten Eriksen on turning eyesores into art.
www.creativebloq.com

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Daniel W. Drezner, Michael Zimmer , and 1 more

jessecoburn.bsky.social
Jesse Coburn @jessecoburn.bsky.social · 5d
NEW: Sean Duffy frequently calls safety his “top priority” as transportation secretary. But I spent months wading through regulatory notices and found something far different: that USDOT has been delaying, weakening and killing dozens of safety rules, many opposed by the transportation industry.🧵

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Aaron Sojourner, Michael Zimmer , and 4 more

dynarski.bsky.social
Prof Dynarski @dynarski.bsky.social · 6d
I have been feeling depressed and discouraged that this man has the power and influence he does at my school and in my profession

And I am a tenured professor at Harvard! How much more protected can I be?

Imagine how STUDENTS feel. Junior faculty. This quote nails it

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 7d
I think it's time to update "Internet Research Ethics for the Social Age" @kakinder.bsky.social
www.peterlang.com/document/105...
Peter Lang Verlag - Internet Research Ethics for the Social Age
The continuous evolution of internet and related social media technologies and platforms have opened up vast new means for communication, socialization,...
www.peterlang.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

ananasparachute.turtleisland.social.ap.brid.gy
Ananasparachute @ananasparachute.turtleisland.social.ap.brid.gy · 7d
To make matters worse, not one other person stood up for her. Not one.
#jenniferjacobs #quietpiggy #epsteinfiles #trumplies #trumpisstillapedo
Alt-text: Smiling woman in front of a cityscape with overlaid text about journalists and presidential conduct. Transcribed Text: This is Jennifer Jacobs, the reporter Trump barked “quiet, quiet, piggy” at for asking about the Epstein files. Stop normalizing a president abusing reporters, especially women, because he’s terrified of a question. —Brian Allen

michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 7d
I'm old enough to remember when the internet was a distributed network.

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

theverge.com
The Verge @theverge.com · 7d
Cloudflare outages aren’t a matter of if — but when
Cloudflare outages aren’t a matter of if — but when
Another day, another outage.
buff.ly

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

sivav.bsky.social
Siva @sivav.bsky.social · 7d
I just have to say that in addition to being morally reprehensible and spectacular arrogant Larry Summers is really bad at economic policy.

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

cdt.org
Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 8d
“Meanwhile, A coalition of privacy and digital rights organizations—including the @aclu.org, @eff.org, and CDT—issued a statement asserting that identity platforms should be designed to prevent authorities from tracking when or where users present their IDs.”
How TSA will use Apple’s new digital ID
Apple announced last year that customers can add their ID to their digital wallets.
www.newsweek.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 9d
Margaret Brennan to Tom Suozzi: "Can you explain the focus this past week in the House by Democrats on the Jeffrey Epstein files? Is this a tactic to distract from the failure to extract healthcare changes?"