Rebecca Williams
@rebeccawilliams.info
Writer, lawyer, artist exploring how technology and power shape one another.
Privacy @ACLU.org, Board @MuckRock.com, Teaching @Pratt.edu.
🌐 rebeccawilliams.info Signal: rebecca.411
Privacy @ACLU.org, Board @MuckRock.com, Teaching @Pratt.edu.
🌐 rebeccawilliams.info Signal: rebecca.411
Pinned
what if technology wasn't something that was done to us, but instead something that we do?
For tech workers looking for organize; apps are due 12/1 collectiveaction.school
Collective Action School
Logic School is an online, experimental school for tech workers
collectiveaction.school
November 24, 2025 at 12:42 AM
For tech workers looking for organize; apps are due 12/1 collectiveaction.school
I spent a lot of time looking through the Hillary emails and I recall most of them were just fwding Washington Post or Politico links and I thought “impact journalism metrics”
Many things that make the UX of this compelling but there’s a real “banality of evil” demonstration at work too. Epstein’s most recent emails are a Quora digest and a Flipboard newsletter. Jarring to see those mixed in among depravity.
omg they made Jeffrey Epstein Inbox Simulator '25 jmail.world
November 21, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I spent a lot of time looking through the Hillary emails and I recall most of them were just fwding Washington Post or Politico links and I thought “impact journalism metrics”
Reposted by Rebecca Williams
this is a stunning piece of data journalism/art/whatever.
omg they made Jeffrey Epstein Inbox Simulator '25 jmail.world
Jmail, logged in as [email protected]
You are logged into [email protected], Jeffrey Epstein's email. Sourced from the November 2025 House Oversight Committee data release.
jmail.world
November 21, 2025 at 5:34 PM
this is a stunning piece of data journalism/art/whatever.
Reposted by Rebecca Williams
entering my mentor era is so funny, because my well honed advice is all over place, I’m like don’t have a phone case, protect your time & ability to express creatively at all costs, this is the exact paperwork you are going to need to sue
November 20, 2025 at 9:34 PM
entering my mentor era is so funny, because my well honed advice is all over place, I’m like don’t have a phone case, protect your time & ability to express creatively at all costs, this is the exact paperwork you are going to need to sue
every nyc tech policy person keeps telling me how they’re involved in the Mamdani transition the way that people in DC used to tell me that they had personally saved healthcare dot gov, it’s very funny (are you? did you?)
November 20, 2025 at 1:47 AM
every nyc tech policy person keeps telling me how they’re involved in the Mamdani transition the way that people in DC used to tell me that they had personally saved healthcare dot gov, it’s very funny (are you? did you?)
The comment period for this proposed rule closes in 7 days: www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
Collection of Biometric Data From Aliens Upon Entry to and Departure From the United States
This final rule amends Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations to provide that DHS may require all aliens to be photographed when entering or exiting the United States, and may require non-e...
www.federalregister.gov
November 20, 2025 at 12:01 AM
The comment period for this proposed rule closes in 7 days: www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
Reposted by Rebecca Williams
Autocorrect has become our worst enema.
November 19, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Autocorrect has become our worst enema.
it was also just the Russ Vought project (which started during Trump 1), DOGE felt like a blip tied to one man that is over, but it was started before Elon and continues on after Elon
Musk launched DOGE in order to kill the investigations of himself & Tesla at the SEC and NHTSA. The rest of it (starving hundreds of thousands of kids by slashing USAID) was just collateral damage, a distraction.
Was just listening to a conversation between a VC and an author who writes about innovation, and they were discussing "why Elon couldn't successfully reform the government" and it was the dumbest conversation I've heard in a while. And I realized they were starting with the wrong premise...
November 18, 2025 at 6:33 PM
it was also just the Russ Vought project (which started during Trump 1), DOGE felt like a blip tied to one man that is over, but it was started before Elon and continues on after Elon
Reposted by Rebecca Williams
New from 404 Media: a contractor is paying random people $300 to physically track immigrants for ICE. Spoke to people briefed on plans. This isn't licensed PIs/bounty hunters. These are just former police/military; members of public
"Something doesn't sound right"
www.404media.co/contractor-p...
"Something doesn't sound right"
www.404media.co/contractor-p...
Contractor Paying Random People $300 to Physically Track Immigrants for ICE
“The more I listened to it, the more I’m like, something doesn’t sound right,” a person who was briefed on the pilot plans told 404 Media.
www.404media.co
November 18, 2025 at 3:08 PM
New from 404 Media: a contractor is paying random people $300 to physically track immigrants for ICE. Spoke to people briefed on plans. This isn't licensed PIs/bounty hunters. These are just former police/military; members of public
"Something doesn't sound right"
www.404media.co/contractor-p...
"Something doesn't sound right"
www.404media.co/contractor-p...
it’s like looking at my own screen
i love when people use search engines in movies but i love when people use search engines in hallmark movies most of all
November 18, 2025 at 4:05 PM
it’s like looking at my own screen
I really really like this because I’m always thinking about who can visualize the apple in their mind but I had never considered a worm
This guy just driving round RKF Jr’s brain the whole time!
November 18, 2025 at 4:43 AM
I really really like this because I’m always thinking about who can visualize the apple in their mind but I had never considered a worm
in me especially
“The learning process is something you can incite, literally incite, like a riot.”
- Audre Lorde
- Audre Lorde
November 18, 2025 at 12:05 AM
in me especially
whenever I’m not posting I’m either:
- creating rich content elsewhere (be jealous),
- on the move,
- sleeping, or
- in wall to wall high impact zoom calls
they’re all happy stories except for the last one
- creating rich content elsewhere (be jealous),
- on the move,
- sleeping, or
- in wall to wall high impact zoom calls
they’re all happy stories except for the last one
November 17, 2025 at 11:58 PM
whenever I’m not posting I’m either:
- creating rich content elsewhere (be jealous),
- on the move,
- sleeping, or
- in wall to wall high impact zoom calls
they’re all happy stories except for the last one
- creating rich content elsewhere (be jealous),
- on the move,
- sleeping, or
- in wall to wall high impact zoom calls
they’re all happy stories except for the last one
Reposted by Rebecca Williams
NEW RESOURCE: For months, ICE has engaged in an arbitrary campaign of warrantless stops and arrests in Chicago.
Need security advice for activists under a significant threat landscape shift? Don't worry, we @lucyparsonslabs.com got you.
PDF: goldframes.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/LPL_ICEinvas...
Need security advice for activists under a significant threat landscape shift? Don't worry, we @lucyparsonslabs.com got you.
PDF: goldframes.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/LPL_ICEinvas...
November 15, 2025 at 10:39 PM
NEW RESOURCE: For months, ICE has engaged in an arbitrary campaign of warrantless stops and arrests in Chicago.
Need security advice for activists under a significant threat landscape shift? Don't worry, we @lucyparsonslabs.com got you.
PDF: goldframes.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/LPL_ICEinvas...
Need security advice for activists under a significant threat landscape shift? Don't worry, we @lucyparsonslabs.com got you.
PDF: goldframes.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/LPL_ICEinvas...
Reposted by Rebecca Williams
Scoop from @abbyvesoulis.bsky.social & @ariberman.bsky.social: Docs obtained by @weareoversight.bsky.social show efforts DHS is making to gather drivers' license data from all 50 states in order to weaponize Trump’s false claims of voter fraud. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
New docs show DHS is gathering drivers’ license data in voter fraud crusade
Experts worry the Trump administration will use the info to disenfranchise voters.
www.motherjones.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Scoop from @abbyvesoulis.bsky.social & @ariberman.bsky.social: Docs obtained by @weareoversight.bsky.social show efforts DHS is making to gather drivers' license data from all 50 states in order to weaponize Trump’s false claims of voter fraud. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Rebecca Williams
ICE Ads On Spotify? NYC Comptroller Says The Platform Has Explaining To Do.
www.huffpost.com/entry/spotif...
www.huffpost.com/entry/spotif...
Spotify Faces Heat After ICE Recruitment Ads Surface — NYC Comptroller Wants Answers
Brad Lander, a trustee of New York City’s pension funds, expressed concern about “reputational risks” to Spotify.
www.huffpost.com
November 15, 2025 at 10:07 PM
ICE Ads On Spotify? NYC Comptroller Says The Platform Has Explaining To Do.
www.huffpost.com/entry/spotif...
www.huffpost.com/entry/spotif...
Reposted by Rebecca Williams
1. The Trump administration has just quietly updated the State Department website to indicate that it may invalidate transgender people's passports.
This comes a week after a SCOTUS ruling blocking lower rulings allowing trans people to update them.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
This comes a week after a SCOTUS ruling blocking lower rulings allowing trans people to update them.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
Trump Admin Quietly Changes State Department Page To Indicate It May Invalidate Trans Passports
The change comes after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the administration and lifted a temporary injunction.
www.erininthemorning.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:10 PM
1. The Trump administration has just quietly updated the State Department website to indicate that it may invalidate transgender people's passports.
This comes a week after a SCOTUS ruling blocking lower rulings allowing trans people to update them.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
This comes a week after a SCOTUS ruling blocking lower rulings allowing trans people to update them.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
there’s going to be a subway ad for this next year & New Yorkers will have their markers ready
November 14, 2025 at 2:02 PM
there’s going to be a subway ad for this next year & New Yorkers will have their markers ready
this is like the film Spotlight except instead of many priests it’s one president and instead of the Boston Globe eventually righting their mistake w/ a new editor it’s unclear if NYT will investigate this seriously
Can we circle back to the part where the NY Times never disclosed that they have incriminating information on Donald Trump from sent by Epstein that's been sitting on their email servers for nearly a decade?
Stuff like this makes me wonder why there hasn't been any reporting about Trump having affairs during his presidencies
November 12, 2025 at 11:35 PM
this is like the film Spotlight except instead of many priests it’s one president and instead of the Boston Globe eventually righting their mistake w/ a new editor it’s unclear if NYT will investigate this seriously
Reposted by Rebecca Williams
New from 404 Media: ICE plans to spend as much as $180 million on bounty hunters to physically locate and stalk immigrants. I spoke to multiple private investigators/skip tracers. Some horrified. Others said they will do this work. "Money is money."
www.404media.co/ice-plans-to...
www.404media.co/ice-plans-to...
ICE Plans to Spend $180 Million on Bounty Hunters to Stalk Immigrants
Newly released documents provide more details about ICE's plan to use bounty hunters and private investigators to find the location of undocumented immigrants.
www.404media.co
November 12, 2025 at 4:09 PM
New from 404 Media: ICE plans to spend as much as $180 million on bounty hunters to physically locate and stalk immigrants. I spoke to multiple private investigators/skip tracers. Some horrified. Others said they will do this work. "Money is money."
www.404media.co/ice-plans-to...
www.404media.co/ice-plans-to...
this also reminds me of LLMs (not the point, the point is people can’t read)
how did i go so long not knowing we were literally teaching people to read wrong. i knew something wasn't right but jesus christ www.apmreports.org/episode/2019...
How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers
For decades, schools have taught children the strategies of struggling readers, using a theory about reading that cognitive scientists have repeatedly debunked. And many teachers and parents don't kno...
www.apmreports.org
November 11, 2025 at 6:57 PM
this also reminds me of LLMs (not the point, the point is people can’t read)
Reposted by Rebecca Williams
Every time someone’s like “put that in the louvre,” my head now goes “and then steal it from the louvre, the security password is louvre”
November 11, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Every time someone’s like “put that in the louvre,” my head now goes “and then steal it from the louvre, the security password is louvre”
Reposted by Rebecca Williams
Participants found fact-checking images significantly harder than verifying written content.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/audi...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/audi...
Audiences doubt the benefits of AI-generated imagery in news are worth the risks, new study finds
What do readers really think of AI-generated images in their news? There has been substantial research on how audiences respond to AI-generated text, but far less dedicated research on image…
www.niemanlab.org
November 9, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Participants found fact-checking images significantly harder than verifying written content.
www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/audi...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/11/audi...
This is what I’ve been saying
November 7, 2025 at 3:14 PM
This is what I’ve been saying