Rosamunde Van Brakel
@rosamundevb.bsky.social
assistant prof criminology teaching legal, ethical & social issues AI/sociology of law @VUB research: digital & more-than-human criminology, surveillance & AI, youth justice, human rights
https://researchportal.vub.be/en/persons/rosamunde-elise-van-brakel
https://researchportal.vub.be/en/persons/rosamunde-elise-van-brakel
Pinned
Our article on rhizomatic harms of algorithmic policing is now published in print in a great new issue of @theoreticalcrim.bsky.social 😊 #criminology #surveillance #digitalcriminology journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
As expected the UK government is expanding its use of #facialrecognition technology from policing to immigration enforcement. www.gov.uk/government/p...
Immigration Enforcement facial recognition policy
This policy outlines Immigration Enforcement’s strategic, operational, and legal framework for the ethical use of live facial recognition technology.
www.gov.uk
November 24, 2025 at 12:40 PM
As expected the UK government is expanding its use of #facialrecognition technology from policing to immigration enforcement. www.gov.uk/government/p...
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
How is this not the top story on every news bulletin?
This has been happening for years and instead of doing anything to protect children successive governments have made the situation worse. This isn't just on councils. It is part of failings on a State level.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
This has been happening for years and instead of doing anything to protect children successive governments have made the situation worse. This isn't just on councils. It is part of failings on a State level.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
More then 2,000 trafficked children and lone child asylum seekers missing from UK councils’ care
Charities say vulnerable young people are being failed by local authorities, the police and central government
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:43 AM
How is this not the top story on every news bulletin?
This has been happening for years and instead of doing anything to protect children successive governments have made the situation worse. This isn't just on councils. It is part of failings on a State level.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
This has been happening for years and instead of doing anything to protect children successive governments have made the situation worse. This isn't just on councils. It is part of failings on a State level.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Top Meta staff allegedly compared Instagram to a drug and worked for years to obscure the social media platform’s potential dangers from parents and children, even as they appeared to acknowledge their technology was harmful. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
‘We’re basically pushers’: Court filing alleges staff at social media giants compared their platforms to drugs
Meta said the allegations “rely on cherry-picked quotes and misinformed opinions” to present a misleading narrative.
www.politico.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Shouldn’t we start criminalising such big tech practices as organised crime? Or is this another example that demonstrates that we should shift the focus from crime to harm #digitalcriminology #rhizomaticharm
Top Meta staff allegedly compared Instagram to a drug and worked for years to obscure the social media platform’s potential dangers from parents and children, even as they appeared to acknowledge their technology was harmful. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
‘We’re basically pushers’: Court filing alleges staff at social media giants compared their platforms to drugs
Meta said the allegations “rely on cherry-picked quotes and misinformed opinions” to present a misleading narrative.
www.politico.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Shouldn’t we start criminalising such big tech practices as organised crime? Or is this another example that demonstrates that we should shift the focus from crime to harm #digitalcriminology #rhizomaticharm
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
What was ChatGPT? Now nearly three years old, we can look at OpenAI's LLM as a product of its time, optimized ever since to its earliest uses. While this period of deep disorientation and social isolation has been obscured from public memory, it remains embedded within the interface.
What Was ChatGPT?
A Chatbot Optimized for Social Distance
Three years after the launch of ChatGPT, we can finally speak in hindsight about what it was and how it came to be. Its meteoric rise shocked the world, gather...
mail.cyberneticforests.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:37 PM
What was ChatGPT? Now nearly three years old, we can look at OpenAI's LLM as a product of its time, optimized ever since to its earliest uses. While this period of deep disorientation and social isolation has been obscured from public memory, it remains embedded within the interface.
Shouldn’t we start criminalising such big tech practices as organised crime? Or is this another example that demonstrates that we should shift the focus from crime to harm #digitalcriminology #rhizomaticharm
Top Meta staff allegedly compared Instagram to a drug and worked for years to obscure the social media platform’s potential dangers from parents and children, even as they appeared to acknowledge their technology was harmful. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
‘We’re basically pushers’: Court filing alleges staff at social media giants compared their platforms to drugs
Meta said the allegations “rely on cherry-picked quotes and misinformed opinions” to present a misleading narrative.
www.politico.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Shouldn’t we start criminalising such big tech practices as organised crime? Or is this another example that demonstrates that we should shift the focus from crime to harm #digitalcriminology #rhizomaticharm
Top Meta staff allegedly compared Instagram to a drug and worked for years to obscure the social media platform’s potential dangers from parents and children, even as they appeared to acknowledge their technology was harmful. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
‘We’re basically pushers’: Court filing alleges staff at social media giants compared their platforms to drugs
Meta said the allegations “rely on cherry-picked quotes and misinformed opinions” to present a misleading narrative.
www.politico.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Top Meta staff allegedly compared Instagram to a drug and worked for years to obscure the social media platform’s potential dangers from parents and children, even as they appeared to acknowledge their technology was harmful. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
‘It is abundantly clear that corporate social responsibility was and is a myth. Even if firms claim to recognise their social and environmental responsibilities, profitability always trumps them when they clash.’
@brettchristophers.bsky.social on where our waste goes.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@brettchristophers.bsky.social on where our waste goes.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Brett Christophers · Assume the worst: Where our waste goes
Just as Big Oil has repeatedly failed to deliver on pledges to begin decarbonising, so too the promises of plastics...
www.lrb.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 4:35 PM
‘It is abundantly clear that corporate social responsibility was and is a myth. Even if firms claim to recognise their social and environmental responsibilities, profitability always trumps them when they clash.’
@brettchristophers.bsky.social on where our waste goes.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@brettchristophers.bsky.social on where our waste goes.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Le lion Belgique des Pays Bas, Musée Dräi Eechelen #Luxembourg
November 23, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Le lion Belgique des Pays Bas, Musée Dräi Eechelen #Luxembourg
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
In a short piece for @techpolicypress.bsky.social, @abeba.bsky.social and I write #AIHype Is Steering EU Policy Off Course.
Stop peddling in unscientific discourse about “AGI” and “superintelligence.” Serve citizens. Don't cater to the whims of tech CEOs.
www.techpolicy.press/ai-hype-is-s...
Stop peddling in unscientific discourse about “AGI” and “superintelligence.” Serve citizens. Don't cater to the whims of tech CEOs.
www.techpolicy.press/ai-hype-is-s...
AI Hype Is Steering EU Policy Off Course | TechPolicy.Press
Kris Shrishak and Abeba Birhane say policymakers should stop peddling in unscientific discourse about "AGI" and "superintelligence."
www.techpolicy.press
November 17, 2025 at 2:09 PM
In a short piece for @techpolicypress.bsky.social, @abeba.bsky.social and I write #AIHype Is Steering EU Policy Off Course.
Stop peddling in unscientific discourse about “AGI” and “superintelligence.” Serve citizens. Don't cater to the whims of tech CEOs.
www.techpolicy.press/ai-hype-is-s...
Stop peddling in unscientific discourse about “AGI” and “superintelligence.” Serve citizens. Don't cater to the whims of tech CEOs.
www.techpolicy.press/ai-hype-is-s...
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
It’s widely known (and, I think, pretty uncontroversial) that learning requires effort — specifically, if you don’t have to work at getting the knowledge, it won’t stick.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 12:49 PM
It’s widely known (and, I think, pretty uncontroversial) that learning requires effort — specifically, if you don’t have to work at getting the knowledge, it won’t stick.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
FT investigation:
Tuna-fishing has among the worst working conditions of any fishing.
If you buy tuna from a UK supermarket, you may be buying the product of modern slavery. ig.ft.com/supermarket-...
Tuna-fishing has among the worst working conditions of any fishing.
If you buy tuna from a UK supermarket, you may be buying the product of modern slavery. ig.ft.com/supermarket-...
November 21, 2025 at 12:46 PM
FT investigation:
Tuna-fishing has among the worst working conditions of any fishing.
If you buy tuna from a UK supermarket, you may be buying the product of modern slavery. ig.ft.com/supermarket-...
Tuna-fishing has among the worst working conditions of any fishing.
If you buy tuna from a UK supermarket, you may be buying the product of modern slavery. ig.ft.com/supermarket-...
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Just saw an extended version
November 20, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Just saw an extended version
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
This may very well be an accurate representation of the "modern software stack".
November 21, 2025 at 7:35 AM
This may very well be an accurate representation of the "modern software stack".
the app is now functioning as a “police app”. It’s a kind a digital toolkit allowing police to collect intelligence, accept crime reports, verify identities and access citizen data through a private platform that is deeply embedded in everyday life. theconversation.com/wechat-is-no...
WeChat is now a frontline policing tool in China. Here’s what my research found
WeChat, which is used by more than 1 billion people globally, has gone from ‘super app’ to ‘police app’.
theconversation.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:52 AM
the app is now functioning as a “police app”. It’s a kind a digital toolkit allowing police to collect intelligence, accept crime reports, verify identities and access citizen data through a private platform that is deeply embedded in everyday life. theconversation.com/wechat-is-no...
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
US border patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers in a secretive program to identify & detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious
The predictive intelligence program has resulted in people being stopped, searched and in some cases arrested.
apnews.com/article/immi...
The predictive intelligence program has resulted in people being stopped, searched and in some cases arrested.
apnews.com/article/immi...
Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with 'suspicious' travel patterns
The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious.
apnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:51 PM
US border patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers in a secretive program to identify & detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious
The predictive intelligence program has resulted in people being stopped, searched and in some cases arrested.
apnews.com/article/immi...
The predictive intelligence program has resulted in people being stopped, searched and in some cases arrested.
apnews.com/article/immi...
Today I spoke at the plenary session of the iBOF conference on futureproofing human rights on lack of attention & knowledge production in existing accountability mechanisms for more-than-human harms of digital crime control at sea and more specifically in the context of fisheries crimes.
November 20, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Today I spoke at the plenary session of the iBOF conference on futureproofing human rights on lack of attention & knowledge production in existing accountability mechanisms for more-than-human harms of digital crime control at sea and more specifically in the context of fisheries crimes.
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
NEW: A risk assessment found that leading general-use chatbots — ChatGPT, Gemini, Meta AI, and Claude — are "fundamentally unsafe" for teen mental health support, failing to catch important red flags and responding inappropriately to users exhibiting signs of crisis.
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
Report Finds That Leading Chatbots Are a Disaster for Teens Facing Mental Health Struggles
A report found that leading chatbots are "fundamentally unsafe" for teens looking for mental health support, and failed to catch red flags.
futurism.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:36 PM
NEW: A risk assessment found that leading general-use chatbots — ChatGPT, Gemini, Meta AI, and Claude — are "fundamentally unsafe" for teen mental health support, failing to catch important red flags and responding inappropriately to users exhibiting signs of crisis.
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Important piece. The many worrying human impacts come through very strongly here.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Up to 50,000 nurses could quit UK over immigration plans, survey suggests
Exclusive: union leaders say proposed changes are immoral and could threaten patient safety if there is staff exodus
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Important piece. The many worrying human impacts come through very strongly here.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
EU countries approve one-year delay in enforcement of anti-deforestation law
EU countries approve one-year delay in enforcement of anti-deforestation law
At the request of Germany and Austria, which have been strongly critical of the legislation, European states have also agreed to a review clause scheduled for April 2026, to revisit the regulation even before it comes into force.
www.lemonde.fr
November 19, 2025 at 8:27 PM
EU countries approve one-year delay in enforcement of anti-deforestation law
“Who and what counts as a substantive wrong, who should be held accountable and how can the human rights framework be altered to accommodate this?” Tine Destrooper opens keynote panel of the final conference of our IBOF project with key Qs of project! More info: futureproofinghumanrights.org/team/
November 19, 2025 at 3:52 PM
“Who and what counts as a substantive wrong, who should be held accountable and how can the human rights framework be altered to accommodate this?” Tine Destrooper opens keynote panel of the final conference of our IBOF project with key Qs of project! More info: futureproofinghumanrights.org/team/
🌟Join us for a great discussion followed by drinks tomorrow at 16.30 in Brussels! #humanrights #accountability
Join us in Brussels on Thursday 19 November for a great discussion with Sumi Madhok (LSE) and Başak Çali (University of Oxford) at the opening night of final conference of our iBOF-project Future-Proofing Human Rights: Developing Thicker Forms of Accountabilty. Registration form: shorturl.at/dx6ef
November 18, 2025 at 7:32 PM
🌟Join us for a great discussion followed by drinks tomorrow at 16.30 in Brussels! #humanrights #accountability
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
By plugging tens of billions of phone numbers into WhatsApp’s contact discovery tool, researchers found “the most extensive exposure of phone numbers” ever—along with profile photos and more.
Read more: wrd.cm/483paGa
Read more: wrd.cm/483paGa
November 18, 2025 at 6:51 PM
By plugging tens of billions of phone numbers into WhatsApp’s contact discovery tool, researchers found “the most extensive exposure of phone numbers” ever—along with profile photos and more.
Read more: wrd.cm/483paGa
Read more: wrd.cm/483paGa
Het gedrag, vastgelegd op videobeelden, doet vragen rijzen over het probleemoplossend vermogen en mogelijk zelfs het gebruik van ‘gereedschap’ bij wolven.
www.demorgen.be/tech-wetensc...
www.demorgen.be/tech-wetensc...
▶ Canadese kustwolf haalt krabval leeg in minder dan drie minuten: eerste bewijs dat ook wolven ‘gereedschap’ gebruiken
In het westen van Canada hebben onderzoekers opmerkelijk gedrag vastgesteld bij kustwolven: een wolf wist een krabbenval uit het water te slepen en open te scheuren om het voedsel te bemachtigen. Het ...
www.demorgen.be
November 18, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Het gedrag, vastgelegd op videobeelden, doet vragen rijzen over het probleemoplossend vermogen en mogelijk zelfs het gebruik van ‘gereedschap’ bij wolven.
www.demorgen.be/tech-wetensc...
www.demorgen.be/tech-wetensc...
