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John Levin @anterotesis.bsky.social · 13h

More on the National Records of Scotland vs. Ancestry . com judgement:

scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2025/09/more...

#Archives

More on the legal proceedings by Ancestry against the National Records of Scotland

From Scotland, a daily news blog about genealogy, family history and personal heritage.

scottishgenes.blogspot.com

Reposted by John Levin

Naomi Oreskes @naomioreskes.bsky.social · 2d

Today’s must read piece

on.ft.com/4f844Iv

The Nobel for Econsplaining

Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson won a prize for applying economics to the very things economics is inherently bad at figuring out

on.ft.com

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Reposted by John Levin

The Statutes Project @statutes.bsky.social · 3d

LOL:

"At a time when racial issues are so deeply troubling, Mr. Marmion and the CEO of Hein, William S. Hein, simply felt there was a moral and civic obligation to share this product with anyone, anywhere."

earlyamericanists.com/2016/12/27/p...

Guest Post: Candace Jackson Gray interviews Paul Finkelman

Candace Jackson Gray interviews Paul Finkelman, the John E. Murray Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

earlyamericanists.com

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Reposted by John Levin

The Statutes Project @statutes.bsky.social · 3d

Can anyone confirm that there is no free, individual access to Hein Online's "Slavery in America and the World" collection?

I had an individual account, which now doesn't work, and can't see any other way to access it without going through an instititution.

#LegalHistory

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John Levin @anterotesis.bsky.social · 3d

Tories announce plans for paramilitary terror:

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

#NoBorders

Tories to pledge to create immigration taskforce modelled on Trump’s Ice

Proposed ‘removals force’ will be tasked with deporting 150,000 people a year in bid to tackle illegal immigration

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by John Levin

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 4d

What an admirably clear statement from the Jewish Leadership Council, especially when all of those involved must surely have been dealing with so many other urgent challenges in safety, security and grief + shock today before having this further divisive and distracting intervention to address too.

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Reposted by John Levin

Carve Her Name @carvehername.bsky.social · 4d

#OnThisDay, 4 Oct 1936, women join the Battle of Cable Street, in London's East End, protesting against a fascist march through the area. Of the 79 protestors arrested, eight are women, including Blanche Edwards (pictured).

#WomenInHistory #OTD #History #WomensHistory #BritishHistory 🗃️
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A woman is being frogmarched along cobbles by two policemen, with another apparently gesturing to her to calm down.

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Reposted by John Levin

Nick Lloyd @spaincivilwartours.bsky.social · 4d

Cable Street battle, Jewish London East End #OnThisDay 4 Oct 1936 with banner explicitly adapting antifascist slogan of defence of Madrid "NO PASARÁN." They shall not pass. Remember Olympia refers to 1934 British Union of Fascists meeting where they set on antifascist protesters

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Reposted by John Levin

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 5d

Apple did something very similar to the people of Hong Kong in 2019, removing an app that allowed protesters to track police movements via crowdsourced information:

gizmodo.com/apple-sells-...

Reuters @reuters.com · 5d

Apple removes ICE tracking apps after pressure by Trump administration reut.rs/4mIfztt

Apple removes ICE tracking apps after pressure by Trump administration

Apple said on Thursday that it had removed ICEBlock, the most popular ICE-tracking app, and other similar apps from its App Store after it was contacted by President Donald Trump's administration.

reut.rs

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John Levin @anterotesis.bsky.social · 6d

‘This is strength’: stories of enslaved Africans in Grenada made into searchable archive

Depths of Paradise project backed by British family and created by Stephen Lewis, a descendant of survivors

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

The database itself:
www.depthsofparadise.co.uk

#History 🗃️

‘This is strength’: stories of enslaved Africans in Grenada made into searchable archive

Depths of Paradise project backed by British family and created by Stephen Lewis, a descendant of survivors

www.theguardian.com

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John Levin @anterotesis.bsky.social · 7d

The limpness barely disguises the dangerous 'both-sides' drivel.

Abolish the Royal Society.

The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · 7d

"I am increasingly concerned over threats to the values that allow science to flourish." Read the full statement from the President of the Royal Society Sir Adrian Smith: royalsociety.org/news/2025/10...

A statement from the President of the Royal Society | Royal Society

A statement from the President of the Royal Society regarding threats to the values that allow science to flourish.

royalsociety.org

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John Levin @anterotesis.bsky.social · 7d

So sorry to hear this. Best wishes from across the ocean.

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Reposted by John Levin

British History Online @bho.bsky.social · 7d

We're moving our Mastodon account.

As our previous provider is shutting down, we've moved to hcommons.social/@bho

Gi' us a follow!

British History Online (@[email protected])

1 Post, 239 Following, 1 Follower · BHO is a digital library of historic source material and the Victoria County Histories, based at the Institute of Historical Research

hcommons.social

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Reposted by John Levin

The People's Papers @peoplespapers.bsky.social · 8d

Decided it was about time to make an account for this research project. You can learn more about the current "People's Papers" archival efforts underway @wcmlibrary.bsky.social here:
wcml.org.uk/blog/the-peo...

And catch up on updates via Instagram: www.instagram.com/peoplespapers/

The People’s Papers: Exploring Greater Manchester’s Activist Neighbourhood Newspapers from the 1970s - Working Class Movement Library

Announcing a new research project! In partnership with the University of Manchester’s new Humanities PGR Placement Scheme , we’ll be welcoming a PhD researcher, Arielle Lawson, to the Working Class Mo...

wcml.org.uk

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Reposted by John Levin

The Statutes Project @statutes.bsky.social · 9d

Correction: 4 paragraphs (out of 279) mention the OGL.

I think Ancestry are using this as a way of pressurizing NRS to sell access to them and them alone. I wonder how much public domain material Ancestry themselves are restricting access to.

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John Levin @anterotesis.bsky.social · 9d

And Ancestry are also impounders, which is why I do not see this case as one which will free the archives.

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John Levin @anterotesis.bsky.social · 9d

That's not the substance of the legal argument though.

bsky.app/profile/stat...

The Statutes Project @statutes.bsky.social · 9d

This is the Ancestry vs National Records of Scotland decision. There is one mention of the Open Govt License, but opening up the records isn't really discussed. Doesn't seem to have copyright implications, but I can't claim to understand all the details.

Paul F Scott @paulfscott.bsky.social · 9d

This seems to be it: caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukftt/grc/20...

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John Levin @anterotesis.bsky.social · 9d

More on the Ancestry vs National Records Scotland battle:

Ancestry and the NRS - when the corporate genealogy world turns ugly
by @chrismpaton.bsky.social

scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2025/09/ance...

#Archives

Ancestry and the NRS - when the corporate genealogy world turns ugly

From Scotland, a daily news blog about genealogy, family history and personal heritage.

scottishgenes.blogspot.com

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Reposted by John Levin

The Statutes Project @statutes.bsky.social · 9d

This is the Ancestry vs National Records of Scotland decision. There is one mention of the Open Govt License, but opening up the records isn't really discussed. Doesn't seem to have copyright implications, but I can't claim to understand all the details.

Paul F Scott @paulfscott.bsky.social · 9d

This seems to be it: caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukftt/grc/20...

Ancestry Ireland Unlimited Company v The Information Commissioner & Anor - Find Case Law - The National Archives

caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk

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Reposted by John Levin

The Statutes Project @statutes.bsky.social · 9d

I can't find the General Regulatory Chamber decision on this case (probably because I'm completely unfamiliar with such modern matters).

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

#Archives #Law #FreedomOfInformation #FOI

John Levin @anterotesis.bsky.social · 9d

The condition of state archives in the UK, part 2:

Commercial co. demands access to state records.
(But not, it seems, that the records are made freely available.)

"Ancestry in legal bid to access Scottish family records"

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

#History #Archives

Ancestry in legal bid to access Scottish family records

DNA testing site, Ancestry.com, has taken legal action to access millions of Scottish family records held by the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

www.bbc.co.uk

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John Levin @anterotesis.bsky.social · 9d

The condition of state archives in the UK, part 2:

Commercial co. demands access to state records.
(But not, it seems, that the records are made freely available.)

"Ancestry in legal bid to access Scottish family records"

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

#History #Archives

Ancestry in legal bid to access Scottish family records

DNA testing site, Ancestry.com, has taken legal action to access millions of Scottish family records held by the National Records of Scotland (NRS).

www.bbc.co.uk

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John Levin @anterotesis.bsky.social · 9d

The condition of state archives in the UK, part 1:

Inaccessible police records, which are particularly important given, for example, the #Spycops scandal.

"Why aren’t Police Records covered by the Public Records Act?"

www.campaignforrecords.org/blog/why-are...

#History #Archives

Why aren’t Police Records covered by the Public Records Act? — Campaign for Records

Since 2012 the Archives and Records Association (ARA) has been campaigning for English and Welsh police records to be covered by the Public Records Act. John Chambers, Chief Executive of ARA gives the...

www.campaignforrecords.org

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Reposted by John Levin

Archives and Records Association UK and Ireland @araukie.bsky.social · 13d

Why aren’t Police Records in England & Wales covered by the Public Records Act? We've been campaigning on this since 2012 - blog for more info:
www.campaignforrecords.org/blog/why-arent-police-records-covered-by-the-public-records-act
#publicaccountability
of interest @andyburnham.bsky.social ?

Photo of a paper airplane on fire with text that reads "I am under no obligation to disclose anything and the papers belong to me. If I wanted to I could take them into the yard and have a bonfire with them" South Yorkshire Chief Constable Med Hughes.

Credit for photo of on fire airplane is Aron Yigin via Unsplash

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John Levin @anterotesis.bsky.social · 10d

Highly recommended: Dennis Morris at the Photographer's gallery.

His early photos of life in #Hackney and Southall are absolutely fantastic.

thephotographersgallery.org.uk/whats-on/den...

Dennis Morris: Music + Life

★★★★★ The Guardian ★★★★ Time Out Discover music, culture and Black British identity through the lens of Dennis Morris.

thephotographersgallery.org.uk

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Reposted by John Levin

Dada @dadaists.bsky.social · 11d

Suzanne Duchamp retrospective coming to the Schirn Gallery in Frankfurt:

www.schirn.de/en/exhibitio...

#Dada

Suzanne Duchamp | SCHIRN KUNSTHALLE FRANKFURT

The SCHIRN is dedicating the world’s first comprehensive solo exhibition to the pioneer of the Dada movement, Suzanne Duchamp (1889–1963). The retrospective shows her multifaceted oeuvre as an artist ...

www.schirn.de

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