Brandi Geurkink
@geurkink.bsky.social
Executive Director of the Coalition for Independent Tech Research
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
Per usual, @mmasnick.bsky.social offers astute analysis of the Bullshit Industrial Complex’s claims, this time regarding new H1B visa vetting policies.
This sentence is 🌟: “This policy censors non-censors for not doing the thing that the White House and MAGA folks are actively doing every day.”
This sentence is 🌟: “This policy censors non-censors for not doing the thing that the White House and MAGA folks are actively doing every day.”
Your Job Was Stopping CSAM? Trump Says No Visa For You!
You want to see actual government censorship in action? And have it done by people claiming they’re doing it to stop censorship? Check out last week's revelation (originally reported by Reuters) that the US State Department will now start…
You want to see actual government censorship in action? And have it done by people claiming they’re doing it to stop censorship? Check out last week's revelation (originally reported by Reuters) that the US State Department will now start…
Your Job Was Stopping CSAM? Trump Says No Visa For You!
You want to see actual government censorship in action? And have it done by people claiming they’re doing it to stop censorship? Check out last week's revelation (originally reported by Reuters) that the US State Department will now start denying H-1B visas for anyone who has anything to do with trust & safety, fact checking, content moderation, or mis- or disinformation research.
www.techdirt.com
December 10, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Per usual, @mmasnick.bsky.social offers astute analysis of the Bullshit Industrial Complex’s claims, this time regarding new H1B visa vetting policies.
This sentence is 🌟: “This policy censors non-censors for not doing the thing that the White House and MAGA folks are actively doing every day.”
This sentence is 🌟: “This policy censors non-censors for not doing the thing that the White House and MAGA folks are actively doing every day.”
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
Very cool and important job for someone in NYC!
🚨JOB POSTING: The Institute seeks an accomplished nonprofit leader, strategist, and manager who is passionate about organizational excellence and the Institute’s mission to serve as its Chief of Staff. Details to apply here: knightcolumbia.org/page/chief-o...
| Knight First Amendment Institute
knightcolumbia.org
December 4, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Very cool and important job for someone in NYC!
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
As a kid who used to love to sit up late in my rural county peering into the vastness of space, I find it almost physically painful to stare into the cluttered sky and find my gaze constantly interrupted by all of this disposable litter. This graph does not indicate progress to me.
Humankind has launch more satellites in the past four years (2021 - 2025) than in the previous seven decades.
75% of the currently active satellites belong to a single operator (SpaceX).
75% of the currently active satellites belong to a single operator (SpaceX).
December 4, 2025 at 2:09 AM
As a kid who used to love to sit up late in my rural county peering into the vastness of space, I find it almost physically painful to stare into the cluttered sky and find my gaze constantly interrupted by all of this disposable litter. This graph does not indicate progress to me.
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
Scientists must learn to join larger pro-democracy and people's movements, coalitions. Our science training may not have prepared us for such work, but we can no longer sit in the safety of our labs and expect the world to get better
My book review @thelancet.com
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
My book review @thelancet.com
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
From doing science to saving science
Science and scientists are under assault. From denial of vaccines to climate change,
political leaders are increasingly sacrificing democracy as well as science on the
altar of populism and authoritar...
www.thelancet.com
November 28, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Scientists must learn to join larger pro-democracy and people's movements, coalitions. Our science training may not have prepared us for such work, but we can no longer sit in the safety of our labs and expect the world to get better
My book review @thelancet.com
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
My book review @thelancet.com
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
Meta buried 'causal' evidence of social media harm, US court filings allege reut.rs/48eKxnO
Meta buried 'causal' evidence of social media harm, US court filings allege
Meta shut down internal research into the mental health effects of Facebook and Instagram after finding causal evidence that its products harmed users’ mental health, according to unredacted filings in a class action by U.S. school districts against Meta and other social media platforms.
reut.rs
November 23, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Meta buried 'causal' evidence of social media harm, US court filings allege reut.rs/48eKxnO
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
Many assume that if someone is high profile, their public data is fair game for collection & analysis.
@annalenhart.bsky.social & @brandonsilverman.bsky.social interviewed high profile people to learn more. The report shares practical suggestions for platforms, researchers, & policymakers.
@annalenhart.bsky.social & @brandonsilverman.bsky.social interviewed high profile people to learn more. The report shares practical suggestions for platforms, researchers, & policymakers.
Publicly available social media data may appear low-risk, but it raises complex privacy questions, writes Anna Lenhart. A new report, “Performing in Autonomy Theater: Perspectives of High Profile Figures,” explores this issue and outlines some ethical guidelines for researchers to follow.
Balancing the Needs of Social Media Research with the Perspectives of High-Profile Figures | TechPolicy.Press
Anna Lenhart discusses ethical guidance for researchers using public social media data to study high-profile figures, balancing access and privacy.
buff.ly
November 15, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Many assume that if someone is high profile, their public data is fair game for collection & analysis.
@annalenhart.bsky.social & @brandonsilverman.bsky.social interviewed high profile people to learn more. The report shares practical suggestions for platforms, researchers, & policymakers.
@annalenhart.bsky.social & @brandonsilverman.bsky.social interviewed high profile people to learn more. The report shares practical suggestions for platforms, researchers, & policymakers.
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
Think platform data from social media only matters for election or disinformation research? Think again. George Pearson, a researcher at the Truth Initiative, shows it’s vital for public health—revealing how tobacco companies can target youth, dodge regulations, and influence policy.
Why Platform Data is Essential to Public Health Efforts in Tobacco Control | TechPolicy.Press
Social media platforms are a key avenue for tobacco control research, but as George Pearson argues data access barriers hinder efforts to monitor impacts.
www.techpolicy.press
November 10, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Think platform data from social media only matters for election or disinformation research? Think again. George Pearson, a researcher at the Truth Initiative, shows it’s vital for public health—revealing how tobacco companies can target youth, dodge regulations, and influence policy.
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
Last week’s elections show how central social media has become to campaigns with politicians on nearly every platform. But as Josephine Lukito and Kaitlyn Dowling explain, we know less and less about them, because access to this data is shrinking.
There is More Online Election Discourse than Ever, But Researchers See Less | TechPolicy.Press
Josephine Lukito and Kaitlyn Dowling explore why public social media data is vital for transparent elections and accountability in the digital campaign era.
www.techpolicy.press
November 9, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Last week’s elections show how central social media has become to campaigns with politicians on nearly every platform. But as Josephine Lukito and Kaitlyn Dowling explain, we know less and less about them, because access to this data is shrinking.
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
New essay from the series, Seeing the Digital Sphere: The Case for Public Platform Data! As platforms restrict data access, a global data drought is deepening, write Rachelle Faust and Daniel Arnaudo. A new framework can reclaim the public square and restore access for frontline researchers.
The World’s Growing Information Black Box: Inequity in Platform Research | TechPolicy.Press
Rachelle Faust and Daniel Arnaudo discuss how independent research on social media platforms is vanishing as data access shrinks, deepening global inequities.
www.techpolicy.press
November 6, 2025 at 9:15 PM
New essay from the series, Seeing the Digital Sphere: The Case for Public Platform Data! As platforms restrict data access, a global data drought is deepening, write Rachelle Faust and Daniel Arnaudo. A new framework can reclaim the public square and restore access for frontline researchers.
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
"Society needs a deeper understanding and greater transparency of AI and social media recommendations. We currently lack insights that could be key to uncovering intended or unintended manipulation," writes @marietjeschaake.bsky.social:
Chatbots pose a risk to democracy
AI companies vowed not to support their use for voting choice so why are they recommending parties?
www.ft.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:04 AM
"Society needs a deeper understanding and greater transparency of AI and social media recommendations. We currently lack insights that could be key to uncovering intended or unintended manipulation," writes @marietjeschaake.bsky.social:
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
Congratulations, Andrew Cuomo!
I know how hard you worked for this.
I know how hard you worked for this.
![Red Trump-style graphic with images of Donald Trump and Andrew Cuomo.
At the top it says, "I'm going to pick [Cuomo]." - Donald Trump, 60 Minutes Interview, 11-2-25
Then beneath it
TRUMP ENDORSES CUOMO](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:j5hrotody26iqi24hcusufxu/bafkreib7wnor7hl45ryvmifde4sov74rrnexa3iecbyu7zxjx6brrslsiy@jpeg)
November 3, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Congratulations, Andrew Cuomo!
I know how hard you worked for this.
I know how hard you worked for this.
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
This surge in applications from the US comes at a time where the grant and job market in Europe is already *very* competitive.
Unless Europe invests more in science and higher education this influx of talent will put a squeeze on an already fragile system.
www.ft.com/content/cd80...
Unless Europe invests more in science and higher education this influx of talent will put a squeeze on an already fragile system.
www.ft.com/content/cd80...
Trump’s university backlash drives US researchers towards Europe
EU grant applications hit record in 2025 amid surge in interest from American academics
www.ft.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:20 AM
This surge in applications from the US comes at a time where the grant and job market in Europe is already *very* competitive.
Unless Europe invests more in science and higher education this influx of talent will put a squeeze on an already fragile system.
www.ft.com/content/cd80...
Unless Europe invests more in science and higher education this influx of talent will put a squeeze on an already fragile system.
www.ft.com/content/cd80...
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
Why is it that every disappeared US citizen is not front page news? At the very least we should have a little box with a count of the number of citizens who have been taken away and are not locatable and a link to a story with photos & min-bios, just as we used to do with military casually figures.
In Portland, Oregon, masked ICE GOONS abducted and vanished US citizen Gonzalo Catalan last week. Tragically, his family remains unaware of his whereabouts and has not received any communication from him as of today.
October 30, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Why is it that every disappeared US citizen is not front page news? At the very least we should have a little box with a count of the number of citizens who have been taken away and are not locatable and a link to a story with photos & min-bios, just as we used to do with military casually figures.
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
"Access to data by researchers is a crucial element of ensuring transparency and democratic accountability,” @lewan.bsky.social says. “The public is entitled to know what platforms and their algorithms are doing to the information landscape.”
I wrote for @science.org about Meta, TikTok and the DSA 🧪
I wrote for @science.org about Meta, TikTok and the DSA 🧪
Meta and TikTok are obstructing researchers’ access to data, European Commission rules
Data are needed to study how social media spreads misinformation and influences elections, scientists say
www.science.org
October 29, 2025 at 7:24 PM
"Access to data by researchers is a crucial element of ensuring transparency and democratic accountability,” @lewan.bsky.social says. “The public is entitled to know what platforms and their algorithms are doing to the information landscape.”
I wrote for @science.org about Meta, TikTok and the DSA 🧪
I wrote for @science.org about Meta, TikTok and the DSA 🧪
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
(6) This idea that democrats should abandon trans people and immigrants and climate change (in 2025!) is just unconscionably dumb.
Declaring “I’m focused on prescription drug prices” sounds like pandering because it IS pandering. Everyone can tell.
Try standing for something. See how it feels.
Declaring “I’m focused on prescription drug prices” sounds like pandering because it IS pandering. Everyone can tell.
Try standing for something. See how it feels.
October 28, 2025 at 4:24 PM
(6) This idea that democrats should abandon trans people and immigrants and climate change (in 2025!) is just unconscionably dumb.
Declaring “I’m focused on prescription drug prices” sounds like pandering because it IS pandering. Everyone can tell.
Try standing for something. See how it feels.
Declaring “I’m focused on prescription drug prices” sounds like pandering because it IS pandering. Everyone can tell.
Try standing for something. See how it feels.
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
The @ec.europa.eu preliminarily finds TikTok and Meta in breach of transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act.
The EC also finds that Meta and TikTok have put in place "burdensome procedures and tools for researchers to request access to public data."
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
The EC also finds that Meta and TikTok have put in place "burdensome procedures and tools for researchers to request access to public data."
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
Commission preliminarily finds TikTok and Meta in breach of their transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act
Today, the European Commission preliminarily found both TikTok and Meta in breach of their obligation to grant researchers adequate access to public data under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
ec.europa.eu
October 24, 2025 at 11:34 AM
The @ec.europa.eu preliminarily finds TikTok and Meta in breach of transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act.
The EC also finds that Meta and TikTok have put in place "burdensome procedures and tools for researchers to request access to public data."
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
The EC also finds that Meta and TikTok have put in place "burdensome procedures and tools for researchers to request access to public data."
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
This new reporting from @jeffhorwitz.bsky.social is jaw-dropping and I think warrants a response from @cos.io given their ongoing collaboration with Meta.
Jeff writes about how Meta identified content-specific harms as a key problem for teens on Instagram. 🧵
www.reuters.com/business/ins...
Jeff writes about how Meta identified content-specific harms as a key problem for teens on Instagram. 🧵
www.reuters.com/business/ins...
Exclusive: Instagram shows more ‘eating disorder adjacent’ content to vulnerable teens, internal Meta research shows
Meta researchers found that teens who report that Instagram regularly made them feel bad about their bodies saw significantly more “eating disorder adjacent content” than those who did not, according to an internal document reviewed by Reuters.
www.reuters.com
October 20, 2025 at 1:23 PM
This new reporting from @jeffhorwitz.bsky.social is jaw-dropping and I think warrants a response from @cos.io given their ongoing collaboration with Meta.
Jeff writes about how Meta identified content-specific harms as a key problem for teens on Instagram. 🧵
www.reuters.com/business/ins...
Jeff writes about how Meta identified content-specific harms as a key problem for teens on Instagram. 🧵
www.reuters.com/business/ins...
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
New from me and @brendannyhan.bsky.social
Why Trump's "Compact for Academic Excellence" is a devil's bargain and should be rejected in all forms
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Why Trump's "Compact for Academic Excellence" is a devil's bargain and should be rejected in all forms
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Trump sent a 'compact' to our universities. They should reject this devil's bargain.
Any institution that yields to these broad and intrusive demands would forever be subservient to the whims of the government.
www.msnbc.com
October 7, 2025 at 1:22 PM
New from me and @brendannyhan.bsky.social
Why Trump's "Compact for Academic Excellence" is a devil's bargain and should be rejected in all forms
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Why Trump's "Compact for Academic Excellence" is a devil's bargain and should be rejected in all forms
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
It was incredibly moving to hear Prof Nickel and other non-citizen professors testify in court about the ways in which the arrests and deportations of students had affected them and their colleagues. So grateful to them for their integrity and courage. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
October 7, 2025 at 11:49 AM
It was incredibly moving to hear Prof Nickel and other non-citizen professors testify in court about the ways in which the arrests and deportations of students had affected them and their colleagues. So grateful to them for their integrity and courage. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
Very proud of my colleagues right now--especially @ramyakrishnan.bsky.social and @alexabdo.bsky.social. But we could not have got this far without the superb trial lawyers at Sher Tremonte. Grateful to them for all of the time and energy they put into this case. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/u...
Judge Rules Trump Unlawfully Targeted Noncitizens Over Pro-Palestinian Speech
www.nytimes.com
September 30, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Very proud of my colleagues right now--especially @ramyakrishnan.bsky.social and @alexabdo.bsky.social. But we could not have got this far without the superb trial lawyers at Sher Tremonte. Grateful to them for all of the time and energy they put into this case. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/u...
A cool thing about being with a writer is that I get to post things like "read about my summer holiday in the New York Times!": www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/t.... But really. I loved exploring this beautiful country and can't wait to go back next month for @disinfo.eu's conference!
Wildflower Days and Wine-Flowing Nights in Slovenia
www.nytimes.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
A cool thing about being with a writer is that I get to post things like "read about my summer holiday in the New York Times!": www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/t.... But really. I loved exploring this beautiful country and can't wait to go back next month for @disinfo.eu's conference!
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag, @freiheitsrechte.org! <3
Seit 10 Jahren ziehen wir für die Freiheit vor Gericht! Damit #Grundrechte nicht nur auf dem Papier stehen – sondern allen Menschen ein gleichberechtigtes Leben in #Würde und Freiheit sichern. Im Namen des Volkes. #10YGFF 🎉
freiheitsrechte.org/10ygff
freiheitsrechte.org/10ygff
September 18, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag, @freiheitsrechte.org! <3
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
Dear friends from other countries:
please join the Brazilians as we celebrate this groundbreaking decision.
please join the Brazilians as we celebrate this groundbreaking decision.
A majority of Brazil's Supreme Court judges have voted to convict former President Jair Bolsonaro of plotting to overturn the 2022 election. https://cnn.it/3VIY1Cn
September 11, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Dear friends from other countries:
please join the Brazilians as we celebrate this groundbreaking decision.
please join the Brazilians as we celebrate this groundbreaking decision.
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
What happened today is awful. People who fight against gun violence, people who loathe what Charlie Kirk stood for, must also condemn political violence. It’s a vicious cycle. This is a very dangerous moment.
September 10, 2025 at 9:02 PM
What happened today is awful. People who fight against gun violence, people who loathe what Charlie Kirk stood for, must also condemn political violence. It’s a vicious cycle. This is a very dangerous moment.
Reposted by Brandi Geurkink
this is the industry governments want to hand over education and other societal infrastructure
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Meta suppressed research on child safety, employees say
The company’s lawyers intervened to shape research that might have shed light on risks in virtual reality, four current and former staffers have told Congress. Meta denies the allegations.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 10, 2025 at 1:19 PM
this is the industry governments want to hand over education and other societal infrastructure
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...