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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen
@mathver.bsky.social
5.5K followers 1.9K following 440 posts
EU law and tech policy, mostly musings on content moderation, platform governance, privacy, AI. Now: Co-Founder & Director @awo.agency. Fellow at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Then: EU Parliament. UN. Mozilla. PhD in EU law.
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 7h
Strong report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Protection of Freedom of Expression on "the paradigm shift" in the governance of social media platforms that has "alarming consequences for freedom of expression online". www.ohchr.org/en/documents...
A/80/341: Threats to freedom of expression online in turbulent times
In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression focuses on a paradigm shift in the governance of social media platforms ...
www.ohchr.org
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Reposted by Mathias Vermeulen
awo.agency
awo.agency @awo.agency · 1d
We're delighted to be ranked in this year's Legal 500 in 3 practice areas (Civil liberties & human rights, Data protection, and Administrative & public law) and as a 'Firm to Watch' in Artificial Intelligence. Thank you to all our clients and referees! 🎉
www.legal500.com/firms/234760...
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 1d
More in Dutch here - www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/....
Geen spreekverbod voor Mekic in zaak tegen X
Het gerechtshof Amsterdam heeft het verzoek van X (het voormalige Twitter) om een spreekverbod op te leggen aan Danny Mekic afgewezen. Jurist Mekic is al geruime tijd in een strijd verwikkeld met het ...
www.nrc.nl
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 1d
X must hand over a full, unredacted version of Mekic’s data from Guano Notes to the Court of Appeal. The court may use this information in the case — but Mekic himself won’t receive the data yet. (6/6)
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 1d
Ahead of the appeal, X demanded that Mekic be barred from speaking publicly about the case, arguing this could reveal more about how Guano Notes works. The Court of Appeal has now ruled that Mekic is free to speak. (5/6)
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 1d
X gave Mekic only limited access. Mekic sued — and won. The Amsterdam court ruled now, under penalty of a fine, that X must provide full access. X appealed that decision. The appeal hearing is set for 11 December. (4/6)
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 1d
The dispute began when X made Mekic’s posts less visible after he retweeted a Dutch NOS news article containing the word “child pornography.” Mekic demanded access to his personal data and to how it was processed — which led to his account being hidden. (3/6)
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 1d
The Amsterdam Court of Appeal has rejected X’s request to impose a gag order on jurist Danny Mekic. Mekic has long been in a legal battle with the company, seeking access to the personal data X holds about him and how it’s been used.(2/6)
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 1d
Interesting development in the X vs. Mekic case in the Netherlands, which partly deals with "Guano Notes" - X’s internal system that tracks users’ reputation scores and labels them. Those scores can determine whether posts are blocked or accounts are hidden. Very little is know about the system(1/6)
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 1d
www.ft.com/content/5f6f...
OpenAI’s computing deals top $1tn
Partners including Nvidia, AMD and Oracle have signed up to Sam Altman’s huge bet on the future of artificial intelligence
www.ft.com
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 2d
www.economist.com/business/202...
AI is killing the web. Can anything save it?
The rise of ChatGPT and its rivals is undermining the economic bargain of the internet
www.economist.com
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 5d
www.politico.com/newsletters/...
The speech wars come for Wikipedia
www.politico.com
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 13d
www.ft.com/content/6630...
European officials fear Trump is preparing to blame them for Ukraine failure
Poland’s Tusk warns of ‘reduced US involvement and a shift of responsibility’
www.ft.com
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Reposted by Mathias Vermeulen
anneapplebaum.bsky.social
Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 14d
Think of the waste this involves
jamiegangel.bsky.social
Jamie Gangel @jamiegangel.bsky.social · 14d
New - “Hundreds of federal employees who lost their jobs in Elon Musk’s cost-cutting blitz are being asked to return to work.”

www.cnn.com/2025/09/24/p...
Trump administration rehires hundreds of federal employees laid off by DOGE | CNN Politics
Hundreds of federal employees who lost their jobs in Elon Musk’s cost-cutting blitz are being asked to return to work.
www.cnn.com
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Reposted by Mathias Vermeulen
brendannyhan.bsky.social
Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 14d
I can't believe this is real. Literally Thiel is saying the antichrist is anyone who wants to regulate technology.
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Reposted by Mathias Vermeulen
lilianedwards.bsky.social
Lilian Edwards @lilianedwards.bsky.social · 15d
Very happy to announce brilliant new paper on AI by the wonderful @atoosakz.bsky.social , Phillip Hacker, and er, me, on systemic risk and how it is confusingly differently interpreted through the EU AIA, the DSA and its origin, financial regulation.

Paper at https://arxiv.org/pdf/2509.17878
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 16d
www.ft.com/content/6596...
EU to block Big Tech from new financial data sharing system
Germany argues groups such as Apple and Meta are excluded to protect Europe’s ‘digital sovereignty’
www.ft.com
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Reposted by Mathias Vermeulen
jtlg.bsky.social
James Grimmelmann @jtlg.bsky.social · 17d
This white paper from @noupside.bsky.social and @rachelkleinfeld.bsky.social is an extremely helpful explanation of how the media environment has irrevocably shifted away from one in which institutions could wield influence simply by speaking authoritatively.

carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies
To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.
carnegieendowment.org
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Reposted by Mathias Vermeulen
mikeyearworth.bsky.social
Prof Mike Yearworth @mikeyearworth.bsky.social · 17d
"In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limits."

www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
OpenAI admits AI hallucinations are mathematically inevitable, not just engineering flaws
In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limi...
www.computerworld.com
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 20d
on.ft.com/3K7NYV4 In Charlie Kirk’s name: Trump officials signal move to limit free speech
In Charlie Kirk’s name: Trump officials signal move to limit free speech
White House shifts from defending dissent to vowing crackdown on ‘hateful’ rhetoric in wake of killing
on.ft.com
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Reposted by Mathias Vermeulen
deradee.bsky.social
Velma @deradee.bsky.social · 21d
"When trolls demand debates, they’re not interested in having their minds changed or genuinely testing their ideas. They want one of two outcomes: either you decline and they get to claim victory by default, or you accept and they get to use your credibility to legitimize their nonsense..."
techdirt.com
Techdirt @techdirt.com · 21d
The “Debate Me Bro” Grift: How Trolls Weaponized The Marketplace Of Ideas

Among the attempts to create hagiographic eulogies of Charlie Kirk, I’ve seen more than a few people suggest that Kirk should be respected for being willing to talk to “those who disagree with him” as a sign that he was…
The “Debate Me Bro” Grift: How Trolls Weaponized The Marketplace Of Ideas
Among the attempts to create hagiographic eulogies of Charlie Kirk, I’ve seen more than a few people suggest that Kirk should be respected for being willing to talk to “those who disagree with him” as a sign that he was engaging in good faith. Perhaps the perfect example of this is Ezra Klein’s silly eulogy claiming that Kirk was “
www.techdirt.com
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Reposted by Mathias Vermeulen
wendyndavis.bsky.social
wendyndavis.bsky.social @wendyndavis.bsky.social · 20d
Carr's views as of October 2024:
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Reposted by Mathias Vermeulen
catneilan.bsky.social
Cat Neilan @catneilan.bsky.social · 24d
My colleague @thejohnsimpson.bsky.social has done a terrific deep dive into the financial links between US tech billionaires and Tommy Robinson

Well worth a read

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
US cash turned Tommy Robinson into the poster boy of UK f...
Outside the Old Bailey in 2018, a reinvented Tommy Robinson flashed his perfect new teeth to 2,000 diehard supporters at a “free Tommy” rally on a stage ...
observer.co.uk
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Reposted by Mathias Vermeulen
kakape.bsky.social
Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · 25d
“But it is hard not to notice that, in the aggregate, something poisonous is in the architecture of its platforms and the way that our technologies demand not just our attention, but our most heightened emotions.”
@cwarzel.bsky.social wrote in his piece here:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Something Is Very Wrong Online
The cycle of violence will continue as long as the medium doesn’t change.
www.theatlantic.com
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mathver.bsky.social
Mathias Vermeulen @mathver.bsky.social · 25d
www.wsj.com/tech/eu-wont...
EU Won’t Shy Away From Tough Antitrust Enforcement, Competition Chief Says
The European Union is ready to hand hefty fines to companies that breach antitrust rules despite risks of raising tensions with the U.S. at a delicate time for trade, the bloc’s top competition enforc...
www.wsj.com
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