Rachel Fagen
@rachelfagen.bsky.social
Tech, democracy, and civil society // social internet platform and AI governance
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
What I see often in activist spaces is almost obsessive concern over something that’s basically unavoidable: being identified as an activist.
But then, lots of actions taken that INCREASE risk along those other dimensions: destroying evidence and recordings, aggressive and escalatory behavior, etc.
But then, lots of actions taken that INCREASE risk along those other dimensions: destroying evidence and recordings, aggressive and escalatory behavior, etc.
January 23, 2026 at 10:32 PM
What I see often in activist spaces is almost obsessive concern over something that’s basically unavoidable: being identified as an activist.
But then, lots of actions taken that INCREASE risk along those other dimensions: destroying evidence and recordings, aggressive and escalatory behavior, etc.
But then, lots of actions taken that INCREASE risk along those other dimensions: destroying evidence and recordings, aggressive and escalatory behavior, etc.
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
NEW: There's a bill in Massachusetts that'd do something really important — give a pathway out of prison to people, often women, who are in prison due to a crime they committed against their abuser.
Several states adopted a version of this very recently: OK, NY, GA. Can Massachuetts be next?
Several states adopted a version of this very recently: OK, NY, GA. Can Massachuetts be next?
Massachusetts Could Be the Next State to Give Abuse Survivors a Pathway Out of Prison - Bolts
The Massachusetts Survivors Act emulates recent resentencing reforms across the country that allow for reduced sentences for people with convictions related to their abuse.
boltsmag.org
January 22, 2026 at 3:09 PM
NEW: There's a bill in Massachusetts that'd do something really important — give a pathway out of prison to people, often women, who are in prison due to a crime they committed against their abuser.
Several states adopted a version of this very recently: OK, NY, GA. Can Massachuetts be next?
Several states adopted a version of this very recently: OK, NY, GA. Can Massachuetts be next?
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
It's a "moral crumple zone": humans kept in the loop as legal capacitors, not as meaningful supervisors.
That's the same problem as with agentic AI tools. They're good enough to make you stop checking their work, but not enough to actually trust. And when they fail, you're liable, not the model.
That's the same problem as with agentic AI tools. They're good enough to make you stop checking their work, but not enough to actually trust. And when they fail, you're liable, not the model.
January 21, 2026 at 5:29 PM
It's a "moral crumple zone": humans kept in the loop as legal capacitors, not as meaningful supervisors.
That's the same problem as with agentic AI tools. They're good enough to make you stop checking their work, but not enough to actually trust. And when they fail, you're liable, not the model.
That's the same problem as with agentic AI tools. They're good enough to make you stop checking their work, but not enough to actually trust. And when they fail, you're liable, not the model.
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
one of the things I appreciate more and more over time, and that I try to help my students understand, is that the people doing the research matter. this is going to become increasingly important to discern as the overall landscape junkifies. who is out there still doing their own good work?
Academics’ enthusiastic (and often uncritical) embrace of LLMs and generative artificial intelligence will be a factor in the junkification of research.
You can’t outsource thinking nor the cognitive task of gradually absorbing knowledge. Nor discernment and creativity.
You can’t outsource thinking nor the cognitive task of gradually absorbing knowledge. Nor discernment and creativity.
January 12, 2026 at 11:49 AM
one of the things I appreciate more and more over time, and that I try to help my students understand, is that the people doing the research matter. this is going to become increasingly important to discern as the overall landscape junkifies. who is out there still doing their own good work?
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
2025 was the hottest year on record for ocean heat content. Unfortunately, we now say this every year. 🥹
"In addition to setting a new record in 2025, the global
ocean continues to show sustained and intensified warming."
+ #OpenAccess Study: doi.org/10.1007/s003...
+ Data: www.ocean.iap.ac.cn
"In addition to setting a new record in 2025, the global
ocean continues to show sustained and intensified warming."
+ #OpenAccess Study: doi.org/10.1007/s003...
+ Data: www.ocean.iap.ac.cn
January 10, 2026 at 4:32 PM
2025 was the hottest year on record for ocean heat content. Unfortunately, we now say this every year. 🥹
"In addition to setting a new record in 2025, the global
ocean continues to show sustained and intensified warming."
+ #OpenAccess Study: doi.org/10.1007/s003...
+ Data: www.ocean.iap.ac.cn
"In addition to setting a new record in 2025, the global
ocean continues to show sustained and intensified warming."
+ #OpenAccess Study: doi.org/10.1007/s003...
+ Data: www.ocean.iap.ac.cn
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
A woman recording an ICE agent tells him "Shame on you."
The agent responds, "Have you all not learned from the past couple of days?"
"Learned what?" she asks
Then he knocks her phone out of her hand
The agent responds, "Have you all not learned from the past couple of days?"
"Learned what?" she asks
Then he knocks her phone out of her hand
January 10, 2026 at 2:52 PM
A woman recording an ICE agent tells him "Shame on you."
The agent responds, "Have you all not learned from the past couple of days?"
"Learned what?" she asks
Then he knocks her phone out of her hand
The agent responds, "Have you all not learned from the past couple of days?"
"Learned what?" she asks
Then he knocks her phone out of her hand
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
WSJ investigation: In the past 6 months ICE agents have fired at vehicles 13 times, leading to:
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
Videos Show How ICE Vehicle Stops Can Escalate to Shootings
A WSJ visual investigation found that the Minneapolis ICE killing is one of 13 incidents where federal immigration agents have used deadly force against civilians in vehicles since July.
www.wsj.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:44 PM
WSJ investigation: In the past 6 months ICE agents have fired at vehicles 13 times, leading to:
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
I think it's a bad sign that every major news media outlet has spent days asking whether or not murder is bad and how much child porn is an okay amount
January 10, 2026 at 4:07 AM
I think it's a bad sign that every major news media outlet has spent days asking whether or not murder is bad and how much child porn is an okay amount
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
Michelle Alexander wrote this the week Philando Castile was killed, that Alton Sterling was. It still echoes in my head. It's been useful so many times for me in the last decade and seems so now. www.embracerace.org/resources/so...
January 8, 2026 at 1:11 PM
Michelle Alexander wrote this the week Philando Castile was killed, that Alton Sterling was. It still echoes in my head. It's been useful so many times for me in the last decade and seems so now. www.embracerace.org/resources/so...
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
Oh sorry, I haven’t been online that much tonight, I’ve been forced to help organize a safety patrol at my kid’s daycare, because ICE stopped by today.
January 8, 2026 at 4:29 AM
Oh sorry, I haven’t been online that much tonight, I’ve been forced to help organize a safety patrol at my kid’s daycare, because ICE stopped by today.
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
Love this from Guillermo del Toro
January 5, 2026 at 2:16 AM
Love this from Guillermo del Toro
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
SEEKING PARTICIPANTS
For their MA thesis, my advisee is conducting an oral history on family members of people living with HIV/AIDS in the 1980s-90s. They are seeking folks to interview. See the flyer for details.
Wondering if folks can share this with their networks. Thank you!
For their MA thesis, my advisee is conducting an oral history on family members of people living with HIV/AIDS in the 1980s-90s. They are seeking folks to interview. See the flyer for details.
Wondering if folks can share this with their networks. Thank you!
January 5, 2026 at 12:36 PM
SEEKING PARTICIPANTS
For their MA thesis, my advisee is conducting an oral history on family members of people living with HIV/AIDS in the 1980s-90s. They are seeking folks to interview. See the flyer for details.
Wondering if folks can share this with their networks. Thank you!
For their MA thesis, my advisee is conducting an oral history on family members of people living with HIV/AIDS in the 1980s-90s. They are seeking folks to interview. See the flyer for details.
Wondering if folks can share this with their networks. Thank you!
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
The only aspect of this story I want to read at this point is quotes from Big Tech execs who decided they didn’t give a shit ab this issue saying how they think that decision is working out.
Or, coverage of how much money influencers who push the bullshit videos make.
www.wired.com/story/disinf...
Or, coverage of how much money influencers who push the bullshit videos make.
www.wired.com/story/disinf...
Disinformation Floods Social Media After Nicolás Maduro’s Capture
From seemingly AI-generated videos to repurposed old footage, TikTok, Instagram, and X did little to stop the onslaught of misleading posts in the wake of the US invasion of Venezuela.
www.wired.com
January 5, 2026 at 12:46 AM
The only aspect of this story I want to read at this point is quotes from Big Tech execs who decided they didn’t give a shit ab this issue saying how they think that decision is working out.
Or, coverage of how much money influencers who push the bullshit videos make.
www.wired.com/story/disinf...
Or, coverage of how much money influencers who push the bullshit videos make.
www.wired.com/story/disinf...
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
It's more than a little disconcerting that invading another country to steal its resources is now less controversial and more acceptable to my government and much of this country than me using the bathroom
January 4, 2026 at 4:01 PM
It's more than a little disconcerting that invading another country to steal its resources is now less controversial and more acceptable to my government and much of this country than me using the bathroom
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
You'd think after receiving a message like this, Reuters journalists would just report directly what happened - xAI happily generated and distributed CSAM for any X user that asked for it through their Grok product, and xAI failed to provide a comment.
Instead they did "Grok is this true?"
Instead they did "Grok is this true?"
January 2, 2026 at 7:46 PM
You'd think after receiving a message like this, Reuters journalists would just report directly what happened - xAI happily generated and distributed CSAM for any X user that asked for it through their Grok product, and xAI failed to provide a comment.
Instead they did "Grok is this true?"
Instead they did "Grok is this true?"
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
just so it's clear: this is the exact core function of genAI
Fascist government and climate deniers love it because it can produce the aesthetics of knowledge without any actual tendency towards truth. It is automated denialism.
Shame on every climate scientist promoting its use (there are lots)
Fascist government and climate deniers love it because it can produce the aesthetics of knowledge without any actual tendency towards truth. It is automated denialism.
Shame on every climate scientist promoting its use (there are lots)
Bob and I were among the hundreds of researchers that were supposed to conduct the 6th U.S. National Climate Assessment. Now it looks like they're gonna produce it with a few people and Grok? Communities need rigorous and accurate information about climate change. This will put communities at risk.
January 1, 2026 at 7:11 AM
just so it's clear: this is the exact core function of genAI
Fascist government and climate deniers love it because it can produce the aesthetics of knowledge without any actual tendency towards truth. It is automated denialism.
Shame on every climate scientist promoting its use (there are lots)
Fascist government and climate deniers love it because it can produce the aesthetics of knowledge without any actual tendency towards truth. It is automated denialism.
Shame on every climate scientist promoting its use (there are lots)
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
🕛 At midnight, new creative works enter the public domain in the US.
🎙️ In the latest Future Knowledge podcast, James Boyle (The Public Domain) explains why the public domain matters & how digital enclosures are quietly fencing it off.
🎧 Listen now ➡️ futureknowledge.transistor.fm/episodes/the...
🎙️ In the latest Future Knowledge podcast, James Boyle (The Public Domain) explains why the public domain matters & how digital enclosures are quietly fencing it off.
🎧 Listen now ➡️ futureknowledge.transistor.fm/episodes/the...
December 31, 2025 at 1:38 PM
🕛 At midnight, new creative works enter the public domain in the US.
🎙️ In the latest Future Knowledge podcast, James Boyle (The Public Domain) explains why the public domain matters & how digital enclosures are quietly fencing it off.
🎧 Listen now ➡️ futureknowledge.transistor.fm/episodes/the...
🎙️ In the latest Future Knowledge podcast, James Boyle (The Public Domain) explains why the public domain matters & how digital enclosures are quietly fencing it off.
🎧 Listen now ➡️ futureknowledge.transistor.fm/episodes/the...
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
The new preface to this great and depressing scholarly book gets into the explosion of sports betting and “prediction markets” since 2012’s 1st edition, plus well-meaning games-for-change types trying to harness dark patterns for good. Everyone within 30 feet of gamedev should read it.
December 26, 2025 at 5:28 AM
The new preface to this great and depressing scholarly book gets into the explosion of sports betting and “prediction markets” since 2012’s 1st edition, plus well-meaning games-for-change types trying to harness dark patterns for good. Everyone within 30 feet of gamedev should read it.
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
People keep talking about how we need more multidisciplinary, metacognitive, social science informed tech and data workers in the AI era, but as someone with those skills, they were the things that always made me an outsider in tech cultures, and the industry isn’t actually hiring for now either.
December 27, 2025 at 5:21 PM
People keep talking about how we need more multidisciplinary, metacognitive, social science informed tech and data workers in the AI era, but as someone with those skills, they were the things that always made me an outsider in tech cultures, and the industry isn’t actually hiring for now either.
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
I googled a friend’s mom to make sure I remembered the spelling of her last name right before mailing her something.
I came across this deeply moving article from the 90s on her advocacy as a leader in the Bosnian community in Chicago.
It’s worth a read.
chicagoreader.com/news/a-light...
I came across this deeply moving article from the 90s on her advocacy as a leader in the Bosnian community in Chicago.
It’s worth a read.
chicagoreader.com/news/a-light...
A Light in the Darkness - Chicago Reader
The Heroism of a Bosnian Refugee
chicagoreader.com
December 24, 2025 at 4:18 AM
I googled a friend’s mom to make sure I remembered the spelling of her last name right before mailing her something.
I came across this deeply moving article from the 90s on her advocacy as a leader in the Bosnian community in Chicago.
It’s worth a read.
chicagoreader.com/news/a-light...
I came across this deeply moving article from the 90s on her advocacy as a leader in the Bosnian community in Chicago.
It’s worth a read.
chicagoreader.com/news/a-light...
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
Prison guards:
- Watched a woman experiencing psychosis gouge out her own eyeballs.
- Ignored a man’s beeping insulin pump for more than 24 hours before he died.
- Left a man sitting in his own feces not eating for weeks, he lost 60 lbs before he died.
All in San Diego County, last ~5 years.
- Watched a woman experiencing psychosis gouge out her own eyeballs.
- Ignored a man’s beeping insulin pump for more than 24 hours before he died.
- Left a man sitting in his own feces not eating for weeks, he lost 60 lbs before he died.
All in San Diego County, last ~5 years.
Now if we could just get people to view US prisons through the same lens they view CECOT.
December 24, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Prison guards:
- Watched a woman experiencing psychosis gouge out her own eyeballs.
- Ignored a man’s beeping insulin pump for more than 24 hours before he died.
- Left a man sitting in his own feces not eating for weeks, he lost 60 lbs before he died.
All in San Diego County, last ~5 years.
- Watched a woman experiencing psychosis gouge out her own eyeballs.
- Ignored a man’s beeping insulin pump for more than 24 hours before he died.
- Left a man sitting in his own feces not eating for weeks, he lost 60 lbs before he died.
All in San Diego County, last ~5 years.
Reposted by Rachel Fagen
Here's another way the intentional PR conflation of the term AI with all ML is undermining academic work:
I'm collab'ing on an archive management project that involves developing an ML tool to analyze texts.
The answer to asks for funding/resources has often been, "Just use chatgpt/copilot/etc.!"
I'm collab'ing on an archive management project that involves developing an ML tool to analyze texts.
The answer to asks for funding/resources has often been, "Just use chatgpt/copilot/etc.!"
I agree that the LLM makers are at fault for confusion around the term "AI," and I think it's entirely intentional. I think they want to be able to equivocate around the term, and say things like, "We're curing cancer," when their chatbot is clearly not.
December 21, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Here's another way the intentional PR conflation of the term AI with all ML is undermining academic work:
I'm collab'ing on an archive management project that involves developing an ML tool to analyze texts.
The answer to asks for funding/resources has often been, "Just use chatgpt/copilot/etc.!"
I'm collab'ing on an archive management project that involves developing an ML tool to analyze texts.
The answer to asks for funding/resources has often been, "Just use chatgpt/copilot/etc.!"