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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran
@vmtran.bsky.social
540 followers 1.4K following 29 posts
Assistant Professor of Political Science, Northern Illinois University, studying mass contention & social media in Southeast Asia, PhD Cornell. For more stuff: https://www.vanmaitran.com/
www.vanmaitran.com
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · May 12
Now you can directly download our guides via our Telegram chatbot! Check it out: t.me/DigidefBot 🤳

I also shared more about what motivated this project here: www.brussels-school.be/output/news/...
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Reposted by Mai Van Tran
apsgworkshop.bsky.social
Authoritarian Political Systems Group @apsgworkshop.bsky.social · 7d
Our Call for Papers for the Spring 2026 is now open!
Submit your proposal by November 9th using this link: forms.gle/SvZv98ke4QUT...
For more information visit: apsg.work/cfp/
Apply to Present Your Work!
Complete the form to be considered for the Authoritarian Political Systems Group Spring 2026 Season. Read the Seminar Rules before applying.
forms.gle
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · 12d
Of course, you would know each other! Small world haha Hope you're doing well, Alex! And big congratulations on your new job!
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · 14d
Come be my colleague! I’ve just started at NIU but really enjoy being part of this supportive community.

The Department of Philosophy and Center for Southeast Asian Studies invite applications for a joint tenure-track position in Buddhist Studies.

employment.niu.edu/postings/86698
Assistant Professor, Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Professor in Buddhist Studies
The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Professor in Buddhist Studies will be an active researcher who teaches undergraduate and graduate courses for the Department of Philosophy and the Center for Sout...
employment.niu.edu
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Reposted by Mai Van Tran
techpolicypress.bsky.social
Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 25d
After a sweeping social media ban, Nepal saw its bloodiest unrest in decades. What has happened in Nepal is a warning to other democracies to tread carefully with efforts to contain online expression, writes Samik Kharel.
Lessons from Nepal on the High Cost of Controlling Online Expression | TechPolicy.Press
The Nepalese government attempted to control the information ecosystem and lost control of the state itself, writes Samik Kharel.
bit.ly
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · Aug 28
This resonates well beyond media & communication studies
mcsjournal.bsky.social
Media, Culture & Society Journal @mcsjournal.bsky.social · Aug 4
What does #decolonization really mean in media studies? Tanja Bosch insists it must be rooted in anti-capitalist praxis and citation politics, challenging extractive academic hierarchies and advocating for insurgent, relational scholarship. #OnlineFirst
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
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Reposted by Mai Van Tran
myanmarip.bsky.social
Myanmar Internet Project @myanmarip.bsky.social · Aug 26
TikTok in Myanmar isn’t just entertainment.
It’s a frontline in the information war — exploited by the military & nationalists to spread propaganda, incite violence, and profit from harmful content.
#Myanmar #TikTok #DigitalRights

Full report: www.myanmarinternet.info/post/weaponi...
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Reposted by Mai Van Tran
jedediyah.com
Jed @jedediyah.com · Aug 9
Teaching Data Science? Frame the course in the context of data pipelines!

This gives structure to the big picture, allows for a natural scaffolding, and supports a critical look at common pitfalls along the pipeline.
Data Modeling Process Environment → Data → Preprocess → Explore → Model → Communicate → A framework for critical analysis Data • Harmful data collection, lack of consent, insecure / lack of privacy, historical, representational, or measurement bias, ... Preprocess • Labor exploitation, labeling by non-experts, incorrect labeling, trauma experienced by labelers, ... Explore • Feature selection bias, bias in interpretation of data visualization, data manipulation, feature hacking, ... Model • Bias in model choice, model-amplified bias, environmental impact, learning bias, evaluation bias, peripheral modeling, ... Communicate • Biased model interpretation, ignoring variance, rejecting model, deploying harmful products, deployment bias, ... Meta • "Pernicious feedback loops", runaway homogeneity, susceptability to adversarial attack, lack of oversight or auditing, ...
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shonaloong.bsky.social
Dr Shona Loong @shonaloong.bsky.social · Jul 28
8/ We hope this piece resonates and highlights ongoing efforts to shift knowledge politics in Myanmar, as part of longer struggles over centre-periphery relations.

Read it here: 👉 teacirclemyanmar.com/education/pr...

#Myanmar #WhatsHappeninginMyanmar
Producing knowledge in/of/for Myanmar’s borderlands - Tea Circle
The authors reflect on the politics of producing borderland knowledge in Myanmar after the coup.
teacirclemyanmar.com
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Reposted by Mai Van Tran
claesdevreese.bsky.social
Claes de Vreese @claesdevreese.bsky.social · Jun 26
YouTube's API search function is "not adequate for robust academic research, especially concerning Digital Services Act requirements".

Clear and problematic conclusions by @riederb.bsky.social Adrian Padilla & Oscar Coromina

#commsky #DSA #dataacess #youtube

arxiv.org/abs/2506.11727
Forgetful by Design? A Critical Audit of YouTube's Search API for Academic Research
This paper critically audits the search endpoint of YouTube's Data API (v3), a common tool for academic research. Through systematic weekly searches over six months using eleven queries, we identify m...
arxiv.org
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · Jun 20
For more on The Coming Age of Tech Trillionaires and the Challenge to Democracy series: www.techpolicy.press/category/the...
The Coming Age of Tech Trillionaires and the Challenge to Democracy | TechPolicy.Press
Tech Policy Press is a nonprofit media and community venture intended to provoke new ideas, debate and discussion at the intersection of technology and democracy. We publish opinion and analysis.
www.techpolicy.press
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · Jun 20
"Global South human rights advocates face unique and compounded challenges as they work to resist Big Tech-mediated repression... Tackling these pressing challenges requires a genuinely multistakeholder approach."
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · Jun 20
As part of a @techpolicypress.bsky.social series, I reflect on lessons in resisting Big Tech power from the Global South, based on comparative research of Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia.

Your weekend read: www.techpolicy.press/lessons-from...
Lessons from Resisting Big Tech Power in Southeast Asia | TechPolicy.Press
It is more important than ever for Western donors to champion the inclusion of digital rights in their development aid agendas, writes Mai Van Tran.
www.techpolicy.press
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · Jun 4
Grateful for the opportunity to share our research on Big Tech-mediated authoritarianism in Southeast Asia and connect with regional experts at the Indo-Pacific Roundtable 2025!

www.brussels-school.be/output/news/...
CD2I Researcher Mai Van Tran contributes to discussion on Big Tech-mediated authoritarianism at the Indo-Pacific Roundtable 2025
CD2I Researcher Mai Van Tran contributes to discussion on Big Tech-mediated authoritarianism at the Indo-Pacific Roundtable 2025
www.brussels-school.be
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · May 19
Please also consider donating to ongoing earthquake relief efforts in Myanmar: www.mutualaidmyanmar.org/earthquake 6/6
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Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · May 19
We are sincerely grateful to all of our thoughtful participants, colleagues, and reviewers. Feel free to take a look at our work as part of The Future of Democracy collection on Open Research Europe: doi.org/10.12688/ope... 5/6
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · May 19
We find that such advocacy is more likely to curtail Big Tech-mediated repression when advocacy actors focus on demands that resonate with Western platform governance agenda, engage prominent international allies to amplify the demands, and represent the experiences of marginalised dissidents. 4/6
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · May 19
We compare platform advocacy efforts from Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia during 2018-2024, blending qualitative insight from expert interviews covering the major digital platforms with quantitative analysis of public Facebook content and Meta’s self-reported data on its moderation practice. 3/6
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Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · May 19
It encompasses transnational advocacy efforts toward Global North tech giants to defend free speech. We ask: To what extent might pro-democracy platform advocacy affect Big Tech’s content governance practices in order to curb platform-mediated repression in the Global South? 2/6
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · May 19
📣 New open-access publication
As authoritarian actors have increasingly turned to Big Tech platforms to repress dissidents, pro-democracy activism has experienced notable changes. Our latest research examines an under-analysed yet important phenomenon of pro-democracy platform advocacy 🧵1/6
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · May 12
Now you can directly download our guides via our Telegram chatbot! Check it out: t.me/DigidefBot 🤳

I also shared more about what motivated this project here: www.brussels-school.be/output/news/...
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · May 5
Our team interviewed digital rights advocates and activists representing marginalised groups from Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia on how their communities built resilience against digital harassment. Then, with support by WITNESS, we have turned our research findings into tailored suggestions. 2/2
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · May 5
📣 DIGITAL DEFENCE RESOURCES

As part of the EU-funded “Pro-democracy platform advocacy" project, our resources suggest solutions for specific harassment problems, based on our academic research.

The resources are available in English, Burmese, Khmer and Thai. Check them out: www.digidef.info 1/2
DIGITAL DEFENCE RESOURCES
Explore solutions for digital harassment issues, based on academic research of Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia.
www.digidef.info
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · May 2
Join me next Wednesday (7 May), where I'll share my team's latest research on how major digital platforms’ negligence and incompetence in algorithmic content governance as well as their performative accountability might facilitate authoritarian repression.

www.lse.ac.uk/seac/events/...
Join me next Wednesday (7 May) online or at LSE's Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre, where I'll share my team's latest research on how major digital platforms’ negligence and incompetence in algorithmic content governance as well as their performative accountability to vulnerable users in small markets might facilitate authoritarian repression.
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Reposted by Mai Van Tran
apsgworkshop.bsky.social
Authoritarian Political Systems Group @apsgworkshop.bsky.social · Apr 28
The Call for Papers for our Fall 2025 Workshop series is now OPEN! Polisky Dictatorsky
To apply complete this form by May 31st: forms.gle/SvZv98ke4QUT...
You can find more information here on the CfP: apsg.work/cfp/
Apply to Present Your Work!
Complete the form to be considered for the Authoritarian Political Systems Group Fall 2025 Season. Read the Seminar Rules before applying.
forms.gle
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vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · Mar 25
Hope to have you join our discussion tomorrow! #TransnationalAdvocacy #PlatformGovernance #SEA
vmtran.bsky.social
Mai Van Tran @vmtran.bsky.social · Mar 7
Join us on March 26 in this #DRAPACSeries at @engagemedia.org as we discuss the research on pro-democracy platform advocacy, exploring the extent to which such advocacy might affect Big Tech’s practices and curb platform-mediated repression in the Global South.

engagemedia.org/events/drapa...
DRAPAC Series: Pro-democracy Platform Advocacy: Resisting Big Tech-mediated Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia – EngageMedia
engagemedia.org
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