Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
Law professor; activist; not convinced we have time; acting as if we do.
Lester Lawrence "Larry" Lessig III is an American legal scholar and political activist. He is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and the former director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. He is the founder of Creative Commons and of Equal Citizens. Lessig was a candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination for president of the United States in the 2016 U.S. presidential election but withdrew before the primaries. .. more
Political science
33%
Business
14%
The Democrats have changed the rules
We were on our way to qualifying for the second debate — then the Democrats changed the rules. Watch Lessig describe what this means for the campaign.
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Ten years ago today, I ended my effort to get corruption at the center of the Democratic presidential debate. Flawed and impossible in many ways, it was right. Then, and even more so now.
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BREAKING NEWS: Rand Paul Absolutely Trashes Trump's Tariffs After Outrage Over Canada's Reagan Ad
During remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) criticized President Trump's tariff policies.
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Hey, the future. There were a few. Too few, but some.
Colorado AG Phil Weiser has filed suit against Trump for moving Space Force b/c Colorado has mail-in voting. My favorite line in the complaint: "Trump’s statements and beliefs on mail-in voting are simply untethered from the facts."
Let this become the refrain everywhere.
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Let this become the refrain everywhere.
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Maddow: This is what Democrats have been screaming about
The real numbers on the impact of Republican changes to health insurance subsidies are being made public, and they are extreme to say the least. Suddenly, the abstract fight over the federal…
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Re health care costs: "These are insane numbers."
Two ways to think about this story. One: the "insane numbers." The other: that 1/2 of America has no clue about these facts, because of the bubbles we've allowed media to become.
THAT is the insanity.
Two ways to think about this story. One: the "insane numbers." The other: that 1/2 of America has no clue about these facts, because of the bubbles we've allowed media to become.
THAT is the insanity.
Public Trust Demands Open-Source Voting Systems | VotingWorks
Yesterday, news broke that Dominion Voting Systems was sold to a new company, Liberty Vote. Dominion, the second-largest voting systems vendor in the US that currently tabulates 1 in 5 American…
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"Trust us, we're the government" is fine, iff, as Reagan put it, we "trust, but verify." The only credible way to verify critical code is if that code is open-sourced.
There is one extremely prominent open-source vendor in America. There need to be many more.
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There is one extremely prominent open-source vendor in America. There need to be many more.
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www.linkedin.com
A former GOP official has privately financed the purchase of the second-largest voting technology vendor in America? What could possibly go wrong...
Here's what could go right: We urgently need a demand by election officials for open-source voting technology.
Here's what could go right: We urgently need a demand by election officials for open-source voting technology.
Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
· Oct 10
MIT Rejects Special Funding Offer From Trump Administration
The Trump administration offered nine universities benefits in exchange for signing an agreement to protect conservative voices, among other things. M.I.T. was the first to refuse.
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Lawrence Lessig
I'm going to make this even easier for @jay.bsky.team - I'm willing to be a PR person at a very reasonable rate. I've worked in tech marketing for 10 years and was a software engineer for another 10. I've run the social media & tech side of a $11M campaign for Larry Lessig. I'm qualified. DM me.
Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
· Sep 24
Jimmy Kimmel is Back!
Jimmy Kimmel returns to the air and talks about all of the people who have reached out over the last six days including fellow late night talk show hosts, fans of the show, and those who don’t…
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This is the most important political speech IN a generation FOR this generation. Let it begin the fight back.
Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
· Sep 23
US offers financial lifeline to Argentina’s Javier Milei
Treasury secretary Scott Bessent says ‘all options’ are on the table to support the country through bout of market volatility
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Yes, let's spend American wealth to prop up yet another right-wing fantasist.
Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
· Sep 18
Let’s be clear about what happened to Jimmy Kimmel
Trump’s most brazen attack on free speech yet.
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We are a nation of cowards.
Where are all the free speech warriors who were going to start a revolution because Twitter was throttling Hunter's d*ck pics?
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Where are all the free speech warriors who were going to start a revolution because Twitter was throttling Hunter's d*ck pics?
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Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
· Aug 22
FBI Searches John Bolton’s Home: Trump News and Live Updates
Year will end with 300,000 fewer federal workers, a Trump official says.
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The ghost of a (much dumber) Nixon returns. Criticize the President, suffer an FBI search at your home.
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Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
· Aug 19
Birthright Citizenship of Child Born to Enemy Alien Visitors – Washington University Law Review
This is the story of Mogridge v. United States, in which the United States asserted, and a multinational commission held, that a child born in Pennsylvania to enemy alien visitors was a U.S. citizen…
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Super-interesting essay by one of my favorite legal historians about the 1872 story of a child born to enemy alien parents deemed a US citizen, even though the child left the US almost immediately. #ImagineIfOriginalismAppliedConsistently.
Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
· Aug 16
After repeatedly failing to render a cartoon correctly, ChatGPT offered this advice. Got to admire the honesty (also, saves server cycles).
Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
· Aug 15
Newsom: 'Donald Trump, you have poked the bear'
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state will move forward with a plan to redraw congressional maps, as Democrats push back against President Trump and the GOP's gerrymandering…
youtube.com
This is not difficult. EVERY Democrat in the 117th Congress voted for a bill that would have ended partisan gerrymandering, and EVERY Republican voted against it. The GOP didn't want to disarm; this is the consequence of their decision.
youtube.com/shorts/-8QgG...
youtube.com/shorts/-8QgG...
Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
· Aug 12
On settling with an extortionist: open.substack.com/pub/lessig/p...
Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
· Aug 7
ChatGPT - ChatGPT Advertising Policy
Shared via ChatGPT
chatgpt.com
Fine to include links from those who pay. Not fine to auction truth to the highest bidder. At a minimum, we need transparency about whether an LLM is selling results to the highest bidder. ChatGPT tells me it isn't, but can't promise me it won't.
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Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
· Aug 7
Elon Musk says X plans to introduce ads in Grok's responses | TechCrunch
The move would help power X's struggling ads business following the departure of former CEO Linda Yaccarino.
techcrunch.com
And thus does the end begin?
AI companies need to commit firmly not to permit truth to be bought. "Joe's Tavern seems to be the most liked restaurant in Anytown" should not be a function of whether Joe's Tavern pays an LLM.
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AI companies need to commit firmly not to permit truth to be bought. "Joe's Tavern seems to be the most liked restaurant in Anytown" should not be a function of whether Joe's Tavern pays an LLM.
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Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
· Aug 1
Ah yes, shoot the messenger.
Trump removes official overseeing jobs data after dismal employment report
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Trump removes official overseeing jobs data after dismal employment report
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Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
· Aug 1
Law professor Larry Lessig on the 18th century laws governing our 21st century tech
In the most recent episode of Your Undivided Attention, Harvard Law professor Larry Lessig and Meetali Jain, director of the Tech Justice Law Project explore the role of courts and judges in steering…
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The First Amendment in the 21st Century — from the Your Undivided Attention podcast.
Lawrence Lessig
@lessig.bsky.social
· Jul 31
AI is the Next Free Speech Battleground
Imagine a future where the most persuasive voices in our society aren't human. Where AI generated speech fills our newsfeeds, talks to our children, and influences our elections. Where digital…
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Really happy to have the chance to discuss AI and the First Amendment with Meetali Jain and Tristan Harris on the Center for Humane Technology's podcast, Your Undivided Attention: buff.ly/fJ69pba