Burcu Baykurt
@baykurt.bsky.social
media studies, STS, cities, ethnography at UMass Amherst
bbaykurt@umass.edu | https://baykurt.org/ | https://glotechlab.net/
bbaykurt@umass.edu | https://baykurt.org/ | https://glotechlab.net/
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
Join us Nov 25 for Engaging Publics in Media, Cities & Space -free online conference on research impact in media and urban studies. Talks on monographs, journals, podcasts, walking tours + networking, incl. a special session for ECRs.
👉 Full programme & register: docs.google.com/document/d/e...
👉 Full programme & register: docs.google.com/document/d/e...
Engaging Publics in Media, Cities and Space - Online Conference 2025
docs.google.com
November 13, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Join us Nov 25 for Engaging Publics in Media, Cities & Space -free online conference on research impact in media and urban studies. Talks on monographs, journals, podcasts, walking tours + networking, incl. a special session for ECRs.
👉 Full programme & register: docs.google.com/document/d/e...
👉 Full programme & register: docs.google.com/document/d/e...
I study tech’s capture of government data, and this is a new low even for me.
November 12, 2025 at 9:25 PM
I study tech’s capture of government data, and this is a new low even for me.
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
today, 11/06! Book launch at NYU *Decolonizing Afghanistan* (@dukepress.bsky.social, 2025 )with MATTHIEU AIKINS, WAZHMAH OSMAN, ZOHRA SAED, MORWARI ZAFAR! Come thru! docs.google.com/forms/d/19ZG...
November 6, 2025 at 12:09 PM
today, 11/06! Book launch at NYU *Decolonizing Afghanistan* (@dukepress.bsky.social, 2025 )with MATTHIEU AIKINS, WAZHMAH OSMAN, ZOHRA SAED, MORWARI ZAFAR! Come thru! docs.google.com/forms/d/19ZG...
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
Now comes the even harder work. But for tonight, let's celebrate.
November 5, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Now comes the even harder work. But for tonight, let's celebrate.
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
billions of ticketing records are sold to the US government; the DHS, and records show agencies like ICE, CBP, ATF, TSA, and others.
@josephcox.bsky.social found a way for you to opt-out of this in this essential guide to prevent even more gov surveillance
@josephcox.bsky.social found a way for you to opt-out of this in this essential guide to prevent even more gov surveillance
When you book a flight through major travel sites, a data broker owned by U.S. airlines will sell details about your flight—your name, credit card used, and where you’re flying to the government.
We found out how to opt-out of ARC selling your travel data. A guide:
www.404media.co/how-to-opt-o...
We found out how to opt-out of ARC selling your travel data. A guide:
www.404media.co/how-to-opt-o...
How to Opt-Out of Airlines Selling Your Travel Data to the Government
The Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), owned by major U.S. airlines, collects billions of ticketing records and sells them to the government to be searched without a warrant. I managed to opt-out…
www.404media.co
November 4, 2025 at 3:08 PM
billions of ticketing records are sold to the US government; the DHS, and records show agencies like ICE, CBP, ATF, TSA, and others.
@josephcox.bsky.social found a way for you to opt-out of this in this essential guide to prevent even more gov surveillance
@josephcox.bsky.social found a way for you to opt-out of this in this essential guide to prevent even more gov surveillance
"Policy analysts say the free public records, such as state payroll databases, often lag by months. They may be too outdated to satisfy the new law’s requirements that Medicaid enrollees prove they worked the month before they apply." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/h...
‘A Big Positive’: How One Company Plans to Profit From Medicaid Cuts
www.nytimes.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:32 PM
"Policy analysts say the free public records, such as state payroll databases, often lag by months. They may be too outdated to satisfy the new law’s requirements that Medicaid enrollees prove they worked the month before they apply." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/h...
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
The WSJ piece notably omits that Palantir CEO Karp holds a PhD in philosophy/social theory from Goethe University—home of the Frankfurt School—mentioning only his Haverford BA and Stanford JD.
In which Palantir recruits high school students for fellowships by telling them to skip college because its holds little value and then puts them through a cherry-picked curriculum that oddly resembles… college
The older I get the more I value conscientiousness over raw intelligence or anything like that — when someone has completed college that’s a stronger signal of being able to handle tasks in an independent environment on a consistent basis: www.wsj.com/business/pal...
November 2, 2025 at 2:34 PM
The WSJ piece notably omits that Palantir CEO Karp holds a PhD in philosophy/social theory from Goethe University—home of the Frankfurt School—mentioning only his Haverford BA and Stanford JD.
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
give us 20 innings this time. make this a root canal. i'll be watching. fuck god and fuck you
November 2, 2025 at 3:21 AM
give us 20 innings this time. make this a root canal. i'll be watching. fuck god and fuck you
Ok I needed this 😂😂
October 31, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Ok I needed this 😂😂
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
If Trump’s fascism is so bad, why aren’t the students protesting? We asked three right-wing oligarchs who bullied their alma maters into enforcing total bans on freedom of assembly on campus.
October 30, 2025 at 1:02 PM
If Trump’s fascism is so bad, why aren’t the students protesting? We asked three right-wing oligarchs who bullied their alma maters into enforcing total bans on freedom of assembly on campus.
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
It's fine & true to say that in some of these fields there aren't really jobs but the better perspective is to emphasize that there's so much to be investigated in these fields-yes, even in German literature-and so fewer opportunities for that investigation is a bad thing for culture and society.
Wow. Harvard nuking its PhD programs
- Science PhD admissions reduced by more than 75%
- Arts & Humanities reduced by about 60%
- Social Sciences by 50–70%
- History by 60%
- Biology by 75%
- The German department will lose all PhD seats
- Sociology from six PhD students to zero
- Science PhD admissions reduced by more than 75%
- Arts & Humanities reduced by about 60%
- Social Sciences by 50–70%
- History by 60%
- Biology by 75%
- The German department will lose all PhD seats
- Sociology from six PhD students to zero
Harvard FAS Cuts Ph.D. Seats By More Than Half Across Next Two Admissions Cycles | News | The Harvard Crimson
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences slashed the number of Ph.D. student admissions slots for the Science division by more than 75 percent and for the Arts & Humanities division by about 60 percent for th...
www.thecrimson.com
October 21, 2025 at 10:01 PM
It's fine & true to say that in some of these fields there aren't really jobs but the better perspective is to emphasize that there's so much to be investigated in these fields-yes, even in German literature-and so fewer opportunities for that investigation is a bad thing for culture and society.
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
NEW, from me and @makenakelly.bsky.social: The FTC is disappearing blog posts about AI that were written during Lina Khan’s tenure as FTC chair www.wired.com/story/ftc-re...
The FTC Is Disappearing Blog Posts About AI Published During Lina Khan’s Tenure
The Federal Trade Commission removed several blog posts in recent months about open source and potential risks to consumers from the rapid spread of commercial AI tools.
www.wired.com
October 20, 2025 at 4:26 PM
NEW, from me and @makenakelly.bsky.social: The FTC is disappearing blog posts about AI that were written during Lina Khan’s tenure as FTC chair www.wired.com/story/ftc-re...
This was truly one of the best panels of today #AoIR2025
The Mapping panel at #aoir2025 is on fire -- data walkthroughs in Shanghai, maps of queer safe spaces in the Philippines, maps of Latin American VC cultures, maps of Canadian federated social media. I'm learning so much I'm ironically getting lost!
October 16, 2025 at 11:21 PM
This was truly one of the best panels of today #AoIR2025
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
I hear there’s a new wave of Twitter people headed this way. I know we don’t talk about them much anymore, but I made a starter pack ages ago you might like if you’re into critical tech work and Luddites.
October 16, 2025 at 4:02 AM
I hear there’s a new wave of Twitter people headed this way. I know we don’t talk about them much anymore, but I made a starter pack ages ago you might like if you’re into critical tech work and Luddites.
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
“Without the data center boom, we’d probably be in a recession...” paulkrugman.substack.com/p/why-arent-...
Why Aren’t We Partying Like It’s 1999?
Fear, not hope, permeates today’s technology hype
paulkrugman.substack.com
October 9, 2025 at 5:41 PM
“Without the data center boom, we’d probably be in a recession...” paulkrugman.substack.com/p/why-arent-...
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
🫧The news is finally asking if we're in an AI Bubble, and when it will pop. Good!🎈
Our data shows how we got here: Big Cloud is frantically investing in AI startups to build cloud market share and justify their *massive* investments in AI infrastructure.
How Google, Microsoft & Amazon invests:
Our data shows how we got here: Big Cloud is frantically investing in AI startups to build cloud market share and justify their *massive* investments in AI infrastructure.
How Google, Microsoft & Amazon invests:
📣🚨NEW: ☁️ Big Cloud—Google, Microsoft & Amazon—control two thirds of the cloud compute market. They’re getting rich off the AI gold rush.
In new work with @nathanckim.bsky.social, we show how Big Cloud is expanding their empire by scrutinizing their *investments*… 🧵
📄PDF: dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...
In new work with @nathanckim.bsky.social, we show how Big Cloud is expanding their empire by scrutinizing their *investments*… 🧵
📄PDF: dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...
October 9, 2025 at 3:19 PM
🫧The news is finally asking if we're in an AI Bubble, and when it will pop. Good!🎈
Our data shows how we got here: Big Cloud is frantically investing in AI startups to build cloud market share and justify their *massive* investments in AI infrastructure.
How Google, Microsoft & Amazon invests:
Our data shows how we got here: Big Cloud is frantically investing in AI startups to build cloud market share and justify their *massive* investments in AI infrastructure.
How Google, Microsoft & Amazon invests:
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
Once again, it is *faculty*—not administrators—who brought this case and won. Including UC Faculty Association chapters of the AAUP.
Court Rules in AAUP v Rubio: Trump Admin Violated First Amendment
The AAUP and partners sued to block the Trump administration from carrying out large-scale arrests, detentions, and deportations of noncitizen students and faculty members for ideological reasons.
www.aaup.org
October 1, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Once again, it is *faculty*—not administrators—who brought this case and won. Including UC Faculty Association chapters of the AAUP.
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
WE WON: "This case -– perhaps the most important ever to fall w/in..this district court squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in US..have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally “yes, they do.”"
October 1, 2025 at 12:03 AM
WE WON: "This case -– perhaps the most important ever to fall w/in..this district court squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in US..have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally “yes, they do.”"
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
Our special issue is finally out! 🎉
With Antoine Courmont, I had the privilege of working with a stellar group of scholars to examine Google as an urban actor and highlight its uneven, shape-shifting power across cities.
Please read, share, and let us know what you think!
With Antoine Courmont, I had the privilege of working with a stellar group of scholars to examine Google as an urban actor and highlight its uneven, shape-shifting power across cities.
Please read, share, and let us know what you think!
🚨 #UrbanStudies Vol. 62, Issue 13 (October 2025) out now!
✍️ Special Issue "Google, a stakeholder in local governance?"
Guest editors: Antoine Courmont & Burcu Baykurt
This collection explores how #Google has become a key actor in local #politics and urban environments.
📖 buff.ly/veREgdw
✍️ Special Issue "Google, a stakeholder in local governance?"
Guest editors: Antoine Courmont & Burcu Baykurt
This collection explores how #Google has become a key actor in local #politics and urban environments.
📖 buff.ly/veREgdw
September 26, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Our special issue is finally out! 🎉
With Antoine Courmont, I had the privilege of working with a stellar group of scholars to examine Google as an urban actor and highlight its uneven, shape-shifting power across cities.
Please read, share, and let us know what you think!
With Antoine Courmont, I had the privilege of working with a stellar group of scholars to examine Google as an urban actor and highlight its uneven, shape-shifting power across cities.
Please read, share, and let us know what you think!
read the entire thread. this is why I've been talking nonstop about how capture of data re: meshing, uniting disparate stuff and capture of institutions should be our focus as much as surveillance. that's been the gov-tech vision for a while. I wrote more here: www.baykurt.org/wp-content/u...
September 26, 2025 at 6:13 PM
read the entire thread. this is why I've been talking nonstop about how capture of data re: meshing, uniting disparate stuff and capture of institutions should be our focus as much as surveillance. that's been the gov-tech vision for a while. I wrote more here: www.baykurt.org/wp-content/u...
Our special issue is finally out! 🎉
With Antoine Courmont, I had the privilege of working with a stellar group of scholars to examine Google as an urban actor and highlight its uneven, shape-shifting power across cities.
Please read, share, and let us know what you think!
With Antoine Courmont, I had the privilege of working with a stellar group of scholars to examine Google as an urban actor and highlight its uneven, shape-shifting power across cities.
Please read, share, and let us know what you think!
🚨 #UrbanStudies Vol. 62, Issue 13 (October 2025) out now!
✍️ Special Issue "Google, a stakeholder in local governance?"
Guest editors: Antoine Courmont & Burcu Baykurt
This collection explores how #Google has become a key actor in local #politics and urban environments.
📖 buff.ly/veREgdw
✍️ Special Issue "Google, a stakeholder in local governance?"
Guest editors: Antoine Courmont & Burcu Baykurt
This collection explores how #Google has become a key actor in local #politics and urban environments.
📖 buff.ly/veREgdw
September 26, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Our special issue is finally out! 🎉
With Antoine Courmont, I had the privilege of working with a stellar group of scholars to examine Google as an urban actor and highlight its uneven, shape-shifting power across cities.
Please read, share, and let us know what you think!
With Antoine Courmont, I had the privilege of working with a stellar group of scholars to examine Google as an urban actor and highlight its uneven, shape-shifting power across cities.
Please read, share, and let us know what you think!
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
Trump to Erdogan: "He knows about rigged elections better than anybody. But when I was in exile, we were still friends."
September 25, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Trump to Erdogan: "He knows about rigged elections better than anybody. But when I was in exile, we were still friends."
Reposted by Burcu Baykurt
To anyone who followed Aadhaar’s rollout in India, the language is uncanny. Aadhaar’s ‘savings’ were derived from welfare denied. Countries need to pay attention to the language around surveillance tech in other countries. We’re all stumbling over different iterations of the same problems.
“The AI companies will receive a percentage of the savings the program generates.”
“Savings”
“Savings”
Ohio Medicare is part of new AI prior authorization program
A new federal program asks Ohio doctors to request prior approval to get certain medical treatments covered by traditional Medicare.
signalcleveland.org
September 22, 2025 at 6:02 AM
To anyone who followed Aadhaar’s rollout in India, the language is uncanny. Aadhaar’s ‘savings’ were derived from welfare denied. Countries need to pay attention to the language around surveillance tech in other countries. We’re all stumbling over different iterations of the same problems.