Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
@belletorek.bsky.social
Law, tech policy, survivor safety & privacy @nnedv.bsky.social. Advisory Committee, Cyber Civil Rights Initiative. Former AI & Tech @hrc.org. Vintage style, not vintage values. Views my own.
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
*Lil Jon Voice* States' Rights to What
October 10, 2025 at 12:26 AM
*Lil Jon Voice* States' Rights to What
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
looking forward to some parents suing to demand segregated schools because integration violates their religious beliefs
June 27, 2025 at 3:16 PM
looking forward to some parents suing to demand segregated schools because integration violates their religious beliefs
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
so at what point does this get used to wipe out evolutionary teaching in biology?
June 27, 2025 at 3:14 PM
so at what point does this get used to wipe out evolutionary teaching in biology?
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
These words will stay with me (and us, as a nation) for a very long time:
June 27, 2025 at 2:14 PM
These words will stay with me (and us, as a nation) for a very long time:
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
While existing disability rights statutes do provide some legal recourse against AI-enabled discrimination, state-level regulation remains a vital avenue for harm mitigation. The proposed federal moratorium on state AI laws threatens those very protections, Ariana Aboulafia and Travis Hall write.
The Proposed AI Moratorium Will Harm People with Disabilities. Here’s How. | TechPolicy.Press
A proposed 10-year federal moratorium on state AI laws could expose people with disabilities to harm, Ariana Aboulafia and Travis Hall write.
www.techpolicy.press
June 19, 2025 at 9:25 PM
While existing disability rights statutes do provide some legal recourse against AI-enabled discrimination, state-level regulation remains a vital avenue for harm mitigation. The proposed federal moratorium on state AI laws threatens those very protections, Ariana Aboulafia and Travis Hall write.
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
Every consular officer has been made a censor. www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
State Department unveils social media screening rules for all student visa applicants
Applicants will be vetted for “any indications of hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States.”
www.politico.com
June 18, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Every consular officer has been made a censor. www.politico.com/news/2025/06...
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
After a recent court order, OpenAI is now required to retain the very data many of its users believed to be most private. This introduces serious privacy risks, especially for vulnerable users like victims and survivors of domestic violence, Belle Torek writes. www.techpolicy.press/for-survivor...
For Survivors Using Chatbots, ‘Delete’ Doesn’t Always Mean Deleted | TechPolicy.Press
Many survivors may assume that AI platforms and chatbots offer common privacy protections, but these are not guaranteed, Belle Torek writes.
www.techpolicy.press
June 10, 2025 at 2:50 PM
After a recent court order, OpenAI is now required to retain the very data many of its users believed to be most private. This introduces serious privacy risks, especially for vulnerable users like victims and survivors of domestic violence, Belle Torek writes. www.techpolicy.press/for-survivor...
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
After a recent court order, OpenAI is now required to retain the very data many of its users believed to be most private. This introduces serious privacy risks, especially for vulnerable users like victims and survivors of domestic violence, Belle Torek writes.
For Survivors Using Chatbots, ‘Delete’ Doesn’t Always Mean Deleted | TechPolicy.Press
Many survivors may assume that AI platforms and chatbots offer common privacy protections, but these are not guaranteed, Belle Torek writes.
www.techpolicy.press
June 10, 2025 at 4:01 PM
After a recent court order, OpenAI is now required to retain the very data many of its users believed to be most private. This introduces serious privacy risks, especially for vulnerable users like victims and survivors of domestic violence, Belle Torek writes.
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
If you are interested in learning more about NDII, sexually explicit digital forgeries, and the TAKE IT DOWN Act, please view this thorough and thoughtful overview presented by CCRI President and Legislative and Tech Policy Director, @maryannefranks.bsky.social www.nbcwashington.com/news/nationa...
Take It Down Act: What to do if someone posts revenge porn or a deepfake of you
From documenting evidence to understanding your rights, here’s what to know if someone shares your intimate images without consent — and what changes under the newly signed Take It Down Act.
www.nbcwashington.com
June 5, 2025 at 3:39 PM
If you are interested in learning more about NDII, sexually explicit digital forgeries, and the TAKE IT DOWN Act, please view this thorough and thoughtful overview presented by CCRI President and Legislative and Tech Policy Director, @maryannefranks.bsky.social www.nbcwashington.com/news/nationa...
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
Reading over the text, one thing sticks out immediately: it is incredibly racist toward Haitians in particular. Quoting directy: "Additionally, hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the United States during the Biden Administration. This influx harms American communities..."
NEW: Here is the travel ban. We're doing a full analysis now, but some quick takeaways:
- All visas banned for 12 countries, and all immigrant visas and all B1/B2, F, M, and J visas for 7 others.
- Does not apply to anyone with a current valid visa already.
- Exempts immediate relatives.
- All visas banned for 12 countries, and all immigrant visas and all B1/B2, F, M, and J visas for 7 others.
- Does not apply to anyone with a current valid visa already.
- Exempts immediate relatives.
Restricting The Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION During my first Administration, I restricted the entry of foreign nationals into the
www.whitehouse.gov
June 5, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Reading over the text, one thing sticks out immediately: it is incredibly racist toward Haitians in particular. Quoting directy: "Additionally, hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the United States during the Biden Administration. This influx harms American communities..."
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
I had not seen this WSJ article from earlier this week. The 1st Amendment violation admitted in the last paragraph of this passage would be too obvious to use on a law school exam. www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...
May 31, 2025 at 4:26 PM
I had not seen this WSJ article from earlier this week. The 1st Amendment violation admitted in the last paragraph of this passage would be too obvious to use on a law school exam. www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
If attempted, this would constitute flagrant violations of the Privacy Act of 1974 www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/t...
Trump Taps Palantir to Compile Data on Americans
www.nytimes.com
May 30, 2025 at 9:57 AM
If attempted, this would constitute flagrant violations of the Privacy Act of 1974 www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/t...
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
In 1956, Alabama sued NAACP to give up its membership list. It wanted to identify participants in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and those who helped Black students integrate Alabama colleges. In 1958 the Supreme Court ruled in NAACP v. Alabama that the 1st Amendment protects the privacy of such info.
Trump Seeks Extensive Student Data in Pressure Campaign to Control Harvard
www.nytimes.com
May 24, 2025 at 11:51 PM
In 1956, Alabama sued NAACP to give up its membership list. It wanted to identify participants in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and those who helped Black students integrate Alabama colleges. In 1958 the Supreme Court ruled in NAACP v. Alabama that the 1st Amendment protects the privacy of such info.
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
I'm not a songwriter or anything but the new lyrics to We Didn't Start the Fire are kinda weird, right?
May 21, 2025 at 9:18 PM
I'm not a songwriter or anything but the new lyrics to We Didn't Start the Fire are kinda weird, right?
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
Gen AI ys creatinge a real nostalgia-based market for good olde fashioned homespun human error
May 20, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Gen AI ys creatinge a real nostalgia-based market for good olde fashioned homespun human error
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
At 3:00 PM Eastern, the TAKE IT DOWN Act will be signed into law. The live signing can be viewed here: 1/x
www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
WATCH LIVE: Trump signs Take It Down Act, bill combating nonconsensual deepfakes and revenge porn
The bill makes it illegal to “knowingly publish” or threaten to publish intimate images without a person's consent, including AI-created "deepfakes."
www.pbs.org
May 19, 2025 at 6:55 PM
At 3:00 PM Eastern, the TAKE IT DOWN Act will be signed into law. The live signing can be viewed here: 1/x
www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
"A new meta-analysis of 279 studies finds that belief in conspiracy theories is linked to three core psychological motives: wanting to make sense of the world, coping with uncertainty, and connecting with others."
matthewfacciani.substack.com/p/why-people...
matthewfacciani.substack.com/p/why-people...
Why People Believe in Conspiracy Theories: A Summary of the Science
What hundreds of studies reveal about the motives behind conspiracy thinking
matthewfacciani.substack.com
May 20, 2025 at 12:34 AM
"A new meta-analysis of 279 studies finds that belief in conspiracy theories is linked to three core psychological motives: wanting to make sense of the world, coping with uncertainty, and connecting with others."
matthewfacciani.substack.com/p/why-people...
matthewfacciani.substack.com/p/why-people...
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
A @themarkup.org @pulitzercenter.bsky.social investigation revealed the world's largest dating app company failed to crack down on users it knew were accused of sexual violence.
To tell the story, the reporters fought to access court records with free legal help they found through ProJourn.
To tell the story, the reporters fought to access court records with free legal help they found through ProJourn.
Pulitzer Center/The Markup investigation reveals safety lapses, sexual violence on dating apps
The reporters fought to access court records for the story with free legal support from an attorney they connected with through ProJourn.
www.rcfp.org
May 17, 2025 at 6:02 PM
A @themarkup.org @pulitzercenter.bsky.social investigation revealed the world's largest dating app company failed to crack down on users it knew were accused of sexual violence.
To tell the story, the reporters fought to access court records with free legal help they found through ProJourn.
To tell the story, the reporters fought to access court records with free legal help they found through ProJourn.
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
Just days after Pope Francis’ death, official White House accounts published an AI-generated image of President Donald Trump dressed in papal vestments. The President’s vague dismissal and the confusion it prompted among some in the public raise questions about accountability, writes Belle Torek.
Anointed by AI: The Trump Pope Meme and the Expanding Liar’s Dividend | TechPolicy.Press
An AI-generated meme posted by the White House raises questions about accountability, writes Belle Torek.
www.techpolicy.press
May 15, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Just days after Pope Francis’ death, official White House accounts published an AI-generated image of President Donald Trump dressed in papal vestments. The President’s vague dismissal and the confusion it prompted among some in the public raise questions about accountability, writes Belle Torek.
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
It appears clear that Trump and Musk’s ableist rhetoric both informs and forecasts DOGE’s work, writes Tech Policy Press fellow Ariana Aboulafia. Its violations of data privacy and expansive use of AI without proper oversight have already harmed disabled people, and will continue to do so, she says.
DOGE & Disability Rights: Three Key Tech Policy Concerns | TechPolicy.Press
It appears clear that DOGE’s underlying ableist rhetoric both informs and forecasts its work, writes Tech Policy Press fellow Ariana Aboulafia.
www.techpolicy.press
May 12, 2025 at 2:34 PM
It appears clear that Trump and Musk’s ableist rhetoric both informs and forecasts DOGE’s work, writes Tech Policy Press fellow Ariana Aboulafia. Its violations of data privacy and expansive use of AI without proper oversight have already harmed disabled people, and will continue to do so, she says.
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
Give a person a fisshe and thei will eate for a daye. Teache a person to fisshe and thei will eate for a lyfetyme. Destroye the fish ponde to make a computer tell lies about fisshe, you are a Gen AI companye.
May 7, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Give a person a fisshe and thei will eate for a daye. Teache a person to fisshe and thei will eate for a lyfetyme. Destroye the fish ponde to make a computer tell lies about fisshe, you are a Gen AI companye.
Reposted by Belle Torek, Esq. 🇭🇹🏳️🌈
The Presidential Oath, which he has sworn to twice:
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump says ‘I don’t know’ when asked if he’s required to uphold Constitution
The president also downplayed fears of a recession and spoke of potential successors when his four-year term ends in an NBC interview.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 5, 2025 at 2:06 PM
The Presidential Oath, which he has sworn to twice:
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...