Critical Internet Studies Institute
@criticalinternet.bsky.social
Resilience, independent of industry. www.criticalinternet.org
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
This is situation is entirely predictable and can be prevented.
@criticalinternet.bsky.social conducts in-depth research on election disinformation and political violence. Already, organized right wing vigilante groups are publicly filming voting stations and ballot boxes for intimidation.
@criticalinternet.bsky.social conducts in-depth research on election disinformation and political violence. Already, organized right wing vigilante groups are publicly filming voting stations and ballot boxes for intimidation.
I hope every Democratic member of the House and Senate reads this and factors it into whatever funding bill gets agreed to. We have seen what ICE can do to U.S. Citizens in the streets, imagine what they will do at the polls. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Steve Bannon says ICE will ‘surround the polls’ as Trump doubles down on taking over elections
Trump doubled down on his comments to nationalize voting Tuesday during an Oval Office press conference. “If you think about it, a state is an agent for the federal government in elections,” Trump sai...
www.democracydocket.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:52 PM
This is situation is entirely predictable and can be prevented.
@criticalinternet.bsky.social conducts in-depth research on election disinformation and political violence. Already, organized right wing vigilante groups are publicly filming voting stations and ballot boxes for intimidation.
@criticalinternet.bsky.social conducts in-depth research on election disinformation and political violence. Already, organized right wing vigilante groups are publicly filming voting stations and ballot boxes for intimidation.
Livestream tomorrow @ 4:30pm ET! Featuring CISI's @bostonjoan.bsky.social alongside @maryannefranks.bsky.social, @nicoperrino.bsky.social, & @leticiabode.bsky.social via @georgetownprivacy.bsky.social & @georgetownlaw.bsky.social Technology Review georgetownlawtechreview.org/symposium-2/...
January 29, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Livestream tomorrow @ 4:30pm ET! Featuring CISI's @bostonjoan.bsky.social alongside @maryannefranks.bsky.social, @nicoperrino.bsky.social, & @leticiabode.bsky.social via @georgetownprivacy.bsky.social & @georgetownlaw.bsky.social Technology Review georgetownlawtechreview.org/symposium-2/...
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
“If this technology had existed in earlier decades, it would have been used to track civil rights activists, LGBTQ+ patrons visiting gay bars, women trying to vote, or enslaved people escaping bondage. None of those acts were considered “legal” at the time.”
This surveillance system treats ordinary people as suspects | Opinion
Flock’s surveillance network spans at least 5,000 police departments, and the ACLU believes the real number is over 7,000.
www.jsonline.com
January 29, 2026 at 12:19 PM
“If this technology had existed in earlier decades, it would have been used to track civil rights activists, LGBTQ+ patrons visiting gay bars, women trying to vote, or enslaved people escaping bondage. None of those acts were considered “legal” at the time.”
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
Disinformation research is forbidden knowledge.
We cant back down and re-orient our field to appease the dominant political ideology.
We need to be advancing public knowledge about media manipulation and disinformation.
Why? Because disinformation is a tool of the powerful to suppress opposition
We cant back down and re-orient our field to appease the dominant political ideology.
We need to be advancing public knowledge about media manipulation and disinformation.
Why? Because disinformation is a tool of the powerful to suppress opposition
This is what government censorship actually looks like: defunding entire fields, deporting researchers, and quite effectively chilling speech that helps people understand how our information systems are being exploited and calls out powerful people and platforms for their bullshit.
For the last decade, the pervasive spread of bullshit & manipulation of online platforms have been widely recognized societal concerns. Now non US citizens studying those subjects can be labeled “censors” & denied visas or deported from the US. Censorship, indeed. www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
January 20, 2026 at 10:43 PM
Disinformation research is forbidden knowledge.
We cant back down and re-orient our field to appease the dominant political ideology.
We need to be advancing public knowledge about media manipulation and disinformation.
Why? Because disinformation is a tool of the powerful to suppress opposition
We cant back down and re-orient our field to appease the dominant political ideology.
We need to be advancing public knowledge about media manipulation and disinformation.
Why? Because disinformation is a tool of the powerful to suppress opposition
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
tag yourself i’m ’being kind of mean’
2026 In & Out List 💅 #happynewyear
January 2, 2026 at 12:26 AM
tag yourself i’m ’being kind of mean’
"Instead of thinking of technological change as the death knell of news media, there is a huge opportunity ahead for education of the general public on the ethics & methods of journalism." –CISI Founder @bostonjoan.bsky.social in @niemanlab.org
Everyone is a journal-ish…
This is my positive take on the future of journalism. It was refreshing to write this for @niemanlab.org
www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/ever...
This is my positive take on the future of journalism. It was refreshing to write this for @niemanlab.org
www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/ever...
Everyone is a journal-<em>ish</em>
"Instead of AI writing the future of journalism, we need to return to organizing the profession around its moral, ethical, and practical foundations and welcome in those curious to learn more."
www.niemanlab.org
December 16, 2025 at 9:40 PM
"Instead of thinking of technological change as the death knell of news media, there is a huge opportunity ahead for education of the general public on the ethics & methods of journalism." –CISI Founder @bostonjoan.bsky.social in @niemanlab.org
CISI Founder @bostonjoan.bsky.social quoted in @us.theguardian.com on the tactical "rage bait" of this administration's social media posts www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
‘Virality, rumors and lies’: US federal agencies mimic Trump on social media
Variety of agencies now deliberately provocative on social media, further inflaming discourse on serious issues
www.theguardian.com
December 16, 2025 at 12:30 PM
CISI Founder @bostonjoan.bsky.social quoted in @us.theguardian.com on the tactical "rage bait" of this administration's social media posts www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
I talked to Joan Donovan about Twitter's very old foreign influence problem, which was unmasked in the funniest possible way over the weekend: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Twitter's foreign influence problem is nothing new
The platform's just-debuted geolocation tool illuminates a disturbing and persistent issue.
www.motherjones.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:11 PM
I talked to Joan Donovan about Twitter's very old foreign influence problem, which was unmasked in the funniest possible way over the weekend: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
TODAY: @404media.co / @jasonkoebler.bsky.social interviews our Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kBg...
How Big Tech Has Convinced Us to Surveil Ourselves and Each Other
YouTube video by 404 Media
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:30 PM
TODAY: @404media.co / @jasonkoebler.bsky.social interviews our Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kBg...
“I think they are a profoundly antisocial technology that should be rejected in every way possible...Their very existence is toxic to the social fabric.” –CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app quoted in @theverge.com www.theverge.com/tech/807834/...
Privacy laws can’t keep up with ‘luxury surveillance’
“It’s not clear to me that a small red light would be sufficient notification in some states for someone to consent to being recorded.”
www.theverge.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:32 PM
“I think they are a profoundly antisocial technology that should be rejected in every way possible...Their very existence is toxic to the social fabric.” –CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app quoted in @theverge.com www.theverge.com/tech/807834/...
ICYMI: Our Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app interviewed by @parismarx.com
Meta and Google want to free you from screens — by putting one in front of your eyes at all times.
This week @hypervisible.blacksky.app joins @parismarx.com to discuss the anti-social world they’re trying to create through mass adoption of smart glasses.
Full ep: techwontsave.us/episode/298_...
This week @hypervisible.blacksky.app joins @parismarx.com to discuss the anti-social world they’re trying to create through mass adoption of smart glasses.
Full ep: techwontsave.us/episode/298_...
October 22, 2025 at 4:18 PM
ICYMI: Our Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app interviewed by @parismarx.com
Thursday webinar: Catch CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app on AI, libraries, & privacy
Maybe you can't read Ray Carver at work, but you CAN talk about AI, and we've got the webinar series you've been waiting for. Join @hypervisible.blacksky.app, Christa Albrecht-Crane, and Library Futures this Thursday 9/25 for the first installment!
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
September 23, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Thursday webinar: Catch CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app on AI, libraries, & privacy
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
I wanted to follow up on the meme discussion with a longer piece about how to understand memes as cultural artifacts with their own politics.
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/19/o...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/19/o...
The memes that may — or may not — shed light on Charlie Kirk’s killing - The Boston Globe
Are the alleged shooter’s messages left, right, or just ragebait?
www.bostonglobe.com
September 19, 2025 at 1:34 PM
I wanted to follow up on the meme discussion with a longer piece about how to understand memes as cultural artifacts with their own politics.
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/19/o...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/19/o...
CISI Founder interviewed today in TIME Magazine
"In the set of engravings, he referenced some more ambiguous symbols and a clearly homophobic joke. The ambiguity is a crucial element of memes because not everyone is in on the reference or knows its origins” - Joan Donovan
@criticalinternet.bsky.social
time.com/7317032/tyle...
@criticalinternet.bsky.social
time.com/7317032/tyle...
Suspect in Charlie Kirk Killing Left Messages, But No Motive
Tyler Robinson left obscure messages on bullet casings, authorities say, but they have yet to discover a clear motive.
time.com
September 13, 2025 at 10:23 PM
CISI Founder interviewed today in TIME Magazine
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
Dr. Donovan @bostonjoan.bksy.social breaks it down.
September 13, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Dr. Donovan @bostonjoan.bksy.social breaks it down.
ICYMI: Today, CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social spoke with @anitachabria.bsky.social for the @latimes.com
September 13, 2025 at 1:13 AM
ICYMI: Today, CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social spoke with @anitachabria.bsky.social for the @latimes.com
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
I’m putting this information out here so that press and police can begin to understand what’s actually motivating Kirk’s murder.
This is the Groyper playlist on Spotify, which includes “Bella Ciao.”
It’s a meme war. FBI and others are all taking the bait.
It’s a meme war. FBI and others are all taking the bait.
September 12, 2025 at 4:29 PM
I’m putting this information out here so that press and police can begin to understand what’s actually motivating Kirk’s murder.
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
If you want to figure out something productive to do in the aftermath of this horrific week, donating to @criticalinternet.bsky.social is a good place to start. I just did.
Our non-profit, The Critical Internet Studies Institute, has a BlueSky account. Please follow for updates: @criticalinternet.bsky.social
Check us out and leave a donation to support independent research and analysis that puts community and safety first.
www.criticalinternet.org
Check us out and leave a donation to support independent research and analysis that puts community and safety first.
www.criticalinternet.org
The Critical Internet Studies Institute
CISI is an independent nonprofit that offers research and programs that mobilize knowledge on emerging technology topics including networked incitement, privacy and community safety, surveillance over...
www.criticalinternet.org
September 12, 2025 at 5:10 PM
If you want to figure out something productive to do in the aftermath of this horrific week, donating to @criticalinternet.bsky.social is a good place to start. I just did.
CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app quoted in @nytimes.com on the perils of trading time for privacy www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/t...
Google Pixel 10 Pro Review: This A.I. Phone Can Save Time if You Surrender Your Data
www.nytimes.com
August 27, 2025 at 7:21 PM
CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app quoted in @nytimes.com on the perils of trading time for privacy www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/t...
Audio/transcript: CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social interviewed on @npr.org about the taxpayer-paid "forced memes" & rage bait of ICE social media www.npr.org/2025/08/22/n...
Inside the White House meme factory : It's Been a Minute
We need to talk about the memes your tax dollars paid for. What is the federal government trying to communicate with them?The social media accounts of the White House and the Department of Homeland Se...
www.npr.org
August 25, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Audio/transcript: CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social interviewed on @npr.org about the taxpayer-paid "forced memes" & rage bait of ICE social media www.npr.org/2025/08/22/n...
ICYMI, CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social was quoted in the @wired.com piece by @tessowen.bsky.social on dog whistles & aesthetic slop as targeted recruitment appeal www.wired.com/story/trump-...
The Trump Administration Is Using Memes to Turn Mass Deportation Into One Big Joke
Memes shared by the White House, DHS, and ICE have used catchy TikTok tunes to normalize mass deportation and Christian nationalist narratives. Experts say that’s the point.
www.wired.com
August 19, 2025 at 7:30 PM
ICYMI, CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social was quoted in the @wired.com piece by @tessowen.bsky.social on dog whistles & aesthetic slop as targeted recruitment appeal www.wired.com/story/trump-...
“It’s so important for young people to have a sense of pride of place and duty to their country. But not in this way, not in a way that oppresses the human dignity of others.” –CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social on ICE meme propaganda in @motherjones.com www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The official voice of the US government is cruel, gross, and weird. What is that doing to us?
Joking memes about imprisonment, deportation, and death by alligator are designed to radicalize and desensitize.
www.motherjones.com
August 16, 2025 at 2:57 PM
“It’s so important for young people to have a sense of pride of place and duty to their country. But not in this way, not in a way that oppresses the human dignity of others.” –CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social on ICE meme propaganda in @motherjones.com www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Quotes CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.bsky.social: "It's clear that whatever imaginary boundary there was between consumer surveillance tech and government surveillance tech is now completely erased."
A Border Agent Wore Meta Smart Glasses to an Immigration Raid in Los Angeles
🔗 www.404media.co/a-cbp-agent-...
🔗 www.404media.co/a-cbp-agent-...
August 7, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Quotes CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.bsky.social: "It's clear that whatever imaginary boundary there was between consumer surveillance tech and government surveillance tech is now completely erased."
Congrats to CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.bsky.social on joining the @epic.org Advisory Board! epic.org/four-leading...
Four Leading Scholars and Advocates Join EPIC’s Advisory Board
<p>Today the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) announced the addition of four members to its Advisory Board.</p>
epic.org
August 4, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Congrats to CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.bsky.social on joining the @epic.org Advisory Board! epic.org/four-leading...