Jan Maarten
LightNews LightNews
banner
janmaarten.com
Jan Maarten
@janmaarten.com
790 followers 300 following 470 posts
Inclusive designer, privacy advocate, writer, and future hermit. (he/him)

Please don’t add me to your starter packs.

Opinions are my own.

🌐 https://janmaarten.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
janmaarten.com
Jan Maarten @janmaarten.com · Nov 15
Me, an accessibility designer losing his chill: If you do that, no one using assistive tech will be able to use this

Dev: Okay but is it really a problem if it isn't accessible?

Me: We need to make sure that everyone can access this

Dev: What do you mean everyone??

Me:
a man in a suit is crying and says `` everyone '' .
Alt: A man maniacally shouting "EVERYONE!", enunciating and drawing out every ear-piercing syllable. Clip from the film The Professional.
media.tenor.com
Reposted by Jan Maarten
tink.uk
I'm happy to share that I've written a chapter for a book called Digital Accessibility Ethics: Disability Inclusion in All Things Tech, to be published on 26 March 2026:
www.routledge.com/Digital-Acce...

#DigitalAccessibilityEthics
Digital Accessibility Ethics: Disability Inclusion in All Things Tech
Digital Accessibility Ethics is a practical guide with an urgent goal: to help end tech exclusion of 1.3 billion people across the world with disabilities. The book introduces the first Digital Access...
www.routledge.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
josephcox.bsky.social
New: a judge has ruled that Flock surveillance images are public records that can be requested by anyone. Shows that at least in some cases, police cannot withhold the data collected by its surveillance systems.

www.404media.co/judge-rules-...
Judge Rules Flock Surveillance Images Are Public Records That Can Be Requested By Anyone
A Washington judge said images taken by Flock cameras are "not exempt from disclosure" in public record requests.
www.404media.co
November 12, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
jaredcunha.bsky.social
This is exactly what we ended up doing on Direct File to protect taxpayer privacy while remaining focused on accessibility.

Like any UX solution, you also have options with accessibility, each with their own tradeoffs.

How do you learn about those trade-offs? Learn to use assistive technology.
November 11, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
heatherhogan.bsky.social
I really do think The Sick Times is doing some of the most important journalism of our generation. And I can tell you firsthand that Miles and Betsy are the real deal. They care so, so much about getting it right. They’re incredible humans in addition to being such good journalists.
thesicktimes.org The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 5d
Our #LongCOVID journalism requires reader support — with your help, we can prepare our non-profit newsroom for whatever 2026 brings.

Will you donate today and help us keep this vital work going? the-sick-times.fundjournalism.org/donate/
White text on a purple background reads, "Help us keep holding RFK Jr. accountable. Donate today. The Sick Times + NewsMatch." White text on a purple background reads, On September 18, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. convened a roundtable of top Long COVID experts and government officials. Announced less than 24 hours earlier, the event flew under the radar for most news outlets; even those that focus on science and health were too busy with the CDC vaccine advisory committee meeting that happened on the same day. But at The Sick Times, we dropped all of our other commitments to cover that roundtable." White text on a purple background reads, "And that’s just one example of our work serving the Long COVID community. In the last two years, we have also: Sent 100 issues of our weekly newsletter, including COVID-19 trends, research updates, upcoming community events, and more; Covered key scientific meetings, such as this year’s Keystone Symposia conference, multiple PolyBio symposia, and RECOVER-Treating Long COVID workshops. Been cited, interviewed, and republished by dozens of other news publications; Logged 12 million impressions across social media, spreading Long COVID news to wider audiences." Purple background with white text reads: New donations (followed by a thermometer reaching $60K). New monthly supporters (followed by a thermometer reaching 200). Until December 31, NewsMatch and the Philanthropic Access Partner Fund will match new donations from our readers, up to $1,000 a person! At the bottom is a graphic showing how financial impact is doubled.
November 7, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
rondeibert.bsky.social
Bad news for human rights and national security, no matter how you spin it

NSO Group has a new executive chairman, David Friedman, who's a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and onetime bankruptcy lawyer for President Trump.

www.wsj.com/tech/israeli... via @WSJ
Israeli Spyware Maker NSO Gets New Owners, Leadership and Seeks to Mend Reputation
Investors led by Hollywood producer Robert Simonds have taken a controlling stake in the company behind Pegasus, and former Trump official David Friedman has been named executive chairman.
www.wsj.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
tomfreeman.bsky.social
RIP James Watson, co-discoverer of Rosalind Franklin's notes
November 7, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
keithamus.social
One problem with the web platform I’m thinking about how to solve: keyboard shortcuts.

I’ve written what I see as the requirements here: github.com/openui/open-...

I want to hear from devs who’ve worked on big apps/sites with shortcuts and see what I’m missing, and how they’ve solved this.
github.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
debscavator.bsky.social
Alt text is about accessibility, intended for people who use screenreaders. If you use it for other things, like image credits, that's like parking construction equipment in an accessible parking space. Sure, that is a convenient space for that, but it's not what it's for.
November 7, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
theabigailthorn.bsky.social
you can watch Dracula’s Ex-Girlfriend and The Prince AND the next two episodes of Philosophy Tube for free this weekend if you want

go.nebula.tv/philosophytube
nebula.tv Nebula @nebula.tv · 6d
Three-day free trials now available. Clear your weekend.
A series of Nebula Original and channel images, including Patrick Willems's The Dinner Plan, Tom Nicholas's Boomers, Adam Chase's Scav, and Jet Lag: The Game. Above reads text that says, "Too much to watch in three days." And below reads, "But we dare you to try. Start your 3-day free trial at nebula.tv/join."
November 6, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
kyledcheney.bsky.social
NEW: A federal judge said the decision by Trump WH to end sign language interpretation at briefings by Trump and Leavitt likely violated the Rehabilitation Act and harmed deaf people who communicate in ASL.

www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Judge orders White House to restore sign language interpreters at briefings by Trump, Leavitt
U.S. District Judge Amir Ali said the White House’s decision to end ASL interpretation illegally excluded deaf Americans from crucial updates from the government.
www.politico.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
chucktingle.bsky.social
posted this four months ago but tonight as buckaroos like mamdani sweep elections i will post again. hope this is sign to all establishment goofs that trotting to the center is not the move. protect the buckaroos who are in perilous circumstances and do not give an inch
chucktingle.bsky.social Chuck Tingle @chucktingle.bsky.social · Jun 29
how about no
November 5, 2025 at 3:14 AM
janmaarten.com
Not often you see someone beat their opponent twice in the same election.
November 5, 2025 at 4:02 AM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
ciaranm.bsky.social
BREAKING: OpenAI to invest $1trn in new compute so as to be able to calculate accurately how much money it’s losing
November 3, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
frank.computer
As a toolmaker, and someone soon to be (hopefully) conferred with a Philosophia Doctorae specifically on tool-making, I thought I'd offer my perspective on this seemingly simple phrase and how it misguides the conversation on AI.

(spoiler: nothing is "just" a tool - only a tool would think that!)
Stop saying that AI is just a tool and it only matters how it is used
I’m tired of this phrase and this simple way of thinking about tools. This blog post is a wandering train of thought on the topic of what tools are and why it matters to be even slightly more mature i...
www.frank.computer
November 4, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
eva.town
this entire article is excellent, but I was especially struck by this insight: for many, faith in technology has supplanted faith in our own human abilities
For Vallor, this belief system is notable for the way that a faith in technology has replaced a faith in humans. Despite the woo-woo, New Age thinking was at least motivated by the idea that people had what it took to change the world by themselves, if they could only tap into it. With the pursuit of AGI, we've left that self-belief behind and bought into the idea that only technology can save us, she says.
November 3, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
chrisdeleon.bsky.social
Classic newspaper editorial comic of guy in torn suit by campfire in front of ruined cityscape on horizon, telling dirty kids yes the planet got destroyed but for a beautiful moment in time we created a lot of mediocre, unoriginal, wrong text.
November 1, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
juliametraux.bsky.social
Just donated! Happy to support a publication also doing disability journalism.
thesicktimes.org The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · 11d
We're kicking off our biggest fundraiser of the year by participating in NewsMatch, a national campaign to support newsrooms across the US run by the Institute for Nonprofit News.

We need your help to keep telling #LongCOVID stories. Will you donate today? the-sick-times.fundjournalism.org/donate/
ID 1: Purple background with white text reads: Your support powers every Long COVID story we tell. DONATE TODAY. The Sick Times + NewsMatch. ID 2: Purple background with white text reads: New donations (followed by a thermometer reaching $60K). New monthly supporters (followed by a thermometer reaching 200). Until December 31, NewsMatch and the Philanthropic Access Partner Fund will match new donations from our readers, up to $1,000 a person! At the bottom is a graphic showing how financial impact is doubled. ID 3: Purple background with white text reads: In spring 2024, we were lucky to receive a grant that has funded much of our work over the last two years. But that grant concludes this fall. We’ll be honest: we really need more reader support to help keep operating in 2026. The Sick Times + NewsMatch. ID 5: Purple background with white text reads: Other ways to support us. We understand that many people in our community aren’t able to donate. This is why we’ll never have a paywall — our stories will always be completely free to read. If you aren’t in a position to donate yourself, here are a few ways you can help: Share this email/this post with a friend/family member Tell us why you find our work valuable Send us any ideas you have for potential funding sources / connect us with potential funders
November 1, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
spavel.bsky.social
When I say "I have a conflict with this meeting" I do not mean that I have another meeting at the same time.

What I mean is, I take ubmrage against it. I have a feud with it on a historic scale.
October 31, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
josephcox.bsky.social
New from 404 Media: you can't refuse to be scanned by ICE's new facial recognition app, according to internal DHS document I obtained. Photos captured by the app are stored for 15 years, including U.S. citizens. We've seen officers scanning faces w/ phones on streets

www.404media.co/you-cant-ref...
You Can't Refuse To Be Scanned by ICE's Facial Recognition App, DHS Document Says
Photos captured by Mobile Fortify will be stored for 15 years, regardless of immigration or citizenship status, the document says.
www.404media.co
October 31, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
evacide.bsky.social
GrapheneOS is great and I recommend it all the time for Android users who are concerned about spying by governments and law enforcement.
micahflee.com Micah Lee @micahflee.com · 13d
"We’ve reached out to Google to inquire about why a custom ROM created by volunteers [@grapheneos.org] is more resistant to industrial phone hacking than the official Pixel OS. We’ll update this article if Google has anything to say." arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025...
Leaker reveals which Pixels are vulnerable to Cellebrite phone hacking
Cellebrite can apparently extract data from most Pixel phones, unless they’re running GrapheneOS.
arstechnica.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
jakescottmd.bsky.social
Thank you, @cidrap.bsky.social, for covering our new @nejm.org review of Covid-19, RSV, and influenza immunizations.

Check it out: cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/meta-analysis-covid-rsv-flu-vaccines-fall-provides-sea-data-showing-efficacy-safety
Meta-analysis of COVID, RSV, flu vaccines for fall provides 'sea of data' showing efficacy, safety
cidrap.umn.edu
October 30, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
janus.bsky.social
wrote about the return of the Glasshole and luxury surveillance in the age of fascism for @theverge.com

ft. @hypervisible.blacksky.app and @esquiring.bsky.social 👓🚫
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 28, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
spavel.bsky.social
"Can't miss the boat"
"Embrace it or be left behind"
"You'll be replaced by someone using AI"

These are all marketing slogans that prey on FOMO rather than value propositions. Anyone making decisions based on this kind of shaky logic is just another layer in the pyramid scheme.
thorstn.bsky.social Thorsten Möhlmann @thorstn.bsky.social · 15d
“When someone says we can’t miss the boat, I ask: where is the boat going? What exactly will this technology improve? That’s rarely discussed. Since when did we become Big Tech's free PR department?”
— says Nicky DRIES, Future of Work Lab at the Catholic University of Leuven
October 28, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
grimalkina.bsky.social
Honestly, if you value content you've created always make sure it has a home outside of a single company. Always.
October 28, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Reposted by Jan Maarten
mileswgriffis.bsky.social
NEW: A series of studies have shown that the diabetes drug metformin may help reduce the risk of #LongCOVID. So why isn't the information being translated into guidelines for providers?

@sweetsciencewriter.bsky.social reports for @thesicktimes.org!

thesicktimes.org/2025/10/28/m...
Metformin has been shown to reduce the risk of Long COVID. Why isn’t it more widely used? - The Sick Times
Recent studies add evidence to a prior phase 3 clinical trial, suggesting that taking the diabetes drug during acute COVID-19 reduces the risk of long-term symptoms.
thesicktimes.org
October 28, 2025 at 10:00 PM