Jake Chanenson
jchanenson.bsky.social
Jake Chanenson
@jchanenson.bsky.social
I spend my time thinking and writing about HCI + privacy and tech policy.

PhD student @UChicago; formerly a research intern at Google working on Privacy, Safety and Security.
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
PSA: tips to protect yourself from scams on Signal.

Every major comms platform has to contend w phishing, impersonation, & scams. Sadly.

Signal is major, and as we've grown we've heard about more of these attacks--scammy people pretending to be something or someone to trick and abuse others. 1/
November 11, 2025 at 6:13 PM
@profhilaryallen.bsky.social stopped by to chat about "Fintech Dystopia" on the podcast this week. It's a bit of a topic shift from my usual privacy/STS focus but the book was just too interesting not to have her on.

newbooksnetwork.com/hilary-allen...
Hilary Allen, "Fintech Dystopia: A Summer Beach Read about Silicon Valley Ruining Things" (2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:34 PM
A little bit late on this but I had a wonderful chat with @josemarichal.bsky.social about his new book "You Must Become an Algorithmic Problem." Take a listen here!

newbooksnetwork.com/you-must-bec...
José Marichal, "You Must Become an Algorithmic Problem: Renegotiating the Socio-Technical Contract" (Policy Press, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
I'm included in this cool edited volume on digital sovereignty in the @openhumanities.bsky.social journal Communication + 1

My contribution is entitled "Data rights reconsidered: Reimagining digital freedom through Lefebvre’s Right to the City" but the entire volume is worth a read.
Data rights reconsidered: Reimagining digital freedom through Lefebvre’s Right to the City
This article explores an expanded conceptualization of data rights by drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s “right to the city” framework and engaging with the work of contemporary philosopher Byung-Chul Han. I...
openpublishing.library.umass.edu
November 10, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
A VPN is not a tool for anonymity, and while it can protect your location from some companies, there are many other ways companies may track you.
Choosing the VPN That's Right for You
VPN stands for “Virtual Private Network.” When you connect to a VPN, all data that you send (such as the requests to servers when browsing the web) appears to originate from the VPN itself, rather tha...
ssd.eff.org
July 23, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
The ebook economy is so outrageous.

I needed the most recent Norton Anthology of American Literature, but my library doesn't have it. So I bought it for $50.

$50 gives you access for 180 days, and you can download 64 discrete "sections." Kate Chopin alone has dozens of sections.
July 23, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
Piazza is a course discussion platform used by many colleges and universities. Piazza requires students to provide the following information when signing up.

From 2017-2019, Palantir Technologies paid Piazza $916,000 for access to this data. www.sec.gov/Archives/edg...
June 24, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
No method of age verification is both privacy-protective and entirely accurate. Introducing these laws is dangerous, and expanding them to things like skincare, dating apps, and diet pills has enormous unintended consequences for your personal data.
First Porn, Now Skin Cream? ‘Age Verification’ Bills Are Out of Control
I’m old enough to remember when age verification bills were pitched as a way to ‘save the kids from porn’ and shield them from other vague dangers lurking in the digital world (like…“the transgender”)...
www.eff.org
March 10, 2025 at 3:24 PM
I had a great conversation with @daniel-solove.bsky.social about his new book! Check it out here: newbooksnetwork.com/on-privacy-a...
March 10, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
Congress is debating a bill that will lead to weaponized takedown requests of lawful speech with no real safeguards. Tell Congress to vote No on TAKE IT DOWN.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act Will Censor Legal Speech Without Helping Victims
Congress is pushing a dangerous internet censorship bill, the TAKE IT DOWN Act (S. 146/H.R.633), and we need your help to stop it. While this bill claims to fight the spread of non-consensual intimate...
act.eff.org
February 28, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
Are you (or someone you know) interested in working at the intersection of privacy and technology? If so, then I've got some great news!
January 14, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
Me, hiding under the bed:

Armed robber:

Me:

Armed robber:

Me:

Armed robber: Interaction design, interface design... they sound very similar, aren't they basically the same thing?

Me: ACTUALLY
January 12, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
🥁 Announcing the Public Domain Image Archive! 🥁

We are v excited to share our new sister-project, the Public Domain Image Archive (PDIA), a curated collection of 10k+ out-of-copyright historical images, all free to explore and reuse: pdimagearchive.org @pdimagearchive
January 8, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
Here is a list of every app on your phone selling your location data to advertisers, interested unknown 3rd parties, and the US government. Thanks to 404 Media and @josephcox.bsky.social : docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
gravy_app_list
docs.google.com
January 9, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
I'm a cybersecurity professional.

My greatest hits include: "You can't build an e2ee backdoor only good guys can use," "Your digital letters of marquee will not work out the way you think," and "I see you're trying to apply a technical solution to a social problem."
Hi, I’m a climate scientist.

My greatest hits include, “No it’s not a natural cycle,” “We’re the ones who told you it’s been warmer before” and “Even if it’s on YouTube it doesn’t mean it’s true.”

I also cover the Christiana Figueres classic, “We’re only as doomed as we believe ourselves to be.”
December 2, 2024 at 9:22 PM
Instead of working I have been uploading (already public) photos to this delightful site

theyseeyourphotos.com

You should really try this out it is so much fun
They See Your Photos
Upload a photo to find out how much an AI sees.
theyseeyourphotos.com
December 3, 2024 at 4:06 AM
Lorrie Cranor wrote up a neat piece in Communications about Notice and Choice

It reminded me that you need to opt-in to Global Privacy Control on Firefox.

Here is a catch-all resource on how to set that up:
globalprivacycontrol.org#download

Check your GPC status: global-privacy-control.glitch.me
December 3, 2024 at 3:49 AM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
Every academic right now
November 29, 2024 at 9:58 PM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
"How to make a good talk (and why are academics so bad at this)?" I wanted to give advice to an undergrad based on what I think is missing from (or wrong about) most advice out there on giving a talk.

Would love to hear people's thoughts on this (especially academics hehe).
How to make a good talk (and why are academics so bad at this)?
Some guidance based on what I think a lot of academics fail to realize about what makes a good talk.
www.frank.computer
November 27, 2024 at 12:00 AM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
Dilemmas in Digital Abuse is published under my name; Cybercrime Scenarios is co-authored with Samuel Won.

Both are open-access materials that you may use/assign/adapt for free under a @creativecommons.bsky.social license!

Or buy paperbacks on Lulu: lulu.com/search?contr...
April 10, 2024 at 8:33 PM
Reposted by Jake Chanenson
Spread the word! The California Privacy Protection Agency is seeking its next Executive Director. Apply by Dec. 6 for an exciting opportunity to lead a dynamic agency at the forefront of privacy protection and policy in California.

calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/...
November 19, 2024 at 2:43 PM