Michael Karanicolas
@karanicolas.bsky.social
Palmer Chair in Law and Public Policy at Dalhousie Law. Formerly @ UCLA and Yale. All things tech and democracy. Dachshund enthusiast.
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
People being like, "But Venezuelans are happy about Maduro being gone!" have the memories of goldfish. IN 2003, the narrative was that Iraqis celebrated the U.S. invasion and capture of Saddam.
Whether they were happy or not, invading Iraq was still the wrong thing to do.
Whether they were happy or not, invading Iraq was still the wrong thing to do.
January 4, 2026 at 2:39 PM
People being like, "But Venezuelans are happy about Maduro being gone!" have the memories of goldfish. IN 2003, the narrative was that Iraqis celebrated the U.S. invasion and capture of Saddam.
Whether they were happy or not, invading Iraq was still the wrong thing to do.
Whether they were happy or not, invading Iraq was still the wrong thing to do.
It makes perfect sense once you understand the problem with Maduro was never his authoritarianism, just like it’s not a concern for el-Sisi in Egypt or any of the Gulf royals.
So if his VP is willing to start waving an American flag, why wouldn’t they embrace her?
So if his VP is willing to start waving an American flag, why wouldn’t they embrace her?
January 4, 2026 at 1:58 PM
It makes perfect sense once you understand the problem with Maduro was never his authoritarianism, just like it’s not a concern for el-Sisi in Egypt or any of the Gulf royals.
So if his VP is willing to start waving an American flag, why wouldn’t they embrace her?
So if his VP is willing to start waving an American flag, why wouldn’t they embrace her?
Best as I can tell the plan seems to be to keep the same regime in place, sans Maduro, and allow a seamless pivot from being an anti-American dictatorship to a pro-American dictatorship?
It’s straight out of 1984: We’re at peace with Venezuela. We’ve always been at peace with Venezuela.
It’s straight out of 1984: We’re at peace with Venezuela. We’ve always been at peace with Venezuela.
Venezuela's state apparatus appears very much intact and independent you can't conquer another country with a speech act
a man with white hair and a beard is talking about taking crazy pills .
Alt: a man with white hair and a beard is talking about taking crazy pills .
media.tenor.com
January 4, 2026 at 1:44 PM
Best as I can tell the plan seems to be to keep the same regime in place, sans Maduro, and allow a seamless pivot from being an anti-American dictatorship to a pro-American dictatorship?
It’s straight out of 1984: We’re at peace with Venezuela. We’ve always been at peace with Venezuela.
It’s straight out of 1984: We’re at peace with Venezuela. We’ve always been at peace with Venezuela.
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
For nonlawyers, it’s worth noting that statements like this have—as a formal matter—important legal effects as a matter of international law. If such statements are *not* made, and in volume, future arguments that Trump’s invasion sets a legal precedent will stand on much firmer legal ground.
Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide: "International law is universal and binding for all states. The American intervention in Venezuela is not in accordance with international law."
January 3, 2026 at 9:57 PM
For nonlawyers, it’s worth noting that statements like this have—as a formal matter—important legal effects as a matter of international law. If such statements are *not* made, and in volume, future arguments that Trump’s invasion sets a legal precedent will stand on much firmer legal ground.
I can’t help but notice many of the people celebrating Maduro’s rendition to the United States are the same ones who were utterly outraged at the idea of Netanyahu facing justice at the International Criminal Court.
Vance pushes back and says this was not illegal, arguing "Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism. You don't get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas."
January 3, 2026 at 9:41 PM
I can’t help but notice many of the people celebrating Maduro’s rendition to the United States are the same ones who were utterly outraged at the idea of Netanyahu facing justice at the International Criminal Court.
The thing is though they spent a decade investigating and building evidence against Hernandez before he was indicted.
It’s the flimsy and pretextual nature of the accusations here that stands out, since the same could be applied to Sheinbaum or Carney or virtually anyone else next week.
It’s the flimsy and pretextual nature of the accusations here that stands out, since the same could be applied to Sheinbaum or Carney or virtually anyone else next week.
Unfortunately this is less unprecedented than people reacting right now might like. We prosecuted Hernández like a month after his presidency ended and Noriega was captured after we invaded while he was dictator there. That doesn't make it OK but it does make me skeptical there'll be consequences.
January 3, 2026 at 2:56 PM
The thing is though they spent a decade investigating and building evidence against Hernandez before he was indicted.
It’s the flimsy and pretextual nature of the accusations here that stands out, since the same could be applied to Sheinbaum or Carney or virtually anyone else next week.
It’s the flimsy and pretextual nature of the accusations here that stands out, since the same could be applied to Sheinbaum or Carney or virtually anyone else next week.
Going to be really interesting to see how this plays out once Maduro actually appears in court, from a democracy/rule of law perspective.
BREAKING: Deposed Venezuelan leader Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will face charges after an indictment, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says. Follow AP's live updates.
Live updates: US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Maduro, has been captured
President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. had struck Venezuela early Saturday and said its president, Nicolás Maduro, had been captured and flown out of the country.
bit.ly
January 3, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Going to be really interesting to see how this plays out once Maduro actually appears in court, from a democracy/rule of law perspective.
My serious question for the Conservative leadership would be what stops the U.S. from up and snatching Claudia Sheinbaum next week, or Mark Carney the next time the trade war heats up?
January 3, 2026 at 2:40 PM
My serious question for the Conservative leadership would be what stops the U.S. from up and snatching Claudia Sheinbaum next week, or Mark Carney the next time the trade war heats up?
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
This person went on a buying spree over the past 24 hours. Fresh wallet. Only existed since Dec 27th and has only bet on Venezuela-related markets.
polymarket.com/@0x31a56e9E6...
polymarket.com/@0x31a56e9E6...
January 3, 2026 at 7:49 AM
This person went on a buying spree over the past 24 hours. Fresh wallet. Only existed since Dec 27th and has only bet on Venezuela-related markets.
polymarket.com/@0x31a56e9E6...
polymarket.com/@0x31a56e9E6...
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
#LegalEthics Tidbit: Should I use #AI to record my conversations with clients?
NYC Bar Ethics Opinion 2025-6 addresses the ethical issues affecting the use of #artificialintelligence to record, transcribe, and summarize conversations with clients. Among ... (cont.)
lnkd.in/esXtch22
#lawsky #law
NYC Bar Ethics Opinion 2025-6 addresses the ethical issues affecting the use of #artificialintelligence to record, transcribe, and summarize conversations with clients. Among ... (cont.)
lnkd.in/esXtch22
#lawsky #law
January 2, 2026 at 1:51 PM
#LegalEthics Tidbit: Should I use #AI to record my conversations with clients?
NYC Bar Ethics Opinion 2025-6 addresses the ethical issues affecting the use of #artificialintelligence to record, transcribe, and summarize conversations with clients. Among ... (cont.)
lnkd.in/esXtch22
#lawsky #law
NYC Bar Ethics Opinion 2025-6 addresses the ethical issues affecting the use of #artificialintelligence to record, transcribe, and summarize conversations with clients. Among ... (cont.)
lnkd.in/esXtch22
#lawsky #law
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
Glad to see these enter public domain. I do think it's sort of insane that Disney has deformed our copyright laws for decades to prevent this from happening and the consequences are like.... nothing. Micky entering the public domain has not destroyed or even really impacted Disney.
Welcome to the Public Domain, THE PICNIC (1930) 🐕
🐾 Little Rover barked onto the scene as Minnie’s dog in THE PICNIC (1930). He’d get a new name (Pluto) & a new owner, Mickey Mouse, the following year.
Learn more ➡️ blog.archive.org/public-domai...
#PublicDomainDay #CopyrightFree
🐾 Little Rover barked onto the scene as Minnie’s dog in THE PICNIC (1930). He’d get a new name (Pluto) & a new owner, Mickey Mouse, the following year.
Learn more ➡️ blog.archive.org/public-domai...
#PublicDomainDay #CopyrightFree
January 1, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Glad to see these enter public domain. I do think it's sort of insane that Disney has deformed our copyright laws for decades to prevent this from happening and the consequences are like.... nothing. Micky entering the public domain has not destroyed or even really impacted Disney.
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
We got Meta’s “general global playbook” for defeating advertiser verification regulations, which the company knows would reduce scams. It includes making scam ads “not findable” for regulators searching Meta’s ad library through targeted scrubbing.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Meta created ‘playbook’ to fend off pressure to crack down on scammers, documents show
As regulators pressure Meta to verify the identity of advertisers on Facebook and Instagram, the social media giant has drafted a “playbook” to stall them. A Reuters investigation examines its tactics...
www.reuters.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:38 PM
We got Meta’s “general global playbook” for defeating advertiser verification regulations, which the company knows would reduce scams. It includes making scam ads “not findable” for regulators searching Meta’s ad library through targeted scrubbing.
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
It’s increasingly clear the mistake we made was turning them back on.
January 1, 2026 at 2:40 AM
It’s increasingly clear the mistake we made was turning them back on.
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
This is exactly why I strongly opposed the move to strip Shamima Begum of her citizenship. Plenty of Brits have dual citizenship, often through a parent, or have access to another citizenship whether they intend to take it up or not, including all Jewish people & most people born in Northern Ireland
Ask this question and its follow-up. Like Begum before him, Alaa el-Fattah is being used as a crowbar to shift reasonable people - even some progressives - into a space of thinking that full citizenship, if granted recently or dual, is retroactively conditional or attracts a lower class of rights.
December 30, 2025 at 12:03 PM
This is exactly why I strongly opposed the move to strip Shamima Begum of her citizenship. Plenty of Brits have dual citizenship, often through a parent, or have access to another citizenship whether they intend to take it up or not, including all Jewish people & most people born in Northern Ireland
This is a great illustration of the resource gap between right wing and left wing institutions, where the former can throw money at grievance trolls (and thereby incentivize the industry), while the latter doesn’t have the resources to provide a safety net to people victimized by these grifts.
the only part of the Oklahoma scandal I'm still following is whether anyone so far has given the instructor involved a new job. If it happened the other way ("cancelled by the woke left") she'd already have a six-figure campus speaking tour and a corner office at Heritage.
December 27, 2025 at 5:27 PM
This is a great illustration of the resource gap between right wing and left wing institutions, where the former can throw money at grievance trolls (and thereby incentivize the industry), while the latter doesn’t have the resources to provide a safety net to people victimized by these grifts.
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
Is the Internet an enabler of rights or an alienation machine? What are the alternatives? Join me and my first guest, Professor @daphnek.bsky.social in exploring this questions on my micro podcast 7-minute futures.
Listen here pod.link/1859854491
Listen here pod.link/1859854491
December 27, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Is the Internet an enabler of rights or an alienation machine? What are the alternatives? Join me and my first guest, Professor @daphnek.bsky.social in exploring this questions on my micro podcast 7-minute futures.
Listen here pod.link/1859854491
Listen here pod.link/1859854491
Good, timely thread for first year law students who are about to have the jarring experience of getting their first set of grades back.
It’s a scary time (at least, it was for me!). But a D or two isn’t the end of the world, it doesn’t necessarily reflect on your actual skills and potential.
It’s a scary time (at least, it was for me!). But a D or two isn’t the end of the world, it doesn’t necessarily reflect on your actual skills and potential.
Which is what can make 1L year such a punch in the gut. First semester grades are an abrupt end to the honeymoon phase of your relationship with law school. And unlike all those prior ego-boosting successes, your current results may not reflect the reality of your efforts.
December 27, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Good, timely thread for first year law students who are about to have the jarring experience of getting their first set of grades back.
It’s a scary time (at least, it was for me!). But a D or two isn’t the end of the world, it doesn’t necessarily reflect on your actual skills and potential.
It’s a scary time (at least, it was for me!). But a D or two isn’t the end of the world, it doesn’t necessarily reflect on your actual skills and potential.
This is very funny, but if @tobymorton.bsky.social wants to keep the address he needs to set up something legit there asap before Trump files a claim accusing him of domain squatting.
My suggestion would be some commentary on the renaming which fits into fair use (ideally w no chance of confusion).
My suggestion would be some commentary on the renaming which fits into fair use (ideally w no chance of confusion).
Amazing: “But the Kennedy Center is not the current owner of trumpkennedycenter.org or trumpkennedycenter.com — because back in August, comedy writer Toby Morton registered those two domain names, expecting Trump and his allies to add Trump’s name to the D.C. landmark.”
Comedy Writer Bought ‘Trump Kennedy Center’ Domain Names, Anticipating President Would Rename Institution After Himself: ‘Satire Became Unavoidable’
In August, former 'South Park' writer Toby Morton registered 'TrumpKennedyCenter' domain names, anticipating that Trump would add his name to the D.C. landmark.
variety.com
December 27, 2025 at 2:14 AM
This is very funny, but if @tobymorton.bsky.social wants to keep the address he needs to set up something legit there asap before Trump files a claim accusing him of domain squatting.
My suggestion would be some commentary on the renaming which fits into fair use (ideally w no chance of confusion).
My suggestion would be some commentary on the renaming which fits into fair use (ideally w no chance of confusion).
America’s ability to attract the best and brightest from around the world to high skill positions is by far the most important ingredient in the country’s economic and technological success. Economic protectionism is one thing, but this is just astonishingly self-destructive.
Striking nativist editorializing by the federal judge who just upheld the $100,000 tax on high-skill immigrants.
She opines that it’s “troubling” that universities hire talent from abroad at all, instead of only native grads.
Then admits (!) that opinion is irrelevant (So why write it? Venting?)
She opines that it’s “troubling” that universities hire talent from abroad at all, instead of only native grads.
Then admits (!) that opinion is irrelevant (So why write it? Venting?)
December 26, 2025 at 6:54 PM
America’s ability to attract the best and brightest from around the world to high skill positions is by far the most important ingredient in the country’s economic and technological success. Economic protectionism is one thing, but this is just astonishingly self-destructive.
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
the success of the user-created For You feed while the official Discover feed flops is actually a pretty major win for Bluesky — it literally is the embodiment of their goal to decentralize feed generation and give users more control/autonomy
December 26, 2025 at 3:27 PM
the success of the user-created For You feed while the official Discover feed flops is actually a pretty major win for Bluesky — it literally is the embodiment of their goal to decentralize feed generation and give users more control/autonomy
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
We talked about running these numbers at UM soc when it became so obvious that women TAs got more complaints for the same classes. Glad someone tested it formally.
Experimental evidence that students are more likely to contest grades when they are delivered by an evaluator with a female-sounding name.
"These findings suggest that women in evaluative positions face disproportionate resistance when delivering negative assessments."
"These findings suggest that women in evaluative positions face disproportionate resistance when delivering negative assessments."
December 25, 2025 at 3:30 PM
We talked about running these numbers at UM soc when it became so obvious that women TAs got more complaints for the same classes. Glad someone tested it formally.
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
"Texas judge blocks state’s App Store age verification law." "Apple has confirmed that it will 'pause previously announced implementation plans and monitor the ongoing legal process'. " 9to5mac.com/2025/12/23/t...
Texas judge blocks state’s App Store age verification law - 9to5Mac
The decision comes just a few days before the Texas App Store Accountability Act (SB 2420) was set to take effect. Here are the details.
9to5mac.com
December 24, 2025 at 1:14 PM
"Texas judge blocks state’s App Store age verification law." "Apple has confirmed that it will 'pause previously announced implementation plans and monitor the ongoing legal process'. " 9to5mac.com/2025/12/23/t...
I would take the tone policing arguments more seriously if I thought there was any possibility that a shift in tone would resolve their concerns.
Realistically, if activists stopped saying “from the river to the sea” tomorrow, by next week we’d be hearing complaints about something else.
Realistically, if activists stopped saying “from the river to the sea” tomorrow, by next week we’d be hearing complaints about something else.
My position on the debate on "From the River to the Sea" is that it should start with the party that is actually advancing this vision not only through chants but also through genocide and ethnic cleansing - the current Israeli government.
December 23, 2025 at 12:49 PM
I would take the tone policing arguments more seriously if I thought there was any possibility that a shift in tone would resolve their concerns.
Realistically, if activists stopped saying “from the river to the sea” tomorrow, by next week we’d be hearing complaints about something else.
Realistically, if activists stopped saying “from the river to the sea” tomorrow, by next week we’d be hearing complaints about something else.
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
This is why @emilymbender.bsky.social @alexhanna.bsky.social say to name the specific thing rather than calling it "AI".
Right now, ChatGPT is bucketed under the same term as a model train to translate one specific language into another and which is carefully trained through curated data.
Right now, ChatGPT is bucketed under the same term as a model train to translate one specific language into another and which is carefully trained through curated data.
December 22, 2025 at 5:21 PM
This is why @emilymbender.bsky.social @alexhanna.bsky.social say to name the specific thing rather than calling it "AI".
Right now, ChatGPT is bucketed under the same term as a model train to translate one specific language into another and which is carefully trained through curated data.
Right now, ChatGPT is bucketed under the same term as a model train to translate one specific language into another and which is carefully trained through curated data.
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
The thing about censorship — I say this as someone with experience living under authoritarianism — is that it’s rarely overt. The state cracks down when people flirt with the line & then folks maintain it. This 60 minutes cancellation of the episode on CECOT sent chills down my spine.
December 22, 2025 at 1:22 AM
The thing about censorship — I say this as someone with experience living under authoritarianism — is that it’s rarely overt. The state cracks down when people flirt with the line & then folks maintain it. This 60 minutes cancellation of the episode on CECOT sent chills down my spine.