Maria Farrell
@mariafarrell.bsky.social
Irish writer and speaker: let's rewild the internet!
Dog lady. Forest bather. She/her
http://www.mariafarrell.com
Rep: https://greeneheaton.co.uk/agents/antony-topping/
No DMs
Dog lady. Forest bather. She/her
http://www.mariafarrell.com
Rep: https://greeneheaton.co.uk/agents/antony-topping/
No DMs
Reposted by Maria Farrell
Big Tech spent €151 million lobbying the EU last year.
That’s 890 lobbyists — more than elected MEPs.
Now key digital rights like GDPR and the AI Act are being quietly rolled back.
We looked at who’s really influencing EU tech rules — and what’s happening behind closed doors. 👇
That’s 890 lobbyists — more than elected MEPs.
Now key digital rights like GDPR and the AI Act are being quietly rolled back.
We looked at who’s really influencing EU tech rules — and what’s happening behind closed doors. 👇
February 10, 2026 at 9:07 AM
Big Tech spent €151 million lobbying the EU last year.
That’s 890 lobbyists — more than elected MEPs.
Now key digital rights like GDPR and the AI Act are being quietly rolled back.
We looked at who’s really influencing EU tech rules — and what’s happening behind closed doors. 👇
That’s 890 lobbyists — more than elected MEPs.
Now key digital rights like GDPR and the AI Act are being quietly rolled back.
We looked at who’s really influencing EU tech rules — and what’s happening behind closed doors. 👇
RTFT
‼️ New publication: Taming the Hyperscalers ‼️
In our latest policy brief, @georgecolville.bsky.social and I lay out a blueprint for how Europe can rein in the “hyperscalers” that dominate its cloud market using existing competition and digital laws.
www.openmarketsinstitute.org/publications...
In our latest policy brief, @georgecolville.bsky.social and I lay out a blueprint for how Europe can rein in the “hyperscalers” that dominate its cloud market using existing competition and digital laws.
www.openmarketsinstitute.org/publications...
Report - Taming the Hyperscalers — Open Markets Institute
The Open Markets Institute published a blueprint for Europe’s transition towards an open, competitive, and sovereign cloud market, co-authored by Europe director Max von Thun and EU tech policy fell...
www.openmarketsinstitute.org
February 11, 2026 at 1:37 PM
RTFT
Reposted by Maria Farrell
I was awake most of the night with a sick toddler and this just went around and around in my brain for the whole night.
How have we let this evil go unchecked.
How have we let this evil go unchecked.
“Four of my children just evaporated,” Badran said, holding back tears. “I looked for them a million times. Not a piece was left. Where did they go?”
There are no words to adequately describe the evil here.
There are no words to adequately describe the evil here.
Israel used weapons in Gaza that made thousands of Palestinians evaporate
US-made thermal weapons burning at 3,500C caused 2,842 people to "evaporate" in Gaza, Al Jazeera investigation finds.
www.aljazeera.com
February 11, 2026 at 10:16 AM
I was awake most of the night with a sick toddler and this just went around and around in my brain for the whole night.
How have we let this evil go unchecked.
How have we let this evil go unchecked.
Reposted by Maria Farrell
I still think about this article, but reading Simone Weil on duties and rights brought it back to mind
The Gaza family torn apart by IDF snipers from Chicago and Munich
Five-month investigation reveals how four members of one family were shot and killed in a single day and highlights a pattern in which Israeli troops target unarmed civilians
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:17 AM
I still think about this article, but reading Simone Weil on duties and rights brought it back to mind
Well I can't say responding to the UK government's sociopathic, impenetrable and frankly depraved consultation on how to punish immigrants and refugees even MORE has improved my morning
But it's important to push back every way we can.
Abolish the Home Office. Salt the earth of their foul ministry
But it's important to push back every way we can.
Abolish the Home Office. Salt the earth of their foul ministry
I urge you to fill in this consultation if you can - with this very helpful support from Amnesty International - although AND because ! it is heart-breaking that this country has sunk so low that Amnesty suggest in a number of cases to provide no answer as the terms of the question are so evil
The UK government is proposing radical and punitive changes to settlement rules. This is settlement, not citizenship. The consultation is open until 12 February; please respond to it and oppose these evil proposals. Amnesty have a good guide: www.amnesty.org.uk/resources/gu...
February 11, 2026 at 9:21 AM
Well I can't say responding to the UK government's sociopathic, impenetrable and frankly depraved consultation on how to punish immigrants and refugees even MORE has improved my morning
But it's important to push back every way we can.
Abolish the Home Office. Salt the earth of their foul ministry
But it's important to push back every way we can.
Abolish the Home Office. Salt the earth of their foul ministry
Reposted by Maria Farrell
Check out our new op-ed! With @taniaduarte.bsky.social @markwong.bsky.social, @suoman.bsky.social, & @timdavies.org.uk.
We argue that these collabs normalize close relationships w/Big-Tech, setting them up to be key actors in governance who provide tech solutions to important social ‘problems’.
We argue that these collabs normalize close relationships w/Big-Tech, setting them up to be key actors in governance who provide tech solutions to important social ‘problems’.
The UK's "free AI training for all" program may offer free courses, but there is a cost to society for the government's approach. Elinor Carmi, Tania Duarte, Mark Wong, Susan Oman & Tim Davies argue it deepens Big Tech dependency while sidelining critical AI literacy and community organizations.
The Real Cost of the UK’s ‘Free AI Training for All’ is Democracy
Researchers argue the UK's 'AI Skills Hub' should be re-thought with input from civil society groups and public interest organizations.
buff.ly
February 11, 2026 at 7:41 AM
Check out our new op-ed! With @taniaduarte.bsky.social @markwong.bsky.social, @suoman.bsky.social, & @timdavies.org.uk.
We argue that these collabs normalize close relationships w/Big-Tech, setting them up to be key actors in governance who provide tech solutions to important social ‘problems’.
We argue that these collabs normalize close relationships w/Big-Tech, setting them up to be key actors in governance who provide tech solutions to important social ‘problems’.
Reposted by Maria Farrell
Absolute kudos to @weratedogs.com to use their platform to surface this vital issue.
They could stay silent but haven't
They could stay silent but haven't
February 11, 2026 at 7:46 AM
Absolute kudos to @weratedogs.com to use their platform to surface this vital issue.
They could stay silent but haven't
They could stay silent but haven't
Reposted by Maria Farrell
I urge you to fill in this consultation if you can - with this very helpful support from Amnesty International - although AND because ! it is heart-breaking that this country has sunk so low that Amnesty suggest in a number of cases to provide no answer as the terms of the question are so evil
The UK government is proposing radical and punitive changes to settlement rules. This is settlement, not citizenship. The consultation is open until 12 February; please respond to it and oppose these evil proposals. Amnesty have a good guide: www.amnesty.org.uk/resources/gu...
Guidance for responding to 'A Fairer Pathway to Settlement' consultation
We are Amnesty International UK. We are ordinary people from across the world standing up for humanity and human rights.
www.amnesty.org.uk
February 10, 2026 at 5:43 PM
I urge you to fill in this consultation if you can - with this very helpful support from Amnesty International - although AND because ! it is heart-breaking that this country has sunk so low that Amnesty suggest in a number of cases to provide no answer as the terms of the question are so evil
Reposted by Maria Farrell
I love this book, which takes seriously both the past and future as wildly different countries.
Wonderfully and inexplicably, The Actual Star is STILL only $3.00 on ebook: www.amazon.com/Actual-Star-...
February 10, 2026 at 6:04 PM
I love this book, which takes seriously both the past and future as wildly different countries.
Reposted by Maria Farrell
If you want to give feedback to the government on their proposed changes to the immigration system - like a decade wait for settled status - do it here.
Earned settlement
The government is consulting on how the current settlement system should be reformed and how those reforms should be implemented.
www.gov.uk
February 9, 2026 at 4:11 PM
If you want to give feedback to the government on their proposed changes to the immigration system - like a decade wait for settled status - do it here.
I re-read all three last year and feel I will always in their world.
"They had all wanted a closer look at the Tract. Some of them had steered whole planets into position, then wandered off or died out. Some of them had steered whole solar systems into position, then lost them.
Even without all that stuff, the halo would have been a hard place to navigate."
Even without all that stuff, the halo would have been a hard place to navigate."
February 9, 2026 at 4:59 PM
I re-read all three last year and feel I will always in their world.
For a guy who spent 98% of his life in a shed Chip really knows his angles and how to work a camera
February 9, 2026 at 3:47 PM
For a guy who spent 98% of his life in a shed Chip really knows his angles and how to work a camera
Reposted by Maria Farrell
ENSAYO | Necesitamos renaturalizar internet
@mariafarrell.bsky.social y @robin.berjon.com exploran cómo la ciencia ecológica nos puede ayudar a recuperar un internet más democrático, floreciente y diverso, alejado de los monocultivos autoritarios de un puñado de empresas tecnológicas.
@mariafarrell.bsky.social y @robin.berjon.com exploran cómo la ciencia ecológica nos puede ayudar a recuperar un internet más democrático, floreciente y diverso, alejado de los monocultivos autoritarios de un puñado de empresas tecnológicas.
Necesitamos renaturalizar internet - Corriente Cálida
Maria Farrell y Robin Berjon La infraestructura de internet es hoy un ecosistema degradado, pero también un entorno construido, como una ciudad. Su imprevisibilidad es lo que lo hace generativo, valio...
corrientecalida.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:12 AM
ENSAYO | Necesitamos renaturalizar internet
@mariafarrell.bsky.social y @robin.berjon.com exploran cómo la ciencia ecológica nos puede ayudar a recuperar un internet más democrático, floreciente y diverso, alejado de los monocultivos autoritarios de un puñado de empresas tecnológicas.
@mariafarrell.bsky.social y @robin.berjon.com exploran cómo la ciencia ecológica nos puede ayudar a recuperar un internet más democrático, floreciente y diverso, alejado de los monocultivos autoritarios de un puñado de empresas tecnológicas.
Reposted by Maria Farrell
No exagero un pelo al decir que este es uno de los textos más importantes de los últimos años sobre el presente y el futuro de las redes. Primera traducción al castellano en @corrientecalida.com.
ENSAYO | Necesitamos renaturalizar internet
@mariafarrell.bsky.social y @robin.berjon.com exploran cómo la ciencia ecológica nos puede ayudar a recuperar un internet más democrático, floreciente y diverso, alejado de los monocultivos autoritarios de un puñado de empresas tecnológicas.
@mariafarrell.bsky.social y @robin.berjon.com exploran cómo la ciencia ecológica nos puede ayudar a recuperar un internet más democrático, floreciente y diverso, alejado de los monocultivos autoritarios de un puñado de empresas tecnológicas.
Necesitamos renaturalizar internet - Corriente Cálida
Maria Farrell y Robin Berjon La infraestructura de internet es hoy un ecosistema degradado, pero también un entorno construido, como una ciudad. Su imprevisibilidad es lo que lo hace generativo, valio...
corrientecalida.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:56 AM
No exagero un pelo al decir que este es uno de los textos más importantes de los últimos años sobre el presente y el futuro de las redes. Primera traducción al castellano en @corrientecalida.com.
Reposted by Maria Farrell
Cannot wait to read the forthcoming novel by @louisekennedy.bsky.social. Set between Ireland and England, starting in 1982, it tells the story of Róisín and Red.
Out in September @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social www.bloomsbury.com/uk/stations-...
Out in September @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social www.bloomsbury.com/uk/stations-...
February 8, 2026 at 8:09 PM
Cannot wait to read the forthcoming novel by @louisekennedy.bsky.social. Set between Ireland and England, starting in 1982, it tells the story of Róisín and Red.
Out in September @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social www.bloomsbury.com/uk/stations-...
Out in September @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social www.bloomsbury.com/uk/stations-...
anyway look at these two goofy buys enjoying the Spring crocuses in our park that appeared overnight this week.
February 7, 2026 at 10:58 AM
anyway look at these two goofy buys enjoying the Spring crocuses in our park that appeared overnight this week.
Today I learnt that Howard Lutnick, as well as doing business with Epstein, bought Epstein's New York rape house from him and STILL LIVES IN IT
oh so like they’re literally ALL in those files
(CBS News) - U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said he had "limited interactions" with Jeffrey Epstein, but documents show they were in business together as recently as 2014.
@cbsnews.com
www.cbsnews.com/news/howard-...
@cbsnews.com
www.cbsnews.com/news/howard-...
February 7, 2026 at 10:47 AM
Today I learnt that Howard Lutnick, as well as doing business with Epstein, bought Epstein's New York rape house from him and STILL LIVES IN IT
Reposted by Maria Farrell
Whilst a kid who grew up with me for a mum is … not representative of GenZ as a whole, this week said uni student swapped OneNote for Obsidian, G suite for Proton, deleted Instagram, and bought a Kobo to decant her Kindle. Next on her hit list is Spotify.
They get this, far more than their elders.
They get this, far more than their elders.
February 7, 2026 at 7:43 AM
Whilst a kid who grew up with me for a mum is … not representative of GenZ as a whole, this week said uni student swapped OneNote for Obsidian, G suite for Proton, deleted Instagram, and bought a Kobo to decant her Kindle. Next on her hit list is Spotify.
They get this, far more than their elders.
They get this, far more than their elders.
Reposted by Maria Farrell
There is no better question right now than “is water really blue?” I’m not joking, the wholesomeness of it, combined with glorious pictures of blue water is. Well. Cleansing.
If you have ever doubted that water really *is* blue, here's a photo of a meltwater pond on a glacier in Greenland. The water is pure, and the white background makes the colour obvious. You need a lot of clean water to see it, but the true colour of water is an incredibly striking brilliant blue.
February 7, 2026 at 7:50 AM
There is no better question right now than “is water really blue?” I’m not joking, the wholesomeness of it, combined with glorious pictures of blue water is. Well. Cleansing.
Ultimate white lady feminism: Epstein files document how leader of US anti-misogyny org "Time's Up" had steered Epstein on how to launder his reputation his conviction for soliciting child prostitution.
And orchestrated by someone I knew long ago, Joi Ito. 🤮
pagesix.com/2026/02/05/h...
And orchestrated by someone I knew long ago, Joi Ito. 🤮
pagesix.com/2026/02/05/h...
Exclusive | Founding member of Time’s Up movement advised Jeffrey Epstein two years before launching the anti-sexual harassment organization
Back in 2018, Time’s Up was the toast of the town, feared and lauded across the industry. The influential anti-sexual harassment group made its splashy debut at the 2018 Golden Globes, in the wake&…
pagesix.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:13 AM
Ultimate white lady feminism: Epstein files document how leader of US anti-misogyny org "Time's Up" had steered Epstein on how to launder his reputation his conviction for soliciting child prostitution.
And orchestrated by someone I knew long ago, Joi Ito. 🤮
pagesix.com/2026/02/05/h...
And orchestrated by someone I knew long ago, Joi Ito. 🤮
pagesix.com/2026/02/05/h...
Reposted by Maria Farrell
#SomethingBeautiful another still life from my aunt, Mary Lace, this one called Roses for Jenny
February 7, 2026 at 6:46 AM
#SomethingBeautiful another still life from my aunt, Mary Lace, this one called Roses for Jenny
Reposted by Maria Farrell
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:09 AM
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Maria Farrell
Reposted by Maria Farrell
Obsessing over water supplies & worried that there's no captain on this ship. Nobody knows the true picture over who's using the critical resource, and the global picture is pretty dire. I've pulled my latest articles together to try to make sense of it watershedinvestigations.com/dry-taps-flo...
February 5, 2026 at 8:58 AM
Obsessing over water supplies & worried that there's no captain on this ship. Nobody knows the true picture over who's using the critical resource, and the global picture is pretty dire. I've pulled my latest articles together to try to make sense of it watershedinvestigations.com/dry-taps-flo...