Michael Zimmer

@michaelzimmer.bsky.social

2.6K followers 420 following 450 posts

Privacy & data ethics scholar. Professor in Computer Science and Director of @MUDataEthics.bsky.social at Marquette University. I also curate @ZuckerbergFiles.bsky.social

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Michael Zimmer is a privacy and data ethics scholar. He currently is a professor in the Department of Computer Science at Marquette University and Director of the Center for Data, Ethics, and Society. Previously, he was on the faculty at the School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and director of the Center for Information Policy Research. Zimmer is on the advisory board of the Future of Privacy Forum, and was on the executive committee of the Association of Internet Researchers from 2009-2016. He was the Microsoft Resident Fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School from 2007-2008. .. more

Computer science 32%

Political science 22%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Will Jennings, Janet Murray, Michael Zimmer , and 1 more Will Jennings, Janet Murray, Michael Zimmer, Graham Webster

Casey Newton @caseynewton.bsky.social · 10h

I'm glad to see this pressure on Google and Apple. If any other company was running an active CSAM generator in public you better believe it would have been removed from their app stores by now www.wired.com/story/x-grok...

Why Are Grok and X Still Available in App Stores?

Elon Musk’s chatbot has been used to generate thousands of sexualized images of adults and apparent minors. Apple and Google have removed other “nudify” apps—but continue to host X and Grok.

www.wired.com

WIRED @wired.com · 13h

We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe.

WIRED @wired.com · 13h

Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.

If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.

How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance

Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.

www.wired.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Joshua S. Weitz, Scott L. Greer , and 10 more Anna O. Law, Joshua S. Weitz, Scott L. Greer, Elizabeth Stokoe, Peter Holmes, Michael Zimmer, Jesús Rodríguez Pomeda, Christine Kooi, Dana R. Fisher, Ann Bartow, Césari Laurent, Daxton R. Stewart, Nathan P. Kalmoe

WIRED @wired.com · 13h

How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance

Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.

www.wired.com

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Steve Peers, David R. Miller , and 2 more Kim L. Scheppele, Steve Peers, David R. Miller, Michael Zimmer, Samantha Brennan

Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 15h

I keep going back to this. This is a taunt. They're taunting us. There is no other possible interpretation of what they're doing.

But media simply ignores this deranged behavior, because if they talk about it, one must conclude that DHS is a rogue agency, of villainous paramilitary thugs.

Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 16h

Fair points, but still.....

nilay patel @reckless.bsky.social · 16h

A million ways for this to go bad but it’s generally positive that OpenAI trying to put this huge amount of existing activity into a managed space. And keep in mind the alternative for these users seeking health info is most likely the YouTube grifter wild west www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, encouraging users to connect their medical records

But it’s ‘not intended for diagnosis or treatment.’

www.theverge.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

nilay patel @reckless.bsky.social · 16h

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, encouraging users to connect their medical records

But it’s ‘not intended for diagnosis or treatment.’

www.theverge.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer, Kate Jackson

404 Media @404media.co · 17h

404 Media has obtained material that explains how Tangles and Webloc, two surveillance systems ICE recently purchased, work. Webloc can track phones without a warrant and follow their owners home or to their employer.

Inside ICE’s Tool to Monitor Phones in Entire Neighborhoods

www.404media.co

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Jeff (Gutenberg Parenthesis) Jarvis @jeffjarvis.bsky.social · 19h

Times editorial after Kent State: "It is evident from the eyewitness account of this newspaper's correspondent (who saw and heard no sniper fire) that the National Guardsmen shot at the students without warning in an unconscionable act of military panic."
Today, The Times is silent.

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Luke LeBrun @lukelebrun.ca · 19h

Trump also says Renee Good “behaved horribly” and insists she *ran over* an ICE agent

Questioned on that claim, Trump beckons an assistant to play the video on a laptop

When the video doesn’t show an ICE agent was run over, Trump starts stammering and trails off

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/u...

Mr. Trump stuck to his position even as we pointed out the inconsistencies and the lack of clarity in videos circulating in social media. We asked if, in his mind, firing into a vehicle like that is acceptable.
"She behaved horribly," Mr. Trump said. "And then she ran him over. She didn't try to run him over —"
We told the president the videos on social media were unclear.
"I'll play the tape for you right now," Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump's aide Natalie Harp brought a laptop over to the Resolute Desk to show us what he said would be evidence of the woman's wrongdoing.
Before the video began, Mr. Trump acknowledged the tragic nature of the shooting. "With all of it being said, no, I don't like that happening," he said, before pivoting to his common refrain of criticizing illegal immigration.
As a slow-motion surveillance video of the shooting played on the laptop, we told him that this angle did not appear to show an ICE officer had been run over.
"Well," Mr. Trump said. "I — the way I look at it ..."
"It's a terrible scene," Mr. Trump said at the end of the video.
"I think it's horrible to watch. No, I hate to see it."

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Emily Gorcenski @emily.gorcen.ski · 1d

In Berlin there is a room in a building and in that room at any given time are contents of some of the 16,000 bags of shredded paper recovered from the Stasi headquarters after the wall came down. These documents are still being reconstructed. These documents identify collaborators, victims, agents.

Reposted by Jason Mittell, Colin F. Camerer, Stephan Lewandowsky , and 26 more Jason Mittell, Colin F. Camerer, Stephan Lewandowsky, Jennifer A. Richeson, Suzana J. Camargo, Patrick Dunleavy, Steve Peers, Glenn Lyons, Rosemary A. Joyce, Henning Melber, Paul Bowman, Peter Holmes, John Foot, Robert Wolfe, Michael Zimmer, Adrian Daub, Gerald Friedman, Anne Norton, Nikolay Marinov, Kent Johnson, Ann Bartow, Mary Jane Curry, Ryan K. Brook, Eric J. Sundquist, John H. Knox, Albin Wagener, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Jaap Kooijman, Kristina McElheran

Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 1d

Make it viral.

Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 1d

The CFP for #AoIR2025 in Mexico City is now posted. The theme is "Regeneration(s)". Submissions are due March 1.
aoir.org/aoir2026/aoi...

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Anil Dash @anildash.com · 1d

Renee Nicole Good is the one whose reputation should be protected, whose death should be marked by flags across the country being lowered to half-staff, who should be getting tearful tributes and acknowledgments from politicians and media figures. These are the people we ought to honor.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Rosemary A. Joyce, Melissa Johnson , and 11 more Anna O. Law, Rosemary A. Joyce, Melissa Johnson, Alan Richardson, Michael Zimmer, Jacob T. Levy, Richard Larouche, Samantha Brennan, Pauline Stafford, Olivier Mannoni, David S. Tanenhaus, Martin S. Flaherty, Dan Immergluck, Harvey J. Kaye

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 1d

AOC: This has now become what we feared most about ICE for a long time—that it would be used as an anti-civilian force with no accountability. At the end of the day, what we saw today was a murder, and murders in cold blood need to be prosecuted.

Reposted by Elizabeth Sharrow, Patrick Dunleavy, Michael Zimmer , and 3 more Elizabeth Sharrow, Patrick Dunleavy, Michael Zimmer, Mark Rice, Michael Evans, Harvey J. Kaye

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 1d

I hate to break it to you, but heavily-armed government militias are roaming unchecked through US cities and shooting human rights observers dead in the streets. That's happening in our country.

Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 1d

Oh, hell no.

The Verge @theverge.com · 1d

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, encouraging users to connect their medical records

But it’s “not intended for diagnosis or treatment.”

buff.ly

Reposted by Timnit Gebru, Michael Zimmer, David Murakami Wood

404 Media @404media.co · 1d

NEW: At least four videos show what really happened when ICE shot a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

DHS has established itself as an agency that cannot be trusted to live in or present reality.

Our latest:

DHS Is Lying To You About ICE Shooting a Woman

At least four videos show what really happened when ICE shot a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday. DHS has established itself as an agency that cannot be trusted to live in or present reality.

www.404media.co

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Adrienne Massanari @adriennemassanari.bsky.social · 1d

If you don't see why it matters that the woman ICE just murdered was killed in the same neighborhood as George Floyd, I'm not sure what to tell you. It's all the same story. Racism. White nationalism. Xenophobia. Transphobia. Misogyny. Antisemitism. Islamophobia. Homophobia. Classism. Genocide.

Distraught woman says ICE killed her wife in video after deadly Minneapolis shooting

“They killed my wife,” the distraught woman says, adding, “They shot her in the head.”

www.advocate.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Tim Marchman @timmarchman.bsky.social · 1d

NEW: A WIRED review of outputs hosted on Grok's website shows the tool is being used to create sexual images and videos far more explicit and at time violent than what's on X, including apparent minors and celebrity deepfakes. This is from @regret.bsky.social and @mattburgess1.bsky.social

Grok Is Generating Sexual Content Far More Graphic Than What's on X

A WIRED review of outputs hosted on Grok’s official website shows it’s being used to create violent sexual images and videos, as well as content that includes apparent minors.

www.wired.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 1d

100% fascist bullshit

Reposted by Michael Zimmer, Anne Norton

Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 1d

State capitalism

Reposted by Will Jennings, Richard B. Aronson, Robert W. Wallace , and 23 more Will Jennings, Richard B. Aronson, Robert W. Wallace, Rosemary A. Joyce, Bruce D. Baker, Paul Goldstein, Richard Menke, Charles W. Smith, David R. Miller, Michael Zimmer, Michael J. Taylor, Scott A. Imberman, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham, Glenn H. Shepard, Elizabeth Stevenson, James Goodwin, Brian Keegan, Barrett, Timothy Burke, Jelena Subotić, Sam Kamin, Daxton R. Stewart, Charles T. Mathewes, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Dunlap

Ken Jennings @kenjennings.bsky.social · 1d

The “prosecute the former regime at every level” candidate has my vote in 2028.

Reposted by Steven French, Michael Zimmer, Gerald Friedman , and 3 more Steven French, Michael Zimmer, Gerald Friedman, Clifford Stott, Glenn H. Shepard, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Julia Rose Kraut @juliarosekraut.bsky.social · 1d

"Ohio" (1971) - written by Neil Young in reaction to the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970. Performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. 🗃️

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN_9...

Ohio - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (Music And Song Courtesy:Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)

YouTube video by peaceandfreedom2011

www.youtube.com

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa, Michael Zimmer, Beatriz Gallardo Paúls , and 4 more Fabián Muniesa, Michael Zimmer, Beatriz Gallardo Paúls, Els Torreele, Jesús García, Geneviève Gore, Mary McAuliffe

The Verge @theverge.com · 1d

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, encouraging users to connect their medical records

But it’s “not intended for diagnosis or treatment.”

buff.ly

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Steve Peers, Mark D. White , and 6 more Lisa W. Fazio, Steve Peers, Mark D. White, Fabián Muniesa, Rebecca Tushnet, Michael Zimmer, Ann Bartow, Nicole Guenther Discenza, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 1d

New: I spoke with a Colombian asylum seeker who was the victim of a ‘Kavanaugh stop’ about what it was like to be racially profiled, abducted in front his family and held in ICE detention hours from home for more than a month—despite doing everything “the right way.”

This is Nick’s story.

The hell of being a target of a ‘Kavanaugh stop’

A Maryland man from Colombia describes his journey from detainment to incarceration—and miraculous freedom.

www.thehandbasket.co

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Rachel Bitecofer @rachelbitecofer.bsky.social · 2d

National Socialism is here

Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 2d

It is time for Apple and Google to pull X from their app stores for violating their policies.

The Verge @theverge.com · 2d

Grok is undressing children — can the law stop it?

Sexualized AI images violate consent and boundaries, but legal consequences can be elusive.

buff.ly

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa, Michael Zimmer

NPR @npr.org · 2d

NPR built a visual archive of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, showing exactly what happened through the lenses of the people who were there. In Chapter 3, we lay out a timeline of key moments throughout the day as the assault on the Capitol unfolded.