Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
@paulallen.ca
Clinical director of intensive mental health services for children and youth in Canada (ret.). Believer in Truth and Reconciliation. Denier of Denialism. Student of semantics and statistics. "AI" too.
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
This new Lancet study would indicate that the death toll in Gaza is actually around 120,000 at minimum, if the undercount rate is similar since January 2025.
Violent and non-violent death tolls for the Gaza conflict: new primary evidence from a population-representative field survey
This first independent population survey of mortality in the Gaza Strip shows that
violent deaths have substantially exceeded official figures whereas the demographic
composition of casualties aligns ...
www.thelancet.com
February 19, 2026 at 11:48 PM
This new Lancet study would indicate that the death toll in Gaza is actually around 120,000 at minimum, if the undercount rate is similar since January 2025.
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
"We found that the algorithm promotes conservative content and demotes posts by traditional media. Exposure to algorithmic content leads users to follow conservative political activist accounts, which they continue to follow even after switching off the algorithm."
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The political effects of X’s feed algorithm - Nature
Among users initially on a chronological feed, 7 weeks of exposure to X’s algorithmic feed in 2023 shifted political attitudes and account-following behaviour in a more conservative direction compared...
www.nature.com
February 20, 2026 at 2:22 AM
"We found that the algorithm promotes conservative content and demotes posts by traditional media. Exposure to algorithmic content leads users to follow conservative political activist accounts, which they continue to follow even after switching off the algorithm."
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
Sharing this *excellent* explainer by @lawfaremedia.org 's Isabel Arroyo on the current stage of digital age assurance definitions and laws.
Bookmark it, it's a fabulous resource:
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/to-r...
Bookmark it, it's a fabulous resource:
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/to-r...
To Read This, Please Upload Photo ID
A primer on digital age assurance methods and a survey of the laws—both enacted and proposed—requiring them.
www.lawfaremedia.org
February 19, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Sharing this *excellent* explainer by @lawfaremedia.org 's Isabel Arroyo on the current stage of digital age assurance definitions and laws.
Bookmark it, it's a fabulous resource:
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/to-r...
Bookmark it, it's a fabulous resource:
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/to-r...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
NEW: A disturbing trend is emerging, the right is using institutional power to attack critical news media. From individual actors, to lawfare organizations and even the Alberta government, those looking to stifle criticism are taking their attacks through official channels. The latest:
Rightist Attacks on the Press are in Full Swing
Lawsuits, lawfare and institutional attacks threaten journalism
readthecatch.ca
February 19, 2026 at 7:43 PM
NEW: A disturbing trend is emerging, the right is using institutional power to attack critical news media. From individual actors, to lawfare organizations and even the Alberta government, those looking to stifle criticism are taking their attacks through official channels. The latest:
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
Palantir Technologies raked in $1.5 BILLION in income last year — including from lucrative taxpayer-funded DHS contracts — and paid ZERO federal income tax.
It's fast becoming the most dangerous and least accountable corporation in America. https://youtu.be/x_VwyhErd88?si=RCrKYNu1bMlNhU0G
It's fast becoming the most dangerous and least accountable corporation in America. https://youtu.be/x_VwyhErd88?si=RCrKYNu1bMlNhU0G
The Most Dangerous Corporation in America?
The AI surveillance state is real — and it's being built by Palantir.
youtu.be
February 19, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Palantir Technologies raked in $1.5 BILLION in income last year — including from lucrative taxpayer-funded DHS contracts — and paid ZERO federal income tax.
It's fast becoming the most dangerous and least accountable corporation in America. https://youtu.be/x_VwyhErd88?si=RCrKYNu1bMlNhU0G
It's fast becoming the most dangerous and least accountable corporation in America. https://youtu.be/x_VwyhErd88?si=RCrKYNu1bMlNhU0G
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
New from me: It's time to get rid of networked cameras.
buttondown.com/creativegood...
I feel strongly about this piece, so here's a thread -
1/
buttondown.com/creativegood...
I feel strongly about this piece, so here's a thread -
1/
It's time to get rid of networked cameras
Amazon did us all a service recently by airing a Super Bowl commercial showing how Ring doorbell cameras spy on everyone walking past. (I discussed this on...
buttondown.com
February 19, 2026 at 7:06 PM
New from me: It's time to get rid of networked cameras.
buttondown.com/creativegood...
I feel strongly about this piece, so here's a thread -
1/
buttondown.com/creativegood...
I feel strongly about this piece, so here's a thread -
1/
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
Part of the myth of Ring is that this is MY camera on MY door--but when you see a map and realize that there are a hundred in your neighborhood and they're all connected by a corporation that serves the police, the illusion dissolves.
Ring’s Founder Knows You Hated That Super Bowl Ad
www.nytimes.com
February 19, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Part of the myth of Ring is that this is MY camera on MY door--but when you see a map and realize that there are a hundred in your neighborhood and they're all connected by a corporation that serves the police, the illusion dissolves.
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 19 JAMA
Meta-analysis of 137 studies with 131k participants found 49% of trans youth have suicidal thoughts, 26% suicide attempts, and 47% have self-injured-- rates much higher than comparable cis youth.
Meta-analysis of 137 studies with 131k participants found 49% of trans youth have suicidal thoughts, 26% suicide attempts, and 47% have self-injured-- rates much higher than comparable cis youth.
Suicidality and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth
This study attempts to provide a meta-analytic synthesis of research investigating the prevalence of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and nonsuicidal self-injury in transgender and gender diverse ...
jamanetwork.com
February 19, 2026 at 2:05 PM
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 19 JAMA
Meta-analysis of 137 studies with 131k participants found 49% of trans youth have suicidal thoughts, 26% suicide attempts, and 47% have self-injured-- rates much higher than comparable cis youth.
Meta-analysis of 137 studies with 131k participants found 49% of trans youth have suicidal thoughts, 26% suicide attempts, and 47% have self-injured-- rates much higher than comparable cis youth.
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
Truth sandwich! 🥪
The Role of the Information Source in Debunking Health Myths Using the Truth Sandwich Format www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
"...findings contribute to the research on debunking health misinformation by demonstrating that the effectiveness of the truth sandwich format..."
The Role of the Information Source in Debunking Health Myths Using the Truth Sandwich Format www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
"...findings contribute to the research on debunking health misinformation by demonstrating that the effectiveness of the truth sandwich format..."
The Role of the Information Source in Debunking Health Myths Using the Truth Sandwich Format
Health-related myths spread rapidly and can have a negative impact not only on individuals, but also on public health. In the present research, we aim to investigate the extent to which the effecti...
www.tandfonline.com
February 18, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Truth sandwich! 🥪
The Role of the Information Source in Debunking Health Myths Using the Truth Sandwich Format www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
"...findings contribute to the research on debunking health misinformation by demonstrating that the effectiveness of the truth sandwich format..."
The Role of the Information Source in Debunking Health Myths Using the Truth Sandwich Format www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
"...findings contribute to the research on debunking health misinformation by demonstrating that the effectiveness of the truth sandwich format..."
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
Unravelling the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying counterconditioning in humans
doi.org/10.7554/elif...
doi.org/10.7554/elif...
Unravelling the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying counterconditioning in humans
Counterconditioning improved safety memory retrieval over regular extinction, showing a shift away from vmPFC towards nucleus accumbens, and may thereby be a promising new treatment option.
doi.org
February 19, 2026 at 10:37 AM
Unravelling the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying counterconditioning in humans
doi.org/10.7554/elif...
doi.org/10.7554/elif...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
Ontario needs more power, so the province is looking to nuclear to generate it, and taxpayers to fund it. @fatimabsyed.bsky.social digs into the big energy plan that involves building the first small modular reactor in North America. thenarwhal.ca/ontario-darl...
Going nuclear: inside Ontario’s SMR plan | The Narwhal
The first small modular reactor, or SMR, in North America is in the works in Ontario, testing new ground for rising energy demand
thenarwhal.ca
February 19, 2026 at 1:29 PM
Ontario needs more power, so the province is looking to nuclear to generate it, and taxpayers to fund it. @fatimabsyed.bsky.social digs into the big energy plan that involves building the first small modular reactor in North America. thenarwhal.ca/ontario-darl...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
Striatal cholinergic interneurons boost dopamine release upon receiving a reward obtained after prolonged effort 🤩
This presynaptic boost would confer increased value on rewards obtained through effort, thus explaining the continuation of this effort to obtain more
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This presynaptic boost would confer increased value on rewards obtained through effort, thus explaining the continuation of this effort to obtain more
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 19, 2026 at 9:27 AM
Striatal cholinergic interneurons boost dopamine release upon receiving a reward obtained after prolonged effort 🤩
This presynaptic boost would confer increased value on rewards obtained through effort, thus explaining the continuation of this effort to obtain more
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This presynaptic boost would confer increased value on rewards obtained through effort, thus explaining the continuation of this effort to obtain more
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
In "The Authoritarian Divide," Christopher Federico @chrispps.bsky.social, Stanley Feldman and Christopher Weber identify factors that have shaped and conditioned the sorting of Americans into different belief patterns and partisan camps as a function of authoritarianism.
cla.umn.edu/polisci/news...
cla.umn.edu/polisci/news...
Christopher Federico on his new book, "The Authoritarian Divide"
Christopher Federico and his co authors' findings have important consequences for how to understand partisan conflict in the U.S. and the health of American democracy.
cla.umn.edu
February 18, 2026 at 7:37 PM
In "The Authoritarian Divide," Christopher Federico @chrispps.bsky.social, Stanley Feldman and Christopher Weber identify factors that have shaped and conditioned the sorting of Americans into different belief patterns and partisan camps as a function of authoritarianism.
cla.umn.edu/polisci/news...
cla.umn.edu/polisci/news...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
I am reading "Teaching statistics - a bag of tricks" by Andrew Gelman and Deborah Nolan, and it is such a great book. I love the examples they give. It is also a great textbook on statistics for students, not only for teachers, not all of us had such fantastic statistics courses! #stats #rstats
February 18, 2026 at 12:43 PM
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
Time for the Government to Fix Its Political Party Privacy Blunder: Kill Bill C-4’s Disastrous Privacy Rules
www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/02/time...
www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/02/time...
Time for the Government to Fix Its Political Party Privacy Blunder: Kill Bill C-4’s Disastrous Privacy Rules - Michael Geist
Just weeks after last year’s election, Mark Carney’s government committed not one, but two privacy blunders in rapid succession. First, Bill C-2 - literally the first substantive bill of the new gover...
www.michaelgeist.ca
February 18, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Time for the Government to Fix Its Political Party Privacy Blunder: Kill Bill C-4’s Disastrous Privacy Rules
www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/02/time...
www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/02/time...
Chef: Who wants dirt soup?
Everyone: What? No thank you, just regular soup.
Chef: Bad news. We had to get rid of the soup to provide the dirt.
Everyone: But we hate dirt.
Chef (mouthful of dirt): Who wants soup?
Everyone: What? No thank you, just regular soup.
Chef: Bad news. We had to get rid of the soup to provide the dirt.
Everyone: But we hate dirt.
Chef (mouthful of dirt): Who wants soup?
February 18, 2026 at 1:44 PM
Chef: Who wants dirt soup?
Everyone: What? No thank you, just regular soup.
Chef: Bad news. We had to get rid of the soup to provide the dirt.
Everyone: But we hate dirt.
Chef (mouthful of dirt): Who wants soup?
Everyone: What? No thank you, just regular soup.
Chef: Bad news. We had to get rid of the soup to provide the dirt.
Everyone: But we hate dirt.
Chef (mouthful of dirt): Who wants soup?
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
I can’t believe you lefty Luddites hate tech so much that you embrace mRNA vaccines, heat pumps, electric bikes, hybrid work, renewable power (and awesome advancements in storage), space telescopes, and hot/cold running water but reject the planet destroying plagiarism enrich the worst people bots!
February 18, 2026 at 1:07 PM
I can’t believe you lefty Luddites hate tech so much that you embrace mRNA vaccines, heat pumps, electric bikes, hybrid work, renewable power (and awesome advancements in storage), space telescopes, and hot/cold running water but reject the planet destroying plagiarism enrich the worst people bots!
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
This whole issue looks incredible but I know what I'm reading first!
The Right not to Drown: Data Visualisation in Contemporary Art by Anna Sejbæk Torp-Pedersen
www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcomm...
The Right not to Drown: Data Visualisation in Contemporary Art by Anna Sejbæk Torp-Pedersen
www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcomm...
February 18, 2026 at 12:31 PM
This whole issue looks incredible but I know what I'm reading first!
The Right not to Drown: Data Visualisation in Contemporary Art by Anna Sejbæk Torp-Pedersen
www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcomm...
The Right not to Drown: Data Visualisation in Contemporary Art by Anna Sejbæk Torp-Pedersen
www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcomm...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
This has been a massive community project, and we need you all to participate!
See more: evalevalai.com/projects/eve...
See more: evalevalai.com/projects/eve...
February 17, 2026 at 5:39 PM
This has been a massive community project, and we need you all to participate!
See more: evalevalai.com/projects/eve...
See more: evalevalai.com/projects/eve...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
In a new Washingtonian feature, CDT President & CEO Alexandra Reeve Givens lays out why AI governance isn’t about politics — it’s about protecting people. From deepfakes to discriminatory algorithms, she makes the case for smart, bipartisan rules of the road.
We Must Regulate AI, a Tech-Policy Expert Says
Alexandra Reeve Givens runs the Center for Democracy & Technology.
washingtonian.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:59 PM
In a new Washingtonian feature, CDT President & CEO Alexandra Reeve Givens lays out why AI governance isn’t about politics — it’s about protecting people. From deepfakes to discriminatory algorithms, she makes the case for smart, bipartisan rules of the road.
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
And here is @suzannesmalley.bsky.social and @therecordmedia.bsky.social with further details 👇
therecord.media/spyware-keny...
therecord.media/spyware-keny...
Citizen Lab: Kenyan authorities used Cellebrite to break into phone of dissident
Traces of commercial surveillance technology manufactured by the Israeli spyware maker Cellebrite were found on a prominent Kenyan dissident’s phone, the latest in a series of abuses of the technology...
therecord.media
February 17, 2026 at 6:04 PM
And here is @suzannesmalley.bsky.social and @therecordmedia.bsky.social with further details 👇
therecord.media/spyware-keny...
therecord.media/spyware-keny...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
People have been asking for more designers and more research in the AT Proto Ecosystem. It's happening!! I couldn't be more thrilled to be a part of this team.
Introducing Ecosystem Action Research: a pilot program to address shared challenges in the AT Protocol ecosystem with a cooperative approach to strategic innovation.
By the community, for the community.
Sign up to participate here:
By the community, for the community.
Sign up to participate here:
Call for Participation: AT Protocol Ecosystem Action Research
A pilot program to facilitate cooperative, research-led innovation in the AT Protocol ecosystem.
ecosystemaction.leaflet.pub
February 17, 2026 at 5:03 PM
People have been asking for more designers and more research in the AT Proto Ecosystem. It's happening!! I couldn't be more thrilled to be a part of this team.
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
When a hacker named "Waifu" and "Judische" began posting death threats against security researcher Allison Nixon, she had no idea why he targeted her. So she set out to unmask him. The quest led her to Connor Moucka, a 25-yr-old Canadian who was ringleader of infamous Snowflake/AT&T hacks. My story:
Hackers made death threats against this security researcher. Big mistake.
Allison Nixon had helped arrest dozens of members of The Com — a loose affiliation of online groups responsible for violence and hacking campaigns. Then she became a target.
www.technologyreview.com
February 17, 2026 at 6:04 PM
When a hacker named "Waifu" and "Judische" began posting death threats against security researcher Allison Nixon, she had no idea why he targeted her. So she set out to unmask him. The quest led her to Connor Moucka, a 25-yr-old Canadian who was ringleader of infamous Snowflake/AT&T hacks. My story:
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
today in "campus free speech":
U of North Texas Cancels Exhibit With Anti-ICE Art
The University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design removed an art exhibit that includes anti-ICE artwork, the artist told The Denton Record-Chronicle.
www.insidehighered.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:41 PM
today in "campus free speech":