Patrick Warren
@pwarren.bsky.social
I am a (sometime) economist to studies people lying on the internet.
Out today! An update to our award-winning Spot-The-Troll Quiz. New trolls, new real users, new tricks, new lessons! Check it out:
spotthetroll.org
spotthetroll.org
Internet Troll and Disinformation Quiz
Learn the signs of online disinformation and internet trolls. The Spot the Troll quiz asks you to examine real social media profiles and posts and decide whether they are legitimate.
spotthetroll.org
September 2, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Out today! An update to our award-winning Spot-The-Troll Quiz. New trolls, new real users, new tricks, new lessons! Check it out:
spotthetroll.org
spotthetroll.org
This is how policy works now.
April 13, 2025 at 8:23 PM
This is how policy works now.
What are the most important differences between producing the machines used in manufacturing and producing the human capital required to install/maintain/operate those machines? We seem a lot more worried about balanced trade in physical capital than human capital.
April 11, 2025 at 12:46 PM
What are the most important differences between producing the machines used in manufacturing and producing the human capital required to install/maintain/operate those machines? We seem a lot more worried about balanced trade in physical capital than human capital.
Reposted by Patrick Warren
30 years ago a professor explained tariffs to me as “economic sanctions a country puts on itself” and that stuck with me.
April 2, 2025 at 8:38 PM
30 years ago a professor explained tariffs to me as “economic sanctions a country puts on itself” and that stuck with me.
Reposted by Patrick Warren
🚨 Excited to see our new paper out at @pnasnexus.org w/@pwarren.bsky.social, Darren Linvill, & Carl Ehrett!
Using data from a Russia-backed influence operation running puppet website DCWeekly, we show how LLMs are being used to scale global disinfo campaigns: 1/ 🧵
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Using data from a Russia-backed influence operation running puppet website DCWeekly, we show how LLMs are being used to scale global disinfo campaigns: 1/ 🧵
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
April 1, 2025 at 8:06 PM
🚨 Excited to see our new paper out at @pnasnexus.org w/@pwarren.bsky.social, Darren Linvill, & Carl Ehrett!
Using data from a Russia-backed influence operation running puppet website DCWeekly, we show how LLMs are being used to scale global disinfo campaigns: 1/ 🧵
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Using data from a Russia-backed influence operation running puppet website DCWeekly, we show how LLMs are being used to scale global disinfo campaigns: 1/ 🧵
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Reposted by Patrick Warren
This is going to get worse, not better. Never underestimate the American public’s thirst for performative cruelty towards The Other: defendants, foreigners, anyone they’ve been conditioned to see as less than human. We’re the country that made lynchings into picnics.
Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem making content in front of the imprisoned men of El Salvador's notorious Terrorism Confinement Center mega-prison www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
March 27, 2025 at 1:51 AM
This is going to get worse, not better. Never underestimate the American public’s thirst for performative cruelty towards The Other: defendants, foreigners, anyone they’ve been conditioned to see as less than human. We’re the country that made lynchings into picnics.
Reposted by Patrick Warren
Welp, there goes the US defense industry.
March 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Welp, there goes the US defense industry.
Reposted by Patrick Warren
Rubio’s position seems to be:
- We get to say who is a terrorist. Our decision is final. It can’t be challenged. Just trust us.
- Once we decide you are a terrorist, we can immediately deport you. No judges.
- After we deport you, we can make you rot in a foreign prison. No criminal charges needed.
- We get to say who is a terrorist. Our decision is final. It can’t be challenged. Just trust us.
- Once we decide you are a terrorist, we can immediately deport you. No judges.
- After we deport you, we can make you rot in a foreign prison. No criminal charges needed.
On Hugh Hewitt’s show, Marco Rubio says El Salvador is “housing” people sent by the US. But he never says on what possible legal authority? These people haven’t committed any crime in El Salvador and by their own admission “many” have never committed a crime in the US. It all seems entirely lawless.
March 20, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Rubio’s position seems to be:
- We get to say who is a terrorist. Our decision is final. It can’t be challenged. Just trust us.
- Once we decide you are a terrorist, we can immediately deport you. No judges.
- After we deport you, we can make you rot in a foreign prison. No criminal charges needed.
- We get to say who is a terrorist. Our decision is final. It can’t be challenged. Just trust us.
- Once we decide you are a terrorist, we can immediately deport you. No judges.
- After we deport you, we can make you rot in a foreign prison. No criminal charges needed.
These orders are the most directly authoritarian thing that the Trump admin thing has done. The logical end of this approach to EOs is to make it functionally impossible for Trump adversaries to get representation in U.S. federal court.
President Trump on Friday opened a third attack against a private law firm, restricting the business activities of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison just days after a federal judge ruled such measures appeared to violate the Constitution.
Trump Expands Attacks on Law Firms, Singling Out Paul, Weiss
Experts have warned that the president’s efforts threaten the ability of lawyers to do their jobs and private citizens to obtain legal counsel.
www.nytimes.com
March 15, 2025 at 3:12 PM
These orders are the most directly authoritarian thing that the Trump admin thing has done. The logical end of this approach to EOs is to make it functionally impossible for Trump adversaries to get representation in U.S. federal court.
If Peter Navarro has one good idea, it will be the first time.
FT Exclusive: Peter Navarro, one of the US president’s closest advisers, is pushing for the US to remove Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network — which also includes the UK, Australia and New Zealand. www.ft.com/content/2dfa...
February 27, 2025 at 11:40 PM
If Peter Navarro has one good idea, it will be the first time.
Reposted by Patrick Warren
JFC. The US Economic Policy Uncertainty Index is at its highest level since 2000, higher than during the Financial Crisis, higher than during COVID
February 26, 2025 at 10:57 PM
JFC. The US Economic Policy Uncertainty Index is at its highest level since 2000, higher than during the Financial Crisis, higher than during COVID
Reposted by Patrick Warren
Using the case study of the MAGA mannequin video, Darren Linvill and @pwarren.bsky.social explore how Russian disinformation operations shape narratives and erode support for Ukraine's war effort, especially among American conservatives.
Ukraine: The Past, Present, and Future of Russian Disinformation
Russian malign influence operations have changed their tactics in recent years. But their message has stayed the same: Abandon Ukraine.
www.lawfaremedia.org
February 20, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Using the case study of the MAGA mannequin video, Darren Linvill and @pwarren.bsky.social explore how Russian disinformation operations shape narratives and erode support for Ukraine's war effort, especially among American conservatives.
It's Schrödinger's Coup!
February 12, 2025 at 4:12 PM
It's Schrödinger's Coup!
Reposted by Patrick Warren
Musk has no technical skills whatsoever, but he wants to appear smart. So he takes bits of information like this, told to him by junior engineers, and regurgitates it to appear smart.
Musk did this with the Twitter stack and Twitter's senior architects called him out publicly, then he fired them.
Musk did this with the Twitter stack and Twitter's senior architects called him out publicly, then he fired them.
One of Musk's defining qualities is that he is a conspiracy theorist when it comes to government. He will see some ambiguous information or be presented with an easily debunked tale and he immediately believes the worst.
February 9, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Musk has no technical skills whatsoever, but he wants to appear smart. So he takes bits of information like this, told to him by junior engineers, and regurgitates it to appear smart.
Musk did this with the Twitter stack and Twitter's senior architects called him out publicly, then he fired them.
Musk did this with the Twitter stack and Twitter's senior architects called him out publicly, then he fired them.
Reposted by Patrick Warren
Clemson University is looking to hire an Animal, salary not specified
February 2, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Clemson University is looking to hire an Animal, salary not specified
I'm afraid we're going to have learn the hard way.
February 2, 2025 at 4:51 PM
I'm afraid we're going to have learn the hard way.
Reposted by Patrick Warren
Live shot of Executive Branch
January 29, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Live shot of Executive Branch
So far: State and USAID?
My salary does not rely on this funding and I have tenure. I am part of a team that had submitted a proposal to work in Egypt with partners on arts, culture, and tourism. All activities under USAID/Egypt are suspended - minus some food assistance. At least that remained
January 27, 2025 at 4:20 PM
So far: State and USAID?
Reposted by Patrick Warren
This is only the beginning.
January 27, 2025 at 3:05 PM
This is only the beginning.
Reposted by Patrick Warren
Two of my colleagues had a State Department grant suspended this morning.
January 27, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Two of my colleagues had a State Department grant suspended this morning.
Hearing rumors of ongoing US government grants being suspended today. Anyone else hearing the same?
January 27, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Hearing rumors of ongoing US government grants being suspended today. Anyone else hearing the same?
I don't think Community Notes are qualitatively different from many other algorithmic approachesto select top comments or most informative reviews. They are all similar systems for selecting and highlighting privileged responses to main content.
January 8, 2025 at 2:25 PM
I don't think Community Notes are qualitatively different from many other algorithmic approachesto select top comments or most informative reviews. They are all similar systems for selecting and highlighting privileged responses to main content.