Sylke Gruhnwald
@sylkegruhnwald.bsky.social
Reporter & Columnist. To reach me in confidence, write to sylke.gruhnwald@protonmail.com or Signal, other platforms available. Please get in touch!
One of my favourite appointments this year: @@philippeauclair.bsky.social, his cat Mabel, and an open door to the garden somewhere in West London.
Philippe is an investigative reporter specialising in football. He had supplied me with names and ...
Philippe is an investigative reporter specialising in football. He had supplied me with names and ...
December 19, 2025 at 11:43 AM
One of my favourite appointments this year: @@philippeauclair.bsky.social, his cat Mabel, and an open door to the garden somewhere in West London.
Philippe is an investigative reporter specialising in football. He had supplied me with names and ...
Philippe is an investigative reporter specialising in football. He had supplied me with names and ...
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
From the crazy world of illegal gambling, one of the craziest stories we at @josimarfootball.bsky.social have come across in our investigations (and that is saying something). Who is "William Anderson", "founder" of Milan's new Asian betting partner sureWin? josimarfootball.com/2025/12/15/t...
The Magnificent Anderson - josimarfootball.com
Illegal betting operators routinely use actors to impersonate their owners and executives, but none of them has ever gone as far in this respect as AC Milan's brand new "official betting partner in As...
josimarfootball.com
December 15, 2025 at 11:08 AM
From the crazy world of illegal gambling, one of the craziest stories we at @josimarfootball.bsky.social have come across in our investigations (and that is saying something). Who is "William Anderson", "founder" of Milan's new Asian betting partner sureWin? josimarfootball.com/2025/12/15/t...
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
Sind Männer okay? Mir hat heute Morgen einer aus dem Auto «elende Drecksfotze» nachgerufen, als ich mit dem Fahrrad die Strasse kreuzte. In welchem Meeting er jetzt wohl sitzt? Geht er später zu seiner Familie? Für ihn ists ein normaler Tag, normal, so über Frauen zu reden und zu denken. #Frauenhass
December 18, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Sind Männer okay? Mir hat heute Morgen einer aus dem Auto «elende Drecksfotze» nachgerufen, als ich mit dem Fahrrad die Strasse kreuzte. In welchem Meeting er jetzt wohl sitzt? Geht er später zu seiner Familie? Für ihn ists ein normaler Tag, normal, so über Frauen zu reden und zu denken. #Frauenhass
Goings On
What to read, listen to, eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: I often rely on my colleagues when it comes to all things read, listened to, and watched. Bloomberg's graphic novel «Trapped: Arrested by Phone—A True Story» ...
What to read, listen to, eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: I often rely on my colleagues when it comes to all things read, listened to, and watched. Bloomberg's graphic novel «Trapped: Arrested by Phone—A True Story» ...
December 18, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Goings On
What to read, listen to, eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: I often rely on my colleagues when it comes to all things read, listened to, and watched. Bloomberg's graphic novel «Trapped: Arrested by Phone—A True Story» ...
What to read, listen to, eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: I often rely on my colleagues when it comes to all things read, listened to, and watched. Bloomberg's graphic novel «Trapped: Arrested by Phone—A True Story» ...
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
Bei @sylkegruhnwald.bsky.social gelesen: #Legion geht weiter - zurück bei den Scam-Fabriken. www.ardaudiothek.de/episode/urn:...
Legion · War on Scam: Teil 1 · Podcast in der ARD Audiothek
Myanmar ist ein Hotspot der globalen Scam-Industrie. Hunderttausende arbeiten dort für ein einziges Ziel: Sie betrügen Menschen weltweit, online. Mit gefälschten Krypto-Investments, Liebesschwindel und Catfishing. Doch viele der Scammer*innen sind selbst Opfer. Sie werden mit Gewalt und Folter gezwungen, zu scammen. Über Jahre floriert das kriminelle Imperium – wächst und wächst.
Im Herbst 2025 ist plötzlich alles anders: Über der bekanntesten Scam-Fabrik der Welt steigen Rauchwolken auf. Auf KK Park fallen Bomben.
Das burmesische Militär durchsucht die Anlage bei einer öffentlichkeitswirksamen Razzia, in den Tagen danach sind die Explosionen kilometerweit zu hören. Immer mehr Menschen fliehen nach Thailand.
Wir sprechen mit geflohenen Ex-Scammer*innen, lokalen NGOs, Opfern des burmesischen Bürgerkriegs und internationalen Experten. Erleben wir gerade das Ende der Scam-Industrie?
Unser Podcast Tipp: Der Rest ist Geschichte - Bürgerkrieg in Myanmar - im Griff des Militärs https://www.ardaudiothek.de/episode/urn:ard:episode:dd5f043451432d3a/
Fragen oder Feedback? legion@rbb-online.de
"Legion" ist eine Produktion von rbb, NDR und Undone 2025.
www.ardaudiothek.de
December 18, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Bei @sylkegruhnwald.bsky.social gelesen: #Legion geht weiter - zurück bei den Scam-Fabriken. www.ardaudiothek.de/episode/urn:...
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
NEW: A hacker gained control of 1,100 mobile phones powering covert, AI-generated ads on TikTok. Then, he shared details of the operation with 404 Media.
A look inside how startup Doublespeed, which is backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), is creating AI spam pages on TikTok to promote products.
A look inside how startup Doublespeed, which is backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), is creating AI spam pages on TikTok to promote products.
Hack Reveals the a16z-Backed Phone Farm Flooding TikTok With AI Influencers
A hacker gained control of a 1,100 mobile phone farm powering covert, AI-generated ads on TikTok.
www.404media.co
December 17, 2025 at 2:22 PM
NEW: A hacker gained control of 1,100 mobile phones powering covert, AI-generated ads on TikTok. Then, he shared details of the operation with 404 Media.
A look inside how startup Doublespeed, which is backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), is creating AI spam pages on TikTok to promote products.
A look inside how startup Doublespeed, which is backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), is creating AI spam pages on TikTok to promote products.
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
New! We worked with the Public Interest Research Group to test a bunch of LLM-driven toys ahead of the Christmas. That sexual talking teddy bear wasn't a one-off; it turns out disturbing behavior is deeply built into these toys across the board.
AI toys for kids talk about sex and issue Chinese Communist Party talking points, tests show
New research from Public Interest Research Group and tests conducted by NBC News found that a wide range of AI toys have loose guardrails.
www.nbcnews.com
December 11, 2025 at 1:24 PM
New! We worked with the Public Interest Research Group to test a bunch of LLM-driven toys ahead of the Christmas. That sexual talking teddy bear wasn't a one-off; it turns out disturbing behavior is deeply built into these toys across the board.
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
“Asian wife sharing,” Pentagon press policy, and me: Journalism in the second Trump administration gets personal. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
I asked the Pentagon about Pete Hegseth's mentor. Then the threats started.
Journalism in the second Trump administration gets personal.
www.motherjones.com
December 11, 2025 at 2:17 PM
“Asian wife sharing,” Pentagon press policy, and me: Journalism in the second Trump administration gets personal. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Goings On
What to read, listen to, eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: War or peace? Yes. Israel's war on Gaza and the wider region continues, though foreign journalists remain barred from entering—the violence obscured by design. …
What to read, listen to, eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: War or peace? Yes. Israel's war on Gaza and the wider region continues, though foreign journalists remain barred from entering—the violence obscured by design. …
December 11, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Goings On
What to read, listen to, eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: War or peace? Yes. Israel's war on Gaza and the wider region continues, though foreign journalists remain barred from entering—the violence obscured by design. …
What to read, listen to, eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: War or peace? Yes. Israel's war on Gaza and the wider region continues, though foreign journalists remain barred from entering—the violence obscured by design. …
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
On the internet, age verification doesn't know you're a dog.
I see the Australian social media ban is off to a great start.
Nobody knows you're a dog on the Internet. 🐕
Nobody knows you're a dog on the Internet. 🐕
December 10, 2025 at 4:34 AM
On the internet, age verification doesn't know you're a dog.
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
Many #FemTech tools rely on#algorithms trained on historically biased datasets. Clinical #AI models are often less effective in identifying or predicting conditions in women, particularly in areas like cardiovascular disease, chronic pain and depression
medium.com/digital-heal...
medium.com/digital-heal...
FemTech and women’s health 2025-from gaps to action
women’s health focus is no longer an option, it’s a standard
medium.com
December 10, 2025 at 6:20 AM
Many #FemTech tools rely on#algorithms trained on historically biased datasets. Clinical #AI models are often less effective in identifying or predicting conditions in women, particularly in areas like cardiovascular disease, chronic pain and depression
medium.com/digital-heal...
medium.com/digital-heal...
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
Mehr männliche Leadership. Die Rückkehr von öffentlichen Hinrichtungen. Falls er „in charge“ ist. Fordert ein Mitgründer von #Palantir. Was soll da schon schief mit diesen ganzen Tech-Oligarchen gehen? Wir sollten uns weiter abhängig machen und ihnen Zucker geben.
Billionaire wants to bring back public executions
Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale said public hangings are the sort of "masculine leadership" the country needs.
www.newsweek.com
December 10, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Mehr männliche Leadership. Die Rückkehr von öffentlichen Hinrichtungen. Falls er „in charge“ ist. Fordert ein Mitgründer von #Palantir. Was soll da schon schief mit diesen ganzen Tech-Oligarchen gehen? Wir sollten uns weiter abhängig machen und ihnen Zucker geben.
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
Am 10. Dezember - dem Tag der Menschenrechte - zeigt das DFF Frankfurt einen Film über #Butscha.
Der Film erzählt die Geschichte der Besetzung anhand von Interviews, Videos von Einheimischen und Aufnahmen von Überwachungskameras.
Der Film erzählt die Geschichte der Besetzung anhand von Interviews, Videos von Einheimischen und Aufnahmen von Überwachungskameras.
Premiere meines Butscha-Dokumentarfilms ist am Tag der Menschenrechte im @dff_film
10-12-2025, ab 18 Uhr. TICKETVORVERKAUF: booking.cinetixx.de/frontend/ind...
10-12-2025, ab 18 Uhr. TICKETVORVERKAUF: booking.cinetixx.de/frontend/ind...
December 5, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Am 10. Dezember - dem Tag der Menschenrechte - zeigt das DFF Frankfurt einen Film über #Butscha.
Der Film erzählt die Geschichte der Besetzung anhand von Interviews, Videos von Einheimischen und Aufnahmen von Überwachungskameras.
Der Film erzählt die Geschichte der Besetzung anhand von Interviews, Videos von Einheimischen und Aufnahmen von Überwachungskameras.
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
ICYMI: My retrospective of 200 years of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (delivered this year by the irrepressible Maggie Aderin-Pocock).
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
How the Royal Institution made science a seasonal spectacle
From flaming raisins to robots and rockets, the institution’s Christmas Lectures have educated and entertained for two centuries.
www.nature.com
December 9, 2025 at 11:14 AM
ICYMI: My retrospective of 200 years of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (delivered this year by the irrepressible Maggie Aderin-Pocock).
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
Nothing to see here, just a robot dog armed with a shortened rifle, deployed by the SBU’s Alpha Special Operations Center.
December 8, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Nothing to see here, just a robot dog armed with a shortened rifle, deployed by the SBU’s Alpha Special Operations Center.
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
Das ist wirklich historisch.
Das Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz warnt vor ausländischer Einflussnahme durch … die USA.
Das Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz warnt vor ausländischer Einflussnahme durch … die USA.
US-Sicherheitsstrategie: Deutsche Geheimdienste sind besorgt und warnen
Der Verfassungsschutz mahnt mehr Befugnisse an, um unabhängiger von amerikanischen Geheimdiensten zu werden. Denkbar sei sogar, dass sich die USA bei Wahlen in Europa stärker einmischen könnten.
www.sueddeutsche.de
December 8, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Das ist wirklich historisch.
Das Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz warnt vor ausländischer Einflussnahme durch … die USA.
Das Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz warnt vor ausländischer Einflussnahme durch … die USA.
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
The EU Commission did not blink, it seems.
It announced today a fine of $120M on X for several violations including deceptive design of the blue checkmark
It announced today a fine of $120M on X for several violations including deceptive design of the blue checkmark
Commission fines X €120 million under the Digital Services Act
Today, the Commission has issued a fine of €120 million to X for breaching its transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
ec.europa.eu
December 5, 2025 at 11:39 AM
The EU Commission did not blink, it seems.
It announced today a fine of $120M on X for several violations including deceptive design of the blue checkmark
It announced today a fine of $120M on X for several violations including deceptive design of the blue checkmark
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
“An Irish navy ship spotted up to five drones operating near the flight path of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s aircraft as he arrived for a state visit to Ireland on Monday, Irish and Ukrainian media reported.”
Ukraine war briefing: drones reportedly spotted near Zelenskyy flight path on Dublin trip
Irish navy ship spotted suspicious drones near the flight path of Zelenskyy’s aircraft as he landed on Monday in Ireland, local media reported. What we know on day 1,3811
www.theguardian.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:12 AM
“An Irish navy ship spotted up to five drones operating near the flight path of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s aircraft as he arrived for a state visit to Ireland on Monday, Irish and Ukrainian media reported.”
Michelle Obama once said that after sitting at the most powerful tables, she realised something surprising: «They're not that smart.» A sentiment many women recognise in male-dominated rooms.
December 5, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Michelle Obama once said that after sitting at the most powerful tables, she realised something surprising: «They're not that smart.» A sentiment many women recognise in male-dominated rooms.
Goings On
What to read, listen to, eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: The newsletter «readwrite». Fellow investigative journalists Hakan Tanriverdi and Jan Strozyk started a newsletter on journalism and coding.
What to read, listen to, eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: The newsletter «readwrite». Fellow investigative journalists Hakan Tanriverdi and Jan Strozyk started a newsletter on journalism and coding.
December 4, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Goings On
What to read, listen to, eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: The newsletter «readwrite». Fellow investigative journalists Hakan Tanriverdi and Jan Strozyk started a newsletter on journalism and coding.
What to read, listen to, eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: The newsletter «readwrite». Fellow investigative journalists Hakan Tanriverdi and Jan Strozyk started a newsletter on journalism and coding.
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
Der Geheimdienst kann mit der #Kabelaufklärung alle Menschen in der Schweiz überwachen. Das Bundesverwaltungsgericht hat nun in einem wegweisenden #Urteil festgehalten, dass die Kabelaufklärung nicht konform mit der Bundesverfassung und der EMRK ist.
www.digitale-gesellschaft.ch/2025/12/02/f...
www.digitale-gesellschaft.ch/2025/12/02/f...
Funk- und Kabelaufklärung verletzt Bundesverfassung und Europäische Menschenrechtskonvention - Digitale Gesellschaft
www.digitale-gesellschaft.ch
December 2, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Der Geheimdienst kann mit der #Kabelaufklärung alle Menschen in der Schweiz überwachen. Das Bundesverwaltungsgericht hat nun in einem wegweisenden #Urteil festgehalten, dass die Kabelaufklärung nicht konform mit der Bundesverfassung und der EMRK ist.
www.digitale-gesellschaft.ch/2025/12/02/f...
www.digitale-gesellschaft.ch/2025/12/02/f...
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
And later, offer a free email service, a large language model, and Reels.
Health minister says UK should cash in on NHS patient data on.ft.com/3M9bZMr
Health minister says UK should cash in on NHS patient data
Zubir Ahmed says new central service for medical datasets should be leveraged for ‘benefit of Treasury coffers’
on.ft.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:42 PM
And later, offer a free email service, a large language model, and Reels.
Reposted by Sylke Gruhnwald
“Georgia's authorities used a World War One-era chemical weapon to quell anti-government protesters last year, evidence gathered by the BBC suggests.” www.bbc.com/news/article...
WW1 toxic compound sprayed on Georgian protesters, BBC evidence suggests
Anti-government demonstrators are likely to have been targeted with camite, our investigation finds.
www.bbc.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:40 AM
“Georgia's authorities used a World War One-era chemical weapon to quell anti-government protesters last year, evidence gathered by the BBC suggests.” www.bbc.com/news/article...
Tim Berners-Lee erfand das Web – und kämpft heute darum, es zurückzuerobern. Meine Buchkritik zu «This Is for Everyone» in der NZZ am Sonntag: www.nzz.ch/feuilleton/e...
Und dazu das Portrait über Tim Berners-Lee im New Yorker: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Und dazu das Portrait über Tim Berners-Lee im New Yorker: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
November 30, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Tim Berners-Lee erfand das Web – und kämpft heute darum, es zurückzuerobern. Meine Buchkritik zu «This Is for Everyone» in der NZZ am Sonntag: www.nzz.ch/feuilleton/e...
Und dazu das Portrait über Tim Berners-Lee im New Yorker: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Und dazu das Portrait über Tim Berners-Lee im New Yorker: www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Goings On
What to read, to listen to, to eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: Natasha Brown's «Universality» dissects who gets to tell stories and what those stories obscure—a slim novel doing the work of something three times its length.
www.faber.co.uk/product/9780...
What to read, to listen to, to eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: Natasha Brown's «Universality» dissects who gets to tell stories and what those stories obscure—a slim novel doing the work of something three times its length.
www.faber.co.uk/product/9780...
Universality: Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2025
In the new novel from the author of Assembly, a viral longread exposé raises more questions than it answers.
www.faber.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Goings On
What to read, to listen to, to eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: Natasha Brown's «Universality» dissects who gets to tell stories and what those stories obscure—a slim novel doing the work of something three times its length.
www.faber.co.uk/product/9780...
What to read, to listen to, to eat, worth investigating, and not to look away from.
Read: Natasha Brown's «Universality» dissects who gets to tell stories and what those stories obscure—a slim novel doing the work of something three times its length.
www.faber.co.uk/product/9780...