Dhanaraj Thakur
@thakurdhanaraj.bsky.social
Director, Emerging Technologies Initiative, George Washington University Law School.
Board Member: Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition and #shepersisted
Member: Global Majority Research Committee (Trust and Safety Foundation).
Board Member: Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition and #shepersisted
Member: Global Majority Research Committee (Trust and Safety Foundation).
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
Microsoft is handing over Bitlocker keys to law enforcement. www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...
Microsoft Gave FBI BitLocker Encryption Keys, Exposing Privacy Flaw
The tech giant said providing encryption keys was a standard response to a court order. But companies like Apple and Meta set up their systems so such a privacy violation isn’t possible.
www.forbes.com
January 23, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Microsoft is handing over Bitlocker keys to law enforcement. www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
“Don’t walk in” instead of “just walk out.”
NYC Wegmans is storing biometric data on shoppers' eyes, voices and faces
The supermarket chain says it’s a move to ensure shopper safety. Surveillance experts warn of privacy risks.
gothamist.com
January 3, 2026 at 9:09 PM
“Don’t walk in” instead of “just walk out.”
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
Hey guys, is punishing human rights activists the government disagrees with good for free speech? Asking for a friend. www.state.gov/releases/off...
Announcement of Actions to Combat the Global Censorship-Industrial Complex - United States Department of State
The State Department is taking decisive action against five individuals who have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose....
www.state.gov
December 24, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Hey guys, is punishing human rights activists the government disagrees with good for free speech? Asking for a friend. www.state.gov/releases/off...
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
These rebranding attempts are getting more ridiculous.
The CEO of Microsoft AI says AI chatbots are a powerful way for humans to offload emotions and 'detoxify ourselves'
Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft AI's CEO, has described using AI for guidance on life decisions as "something that the world needs."
www.businessinsider.com
December 22, 2025 at 7:00 PM
These rebranding attempts are getting more ridiculous.
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future."
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
December 19, 2025 at 12:24 PM
"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future."
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
This month, OpenAI announced "up to $2 million" in funding for research on AI safety and well-being. This may seem generous, write J. Nathan Matias and Avriel Epps, but following in the footsteps of other tech giants facing scrutiny over mental health impacts, it's nothing more than grantwashing.
Beware of OpenAI's 'Grantwashing' on AI Harms | TechPolicy.Press
J. Nathan Matias and Avriel Epps say OpenAI's announced research funding is the perfect corporate action to make sure we don't find answers for years.
www.techpolicy.press
December 18, 2025 at 4:10 PM
This month, OpenAI announced "up to $2 million" in funding for research on AI safety and well-being. This may seem generous, write J. Nathan Matias and Avriel Epps, but following in the footsteps of other tech giants facing scrutiny over mental health impacts, it's nothing more than grantwashing.
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
"...super PACs backed by Trump-supporting tech moguls and the social network giant Meta" will "try to use the 2026 midterms to reengineer Congress and state legislatures in favor of their ambitions for artificial intelligence."
Tech moguls close to Trump see the midterms as a path to long-term power
As politicians in both parties raise concerns about the impacts of AI, political groups backed by tech investors and Meta plan to intervene in midterms races.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 19, 2025 at 11:47 AM
"...super PACs backed by Trump-supporting tech moguls and the social network giant Meta" will "try to use the 2026 midterms to reengineer Congress and state legislatures in favor of their ambitions for artificial intelligence."
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
Amazon “has persuaded cities and school districts to abandon competitive bidding and surrender to its dynamic, algorithm-driven pricing…This opaque system subjects buyers to erratic price swings and allows Amazon to covertly inflate prices and overcharge schools and cities.”
US schools face big price swings for basics under Amazon’s ‘dynamic pricing’, report claims
Amazon calls the report ‘flawed and misleading’ and says it offers lower prices than competitors
www.theguardian.com
December 17, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Amazon “has persuaded cities and school districts to abandon competitive bidding and surrender to its dynamic, algorithm-driven pricing…This opaque system subjects buyers to erratic price swings and allows Amazon to covertly inflate prices and overcharge schools and cities.”
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
During questioning, FCC Chair Brendan Carr was asked whether the FCC is an independent agency. Sen. Luján specifically cited the FCC website calling it “independent.”
I took a screenshot of the site at 11:54 am
I took another at 12:22 pm and the word “independent” was gone.
#FCCOversight
I took a screenshot of the site at 11:54 am
I took another at 12:22 pm and the word “independent” was gone.
#FCCOversight
December 17, 2025 at 5:31 PM
During questioning, FCC Chair Brendan Carr was asked whether the FCC is an independent agency. Sen. Luján specifically cited the FCC website calling it “independent.”
I took a screenshot of the site at 11:54 am
I took another at 12:22 pm and the word “independent” was gone.
#FCCOversight
I took a screenshot of the site at 11:54 am
I took another at 12:22 pm and the word “independent” was gone.
#FCCOversight
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
We’re so focused on the negative impacts of capitalist tech platforms on young people, but not nearly concerned enough about the screen dependence of older people.
Older people are spending more time on their phones than the kids are
Some think this is a good thing as we enter into an "app-based retirement." I am not so sure.
lloydalter.substack.com
December 17, 2025 at 3:37 AM
We’re so focused on the negative impacts of capitalist tech platforms on young people, but not nearly concerned enough about the screen dependence of older people.
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
The ACM Digital Library, where a LOT of computing-related research is published (I'd say at least 75% of my own publications), is now not only providing (without consent of the authors and without opt-in by readers) AI-generated summaries of papers, but they appear as the *default* over abstracts.
December 16, 2025 at 11:31 PM
The ACM Digital Library, where a LOT of computing-related research is published (I'd say at least 75% of my own publications), is now not only providing (without consent of the authors and without opt-in by readers) AI-generated summaries of papers, but they appear as the *default* over abstracts.
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
I think it’s also true that loneliness among women has historically been treated as an individual problem, while loneliness among men is treated as a societal problem. That, in turn, comes from an assumption that women are supposed to earn the company of others while men are entitled to it.
men’s loneliness gets “more airtime”?
baby I have lived the past three decades of my life witnessing corporate media elevate men’s loneliness into a full-blown balls-to-the-wall CRISIS once every 4-5 years
“more airtime” is hilarious
baby I have lived the past three decades of my life witnessing corporate media elevate men’s loneliness into a full-blown balls-to-the-wall CRISIS once every 4-5 years
“more airtime” is hilarious
December 12, 2025 at 3:03 AM
I think it’s also true that loneliness among women has historically been treated as an individual problem, while loneliness among men is treated as a societal problem. That, in turn, comes from an assumption that women are supposed to earn the company of others while men are entitled to it.
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
So excited to come home and find this book in the mail! Officially on sale today in the UK and in the US in February 📚
Basically my life's work, so I hope you enjoy it!
paritypolitics.org
Polisky Gendersky
Basically my life's work, so I hope you enjoy it!
paritypolitics.org
Polisky Gendersky
December 12, 2025 at 2:10 PM
So excited to come home and find this book in the mail! Officially on sale today in the UK and in the US in February 📚
Basically my life's work, so I hope you enjoy it!
paritypolitics.org
Polisky Gendersky
Basically my life's work, so I hope you enjoy it!
paritypolitics.org
Polisky Gendersky
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
it is increasingly difficult to have nuanced takes on "AI" but part of this is that the companies *themselves* set hyperbolic terms of debate that then reward equal and opposite reaction.
I still think better critics are needed - the "AI is a scam" people or Zitron or others are just feeding off this resentment - but...yeah. Whole thread is on point.
I continue to have no sympathy left for whinging about how the public are rude about AI and feel threatened by it when the biggest players in the AI space have spent years very vocally and constantly *threatening the public*
December 10, 2025 at 4:16 PM
it is increasingly difficult to have nuanced takes on "AI" but part of this is that the companies *themselves* set hyperbolic terms of debate that then reward equal and opposite reaction.
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
"The takedowns and restrictions began in October and targeted the Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp accounts of more than 50 organisations worldwide ... in what appears to be a growing push by Meta to limit reproductive health and queer content across its platforms."
Meta shuts down global accounts linked to abortion advice and queer content
More than 50 organisations report sites being restricted or removed, with abortion hotlines blocked and posts showing non-explicit nudity triggering warnings
www.theguardian.com
December 11, 2025 at 12:14 PM
"The takedowns and restrictions began in October and targeted the Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp accounts of more than 50 organisations worldwide ... in what appears to be a growing push by Meta to limit reproductive health and queer content across its platforms."
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
Absolutely no way that Disney doesn't come to regret AI user-generated content of their characters openai.com/index/disney...
The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI reach landmark agreement to bring beloved characters from across Disney’s brands to Sora
Agreement marks a significant step in setting meaningful standards for responsible AI in entertainment.
openai.com
December 11, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Absolutely no way that Disney doesn't come to regret AI user-generated content of their characters openai.com/index/disney...
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
Is Instacart using AI to inflate the prices of your groceries? Alarming new investigation is a blaring alarm on the dangers of digital price manipulation
www.consumerreports.org/money/questi...
www.consumerreports.org/money/questi...
Instacart’s AI-Enabled Pricing Experiments May Be Inflating Your Grocery Bill, CR and Groundwork Collaborative Investigation Finds - Consumer Reports
Exclusive: Instacart’s AI pricing may be inflating your grocery bill.
www.consumerreports.org
December 9, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Is Instacart using AI to inflate the prices of your groceries? Alarming new investigation is a blaring alarm on the dangers of digital price manipulation
www.consumerreports.org/money/questi...
www.consumerreports.org/money/questi...
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
“It’s capitalism and the height of digital colonialism”
Low-wage Kenyan workers are training China’s AI models
https://restofworld.org/2025/kenya-china-ai-workers?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1765194720
Low-wage Kenyan workers are training China’s AI models
https://restofworld.org/2025/kenya-china-ai-workers?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1765194720
The hidden Kenyan workers training China’s AI models
An unemployment crisis has created fertile ground for companies to step in with opaque systems built on WhatsApp groups, middlemen, and bargain-basement wages.
restofworld.org
December 8, 2025 at 11:52 AM
“It’s capitalism and the height of digital colonialism”
Low-wage Kenyan workers are training China’s AI models
https://restofworld.org/2025/kenya-china-ai-workers?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1765194720
Low-wage Kenyan workers are training China’s AI models
https://restofworld.org/2025/kenya-china-ai-workers?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1765194720
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
STS/Communications scholar Morgan Ames (whom these authors don't cite) has repeatedly demonstrated that OLPC was ineffective at best, and harmful at worst, including in an award-winning book published in 2019.
The real question is why economists don't acknowledge work in other fields.
The real question is why economists don't acknowledge work in other fields.
December 7, 2025 at 11:18 PM
STS/Communications scholar Morgan Ames (whom these authors don't cite) has repeatedly demonstrated that OLPC was ineffective at best, and harmful at worst, including in an award-winning book published in 2019.
The real question is why economists don't acknowledge work in other fields.
The real question is why economists don't acknowledge work in other fields.
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
Elections in India's Bihar showed how easily AI-generated voice clones and deepfake videos could spread misinformation and target voters. The technology appeared to favor bigger political parties, report Saurabh Sharma and Raihana Maqbool for @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/ai-indi...
restofworld.org/2025/ai-indi...
Cheap and powerful AI campaigns target voters in India
The Bihar state election was awash with voice clones and synthetic videos that reached voters easily and spread misinformation.
restofworld.org
December 8, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Elections in India's Bihar showed how easily AI-generated voice clones and deepfake videos could spread misinformation and target voters. The technology appeared to favor bigger political parties, report Saurabh Sharma and Raihana Maqbool for @restofworld.org
restofworld.org/2025/ai-indi...
restofworld.org/2025/ai-indi...
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
Don't let anyone tell you that the Commission's DSA enforcement against X is about speech or censorship.
That would, indeed, be interesting. But this is just the EU enforcing some normal, boring laws that would get bipartisan support in the U.S. (I bet similar bills *have* had that support.) 1/
That would, indeed, be interesting. But this is just the EU enforcing some normal, boring laws that would get bipartisan support in the U.S. (I bet similar bills *have* had that support.) 1/
December 5, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Don't let anyone tell you that the Commission's DSA enforcement against X is about speech or censorship.
That would, indeed, be interesting. But this is just the EU enforcing some normal, boring laws that would get bipartisan support in the U.S. (I bet similar bills *have* had that support.) 1/
That would, indeed, be interesting. But this is just the EU enforcing some normal, boring laws that would get bipartisan support in the U.S. (I bet similar bills *have* had that support.) 1/
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
“we estimate employment-weighted share of Americans using AI at work has fallen by a percentage point & now sits at 11%. Adoption has fallen sharply at the largest businesses, those employing +250 people. 3 yrs into the genAI wave, demand looks surprisingly flimsy” www.economist.com/finance-and-...
Investors expect AI use to soar. That’s not happening
Recent surveys point to flatlining business adoption
www.economist.com
December 4, 2025 at 4:12 PM
“we estimate employment-weighted share of Americans using AI at work has fallen by a percentage point & now sits at 11%. Adoption has fallen sharply at the largest businesses, those employing +250 people. 3 yrs into the genAI wave, demand looks surprisingly flimsy” www.economist.com/finance-and-...
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
"We are exporting the very labor of teaching and learning—the slow work of wrestling with ideas, the enduring of discomfort, doubt and confusion, the struggle of finding one’s own voice." This was my rationale for saying no GenAI in our MA; others disagreed. www.currentaffairs.org/news/ai-is-d...
AI is Destroying the University and Learning Itself
Students use AI to write papers, professors use AI to grade them, degrees become meaningless, and tech companies make fortunes. Welcome to the death of higher education.
www.currentaffairs.org
December 4, 2025 at 2:06 AM
"We are exporting the very labor of teaching and learning—the slow work of wrestling with ideas, the enduring of discomfort, doubt and confusion, the struggle of finding one’s own voice." This was my rationale for saying no GenAI in our MA; others disagreed. www.currentaffairs.org/news/ai-is-d...
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
CDT Europe is releasing its first report on how the EU’s current approach to spyware is failing to protect democracy. Spyware is being used across the Union to target journalists, activists, political opponents and public officials. The risks keep escalating. 🧵
December 4, 2025 at 8:18 AM
CDT Europe is releasing its first report on how the EU’s current approach to spyware is failing to protect democracy. Spyware is being used across the Union to target journalists, activists, political opponents and public officials. The risks keep escalating. 🧵
Reposted by Dhanaraj Thakur
US telecom company trained an ai model to scan incarcerated people’s “calls, texts, and emails in the hope of predicting and preventing crimes.”
An AI model trained on prison phone calls now looks for planned crimes in those calls
The model is built to detect when crimes are being “contemplated.”
www.technologyreview.com
December 1, 2025 at 1:58 PM
US telecom company trained an ai model to scan incarcerated people’s “calls, texts, and emails in the hope of predicting and preventing crimes.”