Michael Zimmer

@michaelzimmer.bsky.social

2.5K followers 410 following 390 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%

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Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 5h

So I'm on the new Digg. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Reposted by Steve Peers, Michael Zimmer, Patrick Stokes , and 2 more Steve Peers, Michael Zimmer, Patrick Stokes, Pádua Fernandes, David Darmofal

Akela Cooper @akelacooper.bsky.social · 9h

Found the tweet that Joyce Carol Oates bodied Elon Musk with and it's so beautiful in its eloquent, simple take down. So much so he's crashing out trying to prove he reads books now. Put this in the Louvre.

Screenshot of a tweet from Joyce Carol Oates posted on Sunday, November 9th that reads "so curious that such a wealthy man never posts anything that indicates that he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone appreciates--scenes from nature, pet dog or cat, praise for a movie, music, a book (but doubt that he reads); pride in a friend's or relative's accomplishment; condolences for someone who has died; pleasure in sports, acclaim for a favorite team; references to history. in fact he seems totally uneducated, uncultured. the poorest persons on Twitter may have access to more beauty & meaning in life than the "most wealthy person in the world."

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Will Jennings, Steven S. Smith , and 8 more Anna O. Law, Will Jennings, Steven S. Smith, American Library Association, Gernot Wagner, Robert C. Richards, Melanie C. Green, Aaron Sojourner, Michael Zimmer, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Susan Strasser

Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 9h

Buried inside the deal to reopen government is a provision that would give Senators private right of action to sue for millions in damages over their phone records being analyzed by Jack Smith's team.
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Shutdown Deal Would Let Senators Sue Over Jack Smith Searches

Senators whose phone records were sought by Special Counsel Jack Smith would gain authority to sue for millions in damages under a provision buried in the Senate-advanced deal to reopen the government...

news.bloomberglaw.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

sobroquet @sobroquet.bsky.social · 12h

Elon Musk’s Boring Company fined nearly $500K after it dumped drilling fluids into Las Vegas manholes—then ‘feigned compliance’ and was caught doing it again

Fortune Magazine©️

archive.ph/eQYCN#select...

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Michael Zimmer

Leah Greenberg ❌👑 @leahgreenberg.bsky.social · 1d

Caving now will teach Trump and Republicans that they can win any fight simply by threatening to cause terrible harm to regular people. no possible way that could have future adverse consequences

Reposted by Michael Zimmer, Anne Hilborn

Ben McAdams Memorial Act(THE NECROMANCY ARCH) @purrtah.bsky.social · 1d

“Um well there aren’t even any Senate Dem Press releases saying they support the deal”

Sen Tim Kaine: Hold my beer

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 1d

Trump getting booed at the Commanders game

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 1d

Who could have possibly predicted that when major sports sacrificed their credibility to cash in on gambling, it would lead to betting scandals?

MLB pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz charged with taking bribes to rig pitches for bettors

Two Major League Baseball pitchers have been indicted on charges they took bribes to give sports bettors advance notice of the types of pitches they’d throw and intentionally tossed balls instead of s...

apnews.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Aram Sinnreich @aramsinn.bsky.social · 2d

All this pain and suffering because a loose affiliation of religious crazies, Nazi freaks, and wealthy creeps want to prevent an 80 year old sociopathic con artist from facing public retribution for raping some kids

Reposted by Cathy N. Davidson, Michael Zimmer, Brooke Harrington

Sam Adams @samadams.bsky.social · 2d

Six people died from tampered Tylenol and the company pulled 30 million bottles off the market. ChatGPT is accused of urging seven people towards suicide, and OpenAI just assures us they’re still working out the kinks. Billions in investment, zero accountability.

OpenAI faces 7 lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide, delusions

OpenAI is facing seven lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide and harmful delusions even when they had no prior mental health issues.

apnews.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Michael Zimmer

Mike Walker @newnarrative.bsky.social · 2d

The Times interviewed dozens of migrant men sent to a prison in El Salvador by the Trump administration. Independent forensic analysts called the testimony credible and consistent and said the treatment met the U.N.’s definition of torture.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...

‘You Are All Terrorists’: Four Months in a Salvadoran Prison

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Will Jennings, Linda J. Skitka, Scott L. Greer , and 5 more Will Jennings, Linda J. Skitka, Scott L. Greer, Michael Zimmer, Lesley Bartlett, Julia M. Wright, Pádua Fernandes, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 3d

Panera’s moderately caffeinated lemonade was loosely associated with 2 deaths before it was taken off market.

This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.

Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 4d

I fully believe in the corporate death penalty and believe we would be a better world if OpenAI lost its corporate charter and was forcibly dissolved.

www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...

ChatGPT encouraged college graduate to commit suicide, family claims in lawsuit against OpenAI | CNN

A 23-year-old man killed himself in Texas after ChatGPT ‘goaded’ him to commit suicide, his family says in a lawsuit.

www.cnn.com

Reposted by Melissa Terras, Charles West, Michael Zimmer , and 1 more Melissa Terras, Charles West, Michael Zimmer, Larry W. Hunter

Chris Paxton @cpaxton.bsky.social · 3d

Words to live by tbh

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 3d

Student surveillance companies cash in on the ai grift by promising schools and parents their tech will keep students safe from the harms of ai.

Chatbots Are Sparking a New Era of Student Surveillance

As US educators embrace AI in the classroom, firms are selling software to flag mentions of self-harm, raising concerns over privacy and control.

www.bloomberg.com

Reposted by Axel Bruns, Michael Zimmer

David, Host of The Cold War @coldwarhost.bsky.social · 4d

Never takes long for the internet to provide...

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Michael Zimmer, David Darmofal

John Palfrey @palfrey.org · 4d

"The use of force shocks the conscience."

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...

Judge Criticizes Immigration Agents in Chicago: ‘Use of Force Shocks the Conscience’

www.nytimes.com

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d

Trump to the Novo Nordisk CEO: "Maybe you should give us a piece of the company like I've been asking for."

Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 4d

Shut up and take my money.

The Verge @theverge.com · 4d

Lego’s first Star Trek set is a $400 Enterprise with Data, Picard, and Worf minifigures

The 3,600-piece set will be available starting on November 28th, 2025, and includes nine minifigures with accessories.

buff.ly

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

The Verge @theverge.com · 4d

Lego’s first Star Trek set is a $400 Enterprise with Data, Picard, and Worf minifigures

The 3,600-piece set will be available starting on November 28th, 2025, and includes nine minifigures with accessories.

buff.ly

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa, Michael Zimmer, Raúl Pacheco-Vega

Caroline Haskins @carolinehaskins.bsky.social · 4d

SCOOP (free, as it's FOIA-based!): I obtained 1,665 pgs of documents about "Bicken Ben," a growing private school the Zuckerbergs ran illegally out of their Palo Alto compound

Neighbors complained the school for years. Then, in 2024, they reached their breaking point:
www.wired.com/story/mark-z...

Mark Zuckerberg Opened an Illegal School at His Palo Alto Compound. His Neighbors Revolted

Neighbors complained about noise, security guards, and hordes of traffic. An unlicensed school named after the Zuckerbergs’ pet chicken tipped them over the edge.

www.wired.com

Reposted by Michael Zimmer

ProPublica @propublica.org · 5d

📽️ WATCH: We reviewed 700+ videos, hours of footage from ICE protesters and counterprotesters in Portland.

Trump justified the deployment of National Guard troops by calling the city "War ravaged," with an ICE office under siege. That's not what we found.

🔗 Full story: https://propub.li/43fRCmF

Reposted by Andreas Ortmann, Michael Zimmer, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 5d

I listened to the Supreme Court's oral argument today so you dont have to

With the notable exception of Alito & Thomas carrying on like 'what if aliens were gonna destroy the world and the only thing that could stop it was a tariff,' the Court seemed Not Into It

ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/learn...

Trump’s Plan to Nuke the Global Economy Prompts Conservative Justices to Remember That the Constitution Exists

The Court has no problem facilitating the disappearance of civil rights. Shareholder value is a different story.

ballsandstrikes.org

Reposted by Alan Richardson, Michael Zimmer, Anne Norton , and 6 more Alan Richardson, Michael Zimmer, Anne Norton, David Murakami Wood, Greg Linden, Nicole Guenther Discenza, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Brian Jm Quinn, Dan Immergluck

Unusual Whales @unusualwhales.bsky.social · 5d

BREAKING: OpenAI is requesting US government support to help guarantee financing for the massive investments in AI chips and data centers it needs for expansion, per Bloomberg.

Reposted by Axel Bruns, Rosemary A. Joyce, Trevon D. Logan , and 5 more Axel Bruns, Rosemary A. Joyce, Trevon D. Logan, Michael Zimmer, Sarah Roberts, Charles T. Mathewes, Nathan P. Kalmoe, David Darmofal

Molly Knight @mollyknight.bsky.social · 5d

oh my god they actually did it lmao

Fox News chyron: by winning, democrats are actually losing

Reposted by Bonnie Honig, Michael Zimmer, Stacy D. VanDeveer

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 5d

“They came into the building understanding it was a daycare. They did not have a warrant. It is a violation of our rights. It is a violation of these children’s rights. They are terrorizing our community.”

Trump’s ICE goons raided a damn daycare.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 5d

This really hasn’t gotten enough attention this week.

@wired.com #ICE
www.wired.com/story/fbi-wa...

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 7 more Brendan Nyhan, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce, David Rothschild, Daniel W. Drezner, Michael Zimmer, Jacob T. Levy, Richard M. Carpiano, Dunlap, David Darmofal

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5d

Trump: "For generations Miami has been a haven for those fleeing communist tyranny in South Africa. I mean, if you take a look at what's going on in parts of South Africa. Look at South Africa, what's going on. Look at South America, what's going on. You know, we have a G20 meeting in South Africa."

Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · 5d

I suspect Apple has worked on something like this for years, both for giving Siri an instruction when phone/watch isn't nearby (shower thoughts?) and also for hand-gesture control of Apple TV.

The Verge @theverge.com · 5d

This AI smart ring lets you record voice notes with a whisper