Woodrow Hartzog

@hartzog.bsky.social

10K followers 1.2K following 11 posts

Andrew R. Randall Professor of Law at Boston University School of Law. Author of "Privacy's Blueprint" (2018) and co-author of "Breached!" (2022). Posting mainly about privacy, tech and the law.

Videos

Political science 32%

Computer science 24%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 2d

I loved this reflection on the virtues of physical media and what it says about the rot of friction-free surveillance platforms. I still have a tape player in my car and to date no other music medium brings me more joy.

The PS1 startup sound as a lesbian @janus.bsky.social · 2d

for your holiday reading pleasure:

i wrote about why i’m getting back into tapes, and what we’ve lost by letting ourselves get addicted to platforms built around surveillance and instant gratification. 🎶 @404media.co

Why I Quit Streaming And Got Back Into Cassettes

In the age of Spotify and AI slop, tapes remind us what we’re missing when we stop taking risks.

www.404media.co

Reposted by McKenzie Wark, Woodrow Hartzog

The PS1 startup sound as a lesbian @janus.bsky.social · 2d

Why I Quit Streaming And Got Back Into Cassettes

In the age of Spotify and AI slop, tapes remind us what we’re missing when we stop taking risks.

www.404media.co

Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 6d

That’s an excellent question. We’re definitely considering how the two concepts are related, but the jury is still out I think.

Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 7d

You got it!

Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 7d

Slop, slop, everywhere. @jessicasilbey.bsky.social & I are working on on a project that explores the concept of of AI "slop" as a legal frame. We think it could be useful as a way to talk about a phenomena that has distinct features (and risks) at scale. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

Kashmir Hill @kashhill.bsky.social · 7d

About to go on my first true work-free vacation of 2025 (I hope)! This is one of my final stories for the year, about the extremely humanlike chatbots we've been given and whether they should be that way.

Happy holidays, here's a gift article: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/t...

Why Do A.I. Chatbots Use ‘I’?

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 7d

Just happen to be reading this today:

“Privacy nicks come from the proliferation of cameras and biometric sensors on doorbells, glasses, and watches, and the drift of surveillance and data analytics into new areas of our lives like travel, exercise, and social
gatherings.”

Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 7d

This is, of course, always where this was headed. Things will only get worse as facial recognition becomes normalized unless lawmakers ban it outright. Next up: precautionary facial surveillance of everyone, all the time, just in case (with guardrails that will also eventually be rolled back).

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 7d

Dallas PD to expand use of Clearview “to Class B misdemeanors and above, which means it could use facial recognition for crimes like theft and trespassing.”

Dallas Police to expand controversial facial recognition tech to less serious crimes

The use of the tech is currently reserved for serious felonies like murder, kidnapping and rape. Now it could be used for porch pirates.

www.wfaa.com

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog, Andrew Guthrie Ferguson

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 7d

Dallas PD to expand use of Clearview “to Class B misdemeanors and above, which means it could use facial recognition for crimes like theft and trespassing.”

Dallas Police to expand controversial facial recognition tech to less serious crimes

The use of the tech is currently reserved for serious felonies like murder, kidnapping and rape. Now it could be used for porch pirates.

www.wfaa.com

Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 7d

Very excited that my book with @daniel-solove.bsky.social, "Breached!" has now been published in Chinese.

Daniel Solove @daniel-solove.bsky.social · 7d

I'm excited to announce the publication of the Chinese translation of my book BREACHED! WHY DATA SECURITY LAW FAILS AND HOW TO IMPROVE IT (with @hartzog.bsky.social) in Chinese product.dangdang.com/29954840.html

《泄露！数据安全法的失灵及完善》(丹尼尔·J.索洛夫（Daniel J. Solove）、伍德罗·哈佐格（Woodrow Hartzog）)【简介_书评_在线阅读】 - 当当图书

当当网图书频道在线销售正版《泄露！数据安全法的失灵及完善》，作者：丹尼尔·J.索洛夫（Daniel J. Solove）、伍德罗·哈佐格（Woodrow Hartzog），出版社：商务印书馆。最新《泄露！数据安全法的失灵及完善》简介、书评、试读、价格、图片等相关信息，尽在DangDang.com，网购《泄露！数据安全法的失灵及完善》，就上当当网。

product.dangdang.com

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

Daniel Solove @daniel-solove.bsky.social · 7d

《泄露！数据安全法的失灵及完善》(丹尼尔·J.索洛夫（Daniel J. Solove）、伍德罗·哈佐格（Woodrow Hartzog）)【简介_书评_在线阅读】 - 当当图书

product.dangdang.com

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 8d

“…the feature helps Ring determine who is visiting your house based on their apparel, actions, and what they are holding, and responds accordingly.”

Doorbells with dress codes now. 🤷🏿‍♂️

Amazon's new Alexa+ feature adds conversational AI to Ring doorbells | TechCrunch

Amazon said that the feature uses the Ring doorbell's video descriptions to determine who the person in front of the camera is based on their uniform, actions, and what they are holding.

techcrunch.com

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 8d

Behind the gig economy’s promise of flexibility is a game designed to keep workers hooked, argues George Augustus Bachmann. Algorithms, opaque pay rules, and gamified incentives push drivers and freelancers to work more without benefits or stability.

The Game Behind the Gig Economy | TechPolicy.Press

George Augustus Bachmann explores how gig platforms use gamification and opaque algorithms to keep workers chasing rewards.

buff.ly

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 9d

Amid the AI investment boom, cities and counties across the US are pulling the emergency brake on data centers, writes Jenna Ruddock. From Maryland to Missouri, at least fourteen states are home to towns or counties that have implemented moratoriums: a complete pause on data center development.

The Real Race for an AI Moratorium: Stopping Data Centers | TechPolicy.Press

Cities and counties across the US are pulling the emergency brake on data center development, writes Jenna Ruddock.

www.techpolicy.press

Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 9d

If we are banning cell phones for kids we need to be talking about banning chatbots for boomers
www.persuasion.community/p/my-chatgpt...

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa, Juan Cole, Rebecca Tushnet , and 2 more Fabián Muniesa, Juan Cole, Rebecca Tushnet, Peter Jacobsen, Woodrow Hartzog

404 Media @404media.co · 9d

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.

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

Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 9d

Y tho.

Dr. Casey Fiesler @cfiesler.bsky.social · 9d

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.

Screenshot of a paper entry:
Fictional Failures and Real-World Lessons: Ethical Speculation Through Design Fiction on Emotional Support Conversational AI
Authors: Faye Kollig, Jessica Pater, Fayika Farhat Nova, Casey Fiesler
(There are tabs with "abstract" and "summary" and "summary" is selected.)

Dr. Casey Fiesler @cfiesler.bsky.social · 9d

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 10d

With news that the data breach at web and phone analytics giant Mixpanel includes the viewing habits of Pornhub users, here's my TechCrunch story from early December about why this data breach is a big deal — and what sort of data Mixpanel tracks about millions of ordinary people every day.

A data breach at analytics giant Mixpanel leaves a lot of open questions | TechCrunch

We sent over a dozen questions to Mixpanel's CEO about the company's data breach. Here's what we want to know.

techcrunch.com

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

Techmeme @techmeme.com · 10d

OpenAI updates ChatGPT Images to generate images up to 4x faster and edit more precisely, and adds a new section in ChatGPT's app and website for images (Rachel Metz/Bloomberg)

Main Link | Techmeme Permalink

Reposted by Robert Böhm, Brady T. West, Brendan Nyhan , and 43 more Robert Böhm, Brady T. West, Brendan Nyhan, Gordon Hodson, Carl T. Bergstrom, Richard Price, Steven Van de Walle, Mary Feeney, Jamie Morgan, Ian Hall, Fabián Muniesa, Jason Reifler, Kelly Smith, Ingo Rohlfing, Ian Hussey, James Grimmelmann, Smith, Rebecca Tushnet, David R. Miller, Patrick S. Forscher, Michelle L. Mazurek, Margot C. Finn, Michael D. McDonald, Sebastian Karcher, Martin Kreidl, Maria Abreu, Eric Hehman, Zen Faulkes, Joanna Tai, Madeleine Pownall, Damian Trilling, David Murakami Wood, Sofia Stathi, Johannes Breuer, Woodrow Hartzog, Greg Linden, Jack Stilgoe, Richard M. Carpiano, Aleksandra Urman, Juan Ramón, Gemma C. Sharp, Terry Gaasterland, Maksym Polyakov, Jake Anders, Jeannette Sutton, Béatrice Cointe

Sabrina Norwood @sabrinanorwood.bsky.social · 10d

Did you know that from tomorrow, Qualtrics is offering synthetic panels (AI-generated participants)?

Follow me down a rabbit hole I'm calling "doing science is tough and I'm so busy, can't we just make up participants?"

Text reads: About synthetic panels
Recruiting the right participants for a study can be difficult. You may not get the exact demographics you need, and the shorter the deadline, the less sure you can be that everyone will answer on time. One possible solution can be to use synthetic panels.

Synthetic panels are powered by a first party proprietary AI model developed here at Qualtrics. Our synthetic panel is trained on thousands of responses from a variety of demographic backgrounds in order to more accurately predict how certain populations would respond to a survey.

Our synthetic panel is based on the United States General Population, and is only available in English. This panel comes with ready-made quotas and target breakouts in order to represent your chosen population and make it easy to launch your survey right away.

Text reads:
Discussion
The current study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of the TPB when applied to health behaviours which addressed the limitations of previous reviews by including only prospective tests of behaviour, applying RE meta-analytic procedures, correcting correlations for sampling and measurement error, and hierarchically analysing the effect of behaviour type and sample and methodological moderators. Some 237 tests were identified which examined relations amongst model components. Overall the analysis indicated that the TPB could explain 19.3% of the variance in behaviour and 44.3% of the variance in intention across studies. This level of prediction of behaviour is slightly lower than that of previous meta-analytic reviews which have found between 27% (Armitage & Conner, 2001; Hagger et al., 2002) and 36% (Trafimow et al., 2002)
of the variance in behaviour to be explained by intention and PBC.

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social · 10d

A majority of Americans are fearful of the rapid growth of AI and want to tax the obscene wealth of its billionaires. Yet neither political party cares much about the will of the people. Money talks. Democracy walks

We need an anti-AI party. My final 2025 column www.inquirer.com/columnists/a...

In 2026, America needs an anti-AI party | Will Bunch Newsletter

Plus, a look back at how I covered 2025, a lousy year.

www.inquirer.com

Reposted by David Murakami Wood, Woodrow Hartzog

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 10d

Wrong question.

Live cameras are tracking faces in New Orleans. Who should control them?

A private non-profit operates over 200 cameras with live facial recognition in New Orleans. The system raises questions about privacy, legal authority and who should control surveillance technology.

www.wbaa.org

Reposted by Woodrow Hartzog

Meredith Broussard, PhD @merbroussard.bsky.social · 10d

What if this take is entirely wrong?

Vox @vox.com · 11d

America, you have spoken loud and clear: You do not like AI. But what if AI is the way to restart the world’s idea machine?

We’re running out of good ideas. AI might be how we find new ones.

What if the best use of AI is restarting the world’s idea machine?

www.vox.com

Reposted by Rebecca Tushnet, Ann Bartow, Woodrow Hartzog , and 1 more Rebecca Tushnet, Ann Bartow, Woodrow Hartzog, Daxton R. Stewart

Hannah BW @hbwhbwhbw.bsky.social · 10d

I’m not a narcissist but I would believe you if you told me that this entire thing has been engineered specifically to drive me, a professor at a public university in Texas who teaches First Amendment and writes about AI, out of my mind

Texas universities deploy AI for course audits

Records obtained by The Texas Tribune show how universities are using the technology to reshape curriculum under political pressure, raising concerns about academic freedom.

www.texastribune.org

Reposted by Carl T. Bergstrom, Scott L. Greer, Steve Peers , and 11 more Carl T. Bergstrom, Scott L. Greer, Steve Peers, Devon Greyson, Rebecca Tushnet, Bessma Momani, Michael Veale, Alfie Kohn, Woodrow Hartzog, Xavier Molénat, Christina Pagel, Jürgen Janger, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Jeannette Sutton

Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 10d

Well, this is an utter disaster for science.

This gutting of peer review is very likely driven by Project 2025/OMB/Vought, very likely is about funding junk science, and very likely is coming for #NIH and biomedical research next.
🧪

Science
in reviewing grant proposals.
The changes permit as few as one outside review rather than the current minimum of three, end the routine use of expert panels to discuss those individual reviews, and give program managers greater authority to recommend which proposals should or should not be funded. They are described in an internal 1 December staff memo that Science has obtained and mentioned briefly in an update to NSF's grantmaking manual posted on 8 December.
A major reason for the smaller staff is the elimination of hundreds of so-called rotators, scientists on loan from academia who served as program managers as well as higher level administrators. Their absence, combined with the new review policy, represent a major change in how NSF

Reposted by Meredith Broussard, Ian Hall, Lesley A. Hall , and 7 more Meredith Broussard, Ian Hall, Lesley A. Hall, David S. Cohen, Janet Murray, Adrian Vickers, Alessandro Nai, Mark Rice, Woodrow Hartzog, Greg Linden

Vox @vox.com · 11d

America, you have spoken loud and clear: You do not like AI. But what if AI is the way to restart the world’s idea machine?

We’re running out of good ideas. AI might be how we find new ones.

What if the best use of AI is restarting the world’s idea machine?

www.vox.com

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Brendan Nyhan, Tom Clark , and 1 more Kim L. Scheppele, Brendan Nyhan, Tom Clark, Woodrow Hartzog

404 Media @404media.co · 11d

You're walking home from the gym when you're stopped by FBI officers in an unmarked car. They handcuff you, even though you tell them you're a US citizen.

Then, they scan your face.

23-year-old Jesus Gutiérrez recounts his experience to @revealnews.org and 404 Media:

How a US Citizen Was Scanned With ICE's Facial Recognition Tech

Jesus Gutiérrez told immigration agents he was a U.S. citizen. Only after they scanned his face, did the agents let him go.

www.404media.co

Doghouse Reilly @chadstanton.blacksky.app · 11d

“At Texas A&M, internal emails show staff are using AI software to search syllabi and course descriptions for words that could raise concerns under new system policies restricting how faculty teach about race and gender.”

www.texastribune.org/2025/12/15/t...