Critical Internet Studies Institute
@criticalinternet.bsky.social
Institutional resilience, independent of industry. www.criticalinternet.org
Pinned
The Critical Internet Studies Institute was covered in Non-Profit Quarterly for our research into the disinformation mobilizing recent political violence.
X is still the main platform for circulating disinformation during breaking news events.
nonprofitquarterly.org/in-hortman-k...
X is still the main platform for circulating disinformation during breaking news events.
nonprofitquarterly.org/in-hortman-k...
In Hortman Killing, an Opportunity for Right-Wing Disinformation - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
The assassination of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman created a feeding frenzy for disinformation.
nonprofitquarterly.org
How do we ensure timely, accurate local knowledge after a violent incident--rather than political exploitation?
Learn how our monitoring work applies to breaking news in @npquarterly.bsky.social
Learn how our monitoring work applies to breaking news in @npquarterly.bsky.social
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
I talked to Joan Donovan about Twitter's very old foreign influence problem, which was unmasked in the funniest possible way over the weekend: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Twitter's foreign influence problem is nothing new
The platform's just-debuted geolocation tool illuminates a disturbing and persistent issue.
www.motherjones.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:11 PM
I talked to Joan Donovan about Twitter's very old foreign influence problem, which was unmasked in the funniest possible way over the weekend: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
TODAY: @404media.co / @jasonkoebler.bsky.social interviews our Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kBg...
How Big Tech Has Convinced Us to Surveil Ourselves and Each Other
YouTube video by 404 Media
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:30 PM
TODAY: @404media.co / @jasonkoebler.bsky.social interviews our Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kBg...
“I think they are a profoundly antisocial technology that should be rejected in every way possible...Their very existence is toxic to the social fabric.” –CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app quoted in @theverge.com www.theverge.com/tech/807834/...
Privacy laws can’t keep up with ‘luxury surveillance’
“It’s not clear to me that a small red light would be sufficient notification in some states for someone to consent to being recorded.”
www.theverge.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:32 PM
“I think they are a profoundly antisocial technology that should be rejected in every way possible...Their very existence is toxic to the social fabric.” –CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app quoted in @theverge.com www.theverge.com/tech/807834/...
ICYMI: Our Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app interviewed by @parismarx.com
Meta and Google want to free you from screens — by putting one in front of your eyes at all times.
This week @hypervisible.blacksky.app joins @parismarx.com to discuss the anti-social world they’re trying to create through mass adoption of smart glasses.
Full ep: techwontsave.us/episode/298_...
This week @hypervisible.blacksky.app joins @parismarx.com to discuss the anti-social world they’re trying to create through mass adoption of smart glasses.
Full ep: techwontsave.us/episode/298_...
October 22, 2025 at 4:18 PM
ICYMI: Our Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app interviewed by @parismarx.com
Thursday webinar: Catch CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app on AI, libraries, & privacy
Maybe you can't read Ray Carver at work, but you CAN talk about AI, and we've got the webinar series you've been waiting for. Join @hypervisible.blacksky.app, Christa Albrecht-Crane, and Library Futures this Thursday 9/25 for the first installment!
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
September 23, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Thursday webinar: Catch CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app on AI, libraries, & privacy
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
I wanted to follow up on the meme discussion with a longer piece about how to understand memes as cultural artifacts with their own politics.
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/19/o...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/19/o...
The memes that may — or may not — shed light on Charlie Kirk’s killing - The Boston Globe
Are the alleged shooter’s messages left, right, or just ragebait?
www.bostonglobe.com
September 19, 2025 at 1:34 PM
I wanted to follow up on the meme discussion with a longer piece about how to understand memes as cultural artifacts with their own politics.
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/19/o...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/19/o...
CISI Founder interviewed today in TIME Magazine
"In the set of engravings, he referenced some more ambiguous symbols and a clearly homophobic joke. The ambiguity is a crucial element of memes because not everyone is in on the reference or knows its origins” - Joan Donovan
@criticalinternet.bsky.social
time.com/7317032/tyle...
@criticalinternet.bsky.social
time.com/7317032/tyle...
Suspect in Charlie Kirk Killing Left Messages, But No Motive
Tyler Robinson left obscure messages on bullet casings, authorities say, but they have yet to discover a clear motive.
time.com
September 13, 2025 at 10:23 PM
CISI Founder interviewed today in TIME Magazine
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
Dr. Donovan @bostonjoan.bksy.social breaks it down.
September 13, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Dr. Donovan @bostonjoan.bksy.social breaks it down.
ICYMI: Today, CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social spoke with @anitachabria.bsky.social for the @latimes.com
September 13, 2025 at 1:13 AM
ICYMI: Today, CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social spoke with @anitachabria.bsky.social for the @latimes.com
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
I’m putting this information out here so that press and police can begin to understand what’s actually motivating Kirk’s murder.
This is the Groyper playlist on Spotify, which includes “Bella Ciao.”
It’s a meme war. FBI and others are all taking the bait.
It’s a meme war. FBI and others are all taking the bait.
September 12, 2025 at 4:29 PM
I’m putting this information out here so that press and police can begin to understand what’s actually motivating Kirk’s murder.
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
If you want to figure out something productive to do in the aftermath of this horrific week, donating to @criticalinternet.bsky.social is a good place to start. I just did.
Our non-profit, The Critical Internet Studies Institute, has a BlueSky account. Please follow for updates: @criticalinternet.bsky.social
Check us out and leave a donation to support independent research and analysis that puts community and safety first.
www.criticalinternet.org
Check us out and leave a donation to support independent research and analysis that puts community and safety first.
www.criticalinternet.org
The Critical Internet Studies Institute
CISI is an independent nonprofit that offers research and programs that mobilize knowledge on emerging technology topics including networked incitement, privacy and community safety, surveillance over...
www.criticalinternet.org
September 12, 2025 at 5:10 PM
If you want to figure out something productive to do in the aftermath of this horrific week, donating to @criticalinternet.bsky.social is a good place to start. I just did.
CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app quoted in @nytimes.com on the perils of trading time for privacy www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/t...
Google Pixel 10 Pro Review: This A.I. Phone Can Save Time if You Surrender Your Data
www.nytimes.com
August 27, 2025 at 7:21 PM
CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app quoted in @nytimes.com on the perils of trading time for privacy www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/t...
Audio/transcript: CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social interviewed on @npr.org about the taxpayer-paid "forced memes" & rage bait of ICE social media www.npr.org/2025/08/22/n...
Inside the White House meme factory : It's Been a Minute
We need to talk about the memes your tax dollars paid for. What is the federal government trying to communicate with them?The social media accounts of the White House and the Department of Homeland Se...
www.npr.org
August 25, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Audio/transcript: CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social interviewed on @npr.org about the taxpayer-paid "forced memes" & rage bait of ICE social media www.npr.org/2025/08/22/n...
ICYMI, CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social was quoted in the @wired.com piece by @tessowen.bsky.social on dog whistles & aesthetic slop as targeted recruitment appeal www.wired.com/story/trump-...
The Trump Administration Is Using Memes to Turn Mass Deportation Into One Big Joke
Memes shared by the White House, DHS, and ICE have used catchy TikTok tunes to normalize mass deportation and Christian nationalist narratives. Experts say that’s the point.
www.wired.com
August 19, 2025 at 7:30 PM
ICYMI, CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social was quoted in the @wired.com piece by @tessowen.bsky.social on dog whistles & aesthetic slop as targeted recruitment appeal www.wired.com/story/trump-...
“It’s so important for young people to have a sense of pride of place and duty to their country. But not in this way, not in a way that oppresses the human dignity of others.” –CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social on ICE meme propaganda in @motherjones.com www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The official voice of the US government is cruel, gross, and weird. What is that doing to us?
Joking memes about imprisonment, deportation, and death by alligator are designed to radicalize and desensitize.
www.motherjones.com
August 16, 2025 at 2:57 PM
“It’s so important for young people to have a sense of pride of place and duty to their country. But not in this way, not in a way that oppresses the human dignity of others.” –CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social on ICE meme propaganda in @motherjones.com www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Quotes CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.bsky.social: "It's clear that whatever imaginary boundary there was between consumer surveillance tech and government surveillance tech is now completely erased."
A Border Agent Wore Meta Smart Glasses to an Immigration Raid in Los Angeles
🔗 www.404media.co/a-cbp-agent-...
🔗 www.404media.co/a-cbp-agent-...
August 7, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Quotes CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.bsky.social: "It's clear that whatever imaginary boundary there was between consumer surveillance tech and government surveillance tech is now completely erased."
Congrats to CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.bsky.social on joining the @epic.org Advisory Board! epic.org/four-leading...
Four Leading Scholars and Advocates Join EPIC’s Advisory Board
<p>Today the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) announced the addition of four members to its Advisory Board.</p>
epic.org
August 4, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Congrats to CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.bsky.social on joining the @epic.org Advisory Board! epic.org/four-leading...
How do we ensure timely, accurate local knowledge after a violent incident--rather than political exploitation?
Learn how our monitoring work applies to breaking news in @npquarterly.bsky.social
Learn how our monitoring work applies to breaking news in @npquarterly.bsky.social
The Critical Internet Studies Institute was covered in Non-Profit Quarterly for our research into the disinformation mobilizing recent political violence.
X is still the main platform for circulating disinformation during breaking news events.
nonprofitquarterly.org/in-hortman-k...
X is still the main platform for circulating disinformation during breaking news events.
nonprofitquarterly.org/in-hortman-k...
In Hortman Killing, an Opportunity for Right-Wing Disinformation - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
The assassination of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman created a feeding frenzy for disinformation.
nonprofitquarterly.org
July 3, 2025 at 2:17 PM
How do we ensure timely, accurate local knowledge after a violent incident--rather than political exploitation?
Learn how our monitoring work applies to breaking news in @npquarterly.bsky.social
Learn how our monitoring work applies to breaking news in @npquarterly.bsky.social
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
“Libraries are under attack,” said Brewster Kahle. At our Escaping the Memory Hole event, he made a passionate call to action for defending digital libraries amid cyberattacks, lawsuits, & censorship. 📚💿 🎞️📼🏛️
Full video ➡️ youtu.be/_L1VP8klL_g
#MemoryHole #Preservation #InternetArchive
Full video ➡️ youtu.be/_L1VP8klL_g
#MemoryHole #Preservation #InternetArchive
June 5, 2025 at 10:47 AM
“Libraries are under attack,” said Brewster Kahle. At our Escaping the Memory Hole event, he made a passionate call to action for defending digital libraries amid cyberattacks, lawsuits, & censorship. 📚💿 🎞️📼🏛️
Full video ➡️ youtu.be/_L1VP8klL_g
#MemoryHole #Preservation #InternetArchive
Full video ➡️ youtu.be/_L1VP8klL_g
#MemoryHole #Preservation #InternetArchive
"They give lip service to the idea of consent...float trial balloons up...& then they do it anyway!" 👓
–CISI co-director @hypervisible.bsky.social on Meta's "antisocial" spy glasses as "luxury surveillance" versus embracing community "obscurity." With @markhurst.bsky.social for @wfmu.bsky.social 🔊
–CISI co-director @hypervisible.bsky.social on Meta's "antisocial" spy glasses as "luxury surveillance" versus embracing community "obscurity." With @markhurst.bsky.social for @wfmu.bsky.social 🔊
May 20, 2025 at 1:55 PM
"They give lip service to the idea of consent...float trial balloons up...& then they do it anyway!" 👓
–CISI co-director @hypervisible.bsky.social on Meta's "antisocial" spy glasses as "luxury surveillance" versus embracing community "obscurity." With @markhurst.bsky.social for @wfmu.bsky.social 🔊
–CISI co-director @hypervisible.bsky.social on Meta's "antisocial" spy glasses as "luxury surveillance" versus embracing community "obscurity." With @markhurst.bsky.social for @wfmu.bsky.social 🔊
Reposted by Critical Internet Studies Institute
And plug: I mentioned Lockdown Mode and Advanced Protection Program in a tip sheet I cowrote with @bostonjoan.bsky.social for @criticalinternet.bsky.social. If you fit the profile, these are really good and really easy things to switch on to be safer
May 16, 2025 at 3:27 PM
And plug: I mentioned Lockdown Mode and Advanced Protection Program in a tip sheet I cowrote with @bostonjoan.bsky.social for @criticalinternet.bsky.social. If you fit the profile, these are really good and really easy things to switch on to be safer
Interesting resource via @unclosetedmedia.bsky.social www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/data-priva...
Data Privacy in Trump 2.0 and LGBTQ Rights: What You Need to Know
Americans are “constantly shedding data.” What does that mean for LGBTQ people under the current administration?
www.unclosetedmedia.com
May 13, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Interesting resource via @unclosetedmedia.bsky.social www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/data-priva...
New reports of intimidation campaigns toward US judges– including anonymous 🍕 deliveries–are sadly no surprise.
CISI was quick to flag potential networked incitement towards an independent judiciary; see @bloomberglaw.com (quoting @bostonjoan.bsky.social) news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
CISI was quick to flag potential networked incitement towards an independent judiciary; see @bloomberglaw.com (quoting @bostonjoan.bsky.social) news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Trump Allies’ Criticism of Judges Prompts Security Concerns
President Donald Trump’s allies have fueled misinformation and verbal attacks against courts on social media, raising concerns that judges hearing high-profile litigation challenging his administratio...
news.bloomberglaw.com
May 12, 2025 at 4:00 PM
New reports of intimidation campaigns toward US judges– including anonymous 🍕 deliveries–are sadly no surprise.
CISI was quick to flag potential networked incitement towards an independent judiciary; see @bloomberglaw.com (quoting @bostonjoan.bsky.social) news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
CISI was quick to flag potential networked incitement towards an independent judiciary; see @bloomberglaw.com (quoting @bostonjoan.bsky.social) news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Facial recognition technology is “uniquely dangerous, unreliable, and a persistent threat to human rights.” CISI co-director @hypervisible.bsky.social quoted by @willoremus.com in today's @washingtonpost.com Tech Brief www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Analysis | More airports are scanning faces. A new bill would limit the practice.
Senators revive bipartisan push to regulate the TSA’s use of facial recognition at security checkpoints.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 8, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Facial recognition technology is “uniquely dangerous, unreliable, and a persistent threat to human rights.” CISI co-director @hypervisible.bsky.social quoted by @willoremus.com in today's @washingtonpost.com Tech Brief www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
ICYMI: CISI co-director quoted in @prospectmagazine.co.uk on measures against “this new technological oligarchy”
Fantastic run down of all the great things happening in the pro-democracy movement and beyond.
I do worry that these mass movements need to better articulate democratic resilience and have a pro-social vision for democracy’s future.
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/united...
I do worry that these mass movements need to better articulate democratic resilience and have a pro-social vision for democracy’s future.
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/united...
In the United States, the fightback against Trump has begun
From the courts to the streets, Americans are finding ways to resist a president who made their fears a reality
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
May 7, 2025 at 4:55 PM
ICYMI: CISI co-director quoted in @prospectmagazine.co.uk on measures against “this new technological oligarchy”