@julieecohen.bsky.social
Pinned
Oligarchy, State, and Cryptopia
<span>Theoretical accounts of power in networked digital environments typically do not give systematic attention to the phenomenon of oligarchy—to extreme conce
papers.ssrn.com
new paper with some relevance to the state of the union:
“Oligarchy, State, and Cryptopia”
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
“Oligarchy, State, and Cryptopia”
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
I didn’t expect a tech website to have such a fantastic brief for why universities should fight like hell, but it does. Every word of this arstechnica.com/culture/2025...
Resist, eggheads! Universities are not as weak as they have chosen to be.
Opinion: It’s time for public resistance.
arstechnica.com
April 18, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Reposted
Often when I warned about this attack, people couldn’t comprehend it because it harms the GOP and their supporters.
You never understood: they don’t think dollars are “real.” Do you get it now? This is an effort to kill the dollar and replace it with “hard” currency.
You never understood: they don’t think dollars are “real.” Do you get it now? This is an effort to kill the dollar and replace it with “hard” currency.
April 4, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Often when I warned about this attack, people couldn’t comprehend it because it harms the GOP and their supporters.
You never understood: they don’t think dollars are “real.” Do you get it now? This is an effort to kill the dollar and replace it with “hard” currency.
You never understood: they don’t think dollars are “real.” Do you get it now? This is an effort to kill the dollar and replace it with “hard” currency.
Reposted
What I want to know is: which non-rich voters who voted for the GOP feel like these policies are working for them? Who is actually feeling better off? (Again, ignoring the rich who profit off of this shit)
April 4, 2025 at 2:46 PM
What I want to know is: which non-rich voters who voted for the GOP feel like these policies are working for them? Who is actually feeling better off? (Again, ignoring the rich who profit off of this shit)
Reposted
In 17th century England they did a whole-ass revolution when the executive started issuing taxes without legislative approval and arbitrarily locking people up without due process
April 4, 2025 at 1:07 PM
In 17th century England they did a whole-ass revolution when the executive started issuing taxes without legislative approval and arbitrarily locking people up without due process
Reposted
You may think you don’t need to pay attention to pending stablecoin legislation, but if you’re concerned about increasing power of Zuck, Musk, and Bezos, don’t take your eye off the ball on this one.
time.com/7274507/stab...
time.com/7274507/stab...
How Crypto Bills Could Hand Big Tech the Keys to Banking
Stablecoin bills are moving through Congress. Their biggest beneficiaries could be Big Tech, experts warn.
time.com
April 4, 2025 at 3:26 PM
You may think you don’t need to pay attention to pending stablecoin legislation, but if you’re concerned about increasing power of Zuck, Musk, and Bezos, don’t take your eye off the ball on this one.
time.com/7274507/stab...
time.com/7274507/stab...
Reposted
Good day to remember that a US President has no inherent power over tariffs whatsoever. It’s not like war powers or pardons. It’s entirely delegated by Congress to deal with emergencies. GOP Congress cld modify that law tonight and bring this to a screeching halt.
April 2, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Good day to remember that a US President has no inherent power over tariffs whatsoever. It’s not like war powers or pardons. It’s entirely delegated by Congress to deal with emergencies. GOP Congress cld modify that law tonight and bring this to a screeching halt.
Reposted
Great news: Judge Cote just denied the government's motion to dismiss our complaint on behalf of federal employees whose information was disclosed to DOGE. A win across the board
lexlumina-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/person...
lexlumina-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/person...
Sign in to your account
lexlumina-my.sharepoint.com
April 3, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Great news: Judge Cote just denied the government's motion to dismiss our complaint on behalf of federal employees whose information was disclosed to DOGE. A win across the board
lexlumina-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/person...
lexlumina-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/person...
Reposted
New for @epic.org: a recent industry op-ed claimed some data deletion firms are “selling privacy snake oil” and that “it needs to stop.”
I break down the misleading arguments here. Let’s not forget which companies are collecting and selling your data without your consent:
epic.org/dont-believe...
I break down the misleading arguments here. Let’s not forget which companies are collecting and selling your data without your consent:
epic.org/dont-believe...
Don’t Believe Data Brokers Saying Data Deletion Is Snake Oil
<p>A recent op-ed claiming authorized agent providers are selling “privacy snake oil” is misleading. and shift the focus away from harmful data brokers, EPIC Scholar in Residence Justin Sherman argues...
epic.org
March 31, 2025 at 7:55 PM
New for @epic.org: a recent industry op-ed claimed some data deletion firms are “selling privacy snake oil” and that “it needs to stop.”
I break down the misleading arguments here. Let’s not forget which companies are collecting and selling your data without your consent:
epic.org/dont-believe...
I break down the misleading arguments here. Let’s not forget which companies are collecting and selling your data without your consent:
epic.org/dont-believe...
Reposted
Never in my decade of filing FOIA requests have I gotten a response like this. Customs and Border Protection denies my request, saying "Due to law enforcement sensitivities we can neither confirm nor deny the existence of records." No exemption cited, no name of who wrote this.
April 3, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Never in my decade of filing FOIA requests have I gotten a response like this. Customs and Border Protection denies my request, saying "Due to law enforcement sensitivities we can neither confirm nor deny the existence of records." No exemption cited, no name of who wrote this.
Reposted
Both technologists & policymakers should shift their approach to AI from "solutions" to "interventions," D&S founder @zephoria.bsky.social argues. “It behooves us to resist closure, eschew determinism, & eradicate 'solution' from our discussions of technology.” www.techpolicy.press/we-need-an-i...
We Need an Interventionist Mindset | TechPolicy.Press
To stabilize and enhance democratic practices, danah boyd advocates for an interventionist approach to AI regulation.
www.techpolicy.press
April 1, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Both technologists & policymakers should shift their approach to AI from "solutions" to "interventions," D&S founder @zephoria.bsky.social argues. “It behooves us to resist closure, eschew determinism, & eradicate 'solution' from our discussions of technology.” www.techpolicy.press/we-need-an-i...
Reposted
THIS
This is good, but on the other hand, Musk's power with DOGE is not tied to his position (which is nominally that of an advisor). DOGE is a dark network that centers around him and he can continue to shape even after he leaves his official position.
TL; DR Musk underestimated how much all of this would ultimately be blamed on him (as it should be), how much everyone would hate him, and how tired shareholders would get of his shit.
So now he's trying to declare victory while slinking away
www.yahoo.com/news/elon-mu...
So now he's trying to declare victory while slinking away
www.yahoo.com/news/elon-mu...
March 29, 2025 at 3:55 PM
THIS
Reposted
The fascists running our government are now targeting legal clinics for representing causes they disagree with
drive.google.com/file/d/19ub0...
drive.google.com/file/d/19ub0...
FILE_1517.pdf
drive.google.com
March 28, 2025 at 10:18 PM
The fascists running our government are now targeting legal clinics for representing causes they disagree with
drive.google.com/file/d/19ub0...
drive.google.com/file/d/19ub0...
Reposted
This is Donald Trump’s latest grift to enrich himself.
Congress should step up and fix the current stablecoin bill moving through the Senate that will make it easier for Trump – and Elon Musk – to take control of your money.
Congress should step up and fix the current stablecoin bill moving through the Senate that will make it easier for Trump – and Elon Musk – to take control of your money.
Trump’s Crypto Venture Introduces a Stablecoin
World Liberty Financial, the crypto business created by President Trump and his sons, unveiled a cryptocurrency called a stablecoin, furthering his ties to an industry his administration regulates.
www.nytimes.com
March 25, 2025 at 9:04 PM
This is Donald Trump’s latest grift to enrich himself.
Congress should step up and fix the current stablecoin bill moving through the Senate that will make it easier for Trump – and Elon Musk – to take control of your money.
Congress should step up and fix the current stablecoin bill moving through the Senate that will make it easier for Trump – and Elon Musk – to take control of your money.
Reposted
While Big Law cowers in fear of Trump, boutique firms are stepping up to condemn his unprecedented attack on the rule of law. Here is Lex Lumina's statement
www.lex-lumina.com/newsroom/lex...
www.lex-lumina.com/newsroom/lex...
Lex Lumina’s Statement on the President’s Executive Orders Targeting Law Firms — Lex Lumina PLLC
The President’s recent attacks on lawyers and law firms for daring to have represented the President’s personal enemies or causes that he and his supporters dislike are dangerous threats to the rule o...
www.lex-lumina.com
March 27, 2025 at 11:33 PM
While Big Law cowers in fear of Trump, boutique firms are stepping up to condemn his unprecedented attack on the rule of law. Here is Lex Lumina's statement
www.lex-lumina.com/newsroom/lex...
www.lex-lumina.com/newsroom/lex...
Reposted
Volunteers from @datarescueproject.org have come together to save as much of the nation’s public data as possible, before it is gone for good. www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
The Volunteer Data Hoarders Resisting Trump’s Purge
Can librarians and guerrilla archivists save the country’s files from DOGE?
www.newyorker.com
March 28, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Volunteers from @datarescueproject.org have come together to save as much of the nation’s public data as possible, before it is gone for good. www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
Reposted
If law schools don’t stand up for the law and train students to do so, it’s a step on the road to “the law is whatever powerful people say it is.”
I’m proud of the deans who signed this letter. If we don’t stand up for the rule of law, what exactly are we doing in law schools? abovethelaw.com/2025/03/law-...
Law School Deans Denounce Trump's Attacks On Biglaw Firms As Unconstitutional - Above the Law
Another core group of lawyers stands up to defend Biglaw against the Trump administration.
abovethelaw.com
March 28, 2025 at 12:31 PM
If law schools don’t stand up for the law and train students to do so, it’s a step on the road to “the law is whatever powerful people say it is.”
Reposted
An important statement on the critical need for collective response to the Trump regime's attack on democracy, and specifically to its targeting of academics and universities, lawyers and law firms, journalists and media outlets. www.justsecurity.org/109439/colle...
The Imperative of Solidarity in Response to Assaults on Legal Services, Universities, and Independent Media
Author argues that Trump administration's unconstitutional actions against universities, law firms, and independent media requires collective responses.
www.justsecurity.org
March 24, 2025 at 7:20 PM
An important statement on the critical need for collective response to the Trump regime's attack on democracy, and specifically to its targeting of academics and universities, lawyers and law firms, journalists and media outlets. www.justsecurity.org/109439/colle...
Reposted
"On October 8, 1931, a law went into effect requiring every Italian university professor to sign an oath pledging their loyalty to the government of Benito Mussolini. Out of over 1,200 professors in the country, only 12 refused. All of them were immediately fired." www.chronicle.com/article/what...
Opinion | What Autocrats Want From Academics: Servility
In 1931, Italian scholars were made to take loyalty oaths. Will that happen to us?
www.chronicle.com
March 21, 2025 at 10:45 PM
"On October 8, 1931, a law went into effect requiring every Italian university professor to sign an oath pledging their loyalty to the government of Benito Mussolini. Out of over 1,200 professors in the country, only 12 refused. All of them were immediately fired." www.chronicle.com/article/what...
Reposted
New, from @pamherd.bsky.social at Can We Still Govern:
NIH grants are being screened for forbidden words.
Breakthrough techniques (like mRNA) are now off the table.
Do you want scientific funding awards to be determined by political appointees or scientists?
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/politicizi...
NIH grants are being screened for forbidden words.
Breakthrough techniques (like mRNA) are now off the table.
Do you want scientific funding awards to be determined by political appointees or scientists?
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/politicizi...
Politicizing Science: The National Institutes for Health
A merit-based and competitive process will be politicized - or eliminated
donmoynihan.substack.com
March 20, 2025 at 1:00 PM
New, from @pamherd.bsky.social at Can We Still Govern:
NIH grants are being screened for forbidden words.
Breakthrough techniques (like mRNA) are now off the table.
Do you want scientific funding awards to be determined by political appointees or scientists?
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/politicizi...
NIH grants are being screened for forbidden words.
Breakthrough techniques (like mRNA) are now off the table.
Do you want scientific funding awards to be determined by political appointees or scientists?
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/politicizi...
Reposted
It is a MAGICAL GIFT FROM THE GODS that the judge they're going full Mussolini on is Kavanaugh's law school roommate who's a W appointee and a two-time Roberts appointee to super-sensitive courts. Please accept that gift.
March 20, 2025 at 1:53 PM
It is a MAGICAL GIFT FROM THE GODS that the judge they're going full Mussolini on is Kavanaugh's law school roommate who's a W appointee and a two-time Roberts appointee to super-sensitive courts. Please accept that gift.
Reposted
So on March 9, a French scientist, on a visa to attend a conference in Houston, was denied entry to the US and subsequently expelled because his phone had messages decrying scientific policies put forward by the Trump administration: www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
Etats-Unis : un chercheur français refoulé pour avoir exprimé « une opinion personnelle sur la politique menée par l’administration Trump »
Le ministre de la recherche français a dit sa « préoccupation », mercredi, après cette décision des autorités américaines. Le chercheur du CNRS aurait subi un contrôle aléatoire à son arrivée, avant q...
www.lemonde.fr
March 19, 2025 at 6:31 PM
So on March 9, a French scientist, on a visa to attend a conference in Houston, was denied entry to the US and subsequently expelled because his phone had messages decrying scientific policies put forward by the Trump administration: www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
Reposted
An entirely reasonable and rational response by non-US scientists (and others) will be to stop coming to the US. These sorts of actions will turn the US into a pariah state, where embassies routinely offer warnings about traveler safety.
bsky.app/profile/drje...
bsky.app/profile/drje...
Yeah, don’t think I’ll be travelling to the United States anytime soon!
French researcher, going to a conference in Houston, was forbidden entry to US; his work and personal electronics were both confiscated.
Why? Because a “random search” of his cell phone revealed a negative personal opinion on Trump and the Trump administration. www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
Why? Because a “random search” of his cell phone revealed a negative personal opinion on Trump and the Trump administration. www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
March 19, 2025 at 6:43 PM
An entirely reasonable and rational response by non-US scientists (and others) will be to stop coming to the US. These sorts of actions will turn the US into a pariah state, where embassies routinely offer warnings about traveler safety.
bsky.app/profile/drje...
bsky.app/profile/drje...
Reposted
What horseshit from DOD that they "mistakenly" deleted pages on the Navajo Code Talkers, black Medal of Honor recipients, Jackie Robinson, and more. They labeled them DEI and deleted them and then got caught and now they're scrambling. Nobody changes a URL by mistake. Constant lies.
March 19, 2025 at 2:37 PM
What horseshit from DOD that they "mistakenly" deleted pages on the Navajo Code Talkers, black Medal of Honor recipients, Jackie Robinson, and more. They labeled them DEI and deleted them and then got caught and now they're scrambling. Nobody changes a URL by mistake. Constant lies.