De|Center
@thedecenter.bsky.social
Through #DesignFromTheMargins, we change technology tools and push for #CorporateAccountability to address systemic injustice and advance human rights. We’re new on socials, not new to the work. https://www.de-center.net
Pinned
"Research shows that features like Face ID and fingerprints enable violent, forced phone access by police and authorities" the-decenter.ghost.io/the-body-as-... by Afsaneh Rigot
The Body as a Password: The Cost of Face ID
Convenience is costing people their freedom. Research shows that features like Face ID and fingerprints enable violent, forced phone access by police and authorities, writes Afsaneh Rigot.
the-decenter.ghost.io
“Every participant who was detained by authorities & had biometrics enabled, said they were violently forced to unlock their phone. […]”
The research is clear: those with biometrics lost the power to resist device searches. Only using passcodes had some ability to refuse, delay, or obscure access.
The research is clear: those with biometrics lost the power to resist device searches. Only using passcodes had some ability to refuse, delay, or obscure access.
Reposted by De|Center
Surprise #MozFest panel -- we're having a session on the main stage called "Unlearning Cisnormativity: Trans Justice is Tech Justice" at 12:15 PM CET, right after @xychelsea.tv's talk.
Featuring Veronyka Gimenes, @schock.cc, Dia Kayyali, Elijah MacKinnon, and myself.
www.mozillafestival.org/en/
Featuring Veronyka Gimenes, @schock.cc, Dia Kayyali, Elijah MacKinnon, and myself.
www.mozillafestival.org/en/
November 9, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Surprise #MozFest panel -- we're having a session on the main stage called "Unlearning Cisnormativity: Trans Justice is Tech Justice" at 12:15 PM CET, right after @xychelsea.tv's talk.
Featuring Veronyka Gimenes, @schock.cc, Dia Kayyali, Elijah MacKinnon, and myself.
www.mozillafestival.org/en/
Featuring Veronyka Gimenes, @schock.cc, Dia Kayyali, Elijah MacKinnon, and myself.
www.mozillafestival.org/en/
We're here at #mozfest and will be speaking about biometrics and the use of bodies as passwords on Sunday Nov. 9, 2:45-3:45 GMT+1. "“FaceID(ictator): Authoritarians Love Biometrics. We Don’t.” We look forward to collaborating with many of you. #designfromthemargins #dfm
November 7, 2025 at 4:38 PM
We're here at #mozfest and will be speaking about biometrics and the use of bodies as passwords on Sunday Nov. 9, 2:45-3:45 GMT+1. "“FaceID(ictator): Authoritarians Love Biometrics. We Don’t.” We look forward to collaborating with many of you. #designfromthemargins #dfm
Reposted by De|Center
“In an era of automated bullshit,” Dr. @ruha9.bsky.social asks us to tell the truth! Starting with the fact that innovation often depends on exploitation… so social progress can never be taken for granted.
What are we building? For whom? With whom?
#MozFest
What are we building? For whom? With whom?
#MozFest
November 7, 2025 at 11:03 AM
“In an era of automated bullshit,” Dr. @ruha9.bsky.social asks us to tell the truth! Starting with the fact that innovation often depends on exploitation… so social progress can never be taken for granted.
What are we building? For whom? With whom?
#MozFest
What are we building? For whom? With whom?
#MozFest
Reposted by De|Center
Another excerpt from Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis. Red Schulte’s letter speaks to those organizing outside the law—a place more people of conscience will find themselves as authoritarianism tightens its grip.
When Everything Is Criminalized, We Must Unlearn the Language of “Innocence”
No one should be caged, tortured, detained, or deported by the state — all carceral violence is done wrongfully.
truthout.org
November 6, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Another excerpt from Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis. Red Schulte’s letter speaks to those organizing outside the law—a place more people of conscience will find themselves as authoritarianism tightens its grip.
Reposted by De|Center
Current situation in Sudan continues to be catastrophic. The #queer community in #Sudan face multi-layer harms.
A dedication from one of the Sudanese researchers from our 2024 report found here: www.article19.org/queer-resist...
A dedication from one of the Sudanese researchers from our 2024 report found here: www.article19.org/queer-resist...
January 25, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Current situation in Sudan continues to be catastrophic. The #queer community in #Sudan face multi-layer harms.
A dedication from one of the Sudanese researchers from our 2024 report found here: www.article19.org/queer-resist...
A dedication from one of the Sudanese researchers from our 2024 report found here: www.article19.org/queer-resist...
Reposted by De|Center
Cheney is dead, but the horrible architecture he wrought is in Trump's hands.
If you are a technologist or you work in tech policy, I challenge you to commit to building movement relationships and fighting the structures that have enabled men like them.
www.techpolicy.press/its-time-for...
If you are a technologist or you work in tech policy, I challenge you to commit to building movement relationships and fighting the structures that have enabled men like them.
www.techpolicy.press/its-time-for...
It’s Time for Technologists and Tech Policy Advocates to Get Radical in Fight Against Authoritarianism | TechPolicy.Press
Dia Kayyali says in the face of the authoritarian threat, the fight for justice and rights for all is systemic, and requires creativity and coordination.
www.techpolicy.press
November 6, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Cheney is dead, but the horrible architecture he wrought is in Trump's hands.
If you are a technologist or you work in tech policy, I challenge you to commit to building movement relationships and fighting the structures that have enabled men like them.
www.techpolicy.press/its-time-for...
If you are a technologist or you work in tech policy, I challenge you to commit to building movement relationships and fighting the structures that have enabled men like them.
www.techpolicy.press/its-time-for...
We’re seeing a growing trend: biometric locks being added to privacy tech and features, framed as “extra security”
Join our #MozFest session where we’ll push back, showing how this actually makes tech less private & less secure.
FaceID(ictator): Authoritarians Love Biometrics. We Don’t.
mzf.st/142
Join our #MozFest session where we’ll push back, showing how this actually makes tech less private & less secure.
FaceID(ictator): Authoritarians Love Biometrics. We Don’t.
mzf.st/142
November 7, 2025 at 8:28 AM
We’re seeing a growing trend: biometric locks being added to privacy tech and features, framed as “extra security”
Join our #MozFest session where we’ll push back, showing how this actually makes tech less private & less secure.
FaceID(ictator): Authoritarians Love Biometrics. We Don’t.
mzf.st/142
Join our #MozFest session where we’ll push back, showing how this actually makes tech less private & less secure.
FaceID(ictator): Authoritarians Love Biometrics. We Don’t.
mzf.st/142
Reposted by De|Center
"Research shows that features like Face ID and fingerprints enable violent, forced phone access by police and authorities" the-decenter.ghost.io/the-body-as-... by Afsaneh Rigot
The Body as a Password: The Cost of Face ID
Convenience is costing people their freedom. Research shows that features like Face ID and fingerprints enable violent, forced phone access by police and authorities, writes Afsaneh Rigot.
the-decenter.ghost.io
November 6, 2025 at 4:53 PM
"Research shows that features like Face ID and fingerprints enable violent, forced phone access by police and authorities" the-decenter.ghost.io/the-body-as-... by Afsaneh Rigot
“Every participant who was detained by authorities & had biometrics enabled, said they were violently forced to unlock their phone. […]”
The research is clear: those with biometrics lost the power to resist device searches. Only using passcodes had some ability to refuse, delay, or obscure access.
The research is clear: those with biometrics lost the power to resist device searches. Only using passcodes had some ability to refuse, delay, or obscure access.
"Research shows that features like Face ID and fingerprints enable violent, forced phone access by police and authorities" the-decenter.ghost.io/the-body-as-... by Afsaneh Rigot
The Body as a Password: The Cost of Face ID
Convenience is costing people their freedom. Research shows that features like Face ID and fingerprints enable violent, forced phone access by police and authorities, writes Afsaneh Rigot.
the-decenter.ghost.io
November 7, 2025 at 7:47 AM
“Every participant who was detained by authorities & had biometrics enabled, said they were violently forced to unlock their phone. […]”
The research is clear: those with biometrics lost the power to resist device searches. Only using passcodes had some ability to refuse, delay, or obscure access.
The research is clear: those with biometrics lost the power to resist device searches. Only using passcodes had some ability to refuse, delay, or obscure access.
Convenience is costing people their freedom. We found that features like Face ID and fingerprints enable forced phone access by police and authorities. Plus, companies that brand themselves with user privacy are contributing to the normalization of constant bodily data capture and surveillance.
The Body as a Password: The Cost of Face ID
Convenience is costing people their freedom. Research shows that features like Face ID and fingerprints enable violent, forced phone access by police and authorities, writes Afsaneh Rigot.
the-decenter.ghost.io
November 6, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Convenience is costing people their freedom. We found that features like Face ID and fingerprints enable forced phone access by police and authorities. Plus, companies that brand themselves with user privacy are contributing to the normalization of constant bodily data capture and surveillance.
Reposted by De|Center
Millions in crisis rely on ubiquitous tools that betray them: from social media to Starlink. The deeper shock is when secure tools also exclude them through everyday hurdles like phone verification. In order to have real alternatives, we must reclaim hyper-accessibility. 🔐
Secure Tech Cannot Be a Luxury Item
Millions in crisis rely on ubiquitous tools that betray them: from social media to Starlink. The deeper shock comes when secure tools also exclude them through everyday hurdles like phone verification...
the-decenter.ghost.io
September 4, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Millions in crisis rely on ubiquitous tools that betray them: from social media to Starlink. The deeper shock is when secure tools also exclude them through everyday hurdles like phone verification. In order to have real alternatives, we must reclaim hyper-accessibility. 🔐
People in crisis (war, conflict, repression) are often forced to use the same tools that exploit them, which creates structural dependence by design. Afsaneh Rigot argues that we need to reclaim hyper-accessibility for the public good. 🔐 #dfm #decenter
Secure Tech Cannot Be a Luxury Item
Millions in crisis rely on ubiquitous tools that betray them: from social media to Starlink. The deeper shock comes when secure tools also exclude them through everyday hurdles like phone verification...
the-decenter.ghost.io
September 16, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Millions in crisis rely on ubiquitous tools that betray them: from social media to Starlink. The deeper shock is when secure tools also exclude them through everyday hurdles like phone verification. In order to have real alternatives, we must reclaim hyper-accessibility. 🔐
Secure Tech Cannot Be a Luxury Item
Millions in crisis rely on ubiquitous tools that betray them: from social media to Starlink. The deeper shock comes when secure tools also exclude them through everyday hurdles like phone verification...
the-decenter.ghost.io
September 4, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Millions in crisis rely on ubiquitous tools that betray them: from social media to Starlink. The deeper shock is when secure tools also exclude them through everyday hurdles like phone verification. In order to have real alternatives, we must reclaim hyper-accessibility. 🔐
Reposted by De|Center
Israel bombed an Evin, an Iranian prison that housed dissidents and political prisoners. They ended up destroying the trans wing and murdering over 100 trans people incarcerated there, many for simply being queer in Iran.
This is unspeakable evil.
archive.ph/PA2n5
This is unspeakable evil.
archive.ph/PA2n5
July 7, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Israel bombed an Evin, an Iranian prison that housed dissidents and political prisoners. They ended up destroying the trans wing and murdering over 100 trans people incarcerated there, many for simply being queer in Iran.
This is unspeakable evil.
archive.ph/PA2n5
This is unspeakable evil.
archive.ph/PA2n5
Reposted by De|Center
NEW: Records of hundreds of emergency calls from ICE detention centers obtained by WIRED—including audio recordings—show a system inundated by life-threatening incidents, delayed treatment, and overcrowding.
Unpaywalled from @dell.bsky.social and @dmehro.bsky.social:
Unpaywalled from @dell.bsky.social and @dmehro.bsky.social:
'They're Not Breathing': Inside the Chaos of ICE Detention Center 911 Calls
Records of hundreds of emergency calls from ICE detention centers obtained by WIRED—including audio recordings—show a system inundated by life-threatening incidents, delayed treatment, and overcrowdin...
www.wired.com
June 25, 2025 at 9:21 PM
NEW: Records of hundreds of emergency calls from ICE detention centers obtained by WIRED—including audio recordings—show a system inundated by life-threatening incidents, delayed treatment, and overcrowding.
Unpaywalled from @dell.bsky.social and @dmehro.bsky.social:
Unpaywalled from @dell.bsky.social and @dmehro.bsky.social:
Reposted by De|Center
Republicans just took away your healthcare so they can fund their secret police: newrepublic.com/post/197612/...
Congress Gives ICE More Money Than It Could Have Ever Imagined
It’s impossible to overstate how much power ICE just got from Trump’s budget.
newrepublic.com
July 7, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Republicans just took away your healthcare so they can fund their secret police: newrepublic.com/post/197612/...
Reposted by De|Center
If the GOP reconciliation bill passes, ICE gets through FY2029:
- $45 billion for detention, on top of the current annual budget of $3.4 billion
- $14.4 billion for transportation and removal, on top of the current annual budget of $750 million
- $8 billion for hiring/retention
- Billions more.
- $45 billion for detention, on top of the current annual budget of $3.4 billion
- $14.4 billion for transportation and removal, on top of the current annual budget of $750 million
- $8 billion for hiring/retention
- Billions more.
June 28, 2025 at 10:07 PM
If the GOP reconciliation bill passes, ICE gets through FY2029:
- $45 billion for detention, on top of the current annual budget of $3.4 billion
- $14.4 billion for transportation and removal, on top of the current annual budget of $750 million
- $8 billion for hiring/retention
- Billions more.
- $45 billion for detention, on top of the current annual budget of $3.4 billion
- $14.4 billion for transportation and removal, on top of the current annual budget of $750 million
- $8 billion for hiring/retention
- Billions more.
Reposted by De|Center
With this budget, ICE alone would have nearly as large a detention operation as all 50 states' prison systems combined. Bigger budget than the Marine Corps. Police-state levels of spending
If the GOP reconciliation bill passes, ICE gets through FY2029:
- $45 billion for detention, on top of the current annual budget of $3.4 billion
- $14.4 billion for transportation and removal, on top of the current annual budget of $750 million
- $8 billion for hiring/retention
- Billions more.
- $45 billion for detention, on top of the current annual budget of $3.4 billion
- $14.4 billion for transportation and removal, on top of the current annual budget of $750 million
- $8 billion for hiring/retention
- Billions more.
‼️‼️
June 29, 2025 at 11:33 AM
With this budget, ICE alone would have nearly as large a detention operation as all 50 states' prison systems combined. Bigger budget than the Marine Corps. Police-state levels of spending
Reposted by De|Center
Report it now on 7or -The Palestinian Observatory of Digital Rights Violations
🔗 7or.7amleh.org
🔗 7or.7amleh.org
June 17, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Report it now on 7or -The Palestinian Observatory of Digital Rights Violations
🔗 7or.7amleh.org
🔗 7or.7amleh.org
Israel’s genocide in Gaza. War in Lebanon. Now Iran — as the US circles in.
AI weapons fuel this — tested on Gazans, expanded to Iran, used by ICE. Powered by companies like Palantir & OpenAI.
It’s a war on us all!
#STOPTHEWAR
#NoTechForApartheid #NoTechForICE
Photo @alexshams.bsky.social
AI weapons fuel this — tested on Gazans, expanded to Iran, used by ICE. Powered by companies like Palantir & OpenAI.
It’s a war on us all!
#STOPTHEWAR
#NoTechForApartheid #NoTechForICE
Photo @alexshams.bsky.social
June 17, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Israel’s genocide in Gaza. War in Lebanon. Now Iran — as the US circles in.
AI weapons fuel this — tested on Gazans, expanded to Iran, used by ICE. Powered by companies like Palantir & OpenAI.
It’s a war on us all!
#STOPTHEWAR
#NoTechForApartheid #NoTechForICE
Photo @alexshams.bsky.social
AI weapons fuel this — tested on Gazans, expanded to Iran, used by ICE. Powered by companies like Palantir & OpenAI.
It’s a war on us all!
#STOPTHEWAR
#NoTechForApartheid #NoTechForICE
Photo @alexshams.bsky.social
Reposted by De|Center
“A poem by a young Iranian poet Parnia Abbasi who, along with her family, all civilians, was killed today in a brutal and unlawful Israeli attack in the Sattarkhan neighbourhood of Tehran.”
www.pamenarpress.com/post/parnia-...
www.pamenarpress.com/post/parnia-...
Parnia Abbasi (2002-2025)
Translated by Ghazal MosadeqA poem by a young Iranian poet Parnia Abbasi who, along with her family, all civilians, was killed today in a brutal and unlawful Israeli attack in the Sattarkhan neighbour...
www.pamenarpress.com
June 13, 2025 at 9:39 PM
“A poem by a young Iranian poet Parnia Abbasi who, along with her family, all civilians, was killed today in a brutal and unlawful Israeli attack in the Sattarkhan neighbourhood of Tehran.”
www.pamenarpress.com/post/parnia-...
www.pamenarpress.com/post/parnia-...
“the world needs more courage, not less. It needs people who choose justice over convenience.
[…]
Loving you is not separate from the struggle for liberation. It is liberation itself. I fight for you, and for every Palestinian child whose life deserves safety, tenderness and freedom.”
[…]
Loving you is not separate from the struggle for liberation. It is liberation itself. I fight for you, and for every Palestinian child whose life deserves safety, tenderness and freedom.”
June 14, 2025 at 1:20 AM
“the world needs more courage, not less. It needs people who choose justice over convenience.
[…]
Loving you is not separate from the struggle for liberation. It is liberation itself. I fight for you, and for every Palestinian child whose life deserves safety, tenderness and freedom.”
[…]
Loving you is not separate from the struggle for liberation. It is liberation itself. I fight for you, and for every Palestinian child whose life deserves safety, tenderness and freedom.”
Reposted by De|Center
About 2,000 transgender people are incarcerated in federal prisons, according to the Bureau of Prisons — a tiny fraction of the federal prison population. But they are disproportionately targeted for abuse and assault.
3 Things to Know About Prison Violence Against Transgender People
Key takeaways from our story about one trans woman’s legal battle for accountability.
www.themarshallproject.org
June 13, 2025 at 9:01 PM
About 2,000 transgender people are incarcerated in federal prisons, according to the Bureau of Prisons — a tiny fraction of the federal prison population. But they are disproportionately targeted for abuse and assault.