Jessica Vitak
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vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak
@vitak.bsky.social
1.1K followers 270 following 230 posts

She/her. Professor at University of Maryland's iSchool. Director of the HCIL. General Chair for CSCW 2025. Research: privacy, surveillance, data ethics. https://jessicavitak.com

Come for the academic expertise. Stay for the cookie content. .. more

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Jessica Vitak is an American information scientist who is a professor at the University of Maryland. She is faculty in the University of Maryland College of Information (iSchool) and Communication Department. She serves as Director of the University of Maryland Human–Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL) and an Associate Member of the Social Data Science Center (SoDa). .. more

Communication & Media Studies 26%
Sociology 22%
Posts Replies Media Videos

vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 3h
::screams into the void::
pbump.com Philip Bump @pbump.com · 14h
So the feds ARE NOT considering an mRNA vaccine for the flu, which could save countless lives, but ARE backing research into whether horse dewormer can cure cancer, because the right views vaccines as elite and ivermectin as populist.

Cool.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
FDA won’t review Moderna application for first mRNA-based flu vaccine
The decision, which shocked company officials, comes as the FDA says it will take a stricter approach to federal vaccine approvals.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Matthew Bunn, Gavin A. Schmidt, Scott A. Imberman , and 4 more

pbump.com
Philip Bump @pbump.com · 14h
So the feds ARE NOT considering an mRNA vaccine for the flu, which could save countless lives, but ARE backing research into whether horse dewormer can cure cancer, because the right views vaccines as elite and ivermectin as populist.

Cool.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
FDA won’t review Moderna application for first mRNA-based flu vaccine
The decision, which shocked company officials, comes as the FDA says it will take a stricter approach to federal vaccine approvals.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Jason Mittell, Amanda Lotz, Mary Bosworth , and 27 more

weratedogs.com
WeRateDogs @weratedogs.com · 20h
we need to talk about that Ring Super Bowl ad

Reposted by Jessica Vitak

hcil-umd.bsky.social
HCIL @hcil-umd.bsky.social · 2d
Join us at 12:30pm ET Thursday, 2/12, in the HCIL Lab (HBK 2105) or online for our weekly brown bag speaker series. We'll hear from Dr. Gabriel Kaptchuk on "On Using Differential Privacy" Visit hcil.umd.edu/bbl-speaker-... for more information.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Marc Lynch, Kim L. Scheppele , and 35 more

propublica.org
ProPublica @propublica.org · 2d
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.

Hundreds of kids are still detained.

We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵

vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 3d
Open your eyes people. Just because they don't have gas chambers doesn't mean these detention centers aren't concentration camps. If you were horrified reading accounts of the Nazis during WW2, you should be horrified now.
brunojnavarro.bsky.social Bruno J. Navarro @brunojnavarro.bsky.social · 3d
The proposed centers are so large that some could house as many as 8,000 detainees at once, according to a DHS spreadsheet of more than 20 potential locations that was verified by NBC News. The largest federal prison in the U.S., for example, has roughly 4,000 inmates.
ICE plans to build mega warehouses for immigration detention spark growing concern
Sources at two government contractors told NBC News they were worried that new warehouses — and the large numbers of immigrants who would be housed in them — would present safety problems.
www.nbcnews.com

Reposted by Linda J. Skitka, Jessica Vitak, Mark Rice , and 1 more

brunojnavarro.bsky.social
Bruno J. Navarro @brunojnavarro.bsky.social · 3d
The proposed centers are so large that some could house as many as 8,000 detainees at once, according to a DHS spreadsheet of more than 20 potential locations that was verified by NBC News. The largest federal prison in the U.S., for example, has roughly 4,000 inmates.
ICE plans to build mega warehouses for immigration detention spark growing concern
Sources at two government contractors told NBC News they were worried that new warehouses — and the large numbers of immigrants who would be housed in them — would present safety problems.
www.nbcnews.com

Reposted by Jessica Vitak

windowseat.bsky.social
Laurel Krahn @windowseat.bsky.social · 5d
Want to help people in Minnesota? The best place to start is: www.standwithminnesota.com

You can donate money to people who need it, donate airline miles, send supportive messages, & read about other things to do to help or prepare your own community:
www.standwithminnesota.com/actions-to-t...
How to Help Minnesota in light purple letters with dark purple background on a glittery background that includes stars

Reposted by Jessica Vitak

ynotez.infosec.exchange.ap.brid.gy
Yan @ynotez.infosec.exchange.ap.brid.gy · 8d
THE 8TH ANNUAL PRIVACI SYMPOSIUM

https://privaci.info/symposium/2026/cfp.html

We are pleased to announce the 8th annual PrivaCI Symposium, which will take place on June 24-25, 2026 in University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.

IMPORTANT DATES

All […]

[Original post on infosec.exchange]
The CI symposium, Illinois campus with the symposium logo

Reposted by Steve Peers, Paul M. Schwartz, Caroline T. Schroeder , and 2 more

techpolicypress.bsky.social
Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 8d
In his forthcoming book, Your Data Will Be Used Against You, George Washington University Law School professor Andrew Guthrie Ferguson explores how sensor-driven technologies, social media monitoring, and artificial intelligence can be weaponized against democratic values and personal freedoms.
How to Apply the 'Tyrant Test' to Technology
George Washington University Law School professor Andrew Guthrie Ferguson is the author of the forthcoming book Your Data Will Be Used Against You.
buff.ly

Reposted by Jessica Vitak

hcil-umd.bsky.social
HCIL @hcil-umd.bsky.social · 8d
Join us at 12:30pm ET Thursday, 2/5 , in the lab (HBK 2105) or online for our weekly brown bag speaker series. This week we'll hear from two researchers about their UIST papers! Visit hcil.umd.edu/bbl-speaker-... for more information

Reposted by Jessica Vitak

acm-cscw.bsky.social
ACM CSCW @acm-cscw.bsky.social · 13d
📢 CSCW is piloting a rolling submissions experiment.

🔸 More flexibility for authors
🔸 Emphasis on paper quality over deadline pressure

🧪 Important: Only a small number of papers will be invited to participate, and authors can nominate their work for possible selection.
cscw.acm.org/2026/rolling...
CSCW 2026
cscw.acm.org

vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 16d
That's awesome! Hope to see some folks in Barcelona.

Reposted by Michelle L. Mazurek, Jessica Vitak

lookitup.baby
Ian Coldwater 🧊🚫 @lookitup.baby · 16d
Signal will never message you like this.

If you get a message like this, SOMEONE IS TRYING TO HACK YOUR SIGNAL.

DO NOT GIVE THEM THAT CODE.
Message from "Signal Support" Dear User, this is Signal Security Support ChatBot. Our system has detected a recent login attempt to your account from an unrecognized device or location. As a security measure, we have blocked this attempt and sent a verification code via SMS to your registered phone number. If this was NOT you: To secure your account and block this unauthorized access, please reply to this message with the verification code you just received. If this WAS you: You can safely ignore this message. The login attempt will be automatically approved shortly. Thank you for helping us keep your account secure.

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Will Jennings, Steve Peers , and 8 more

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 17d
From the NY Post. You know they are really scrambling when they are running "The gun was no angel" stories.
Alex Pretti’s Sig handgun has history of accidentally firing — offering possible clue to why Border agent shot him

vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 19d
I finally returned a book to the university library today after renewing it every six months for the last 7-8 years. It was time.

Be free Cambridge Handbook of Consumer Privacy. Be free!

Reposted by Michelle L. Mazurek, Jessica Vitak

dmgreene.bsky.social
Dan Greene @dmgreene.bsky.social · 19d
UMD's College of Information is hiring lecturers in five areas: networking fundamentals, information design, security, programming and databases, and experiential learning. 3-3 load, $95k-$102k. I love working here. Asshole-free environment. Spread the word! Not on the committee but happy to talk.
Lecturer (Open Rank)
Job Description Summary & Additional Information Organization's Summary Statement: Position Summary The College of Information at the University of Maryland, College Park (INFO), invites applicati...
umd.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com

vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 19d
I'm seriously considering buying this shirt and wearing it to every meeting I'm running from here on out.
Picture of blue t-shirt featuring a woman riding a horse and carrying a lasso. There are several cats running in front of the horse and some cacti. The text on the shirt reads, "Nothing to see here, just herding my cats."

Reposted by John R. Hutchinson, Aaron Sojourner, Jessica Vitak , and 2 more

dbrauer.net
David Brauer @dbrauer.net · 20d
Harrowing NY Times expose of the FBI, with some operational details of Minneapolis investigations & comments from ex-agents on the current federal occupation. The FBI is more fucked than you expect, which makes them less effective AND more dangerous. www.nytimes.com/interactive/... (gift link)
Kash Patel’s FBI Is Making America Less Safe, Current and Former Employees Say (Gift Article)
Forty-five current and former employees on the changes they say are undermining the agency and making America less safe.
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Jessica Vitak

nullset.bsky.social
Eric Null @nullset.bsky.social · 21d
I'm hiring a senior policy analyst/counsel for the privacy & data team at CDT!

"Inquire within"
Careers
Current Openingsfind yourself engaged in passionate discussions about privacy policies? Are you yearning to put your expertise to work on internet neutrality legislation? If so, you might be a great f...
cdt.org

vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 21d
Did you have a qualitative paper rejected from #chi2026? As you're revising for your next submission, check out this crowdsourced document containing common critiques of qualitative research and ideas for responding -- and add any new critiques you've encountered:
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Reviewer Critiques (Qualitative Methods) and How to Respond to Them
Reviewer Critiques (Qualitative Methods) and How to Respond to Them Author: Jessica Vitak (+ anyone who adds to the document) About This Document (and a disclaimer) Reviewing is a highly subjective pr...
docs.google.com

vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 22d
At a certain point, it's better to actively avoid the news by enjoying some episodes of MST3K.

vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 25d
If you, like me, know nothing about the US' history with Greenland, this was a solid primer: theconversation.com/us-military-...
US military has a long history in Greenland, from mining during WWII to a nuclear-powered Army base built into the ice
History also shows that many of the fanciful engineering ideas for Greenland failed because they misjudged the island’s harsh climate and dynamic ice sheet.
theconversation.com

vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 25d
I didn't realize this was because of you. Thank you for a pretty morning snow!

vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 27d
I do a lot of jigsaw puzzles and was mildly disturbed when I saw this one. [To be clear, I did *not* purchase it.]
Screenshot of Brian Cook 500-piece puzzled titled "Butts on Things." Image is of various items, mainly food, drawn in a cartoon style, with butts.

vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 27d
👏 Fully agree 👏

We Reject the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence for Reflexive Qualitative Research: journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
We Reject the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence for Reflexive Qualitative Research - Tanisha Jowsey, Virginia Braun, Victoria Clarke, Deborah Lupton, Michelle Fine, 2025
Four hundred and nineteen experienced qualitative researchers from 32 countries invite readers of Qualitative Inquiry to consider their position on use of gener...
journals.sagepub.com

Reposted by Jessica Vitak

couts.bsky.social
Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 27d
NEW: 17 different models of Bluetooth headphones and speakers can be hijacked to play audio, eavesdrop thru mics, and in some cases even track your location—unless you install a patch, which many people don't. @agreenberg.bsky.social & @lhn.bsky.social w/ the scoop: www.wired.com/story/google...
Hundreds of Millions of Audio Devices Need a Patch to Prevent Wireless Hacking and Tracking
Flaws in how 17 models of headphones and speakers use Google’s one-tap Fast Pair Bluetooth protocol have left devices open to eavesdroppers and stalkers.
www.wired.com

vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 27d
If you were following along, here's the updated set of debate scenarios I plan to use in my surveillance studies class. There's five new ones for 13 total, spanning three main categories: government, law enforcement, and work/school.
drive.google.com/file/d/1db7y...

vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 27d
And if you want to read more about Tablo's "scandal" (which blew up after false claims he didn't get two degrees from Stanford), you can read about it in the uni's magazine: stanfordmag.org/contents/the...
The Persecution of Daniel Lee
An Internet smear campaign nearly destroyed the South Korean star, but he fought back with the only weapon he had: the truth.
stanfordmag.org

vitak.bsky.social
Jessica Vitak @vitak.bsky.social · 27d
Even if you've never heard of Tablo, you should listen to his podcast episode on resilience. Tablo has dealt with some real shit in his life and uses everyday stories from his life to describe how he developed resilience, as well as the importance of gratitude.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylrA...
Do this and you'll be MENTALLY BULLETPROOF | Hey Tablo Ep. 2
YouTube video by TABLO
www.youtube.com