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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 10h

We're breaking for lunch, and my phone is breaking for life. So that's all from me. But loads more people on here covering #TC2025, including @reutersinstitute.bsky.social

Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 11h

There are just over 100 items in the vault: software from GitHub, Microsoft, Vatican library, Brazil Football Museum, McDonald's recipes. Fintan mentions €9k charge for 150gb of storage, but it's unclear if that's one-off, annual or monthly.

Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 11h

Q&A time with Albert Han and Fintan McDonnell: How Albert got the story? Hard place to get to, but people are very happy to talk. He was out for a drink at the only bar in town. He met a tour guide who invited him to see the vault.

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 11h

Story in a nutshell: What is the best way to store data for the long long term? On Svalbard Island, a decommissioned coal mine is used to "pickle" data for >1k yrs by turning data into film with QR codes. Will it survive climate change? Unclear.

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 11h

Segment 4: Yasir Khan, EiC at Context, is going to give us a deep-dive on their story on the Arctic World Archive which aims to preserve data for posterity. www.context.news/big-tech/vid...

Inside the Arctic vault where data lasts ‘forever’ | Context by TRF

We visited an Arctic coal mine, where one company claims it can store your digital files for thousands of years. So what’s in here?

www.context.news

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 11h

"It's not being clocked that MAD people are taking over," says Wylie, "MAD people: crazy-crazy." If a tech bro says something, understand that this is a super political thing: start questioning the insanity. Take it seriously. That's a wrap on panel 3. ⭐⭐⭐

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 11h

They recommend listening to their podcast for insights from a Dubai crypto bros party with Brian Johnson in the middle of a raging storm. Captured is here: share.google/AtstIsCQSIqg...

AUDIBLE AND CODA STORY LAUNCH GROUNDBREAKING SERIES "CAPTURED: THE SECRET BEHIND SILICON VALLEY'S AI TAKEOVER" - Coda Story

Six-part audio investigation from Coda Story and Audible, hosted by Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie, uncovers how Silicon Valley’s AI revolution has evolved beyond mere technology ...

share.google

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 11h

How do we get out of the mess, asks Coda's editor. "Society must often be pushed to the breaking point before they react," says Wylie, and a lot will depend on where the Trump administration goes with tech next. Revolution is not what he hopes for, it is simply inevitable, says Wylie.

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 11h

The U.S. VP used to work with Thiel, Wylie points out, and that is scary. Even scarier: this is not being loudly debated and shouted about in the media. Tech is deliberately putting money into journalism and academia to entrench their power, he says.

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 11h

Bullshit, Wylie calls on the argument that regulators don't know how to regulate AI. This is a SV narrative. Imagine if they had said that about aeroplanes, he said. We can create regulators who are technically competent, he says. We need an FAA for AI.

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 11h

I am holding myself back from inserting my own opinions. 🤐 He now compares tech coverage to climate journalism, which learnt that siloed expertise was stifling the conversation. Take AI out of the conversation about AI, Antelava asks? Yup, says Wylie. Apologies, I do not know what this means.

Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 11h

"What would a feminist algorithm look like," is Wylie's suggestion for change. There is an underlying philosophy of control in current tech, and journalists are failing to question those structural flaws. Technology should not be a beat, he argues, it is the medium of our society.

Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 12h

The Italian fascists were obsessed with cars, rocket ships, and Eugenics. It's the same now, argues Christopher. Except we now call it "longevity". It's scary, he says. So what do we do, asks Antelava?

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 12h

Multiple tech founders have predicted "god will emerge from their servers". Is that not worth picking at a little bit, Wylie asks? When you talk to people in the valley about AGI, Wylie says, it sounds cultish. Why aren't you questioning them, he adds.

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 12h

One of the problems, Wylie says, is that so many people in the media literally do not listen. He points to Peter Thiel who has called for an end to democracy for a decade, but the pearl clutching only began in 2025.

Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 12h

Government and journalism were not and are not really prepared for [data oversight and threats], says Wylie. By comparison, a lot of people in Silicon Valley ARE thinking about the future, he says. But blind faith in them to define the narrative of the future is problematic.

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 12h

What have you been up to since Cambridge Analytica? "I am not a full-time whistleblower," he jokes, "there's not much money in that." What did 2018 achieve? "I was incredibly naive to become a whistleblower," he says. He thought the experts would come in and fix things. They did not.

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 12h

Coda teamed up with Christopher to write about Silicon Valley culture. We're listening to a voice note he sent from the toilet of a tech party: "they're prepping for when society revolts". It's a strange juxtaposition with those talking about how to save democracy, he says.

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 12h

Time for Panel 3, Natalia Antelava of Coda Story interviews whistleblower Christopher Wylie. Before he joins stage, Antelava is explaining that Coda is experimenting with collaborating with non-journalist contributors. #InfluencerStrategy will be the number one news talking point of 2026 (says me).

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 12h

That's a wrap on panel 2. Networking break time. ✌️To be continued with Christopher Wylie and more to come.

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 13h

How to stand up to authoritarianism when life is at risk? All panellists seem to agree: risk your life. 🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏾‍♂️ But Sara adds: going after the money funneled into other countries can be a way for international community to help.

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 13h

.. coverage locally, but international coverage helps. Op Eds can be used to push and counter misinformation.

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 13h

The role of media in your countries? 🇧🇩 Previously astute journalists became supporters of the regime. Now? No clarity on how to address complicity but arbitrary detention is not OK, Sara warns. Truth and reconciliation required. 🇹🇷 Fragmented media means we live in parallel realms. 🇺🇬 Zero positive...

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 13h

... They knew not to make martyrs. They waited, they watched, then went house to house and arrested all the journalists quietly. 🇺🇬 Our priority is survival. We use litigation to challenge laws. We use social media to protest and expose corruption. "Hang them" was tagline of newspaper outing LGBTQ.

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Caithlin Mercer @caithlinm.bsky.social · 13h

Vivian asks all about demonstrations by the young: 🇧🇩 People were tired of politicians but when kids (students) were killed that was the trigger, says Sara. Parents came out, proctors came out. 🇹🇷 We can't get anywhere with protests because the Authoritarianism is institutionalised. ...

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