Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Kate Klonick

Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 4h

Shared courtesy of my Penn History colleague, Ben Nathans

Image: A variation on Benjamin Franklin’s “Join, or Die” engraving, originally published in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754. Each segment of the snake has the name of a university sent Trump’s “compact”: Texas, AZ, Vanderbilt, USC, Dartmouth, UVA, Brown, Penn, MIT.

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 3h

Love you @semaforben.bsky.social !! And you have interesting perspective on this question but like… from a very limited vantage point.

1

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 3h

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/s...

This is a fun question but terrible execution. It could have talked to media/comms scholars or social scientists/engineers who study this stuff

And instead it’s a collection of viral nostalgia anecdotes and convos with @semaforben.bsky.social !?

Is ‘Going Viral’ Dead?

www.nytimes.com

2 1 8

Reposted by Kate Klonick

Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 5h

I’ve seen posts claiming this “truth” is evidence of dementia, but IMO that’s not the right frame. This is strategy. Since 2021, the right has been rewriting history, bending timelines, to connect their grievances (Covid) and conspiracy theories (Jan 6, censorship, etc) to the Biden administration.

Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 9h

That’s a nice trick, since Biden wasn’t the president on Jan 6.

35 140 580

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 22h

Ah Thanks. Appreciate the info. FWIW what I wrote is definitely the messaging stateside. I’m glad there was more going on but the news coverage I read made it sound like the law was happening and that’s what I heard from people in the EU as well. Obvi there’s the CJEU post-, but that’s always true.

1 1

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 1d

Not really what?

1 1

Reposted by Kate Klonick

James Grimmelmann @jtlg.bsky.social · 6d

Listeners' Choices Online is now online. I hope you will choose to listen to it!

james.grimmelmann.net/files/articl...

james.grimmelmann.net

2 5 7

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 1d

So long TikTok deal!

We ride at dawn, @alanrozenshtein.com !

1 7 31

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 2d

Would be interested if people have more insight into how this came about. But maybe it's that Germany has real historical experience with State listening in on your private life and decided now was not the time to experiment with that.

Whatever the case, they voted no, which was great news.

5/5

5 1 20

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 2d

But yeah, everyone was kinda resigned that we were going to lose this battle in the EU. Everyone just seemed like they were in agreement. It is always really hard to push against a movement that can frame itself as "protecting children"

But then a few weeks ago, Germany suddenly changed course

4/

2 1 9

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 2d

The reason why is simple: once you "backdoor" an end-to-end-encryption it really isn't encrypted at all anymore -- the end.

As fascism rises worldwide and states increasingly deploy digital surveillance measures, a "backdoor for CSAM" quickly becomes a "backdoor for state surveillance"

3/

1 2 16

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 2d

This is a perennial debate: child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is now mostly spread through encrypted networks where it escapes detection.

That's a huge problem, but its also a huge problem to backdoor an encrypted chat even if its "just" for CSAM

2/

1 3 6

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 2d

Want to call out a really huge (and surprising) win for E2EE.

So since 2022, there's been a bill in the EU that was looking like it was fait accompli to force companies to backdoor encrypted chats to scan for CSAM

It was really bad from a privacy perspective

www.euronews.com/next/2025/10...

1/

Germany’s no halts EU plan to combat child sexual abuse content online

The European Commission proposed the measures in 2022, but member states cannot reach an agreement, citing privacy and cybersecurity concerns.

www.euronews.com

1 11 43

Reposted by Kate Klonick

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 2d

Breaking News: The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader, for her work promoting democracy.

María Corina Machado Is Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize: Live Updates and Video

The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised “her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.”

nyti.ms

140 420 1.9K

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 2d

Nothing makes me feel more patriotic than the natural beauty of this country.

10 17 230

Reposted by Kate Klonick

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 3d

Good time to read @mollyroberts.bsky.social:

“It’s hard to imagine a worse case than the one against James Comey—until you see the one against the attorney general of New York.”

www.lawfaremedia.org/article/next...

Next Up: Letitia James
Molly Roberts
Monday, October 6, 2025, 9:59 AM
Share On: f X in $
It's hard to imagine a worse case than the one against James Comey-until you see the one against the attorney general of New York.

67 580 1.9K

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 3d

Amazing work @carlzimmer.com and must be so emotionally depleting to work on. But thank you for doing it. We will need receipts.

2

Reposted by Kate Klonick

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 3d

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

nyti.ms

140 1.8K 4.7K

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 3d

How not to name your marketing agency

11 8 57

Reposted by Kate Klonick

Rianamator 🦇🎃👻 @riana.bsky.social · 3d

My May paper with @shelbygrossman.bsky.social on AI-generated CSAM recommended that state lawmakers update mandatory-reporter laws to cover "nudify" incidents in schools. Now, Pennsylvania lawmakers are working to do just that, spurred by an incident our paper discusses. www.witf.org/2025/10/07/l...

Lancaster Country Day AI incident moves lawmakers to push changes in mandatory reporting law | WITF

Three Lancaster County lawmakers are working on legislation that would require school administrators to report the discovery of any artificially g […]

www.witf.org

1 4 16

Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 4d

Quiet part outloud

Jameel Jaffer @jameeljaffer.bsky.social · 4d

“We took the freedom of speech away”

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

5 37

Reposted by Kate Klonick

Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 4d

A Shortlist of Federal Data the Trump Administration Has Tampered With or Destroyed talkingpointsmemo.com/news/a-short...

A Shortlist of Federal Data the Trump Administration Has Tampered With or Destroyed

The scale and scope of federal data and statistics that have been...

talkingpointsmemo.com

19 270 520

Reposted by Kate Klonick

Dartmouth Arts and Sciences @dartmouthartsci.bsky.social · 4d

“I worry about future presidents of both parties abusing all of the unprecedented powers that Trump is claiming.” Professor @brendannyhan.bsky.social discusses potential for the Trump administration to initiate a cycle of political retaliation, via the @nytimes.com.

In Going After His Foes, Trump Sets a Precedent That Could Haunt His Allies

www.nytimes.com

6 4 20

Reposted by Kate Klonick

The Information Society Project at Yale Law School @yaleisp.bsky.social · 4d

Tomorrow! Join us for Prof. @klonick.bsky.social's (St. John's University School of Law) talk:

"Ban Cookie Banners"

📅 Thu., Oct. 9, 2025
⏰ 12:00-1:30 PM
📍Baker Hall 405

2 1

Reposted by Kate Klonick

Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 4d

Henry Farrell on the Trump admin’s proposed “compact” for universities, arguing that the rollout signals weakness, and that academics need to band together to reject this authoritarian attack on university independence and academic freedom.

Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...

2 61 130