Eric Null
@nullset.bsky.social
Public policy (tech/privacy) by day, everything else by night
Co-Director Privacy & Data Program, Center for Democracy & Technology, @cendemtech.bsky.social.
Views expressed here are mine: hastily adopted, uninformed, and deeply held.
He/him!
Co-Director Privacy & Data Program, Center for Democracy & Technology, @cendemtech.bsky.social.
Views expressed here are mine: hastily adopted, uninformed, and deeply held.
He/him!
Happening this week! Don't miss our upcoming in-person event "The People's Oversight Hearing." We are 10 months into the 119th Congress, and American has yet to see an oversight hearing for independent agencies such as the FCC, FTC and CFPB — so we've decided to host our own.
November 10, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Interested in #TechPolicy #internships? Join us at @cdt.org next summer! Several options: Legal, research, comms, etc.
cdt.org/careers/
cdt.org/careers/
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
November 10, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Interested in #TechPolicy #internships? Join us at @cdt.org next summer! Several options: Legal, research, comms, etc.
cdt.org/careers/
cdt.org/careers/
I'll be a questioner, alongside many distinguished tech professionals, at next week's People's Oversight Hearing, hosted by @publicknowledge.bsky.social
publicknowledge.org/the-peoples-...
#Privacy
#FTC
#Competition
#AI
publicknowledge.org/the-peoples-...
#Privacy
#FTC
#Competition
#AI
The People’s Oversight Hearing
Public Knowledge promotes freedom of expression, an open internet, and access to affordable communications tools and creative works. We work to shape policy.
publicknowledge.org
November 7, 2025 at 6:29 PM
I'll be a questioner, alongside many distinguished tech professionals, at next week's People's Oversight Hearing, hosted by @publicknowledge.bsky.social
publicknowledge.org/the-peoples-...
#Privacy
#FTC
#Competition
#AI
publicknowledge.org/the-peoples-...
#Privacy
#FTC
#Competition
#AI
Reposted by Eric Null
If I could give one piece of practical purchasing advice from a 40something to a 20something it would be this:
mattresses and shoes are worth spending a lot of money on
way more important than having the latest phone or designer jeans. take care of your feet and back.
oh also sunscreen
mattresses and shoes are worth spending a lot of money on
way more important than having the latest phone or designer jeans. take care of your feet and back.
oh also sunscreen
November 7, 2025 at 3:40 PM
If I could give one piece of practical purchasing advice from a 40something to a 20something it would be this:
mattresses and shoes are worth spending a lot of money on
way more important than having the latest phone or designer jeans. take care of your feet and back.
oh also sunscreen
mattresses and shoes are worth spending a lot of money on
way more important than having the latest phone or designer jeans. take care of your feet and back.
oh also sunscreen
Airline #Privacy is a serious problem, as airlines essentially have no privacy requirements (Dept of Transportation started investigating airline privacy practices last year but the agency has since dropped it).
You should opt out of this practice ASAP.
You should opt out of this practice ASAP.
PSA from 404 Media: you can opt-out of a data broker selling your flight travel data to the government to be searched without a warrant. Here's how I did it. This is ARC, the data broker owned by major U.S. airlines like United, Delta, American, etc
www.404media.co/how-to-opt-o...
www.404media.co/how-to-opt-o...
How to Opt-Out of Airlines Selling Your Travel Data to the Government
The Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), owned by major U.S. airlines, collects billions of ticketing records and sells them to the government to be searched without a warrant. I managed to opt-out o...
www.404media.co
November 4, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Airline #Privacy is a serious problem, as airlines essentially have no privacy requirements (Dept of Transportation started investigating airline privacy practices last year but the agency has since dropped it).
You should opt out of this practice ASAP.
You should opt out of this practice ASAP.
Reposted by Eric Null
Apple gives users a "yes/no" option for personalized ads. 78% say no. Further, conversion rates for personalized and nonpersonalized ads are almost identical (on first-party ads anyway).
9to5mac.com/2022/05/11/i...
#advertising
#privacy
9to5mac.com/2022/05/11/i...
#advertising
#privacy
Apple: Most iOS 15 users opt out of personalized ads; no impact on App Store Search Ads conversions - 9to5Mac
Apple’s Search Ads business is becoming an increasingly important part of its Services revenue. In a presentation to advertising clients...
9to5mac.com
June 13, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Apple gives users a "yes/no" option for personalized ads. 78% say no. Further, conversion rates for personalized and nonpersonalized ads are almost identical (on first-party ads anyway).
9to5mac.com/2022/05/11/i...
#advertising
#privacy
9to5mac.com/2022/05/11/i...
#advertising
#privacy
Then-commissioner Pai went on a press junket when the FCC was simply asking QUESTIONS of newsrooms about how they chose their stories, to better understand how they operate.
Now the FCC IS the newsroom.
Now the FCC IS the newsroom.
“Before the second Trump era, it would’ve been seen as a ridiculous violation of the First Amendment to have some kind of monitor making sure the media was being nice to the president.”
@gizmodo.com $PARA
gizmodo.com/fcc-to-appoi...
@gizmodo.com $PARA
gizmodo.com/fcc-to-appoi...
July 25, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Then-commissioner Pai went on a press junket when the FCC was simply asking QUESTIONS of newsrooms about how they chose their stories, to better understand how they operate.
Now the FCC IS the newsroom.
Now the FCC IS the newsroom.
Reposted by Eric Null
In the history of movie jokes, I don’t think any one line has gotten a bark of laughter like this one got out of me
July 23, 2025 at 1:05 PM
In the history of movie jokes, I don’t think any one line has gotten a bark of laughter like this one got out of me
Reposted by Eric Null
Very honored to be receiving @publicknowledge.bsky.social's Internet Protocol IP3 Award this year. Alli can think about are all the shoulders I've stood on to make change and rested my head on when I needed help.
Congratulations to my incredible colleague @josephhall.org who has taught and inspired many of us in tech policy!
🎟️ www.eventbrite.com/e/22nd-annua...
🎟️ www.eventbrite.com/e/22nd-annua...
July 16, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Very honored to be receiving @publicknowledge.bsky.social's Internet Protocol IP3 Award this year. Alli can think about are all the shoulders I've stood on to make change and rested my head on when I needed help.
These are incredible. I forgot how good this show was.
had the big brain realization that you could just whip up a whole D&D cast/NPC list from Whose Line prompts alone
July 13, 2025 at 4:13 PM
These are incredible. I forgot how good this show was.
DOGS DO NOT BELONG IN RESTAURANTS
July 4, 2025 at 12:07 AM
DOGS DO NOT BELONG IN RESTAURANTS
July 1, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Reposted by Eric Null
HERE’S WHERE WE ARE WITH THE AI MORATORIUM:
They put the amendment in.
They took the amendment out.
They put the amendment in and they shook it all about.
They did the Hokey Pokey and they turned themselves around.
That’s what the Senate’s all about.
They put the amendment in.
They took the amendment out.
They put the amendment in and they shook it all about.
They did the Hokey Pokey and they turned themselves around.
That’s what the Senate’s all about.
July 1, 2025 at 2:03 AM
HERE’S WHERE WE ARE WITH THE AI MORATORIUM:
They put the amendment in.
They took the amendment out.
They put the amendment in and they shook it all about.
They did the Hokey Pokey and they turned themselves around.
That’s what the Senate’s all about.
They put the amendment in.
They took the amendment out.
They put the amendment in and they shook it all about.
They did the Hokey Pokey and they turned themselves around.
That’s what the Senate’s all about.
ok so apparently after all that, there is actually no #AIMoratorium deal w/ Blackburn/Cruz?
x.com/americans4ri...
#ArtificialIntelligence
x.com/americans4ri...
#ArtificialIntelligence
June 30, 2025 at 10:24 PM
ok so apparently after all that, there is actually no #AIMoratorium deal w/ Blackburn/Cruz?
x.com/americans4ri...
#ArtificialIntelligence
x.com/americans4ri...
#ArtificialIntelligence
It's time for Congress to give up on the #AIMoratorium, the Senate has had enough tries. And their latest version is worse than their prior versions.
CDT statement:
cdt.org/press/cdt-op...
CDT statement:
cdt.org/press/cdt-op...
June 30, 2025 at 8:03 PM
It's time for Congress to give up on the #AIMoratorium, the Senate has had enough tries. And their latest version is worse than their prior versions.
CDT statement:
cdt.org/press/cdt-op...
CDT statement:
cdt.org/press/cdt-op...
I can tell you from experience, if an elected official is telling you legislation they have a strong interest in passing is "very simple," they're taking you for a ride.
June 26, 2025 at 1:57 PM
I can tell you from experience, if an elected official is telling you legislation they have a strong interest in passing is "very simple," they're taking you for a ride.
Perhaps the most disingenuous #AIMoratorium take I've read. I guess by "creating a single national standard" he means creating *no* standard whatsoever? The standard is lawlessness.
![Commerce Sec claiming the AI moratorium "creat[es] a single national standard on AI"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:pra255hyke6kdk7jalohidnb/bafkreihio6lltqegeps7wy5bhvkzn3evlqgnlw6e4jff2ox54ar5eoihp4@jpeg)
June 26, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Perhaps the most disingenuous #AIMoratorium take I've read. I guess by "creating a single national standard" he means creating *no* standard whatsoever? The standard is lawlessness.
Reposted by Eric Null
amtrak’s marketing team gets it
June 21, 2025 at 12:21 PM
amtrak’s marketing team gets it
I used to teach law students and often made this point to them. “It’s okay to be wrong. Learn from it.” A surprising number of people are incapable of admitting fault.
my hottest educational take is that schools should actively, non-punitively teach students how to admit when they don't know something, aren't sure or have made a mistake, with various teaching frameworks adapted to support this ideal, because people who can't admit fault are breaking the world
June 18, 2025 at 10:36 PM
I used to teach law students and often made this point to them. “It’s okay to be wrong. Learn from it.” A surprising number of people are incapable of admitting fault.
What ever happened to John Oliver's manila envelop of #DataBroker data he obtained about elected officials? #privacy
The Minnesota shooter apparently used data broker websites to find the home addresses of the people he shot and murdered.
Congress has had years to do something about data brokers and they've sided with the tech lobby over and over again.
Their inaction is deadly.
Congress has had years to do something about data brokers and they've sided with the tech lobby over and over again.
Their inaction is deadly.
June 17, 2025 at 8:37 PM
What ever happened to John Oliver's manila envelop of #DataBroker data he obtained about elected officials? #privacy
Apple gives users a "yes/no" option for personalized ads. 78% say no. Further, conversion rates for personalized and nonpersonalized ads are almost identical (on first-party ads anyway).
9to5mac.com/2022/05/11/i...
#advertising
#privacy
9to5mac.com/2022/05/11/i...
#advertising
#privacy
Apple: Most iOS 15 users opt out of personalized ads; no impact on App Store Search Ads conversions - 9to5Mac
Apple’s Search Ads business is becoming an increasingly important part of its Services revenue. In a presentation to advertising clients...
9to5mac.com
June 13, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Apple gives users a "yes/no" option for personalized ads. 78% say no. Further, conversion rates for personalized and nonpersonalized ads are almost identical (on first-party ads anyway).
9to5mac.com/2022/05/11/i...
#advertising
#privacy
9to5mac.com/2022/05/11/i...
#advertising
#privacy
we actually moved despite *knowing* we'd be less effective.
This is not just revisionist history, it's ignorant of reality. Activists didn't leave Twitter because they "thought they would be more effective" somewhere else, they left because Elon made it clear that he would *deliberately undermine their influence."
Why make shit up?
Why make shit up?
I’m not upset. I’m bemused that activists thought they would be more effective by giving up a platform where they had considerable influence and self segregating on a site almost no one else reads.
June 9, 2025 at 4:35 PM
we actually moved despite *knowing* we'd be less effective.
Reposted by Eric Null
This is not just revisionist history, it's ignorant of reality. Activists didn't leave Twitter because they "thought they would be more effective" somewhere else, they left because Elon made it clear that he would *deliberately undermine their influence."
Why make shit up?
Why make shit up?
I’m not upset. I’m bemused that activists thought they would be more effective by giving up a platform where they had considerable influence and self segregating on a site almost no one else reads.
June 9, 2025 at 3:47 AM
This is not just revisionist history, it's ignorant of reality. Activists didn't leave Twitter because they "thought they would be more effective" somewhere else, they left because Elon made it clear that he would *deliberately undermine their influence."
Why make shit up?
Why make shit up?
That museum is a trip
We can finally settle the debate: "crypto" means cryptozoology!
Greetings from Portland, Maine with @nullset.bsky.social
Greetings from Portland, Maine with @nullset.bsky.social
June 7, 2025 at 6:36 PM
That museum is a trip