Prateek Waghre
@prateekwaghre.com
Sometimes ambivalent/ignorant|
Digital Rights/Public Policy Researcher (technology)|
past: Exec. Director @internetfreedom.bsky.social, Research: Takshashila Institution, Prod. Mgr.: Akamai Technologies|
✍️: prateekwaghre.com, techpolicy.substack.com
Digital Rights/Public Policy Researcher (technology)|
past: Exec. Director @internetfreedom.bsky.social, Research: Takshashila Institution, Prod. Mgr.: Akamai Technologies|
✍️: prateekwaghre.com, techpolicy.substack.com
After reviewing January 2026’s (and all of 2025, 2024, 2023, …) performance I have decided to retire the phrase “happy new year” for good.
Going to say “Meet new year, worse than old year” from next year because we already know.
Going to say “Meet new year, worse than old year” from next year because we already know.
January 31, 2026 at 2:48 PM
After reviewing January 2026’s (and all of 2025, 2024, 2023, …) performance I have decided to retire the phrase “happy new year” for good.
Going to say “Meet new year, worse than old year” from next year because we already know.
Going to say “Meet new year, worse than old year” from next year because we already know.
Reading the news and wondering if Heckler's Veto was a country, what would it be called?
January 30, 2026 at 10:17 AM
Reading the news and wondering if Heckler's Veto was a country, what would it be called?
subplot to this is that while @mmasnick.bsky.social's post is up. The CNET article linked to as the source has been lost to linkrot.
January 30, 2026 at 9:56 AM
subplot to this is that while @mmasnick.bsky.social's post is up. The CNET article linked to as the source has been lost to linkrot.
Good times for big countries with poor records on rights domestically.
January 22, 2026 at 7:14 AM
Good times for big countries with poor records on rights domestically.
Wild how much executive discretion the american president seems to have. In this part of world, we at least had the decency to hollow out institutions over decades / or never build them out in the first place.
January 8, 2026 at 6:58 AM
Wild how much executive discretion the american president seems to have. In this part of world, we at least had the decency to hollow out institutions over decades / or never build them out in the first place.
Recreated last year, and I’m afraid I’ve already set off a chain of events which suggests 2026 is going to 2026 harder than 2025 2025-ed. You’re welcome.
January 1, 2026 at 5:39 AM
Recreated last year, and I’m afraid I’ve already set off a chain of events which suggests 2026 is going to 2026 harder than 2025 2025-ed. You’re welcome.
Waiting for go(od people of the silent majority to say “Not in my name”)dot, after looking at the news + my social media feed.
But as the lyrics of Rocket Man go - "... and I think it's going to be a long, long time."
But as the lyrics of Rocket Man go - "... and I think it's going to be a long, long time."
December 30, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Waiting for go(od people of the silent majority to say “Not in my name”)dot, after looking at the news + my social media feed.
But as the lyrics of Rocket Man go - "... and I think it's going to be a long, long time."
But as the lyrics of Rocket Man go - "... and I think it's going to be a long, long time."
Between the Sanchar Saathi pre-installation + SIM binding orders by DoT, and reports that GoI is reviewing a telecom industry proposal to keep location tracking on mobile devices permanently enabled there is a lot to be concerned about. www.techpolicy.press/india-overst...
India Oversteps and (Partially) Backtracks on Plans to Intrude into Mobile Devices | TechPolicy.Press
In its bid to address fraud and cybercrime, India chose an approach that regards every person in the country as a potential offender, writes Prateek Waghre.
www.techpolicy.press
December 6, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Between the Sanchar Saathi pre-installation + SIM binding orders by DoT, and reports that GoI is reviewing a telecom industry proposal to keep location tracking on mobile devices permanently enabled there is a lot to be concerned about. www.techpolicy.press/india-overst...
Caught in an endless loop of feeling i don’t have enough time to do the things I want/have/need to do, concluding the answer lies in waking up at 5 AM, failing to do that and then feeling like i don’t have enough time to do the things…
November 21, 2025 at 4:09 AM
Caught in an endless loop of feeling i don’t have enough time to do the things I want/have/need to do, concluding the answer lies in waking up at 5 AM, failing to do that and then feeling like i don’t have enough time to do the things…
Never has been clear to me why we're any more deferential to politicians/bureaucrats (irrespective of perceived importance/seniority) than we would be to a neighbour (with whom there are no conflicts).
November 8, 2025 at 5:30 AM
Never has been clear to me why we're any more deferential to politicians/bureaucrats (irrespective of perceived importance/seniority) than we would be to a neighbour (with whom there are no conflicts).
Curious to see how our public policy circles respond to INC’s voter fraud allegations in the coming days. Like if we aren’t able to ask for institutional accountability unequivocally at this stage (already years too late) why are we even here (claiming to be) doing whatever it is we’re doing.
November 5, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Curious to see how our public policy circles respond to INC’s voter fraud allegations in the coming days. Like if we aren’t able to ask for institutional accountability unequivocally at this stage (already years too late) why are we even here (claiming to be) doing whatever it is we’re doing.
"Conversations about 'internet sovereignty' should not mistakenly assume that the exercise of sovereign state power over corporations will necessarily translate into greater agency for its people...
October 31, 2025 at 9:38 AM
"Conversations about 'internet sovereignty' should not mistakenly assume that the exercise of sovereign state power over corporations will necessarily translate into greater agency for its people...
Don’t internet things that don’t need interneting.
Anyone know what happened to the “smart locks” that were affected? Were people locked in/out/both/neither?
Anyone know what happened to the “smart locks” that were affected? Were people locked in/out/both/neither?
POV: you can't sleep because Amazon is down.
Design thinking that inserts brittle dependence into our lives.
While extracting fees for life.
Don't be these guys.
Design thinking that inserts brittle dependence into our lives.
While extracting fees for life.
Don't be these guys.
October 21, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Don’t internet things that don’t need interneting.
Anyone know what happened to the “smart locks” that were affected? Were people locked in/out/both/neither?
Anyone know what happened to the “smart locks” that were affected? Were people locked in/out/both/neither?
Should have been called the summer i turned pretty melancholic, because what is this emotional rollercoaster.
October 20, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Should have been called the summer i turned pretty melancholic, because what is this emotional rollercoaster.
It seems amazing and confounding to me that we’re collectively and willingly compounding the inscrutability of information retrieval, distribution and consumption mechanisms with more inscrutability of information generation mechanisms.
October 19, 2025 at 3:45 AM
It seems amazing and confounding to me that we’re collectively and willingly compounding the inscrutability of information retrieval, distribution and consumption mechanisms with more inscrutability of information generation mechanisms.
It is really not clear to me what GoI has done to earn this much trust on the question of AI governance. What explains this?
www.pewresearch.org/...
www.pewresearch.org/...
October 17, 2025 at 10:11 AM
It is really not clear to me what GoI has done to earn this much trust on the question of AI governance. What explains this?
www.pewresearch.org/...
www.pewresearch.org/...
I think this is extensible to other subjects and regions, and has so many implications for framing and public discourse.
ourworldindata.org/d...
ourworldindata.org/d...
October 15, 2025 at 4:53 AM
I think this is extensible to other subjects and regions, and has so many implications for framing and public discourse.
ourworldindata.org/d...
ourworldindata.org/d...
Too many of you are doing too many important stories that I cannot read/keep up with. No, don't slow down, keep at it. Thanks!
October 7, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Too many of you are doing too many important stories that I cannot read/keep up with. No, don't slow down, keep at it. Thanks!
Really good conversation between @alanrozenshtein.com @jmiers230.bsky.social and @noupside.bsky.social.
Esp. 40mins onwards where they really nerd out on the broader question of liability of generative ai speech. Flagging that I am a bit biased here, since ...
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/scal...
Esp. 40mins onwards where they really nerd out on the broader question of liability of generative ai speech. Flagging that I am a bit biased here, since ...
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/scal...
Scaling Laws: AI and Young Minds: Navigating Mental Health Risks with Renee DiResta and Jess Miers
Does generative AI systems pose distinct risks to children?
www.lawfaremedia.org
September 30, 2025 at 5:19 AM
Really good conversation between @alanrozenshtein.com @jmiers230.bsky.social and @noupside.bsky.social.
Esp. 40mins onwards where they really nerd out on the broader question of liability of generative ai speech. Flagging that I am a bit biased here, since ...
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/scal...
Esp. 40mins onwards where they really nerd out on the broader question of liability of generative ai speech. Flagging that I am a bit biased here, since ...
www.lawfaremedia.org/article/scal...
We’re living in a self-fulfilling hawkcracy.
September 28, 2025 at 2:18 PM
We’re living in a self-fulfilling hawkcracy.
Bob Dylan… on geopolitics
September 28, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Bob Dylan… on geopolitics
Err… where i live, this very likely means linking a(n already) problematic government id, with very serious implications in an already prevalent system where the state has pretty actively been shutting down dissenting voices.
Social media was once positioned as the great connecting force that would improve our world. If it ever did that, it certainly isn’t now.
We must rein in these platforms, and deceptive narratives aimed at stopped regulation isn’t helping. Age restrictions are an experiment worth trying.
We must rein in these platforms, and deceptive narratives aimed at stopped regulation isn’t helping. Age restrictions are an experiment worth trying.
Social media causes more harm than good
We need to stop falling for anti-regulation hysteria if we’re to get control of digital harms
disconnect.blog
September 20, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Err… where i live, this very likely means linking a(n already) problematic government id, with very serious implications in an already prevalent system where the state has pretty actively been shutting down dissenting voices.
Reposted by Prateek Waghre
This is all pretty central to the Kimmel getting shitcanned story, but if you pluck pretty much any of the journalism about the Kimmel firing off the newswires, it's unlikely you'll find any of this mentioned, which itself is a pretty damning indictment of media consolidation
Kimmel - Google Search
www.google.com
September 18, 2025 at 11:13 AM
This is all pretty central to the Kimmel getting shitcanned story, but if you pluck pretty much any of the journalism about the Kimmel firing off the newswires, it's unlikely you'll find any of this mentioned, which itself is a pretty damning indictment of media consolidation
Someone once wondered whether there were downsides to the "professionalisation" of "policy" as a line of work. I think about that every day.
September 11, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Someone once wondered whether there were downsides to the "professionalisation" of "policy" as a line of work. I think about that every day.