Ryan J. Gallagher
@ryanjgallag.com
Applied scientist trying to make the internet a little better. PhD. Trust & safety, platform manipulation, networks, fingerstyle guitar. I use my hair to express myself. They/he
Pinned
Ryan J. Gallagher
@ryanjgallag.com
· Nov 12
With more people migrating to Bluesky (and my general quietness since Twitter fell apart), I want to reintroduce myself!
I'm an applied scientist in online trust & safety. I specialize in detecting coordinated/harmful/deceptive networks, and bridging domain expertise with machine learning systems
I'm an applied scientist in online trust & safety. I specialize in detecting coordinated/harmful/deceptive networks, and bridging domain expertise with machine learning systems
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
We just shipped image classification on Zentropi!
You can write your criteria in plain English, then analyze images against them at scale using cope-b-12b, a new multimodal model we trained
Critically, @samidh.bsky.social used it to make a cat detector: blog.zentropi.ai/zentropi-now-labels-images/
You can write your criteria in plain English, then analyze images against them at scale using cope-b-12b, a new multimodal model we trained
Critically, @samidh.bsky.social used it to make a cat detector: blog.zentropi.ai/zentropi-now-labels-images/
Zentropi Now Labels Images
Building guardrails for visual content just got a lot easier. Today we're launching image classification on Zentropi and announcing cope-b-12b, a multimodal model that powers this experience.
blog.zentropi.ai
January 26, 2026 at 6:52 PM
We just shipped image classification on Zentropi!
You can write your criteria in plain English, then analyze images against them at scale using cope-b-12b, a new multimodal model we trained
Critically, @samidh.bsky.social used it to make a cat detector: blog.zentropi.ai/zentropi-now-labels-images/
You can write your criteria in plain English, then analyze images against them at scale using cope-b-12b, a new multimodal model we trained
Critically, @samidh.bsky.social used it to make a cat detector: blog.zentropi.ai/zentropi-now-labels-images/
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
Just shipped Zentropi's most requested feature: image classification!
Now analyze images against your own policies, at scale.
To power it we built cope-b-12b, a new multimodal model w/ native vision.
Check out the cat detector we made in < 1 min. 🐱
blog.zentropi.ai/zentropi-now-labels-images/
Now analyze images against your own policies, at scale.
To power it we built cope-b-12b, a new multimodal model w/ native vision.
Check out the cat detector we made in < 1 min. 🐱
blog.zentropi.ai/zentropi-now-labels-images/
Zentropi Now Labels Images
Building guardrails for visual content just got a lot easier. Today we're launching image classification on Zentropi and announcing cope-b-12b, a multimodal model that powers this experience.
blog.zentropi.ai
January 26, 2026 at 6:03 PM
Just shipped Zentropi's most requested feature: image classification!
Now analyze images against your own policies, at scale.
To power it we built cope-b-12b, a new multimodal model w/ native vision.
Check out the cat detector we made in < 1 min. 🐱
blog.zentropi.ai/zentropi-now-labels-images/
Now analyze images against your own policies, at scale.
To power it we built cope-b-12b, a new multimodal model w/ native vision.
Check out the cat detector we made in < 1 min. 🐱
blog.zentropi.ai/zentropi-now-labels-images/
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
Looking forward to the workshop on “Causal Machine Learning for the Social Sciences” at the Newton Institute/Cambridge:
www.newton.ac.uk/event/cifw05/
I will discuss the big picture of possible research agendas at the intersection of ML, causality, and econ:
maxkasy.github.io/home/files/s...
www.newton.ac.uk/event/cifw05/
I will discuss the big picture of possible research agendas at the intersection of ML, causality, and econ:
maxkasy.github.io/home/files/s...
Causal Machine Learning for the Social Sciences - Isaac Newton Institute
Causal inference and machine learning are profoundly transforming the social sciences by enabling researchers to move beyond mere correlation to identify...
www.newton.ac.uk
January 25, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Looking forward to the workshop on “Causal Machine Learning for the Social Sciences” at the Newton Institute/Cambridge:
www.newton.ac.uk/event/cifw05/
I will discuss the big picture of possible research agendas at the intersection of ML, causality, and econ:
maxkasy.github.io/home/files/s...
www.newton.ac.uk/event/cifw05/
I will discuss the big picture of possible research agendas at the intersection of ML, causality, and econ:
maxkasy.github.io/home/files/s...
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
This is a MUST-READ affidavit.
This eyewitness to Alex Pretti’s murder — who is too scared to even go home because she doesn’t trust federal agents — directly refutes what the feds are saying happened today:
This eyewitness to Alex Pretti’s murder — who is too scared to even go home because she doesn’t trust federal agents — directly refutes what the feds are saying happened today:
January 25, 2026 at 1:59 AM
This is a MUST-READ affidavit.
This eyewitness to Alex Pretti’s murder — who is too scared to even go home because she doesn’t trust federal agents — directly refutes what the feds are saying happened today:
This eyewitness to Alex Pretti’s murder — who is too scared to even go home because she doesn’t trust federal agents — directly refutes what the feds are saying happened today:
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
Republicans: everyone must be able to carry any gun at all times,
up to and including high powered rifles, to protect themselves against tyranny
also Republicans, without batting an eye: carrying a gun is unquestionable justification for federal agents to shoot you dead in the street
up to and including high powered rifles, to protect themselves against tyranny
also Republicans, without batting an eye: carrying a gun is unquestionable justification for federal agents to shoot you dead in the street
January 24, 2026 at 5:13 PM
Republicans: everyone must be able to carry any gun at all times,
up to and including high powered rifles, to protect themselves against tyranny
also Republicans, without batting an eye: carrying a gun is unquestionable justification for federal agents to shoot you dead in the street
up to and including high powered rifles, to protect themselves against tyranny
also Republicans, without batting an eye: carrying a gun is unquestionable justification for federal agents to shoot you dead in the street
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
Vibe coding kills open source.
Our most direct title yet. @koren.mk @julianhi.nz @aaron-lohmann.bsky.social
Theory paper with numbers and policy recs. First at arxiv.org/abs/2601.15494
Comments welcome.
@ceu-economics.bsky.social @kiel.institute
Our most direct title yet. @koren.mk @julianhi.nz @aaron-lohmann.bsky.social
Theory paper with numbers and policy recs. First at arxiv.org/abs/2601.15494
Comments welcome.
@ceu-economics.bsky.social @kiel.institute
January 23, 2026 at 10:40 PM
Vibe coding kills open source.
Our most direct title yet. @koren.mk @julianhi.nz @aaron-lohmann.bsky.social
Theory paper with numbers and policy recs. First at arxiv.org/abs/2601.15494
Comments welcome.
@ceu-economics.bsky.social @kiel.institute
Our most direct title yet. @koren.mk @julianhi.nz @aaron-lohmann.bsky.social
Theory paper with numbers and policy recs. First at arxiv.org/abs/2601.15494
Comments welcome.
@ceu-economics.bsky.social @kiel.institute
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
On one hand, this is mind-blowing, that the head of the FBI approaches a critical incident. At another level, it's completely unsurprising b/c a the reason this guy is the head of the FBI is his approach to "controlling the narrative" on social media during breaking news and crises.
not surprising and yet still jarring to read ex-FBI agents describing how Kash Patel and Bongino reacted to Charlie Kirk's murder while running the agency. truly the content creator administration/podcast govt www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
January 23, 2026 at 8:41 PM
On one hand, this is mind-blowing, that the head of the FBI approaches a critical incident. At another level, it's completely unsurprising b/c a the reason this guy is the head of the FBI is his approach to "controlling the narrative" on social media during breaking news and crises.
pros of challenging work cutting across multiple platform integrity areas: get to work with lots of wonderful smart people who are experts in lots of different things
cons: 15 peer evaluations to do for annual performance reviews 🥲
cons: 15 peer evaluations to do for annual performance reviews 🥲
January 23, 2026 at 7:02 PM
pros of challenging work cutting across multiple platform integrity areas: get to work with lots of wonderful smart people who are experts in lots of different things
cons: 15 peer evaluations to do for annual performance reviews 🥲
cons: 15 peer evaluations to do for annual performance reviews 🥲
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
A post-by-post dissection of the Nazi and neo-Nazi tropes used in U.S. government social media accounts. By @alibreland.bsky.social in @theatlantic.com.
The Trump Administration Is Publishing a Stream of Nazi Propaganda
Government social-media managers have transformed official feeds.
www.theatlantic.com
January 23, 2026 at 3:42 AM
A post-by-post dissection of the Nazi and neo-Nazi tropes used in U.S. government social media accounts. By @alibreland.bsky.social in @theatlantic.com.
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
Cool paid opportunity to participate in important research on ethical best practices for nude image datasets, helmed by @eredmil1.bsky.social, as a follow-up to the same research team's recent NeurIPS paper (openreview.net/pdf?id=Ev5xw...):
![Want to help inform best practices for using nude image datasets?
bit.ly/dataset-guidelines
We’re looking for perspectives from researchers and industry professionals on the creation and handling of nude image datasets to further inform best practices and future datasets. If you have used real (non-generated) nude images for projects at work (or have experience working on content moderation problems that involve nudity detection), we’re interested in interviewing you!
What does the interview involve?
The interview (60 mins) will be conducted virtually in English and can be done via audio or video
You must be 18 years or older
You will be compensated $50 USD via Amazon/Visa Gift Card
The interview will be private and confidential
[Logos for Boston University, Georgetown University, and UC San Diego]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:juj4a7jagip23ja36opmi4d4/bafkreiclmon3ylodbdmvguqnc2fvzbabhidruh2n3m7e5ixpt4wfrhpofy@jpeg)
January 22, 2026 at 11:52 PM
Cool paid opportunity to participate in important research on ethical best practices for nude image datasets, helmed by @eredmil1.bsky.social, as a follow-up to the same research team's recent NeurIPS paper (openreview.net/pdf?id=Ev5xw...):
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
I would also note: X has deleted a handful of these images. But the vast majority of them remain live on X today.
In our conservative estimate, 41 percent of Grok’s images — or 1.8 million — were sexualized depictions of women. Separately, CCDH analyzed how many were sexualized images across genders and ages. Their findings: an estimated 3 million images, including more than 23,000 of children.
January 22, 2026 at 3:44 PM
I would also note: X has deleted a handful of these images. But the vast majority of them remain live on X today.
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
New on @indicator.media: I found 4,431 new ads for AI nudifiers on Meta ran since my last audit in December.
I'm losing my mind here.
I'm losing my mind here.
Meta is *still* running thousands of ads for AI nudifiers
But hey, at least some of them appear to be scams that can’t be used to undress
indicator.media
January 21, 2026 at 2:29 PM
New on @indicator.media: I found 4,431 new ads for AI nudifiers on Meta ran since my last audit in December.
I'm losing my mind here.
I'm losing my mind here.
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
at risk of a bunch of people saying “well actually you should have done it this way”, here’s a lil write up on adding trending topics to bluesky
hailey.at/posts/3mcy5b...
hailey.at/posts/3mcy5b...
Topics on Bluesky
Building usable trending topics on Bluesky
hailey.at
January 22, 2026 at 2:45 AM
at risk of a bunch of people saying “well actually you should have done it this way”, here’s a lil write up on adding trending topics to bluesky
hailey.at/posts/3mcy5b...
hailey.at/posts/3mcy5b...
You can make your plots look 100x more professional by simply not using the default Matplotlib blue and orange
January 21, 2026 at 7:06 PM
You can make your plots look 100x more professional by simply not using the default Matplotlib blue and orange
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
The idea that data is objective and good data practice means eliminating bias has it backwards. Data is subjective, and good data practice means tracing and identifying how the biases inherent to the data we construct serve or don’t serve specific peoples and ends to which that data is put to use.
January 21, 2026 at 3:11 AM
The idea that data is objective and good data practice means eliminating bias has it backwards. Data is subjective, and good data practice means tracing and identifying how the biases inherent to the data we construct serve or don’t serve specific peoples and ends to which that data is put to use.
A research paper is not a mystery novel. Do not hide the results until the end. State them early and often
January 21, 2026 at 1:16 PM
A research paper is not a mystery novel. Do not hide the results until the end. State them early and often
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
🚨(Software) Update:
In my PhD, I had a side project to fix an annoying problem: when you ask 5 people to label the same thing, you often get different answers. But in ML (and lots of other analyses), you still need a single aggregated answer. Using the majority vote is easy–but often wrong.
1/N
In my PhD, I had a side project to fix an annoying problem: when you ask 5 people to label the same thing, you often get different answers. But in ML (and lots of other analyses), you still need a single aggregated answer. Using the majority vote is easy–but often wrong.
1/N
GitHub - dirkhovy/MACE: Multi-Annotator Competence Estimation tool
Multi-Annotator Competence Estimation tool. Contribute to dirkhovy/MACE development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:12 AM
🚨(Software) Update:
In my PhD, I had a side project to fix an annoying problem: when you ask 5 people to label the same thing, you often get different answers. But in ML (and lots of other analyses), you still need a single aggregated answer. Using the majority vote is easy–but often wrong.
1/N
In my PhD, I had a side project to fix an annoying problem: when you ask 5 people to label the same thing, you often get different answers. But in ML (and lots of other analyses), you still need a single aggregated answer. Using the majority vote is easy–but often wrong.
1/N
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
Block-Fitness Modeling of the Global Air Mobility Network
arxiv.org/abs/2601.13867
arxiv.org/abs/2601.13867
Block-Fitness Modeling of the Global Air Mobility Network
Accurate representations of the World Air Transportation Network (WAN) are fundamental inputs to models of global mobility, epidemic risk, and infrastructure planning. However, high-resolution, real-t...
arxiv.org
January 21, 2026 at 10:44 AM
Block-Fitness Modeling of the Global Air Mobility Network
arxiv.org/abs/2601.13867
arxiv.org/abs/2601.13867
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
January 20, 2026 at 10:53 PM
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
Together with Lisa Ginsborg we are happy to share that our edited volume on "Disinformation: A Multidisciplinary Analysis" is now published!
A long journey which involved many esteemed authors, with whom it was a great pleasure to work and to which we are grateful
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
A long journey which involved many esteemed authors, with whom it was a great pleasure to work and to which we are grateful
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
January 12, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Together with Lisa Ginsborg we are happy to share that our edited volume on "Disinformation: A Multidisciplinary Analysis" is now published!
A long journey which involved many esteemed authors, with whom it was a great pleasure to work and to which we are grateful
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
A long journey which involved many esteemed authors, with whom it was a great pleasure to work and to which we are grateful
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
VIDEO: 🇬🇱 Greenlanders weigh drastic options amid US threats
Some Greenlanders are considering what they would do if the US invades the Arctic island, as Donald Trump continues to double down on his desire to seize the self-governing Danish territory
Some Greenlanders are considering what they would do if the US invades the Arctic island, as Donald Trump continues to double down on his desire to seize the self-governing Danish territory
January 20, 2026 at 1:52 PM
VIDEO: 🇬🇱 Greenlanders weigh drastic options amid US threats
Some Greenlanders are considering what they would do if the US invades the Arctic island, as Donald Trump continues to double down on his desire to seize the self-governing Danish territory
Some Greenlanders are considering what they would do if the US invades the Arctic island, as Donald Trump continues to double down on his desire to seize the self-governing Danish territory
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
bluesky is the #1 app for introspection
June 12, 2025 at 2:37 PM
bluesky is the #1 app for introspection
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
Do you study disinformation or want to start working in that area?
Come to the DSI June 15-18th with @cailinmeister.bsky.social, @katestarbird.bsky.social, @jevinwest.bsky.social, @rcalo.bsky.social, @naomioreskes.bsky.social, @emmaspiro.bsky.social, and many more.
disinfoinstitute.org
Come to the DSI June 15-18th with @cailinmeister.bsky.social, @katestarbird.bsky.social, @jevinwest.bsky.social, @rcalo.bsky.social, @naomioreskes.bsky.social, @emmaspiro.bsky.social, and many more.
disinfoinstitute.org
Disinformation Summer Institute (DSI) - Disinformation Summer Institute
Disinformation Disinformation is false or misleading information created and spread to advance policy, political, economic or ideological goals. It is sometimes used by industries, governments, and ot...
disinfoinstitute.org
January 17, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Do you study disinformation or want to start working in that area?
Come to the DSI June 15-18th with @cailinmeister.bsky.social, @katestarbird.bsky.social, @jevinwest.bsky.social, @rcalo.bsky.social, @naomioreskes.bsky.social, @emmaspiro.bsky.social, and many more.
disinfoinstitute.org
Come to the DSI June 15-18th with @cailinmeister.bsky.social, @katestarbird.bsky.social, @jevinwest.bsky.social, @rcalo.bsky.social, @naomioreskes.bsky.social, @emmaspiro.bsky.social, and many more.
disinfoinstitute.org
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic.
The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.
The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.
Breaking news: The Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of an investigation alleging that they are impeding federal law enforcement officers’ abilities to do their jobs in the state.
Justice Dept. launches criminal investigation of Minnesota governor
The Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of an investigation into impeding law enforcement.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 16, 2026 at 11:46 PM
Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic.
The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.
The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.
Reposted by Ryan J. Gallagher
ICE has kidnapped so many people from their cars that the city had to put out this statement. Let that sink in.
Vehicles that are abandoned due to an ICE detention and towed to the City's impound lot will be released to their owners or a representative at no cost.
Learn more: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/getting-around/parking-driving/impound-lot/#d.en.200746
Learn more: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/getting-around/parking-driving/impound-lot/#d.en.200746
January 16, 2026 at 11:42 PM
ICE has kidnapped so many people from their cars that the city had to put out this statement. Let that sink in.