Gary R. Bunt
@garyrbunt.bsky.social
Digitally distracted Professor. Researcher/author on Islam, Muslims and the internet. Emoji-free zone. Posting does not imply endorsement, etc. Based in Wales. X antidote. https://virtuallyislamic.com
Pinned
(Another) Commercial Break:
The ‘Islamic Algorithms’ paperback is out now @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social. If you want to tap into my research on cyber-Islamic environments and AI this is the place to start. Drop me a comment if you have read it. More info: www.virtuallyislamic.com/books/islami...
The ‘Islamic Algorithms’ paperback is out now @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social. If you want to tap into my research on cyber-Islamic environments and AI this is the place to start. Drop me a comment if you have read it. More info: www.virtuallyislamic.com/books/islami...
Sales pitch:
The Islamic Algorithms paperback is currently £20.29 (+ postage) via this link (that’s 30% off list price) @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social
www.bloomsbury.com/uk/islamic-a...
The Islamic Algorithms paperback is currently £20.29 (+ postage) via this link (that’s 30% off list price) @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social
www.bloomsbury.com/uk/islamic-a...
Islamic Algorithms
This book examines how Islam is digitally mediated at a time of technological change, enhanced digital literacy and proactive engagement in Islamic online conte…
www.bloomsbury.com
December 5, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Sales pitch:
The Islamic Algorithms paperback is currently £20.29 (+ postage) via this link (that’s 30% off list price) @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social
www.bloomsbury.com/uk/islamic-a...
The Islamic Algorithms paperback is currently £20.29 (+ postage) via this link (that’s 30% off list price) @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social
www.bloomsbury.com/uk/islamic-a...
“Iranian malware” under discussion here
Iranian MuddyWater malware: how the Snake-inspired loader evades detection
A dropper deployed by the group tracked as MuddyWater introduces execution delays to avoid detection by antivirus tools that check for rapid malicious activity.
cybernews.com
December 5, 2025 at 10:12 AM
“Iranian malware” under discussion here
Reposted by Gary R. Bunt
Coordinated bot networks target activists and journalists, raising alarm about platform vulnerabilities in the Western Balkans
Similar type of bot attacks target Instagram profiles of Serbian student movement and Macedonian independent media outlet
Large-scale bot operations targeted critical voices in Serbia and North Macedonia, attempting to trigger platform shutdowns and restrict public communication.
advox.globalvoices.org
December 4, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Coordinated bot networks target activists and journalists, raising alarm about platform vulnerabilities in the Western Balkans
Reposted by Gary R. Bunt
Farage has been dismissing evidence of Russian ties to the Salisbury Novichok attack since 2018 🧐
December 4, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Farage has been dismissing evidence of Russian ties to the Salisbury Novichok attack since 2018 🧐
Reposted by Gary R. Bunt
The diverging path of China’s two leading AI players shows where the country’s artificial intelligence industry is headed.
ByteDance and DeepSeek Are Placing Very Different AI Bets
The diverging path of China’s two leading AI players shows where the country’s artificial intelligence industry is headed.
wrd.cm
December 4, 2025 at 5:04 PM
The diverging path of China’s two leading AI players shows where the country’s artificial intelligence industry is headed.
Online elements here:
Man charged with terror offences after Manchester synagogue attack
Greater Manchester Police confirms the 31-year-old was an associate of Jihad Al-Shamie.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 4, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Online elements here:
‘AI disinformation’ under discussion in this video from TRTWorld
Foreign AI creators profiting from hate in UK and US
YouTube video by TRT World
youtu.be
December 3, 2025 at 5:15 PM
‘AI disinformation’ under discussion in this video from TRTWorld
Reposted by Gary R. Bunt
In Al-Zawayda, traumatised children slip on VR headsets that transport them from Gaza’s devastation to peaceful gardens and beaches.
UNICEF says nearly a million children now need mental-health support after two years of war, as psychological wounds deepen.
#Gaza #MentalHealth #Children
UNICEF says nearly a million children now need mental-health support after two years of war, as psychological wounds deepen.
#Gaza #MentalHealth #Children
December 2, 2025 at 3:25 PM
In Al-Zawayda, traumatised children slip on VR headsets that transport them from Gaza’s devastation to peaceful gardens and beaches.
UNICEF says nearly a million children now need mental-health support after two years of war, as psychological wounds deepen.
#Gaza #MentalHealth #Children
UNICEF says nearly a million children now need mental-health support after two years of war, as psychological wounds deepen.
#Gaza #MentalHealth #Children
Reposted by Gary R. Bunt
For over a decade, Gaza Sky Geeks was a model for how tech could transform Gaza. Just days after October 7, its office was blown to pieces by an Israeli airstrike. Now, with a tentative ceasefire in place, it’s trying to rebuild
restofworld.org/2025/gaza-sky-geeks-bombing-rebuildin
restofworld.org/2025/gaza-sky-geeks-bombing-rebuildin
The bombing of Gaza Sky Geeks
For over a decade, Gaza Sky Geeks built a tech future for the Gaza Strip. Then came war.
restofworld.org
November 29, 2025 at 9:56 PM
For over a decade, Gaza Sky Geeks was a model for how tech could transform Gaza. Just days after October 7, its office was blown to pieces by an Israeli airstrike. Now, with a tentative ceasefire in place, it’s trying to rebuild
restofworld.org/2025/gaza-sky-geeks-bombing-rebuildin
restofworld.org/2025/gaza-sky-geeks-bombing-rebuildin
Reposted by Gary R. Bunt
Incredibly funny how much political discussion is driven by the four things at the bottom while everyone else is getting cooked on Facebook looking at pictures of AI Eminem opening nursing homes for crying veterans
November 28, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Incredibly funny how much political discussion is driven by the four things at the bottom while everyone else is getting cooked on Facebook looking at pictures of AI Eminem opening nursing homes for crying veterans
Reposted by Gary R. Bunt
You can get ChatGPT to help you build a nuclear bomb if you simply design the prompt in the form of a poem, according to a new study from researchers in Europe. www.wired.com/story/poems-...
Poems Can Trick AI Into Helping You Make a Nuclear Weapon
It turns out all the guardrails in the world won’t protect a chatbot from meter and rhyme.
www.wired.com
November 28, 2025 at 2:11 PM
You can get ChatGPT to help you build a nuclear bomb if you simply design the prompt in the form of a poem, according to a new study from researchers in Europe. www.wired.com/story/poems-...
Reposted by Gary R. Bunt
‘Speaking outside his chateau in France, former Brexit Party and UKIP MEP Coburn answered "no" when a BBC journalist asked him whether he had ever been paid to give a speech to promote pro-Russian campaigners.’
Great work from @BBCWales. Keep going
Great work from @BBCWales. Keep going
November 28, 2025 at 6:28 AM
‘Speaking outside his chateau in France, former Brexit Party and UKIP MEP Coburn answered "no" when a BBC journalist asked him whether he had ever been paid to give a speech to promote pro-Russian campaigners.’
Great work from @BBCWales. Keep going
Great work from @BBCWales. Keep going
Via Apple News: "Saudi Aramco, the government-controlled energy and chemicals company, said Monday it has installed the Kingdom’s first quantum computer, in a move that adds to mounting security concerns for Bitcoin and other blockchain networks."
Saudi Arabia's First Quantum Computer: Can It Break Bitcoin? — Decrypt
Saudi Arabia has deployed its first quantum computer, renewing questions about the future of blockchain security.
apple.news
November 27, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Via Apple News: "Saudi Aramco, the government-controlled energy and chemicals company, said Monday it has installed the Kingdom’s first quantum computer, in a move that adds to mounting security concerns for Bitcoin and other blockchain networks."
Do you want #chips with that?
Semiconductor giant SK hynix now makes chips you can eat
South Korea's semiconductor giant SK hynix has made a foray into a new genre of chips -- the kind that's crunchy and goes with a beer.
www.france24.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Do you want #chips with that?
Exploring AI and education - an ongoing Qatar event.
Doha summit cautions against tech-driven schooling
Global education systems are falling behind the pace of technology, and leaders meeting in Doha warned that classrooms are changing faster than schools can cope.
www.euronews.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Exploring AI and education - an ongoing Qatar event.
Further reading required here:
The documents obtained by The Intercept illustrate how the broadening net of on-campus intelligence gathering swept up constitutionally protected speech in the name of “social listening.”
How Corporate Partnerships Powered University Surveillance of Palestine Protests
Internal emails reveal U.S. universities’ playbooks for cracking down on the student movement for Palestine.
interc.pt
November 27, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Further reading required here:
Even though I have specific research interests in AI, I absolutely agree with this need for a shift in focus. I've been discussing this very issue with humanities students this week.
AI Is Turning Our Brains To Mush—And The Solution Lies In The Humanities
We need to shift our focus from AI literacy to nurturing critical thinking.
www.buzzfeed.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Even though I have specific research interests in AI, I absolutely agree with this need for a shift in focus. I've been discussing this very issue with humanities students this week.
For the headline (but I didn’t get past the paywall)
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
Even God Is Worried About ChatGPT
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
www.vulture.com
November 27, 2025 at 12:46 PM
For the headline (but I didn’t get past the paywall)
Robotaxis in Abu Dhabi seem to be going quite fast ...
Driverless robotaxis now available in Abu Dhabi | The National
Service operated by Uber and WeRide operational in certain areas
www.thenationalnews.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Robotaxis in Abu Dhabi seem to be going quite fast ...
(Another) Commercial Break:
The ‘Islamic Algorithms’ paperback is out now @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social. If you want to tap into my research on cyber-Islamic environments and AI this is the place to start. Drop me a comment if you have read it. More info: www.virtuallyislamic.com/books/islami...
The ‘Islamic Algorithms’ paperback is out now @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social. If you want to tap into my research on cyber-Islamic environments and AI this is the place to start. Drop me a comment if you have read it. More info: www.virtuallyislamic.com/books/islami...
November 26, 2025 at 6:03 PM
(Another) Commercial Break:
The ‘Islamic Algorithms’ paperback is out now @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social. If you want to tap into my research on cyber-Islamic environments and AI this is the place to start. Drop me a comment if you have read it. More info: www.virtuallyislamic.com/books/islami...
The ‘Islamic Algorithms’ paperback is out now @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social. If you want to tap into my research on cyber-Islamic environments and AI this is the place to start. Drop me a comment if you have read it. More info: www.virtuallyislamic.com/books/islami...
Check out this @socialmedialab.ca thread exploring location features (pros and cons) and VPNs.
X's new “About this account is less accurate because it uses aggregated IP addresses, at least [that's] what they’re saying they’re doing, to share with the public where your account is based,” says @philipmai.com www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
New location feature on X sheds light on accounts — but also has errors | CBC News
Canadian researchers who track online misinformation and foreign interference are welcoming a new feature that reveals the location of an X account but warn that it still has glitches and its results ...
www.cbc.ca
November 26, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Check out this @socialmedialab.ca thread exploring location features (pros and cons) and VPNs.
Reposted by Gary R. Bunt
🚨NEW🚨 Google shipped its AI code editor Antigravity with a bunch of security vulnerabilities.
The most severe, discovered within 24 hours of launch, allows for a persistent backdoor on target systems.
It remains unpatched.
www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...
The most severe, discovered within 24 hours of launch, allows for a persistent backdoor on target systems.
It remains unpatched.
www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...
Google AI Coding Tool Antigravity Was Hacked A Day After Launch
A security researcher discovered a major flaw in the coding product, the latest example of companies rushing out AI tools vulnerable to hacking.
www.forbes.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:34 AM
🚨NEW🚨 Google shipped its AI code editor Antigravity with a bunch of security vulnerabilities.
The most severe, discovered within 24 hours of launch, allows for a persistent backdoor on target systems.
It remains unpatched.
www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...
The most severe, discovered within 24 hours of launch, allows for a persistent backdoor on target systems.
It remains unpatched.
www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...
That’s tonight’s listening sorted (via @newlinesmag.bsky.social) - and a chance to include “enshitification” in a post (after a struggle with spellcheck)
newlinesmag.com/podcast/why-...
newlinesmag.com/podcast/why-...
Why the Internet Got Bad, and How To Fix It
Cory Doctorow joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss his new book “Enshittification” and how the internet got so bad.
newlinesmag.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:50 PM
That’s tonight’s listening sorted (via @newlinesmag.bsky.social) - and a chance to include “enshitification” in a post (after a struggle with spellcheck)
newlinesmag.com/podcast/why-...
newlinesmag.com/podcast/why-...
A great long read from @newlinesmag.bsky.social (and a necessary escape from budget headlines). I’d like to read more on this subject.
NEW: For centuries, Arabian horses were shaped by tribes and harsh landscapes. Now, as registries decide what counts as “authentic,” a battle to define the Arabian horse is underway, writes Mohamed Nasser for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
newlinesmag.com/spotlight/th...
newlinesmag.com/spotlight/th...
The Battle To Define the Arabian Horse
It once embodied migration, honor and survival, but the breed’s identity is increasingly tied to a global bureaucracy
newlinesmag.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:44 PM
A great long read from @newlinesmag.bsky.social (and a necessary escape from budget headlines). I’d like to read more on this subject.