Heather Burns
@heatherburnstech.bsky.social
freelance tech policy x digital rights / human rights / good trouble / midlife MPhil student @ Strathclyde / IANAL / https://heatherburns.tech / 💬 on Signal / open to work / 🇺🇦 / "bad ass Glaswegian" apparently
Pinned
Queen of the hill – Hi, I'm Heather Burns
I somehow managed to not fling myself off my chair.
heatherburns.tech
Some personal news. I've had such good fun doing a midlife masters @lawstrath.bsky.social that I'm going to stick around for another two years and do an MPhil in technology regulation and human rights. Huge thanks to everyone who got me up that hill.
heatherburns.tech/2025/08/21/q...
heatherburns.tech/2025/08/21/q...
Reposted by Heather Burns
Home Office statement on asylum reform is now up ahead of the Home Secretary's statement later (www.gov.uk/government/p...) - as feared, they are going for the public interest test in Article 8 across the board, not just in the migration context.
November 17, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Home Office statement on asylum reform is now up ahead of the Home Secretary's statement later (www.gov.uk/government/p...) - as feared, they are going for the public interest test in Article 8 across the board, not just in the migration context.
Throwing the Flying Spaghetti Monster at the Wall – Hi, I'm Heather Burns
heatherburns.tech
November 17, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Reposted by Heather Burns
My selection of the most interesting ICO comments. #OnlineSafetyAct www.cyberleagle.com/2025/11/data...
November 16, 2025 at 9:41 PM
My selection of the most interesting ICO comments. #OnlineSafetyAct www.cyberleagle.com/2025/11/data...
Reposted by Heather Burns
ffs what is labour doing here? when will they learn they can’t win (and shouldn’t win) on the right’s terms?
UK government to shake up human rights laws in asylum overhaul on.ft.com/3WZAePy
UK government to shake up human rights laws in asylum overhaul
Home Office to give more weight to ‘public interest’ of removing foreign criminals and those who entered illegally
on.ft.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:45 AM
ffs what is labour doing here? when will they learn they can’t win (and shouldn’t win) on the right’s terms?
Reposted by Heather Burns
In the Epstein Administration, tanking child sexual exploitation & adult sex trafficking investigations is a bug, not a feature.
November 17, 2025 at 1:26 AM
In the Epstein Administration, tanking child sexual exploitation & adult sex trafficking investigations is a bug, not a feature.
Reposted by Heather Burns
I hope NCMEC is happy with their choice to throw trans kids under the bus in order to appease an administration that [checks notes] reassigned so many CSAM investigators to go arrest nannies that it's caused a "noticeable drop" in follow-ups on platforms' CyberTips.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/u...
Homeland Security Missions Falter Amid Focus on Deportations
www.nytimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:21 AM
I hope NCMEC is happy with their choice to throw trans kids under the bus in order to appease an administration that [checks notes] reassigned so many CSAM investigators to go arrest nannies that it's caused a "noticeable drop" in follow-ups on platforms' CyberTips.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/u...
Reposted by Heather Burns
Face age estimation doesn't even meet the threshold for "fairness" when it is used for age-gating the internet, so of course it can be used to make life-changing decisions !? I think Yoti need to review their ethics and unpublished DPIA.
November 16, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Face age estimation doesn't even meet the threshold for "fairness" when it is used for age-gating the internet, so of course it can be used to make life-changing decisions !? I think Yoti need to review their ethics and unpublished DPIA.
November 16, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by Heather Burns
Curious about human rights and internet and web standards? Check out @[email protected] on the revolution.social podcast with @[email protected] here or wherever you get your podcasts!
https://youtu.be/BBrJpbN4Lw4
https://youtu.be/BBrJpbN4Lw4
revolution.social - A Podcast About the Social Media Revolution
Join us as we explore the social media revolution and how we can build an open world for all.
revolution.social
November 15, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Curious about human rights and internet and web standards? Check out @[email protected] on the revolution.social podcast with @[email protected] here or wherever you get your podcasts!
https://youtu.be/BBrJpbN4Lw4
https://youtu.be/BBrJpbN4Lw4
Reposted by Heather Burns
Friend alerts me that my name appears in the Epstein docs, leading me to say "WHAT?!?" Turns out for some reason in the documents is the syllabus from a Harvard class on "Internet & Society: The Technologies and Politics of Control" which had students read something I had written...
November 14, 2025 at 3:05 AM
Friend alerts me that my name appears in the Epstein docs, leading me to say "WHAT?!?" Turns out for some reason in the documents is the syllabus from a Harvard class on "Internet & Society: The Technologies and Politics of Control" which had students read something I had written...
This was a surprisingly good read.
The push to revive American industry is an ideological project fusing techno-libertarian ambitions with conservative frontier mythology. Our open-access article of the week dissects the "Silicon Prairie."
By Matthew Darmour-Paul in @distinktionjournal.bsky.social
buff.ly/lALtc6d
By Matthew Darmour-Paul in @distinktionjournal.bsky.social
buff.ly/lALtc6d
November 15, 2025 at 12:21 PM
This was a surprisingly good read.
Reposted by Heather Burns
Reposted by Heather Burns
This may be Trump's perfect social media post. A true work of art. He confirms:
✅He personally directs criminal investigations.
✅He is targeting opponents.
✅Epstein "records" exist and he knows the contents.
Bonus points for connecting it to investigation of his fondness for Putin.👀
✅He personally directs criminal investigations.
✅He is targeting opponents.
✅Epstein "records" exist and he knows the contents.
Bonus points for connecting it to investigation of his fondness for Putin.👀
November 14, 2025 at 4:25 PM
This may be Trump's perfect social media post. A true work of art. He confirms:
✅He personally directs criminal investigations.
✅He is targeting opponents.
✅Epstein "records" exist and he knows the contents.
Bonus points for connecting it to investigation of his fondness for Putin.👀
✅He personally directs criminal investigations.
✅He is targeting opponents.
✅Epstein "records" exist and he knows the contents.
Bonus points for connecting it to investigation of his fondness for Putin.👀
Reposted by Heather Burns
Law enforcement: we need to break encryption to get access to Signal to protect the children!!
Also law enforcement: for years couldn’t catch a pedophile sex trafficker who used email to coordinate all of his pedophile sex trafficking
Also law enforcement: for years couldn’t catch a pedophile sex trafficker who used email to coordinate all of his pedophile sex trafficking
November 14, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Law enforcement: we need to break encryption to get access to Signal to protect the children!!
Also law enforcement: for years couldn’t catch a pedophile sex trafficker who used email to coordinate all of his pedophile sex trafficking
Also law enforcement: for years couldn’t catch a pedophile sex trafficker who used email to coordinate all of his pedophile sex trafficking
If you like Eurovision and back ends 😘there are some jobs available www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...
November 13, 2025 at 5:24 PM
If you like Eurovision and back ends 😘there are some jobs available www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...
Reposted by Heather Burns
Every office has an executive tier whose emails are like:
saw on news , , can we replce complianc dept with web 3
and a worker tier whose emails are like:
Dear Jim,
First of all, I *love* this idea! Unfortunately, I spoke with Legal and identified a few issues with this approach. For starters…
saw on news , , can we replce complianc dept with web 3
and a worker tier whose emails are like:
Dear Jim,
First of all, I *love* this idea! Unfortunately, I spoke with Legal and identified a few issues with this approach. For starters…
Well, it's a little clearer now why billionaires are so invested in technology that produces better written emails.
November 13, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Every office has an executive tier whose emails are like:
saw on news , , can we replce complianc dept with web 3
and a worker tier whose emails are like:
Dear Jim,
First of all, I *love* this idea! Unfortunately, I spoke with Legal and identified a few issues with this approach. For starters…
saw on news , , can we replce complianc dept with web 3
and a worker tier whose emails are like:
Dear Jim,
First of all, I *love* this idea! Unfortunately, I spoke with Legal and identified a few issues with this approach. For starters…
I admit to being obsessed with Labour's adversarial review into ECHR Article 8 right now, but I want to see the Article 8 assessment Ofcom did on this and I want it now. I accept tips, leaks, and FOIs.
www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-priv...
www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-priv...
Exclusive: Ofcom is monitoring VPNs following Online Safety Act. Here's how
Ignoring VPNs risks creating ineffective laws, but tracking them threatens people's privacy
www.techradar.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:54 AM
I admit to being obsessed with Labour's adversarial review into ECHR Article 8 right now, but I want to see the Article 8 assessment Ofcom did on this and I want it now. I accept tips, leaks, and FOIs.
www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-priv...
www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-priv...
Reposted by Heather Burns
PSA: tips to protect yourself from scams on Signal.
Every major comms platform has to contend w phishing, impersonation, & scams. Sadly.
Signal is major, and as we've grown we've heard about more of these attacks--scammy people pretending to be something or someone to trick and abuse others. 1/
Every major comms platform has to contend w phishing, impersonation, & scams. Sadly.
Signal is major, and as we've grown we've heard about more of these attacks--scammy people pretending to be something or someone to trick and abuse others. 1/
November 11, 2025 at 6:13 PM
PSA: tips to protect yourself from scams on Signal.
Every major comms platform has to contend w phishing, impersonation, & scams. Sadly.
Signal is major, and as we've grown we've heard about more of these attacks--scammy people pretending to be something or someone to trick and abuse others. 1/
Every major comms platform has to contend w phishing, impersonation, & scams. Sadly.
Signal is major, and as we've grown we've heard about more of these attacks--scammy people pretending to be something or someone to trick and abuse others. 1/
Two phrases which should never exist together in any language are “period tracker” and “Peter Thiel”.
jessica.substack.com/p/period-tra...
jessica.substack.com/p/period-tra...
Would You Wear a Period-Tracker Funded by Peter Thiel?
11.11.25
jessica.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Two phrases which should never exist together in any language are “period tracker” and “Peter Thiel”.
jessica.substack.com/p/period-tra...
jessica.substack.com/p/period-tra...
There is a comment on my blog which I’m not going to approve, which is a guy who had a comment but not a question which is just a long angry rant about Facebook, which is not what the post was about.
This is exactly what it’s like working in policy.
This is exactly what it’s like working in policy.
November 12, 2025 at 6:44 AM
There is a comment on my blog which I’m not going to approve, which is a guy who had a comment but not a question which is just a long angry rant about Facebook, which is not what the post was about.
This is exactly what it’s like working in policy.
This is exactly what it’s like working in policy.
Reposted by Heather Burns
Why pleasing? Selfishly, because I have been banging on about this for years. More significantly, because it is a foundation of the argument that the #OnlineSafetyAct doesn’t get over the threshold of ECHR compatibility.
November 11, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Why pleasing? Selfishly, because I have been banging on about this for years. More significantly, because it is a foundation of the argument that the #OnlineSafetyAct doesn’t get over the threshold of ECHR compatibility.
Reposted by Heather Burns
Important new report from the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law’s Independent Commission on UK Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice.
Especially pleasing to see this in the section on the #OnlineSafetyAct. binghamcentre.biicl.org/documents/22...
Especially pleasing to see this in the section on the #OnlineSafetyAct. binghamcentre.biicl.org/documents/22...
November 11, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Important new report from the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law’s Independent Commission on UK Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice.
Especially pleasing to see this in the section on the #OnlineSafetyAct. binghamcentre.biicl.org/documents/22...
Especially pleasing to see this in the section on the #OnlineSafetyAct. binghamcentre.biicl.org/documents/22...