David Hoffman
hofftechpolicy.bsky.social
David Hoffman
@hofftechpolicy.bsky.social
Duke tech policy professor and Cameron Crazy. Defending Data and Protecting People.
I have a few students working on a project for my Cybersecurity and Health Data Policy course. It would be an amazing help if you could contribute to the study by filling out this quick anonymous survey at the link below!
🔗 www.mindwellstudy.com
MindWell Study
Research study on mental health app users
www.mindwellstudy.com
April 16, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Reposted by David Hoffman
I've been working to reduce my digital footprint. Plz consider:

✅ Use DeleteMe ($20/mo) to scrub personal info online
✅ Delete all noncritical apps
✅ Audit security/privacy settings
✅ Delete all Meta and Google accounts
✅ Browse with DuckDuckGo
✅ Use Signal
✅ Encrypt your cloud storage & backups
February 8, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
Thank you Meta for finally addressing my biggest problem with your apps (they protect my privacy too much)
A memo at Meta states privacy teams will have less authority to delay products and previous privacy decisions will be reviewed, as some are overly "risk-averse" (Kalley Huang/The Information)

Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
February 10, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
Mark Zuckerberg’s open effort to curry favor with President Donald Trump has rattled employees, and the company is censoring their criticism internally, according to people familiar with the matter.
Zuckerberg's political pivot targets Apple, puts Meta staffers on edge
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's actions to curry favor with the president have rattled employees, but people familiar with his efforts say there's a clear strategy.
buff.ly
February 16, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
This Louisiana case also includes indictment of a mom - on felony charges for allegedly providing an illegal abortion with drugs obtained through the mail. Physical, informational and decisional privacy of this mom and daughter eviscerated.
January 31, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
“As the case has unfolded, court documents and interviews have revealed a lack of oversight, regulations and training around a highly controversial piece of surveillance technology.”
👮‍♂️ use Clearview, which returned 8 photos, two of which were their suspect. 👮‍♂️ did not disclose that they “used facial recognition as part of their identification,” and “failed to say that Clearview AI issues a disclaimer saying its facial recognition reports are not admissible in court…”
Cleveland police used AI to justify a search warrant. It has derailed a murder case
Cleveland police used artificial intelligence software to justify a search warrant in a murder case. A judge, however, threw out the results of that search, including the gun authorities say was the m...
www.cleveland.com
January 26, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
Looking forward to Data privacy Day celebration at Duke - and what promises to be a great discussion of plaintiffs’ privacy -
January 27, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
Data Privacy Day 2025 - and yes, in spite of all appearances to the contrary, privacy is still a thing - a collective action problem that needs our collective attention.
January 28, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Reposted by David Hoffman
It's #DataPrivacyDay!

The right to privacy is essential to other fundamental human rights. It enables freedom of speech, expression, and association. Without privacy, our democracy crumbles.
January 28, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Reposted by David Hoffman
I deleted all my posts on Threads. Meta didn’t need my feminine energy anyways.
January 13, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
I very much like this approach to presenting a privacy notice/policy bumble.com/privacy-poli...
Bumble Privacy Policy
Welcome to the Bumble Group Privacy Policy. Whether you’re ready to put yourself out there and start dating or just looking for a new friend, at Bumble, we believe every relationship and opportunity s...
bumble.com
January 14, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Reposted by David Hoffman
Indonesia plans to issue a regulation to set a minimum age for users of social media, a move aimed at protecting children, its communications minister said reut.rs/4gYMmIL
Indonesia plans minimum age for social media use
Indonesia plans to issue a regulation to set a minimum age for users of social media, a move aimed at protecting children, its communications minister has said.
reut.rs
January 14, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Reposted by David Hoffman
"These companies are not just neutral pipes through which speech flows. They curate each user’s feed based on algorithmic decision-making and priorities set by the owners." And now, for Meta at least, even more so. ICYMI Yael Eisenstat: www.thebulwark.com/p/zuckerberg...
Zuckerberg vs. Democracy
The changes he’s making to appease Donald Trump won’t fix the ways Facebook is harmful to our civic and political life.
www.thebulwark.com
January 12, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
Folks are mostly missing the forest for the trees re: the recent Meta announcement. Specifically, the focus on the move from fact checking to community notes. There two different changes that are a much bigger deal that have received less focus. 🧵 1/11
January 9, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
Also read @sambiddle.com on the new Meta content guidelines, including a bunch of racist, anti-immigrant stuff that is now fair game theintercept.com/2025/01/09/f...
January 10, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Reposted by David Hoffman
Washington Post cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned after an editor rejected her sketch satirizing tech chiefs, including the Post's owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
A Pulitzer winner quits 'Washington Post' after a cartoon on Bezos is killed
Washington Post cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned after an editor rejected her sketch satirizing tech chiefs, including the Post's owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
www.npr.org
January 4, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
Huh oh. As a committed anti-conspiracy-theorist for the "phones listen to your microphone and targeted ads based on what you say" thing I can tell this is going to be exhausting
I think probably 95% of speculation that your phone is secretly listening to you is overblown, but man the tech industry really does not do itself any favors with that 5% arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
Siri “unintentionally” recorded private convos; Apple agrees to pay $95M
Apple users may get $20 each for up to five Siri-enabled devices.
arstechnica.com
January 2, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
Anyway, really good article, I'll be digging in, thanks!
January 1, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Everyone interested in digital transformation policy should follow CCPL. They are the top global cybersecurity thought leader.
Missed #CyberNextDC? Our new blog recaps insights from #cybersecurity leaders on resilience, regulatory harmonization, & the role of AI in defense. Read the highlights below:
www.centerforcybersecuritypolicy.org/insights-and...

@cybercoalition.bsky.social @cyberalliance.bsky.social
December 30, 2024 at 4:42 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
Recent report provides greater insight into chaos at hospitals in ban states thanks to efforts of @wyden.senate.gov - proposals unlikely to be carried out on 47’s watch but still good to have info about costs of criminalization
www.propublica.org/article/abor...
Report: Hospitals Rarely Advise Doctors on How to Treat Patients Under Abortion Bans
Doctors described hospital lawyers who “refused to meet” with them for months, were hard to reach during “life or death” situations and offered little help beyond “regurgitating” the law, according to...
www.propublica.org
December 28, 2024 at 2:25 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
Location data poses risks for people seeking abortion and friends and family helping them do so. @eff.org has an explainer. www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
Location Tracking Tools Endanger Abortion Access. Lawmakers Must Act Now.
EFF wrote recently about Locate X, a deeply troubling location tracking tool that allows users to see the precise whereabouts of individuals based on the locations of their smartphone devices. Develop...
www.eff.org
December 6, 2024 at 12:35 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
Maternal mortality up in TX - “rather than investigate, the state is essentially admitting that the bodies are piling up faster than the state can address them” @susanrinkunas.com re crippling of maternal mortality commissions that will shape the story the data can tell www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Opinion | Abortion bans are killing women — and states like Texas want to hide the truth
As the laws’ predictable harms come to light, anti-abortion groups want us to look away.
www.msnbc.com
December 6, 2024 at 1:03 PM
Reposted by David Hoffman
Invaluable advice from @eff.org
Have you received an email from an alleged hacker with an attached PDF that includes your name, a picture of your house, and a threat to leak embarrassing info or photos to your friends and family? Don’t panic. 🧵 (1/7)
December 13, 2024 at 10:08 PM