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Giovanna Mascheroni

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by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
Newly emerging AI laws fail to provide adequate safeguards against emotional AI surveillance, only imposing narrow bans and restrictions that contain loopholes and broad exemptions. www.techpolicy.press/how-ai-power...
How AI-Powered Emotional Surveillance Can Threaten Personal Autonomy and Democracy | TechPolicy.Press
If we do not regulate emotional AI surveillance now, we might soon have to fake how we feel to protect our privacy, writes Oznur Uguz.
www.techpolicy.press
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by Giovanna Mascheroni — Reposted by Neil Selwyn

giovannamas.bsky.social
@neilselwyn.bsky.social “Young people spend way more time outside school, so really we should be talking about how parents and families regulate their children’s device use at home,” he says. “Unfortunately, this isn’t something that most politicians want to do." www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Two years after school phone bans were implemented in Australia, what has changed?
Phone bans are now well-established in many Australian primary and secondary schools. Have they made a difference?
www.theguardian.com
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by Michael E. Mann — Reposted by Giovanna Mascheroni, John R. Hutchinson, Juan Cole , and 3 more

michaelemann.bsky.social
Must-read piece in @theguardian.com (h/t @dpcarrington.bsky.social). In #ScienceUnderSiege, we describe how petrostates Saudi Arabia & Russia leveraged Musk's buyout of twitter so they could weaponize it for climate denial propaganda & attacks on renewables.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Money talks: the deep ties between Twitter and Saudi Arabia
The long read: Saudi Arabia’s investment in Twitter increased its influence in Silicon Valley while being used at home to shut down critics of the regime
www.theguardian.com
9 210 350

by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
"children living in areas with higher levels of societal inequality, ..., were linked to having a reduced surface area of the brain’s cortex, & altered connections between multiple regions of the brain ... regardless of their economic background. www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Study links greater inequality to structural changes in children’s brains
Researchers say findings show inequality creates toxic environment and reducing it is ‘a public health imperative’
www.theguardian.com
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by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
"Trump is putting Europe under pressure to water down its digital rulebook. But now more than ever, Europe should hold large US tech firms accountable for anti-competitive market rigging, snooping on Europeans, and preying on our children" www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The EU has a secret weapon to counter Trump’s economic bullying. It’s time to use it | Johnny Ryan
The anti-coercion instrument, or ‘trade bazooka’, is designed to shield against foreign pressure, says civil liberties campaigner Johnny Ryan
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Giovanna Mascheroni, Meredith Broussard, Woodrow Hartzog

hypervisible.blacksky.app
“One of the negative consequences AI is having on students is that it is hurting their ability to develop meaningful relationships with teachers, the report finds. Half of the students agree that using AI in class makes them feel less connected to their teachers.”
Rising Use of AI in Schools Comes With Big Downsides for Students
A report by the Center for Democracy and Technology looks at teachers' and students' experiences with the technology.
www.edweek.org
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Reposted by Giovanna Mascheroni, Andrew Jacobs, Justin Lewis , and 2 more

cathfletcher.bsky.social
The Anthropic settlement list is up. Authors, check here to see if your books are included: www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com
ANT Homepage | ANT
www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com
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Reposted by Giovanna Mascheroni, Sue Timmis

benpatrickwill.bsky.social
If your institution requires you to use Blackboard for teaching (like me), be aware its parent company is broke and it's getting new private equity owners whose plans for the platform, and how they'll capitalize on it, remain unknown (bet it includes "AI") onedtech.philhillaa.com/p/anthology-...
What This Means for the LMS and EdTech Markets For campus leaders: Blackboard will continue operating through the case, but the ownership and investment thesis behind the LMS are changing. This could affect long-term product direction and stability. For EdTech executives: This is a textbook example of distressed-debt control in our sector. It shows how private equity cycles, first driving aggressive expansion, now dictating asset sales, reshape vendor landscapes.
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Reposted by Giovanna Mascheroni

counterhate.com
Social media companies are letting hate flood our timelines.

Their algorithms amplify hate to play with our emotions & biases, keeping us glued to their platforms.

Call on social media giants & lawmakers to stop the spread of online hate. Take action today ⤵️
Take Action: Stand Against Online Hate
Call on social media giants and lawmakers to stop the spread of online hate. Add your name.
act.counterhate.com
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by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
On TikTok and YouTube “children may still be exposed to gambling content, violent images, far-right material and conspiracy theories simply by not logging in to the sites… ‘The law does not prevent under 16s from accessing or viewing content without an account.” www.theguardian.com/media/2025/s...
From zero to neo-Nazis: what under-16s may see under Australia’s social media ban, simply by not logging in
Guardian Australia test finds scrolling shortform videos while logged out of YouTube and TikTok quickly leads to gambling, violent and far-right content
www.theguardian.com

by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
Beyond proving #hallucinations were inevitable, the OpenAI research revealed that industry evaluation methods actively encouraged the problem… binary grading that penalized “I don’t know” responses while rewarding incorrect but confident answers. www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
OpenAI admits AI hallucinations are mathematically inevitable, not just engineering flaws
In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limi...
www.computerworld.com

Reposted by Giovanna Mascheroni, Meredith Broussard, Stephen R. Carpenter , and 22 more

mikeyearworth.bsky.social
"In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limits."

www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
OpenAI admits AI hallucinations are mathematically inevitable, not just engineering flaws
In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limi...
www.computerworld.com
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Reposted by Giovanna Mascheroni, Göran Bolin

odriessens.bsky.social
Great 50th anniversary issue of Communications. @goranbolin.bsky.social, @giovannamas.bsky.social, @blurky.bsky.social and others revisit and assess articles and reviews published in the journal in previous decades. Very stimulating discussions!

www.degruyterbrill.com/journal/key/...
Communications Volume 50 Issue 3
Volume 50, issue 3 of the journal Communications was published in 2025.
www.degruyterbrill.com
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by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
as AUS is about to introduce a #SocialMediaBan a trial of age verification sw reveals age and racial bias: Asian & indigenous youth are more likely to be miscategorised as above the age limit www.theguardian.com/news/2025/se... Read @eukidsonline.bsky.social statement www.lse.ac.uk/media-and-co...
Social media ban trial data reveals racial bias in age checking software: just how inaccurate is it?
Young people from Indigenous and Asian backgrounds are more likely to be miscategorised as over the age limit and older people as underaged, analysis finds
www.theguardian.com

by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
Had fun writing a review of Sherry Turkle's Life on Screen almost 30 years later for the Jubilee issue of Communications The European Journal of Communication Research doi.org/10.1515/comm...
Turkle, S. (1997). Life on the screen: Identity in the age of the internet. Simon & Schuster. 352 pp.
Article Turkle, S. (1997). Life on the screen: Identity in the age of the internet. Simon & Schuster. 352 pp. was published on September 30, 2025 in the journal Communications (volume 50, issue 3).
doi.org

by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
Actually studies (few, initial, certainly limited) suggest the opposite: that AI may reduce cognitive abilities

Reposted by Giovanna Mascheroni, Cas Mudde, Nicholas A. Christakis , and 17 more

pbump.com
Extremist murders by ideology, 2013 to 2022. www.pbump.net/o/reassessin...
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by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
New longitudinal study by Keith Hampton & Gabriel Hales shows social media use and screen time have a small negative effect but a strong indirect effect on academic performance through digital skills www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Rethinking screen time and academic achievement: gender differences and the hidden benefit of online leisure through digital skills
Concerns about the detrimental effects of screen time on adolescents’ academic achievement are widespread. However, this perspective often overlooks the potential educational benefits of online lei...
www.tandfonline.com

by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
The Australian eSafety Commissioner published a summary fo consultations on the social media ban: 1 parents want a strong narrative to postpone access 2 expert raise privacy, inclusion, equity and wellbeing issues 3 children demand platform responsibilities to protect them from harmful content
www.esafety.gov.au

by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
Disney to Pay $10 Million to Settle FTC Allegations the Company Enabled the Unlawful Collection of Children’s Personal Data www.ftc.gov/news-events/...
Disney to Pay $10 Million to Settle FTC Allegations the Company Enabled the Unlawful Collection of Children’s Personal Data
Disney will pay $10 million to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations that the company allowed personal data to be collected from children who viewed kid-directed videos on YouTube without not
www.ftc.gov

by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
which is why it is extremely problematic from an ethical and rights perspective.
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by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
not just for betraying their patients' trust but for compromising their privacy (and health) rights
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by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
"companies, including Heidi Health, Upheal, Lyssn, Blueprint, are marketing specialized tools to therapists, such as AI-assisted note-taking, training, transcription services. These companies say they are HIPAA compliant and store data securely using encryption and pseudonymization where necessary"
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by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
luckily, automated care doesn't feel appropriate, not to mention privacy and ethical issues "AI responses were rated as conforming better to therapeutic best practice. However, when participants suspected responses to have been written by ChatGPT, they ranked them lower."
Therapists are secretly using ChatGPT. Clients are triggered.
Some therapists are using AI during therapy sessions. They’re risking their clients’ trust and privacy in the process.
www.technologyreview.com
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Reposted by Giovanna Mascheroni

hypervisible.blacksky.app
So many problems here, but if you are a therapist doing this, why wouldn’t your client just drop you and use a chatbot. You’re just the bot’s puppet at that point.
Therapists are secretly using ChatGPT. Clients are triggered.
Some therapists are using AI during therapy sessions. They’re risking their clients’ trust and privacy in the process.
www.technologyreview.com
9 51 180

Reposted by Giovanna Mascheroni, Göran Bolin, Fabio Giglietto

claesdevreese.bsky.social
The EU is a market with 450 million people.

There is vast public support for regulation of big tech and for companies to meet their responsibilities.

Giving in after a decade of efforts in this space is undesirable and unnecessary.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/b...
Trump Wants Europe to Stop Regulating Big Tech. Will It Bend?
www.nytimes.com
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Reposted by Giovanna Mascheroni, Timnit Gebru, Shannon Vallor , and 17 more

kashhill.bsky.social
Adam Raine, 16, died from suicide in April after months on ChatGPT discussing plans to end his life. His parents have filed the first known case against OpenAI for wrongful death.

Overwhelming at times to work on this story, but here it is. My latest on AI chatbots: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/t...
A Teen Was Suicidal. ChatGPT Was the Friend He Confided In.
www.nytimes.com
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by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
Melania Trump’s approach to AI : “It is essential that every member of our academic community, including our great educators, administrators, and students rise to this historic challenge with on-going curiosity, perseverance, and ingenuity.” www.rawstory.com/melania-trum...
Melania Trump warns of 'risks' as she accepts leadership role in AI program for children
Melania Trump outsourced the narration of her audiobook to artificial intelligence, and she's using that experience as a springboard to a high-tech role in her husband's administration.The first lady ...
www.rawstory.com

Reposted by Giovanna Mascheroni

us.theconversation.com
The data you depend on – about jobs, weather, health, water and more – is quietly vanishing from federal sites.

Here’s how it’s happening and how you can join efforts to help save it:
buff.ly/GIa2psq
Data that taxpayers have paid for and rely on is disappearing – here’s how it’s happening and what you can do about it
Detailed data that US government agencies collect and make available has underpinned research about people, medicine, science, crime, jobs, housing, climate and the economy.
buff.ly
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by Giovanna Mascheroni

giovannamas.bsky.social
What does it mean to be a scholar when the conditions needed to think, teach & create are stripped away? What does academic freedom mean when intellectual, political & pedagogical freedom is restricted by siege? What does it mean to mentor youth... www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
‘Too hungry to think, too weak to sit upright. Concentration slips away’: the struggle to stay focused as an academic in Gaza
It is hard to keep the mind sharp when the body is thin and dehydrated, but solidarity is teaching starving students their thoughts still matter
www.theguardian.com
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