Laura Edelson

Assistant Professor, Northeastern University
Co-Director, C4D
Formerly: Chief Technologist, DoJ Antitrust Division, DOJ Civil Rights Division

[Laura Edelson @LauraEdelson2]

New work by me from @knightcolumbia : Into the Driver's Seat with Algorithmic Feeds. Wonder how, exactly, how social media algorithmic feeds work? They're incredibly opaque, so I've spent years building a framework for measuring and explaining them. Buckle up and come with me!🧵

[Laura Edelson @LauraEdelson2]

We also used gridfinity for interior organization an open-source 3D printed solution, which required making some adaptations , none of which were all that hard : https://t.co/dP9MZfIoxM

[Laura Edelson @LauraEdelson2]

In-home data center phase 2: tool and supply organization. The pain of not being able to find the punch down because it’s mixed in with the saws quickly was intolerable. All the hobby stuff got organized along the way because there’s too much of a continuum of what’s what

[Laura Edelson @LauraEdelson2]

We leaned hard into the systainer system, which has been great, particularly for uses that involve moving around lots of small parts. One caveat: we learned too late that they have two different grid systems for interior organization, so be warned. https://t.co/qhyQ3xY3Nh

[Laura Edelson @LauraEdelson2]

And before you ask, yes, phase zero was a whole house battery system to go with the solar array and whole house backup generator.

[Laura Edelson @LauraEdelson2]

Phase 1 of the in-home data center is complete.

[Lawfare @lawfare]

On Lawfare Daily, @jshermcyber spoke to @LauraEdelson2 and Erie Meyer about how state enforcers and regulators can better work with technologists, what technologists are and are not suited to help with, and what roles technologists can play across.

[Naomi Nix @NaomiNixWrites]

New: TikTok posts on Israel-Gaza war are overwhelmingly pro-Palestinian but that doesn't mean they get more traction online. Analysis by @LauraEdelson2 https://t.co/P0YjoSqmcr

[The Integrity Project @tipazorg]

@Northeastern University professor Laura Edelson, co-director of Cybersecurity For Democracy, says the surge of #misinformation after Charlie Kirk’s murder highlights how platform design — not just content — drives what we see online. She argues rage-bait thrives because engagement is the business model, and rollbacks of fact-checking and trust and safety teams at X and Meta have supercharged hate speech and falsehoods. Edelson stresses that while people post all kinds of content everywhere, algorithms decide which voices get amplified, making platform design a key battleground for slowing #disinformation in the digital age. 👉 https://t.co/u1BGUOhcJ9

[David Gilbert @daithaigilbert]

NEW

X helped spread ill-informed conclusions about the motivations of the Minneapolis school shooter based on cherry-picked words or phrases to millions.

with comment from @LauraEdelson2 @rothschildmd @_MAArgentino and Nina Jankowicz

https://t.co/vK9vFqCn59

[Laura Edelson @LauraEdelson2]

It was a real treat to join @Henrietta_Ivy for this conversation about the Locknet and where it's going.

[CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies @CSISFreeman]

Last week on Pekingology, @Henrietta_Ivy hosted @ChinaFile Jessica Batke and @LauraEdelson2 to discuss how the Chinese government and internet platforms collaborate on censorship, tensions between the CCP's political and economic goals online, and more: https://t.co/ruyMq4gofW

[ProMarket @ProMarket_org]

NEW: Filippo Lancieri (@GeorgetownLaw), @LauraEdelson2 (@KhouryCollege), Stefan Bechtold (@eth_cle) explore how the political economy of artificial intelligence regulation is shaped by the strategic behavior of governments, technology companies, and other agents.

https://t.co/ZlNYBgJUhc

[Laura Edelson @LauraEdelson2]

I think my kid is getting a deeply strange view of the world from the only three print publications I subscribe to, @TheOnion , IEEE Spectrum, and Wired. Is this why the NY Times has any print subscribers?

[Open Technology Fund @OpenTechFund]

.@ChinaFile’s Jessica Batke and @LauraEdelson2, authors of a new report that reshapes our understanding of Chinese censorship, spoke to the @washingtonpost’s @NorthropKatrina about how the “Locknet” works.

https://t.co/DMFHK4NJsP

[Laura Edelson @LauraEdelson2]

I talked to @NorthropKatrina for this piece on China's digital ID system. It's a great example of two key features of the Locknet: 1) different aspects of the censorship system reinforce each other, and 2) pushing the policeman into citizens heads.
https://t.co/GIQHc3G4iW

[ChinaFile @ChinaFile]

NEW: A ChinaFile investigation into China's powerful, but leaky, internet censorship system at https://t.co/IkULg4demC
1/21

[Nick Sullivan @grittygrease]

Good read: a detailed and accessible report published on @chinafile by Jessica Batke and Laura Edelson on China's internet censorship system, known as the "Locknet"

https://t.co/92vd7B4WL6

[GreatFire.org @GreatFireChina]

The Locknet: How China Controls Its Internet and Why It Matters -> very important and updated review of censorship mechanisms in China
https://t.co/HhnPDBNgQ6

[The Postdoctoral @thepostdoctoral]

Northeastern research breaches 'The Great Firewall' to look at Chinese censorship - Northeastern professor Laura Edelson calls a framework for understanding Chinese censorship “The Locknet” for its resemblance to water locks. - https://t.co/biSdTQDyy3

[Laura Edelson @LauraEdelson2]

@RickClaypool @manguitartech I’m honestly shocked that it’s edible- I did some reading and apparently this is even a quite tasty one, but I’m still not going to take the risk 🙂

[Laura Edelson @LauraEdelson2]

Can anyone help me identity this mushroom? It grew up in just a few days in my garden, and it’s currently over a foot wide. I’m definitely not going to eat it, I’m just curious!