John Palfrey

"Across the country, law enforcement agencies have begun outsourcing the Fourth Amendment’s requirement of individualized suspicion to opaque software and automated tracking networks." [@foxmike90.bsky.social, Cato/Chicago Sun-Times]

“The Department of Justice is putting its formidable thumb on next week’s elections in a way that seems clearly intended to call into question the legitimacy of any result that is especially unfavorable to Republicans—before those results have even come in.” Me on DOJ’s California and Alaska suits:

lol reminder that betting markets are extremely accurate measures of conventional wisdom

In one day, two politicians - Bolsonaro in Brazil and Vucic in Serbia - with ties to Trump have lost surprise elections thanks to high turnout. The rise of the international far-right is not inevitable.

Lula’s win is the first good news for the planet in a while! I bet it shaves a tenth of a degree off how hot our earth eventually gets, which will save millions of lives Thank you Brazil!

Protest works. Organization is decisive. Draw your own conclusions. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

Be ready to speak up. Better yet, speak up now -- prebunk the Election Denying. The playbook is obvious.

Prebunking Election Myths Ten days out from a consequential midterms, let's prebunk the myths and outright lies that are being and will be spread after the election....

The FCC has no business telling news outlets what they can & can't report. Yet, FCC Chair Brendan Carr is threatening to do just that—this time over political polling. Former FCC officials warn that Carr’s attacks on broadcasters are an attack on free & fair elections. 🔗 https://protdem.org/4iacvWH

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has claimed a power for his agency to police bad or fraudulent polls — at least to the extent that broadcasters report on them. There are at least five problems with his position, says Cato's David Inserra.

I'm headed to Georgetown, American University, and the University of Virginia next week to talk about my new book! All events are open to the public. You can find details and links to the events on my book page: www.danah.org/data-are-mad...

The Ford Foundation, one of the world's largest grantmakers, will throw more weight behind democracy -- new strategy announced under President Heather Gerken

danah boyd, Data Are Made, Not Found A book recommendation and notes about when and where the public can engage with Prof. danah boyd regarding Data Are Made, Not Found (University of Chicago Press, 2026)....

Reposting photos of the #NoKings protests because Meta closed down their Instagram account today. So let’s make the day mighty fuckin’ visible! (Sorry. Yes, I’m beyond mad.)

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com A.I. is everywhere. But humans are still in charge — and it’s time to start making some rules. Take our quiz on controlling A.I.:

Philanthropies: Let’s Give More, Ask Less during this time of crisis for non-profits It is high time for philanthropy to give more and ask less of our grantee and investee partners, against the backdrop of a crisis in the charitable non-profit sector....

My mom, age 96, has voted in every election since 1952. Be like her! Get your ballot in now! @thirdactorg.bsky.social

News from @macfound.org: we are dedicating $750 Million to Impact Investments www.macfound.org/press/press-...

Democracy: Our American Experiment, The Massachusetts Opportunity I returned to Boston this week for the annual meeting of Philanthropy Massachusetts. We discussed the importance of courage, leadership, and meeting the moment in this period of peril for our democracy. There is much more that each…

“Vote early. Vote by mail. Or vote in person on Election Day." Sounds like good advice for *all Americans eligible to vote.* www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/u...

Congrats @alondra.bsky.social and all 50 of the @schmidtsciences.bsky.social AI2050 Senior Fellows!

Months before OpenAI’s artificial intelligence went rogue and attacked the A.I. start-up Hugging Face, two employees raised an alarm with top executives that its newest A.I. models were not being appropriately monitored during testing. They were ignored. nyti.ms/4hPBVtT

Twenty new @macfound.org Fellows announced today!!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZgd...

Collective Action for the First Amendment A free press and the First Amendment matter to our democracy in America. Collective action is essential to upholding the First Amendment. Democracy will not sustain itself....

“Over the years, I’ve participated some in efforts to help people who were the victims of persecution abroad. Now we have to rally to support victims of government persecution here at home. Now we have to fight policies of brutality in our own country.” www.thebulwark.com/p/why-were-g...

Go Red Sox, White Sox, and Cubs!!! - the trifecta for those of us baseball fans raised in Boston and living in Chicago

BREAKING: Judge Kelly just concluded there's no "national security" argument in this case (CNN/MSNOW/Politico)

MS NOW reports that their White House reproter was denied access to the White House this morning despite a court order demanding she have access

A New Day for Governing AI Development? Trying out a new maxim: the more powerful a technology, the more concern people will have about deploying it, with Artificial Intelligence as the latest example....

"The tide going out on nonfiction sales and reading is entirely reshaping the power balance in the industry. Not overnight, but slowly, the money is flowing to fiction and away from nonfiction. It is causing quite a scramble" dearheadofmine.substack.com/p/the-nonfic...

Gratitude to Nikole Hannah Jones for courageously revealing the silent calculus of Black parents in struggling to raise healthy & secure children in a country where Black children’s potential is systemically undervalued, undermined & too often unrealized. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/m...

"The rule of law to democracy is like oxygen to a human body. It is something that you absolutely need to survive, and yet it’s something that people just take for granted.” A stark warning from U.S. District Judge Patrick Schlitz on #ConstitutionDay. Must-read from @nytimes.com

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com “Why were so many powerful people in America, a country whose civic culture is steeped in resistance to tyranny, so willing to abase themselves and their institutions?” our columnist Michelle Goldberg writes.

VICTORY! The Supreme Court held the Postal Service CANNOT enforce restrictions on mail-in voting that would have disenfranchised countless voters after LDF and co-counsel blocked the rule on behalf of a coalition of nonpartisan organizations. When we FIGHT,we WIN! www.naacpldf.org/press-releas...

Read the Supreme Court’s ruling on mail voting restrictions.

🚨 BREAKING 🚨 SCOTUS just rejected the admin’s attempt to force its unworkable mail-ballot rule on American voters. The decision leaves in place what two lower courts found: the rule was completely unjustified, likely unlawful. 📫 Mail voting remains secure and available. What you need to know ⬇️

Holding up more voices in this big week in the history of Artificial Intelligence A big weekend for Artificial Intelligence -- in terms of a focus on how to govern it effectively, not just racing to develop it as quickly as possible at all costs....

Caleb Williams is legit fun to watch.

Cannot WAIT!

Today, I’m remembering the lives we lost on September 11th, 25 years ago. I hope we can honor their memories by working toward a more peaceful world, one where people are free from fear, conflict, violence, and war.

Congrats to Juan Salgado on his appointment to the National Commission on AI and the Future of the American Workforce! lnkd.in/p/g8xmvKQr

9/11 was an Election Day in NYC. I and several colleagues were in the office to staff an election protection hotline. We heard the attack on the first tower & saw the second from a rooftop. That day is forever seared in my memory. My heart goes out to all impacted by this tragedy