Anita Gohdes

@argohdes.bsky.social

4405 Followers 620 Following

Studying the internet, technology, security, conflict, authoritarianism. Professor @thehertieschool. Consultant @hrdag. she/her. Wrote a book on repression in the digital age: https://www.anitagohdes.net/book.html

Picture of Christian Gläßel receiving the award.
A visual depiction of all IR panels at EPSS. Details can be found here: https://virtual.oxfordabstracts.com/event/75765/program
Anita listening to Karen Hao.
Here is the line-up (Berlin time, CEST): April 23, 2:15 pm. Akin Ünver (Özyeğin University), Title: "@Grok Is this True? Performative Fact-Checking During Contested Events in Polarized Digital Spaces" May 7, 2:15 pm. Rebecca Adler-Nissen (University of Copenhagen), Title: "Geopolitical Struggles of the Emerging Global Tech Order" June 11, 2:15 pm. Andreas Jungherr (University of Bamberg), Title: "Public Opinion on Military Uses of AI: Technology Beliefs, Moral Boundaries, and Security Contexts" June 24, 2:15 pm. Margaret E. Roberts (UC San Diego), Title: "How Partisanship Affects Preferences for Large Language Model Output"
Starlink terminals rely on GPS signals to locate themselves and connect to satellites. By disrupting these signals, Iranian authorities can render the devices unreliable without touching the satellites themselves. When Russia tried similar jamming in Ukraine, SpaceX responded within hours with software updates that restored service. So far, no such fix has arrived for Iran. SpaceX has not commented on the disruption.
Anita Gohdes holding a copy of the book "The Politics of Human Rights".
Cover of book, titled „The Politics of Human Rights“ by Sabine Carey, Mark Gibney, and Anita Gohdes. Picture shows a woman kneeling in front riot police during a BLM protest in the US.
queer people will outlive donald trump queer people will outlive elon musk queer people will outlive jk rowling queer people will outlive fascism queer people have always been here queer people will always be here deal with it
By looking at property damage and police injuries, we also conclude that this pro-Palestine movement has not been violent. That is true of both the national protest wave in general and of the student encampments in spring 2024 in particular. The CCC tracks several features of protest events that might be construed as indicators of protester violence, including property damage caused by protesters and injuries to police present at the event. In the nearly 12,400 pro-Palestine events, we recorded from 7 October to 7 June, we have only seen reports of property damage at 167 of them and police injuries at 18. Most of the instances of property damage involved graffiti or similar defacement of property, and virtually all the police injuries occurred while the police officers were making arrests. If we narrow our view to the 3,875 protests at colleges and universities and other schools, the incidence of property damage is 46 and of police injuries is 9, with similar caveats about the what and the how.
Evelyn Douek, a content moderation scholar and professor at Stanford Law School, said Cutler’s direct intervention is “obviously extremely concerning” given the specific stakes. “You have a person inside Meta representing the interests of the government on an issue about which there is deeply contested political debate it appears, to favor one side of that debate. The concerns about bias and disproportionate enforcement of a policy when that is happening seem obvious.”
Abstract of paper by Anita Gohdes and Zachary Steinert Threlkeld reading: Recent research emphasizes social media’s potential for citizens to express shared grievances. In active conflict, however, social media posts indicating political loyalties can pose severe risks to civilians. We develop a theory that explains how civilians modify their online behavior as part of efforts to improve their security during conflict. After major changes in territorial control, civilians should be more likely to post positive content, and more content that supports the winning side. We study social media behavior during and after the siege of Aleppo in November 2016. We match Aleppo-based Twitter users with users from other parts of Syria and use large language models to analyze changes in online behavior after the regime’s retaking of the city. Results show that users in Aleppo post more positive and pro-Assad content, but only when self-disclosing their location.
Big demonstration crowds in front of the Bundestag
A box full of Anita’s book “Repression in the Digital Age”
Old man cup of coffee - I'm done being an expert on vaccines - This week I'm an international law specialist
Flyer showing the book cover for "Repression in the Digital Age" by Anita Gohdes. includes a promo code to get 30% off when ordering the book (code: ASFLYQ6).
A picture of Zara Rahman‘s new book titled “ “Machine readable me“
A handsome fox strolls the streets of Berlin.
Picture of front page of book manuscript proofs, reading "Repression in the Digital Age - Surveillance, Censorship, and the Dynamics of State Violence" by Anita R. Gohdes
Picture of a cat. Text reads: „i do the opposite of gatekeeping. you will be forced to like my interests. you will listen.“