Julia Angwin

Investigative Journalist. New York Times opinion writer. Founder of Proof News. Formerly: The Markup, ProPublica, WSJ.

Public Key

npub1m2tu4q5f48jrt4jshusjj3mya6lsfeh05xxhtygxlqp6aqrga07sm9cue4

NIP-05 Address

Julia_at_journa.host@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsd4972s2y6nep46egt7gffgajwa0cyumh6rrt4jyr0sqawsp5whlg4khfa4

Author Public Key

npub1m2tu4q5f48jrt4jshusjj3mya6lsfeh05xxhtygxlqp6aqrga07sm9cue4

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Last Notes

2024-10-21 11:23:37

ICYMI, Zuck says Meta's algorithmic feeds are great at showing us content we didn't sign up for, and soon will fill our feed with AI-generated content.
This is exactly what I do not want. So I wrote my latest piece for New York TImes Opinion (gift link) on the tyrannical rise of the "for you" algorithm and how we can take back control of our feeds:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/21/opinion/tiktok-meta-social-media-law.html?ogrp=dpl&unlocked_article_code=1.T04.nNJ-.ZfudEQKTey35&smid=url-share

2024-09-12 15:01:03

Interested in an entirely sane conversation about AI? Join me and @npub15dw…kg2d at NYPL next week discussing his highly rational and readable book on AI:
https://www.showclix.com/event/gary-marcus/tag/guest

2024-08-27 23:50:47

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@npub17da…3ey4 Me too! But that is a separate pending antitrust case.

2024-08-27 13:51:44

What is known: Judge has declared Google search an illegal monopoly.
What is unknown: How the judge plans to fix it.
My proposal: We need to break up Google’s monopoly on search data to promote competition.
My latest for New York Times Opinion (gift link): https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/27/opinion/google-monopoly-ruling-break-up.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GE4.bdJj.q1oziKbnOCES&smid=url-share

2024-08-14 19:54:30

Is AI capable yet of replacing software developers? We asked a software developer to help us investigate that question.
Carl Brown, host of the popular Internet of Bugs YouTube channel, used our AI testing software and concluded that his job is safe -- for now.
https://www.proofnews.org/is-ai-going-to-replace-software-engineers/

2024-08-13 16:54:32

Honored to be the first guest on @npub1lhr…cc3g's podcast Machines Like Us talking about AI and how journalists can cover it better:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/machines-like-us/article-why-journalism-made-a-devils-bargain-with-big-tech/

2024-07-27 14:01:05

With Google reneging on its promise to block third party cookies, are we in for even more cookie consent pop-up boxes — and less privacy?
My discussion on @NPR Weekend Edition: https://www.npr.org/2024/07/27/nx-s1-5050862/after-4-years-google-backtracks-on-its-discontinuation-of-third-party-cookies

2024-07-24 14:54:27

How did @npub1qu3…53hw reporter Annie Gilbertson prove that tech giants were using scraped YouTube videos in their AI models?
She breaks it down for me here in a new YouTube series on where we dissect how the news is made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZkOcjS5PLM

2024-07-16 11:08:17

We just had our first political assassination attempt of the social media age.
But we don’t know how the narratives are playing out on social media because tech platforms have shut down most of their transparency tools.
My latest for New York Times Opinion (gift link): https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/16/opinion/trump-shooting-assassination-conspiracy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7k0.QBI-.kZwAe64PKAqO&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

2024-07-11 21:08:30

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@npub1euu…zt0g To be fair, I did not try. Have worked in traditional newsrooms for a long time and have internalized the norms (possibly to my own detriment).

2024-07-11 18:40:33

I can’t use the word “enshittification” in NYT, but my latest piece for NYt Opinion is in fact an homage to @npub1hyk…3p33’s concept.
Here is my hat tip to him in my newsletter (also, hi! I have a newsletter - sign up!)
https://buttondown.email/JuliaAngwin/archive/the-enshittification-of-google-maps/

2024-07-10 14:00:25

One of the most impactful and infuriating algorithms in our lives is the routing algorithm on Google Maps. With 80% market share, it offers us very little control over our routes. If we want better, we will need to support competition like OpenStreetMaps.
My latest for NYT Opinion (gift link):
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/10/opinion/google-maps-driving-apps-flaws.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6E0.yGok.7gErcSBb7E43&smid=url-share

2024-05-29 14:58:44

The latest from @npub1qu3…53hw: Analyzing the mistakes made by Google's new AI search results reveals:
AI often doesn't understand humor
AI doesn't always summarize complex ideas well
AI is fooled by discredited racial tropes.
https://www.proofnews.org/lessons-from-googles-ai-mistakes/

2024-05-23 13:29:44

Such a treat to talk with the thoughtful @npub1apc…kvpy about the widening gap between AI hype and reality for Today, Explained this week.
Bonus points that this is the only podcast my teenager listens to - and so maybe she will finally think I'm cool.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2vYpaFhyNxPYxfZHVlFOXA?si=532a319ba7de4e03

2024-05-15 11:46:08

For more than a year, policy makers have been worried about the consequences of AI getting too powerful.
But it’s time to start worrying about the consequences of AI staying as dumb it currently is.
My latest for NYT Opinion (gift link):
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/15/opinion/artificial-intelligence-ai-openai-chatgpt-overrated-hype.html?unlocked_article_code=1.sE0.SV0g.r4iVMq0NT6z7&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

2024-04-16 12:02:55

“Federal privacy law could be monumental if it gets the substance right, but it could also be disastrous if it preempts the states with a weak or unworkable standard.”
The current bill is the latter, says Justin Brookman.
https://www.techpolicy.press/unclear-protections-in-the-american-privacy-rights-act-not-worth-broad-preemption/

2024-04-12 13:14:38

New Yorkers interested in AI *or* just interested in visiting an awesome French “villa” bookstore in NYC - come join this discussion on Monday. https://villa-albertine.org/events/can-journalists-still-be-democracys-gatekeepers-in-the-age-of-ai/

2024-04-09 13:31:00

Latest from @npub1qu3…53hw - Claude AI’s dubious answers denying climate change and recommending bribery and blackmail:
https://www.proofnews.org/email/257dd8df-8ee1-4717-9f3d-6e7c1218b82d/

2024-04-08 20:46:33

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Update: the cookie was delicious and the view spectacular.
I’m no photographer, so all I have is this photo of sky as we neared totality.
https://assets.journa.host/media_attachments/files/112/237/555/613/372/274/original/13e839801b45e766.jpeg

2024-04-08 17:49:26

About to fly through the totality. Very exciting! Appreciate United giving us all glasses and a “solar eclipse cookie.”
https://assets.journa.host/media_attachments/files/112/236/853/356/602/257/original/241569f45cfb5974.jpeg

2024-04-03 16:07:11

Should TikTok be banned? @npub1yz5…gn6a and I debate: https://munkdebates.com/podcasts/tiktok-debate/

2024-03-21 15:49:02

Me on @npub1qu3…53hw “People are always accusing me of being a think tank. The real difference here is whether you’re willing to be adversarial. What we’re trying to do is hold power to account, which means you need lawyers and liability insurance and you have to be willing to ask hard questions of very powerful people who have the ability to sue you out of existence." https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/03/proof-news-is-julia-angwins-attempt-to-bring-the-scientific-method-to-investigative-journalism/

2024-03-21 12:19:32

Grateful to CBC’s Nora Young for letting me wax on about my new venture, @npub1qu3…53hw.
And it’s always a delight to share air space with @npub1n0k…l838.
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-55-spark/clip/16049551-can-put-watermark-reality

2024-03-18 21:39:16

My TikTok about the TikTok ban https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLYNdSMw/

2024-03-17 19:00:15

We would be less scared of TikTok if we had control of our social media algorithms.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/opinion/social-media-algorithm-choice.html?unlocked_article_code=1.dU0.g0z3.0ynmRaMVgFOs&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

2024-03-15 18:20:14

@npub1km7…e9q3 and I on the radio talking about the TikTok ban:
https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/press-play-with-madeleine-brand/social-media-security-film/tiktok

2024-03-14 11:46:08

Americans don’t agree on much, but they do support privacy laws and not banning TikTok.
So what is Congress doing? The opposite.
My latest for NYT Opinion on why we need a privacy law and how banning TikTok doesn’t make us safer (gift link).
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/opinion/tiktok-ban-house-vote.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ck0.gyWD.oLux785_Jk5O&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

2024-03-08 13:18:50

Much of the proposed AI legislation aims to criminalize deep fakes and other uses of AI for intentional deception. But what about the times when AI is wrong? The routine inaccuracies that we found in testing AI for election information wouldn't be covered by the proposed rules.
New LATimes oped from Alondra Nelson and myself discussing how we need to expand what we demand of AI: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-03-08/primaries-voting-elections-ai-misinformation-plaforms-chatgpt

2024-02-27 19:45:07

I’m delighted to announce that today I’m launching a new nonprofit journalism studio: Proof News.
Proof is into *proving things*! Our goal is to question, test, and investigate the most important issues of our time. We will always tell you what we know and what we don’t know.
https://www.proofnews.org/

2023-12-19 15:22:20

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@npub1ggm…7842 I haven’t had those problems on Threads, thankfully. My problem so far is how heavily it is populated by Meta execs — I feel like I’m in some sort of over enthusiastic corporate Slack channel and that by being there, we are all complicit in gaslighting Meta’s part in destroying the news business.

2023-12-19 14:03:39

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@npub16un…e944 I tried to raise the alarm! https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/opinion/google-meta-canada-press-blockade.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EU0.hCH_.-qD-xVjhwR1f&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

2023-12-19 12:44:06

I’m finding it shocking how quickly journalists are racing to Meta’s Threads, when we all know how hostile the company is to news.
For fun, I did a thread on Threads about this. Doubt it will get boosted by the algorithm there:
https://www.threads.net/@julia__angwin/post/C1CPBwlOgO-/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

2023-11-29 20:37:59

PSA: I just learned the hard way that TikTok shares your active status unless you turn it off.
(TikTok claims it’s turned off by default but there is NO WAY I turned it on.)
Yes, my daughter caught me TikTok binging.
Here’s how to turn it off: https://support.tiktok.com/en/account-and-privacy/account-privacy-settings/activity-status-on-tiktok#3

2023-11-21 22:11:51

No matter how it shakes out at OpenAI, one thing is clear: all of the leading AI companies are firmly for-profit entities and the illusion of OpenAI as a nonprofit optimizing for humanity is gone.
My latest for New York Times Opinion imagines what it would take to truly build AI in the public interest (spoiler: it could look like public libraries, but for compute):
(gift link)
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/21/opinion/the-sam-altman-openai-board-microsoft.html?unlocked_article_code=1.AE0.USnQ.Or3s2jZFvj_R&smid=url-share

2023-09-23 15:34:09

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@npub1e0a…eww0 OMG - thank you for pointing out. Good grief! But can we steal the idea back from him? It is such a good metaphor.

2023-09-23 15:06:27

AI is leading to a tragedy of the commons: It is overgrazing the commons, scraping up everything it can, and is also being used to pollute the commons with untrustworthy content.
My latest NYT column (gift link) https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/23/opinion/ai-internet-lawsuit.html?unlocked_article_code=vRNUO2kkko1v0QOmx8Iil8pblv1TxJTAL3KJvi03gGf_4G12ofLxD6Ev9X7Hbe01g8BwLJ9rI_HJxo2_q9IDsxhqD2RehJz70QJaC6NgamAyiZTEe3Wu5snnItSbG_Cg99yfqMnwd2G8lymdFuiWWzDUWAembgQPr1B-IsboCeLYnXRYKXs5OPeDJWb1gdlpaE-cE9f4LwEDmxYHwlPmzVLuhjggftv3kHKAQ-moBpOBOm30Fr4lTIcOdTJy-ygPHB-0hrpNzn7_qVPCL_UjWfHuVSa7kLBJtbKbYBq8rP-xBoI2C50ggZUjZyGQA7pnzrome1IMbMeRSGTi&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

2023-08-22 12:15:46

I’m finding the lack of quote tweets on here increasingly frustrating. Are there any plans to add this feature?

2023-08-17 13:44:37

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@npub1g57…y839 Ah, shoot, I wish I had known! Thank you for sharing. Not surprising that you were WAY ahead of the curve!

2023-08-17 12:12:45

In my latest for NYT Opinion, I write about the growing movement for algorithmic choice — starting with Bluesky’s custom feeds, which I would love to see Mastodon adopt. (Gift link)
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/opinion/social-media-algorithm-choice.html?unlocked_article_code=mT6ntAeiTg4MF3WsZFYZS5Gnpaxv1np12nE0KSei5IFsZ7aQkrlt5T2Z5OKGqoZUhzMe6BKTpIuRK68nJTtGy0nvdlrw5xKZyaiM86GDnl-FebhmJbRWoFug2vBc2aypC3D6pPF6PzDes7N--Bhl_QTsZEeiFFrNsrD_7gLm5wwCUdZ-EEijhFwIeUcVuVEdvwfyhzvhsXeth9Q78ayqTL5GY2lkFdSlcPElS1E3v-MbnYEFOd3OxGTl4UTm-EqtIImZsr_VFtGASplfk6hiMWwEhe3GHHM7JSD1oQvZnrr4igss9odWmTGy_2aJWBdB_4y61Y7P-B7xVppRbHBszOagXV8qVA&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

2023-08-08 14:23:05

If tech companies are going to release cars without seatbelts, then at least we need to know when they are likely to crash. Kudos to @npub1hyv…zmxc for doing crash-testing at Defcon this week.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/08/08/ai-red-team-defcon/?wpisrc=nl_technology202

2023-07-14 12:58:49

The EU is rolling out the most ambitious global effort toward checking the power of Big Tech.
But to truly hold platforms accountable, we must also support journalists who are on the front lines of chronicling how despots, trolls, spies, marketers and hate mobs are weaponizing tech platforms or being enabled by them.
My latest for NYT Opinion. Gift link:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/14/opinion/big-tech-european-union-journalism.html?unlocked_article_code=r2dLSHm1bIQoYLLtqZb3ettY2OzzVzPH62uGbW3OyrpgHs7k2nCx7g_PLl4HYqUVouO1uBu5WrAIzfdgGQlsi4Qgt5jBJHzZp2YZh9iQaVwBt4_b69FgSYjdkmQKcBx61MBNIbWCh4e2pVM5k5eqa05gZbxFIJ68U9qBIjv5o-IN-trBN_x7HNgc1QqWI5dzzyZ355k7F10KAQDmxVlnuvX3CnFRhYOxCJE7Q4G39sw9TmY5DRn4zrV-xlpyH3n2Hp9nvyBZmRz59qx0gInx7HkwQid-OqDxkXEa3X1Rd6nKiVBYB_p5ZWmHx3CumaFmZaMq4Lmqlmtv8q22DodkXb6Enb0kFD79p1aY&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

2023-07-06 20:21:06

Joined Threads but immediately regretting it. Hoping I can just wait for the fediverse to save me. https://www.wired.com/story/meta-threads-privacy-decentralization/

2023-06-21 12:50:38

Who among us has not occupied “what would have otherwise been an unoccupied seat on a private flight”? Kudos @npub19yy…ck2n
https://www.wsj.com/articles/propublica-misleads-its-readers-alito-gifts-disclosure-alaska-singer-23b51eda
https://cdn.masto.host/journahost/media_attachments/files/110/582/279/219/973/480/original/af1c9915dde5fd9e.jpeg

2023-06-13 12:41:10

Amidst rampant surveillance capitalism, one bastion of privacy remains – end-to-end encrypted messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp. But dangerous laws are being proposed in US, UK, EU & beyond to force those apps to scan your messages.
My latest for @NYTOpinion (gift link) https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/13/opinion/encryption-messaging-privacy-signal-whatsapp.html?unlocked_article_code=BCIOc044wVHuhCoQ7R86aZIJIzNKpotx3nZnbVC5Rku5WB1dxjJmgizo-FHX7Yw4HCqTgWfCehwEsrM-7Q8EUg3Qth1El8Qr7Qk4N9m8u4BhzwTHUWF3CJOIoBLZOXMFGCipCY0fV8qwfuP3DS0MBwlx95qJWMxnVNNkf355q3vAWhZwUSNNU_flZtl-Yuec2L7wS9ak4zwmSbhYzM_DBNLNIFjEojZvnWZ3Gl9LADq6wJE4XFtcuEdsbVbq_AqUl-ZLwgEI0tQnqhrCwv8FIJ_uA31GSHcET3aJ3vOuvAhYfhLjtceRe6jP-v-0gPYGLyhOcJTHOfPUK69FGhsstdgpRi5eoLKxZs2VmxzuaycEG9RWjA&smid=url-share

2023-05-30 23:31:54

“Journalists write the first draft of history - as the saying goes – and if we can’t see what is happening on the biggest speech platforms in the globe, that first draft will likely be incorrect or misleading.” — my letter to EU describes the importance of providing journalist access to platform data. Proud to have attracted stellar roster of journalist co-signers.
https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/

2023-05-06 12:10:22

In March, a right-wing pundit calling for "transgenderism" to be "eradicated" because they were part of "the left’s attempt to erase biological women from modern society.”
His words did not fit the platform's definition of hate speech. But in my latest for New York Times Opinion, I argue his words were more dangerous: fear-inducing speech that can stoke violence.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/06/opinion/fear-speech-social-media.html?unlocked_article_code=KlL5WsqboqsdMgt1HYWCHHii6JQcYFoiggteB-Est-XpbW7XU5cTFpFFoUVHn-L6TBZvqdlXS5jGLXRtT4k8THU2z6FEyHQRdBJdCQXA6jWY1gnHgCJSbiH_lSuq2xe5ztvvDfJg8tqXNObYAXvZA7xTMMGimjCsREEv-SQiqwQOYPJh3V3IFRSv4h7mJyoYTTdt4-9frXLQQNJVbLl_KR9_gbXks3tqTTakIzwrH4MsZnlMZEh5N9-TFk3DNTu4qPjcvShfOYQjurj7XoSSLDQO6f30kc1NtlHEK1n98yhVfdxSWhCGayu2lseEICnN9Opbf_WQ1OxgaQAx3hn1jNY&smid=url-share

2023-05-01 14:59:31

I'm loving this map of AI doomscapes. Pick your destination:
* Futurama
* AI Dystopia
* Singularia
* Paperclipalypse https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=7266
https://cdn.masto.host/journahost/media_attachments/files/110/293/993/119/124/335/original/a622cb1ee524e3b0.png

2023-04-06 15:29:07

Postmortem on my first ever Mastodon thread: it was really difficult to do. It kept rate-limiting me and it was difficult to tell if my posts had published or not.
Anyone have suggestions on how to do better?

2023-04-06 13:26:51

We’ve all been told that the creepy ads that follow us around the Internet are the price we have to pay for all the free services we enjoy.
But what if the price is too high and there was another way?
I tackle those questions in my latest New York Times Opinion piece: /1
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/06/opinion/online-advertising-privacy-data-surveillance-consumer-quality.html?unlocked_article_code=xHc7pyXtR0D-_f9mBP_Pi3aDlHu_khJ0MIlmOyUDTkFnKAY6my_pEGOwOc4VGRi1vz7NWImMjzO7Av1EtQo3sAbwcjvngEgXs96n4w-crlWO8GOJxvJ4ebekXaEeSOruFuJ85gfvfxLQnqbjl1QIvs7yuO5QzEyVmmhOdMfCJ_Upvy0nJFsQyeQXqFbDCDMCj04I5yuP2CK_fy8Hmbagv1ULOY9BkYmiyjekIAPUjwJ0-_uTWmvtJExFOS7BMS2xS_wc7v1Q3OLGvEIOStmW7iK-dvpWKRb7fy2fFrbXGsV0I-Qj-X1LukyE9Mdnv6Ch8XGLZmLNmkM9broLminQFvVLcZZTcCmbfgXr3vVs5WHeSQCMqUitriVgCBU9oI0pD-W4tN-9&smid=url-share