@EUCommission

What is #democracy worth without #citizens' #privacy rights? Abandoning parts of the #GDPR for #BigTech undermines democracy and opens the door to 1930s-style #dictatorship and mass #surveillance. Wasn't the EU founded precisely to ensure this would never happen again? Honor your humble foundations or ther is no more need for the #EU.

https://noyb.eu/en/open-letter-digital-omnibus-brings-deregulation-not-simplification

#History

Today is the *#DayOfDestinyForTheGermans*

On @Wikipedia, there are many historic events listed for today, #9November.

I will highlight 4 that are relevant to #democracy:

1. 1918: #FakeNews leads 2 proclamation of 1st #GermanRepublic

2. 1923: Bloody suppression of the #Hitler's #BeerHallPutschPutsch

3. 1938: #NS-#NightOfBrokenGlass with #deportation of #Jews from 11/10

4. 1989: Fall of the #BerlinWall: beginning of the collapse of the #GDR's unjust regime

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_9?wprov=sfla1

Interesting and well-made , "The Authoritarian Stack
How Tech Billionaires Are Building a Post-Democratic America — And Why Europe Is Next"
https://www.authoritarian-stack.info/
#geopolitics #digital #ICT #bigtech #EU #democracy #USA #authoritarian @geopolitics

Guess who misremembered having 25 seconds per slide and instead has 15 seconds per slide on Monday?

FML! :)

Goodness, I hate formalistic presentation styles like Ignite. But don’t worry, I’m breaking the form three times in the talk – including starting with a minute of silence for Gaza (that’s four black slides and 1/5th of the 5-minute talk), a transition (ok, it’s a 15-second transition, but still), and a live demo (yep) – and using that to demonstrate the case that we do not have to accept the rigid confines of the status quo, that resistance and sabotage are always options, and that the way things are is just raw materials for the way things can be. That said, constraints are also good so the reduced slide duration will only make my talk more impactful if I edit it down right, it just means more work… and more than one thing can be true at the same time. ;)

If you’re in Dublin/Ireland and want to drop by, there are no tickets and it’s first-come first-served:

https://defuse.ixd.ie

#DefuseDublin #Dublin #Ireland #IxDA #TheSugarClub #talks #presentations #design #humanRights #democracy #Gaza #Palestine #BigTech #SmallTech #SmallWeb #Kitten #Domain #peerToPeerWeb

Pax is hopeful today. Yesterday's spectacular election results in NJ, VA, CA and NYC have made her happy. There's hope for our future.💪🏻👍🏻💙💙💙
We wish you all a great #WhiskersWednesday ! Let's stand together and keep working towards a better future for us all!🤩

#Pax #CatsOfMastodon #CatsOfFediverse #Cats #Cat #Catstodon #MastoCats #FediCats #Pets #Animals #Cute #Tabby #Kitty #Democracy #Election #NewJersey #USA #USPol #Solidarity #Indivisible #IndivisibleNJ #Katzen #Katze #Chat #Gatos #AdoptDontShop

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Our brown tabby kitty with white markings, named Pax, is lying with her legs tucked under her on a soft white window shelf. Her big amber-colored eyes are looking bright. Long white whiskers frame her face.

The pair — along with admin officials & friends — recently launched #ExecutiveBranch, a $500,000-a-head membership club for #Trump-supporting business leaders to hobnob in DC.

These organizations have a collective ambition, according to #ChrisBuskirk, which is to give the businesspeople he sees as vital to the country’s future a role shaping #government & lasting #political #power.

#law #Constitution #democracy #technocracy #plutocracy #aristocracy #oligarchy #USpol

The #RockbridgeNetwork has assembled a database with deep profiles of potential #voters through nonpolitical memberships, including outdoors groups & churches, acc/to a person directly familiar with the organization.

#ChrisBuskirk’s ties to #Trump’s orbit go beyond Rockbridge. #1789Capital, the #VC firm he co-founded with investor #OmeedMalik, focuses on what the partners call “patriotic capitalism” & now counts Donald Trump Jr. as a partner.

#law #democracy #technocracy #aristocracy #USpol

With significant funding from #tech leaders, #RockbridgeNetwork aims to equip #MAGA to outlive #Trump. The group has no website or public-facing entity, but it has assembled pollsters, data crunchers, online advertisers & even a documentary film arm. It is gearing up to deploy its arsenal in the 2026 #midterms & in the 2028 presidential contest, when many Rockbridge members hope #JDVance will be the nominee.

#law #Constitution #democracy #technocracy #plutocracy #aristocracy #oligarchy #USpol

Today, #ChrisBuskirk helms the #RockbridgeNetwork, a secretive organization birthed out of the weekend gathering that has established itself as one of the most influential forces in #GOP #politics. Political strategists credit the close-knit network of businessmen-cum-donors with helping fuel #Trump’s reelection last year & propelling one of its own — #JDVance — into the vice presidency.

#law #Constitution #democracy #technocracy #plutocracy #aristocracy #oligarchy #USpol

Convened by #SiliconValley #billionaire #PeterThiel & #JDVance, then an investor who had written a best-selling memoir, the meeting included hedge fund heiress #RebekahMercer, then-FoxNews host #TuckerCarlson & economist #OrenCass, acc/to 2 people familiar…. The details have not been previously reported.

But the person in the room who would solidify the group’s ambitions was an Arizona insurance entrepreneur & conservative media figure named #ChrisBuskirk.

#law #democracy #aristocracy #USpol

In 2019, a small group of #RightWing donors rented a resort outside the 100-person town of Rockbridge, Ohio, for a summit to secure the future of the #MAGA movement. They aimed to turn a singular candidate — President Donald #Trump — into an enduring political coalition, with a pipeline of voters, donors & candidates that would cement a radical transformation of the #GOP.

#law #Constitution #democracy #technocracy #plutocracy #aristocracy #USpol

#GiftArticle

Inside the #billionaire network shaping #MAGA’s post-#Trump future

#ChrisBuskirk put #tech #elites at the center of power in Trump’s Washington. His efforts are grounded in a controversial theory — an “#aristocracy” is needed to move the country forward.

#law #Constitution #democracy #technocracy #plutocracy
https://wapo.st/3Jsvgrl

When I look around at the mess that we have made of this world, I'm genuinely surprised there is a birth rate at all... while It's wonderful that some people remain optimistic enough about the future to have kids, equally you've got to wonder what they think is happening right now.

However, perhaps there have always been optimists & that is why we're now in the trouble we are?

Sorry, not having such a good day....

#politics #ClimateChange #HumanRights #democracy

And here's an overview of the Zac Polanski social media strategy that would seem to suggest Polanski has (at least partly) seen that a more positive message is requires in our political environment.

#politics #democracy #Greens

https://observer.co.uk/news/politics/article/green-party-surging-as-polanskis-social-media-strategy-woos-the-young

There's an old saying in Political Science that democracy is really mostly about voting against things, not for them.... and (sadly) while this may often be the case, pragmatically, it leads to a hollowing out of democracy:

We voted against Farage/ReformUK, we go the current unimpressive Labour Govt.;

We voted against the status-quo & we got the self-harming Brexit.. and so on.

What would be better would be if we could vote *for* a positive change in politics...

#politics #democracy

"Are we losing our democracy?"
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/31/opinion/trump-autocracy-democracy-report.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xk8.G-lO.sNBbzX5OaSNR&smid=url-share
#Trump #Democracy #USA #NYT #geopolitics @geopolitics

Later, the desperate desire of AG #MerrickGarland & President Joe #Biden to avoid any appearance of #partisanship led the #DOJ to put off looking into #evidence of a *potential* #crime & gave #Trump an advantage that few appreciated at the time. Garland’s delays softened the ground & would eventually help Trump remake the #Justice Department into his own cudgel.

#law #democracy #Constitution #3CoEqualBranchesOfGovernment #GiftArticle

#Trump isn’t solely responsible for this. Through hundreds of interviews that Leonnig & longtime WaPo colleague Aaron Davis & conducted, we learned first hand how a mixture of fear & stubborn bravery, gutter politics & noble intentions ultimately paved the way for the unraveling of the #DOJ we are now witnessing. This decline started Trump’s first term but gained momentum in the #Biden presidency.

#law #democracy #Constitution #3CoEqualBranchesOfGovernment #GiftArticle #Navarro #Justice

#GiftArticle

All It Took for #Trump to Dismantle the #Justice Dept.

by Carol Leonnig

The #DOJ under Trump is still standing. But inside, he & his lieutenants have taken a wrecking ball to this core pillar of our nation’s #governing system.

#law #democracy #Constitution #3CoEqualBranchesOfGovernment
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/opinion/trump-biden-justice-department.html?unlocked_article_code=1.xU8.3jB1.uQ7in8LYbgxw&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

"Neither regime is a fan of democracy." #Quotes

#Quote Koochulainn @Koochulainn

From Post about #Democracy #Ukraine #USPol #Russia #War #Nuclear #Warheads etc

https://mastodon.ie/@Koochulainn/114083683353778624

Maybe a bit controversial statement, but has democracy not already died in the US? Congress has no effective oversight anymore, GOP only listens to Trump, democratic party is totally ineffective. Rule of law is severely damaged.
#USA #democracy #politics #trump

#Pentagon announces a new #FarRight #press corps after mass walkout

A new crop of *conservative* #media & influencers — including the Gateway Pundit, the Post Millennial, Human Events & the National Pulse — signed an agreement with the #Defense Department.

#law #democracy #Constitution #FreePress #fascism #StateMedia #propaganda
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/10/22/pentagon-press-corps-right-wing-media/

Previously, individual agencies & #military branches within the #Pentagon were able to manage their own communications with #Congress.

A second memo, issued Oct. 17, directed a “working group to further define the guidance on legislative engagements.”

#law #democracy #accountability #oversight #Trump #Hegseth

Leaders at the #Pentagon have significantly altered how #military officials will speak with #Congress after a pair of new memos issued last week.

In an Oct 15 memo, #Defense Sec #PeteHegseth & his deputy, Steve Feinberg, ordered Pentagon officials—including the chair of the #JointChiefs of Staff—to obtain permission from the dept’s main legislative affairs office before they have ANY communication with Capitol Hill.

#law #democracy #accountability #oversight #Trump
https://apnews.com/article/defense-department-pentagon-hegseth-congress-c15a2050aa95998f28e31a6b5c1d287a

There are assholes out here trying to tell you that today’s demonstrations were useless virtue signaling.

Asserting your values and showing up for each other is never an empty gesture.

No circular firing squads. No trolling. No woker than thou sermons.

We build together. We live in truth. We say NO to this administration’s moral contamination.

That’s already something.

#uspol #democracy #NoKings

Honestly, what’s the difference between a fascist and a “your antifascist demo is pointless” shit poster?

Is there one?

#uspol #democracy #NoKings

i wish all people going out on the streets tomorrow during #NoKings day good luck, you are protesting for freedom and democracy.
https://www.nokings.org/
#NoKings #democracy #freedom #Trump #geopolitics #USA @geopolitics

New Privacy Guides article 🔓👁️‍🗨️
by @jw and me:

Outside the Fediverse, you may have
encountered platforms where you were obligated to provide your "real" name.

These so-called "real-name" policies, often in fact requiring legal names, are horrible for everyone's privacy. But it's also important to consider how discriminatory and dangerous they are.

Pseudonymity isn't a trivial matter,
it saves lives.

Fighting against policies attacking
online pseudonymity, such as real-name policies, age-verification policies, and Chat Control proposals, isn't just a banal fight to keep using silly nicknames online. It's a battle for democracy, for civil liberties, and for human rights.

https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/10/15/real-name-policies/

#PrivacyGuides #Privacy #RealNamePolicies #Meta #Facebook #MassSurveillance #Democracy #HumanRights

@davevolek @InternetDev
7/7
If well regulated, revocability strengthens public trust: everyone knows mandate-holders are accountable at all times. Too many recalls reveal a lack of support or training—arguing for better systems to help citizens succeed as representatives. #Sortition #Democracy #Recall #Revocability

If every country starts requiring that people provide official ID in order to "verify their age" to use social media, there will be no way to use any social media without associating the account with a legal identity.

This is horrible for democracy,
and should terrify everyone.

It doesn't matter if platforms use third-parties or not. It doesn't matter if they use some special encrypted code, the result is the same. This gatekeeps open discussions and government criticisms free from reprisals.

This is bad.
This is China "free-speech" bad.

#Democracy #AgeVerification #Privacy

Structured Reading Guide: Key Posts on Politics and Critical Theory

Dive into a carefully curated collection of political essays exploring power, democracy, capitalism, and emancipation. This structured reading guide helps navigate complex ideas and sharpens critical reflection. #Politics #CriticalTheory #Democracy #Capitalism This reading guide organizes a selection of insightful posts around major themes in contemporary political thought and critique. The structure…

https://homohortus31.wordpress.com/2025/10/12/structured-reading-guide-key-posts-on-politics-and-critical-theory/

If you care about democracy, and
If you care about human rights,
You must also care about privacy.

Privacy isn't just some trivial preference,
it's fundamental to protect all our other human rights, freedoms, and democracies.

If we lose our privacy rights, we will also lose all of the above.

It's time to stand firm on this, to obstinately refuse to participate to privacy-invasive practices, and to fight for our rights ✊🔒

If we do not fight, we will lose it all.

#Privacy #HumanRights #Democracy

@davevolek @InternetDev

1/3
Tiered Democratic Governance (TDG) is a bold step toward ending party-based oligarchy: it abolishes political parties (Weil), keeps districts small (200 people, per Proudhon/Bookchin), encourages civic asceticism (Rousseau), mandates short one-year terms (your proposal), and embeds recallability (InternetDev). This is transformative—BUT one key piece is missing to fully realize democratic sovereignty. #TDG #Democracy

#USpol #Resist #US #Elections2025

Main Senate Candidate calls out rival #Dem #Oligarch, #SusanCollins--🎼This is how you do it! 🎶

"#GrahamPlatner is running for the #Senate in #Maine - and he's ready to take on the ultra wealthy.

#maine​ #politics​ #berniesanders​ #democracy​ #progressive​ #news​ #shorts​ #republican​ #maga​ #trump​"

https://youtube.com/shorts/X_crEXa_qfA

@democracydocket
@democratsabroad
@indivisibleteam
@MeidasTouch

The Govt. has decided the proscription of Palestine Action hasn't done enough to burnish their anti-democratic credentials & now is looking to restrict repeated protests at specific locations if communities feel threatened by such protests;

you don't need to be particularly paranoid to see how this will be (almost immediately) miss-used if it enters into force in anything like the form Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood seems to envisage.

#democracy #protest #politics
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c24rmdngrrjo

Fighting for privacy rights is fighting against fascism. In case there were any doubts that mass surveillance is a fascist's tool.

Privacy isn't some secondary luxury, it's fundamental to democracy and civil liberties.

#Privacy #Democracy #Fascism

Chat Control is one of the most important issue for human rights and democracy in the West right now.

There is little time left to fight back!🚨

❓If you don't know what it is: read this article

🇪🇺 If you are in the EU: Contact your MEPs NOW

🇪🇺 If you already contacted your MEPs: Contact your local media TODAY to ask them to report and inform on the dangers of Chat Control.

🌎 If you are not European: Spread the word! Talk about it on social media. Contact your local media. Contact your representatives to share your concerns about similar proposals and the loss of privacy rights. This would affect you too!

This is an urgent matter. We cannot let the West slip in this authoritarian dystopia.
We must stop Chat Control ✊🛑

#ChatControl #Privacy #HumanRights #Democracy #DigitalRights #EUpol #UKpol #USpol #CanPoli

It seems many AI companies can't find a way to generate enough profits with users, so they're going for government contracts now.

This is part of the lobbying behind Chat Control in the EU, and ICE's mass surveillance systems in the US. Someone is making lots of money out of this.

Technology is never neutral.
And this technology with its lobbyists is doing a lot of damage right now.

Only the people can stop this.
Make your voice heard.

#NoAI #Democracy #ChatControl #ICE

The Enlightenment promised reason, progress, and justice — but left us with structures that privilege the loudest present over the silenced future.

These spectres will linger through Día de Muertos and Hallowe’en. After that, who knows whether they’ll still answer when called.

https://philosophics.blog/2025/10/04/temporal-ghosts-and-rational-spectres-an-anti-enlightenment-collection/

#Essay https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17263384

#Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Gr8esgQnHp40PbgoKtnoz?si=xctGZZbHT_uWAvBPiOKrYQ

#Philosophy #PoliticalTheory #CriticalTheory #AntiEnlightenment #Democracy #Presentism #FutureGenerations #ClimateJustice #Blog

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Ghost face

Democracy is a three-body problem to orders of magnitude.
Newton's clean equations work with two bodies. Add a third, and chaos sets in—no stable orbit, no final answer. Condorcet showed the same instability in voting: even perfectly rational citizens can produce collective contradictions.

https://philosophics.blog/2025/10/03/democracy-and-the-millions-body-problem/

#Democracy #Governance #PoliticalTheory #Enlightenment #DecisionMaking #Philosophy #ThreeBodyProblem #MajorityRule #Elections #HumanCondition #politics #Science

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Professor at blackboard

Enlightenment thinkers built democracy on a fiction: rational citizens who never existed

I’ve distilled the argument into a six-premise syllogism — a logical skeleton that shows how institutional assumptions collapse against human cognition, Arrow’s impossibility theorem, and Dunbar’s limits of scale.

https://philosophics.blog/2025/10/02/rational-ghosts-why-enlightenment-democracy-was-built-to-fail/?utm_source=mast&utm_medium=social

#politicalphilosophy #democracy #rationality #enlightenment #socialchoice #psychology #sociology #philosophy #blog #models #philosophy #history #rationality #fail #essay

Alt...

Schematic for syllogism

Reading every headline & lede that invariably starts with “Democrats block GOP bill”, I’d like to remind everyone, the #media especially, that Trump’s party — the #RepublicanParty — controls the #WhiteHouse & both chambers of #Congress.

This shutdown is their doing.

By all accounts #Trump & #Project2025’s #RussVought absolutely wanted it because it consolidates #power under the #ExecutiveBranch, exactly what they have been working for.

#OrchestratedShutdown #Republicans #economy #democracy