The first Working Group meeting of the renewed ActivityPub / ActivityStreams / decentralized social media standardization work at the W3C is this Friday!
If you are working for a W3C member organization, considering joining!
New Research: PSG Consulting partnered with Innovating for the Public Good and Dewey Square Group to release original research on how LLM training data is at risk of political manipulation. www.psgconsulting.com/research-pub...
This is really interesting.
#manipulation #politics #ai #llm
Looking for recommendations for a service to send occasional e-mail to FediForum attendees. Requirements: can't break the bank (e.g. Mailchimp wants $45/month for >500 subscribers, which is not in the budget for one or two messages per month) and must send links without inserting tracking code.
Attempting to select which of the submitted position statements should be briefly presented at our upcoming un-workshop on the Growing the Open Social Web.
There is so much good stuff there! But time is limited, and we can only feature a fraction. This is hard!!
#FediForum
... weird idea did they come up with this time.
But here I am in the middle of a strong rainstorm in California, under a solid roof, snug and dry, and I would be miserable without that invention.
People always make fun of me when I say this, but one of the inventions I am most grateful for is the roof. Thank you so much guy or gal, a long time ago, who came up with that brilliant idea. I am sure it was not obvious at the time, and people gave you the eye, what ...
How to change election outcomes, social media edition.
4.7% !!
Iran and the Internet. Detailed technical discussion, and pretty terrible. Thats the extreme end of “digital sovereignty” in case of a non-democratic government.
Looking through the submissions for our upcoming un-workshop on Growing the Open Social Web, I must conclude we are doing something useful here! Many submissions contain some really good insights, I'm glad we'll be help to disseminate and socialize them.
Publishing soon, stay tuned ...
Writing my own position statement for the upcoming Open Social Web un-workshop.
A main reason I ever started #FediForum is that I wanted to attend an event like it! And sometimes you have to create things yourself if they don't exist yet.
HTTP caused a massive shift, challenging AOL’s walled garden & opening the early web.
@flipboard.com CEO Mike McCue explains why open protocols matter, how they’re often resisted at first, & how they reshape the web, similar to the shift social media is facing now.
Full ep w/ @rabble.nz, out now.
This is totally fascinating. "The Scottish island that bought itself"
📊 I’m conducting a very simple market research survey for the next @fediforum.org on growing the open social web.
It would be great if folks could forward this questionnaire link to anyone (16+) who doesn't already work on or research social networks or open social:
form.typeform.com/to/ntzoOyqB
We're excited to launch our most-requested Bridgy Fed feature: being able to interact with unbridged users!
Starting today, when people interact with you on the other side of the bridge, you'll get a notification over DM along with a "respond" link, where you can like, repost, reply, or block.
A good exercise, even if self-inflicted :-) If I can't say the important things in a few minutes, and in a way that people remember, I better work on it some more before inflicting my opinions on others.
Trying to decide what my own position statement is on how to grow the Open Social Web, for our un-workshop. I have so many things to say!
But, the entirely unreasonable organizer (also me) insists that position statements must be concise enough that they can be stated in less than 5 minutes.
Your annual reminder from the experience of this fellow sufferer of seasonal allergies (it has started in California):
The single most effective medication against seasonal allergy symptoms is a good air filter.
I have one two feet from my desk, and it makes all the difference. No med can compete.
!["On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions.”1
More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take. [screenshot of tweet].](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv/bafkreicrroq5taft777rmau2ffjlsphbcatlxnwwigf2yekoke533yycim@jpeg)
"On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions.”1 More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take. [screenshot of tweet].
So says the official responsible for overseeing the TPS program. And one of those (her word) “damn” countries is Haiti. Relevant here, three days before making the above post, Secretary Noem announced she would terminate Haiti’s TPS designation as of February 3, 2026. See 90 Fed. Reg. 54733 (Nov. 28, 2025) (Termination). Plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. They are not, it emerges, “killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies.” They are instead: Fritz Emmanuel Lesly Miot, a neuroscientist researching Alzheimer’s disease, Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl. (SAC)) ¶ 1; Rudolph Civil, a software engineer at a national bank, id. ¶ 2; Marlene Gail Noble, a laboratory assistant in a toxicology department, id. ¶ 3; Marica Merline Laguerre, a college economics major, id. ¶ 4; and Vilbrun Dorsainvil, a full-time registered nurse, id. ¶ 5. They claim that Secretary Noem’s decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2), and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Government counters that the Court does not have jurisdiction, and, in any case, the Secretary did not violate the law. Plaintiffs seek to stay the Secretary’s decision under 5 U.S.C. § 705 pending the outcome of this litigation. See Dkt. 81 (§ 705 Mot.). To decide their motion, the Court considers first whether it has jurisdiction. It does. See Part II. It then considers: whether Plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; whether they will be irreparably harmed absent a stay; and whether a merged balance of the equities and public interest analysis favors a stay. See Part III. Each element favors Plaintiffs. See Parts IV, V, and VI. Plaintiffs charge that Secretary Noem preordained her termination decision and did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants. This seems substantially likely. Secretary Noem
![has terminated every TPS country designation to have reached her desk—twelve countries up,
twelve countries down. See Section IV.A.2. Her conclusion that Haiti (a majority nonwhite
country) faces merely “concerning” conditions cannot be squared with the “perfect storm of
suffering” and “staggering” “humanitarian toll” described in page-after-page of the Certified
Administrative Record (CAR). See Section IV.A.3.a. She ignored Congress’s requirement that
she “review the conditions” in Haiti only “after” consulting “with appropriate agencies.” 8
U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(A); see Section IV.A.1. Indeed, she did not consult other agencies at all.
See id. Her “national interest” analysis focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here
illegally, ignoring that Haitian TPS holders already live here, and legally so. See Section
IV.A.3.b. And though she states that the analysis must include “economic considerations,” she
ignores altogether the billions Haitian TPS holders contribute to the economy. See id.
The Government’s primary response is that the TPS statute gives the Secretary
unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants. And, yes,
the statute does grant her some discretion. But not unbounded discretion. To the contrary,
Congress passed the TPS statute to standardize the then ad hoc temporary protection system—to
replace executive whim with statutory predictability. See Section I.A.
As to irreparable harm, the Government contends that, at most, the harms to Haitian TPS
holders are speculative. But the Department of State (State) warns [screenshot]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv/bafkreid3cmawech25ummuj2tjvgxsrvufma2kmrijlfpglalwddd3qkikq@jpeg)
has terminated every TPS country designation to have reached her desk—twelve countries up, twelve countries down. See Section IV.A.2. Her conclusion that Haiti (a majority nonwhite country) faces merely “concerning” conditions cannot be squared with the “perfect storm of suffering” and “staggering” “humanitarian toll” described in page-after-page of the Certified Administrative Record (CAR). See Section IV.A.3.a. She ignored Congress’s requirement that she “review the conditions” in Haiti only “after” consulting “with appropriate agencies.” 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(A); see Section IV.A.1. Indeed, she did not consult other agencies at all. See id. Her “national interest” analysis focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here illegally, ignoring that Haitian TPS holders already live here, and legally so. See Section IV.A.3.b. And though she states that the analysis must include “economic considerations,” she ignores altogether the billions Haitian TPS holders contribute to the economy. See id. The Government’s primary response is that the TPS statute gives the Secretary unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants. And, yes, the statute does grant her some discretion. But not unbounded discretion. To the contrary, Congress passed the TPS statute to standardize the then ad hoc temporary protection system—to replace executive whim with statutory predictability. See Section I.A. As to irreparable harm, the Government contends that, at most, the harms to Haitian TPS holders are speculative. But the Department of State (State) warns [screenshot]
Dkt. 100 (§ 705 Reply) at 20–21.4 “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason” does not exactly scream, as Secretary Noem concluded, suitable for return. And so, the Government studiously does not argue that Plaintiffs will suffer no harm if removed to Haiti. Instead, it argues Plaintiffs will not certainly suffer irreparable harm because DHS might not remove them. But this fails to take Secretary Noem at her word: “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.” See Section IV.B.2.b. Finally, the balance of equities and public interest favor a stay. The Government does not cite any reason termination must occur post haste. Secretary Noem complains of strains unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959 lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight. She complains of strains to our economy. Her answer? Turn employed lawful immigrants who contribute billions in taxes into the legally unemployable. She complains of strains to our healthcare system. Her answer? Turn the insured into the uninsured. This approach is many things—in the public interest is not one of them. For the reasons below, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for a Stay Under 5 U.S.C. § 705, Dkt. 81.
Even if you don't have time to read all 83 pages of Judge Reyes's opinion barring the Trump administration from rescinding Temporary Protected Status for 350,000+ Haitians, please at least check out the four-page introduction.
It's a tour de force:
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
X finally takes off. Into space.
By way of SpaceX acquiring xAI, which acquired what's left of Twitter.
techcrunch.com/2026/...
#X #socialmedia
How do we build more escape hatches from closed Big Tech social media? @fediforum.org is looking for ideas on how to grow the Open Social Web!
Submit a position paper for their Un-workshop by Feb. 16th, hosted by @j12t.org and @mmasnick.bsky.social:
fediforum.org/2026-03-grow...
The ad-free, algorithm-free, data collection-free TikTok alternative, Loops, is now available in the App Store.
apps.apple.com/us/app/loops...
More about the app: joinloops.org
#loops #fediverse #TikTok
Oh, that's of course #Atmosphere conference day.
Seems to call for an extra long lunch during the conference and solidarity demonstrations in Vancouver.
/cc @bmann.ca
Next #nokings US-wide protests March 28.
No, you don't have anything better to do that day.
Anybody have a feel for "Universal Commerce Protocol" see ucp.dev/latest/ ?
Never mind the AI angle and all that, but is this basically an API for making purchases?
Lately there's been plenty of talk about the state of the "open social web" and why there are still so many people refusing to embrace it. Too much of it has been hand-wringing. It's time to come up with some ideas on how to get more people to embrace what's possible here.
