Let’s ditch quantitative data for social media (for now)
There Used To Be A Time (TM) where discussions on social media, especially on Twitter, were indicative of relevance — at least of relevance within certain communities: If things…
The Waving Cat
Peter Bihr
Latest posts
Sovereignty as a Spectrum
In a connected world, digital sovereignty is a spectrum, not an end state. It can – and should – be a guiding principle rather than a checklist. At…
New publication: The Little Book of Public Interest Technology
I just wrapped up writing a longer-form publication, maybe best described as a collection of short essays: Reflections on Public Interest Technology from someone with a governance /…
We don’t need a Social Media ban, we need a ban on behavioral tracking
Germany is debating a social media ban for young people. However, the debate is woefully under-informed. Recently, German chancellor Friedrich Merz proclaimed (translated): “If kids today at the…
Algocreep
Algocreep — a phenomenon of shared use of digital devices and their algorithmic recommendation systems where multiple users’ inputs create undesirable algorithmic results. One person’s algorithmic recommendations creep…
Systems too brittle to work
Too many of our systems have been optimized for cost efficiency to the point where they’re so brittle, they start failing a lot. The other day I had…
Video from our Open Knowledge Foundation expert roundtable
Open Knowledge Foundation kindly hosted an expert roundtable built on the report Dr. Henriette Litta and I co-wrote on Openness titled From Software to Society — Openness in…
GenAI, polyester & slop galore
David Marx (of Ametora fame), draws parallels between the role of polyester in textile manufacturing and its cultural implications and today’s rise of generative AI. When polyester first…
Notes from re:publica 25
This week was re:publica week, Germany’s most important conference/festival around digital society and digital rights since 2007. It doesn’t quite feel like a family gathering anymore — it’s…
New report: From Software to Society — Openness in a changing world
A quick heads-up: A new report (PDF) just dropped that I co-wrote with Dr. Henriette Litta, executive director of Open Knowledge Foundation Germany. In it, we explore the…