Latest Posts (20 found)
Heather Burns 3 months ago

The kids (with phones) are alright

How a four-minute video taken on a Scottish train destroyed multiple bad tech policy arguments at once.

media Media culture Culture
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Heather Burns 3 months ago

Going bla bla bla about wtf

I had a natter with David Meyer about the past fortnight in UK tech policy drama. We did this deliberately as a casual chat, as opposed to a techlaw deep dive, so don’t expect anything too heavy. (I had in fact planned to switch off my brain this summer like normal policy wonks do. So […]

business Business media Media culture Culture
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Heather Burns 4 months ago

The Nerve of this woman

Scan your eyeballs, think of the children: how Britain sells surveillance as safety I wrote for The Nerve about the past fortnight in UK tech policy. I know a lot of people expected me to have a lot of things to say about what’s happened, but here’s the thing: aside from that article, there is […]

security Security journalism Journalism culture Culture
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Heather Burns 4 months ago

You can walk away.

“Power absent ethics rests on an unshakable ability and desire to punish active resistance – to beat and arrest and try to ruin the lives of people who block freeways and set up encampments and confront lawmakers. But such power has no idea what to do against negative resistance, against someone who refuses to buy […]

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Heather Burns 4 months ago

Born Crotchety

I spoke with The National about the proposed UK social media ban for teenagers.  That’s an archive link due to their unfortunate adwall. There’s nothing I offered in my delightfully crotchety comments that I wasn’t already saying four, five, six, and seven years ago, but if anyone had listened to me four, five, six, and […]

programming Programming
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Heather Burns 5 months ago

The language is leaving me

I love this short open-access paper from danah boyd where she suggests shifting the term we use to describe social media.

writing Writing culture Culture media Media
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Heather Burns 7 months ago

I, Sisyphus

I spoke with New Scientist about a handful of clauses in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which is currently reaching the finish line of the Parliamentary process.

Science journalism Journalism writing Writing
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Heather Burns 7 months ago

The Prince, The Paedo, The Palace, and the “Safety Tech” app

Shame must change sides. And this week, that means certain corners of the "children's online safety" crusade.

culture Culture security Security
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