Laura Edelson
@LauraEdelson2
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Assistant Professor, Northeastern University Co-Director, C4D Formerly: Chief Technologist, DoJ Antitrust Division, DOJ Civil Rights Division
Boston
Joined January 2020
New work by me from @knightcolumbia : Into the Driver's Seat with Algorithmic Feeds. Wonder how, exactly, how social media algorithmic feeds work? They're incredibly opaque, so I've spent years building a framework for measuring and explaining them. Buckle up and come with me!🧵
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On Lawfare Daily, @jshermcyber spoke to @LauraEdelson2 and Erie Meyer about how state enforcers and regulators can better work with technologists, what technologists are and are not suited to help with, and what roles technologists can play across.
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New: TikTok posts on Israel-Gaza war are overwhelmingly pro-Palestinian but that doesn't mean they get more traction online. Analysis by @LauraEdelson2
washingtonpost.com
A new report finds 17 pro-Palestinian posts for every pro-Israeli one, but they tend to get the same amount of traction online.
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@Northeastern University professor Laura Edelson, co-director of Cybersecurity For Democracy, says the surge of #misinformation after Charlie Kirk’s murder highlights how platform design — not just content — drives what we see online. She argues rage-bait thrives because
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NEW X helped spread ill-informed conclusions about the motivations of the Minneapolis school shooter based on cherry-picked words or phrases to millions. with comment from @LauraEdelson2 @rothschildmd @_MAArgentino and Nina Jankowicz https://t.co/vK9vFqCn59
wired.com
Under Elon Musk’s leadership, X has become the perfect platform to supercharge the spread of dangerous disinformation during breaking news events.
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I'm one of the 37 targeted below by DNI Tulsi Gabbard. I haven't had a clearance nor worked in government since 2013. This is political theater & a dangerous government abuse of power to punish private citizens for openly exercising their 1st Amendment rights. My full statement:
Being entrusted with a security clearance is a privilege, not a right. Those in the Intelligence Community who betray their oath to the Constitution and put their own interests ahead of the interests of the American people have broken the sacred trust they promised to uphold. In
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It was a real treat to join @Henrietta_Ivy for this conversation about the Locknet and where it's going.
Last week on Pekingology, @Henrietta_Ivy hosted @ChinaFile Jessica Batke and @LauraEdelson2 to discuss how the Chinese government and internet platforms collaborate on censorship, tensions between the CCP's political and economic goals online, and more: https://t.co/ruyMq4gofW
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NEW: Filippo Lancieri (@GeorgetownLaw), @LauraEdelson2 (@KhouryCollege), Stefan Bechtold (@eth_cle) explore how the political economy of artificial intelligence regulation is shaped by the strategic behavior of governments, technology companies, and other agents.
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I think my kid is getting a deeply strange view of the world from the only three print publications I subscribe to, @TheOnion , IEEE Spectrum, and Wired. Is this why the NY Times has any print subscribers?
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.@ChinaFile’s Jessica Batke and @LauraEdelson2, authors of a new report that reshapes our understanding of Chinese censorship, spoke to the @washingtonpost’s @NorthropKatrina about how the “Locknet” works. https://t.co/DMFHK4NJsP
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I talked to @NorthropKatrina for this piece on China's digital ID system. It's a great example of two key features of the Locknet: 1) different aspects of the censorship system reinforce each other, and 2) pushing the policeman into citizens heads. https://t.co/GIQHc3G4iW
washingtonpost.com
China is launching a digital ID system, giving Beijing greater control over online activity and further raising concerns about surveillance and censorship.
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NEW: A ChinaFile investigation into China's powerful, but leaky, internet censorship system at https://t.co/IkULg4demC 1/21
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Good read: a detailed and accessible report published on @chinafile by Jessica Batke and Laura Edelson on China's internet censorship system, known as the "Locknet" https://t.co/92vd7B4WL6
locknet.chinafile.com
June 30, 2025 The man gazes earnestly into the camera, the glow from his computer monitor reflecting off his black-rimmed glasses. “This is more than just a cultural moment,” he says with a smile....
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The Locknet: How China Controls Its Internet and Why It Matters -> very important and updated review of censorship mechanisms in China https://t.co/HhnPDBNgQ6
locknet.chinafile.com
June 30, 2025 The man gazes earnestly into the camera, the glow from his computer monitor reflecting off his black-rimmed glasses. “This is more than just a cultural moment,” he says with a smile....
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Northeastern research breaches 'The Great Firewall' to look at Chinese censorship - Northeastern professor Laura Edelson calls a framework for understanding Chinese censorship “The Locknet” for its resemblance to water locks. -
news.northeastern.edu
Northeastern professor Laura Edelson calls a framework for understanding Chinese censorship “The Locknet” for its resemblance to water locks.
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Can anyone help me identity this mushroom? It grew up in just a few days in my garden, and it’s currently over a foot wide. I’m definitely not going to eat it, I’m just curious!
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What IS the internet, really? Computer scientist @LauraEdelson2 and #China researcher Jessica Batke discuss some of what they learned over the course of their 18-month investigation into China's online censorship system. In this video, they discuss the very real physical
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Supported by @OpenTechFund: @ChinaFile’s Jessica Batke & @LauraEdelson2 explain that Chinese censorship isn’t simply a “firewall, but a “locknet” – a multi-level system that controls Chinese internet users in overlapping and reinforcing ways. (1/4) https://t.co/nrZJam24Qa
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This week on the #TechTank Podcast, @billbaer50 speaks with @RKSlaughterFTC and @dohamekki about the antitrust cases against Big Tech and what meaningful remedies could look like if courts rule against them. 🎧 Listen here: https://t.co/GWebyr8kHO
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