Dr Alina Utrata
@alinau27.bsky.social
Tech & Politics. Career Development Research Fellow at St Johns College, Oxford. PhD from Uni of Cambridge via Queen's University Belfast & Stanford. Host of Anti-Dystopians. she/her
Agent, @agentbal.bsky.social
www.alinautrata.com
Agent, @agentbal.bsky.social
www.alinautrata.com
*things overheard in politics dept*
"I didn't realize Hayek had a first name. I thought he was like Madonna. Or Cher."
"I didn't realize Hayek had a first name. I thought he was like Madonna. Or Cher."
October 5, 2026 at 10:05 AM
*things overheard in politics dept*
"I didn't realize Hayek had a first name. I thought he was like Madonna. Or Cher."
"I didn't realize Hayek had a first name. I thought he was like Madonna. Or Cher."
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
This one’s for you @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com
September 18, 2026 at 8:11 AM
This one’s for you @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
Some folks will claim that this is hyperbolic, but what I wish people would understand is that tech initiatives like this serve as a means of eroding consent and lower the barrier for the persistent capture of people’s image, voice, data, or whatever else a gadget can glean.
Apple's New Siri Recap Turns Every Apple Watch Into a Mass Surveillance Nightmare
Apple's always-listening AI feature promises neat summaries of your daily conversations, but it forces everyone around you into a nonconsensual recording experiment.
www.pcmag.com
September 10, 2026 at 8:33 PM
Some folks will claim that this is hyperbolic, but what I wish people would understand is that tech initiatives like this serve as a means of eroding consent and lower the barrier for the persistent capture of people’s image, voice, data, or whatever else a gadget can glean.
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
I banned Meta glasses in my classes because students told me they are hesitant to speak up and engage if they think they’re being recorded. Apple releasing this feature is just another tech company setting off yet another bomb on young people trying to learn things and join society. Really gross.
Some folks will claim that this is hyperbolic, but what I wish people would understand is that tech initiatives like this serve as a means of eroding consent and lower the barrier for the persistent capture of people’s image, voice, data, or whatever else a gadget can glean.
Apple's New Siri Recap Turns Every Apple Watch Into a Mass Surveillance Nightmare
Apple's always-listening AI feature promises neat summaries of your daily conversations, but it forces everyone around you into a nonconsensual recording experiment.
www.pcmag.com
September 11, 2026 at 1:25 PM
I banned Meta glasses in my classes because students told me they are hesitant to speak up and engage if they think they’re being recorded. Apple releasing this feature is just another tech company setting off yet another bomb on young people trying to learn things and join society. Really gross.
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
September 11, 2026 at 9:56 AM
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
It's just weird isn't it when the British Museum is running a sold-out exhibition, when The Odyssey reports $1billion at the box office, when the V&A has just opened the most innovative and accessible museum model in Europe....and this is what our minister for research comes out with.
A cheery message from the new minister responsible for research funding for the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences (and the subjects that the majority of UK taught undergraduate and Masters students study).
Science and maths degrees offer most value to the nation, says minister
Chris McDonald told a room full of vice-chancellors that science, engineering and mathematics ‘offer the greatest personal, social and economic value’
www.thetimes.com
September 11, 2026 at 9:00 AM
It's just weird isn't it when the British Museum is running a sold-out exhibition, when The Odyssey reports $1billion at the box office, when the V&A has just opened the most innovative and accessible museum model in Europe....and this is what our minister for research comes out with.
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
Louisiana completes massive giveaway of sensitive land to Elon Musk
oligarchwatch.substack.com/p/louisiana-...
oligarchwatch.substack.com/p/louisiana-...
Louisiana completes massive giveaway of sensitive land to Elon Musk
On Tuesday, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (R) announced an agreement allowing SpaceX to construct the world’s largest launch facility on top of a stretch of coastal wetlands that provide vital habita...
oligarchwatch.substack.com
August 27, 2026 at 4:44 AM
Louisiana completes massive giveaway of sensitive land to Elon Musk
oligarchwatch.substack.com/p/louisiana-...
oligarchwatch.substack.com/p/louisiana-...
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
This is what the billionaire press and many politicians were campaigning so hard to destroy. Their freedom to drive took precedence over our children's freedom to thrive.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Ulez led to better lung size and function among London children, study finds
Researchers find capacity stunted by pollution restored after introduction of ultra-low emission zone
www.theguardian.com
August 19, 2026 at 6:02 AM
This is what the billionaire press and many politicians were campaigning so hard to destroy. Their freedom to drive took precedence over our children's freedom to thrive.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
EVERY STORY ABOUT BEAVERS FOR THE LAST DECADE READS LIKE: WE RELEASED A DOZEN PADDLE TAILED LITTLE FREAKS AND THEY IMMEDIATELY BEGAN A TERRAFORMING PROJECT THAT REVERSED A CENTURY OF ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE IN THREE WEEKS.
August 14, 2026 at 4:47 PM
EVERY STORY ABOUT BEAVERS FOR THE LAST DECADE READS LIKE: WE RELEASED A DOZEN PADDLE TAILED LITTLE FREAKS AND THEY IMMEDIATELY BEGAN A TERRAFORMING PROJECT THAT REVERSED A CENTURY OF ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE IN THREE WEEKS.
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
If it looks like an Amazon delivery and drives like an Amazon delivery, then it's an Amazon delivery, right? Not according to Amazon.
Big companies like Amazon have built a vast network of subcontractors who deliver their packages while shielding them from accountability.
Big companies like Amazon have built a vast network of subcontractors who deliver their packages while shielding them from accountability.
August 10, 2026 at 6:34 PM
If it looks like an Amazon delivery and drives like an Amazon delivery, then it's an Amazon delivery, right? Not according to Amazon.
Big companies like Amazon have built a vast network of subcontractors who deliver their packages while shielding them from accountability.
Big companies like Amazon have built a vast network of subcontractors who deliver their packages while shielding them from accountability.
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
oh my god. i assign this article to my biz association students every year:
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/caro...
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/caro...
August 10, 2026 at 8:19 PM
oh my god. i assign this article to my biz association students every year:
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/caro...
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/caro...
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
We’ve gone from wondering which universities might fail to wondering who might buy them
European education group eyes takeovers of UK universities
Britain ‘an appealing market’ for long-term investment, says Galileo chief
www.ft.com
August 10, 2026 at 6:06 AM
We’ve gone from wondering which universities might fail to wondering who might buy them
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
Several universities have already entered into ’partnerships’ with private education companies. The public sector can’t currently provide good teaching & research without making a loss. It doesn’t take a genius to see how these companies intended to make their profits from us.
We’ve gone from wondering which universities might fail to wondering who might buy them
European education group eyes takeovers of UK universities
Britain ‘an appealing market’ for long-term investment, says Galileo chief
www.ft.com
August 10, 2026 at 7:30 AM
Several universities have already entered into ’partnerships’ with private education companies. The public sector can’t currently provide good teaching & research without making a loss. It doesn’t take a genius to see how these companies intended to make their profits from us.
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
This is hands down the best opinion piece you will read on the Arday case.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The takedown of Jason Arday has overjoyed the right, and must be a wake-up call for the left | Jason Okundaye
The Cambridge academic has rightly now resigned. But that won’t end the targeting of senior black figures or the lazy way institutions promote faux equality, says Guardian columnist Jason Okundaye
www.theguardian.com
August 6, 2026 at 7:15 AM
This is hands down the best opinion piece you will read on the Arday case.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
Make a Tech Fascist sweat—pre-order "The Nerd Reich" book today! Available wherever you buy books.
Use this link to support independent booksellers and my work:
bookshop.org/a/109206/978...
Use this link to support independent booksellers and my work:
bookshop.org/a/109206/978...
The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy
“This transfixing debut from journalist Durán investigates the antidemocratic ideologies espoused by tech billionaires linked to the second Trump administration...It’s an ominous look at an insular el...
bookshop.org
August 5, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Make a Tech Fascist sweat—pre-order "The Nerd Reich" book today! Available wherever you buy books.
Use this link to support independent booksellers and my work:
bookshop.org/a/109206/978...
Use this link to support independent booksellers and my work:
bookshop.org/a/109206/978...
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
New from 404 Media: Apple's 'Private Relay' is exposing users' real IP addresses. Private Relay is supposed to protect all your browsing in Safari. But researchers found a bunch of issues that are exposing real IPs. I verified they do. Not fixed, a live issue
www.404media.co/apples-priva...
www.404media.co/apples-priva...
Apple's ‘Private Relay’ Is Exposing Users' Real IP Addresses
Researchers found a group of issues that mean Private Relay isn't actually protecting users' real IP addresses. 404 Media verified the issues do expose IP addresses.
www.404media.co
August 5, 2026 at 1:47 PM
New from 404 Media: Apple's 'Private Relay' is exposing users' real IP addresses. Private Relay is supposed to protect all your browsing in Safari. But researchers found a bunch of issues that are exposing real IPs. I verified they do. Not fixed, a live issue
www.404media.co/apples-priva...
www.404media.co/apples-priva...
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
Thank you to Green Gathering - such a wonderful weekend!
I'll be at lots of other festivals this summer - we're building our movement and creating an alternative to the old party politics.
Join.greenparty.org.uk
I'll be at lots of other festivals this summer - we're building our movement and creating an alternative to the old party politics.
Join.greenparty.org.uk
August 3, 2026 at 3:15 PM
Thank you to Green Gathering - such a wonderful weekend!
I'll be at lots of other festivals this summer - we're building our movement and creating an alternative to the old party politics.
Join.greenparty.org.uk
I'll be at lots of other festivals this summer - we're building our movement and creating an alternative to the old party politics.
Join.greenparty.org.uk
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
NOW OUT ON FIRSTVIEW!!
#Good #Governance as #Responsible #Sovereignty: Francis Deng & the Conflict–Development Nexus
By @connorpobrien.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1017/S153...
#Good #Governance as #Responsible #Sovereignty: Francis Deng & the Conflict–Development Nexus
By @connorpobrien.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1017/S153...
August 3, 2026 at 10:58 AM
NOW OUT ON FIRSTVIEW!!
#Good #Governance as #Responsible #Sovereignty: Francis Deng & the Conflict–Development Nexus
By @connorpobrien.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1017/S153...
#Good #Governance as #Responsible #Sovereignty: Francis Deng & the Conflict–Development Nexus
By @connorpobrien.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1017/S153...
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
The diarrhea lettuce company, Taylor Farms, uses slave labor contracted from the Arizona Dept. of Corrections. The backbreaking labor is often performed by imprisoned Mexican nationals who would be otherwise ineligble to work in the US. They are paid $1.50 an hour.
The Diarrhea Lettuce Company Has Been Linked to Forced Labor
The lettuce-producing Taylor Farms was linked to the widespread use of prison labor before its involvement in a cyclospora outbreak.
futurism.com
August 2, 2026 at 1:32 AM
The diarrhea lettuce company, Taylor Farms, uses slave labor contracted from the Arizona Dept. of Corrections. The backbreaking labor is often performed by imprisoned Mexican nationals who would be otherwise ineligble to work in the US. They are paid $1.50 an hour.
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
"Study for the Federal Aviation Administration concluded by 2035, debris from SpaceX satellites alone could kill or injure someone every two years."
Into orbit doesn't mean safely away
#Pollution #PublicHealth
www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/w...
Into orbit doesn't mean safely away
#Pollution #PublicHealth
www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/w...
A Ton of Space Junk Tumbles Unpredictably to Earth Every Week
Flaming chunks of metal crash into homes, farms and parking lots. Who’s to blame? And who pays for the damage?
www.nytimes.com
July 31, 2026 at 5:38 PM
"Study for the Federal Aviation Administration concluded by 2035, debris from SpaceX satellites alone could kill or injure someone every two years."
Into orbit doesn't mean safely away
#Pollution #PublicHealth
www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/w...
Into orbit doesn't mean safely away
#Pollution #PublicHealth
www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/w...
Reposted by Dr Alina Utrata
1. Amnesty International has withstood threats from death squads and dictators.
But it could not stand up to JK Rowling and the anti-trans movement she finances.
It has apologized for calling those groups "anti-rights" after legal threats.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
But it could not stand up to JK Rowling and the anti-trans movement she finances.
It has apologized for calling those groups "anti-rights" after legal threats.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
Amnesty International UK Caves To JK Rowling, Issues Apology For Calling Anti-Trans Groups "Anti-Rights"
The organization has stood up to dictators and death squads, but Rowling and the UK's anti-speech laws were apparently too much.
www.erininthemorning.com
July 31, 2026 at 5:42 PM
1. Amnesty International has withstood threats from death squads and dictators.
But it could not stand up to JK Rowling and the anti-trans movement she finances.
It has apologized for calling those groups "anti-rights" after legal threats.
Subscribe to support our journalism.
But it could not stand up to JK Rowling and the anti-trans movement she finances.
It has apologized for calling those groups "anti-rights" after legal threats.
Subscribe to support our journalism.