James Fitzgerald
jamesfitz2.bsky.social
James Fitzgerald
@jamesfitz2.bsky.social
Associate Prof Security Studies School of Law and Government, Dublin City University. Visiting Prof at NetLab Federal Univeristy of Rio de Janeiro. Co-founder Erasmus IMSISS. Into conspiracies & disinformation lately (academically)
Pinned
Latest article with NetLab, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, w/Rose Marie Santini and Débora Salles.

The Extraction Ideology: Pro-agribusiness propaganda in times of climate emergency.

@dublincityuni.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The extraction ideology: Brazilian pro-agribusiness propaganda in times of climate emergency
Almost a century since the birth of modern Propaganda Studies, familiar dynamics continue to drive the literature. With a majority of scholarship emanating from the Global North, localized and cult...
www.tandfonline.com
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
This is a very timely article from @dublincityuni.bsky.social colleague @jamesfitz2.bsky.social along with colleagues form @University of Rio de Janeiro - silencing critics in academia has a long tradition. doi.org/10.1080/0094...
Of Politics and Playbooks: Silencing Disinformation Research(ers) in Times of Autocracy
The enforced demise of Clyde Miller’s Institute for Propaganda Analysis—shuttered in 1942 amid accusations of communist sympathy and insufficient loyalty to the American ideal—resonates with coordi...
doi.org
August 16, 2026 at 10:33 AM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
⚖️ They argue that the Brazilian Supreme Court's robust judicial and regulatory responses demonstrate that even the most powerful platforms can be constrained, offering an imperfect blueprint for effectively curbing the excesses of the tech oligarchy.
July 16, 2026 at 12:59 AM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
👉 In this piece, the authors analyse the confrontation set by tech oligarchy, 'embodied' in Elon Musk and his platform X, against Brazil's Supreme Court and its rejection of Musk’s refusal to comply with judicial content moderation orders.
July 16, 2026 at 12:59 AM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
📢 Another interesting addition to the Forum on Tech Oligarchy!

📜 The article "Brazil’s supreme court on content moderation: national sovereignty versus tech oligarchy," by @jamesfitz2.bsky.social, Carlos Eduardo Barros, Debora S., and Rose Marie Santini is now available!

🔗 doi.org/10.1080/0950...
Brazil’s supreme court on content moderation: national sovereignty versus tech oligarchy
Published in Science as Culture (Ahead of Print, 2026)
doi.org
July 16, 2026 at 12:59 AM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
Join us on 26 Feb for our next Deep Thoughts Seminar with Dr James Fitzgerald (DCU): Silencing Disinformation Research(ers) in Times of Autocracy.

Hybrid | 3pm GMT | Wine reception to follow
Register: [email protected]
(in person or Zoom)
@jamesfitz2.bsky.social
February 18, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
Nina Jankowicz: “They’re not doing this because they have any evidence of censorship — they lost a Supreme Court case that made those claims… They’re doing this because the group of researchers and advocates have stood up to liars like Donald Trump and the platforms that enable them.”
December 24, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
Brazilian lawmakers are debating a bill that would expand the definition of terrorism to include the activities of organised crime.
Piece by Dr James Fitzgerald @jamesfitz2.bsky.social, Associate Professor of Security Studies at DCU, for @uk.theconversation.com.
Read here: launch.dcu.ie/3GbJdIu
June 25, 2025 at 8:30 AM
My third of three pieces on the potential (re-)classification of organised crime as terrorism in Brazil.

Published today in @theconversation.com @ufrjoficial.bsky.social

theconversation.com/brazils-dang...
Brazil’s dangerous flirtation with counterterrorism
Brazilian lawmakers are debating a bill that would expand the definition of terrorism to include the activities of organised crime.
theconversation.com
June 24, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
Netanyahu has spent the better part of two decades trying to strong arm the United States into an unprovoked war against Iran and finally found a president stupid enough to do it for him. Unbelievable.
June 22, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
It’s a good thing Congress isn’t alive to see this
June 22, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
Based on crowd-sourced records of No Kings Day event turnout, and extrapolating for the cities where we don't have data yet, it looks like roughly 4-6 million people protested Trump across the U.S. yesterday. That's nearly 2% of the U.S. pop!

Mobilized anti-Trump resistance is exceeding 2017 levels
"No Kings Day" protests turn out millions
Our unofficial estimate is that around 4 million people attended a protest event yesterday. Anti-Trump resistance is outpacing 2017.
www.gelliottmorris.com
June 15, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
I’m published today in @folha.com, Brazil’s paper of record.

I argue against the motion that organised crime in Brazil be re-classified as ‘terrorism’.

In the other ‘corner’, Cláudio Castro, the Governor of Rio de Janeiro, argues for the motion.
#Opinião
📝 James Fitzgerald | O crime organizado deve ser enquadrado como terrorismo? NÃO. Facções não têm propósito político, mas interesse financeiro; estratégia de 'guerra ao terror' tende a corroer normas democráticas e processuais
Opinião - James Fitzgerald: O crime organizado deve ser enquadrado como terrorismo? NÃO
Facções não têm propósito político, mas interesse financeiro; estratégia de 'guerra ao terror' tende a corroer normas democráticas e processuais
mla.bs
June 14, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
This @willsommer.bsky.social piece, on MAGA influencers embedding with law enforcement to capture cruel images of migrants for their social media followings, really captures what I'm talking about in my piece below on MAGA's deep structural problem here.

www.thebulwark.com/p/the-viciou...
June 11, 2025 at 6:04 PM
My piece “Brazil’s Precarious Counterterrorism Project” is published today, in Português, in Outras Palavras (Other Words), as part of ongoing collaboration with NetLab, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

outraspalavras.net/direita-assa...
Brasil: O perigoso projeto “contraterrorista” | Outras Palavras
Congresso debate proposta que equipara ação de grupos como o PCC a “terror”. É demagógica e ameaçadora. Ao dotar o Estado de carta-branca para perseguir e punir, ameaça a democracia, sob pretexto de e...
outraspalavras.net
June 4, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
75% of American researchers & scientists are considering leaving the US
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
75% of US scientists who answered Nature poll consider leaving
More than 1,600 readers answered our poll; many said they were looking for jobs in Europe and Canada.
www.nature.com
April 27, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Looking forward to presenting at this “International Workshop on Technology Justice For/From the Global South” tomorrow, at PUC-Minas, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Will speak about genealogies of (critical) terrorism studies and how it intersects with current perspectives in disinformation studies.
April 23, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Latest article with NetLab, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, w/Rose Marie Santini and Débora Salles.

The Extraction Ideology: Pro-agribusiness propaganda in times of climate emergency.

@dublincityuni.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The extraction ideology: Brazilian pro-agribusiness propaganda in times of climate emergency
Almost a century since the birth of modern Propaganda Studies, familiar dynamics continue to drive the literature. With a majority of scholarship emanating from the Global North, localized and cult...
www.tandfonline.com
April 16, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
While Grok holds only a small market share compared to ChatGPT’s 62.5% dominance, access to vast government databases could provide a crucial competitive advantage.
February 17, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
Remember our conversation in 2016?

Data has become the oil of the 21st century, and Elon Musk’s pursuit of IRS taxpayer data represents a modern version of industrial monopoly building
February 17, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
Old friend just laid off by USDA, 1 mos short of his probationary period as senior researcher. Brilliant person who left a tenured faculty position several yrs ago to join USDA. Bright early-career researchers also being laid off. USDA is terminating a generation of highly-qualified scientists.
February 17, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
This is one gigantic five alarm fire.
February 17, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Reposted by James Fitzgerald
Mind boggling when you see the entire confirmed list of agencies with mass firing of probationary employees, :
February 16, 2025 at 7:10 AM
What’s not a “journey” these days.

Iconic mandatory cyber security journey vibes.
February 14, 2025 at 5:09 PM