Deborah Smith-Webber πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦'s Avatar

Deborah Smith-Webber πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦

@dsmithweb

Pro-democracy tech, media & innovation policy wonk | lawyer & strategic policy counsel | ex civil servant (sr policy advisor) | recovering academic | Oxford comma forever | #CanadaSky

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Latest posts by Deborah Smith-Webber πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦ @dsmithweb

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Bluesky CEO Jay Graber Is Stepping Down Venture capitalist Toni Schneider will take over as interim CEO as Bluesky’s board of directors hunts for a permanent replacement.

Exclusive: Jay Graber is stepping down as head of Bluesky. Venture capitalist Toni Schneider will be the interim CEO until a permanent replacement is found.

09.03.2026 19:04 πŸ‘ 871 πŸ” 401 πŸ’¬ 168 πŸ“Œ 810

Awful day for journalism. And ominous day for democracy.

04.02.2026 14:57 πŸ‘ 643 πŸ” 132 πŸ’¬ 21 πŸ“Œ 4
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That tech oligarchs are noisy and incensed about the remote possibility of a wealth tax and utterly silent about the murder of a man who was only using the phone they invented to chronicle the thuggish government goon squads should tell you everything about these desiccated souls.

25.01.2026 01:36 πŸ‘ 3455 πŸ” 831 πŸ’¬ 122 πŸ“Œ 44
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Praising 'coexistence,' Mark Carney says Canada can show the world 'another way is possible' β€” Toronto Star The prime minister spoke directly to Canadians on Thursday in a wide-ranging address that served as a clarion call for national unity.

β€œCanada cannot solve all the world's problems, but we can show that another way is possible: that the arc of history isn't destined to be warped towards authoritarianism and exclusion, it can still bend towards progress and justice."

22.01.2026 20:15 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Jack Smith: "My fear is that we have seen the rule of law function in our country for so long that many of us have come to take it for granted. The rule of law is not self-executing. It depends on our collective commitment to apply it."

22.01.2026 15:33 πŸ‘ 45247 πŸ” 14143 πŸ’¬ 870 πŸ“Œ 681

This is the best speech, just from a pure rhetoric perspective - its sophistication and persuasiveness - that I've seen a politician deliver in a good long while. Really recommend watching or reading the whole thing.

20.01.2026 23:01 πŸ‘ 6259 πŸ” 1646 πŸ’¬ 291 πŸ“Œ 97
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Q: Do you want your Board of Peace to replace the UN?

TRUMP: Well, it might. The UN should have settled every one of the wars I settled.

20.01.2026 20:11 πŸ‘ 528 πŸ” 130 πŸ’¬ 143 πŸ“Œ 69
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Carney: "American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, a stable financial system... this bargain no longer works. Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition... recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as a weapon. Tariffs as leverage ... "

20.01.2026 15:50 πŸ‘ 20587 πŸ” 6572 πŸ’¬ 828 πŸ“Œ 1064
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In a speech to the World Economic Forum, Mark Carney says middle powers such as Canada must accept that the rules-based international order is effectively dead, and great power rivalry with is here to stay. Key excerpt:

20.01.2026 15:48 πŸ‘ 3308 πŸ” 1083 πŸ’¬ 81 πŸ“Œ 274
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U of T hires three top U.S. scholars, plans for 100 new postdocs New hires include Canadian-born MIT astrophysicist Sara Seager

Keep 'em coming! More!

Universities can use their endowments strategically to recruit top young researchers.

U of T hires three top U.S. scholars, plans for 100 new postdocs - The Globe and Mail share.google/5tirGz79w1Eh...

12.11.2025 15:22 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Teen Vogue has become a top-tier political journalism authority and doing this the day before election day is just cruel.

03.11.2025 22:19 πŸ‘ 2140 πŸ” 409 πŸ’¬ 27 πŸ“Œ 9
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As a former gamer, I cannot overstate how big of a deal this right-wing takeover of Electronic Arts is.

Are they going to create video games where they kidnap and dismember journalists like Jamal Khashoggi?

29.09.2025 13:44 πŸ‘ 8000 πŸ” 2648 πŸ’¬ 595 πŸ“Œ 346
Tweet From Obama mentioning my firing from the Washington post. Wirh a photo of me

Tweet From Obama mentioning my firing from the Washington post. Wirh a photo of me

The last political column I was allowed to write in the @washingtonpost.com was a criticism of Obama.

His people took issue with my piece, but we were respectful.

Now he is tweeting in support of me.

This is how free political speech and respect for debate *actually works*.

Or used to work.

18.09.2025 14:56 πŸ‘ 29450 πŸ” 7476 πŸ’¬ 366 πŸ“Œ 141
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Gov. Pritzker Informs Public of Trump Administration’s Plans to Deploy Federal Agents to Chicago Illinois leaders remain united against sending troops to Chicago, call for real public safety support instead of political theater

This is how you do it folks: gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.com/gov-pritzker...

02.09.2025 22:42 πŸ‘ 1113 πŸ” 319 πŸ’¬ 19 πŸ“Œ 6
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Pritzker: To the members of the press who are assembled here today and listening across the country, I am asking for your courage to tell it like it is. This is not a time to pretend here that there are two sides to this story.

25.08.2025 20:55 πŸ‘ 55488 πŸ” 17443 πŸ’¬ 1166 πŸ“Œ 1357
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Stay tuned. Big news coming for creating an alternative anti-fascist, pro-resistance information network here in Canada with @meidastouch.bsky.social

02.08.2025 14:04 πŸ‘ 888 πŸ” 224 πŸ’¬ 67 πŸ“Œ 20
Announcing Grok for Government - a suite of products that make our frontier models available to United States Government customers

We are especially excited about two new partnerships for our US Government partners 

1) a new contract from the US Department of Defense
2) our products being available to purchase via the General Services Administration (GSA) schedule. This allows every federal government department, agency, or office, to purchase xAI products

We're hiring mission driven engineers who want to join the cause

Announcing Grok for Government - a suite of products that make our frontier models available to United States Government customers We are especially excited about two new partnerships for our US Government partners 1) a new contract from the US Department of Defense 2) our products being available to purchase via the General Services Administration (GSA) schedule. This allows every federal government department, agency, or office, to purchase xAI products We're hiring mission driven engineers who want to join the cause

Elon Musk's anti-woke MechaHitler proudly announces a new contract with the Department of Defense

14.07.2025 15:39 πŸ‘ 1003 πŸ” 346 πŸ’¬ 65 πŸ“Œ 89
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Canada’s New Nationalism - Macleans.ca This country has spent 250 years fighting American aggression. Here we go again.

β€œAfter years of political polarization, we’re suddenly (mostly) united…We’re demonstrating a David-versus-Goliath resilience that we didn’t realize we had…The message is clear: forget post-nationalism. It’s taken the risk of losing Canada to realize how much we appreciate it.” #CanadaSky πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦

01.07.2025 11:57 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Skydance Is in Early Talks to Acquire The Free Press

scoop: Skydance'sΒ David Ellison has held early talks about acquiring The Free Press.

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/b...

Bari Weiss et al could have a role in shaping the editorial voice of CBS News, if the deal comes to fruition.

11.07.2025 17:16 πŸ‘ 242 πŸ” 68 πŸ’¬ 60 πŸ“Œ 116

I am grieving the barbarism that is going to unfurl from all this. People are going to die. Livelihoods gone. All to feed a corrupt kleptocracy.

I see every day up close how different it is from the first time around. There are no guardrails. A disaster. I’m sorry we have to live through this.

03.07.2025 20:00 πŸ‘ 100561 πŸ” 21934 πŸ’¬ 3545 πŸ“Œ 931
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Canada’s New Nationalism - Macleans.ca This country has spent 250 years fighting American aggression. Here we go again.

β€œAfter years of political polarization, we’re suddenly (mostly) united…We’re demonstrating a David-versus-Goliath resilience that we didn’t realize we had…The message is clear: forget post-nationalism. It’s taken the risk of losing Canada to realize how much we appreciate it.” #CanadaSky πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦

01.07.2025 11:57 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Canada is one of the EU’s closest partners – and a trusted friend.

Today, I am proud to sign a new Security and Defence Partnership with Canada.

At a time of rising tensions, it will deepen our defence ties and unlock new cooperation.

23.06.2025 17:49 πŸ‘ 662 πŸ” 131 πŸ’¬ 23 πŸ“Œ 10

GrokChecker β€’ @GrokChecker1 β€’1h
@grok since 2016 has the left or right been more violent?

Grok β€’Xl @grokβ€’1h
Since 2016, data suggests right-wing political violence has been more frequent and deadly, with incidents like the January 6 Capitol riot and mass shootings (e.g., El Paso 2019) causing significant fatalities. Left-wing violence, while rising, especially during 2020 protests, is less lethal, often targeting property. Surveys show both sides increasingly justify violence, reflecting deep polarization. Right-wing attacks account for most deadly incidents, per reports like Reuters and GAO. However, biases in reporting may skew perceptions. Both sides contribute to a growing cycle of unrest, and precise attribution remains contentious due to varying definitions of violence. grok.com

Elon Musk 9 X & @elonmusk
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Major fail, as this is objectively false. Grok is parroting legacy media.
Working on it.
8:39 PM β€’ 6/17/25 β€’ 778 Views

GrokChecker β€’ @GrokChecker1 β€’1h @grok since 2016 has the left or right been more violent? Grok β€’Xl @grokβ€’1h Since 2016, data suggests right-wing political violence has been more frequent and deadly, with incidents like the January 6 Capitol riot and mass shootings (e.g., El Paso 2019) causing significant fatalities. Left-wing violence, while rising, especially during 2020 protests, is less lethal, often targeting property. Surveys show both sides increasingly justify violence, reflecting deep polarization. Right-wing attacks account for most deadly incidents, per reports like Reuters and GAO. However, biases in reporting may skew perceptions. Both sides contribute to a growing cycle of unrest, and precise attribution remains contentious due to varying definitions of violence. grok.com Elon Musk 9 X & @elonmusk Subscribe Major fail, as this is objectively false. Grok is parroting legacy media. Working on it. 8:39 PM β€’ 6/17/25 β€’ 778 Views

Grok’s going to get one of Musk’s updates again. Can’t wait to see what conspiracy theory it just repeats nonstop this time.

18.06.2025 03:44 πŸ‘ 2968 πŸ” 604 πŸ’¬ 79 πŸ“Œ 125
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How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.

We've just updated the @wired.com guide to protecting your privacy while attending protests with the latest best practices. @agreenberg.bsky.social and @lhn.bsky.social report: www.wired.com/story/how-to...

12.06.2025 19:31 πŸ‘ 1219 πŸ” 792 πŸ’¬ 25 πŸ“Œ 56
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I told you we’d be back

12.06.2025 16:15 πŸ‘ 42807 πŸ” 12643 πŸ’¬ 1562 πŸ“Œ 5135
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RFK Jr. removes all members of CDC panel advising U.S. on vaccines It's the latest move by Kennedy – a prominent vaccine skeptic – to change and potentially undermine vaccinations in the U.S. since he took the helm at HHS.

Seems extremely bad www.cnbc.com/2025/06/09/r...

09.06.2025 20:58 πŸ‘ 78 πŸ” 15 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 0
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07.06.2025 23:01 πŸ‘ 1602 πŸ” 294 πŸ’¬ 133 πŸ“Œ 29
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Podcast: Canada’s Post-Election Outlook On Tech Policy | TechPolicy.Press Tech Policy Press associate editor Cristiano Lima-Strong talks about what's in store in Canada with Renee Black, Maroussia LΓ©vesque, and Vass Bednar.

Fresh off a national election, Canadian political leaders face a long to-do list on tech policy and a brewing trade war with the US. Tech Policy Press Associate Editor Cristiano Lima-Strong spoke with three experts, Renee Black, Maroussia LΓ©vesque, and Vass Bednar, on what’s ahead for the country.

06.06.2025 19:21 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

Pentagon officials have called on SpaceX rivals to speed up development of alternative rockets and spacecraft.

A NASA official said the feud between Trump and Musk was initially β€œentertaining. Until Musk called for decommissioning Dragon. Then it turned really terrifying.” (WaPo)

07.06.2025 21:10 πŸ‘ 150 πŸ” 37 πŸ’¬ 16 πŸ“Œ 6

It's the Washington Monument in the background that really takes this to next-level dystopian

07.06.2025 17:14 πŸ‘ 5814 πŸ” 1715 πŸ’¬ 364 πŸ“Œ 111