Philip Mai

a man singing into a microphone with the words everything i do i do it for you behind him ALT: a man singing into a microphone with the words everything i do i do it for you behind him

Trump's Iran war is a gift to Putin. With oil prices rising, he will soon have a surge of cash to fund his war in Ukraine. At the same time, the Russian military gets a reprieve as Western military supplies are increasingly diverted to Israel and the wider Middle East.

Foreign Facebook pages have been promoting One Nation. It wants them to stop An ABC NEWS Verify investigation uncovers a raft of foreign Facebook accounts targeting Australian users. And they're just the tip of the iceberg.

🔎 Excellent investigation by Michael Workman from ABC Verify on one of the weirder AI/politics/scam campaigns I've seen in recent times. But, as my @qutdmrc.bsky.social colleague Timothy Graham says, probably just the tip of the iceberg. 🫤

"Members of the pilot group will gain access to a tool that detects unauthorized AI-generated content and lets them request its removal if they believe it violates YouTube policy."

YouTube expands AI deepfake detection to politicians, government officials, and journalists | TechCrunch YouTube's AI deepfake detection tool is becoming available to politicians, journalists, and officials, letting them flag unauthorized likenesses for removal.

"YouTube is expanding its likeness detection technology, which identifies AI-generated deepfakes, to a pilot group of government officials, political candidates, and journalists, the company announced Tuesday." techcrunch.com/2026/03/10/y...

Iran begins laying mines in Strait of Hormuz, sources say | CNN Politics Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy chokepoint that carries about one-fifth of all crude oil, according to two people familiar with US intelligence r...

The Iranians are not backing down. "Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy chokepoint that carries about one-fifth of all crude oil, according to two people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue." www.cnn.com/2026/03/10/p...

AI-powered apps struggle with long-term retention, new report shows | TechCrunch AI can drive stronger early monetization for apps, but sustaining value remains the challenge, RevenueCat's latest report finds.

"AI integration is not a guarantee of long-term retention. Instead, AI-powered apps struggle to retain subscribers, with people canceling their annual subscriptions — a metric known as churn — 30% faster than non-AI apps, at the median, according to the report." techcrunch.com/2026/03/10/a...

So, it's not over in Iran unless he does a TACO, declares victory and goes home with the same regime in power.

Three US bombers land at RAF Fairford amid conflict with Iran The military bombers are capable of launching missiles more than 1,500 miles.

"B-52s arrive at UK air base amid conflict with Iran" www.bbc.com/news/article...

"Trump says war in Iran could be over soon, but U.S. hasn't 'won enough' yet" www.cbc.ca/news/world/t...

The mystery of a globetrotting iPhone-hacking toolkit Tools used in a series of hacking campaigns by hackers in Russia, Ukraine, and China may have originated inside U.S. government contractor L3Harris, TechCrunch has learned.

"An iPhone-hacking toolkit used by Russian spies likely came from U.S military contractor" techcrunch.com/2026/03/09/a...

Russian government hackers targeting Signal and WhatsApp users, Dutch spies warn | TechCrunch Dutch intelligence is accusing Russia-backed hackers of running a “large-scale global” hacking campaign against Signal and WhatsApp users.

"Russian government hackers targeting Signal and WhatsApp users, Dutch spies warn" techcrunch.com/2026/03/09/r...

The successful candidate will join a vibrant and interdisciplinary research lab led by co-directors Anatoliy Gruzd (PhD) and Philip Mai (JD). We have a strong track record of preparing and placing our postdocs in relevant positions after a short one- or two-year stint in the lab.

Join Our Research Team! @SMLabTO is Hiring a Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Social Media Lab The Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. The successful candidate will join a vibrant and interdisciplinary research lab l...

If you are interested in doing high-impact, public-facing research ... Join Our Research Team! @SMLabTO is Hiring a Postdoctoral Research Fellow socialmedialab.ca/2026/03/04/p...

This same argument can be extended to excluding black characters, to excluding women characters from certain roles, to any form of bigotry you can imagine.

It is explicitly agreeing to reproduce the existing system of oppression and bragging about it in the newspaper

Sweden seizes false-flagged ship with suspected stolen Ukrainian grain | Euractiv Collective action against the Russian shadow fleet is gaining momentum, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiga said.

"Sweden seizes false-flagged ship with suspected stolen Ukrainian grain" www.euractiv.com/news/sweden-...

Iran’s state media ramps up disinformation campaign, report Disinformation is spreading on Iran’s state media outlets, a new report warns.

"Iran’s state media ramps up disinformation campaign as the US-Iran conflict wages" www.euronews.com/next/2026/03...

Leading Sources of Pro-Kremlin Narratives on Telegram - Russia-Ukraine ConflictMisinfo Leading Sources of Pro-Kremlin Narratives on Telegram The interactive chart below shows the most referenced Russian Telegram channels involved in discussions about the Russia‑Ukraine war. It shows how...

Leading Sources of Pro-Kremlin Narratives on Telegram (Best view on a desktop) conflictmisinfo.org/leading-spre...

Mayor Mamdani and a child play with Legos while looking very serious and concentrated. The child is impossibly adorable and wearing tiny blue glasses.

No interruptions, please. We’re building universal child care.

Canada a liberal democracy still under construction. Back in Ottawa for a couple of days, thinking about how this place is constantly being built, debated, and reimagined.

Faith leaders gathered in the Oval Office to pray over President Trump — captured in a video released by a Trump adviser.

'No sign' of Middle East refugee surge but EU ready - Swedish minister Sweden's Minister for Migration Johan Forssell tells Europe Today that the EU "cannot have another refugee crisis", after the bloc's home affairs ministers gathered to discuss the spiralling conflict in the Middle East.

"Sweden's Minister for Migration Johan Forssell tells Europe Today that the EU "cannot have another refugee crisis", after the bloc's home affairs ministers gathered to discuss the spiralling conflict in the Middle East." www.euronews.com/2026/03/06/n...

Public discourse is carefully stage-managed, silencing dissent while amplifying propaganda that masquerades as debate.

In this theater of the absurd, democracy exists only in name, reduced to a shadow of its true self, while authoritarianism thrives behind the scenes.

Listen in as our @philipmai.com. speaks to Amanda Pfeffer at noon today on CBC' call in show, Ontario Today, about how to spot deepfakes online. www.cbc.ca/lite/radio/l...

Security in a Turbulent World: Canada, Eurasia, and the Arctic - Eastern European and Transatlantic Network Security and defence issues are increasingly central in an era of heightened geopolitical uncertainty. Eurasia—from Greenland to China—has emerged as a critical pivot of global security dynamics. This...

Join our @philipmai.com and @gruzd.ca tomorrow at Carleton University in Ottawa for a panel on "Disinformation and Strategic Narratives in Russia’s War on Ukraine" as part of the conference on "Security in a Turbulent World: Canada, Eurasia, and the Arctic". carleton.ca/eetn/event/s...

‘We never imagined this’: the Cypriot village on edge after RAF Akrotiri drone strike Evacuations near RAF base have reignited debate as Cypriots question the risks of hosting western military sites

The Iran war comes to Europe. "‘We never imagined this’: the Cypriot village on edge after RAF Akrotiri drone strike" www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Deepfake Spotter – Deepfakes Tracker Deepfake Spotter: A Guide to Spotting Deepfakes in the Wild Practical Human Judgment – Your First Line of Defence Technical and Visual Signs of Deepfakes – Your Second Line of Defence Big Picture Rule...

Journalists have been asking us again and again about how to spot deepfakes.

Here’s our best advice for now, though it may evolve quickly, as AI advancements are happening in weeks and months rather than years. deepfakestracker.org/deepfake-spo...

"Believing that a population will “rise up” with no weapons or structures against a bloodthirsty regime that killed tens of thousands of them only a few weeks ago takes a special kind of stupidity." arthursnell.substack.com/p/moron-risk...

U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for “Armageddon,” Return of Jesus Advocacy group reports commanders giving similar messages at more than 30 installations in every branch of the military

"U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for “Armageddon,” Return of Jesus" jonathanlarsen.substack.com/p/us-troops-...

U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for “Armageddon,” Return of Jesus Advocacy group reports commanders giving similar messages at more than 30 installations in every branch of the military

"U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for “Armageddon,” Return of Jesus" jonathanlarsen.substack.com/p/us-troops-...

That looks painful, but "Shingles Doesn't Care" who you are. youtu.be/T_nesIs9rjI?...

If you are over 50, get vaccinated. www.cdc.gov/shingles/hcp...