CITR's Brandi Geurkink and @protectdemocracy.org 's Nicole Schneidman spoke with Katie Phang about our lawsuit challenging a US policy that penalizes non-citizen tech researchers with visa denials, detention, and deportation for their public-interest work.
Watch ⬇️
at @aial.ie, we've been navigating emotionally challenging & politically contentious research. i initially set out to assemble internal resource but following conversations w @thecoalition.bsky.social, it developed into a blogpost worth sharing w others in similar situations aial.ie/blog/support...
In the interview, Brandi from @thecoalition.bsky.social shared more about why the work researchers and advocates are doing to keep us all safe online “is more important than ever.”
Lawsuit update: @knightcolumbia.org & @protectdemocracy.org have filed a preliminary injunction motion on behalf of @thecoalition.bsky.social asking the court to block a U.S. immigration policy targeting noncitizen researchers who study online safety. 🧵
knightcolumbia.org/content/tech...
Declarations from Coalition members & the partnership of @knightcolumbia.org and @protectdemocracy.org helped make these harms legible to the court - documenting how this policy is already producing self-censorship across the independent research ecosystem.
knightcolumbia.org/content/tech... (3/3)
The chilling effects are difficult to make visible. They appear in the research not pursued, the invitations declined, the advocacy stepped back from - as people quietly reshape their work to avoid being targeted. (2/3)
Last week, we asked a federal court to block a US immigration policy targeting noncitizen researchers, advocates, fact-checkers, and trust & safety workers. It enables visa denials, revocations, detention, and deportation for public-interest research on social media platforms. (1/3)
@thecoalition.bsky.social is suing to stop a new US policy that threatens to deny or revoke visas for researchers who study disinfo and online harms.
“This policy is meant to censor researchers into silence and keep the public in the dark, and that’s exactly what it’s doing.”
Excellent coverage of the @thecoalition.bsky.social suit against the Trump administration over the misinfo/trust and safety visa ban: www.barrons.com/news/tech-re...
Independent AI researchers face rising risks - from harassment to legal intimidation. A new resource by the Coalition for Independent Technology Research & @aial.ie shares tools on safety, wellbeing, and collective care. Read more ⬇️
The policy targets people working in misinformation research, fact-checking, content moderation, and trust and safety — labeling their work “censorship.”
Gov action that chills protected speech crosses a constitutional line. Learn more about the suit on behalf of @thecoalition.bsky.social ⬇️
The #immigration policy and its enforcement have instilled fear within the research community, causing some to curtail their work, withdraw from public advocacy, and reconsider their ability to continue working in the U.S. @protectdemocracy.org @thecoalition.bsky.social For more: bit.ly/4ulgjtx
We’re asking the court to stop the government from targeting the public-interest research community so that scientists, students, and non-profit workers can continue their work without fear of retaliation. Read more about the case here. (4/4)
This is censorship. Some researchers have shifted the topics of their work, while some others have stopped projects altogether. When digital technologies are rapidly shaping society, censoring this work only serves to keep the public in the dark while powerful companies can avoid scrutiny. (3/4)
Under this policy, researchers, students, fact-checkers, trust & safety workers can face visa denials, revocations, detentions, & deportations for their work examining social media platforms, AI systems, digital surveillance, and online harms. (2/4)
The Coalition for Independent Technology Research has filed a lawsuit with the @knightcolumbia.org and @protectdemocracy.org challenging a US State Department policy to revoke or deny visas of non-citizen researchers because of their work studying the societal impacts of technology. (1/4)
🚨NEWS: @knightcolumbia.org & @protectdemocracy.org just filed a lawsuit on behalf of @thecoalition.bsky.social challenging the Trump administration's policy targeting social media researchers and trust & safety workers for visa revocation and deportation. More: knightcolumbia.org/content/tech...
If this resonates, we invite you to join the Coalition and be part of these ongoing conversations (3/3)
Here’s a small glimpse of what’s taking shape in the CITR Tools and Resources Hub 👇
➡️ Research tools and toolkits that support rigorous, independent inquiry
➡️ Resources for navigating harassment and threats
➡️ Guidance on litigation support and evidence gathering (2/3)
Independent tech research depends on shared infrastructure - tools & strategies that can be sustained beyond institutions & funding cycles. Collective knowledge makes this possible. Recently, we hosted an edit-a-thon as a collective exercise in building & reflecting on a tools & resources hub.(1/3)
This grant strengthens our work to support independent researchers; protect independent research from restrictive data access, and legal & safety risks researchers face; and continue to support a global, cross-sector community for collaboration, mutual support, and long-term capacity. (2/2)
We’re happy to share that the Coalition for Independent Technology Research has been awarded a grant from Siegel Family Endowment – part of a $15.4 million investment to reimagine how people learn, work, and innovate for a more inclusive tech future. (1/2)
What is digital authoritarianism?
A new book chapter by Coalition member Allison Wun-hui Koh, Anita Gohdes, and Maurice Schumann maps how governments use digital tools to manufacture support, suppress opposition, and preempt future dissent.
A sharp look at evolving tech-enabled repression. ⬇️
➡️ Academic researchers want to share resources with civil society organizations.
➡️ Senior scholars want to mentor emerging researchers.
➡️ Researchers in well-funded institutions want to support colleagues in resource-constrained environments. (2/3)
Despite mounting challenges, the State of Independent Technology Research report reveals powerful evidence that researchers recognize the value of mutual support and collective action. (1/3)
independenttechresearch.org/citr-report-...
New from me - Independent tech research is essential and under threat, highlighting the great recent report from @thecoalition.bsky.social independenttechresearch.org/citr-report-...
techbullion.com/independent-...
Amid growing public demand for tech accountability on harms & rights, the public has turned to scientists — especially on issues of causality.
So how can we reliably inform courts? Join @meetalijain.bsky.social & me online Oct 29 at @thecoalition.bsky.social
citizensandtech.org/2025/10/even...
These stories don’t just evidence the crisis – they are calls for solidarity, mutual support, and structural change.
Read the full report. (2/2)
Across sectors, public interest technology researchers are facing growing risks – surveillance, censorship, legal uncertainty, and inequitable funding. The conditions are often unequal across regions. (1/2)
