David Sullivan

@davidsullivan

Tech policy, human rights, trust & safety. Raised in Brooklyn, based in Boulder. @david_msullivan elsewhere. Posts auto delete. I'm on Germ DM 🔑

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David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Mar 20

Later in the same story -- this is an incomprehensible word salad that means nothing. Posturing absent policy.

Text screenshot from WaPo article:

The administration considered ways it could use its own regulatory powers to limit the law’s reach. That spring, it called a meeting that included officials from the Commerce, State, Defense and Treasury Departments and White House to discuss potential strategies to advance free expression, according to a copy of the meeting materials viewed by The Post.

The proposals included a system that would use export controls to offer tech companies more legal freedom to refuse requests from foreign governments to take down content, according to a copy of the proposal viewed by The Post. A licensing system run by the Commerce Department would have aimed to give American firms legal cover to object to requests to take down content deemed legitimate under a “speech standard” devised by the Trump administration.

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Feb 26

Extra bluesky panel with @masnick.com @jmiers230.bsky.social Matt Perault and @matt.bsky.team moderated by @jrhuddles.bsky.social. All about genAI and 230…

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Feb 26

Next up: Gary Shapiro, Billy Easley, Ashkhen Kazaryan, Ari Cohn, and David Inserra

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Feb 26

Hello DC! Currently at @cato.org Listening to @ericgoldman.bsky.social on Section 230, noting how difficult it is to be anonymous online these days.

Panel discussion in Cato’s fancy auditorium

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Feb 13

@julietshen.bsky.social, check out this verb from claude code!

screenshot of Claude Code in terminal that says "Roosting... (thinking)"

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Jan 19

Heading to Europe for work and fun later this week. I know January isn't exactly peak season for the Benelux, but damn if this seat map doesn't say something about the current state of transatlantic relations...

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Jan 18

per Anu Bradford

screenshot from anu bradford article available here: https://www.promarket.org/2024/12/11/the-false-choice-between-digital-regulation-and-innovation/

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Jan 18

The usual suspects will still find a way to benefit...

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Jan 8

Tim Wu literally doing "it's time for same game theory" on the other site 🫠

screenshot from X/twitter post by Tim Wu discussing game theory and the trump administration

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Dec 22

I'm not used to seeing my byline in a tabloid, but nonetheless glad to see the Boston Herald publish our op-ed on State's stupid and counterproductive visa policy for trust and safety workers. lnkd.in/g5_U7QvR

clip of Boston Herald op-ed by Charlotte Willner and David Sullivan, "Visa misstep will help predators, scammers" available at https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/12/19/willner-and-sullivan-visa-misstep-will-help-predators-scammers/

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Nov 7

All of the copyright experts are here in Boulder today, with @pamelasamuelson.bsky.social giving a treatise on disruptive tech, copyright, and genAI

Pamela Samuelson giving a keynote at Silicon Flatironz

Wide shot of Pamela Samuelson and a slide

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Oct 7

This was a fun conversation, thanks @kevintfrazier.bsky.social for having me on the pod! There's a real chance for mutual gains when responsible AI and T&S folks work together to focus on safer products.

predator handshake meme: trust and safety + responsible AI = product safety

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Sep 25

Here we go at #TSRConf, with @dwillner.bsky.social taking on the @mmasnick.bsky.social impossibility theorem!

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Jul 22

Day 2 at #TrustCon underway, with Kenya Fairley from Bumble reflecting on parallels between T&S and the movement against gender based violence.

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Jul 21

Very proud to have the Safe Framework (ISO/IEC 25388) on the #trustcon board of projects among so many other initiatives I greatly admire!

Slide from trustcon keynote with T&S projects, podcasts, journals, etc

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Jul 21

#TrustCon2025 kicking off with a barn burner of a speech from @charlottewillner.bsky.social

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Jun 24

#IGF2025 opening ceremony kicking off

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Jun 22

I’m no aviation geek, but I am pretty excited to fly on this chonk plane today. #a380

Lufthansa Airbus a380 at a gate in Denver

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Jun 10

The #Boulder Daily Camera needs to work on its headline writing. FFS.

Headline says Boulder hosts antisemitism summit, should have said a summit against antisemitism

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Jun 6

we need this chart, but for the MAGA/broligarchy

a very confusing chart about the factions fighting in Syria from 2014. see https://archive.thinkprogress.org/why-the-middle-east-is-now-a-giant-warzone-in-one-terrifying-chart-b2b22768d952/

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· May 18

Hail picking up in Boulder #cowx

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· May 14

time for some belated #volcano posting from Sunday's visit to Kīlauea

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Apr 30

If you, like me, got turned on to Spier and Mackay menswear by @dieworkwear.bsky.social, tariffs just got real!!!

screenshot showing a $761.60 tariff charge on a $448 sportcoat

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Apr 25

So this is something I'm excited about that arrived in the mail this week...

Cover of Volume 2023, Issue 1 of the Colorado Technology Law Journal

First page of the article, A Portfolio Approach to Trusted Intermediaries for Online Content and Conduct

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Apr 22

Hello, NYC!

Lower Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn from out the window of a plane

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Apr 5

Wow #Boulder #HandsOff protest spanned nearly 1.5 miles. Huge turnout!

Screenshot from maps showing the distance from the south Boulder Whole Foods to 27th Way, all filled with protesters today.

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Mar 7

There’s no widely agreed definition of human intelligence either, says Harry Surden opening the #SiliconFlatirons conference on AI and autonomous systems.

Harry Surden presenting at CU law school

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Feb 24

#Boulder folks, avoid the Table Mesa area

Screenshot from twitter of Boulder Police Dept post with shelter in place shaded area that includes South 40th and 41st streets between Table Mesa and Martin Dr.

Text from post: We have issued a shelter in place to this shaded area. We have also activated SWAT to take an armed male into custody. Please avoid the area. This is connected to the initial incident on the
@CUBoulder
campus

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Feb 20

some of the public comments so far are pretty good, which i attribute to @aricohn.com's entreaty for folks to weigh in. my favorite:

The idea of treating social media moderation as an "unfair" practice is, um, ridiculous? The right to free speech isn't the right for anyone to want to listen to you. If people start yelling expletives in a Wendys, we ask them to leave. If they stay, we call the cops. Quietly moderating/banning them is far more polite than that, and probably more polite than they deserve.

David Sullivan@davidsullivan· Feb 6

The GNI Principles and Implementation Guidelines are meant for tech companies dealing with government demands that infringe on human rights. They might also be helpful for government employees dealing with repressive government demands! In particular: globalnetworkinitiative.org/implementati...