W is currently facing a wave of criticism that mixes false accusations, distorted facts and legitimate questions. Here is a detailed memo that addresses the claims and set out the facts. We have gone through each of the points with our independent external Data Protection Officer.
Oct 13, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Elena Rossini on GoToSocial ⁂ (@elena@aseachange.com)
[3 media attachments] Dear friends, Please gather around for a long post about #WSocial and how they are responding to critiques. I have noticed a trend: W Social leaders and staunch supporters are describing any critical posts about the company as "targeted disinformation." Its CEO said they will soon have a technical solution in place for this. Oh?!? 🔗: https://mu.social/profile/anna.wsocial.eu/post/3mtqufy6g4s2r I suppose the "targeted disinformation" claims are about recent posts by the likes of me and @pallenberg about troubling hate speech that is allowed on W Social. Claims backed by hard evidence, in the form of screenshots and video captures. (I am increasingly doing screen recordings of problematic posts and interactions by W Social people because they have a tendency to delete evidence - like an infamous comment on a video by the Instutute for Remigration). ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ Discrediting sources, renaming evidence as "disinformation" and creating a victim narrative has a long, storied history. ⬆️ ⬆️ ⬆️ But I'm digressing. I speak up about W Social because: - Mainstream media runs PR fluff about them; - Horrid hate speech on the platform is completely unmoderated. W Social is currently showing the limits of free speech absolutism. Its CEO wrote: "We don’t need W to become another echo chamber." Reminds you of something? Atmosphere user @echna.bsky.social astutely remarked that "W Social is on an X speedrun, without ever having been like Twitter." 🔗: https://mu.social/profile/echna.bsky.social/post/3mtqlknzork2t Bluesky, #Blacksky, and #Northsky have mechanisms in place to report hate speech - and I am super thankful for that. As of today, I cannot report to W Social posts by their users that contain hate speech. The W Social moderation list's only purpose is to make a distinction between verified users and bots. Compare it with Blacksky's moderation list and be amazed (see screenshots). What's the big deal about the lack of content moder…
Laura Luebbert, PhD on Twitter / X
MVS has dismissed our findings as "typographical errors and minor oversights," accused Lior and me of being "unprofessional," and called any allegations "totally bizarre." For context, I am showing four examples of duplicated data as described in our arxiv manuscript (Fig 3 & 4). pic.twitter.com/ZuTX6ivBGM— Laura Luebbert, PhD (@NeuroLuebbert) July 11, 2024
So maybe now we can agree that having an unchecked research integrity militia who unfortunately has the ear of the press and increasingly that of the the publishers, but who fiercely rejects any… | Ioana A. Cristea
So maybe now we can agree that having an unchecked research integrity militia who unfortunately has the ear of the press and increasingly that of the the publishers, but who fiercely rejects any minimal ethics or code of conduct, is a (growing) problem? Also, that 1. problems have to be investigated before deciding they are are legitimate and serious; 2. this investigation is not social media, blogs and the press; 3. this investigation should not be on the front page of journals and Retraction Watch; 4. there are degrees of seriousness and some things can just be corrected or are simply not very consequential (no, it's not a house of bricks where we have to check every brick, that's a dumb analogy), so being absolutely hysterical and overdramatic about any lie, inaccuracy or mistake is purposeful at worse and should be ignored at best and 5. it is not only unnecessary, but harmful, to also go into other, non-academic things the person did or does to complete "investigations" that you (press, sleuth, blogger, etc) do not have the tools and information to do completely and accurately (this fixation would be called harassment in the before times). Others will justly write about what the institutions did or did not do, but what I want to say is that we really should end it with the blank credit we give to any and all allegations that come from the establish research integrity truth fighters.
Verification Handbook | DataJournalism.com
This book equips journalists with the knowledge to investigate on disinformation and media manipulation.
The New York Times Responds to Criticism of Anti-Trans Bias by Silencing Its Own Reporters
The Times’s coverage reflects its commitment to a flawed version of objectivity that equates balance with accuracy.
Exhibit Public Redacted Memorandum of Law – #1587, Att. #1 in The New York Times Company v. Microsoft Corporation (S.D.N.Y., 1:23-cv-11195) – CourtListener.com
LETTER addressed to Judge Sidney H. Stein from Davida Brook dated September 17, 2026 re: Public, Redacted Version of News' Plaintiffs' Memorandum of Law. Document filed by Daily News LP, The Center for Investigative Reporting, Inc., The Intercept Media, Inc., The New York Times Company, Ziff Davis, LLC. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit Public Redacted Memorandum of Law)Filed In Associated Cases: 1:25-md-03143-SHS-OTW et al..(Brook, Davida) (Entered: 09/17/2026)
Meta says it will end fact-checking as Silicon Valley prepares for Trump
CEO Mark Zuckerberg called the company's previous content moderation policies "censorship," repeating talking points from President-elect Donald Trump and his allies.
Fakebook: Using Data Science to Spot Fake News
Some thoughts on #WSocial, how they have been responding to criticism and why I believe they are showing the limits of free speech absolutism. I agree with @echna.bsky.social that "W Social seems to be on an X speedrun - without ever having been like Twitter." 🔗: aseachange.com/@elena/statuses/01M0SDV98GRDW…
![[3 media attachments] Dear friends,
Please gather around for a long post about #WSocial and how they are responding to critiques.
I have noticed a trend: W Social leaders and staunch supporters are ...](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vggsjzvhakoa7l2m2mguqv4w/bafkreihcldgcq7zjkfhikbwpjeqo6qqqw443ywuxo6rl2y6xh55tsszjim)
Elena Rossini on GoToSocial ⁂ (@elena@aseachange.com)
aseachange.comWe've written about how social media companies and other technology firms manipulate the scientific record in their favor. In our revisions, we will need to address how they have captured the state department to literally prevent researchers who criticize them FROM EVEN ENTERING THE COUNTRY.
Jameel Jaffer
This wild document is the basis for the State Department's decision to cancel the visas and green cards of tech researchers who study the social media platforms and of tech regulators who enforce privacy and transparency laws. Disclosed to us last night in @thecoalition.bsky.social v. Rubio.
This is crazy! The data from the study show patterns that make it nearly impossible for it to be legit. But we can learn a lot from the tone of the comments. "We have concerns about [x], please clarify." Out in the wild, this would be THESE IDIOTS FAKED THEIR STUDY!!
Health Nerd
This is one of the most remarkable academic debacles I've ever seen. A large RCT got published in BMJ. There are currently 44 Pubpeer comments, mostly about the data, including...well. Read for yourself. pubpeer.com/publications/C08779C45DB6E407…
I'll just comment on my impressions of their conclusions in a thread here. Worth sharing how I see it unfolding internally. (I signed up for their email spam to read this so yes, I am a hero.)
Sue Smith
"The AI engineering impact data shows that output is up. It also shows that the work required to ensure that output is safe, correct, and maintainable has not decreased. It has increased substantially." Aye, if only any of us had been saying this from day one 🤡 faros.ai/blog/ai-acceleration-whiplash…
I'll just comment on my impressions of their conclusions in a thread here. Worth sharing how I see it unfolding internally. (I signed up for their email spam to read this so yes, I am a hero.)
Sue Smith
"The AI engineering impact data shows that output is up. It also shows that the work required to ensure that output is safe, correct, and maintainable has not decreased. It has increased substantially." Aye, if only any of us had been saying this from day one 🤡 faros.ai/blog/ai-acceleration-whiplash…
I wonder who runs W and what interests they have. This is the typical right/far-right response when anybody complains or protests about anything, start speculating about someone paying people to... complain?
W Social
As we have communicated. We did the update on Septemebr 17th. Now a question back to you @wdonthavetime.selfhosted.social Who have funded you and what is your connection to other PDS operators? What is your motive to create a site framing public information as a "data-leak" what's your motive?
