Tiffany C. Li Profile picture
Tech Law Scholar • Law Prof @UNHLaw • Fellow @YaleISP • Columnist @MSNBC • https://t.co/KONvCrc1fJ
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Sep 28, 2022 12 tweets 5 min read
Lizzo, a Black female superstar, collaborating with Carla Hayden, the first African American and first woman Librarian of Congress, to use a flute from James Madison, the Founding Father who originated the 3/5 Compromise and also the Library of Congress itself? The symbolism!!! James Madison was America’s 4th president. He helped shape the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. He was also a slave owner, and he created the 3/5 Compromise (that each enslaved person would count as 3/5 of a person for state electoral vote totals). A complicated legacy.
Jan 8, 2022 10 tweets 3 min read
Here’s what it looks like when your tweet goes viral (🧵): I tweeted this on Jan 4:

3 days later, the tweet is now at 62k RTs, 285k likes, 12M impressions.

After seeing other people post it on IG, I also posted it to my own Instagram, where it now has 8,600 likes. instagram.com/p/CYUyc0MPo3a/
Nov 16, 2021 9 tweets 4 min read
The internet is more than top-level, consumer-facing apps and sites. But learning about internet architecture and infrastructure can be intimidating.

Here are some readings I assigned to my Internet Law students to demystify the topic 🧵: 1. Barry M. Leiner, et al., "A Brief History of the Internet,” groups.csail.mit.edu/ana/A%20brief%…
Sep 21, 2021 5 tweets 2 min read
AI emotion recognition does not work. Period.

The tech isn’t ready. The research isn’t there. Privacy and human rights are at risk.

More research is good, but Apple needs to give users freedom to opt in/out of emotion recognition, and more transparency and accountability. 1. theatlantic.com/technology/arc…
May 26, 2021 6 tweets 2 min read
You do not need a STEM background to become a tech lawyer. But you do need to learn enough about tech to be able to competently represent your clients.

Here is an extremely short list of books I recommend for law students and lawyers who want to gain foundational tech knowledge: 1. "The Pattern On The Stone: The Simple Ideas That Make Computers Work" by W. Daniel Hillis

This book is a quick, accessible read. You'd be surprised how many tech lawyers do not know how computers actually work. Don't be one of them.

amazon.com/Pattern-Stone-…
Mar 21, 2021 4 tweets 2 min read
There are thousands of journalists and subject matter experts who are ready and willing to talk about anti-Asian violence and the Asian-American experience. Do better. I get it; it’s hard to find people on a short timeline! A few tips:

1. Ask your colleagues and friends for recommendations.

2. Expand your networks in advance of the next big story.

3. Check out groups like @aaja who have resources and networks to help you diversify coverage.
Jan 27, 2021 7 tweets 3 min read
I'm seeing a lot of ambivalence about $GME from internet researchers and advocates. It's fun to watch a bunch of Redditors take on predatory hedge funds by manipulating stock prices. But these are the same tactics used for harassment campaigns, disinfo influence ops, etc. Personally, I find it hilarious. In a battle between Big Finance vs. The Internet, I know who I'm rooting for, always. Money is imaginary, the stock market is a simulation, the system is a simulacrum, etc.
Sep 9, 2020 9 tweets 3 min read
For "Intro to Data Privacy" this year, I wanted to show students a brief glimpse of the breadth of privacy perspectives in law. I offered a selection of readings and asked students to choose just one to read/skim and share insights with the class.

Here's the list of readings: "'I’ve Got Nothing to Hide' and Other Misconceptions of Privacy" by @DanielSolove scholarship.law.gwu.edu/faculty_public…
May 28, 2020 11 tweets 5 min read
For no reason at all, here's a short thread of readings on Section 230, intermediary liability, and online speech: "Who Do You Sue? State and Platform Hybrid Power Over Online Speech" by @daphnehk lawfareblog.com/who-do-you-sue…
Mar 18, 2020 6 tweets 4 min read
Some personal news: I have accepted a new position as content moderator for all my family and friends, as they send each other coronavirus misinformation and rumors. Welcome new coworkers! Since this tweet is doing the numbers now, I'll thread a few links on how to spot misinformation and how to help people in your life get reliable news about COVID-19:
Feb 8, 2020 8 tweets 10 min read
Thanks to all the participants of our @YaleLawSch @YaleLawGLC Cyber Norms workshop! Special thanks to my co-organizers, @LB_W_ @idokilovaty, & Jacqueline, and our hosts, @scottjshapiro & @oonahathaway.

(We solved cyber norms, if anyone is wondering.) PosterWorkshopOrganizers We started off with an introduction by @oonahathaway and a panel on international cyber governance fora with @isitreallysafe @sawentworth @patrykpawlak @idokilovaty. Oona speakingPanelPanel
Jan 22, 2019 4 tweets 2 min read
Why solve climate change when we could just monetize it instead? 🤔 bloomberg.com/news/articles/… Google on devastating, possibly world-ending climate change: “This opportunity driver could have a positive impact on our brands.”
Jan 17, 2019 7 tweets 1 min read
“The Summer Day” is one of Mary Oliver’s most famous poems, particularly the last line.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?” Text of “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
Jan 17, 2019 7 tweets 2 min read
Beloved poet Mary Oliver has died. My deepest respects to someone who brought beauty and comfort to so many.

Mary Oliver often wrote deeply and thoughtfully about death, in the simple, naturalistic style she was well-known for.

Here’s one of my favorites: “When Death Comes” When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse

to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;
when death comes like the measle-pox;
Jan 17, 2019 6 tweets 4 min read
This week’s @yaleisp talks by @t_streinz @AndBurt @hartzog are inspiring me to reconsider the connection b/t modern data privacy & traditional intellectual property. Certainly, not all privacy problems are IP problems, but the common threads are still theoretically important. A few thoughts, in brief:
@t_streinz talked trade agreements, where we often negotiate both privacy & IP rights.
@AndBurt & Dan Geer mentioned a conceptual link b/t data protection & DRM.
@hartzog discussed "public" exceptions to (c) & patent protections.

Dec 4, 2018 11 tweets 5 min read
I came across a mention of this think tank report in an old Joan Didion essay, and of course I had to find it immediately. The title alone is amazing, and there are some real gems in there.

“Cybernation: The Shadow Conquest” (1962) stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:rr2… This 1962 report from the (now defunct) Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions includes many very familiar themes: automated workforce, AI, IoT, networked communications, supply chain dynamics, decline of the middle class, etc. stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:rr2…
Oct 16, 2018 8 tweets 2 min read
Everything Sundar Pinchai says here is disappointing. It’s sad to see a formerly mission-driven company lose its moral compass. Goodbye freedom of information, hello censored search engines. wired.com/story/wired-25… via @WIRED Pinchai uses a very weak excuse to defend Project Drafonfly: “We are compelled by our mission [to] provide information to everyone, and [China is] 20 percent of the world's population.”

Here’s why we shouldn’t accept this from Google: ‪“We are compelled by our mission [to] provide information to everyone, and [China is] 20 percent of the world's population.”‬
Oct 4, 2018 7 tweets 2 min read
Sharing a few highlights from my talk at Yale’s @TsaiCITY Blockchain Bootcamp.

Here’s what you need to know about blockchain law & policy in 2018: Blockchain is not going to be a laissez-faire Wild West much longer. Regulation is coming. In some cases, it’s already here, esp. in the finance sector. If you’re a blockchain dev, ignoring legal trends is a risk.
Sep 6, 2018 4 tweets 4 min read
Ready to listen to @lexlanham talk trademarks at the @YaleLawSch @yaleisp Ideas Lunch! .@lexlanham’s new paper “Mark Talk” builds on her previous work on #Tagmarks and “Failure to Function” @yaleisp
Aug 28, 2018 10 tweets 4 min read
Here is my syllabus for the very idiosyncratic privacy law class I’m teaching this fall at Yale.

“The Changing Right to Privacy” looks at privacy from diverse, interdisciplinary perspectives – inc. philosophy, ethics, history, policy, & critical theory.

tiffanyli.com/wp-content/upl… We start with privacy ethics and philosophy of identity, because I believe it’s important that we establish what privacy is and what privacy protects before we begin analyzing the law.
Aug 10, 2018 15 tweets 4 min read
Space Force is a bad idea. Outer space is the only realm where we were able to create international laws before any nation had a real stronghold over territory. The space laws that exist emphasize cooperation and scientific exploration, not war. Fund NASA instead. Space law thread incoming in 3 … 2 … 1 …