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Dave Troy

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Dave Troy
Born
David Troy

December 1971 (1971-12) (age 54)
Maryland, United States
EducationJohns Hopkins University (BA, 1996)
OccupationsEntrepreneur, investigative journalist, disinformation researcher, podcaster
Years active1986–present
Employer(s)America 2.0 (publisher and editor)
410 Labs (CEO)
Known forResearch on disinformation and information warfare, curator of TEDxMidAtlantic, first developer to use the Twitter API
SpouseMarried
Children2
Websitedavetroy.com

Dave Troy (born December 1971) is an American technology entrepreneur,[1] disinformation researcher, and investigative journalist.[2][3][4] In his investigative journalism he focuses on information warfare, extremism, and threats to democracy.[2][4][5]

Early life and education

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Dave Troy grew up in Severna Park, a suburb of Baltimore.[1] He was introduced to computers at the age of seven and began programming.[1][6] In 1984, at the age of twelve, he launched his own bulletin board system (BBS), initially using his family's telephone line.[7][8]

From 1985 to 1989, he attended the private college-preparatory Severn School in Severna Park.[9][6] In 1996, he earned a bachelor's degree in liberal arts from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.[1][7]

In a 1990 interview concerning his business activities, he stated that he had become a Republican, although he described himself as a liberal and preferred to characterize himself as a free-market idealist.[6]

Business career

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In 1986, during his sophomore year of high school, Troy co-founded Toad Computers with a friend at the age of 14.[6][9] The company specialized in mail-order sales of Atari ST computers.[1][6] In 1995, he founded ToadNet, which became a leading regional provider of Internet access and hosting services.[1][9][10] He sold the successful company in 2004.[1][10] Beginning in 2003, he worked on open-source projects and large-scale voice over IP and call-center systems.[7]

In 2007, he launched Twittervision and Flickrvision, projects for visualizing data from social media.[11][12] Twittervision was officially recognized as the first application to use the Twitter API.[13][14] Both projects were included in the 2008 exhibition Design and the Elastic Mind at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.[15][13]

In 2008, he created Twitter Vote Report, a platform that enabled voters to report polling-place wait times and irregularities through digital and mobile channels during the U.S. presidential election.[16][17][18] Developed with volunteers, it was promoted by media outlets including NPR and attracted widespread public participation.[16][19][20]

He became a coordinator and promoter of Baltimore's technology scene.[10][21] In 2009, he co-founded Beehive Baltimore, the city's first coworking space, and the angel investment group Baltimore Angels.[22][1][21] That same year, he co-founded the TEDxMidAtlantic conference, for which he serves as curator.[10][13][14] In 2010, he co-founded the technology company 410 Labs, where he serves as CEO and product architect.[23][10][13]

Research and investigative journalism

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Dave Troy speaking at TEDGlobal 2014.
Dave Troy speaking at TEDGlobal 2014.

Since 2007, Troy has conducted systematic analysis of social media data.[14] His research spans the fields of sociology, network science, and political science.[14] As part of the Future Frontlines program at the New America Foundation, he was particularly involved in research into events related to the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol in 2021.[24][25]

His investigative journalism focuses on threats to democracy, information warfare, extremism, and the historical context of contemporary political developments.[2][4][3] In November 2024, he founded the independent investigative platform America 2.0 where he serves as its publisher and editor-in-chief.[26] He writes "The Wide Angle" column for the American digital magazine Washington Spectator[25] and contributes to investigative media outlets such as the British Byline Times.[27]

He speaks at conferences including TED[28][13] and TEDx,[29] and appears in the media[4] and on investigative podcasts.[30][31] Since 2022, he has hosted the podcast Dave Troy Presents.[32][33]

Personal life

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Dave Troy lives in Baltimore.[7] He is married and has two adult children.[7] He is a certified private pilot.[7]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sentementes, Gus G. (27 August 2011). "David Troy's next big projects: fixing email, government transparency". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. ISSN 1930-8965. Archived from the original on 2025-06-08. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  2. 1 2 3 Cuda, Heidi Siegmund (2 March 2021). "The Network: The American and Russian Moralists Behind the January Insurrection". Byline Times. London. ISSN 2632-7910. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  3. 1 2 Rosenberg, Paul (12 November 2022). "What's behind Elon's Twitter disaster? A fundamental misunderstanding of "free speech"". Salon.com. OCLC 43916723. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Ostrovsky, Simon (3 April 2021). "Crackdown on online hate speech pushes extremists to other platforms". PBS News Hour. Arlington: PBS. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  5. ↑ Gilbert, David (17 March 2021). "The Organization Trying to Save QAnon Believers Is Falling Apart". Vice News. New York: Vice Media. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Toad Computers growing by leaps and bounds". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. 18 October 1990. ISSN 1930-8965. Archived from the original on 2026-08-22. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Troy, Dave (23 January 2009). "More About Dave Troy". Dave Troy: Fueled By Randomness. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  8. ↑ Scott, Jason. "301 Area Code BBSes Through History (80's Version)". BBS List. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  9. 1 2 3 "Internet provider enjoys benefits of 'Blair Witch'". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. 9 September 1999. ISSN 1930-8965. Archived from the original on 2026-08-22. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Sentementes, Gus (19 April 2011). "410Labs: Baltimore startup attracting outside investors". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. ISSN 1930-8965. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  11. ↑ Gilbertson, Scott (15 May 2007). "Flickrvision: Realtime Image Mapping Display". Wired. San Francisco: Condé Nast. ISSN 1078-3148. Archived from the original on 2025-07-05. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  12. ↑ Engst, Adam (18 June 2007). "Visions of the Sublime and the Inane". TidBITS. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dave Troy Speaker". TED. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Dave Troy". New America Foundation. Washington, D.C. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  15. ↑ "Design and the Elastic Mind". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  16. 1 2 "Voters overwhelm Twitter Vote Report site". Minnesota Lawyer. Minneapolis: BridgeTower Media Holding Company. 4 November 2008. ISSN 1098-4410. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  17. ↑ "Web hands voters power". Baltimore Sun. 3 November 2008. ISSN 1930-8965. Archived from the original on 2026-08-24. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  18. ↑ Stewart, Alison; Carvin, Andy (1 November 2008). "Tell NPR About Voting Irregularities Via Twitter". NPR. Washington, D.C. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  19. ↑ Kapin, Allyson (11 April 2008). "Twitter Vote Report Offers Real-Time Democracy on Election Day". Fast Company. New York. ISSN 1943-2623. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  20. ↑ "Vote Report: Help NPR Identify Voting Problems". NPR. Washington, D.C. 4 November 2008. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  21. 1 2 "David Troy Portfolio Investments, David Troy Funds, David Troy Exits". CB Insights. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  22. ↑ Dance, Scott (2 February 2009). "Baltimore Angels Network raising $1M to fund needy local startups | Baltimore Business Journal". Balitmore Business Journal. Baltimore: American City Business Journals. ISSN 0747-1823. Archived from the original on 2011-05-06. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  23. ↑ Perez, Sarah (27 March 2013). "Mailstrom, A Machete For Overloaded Inboxes, Makes Its Official Debut With 400M+ Emails Already Under Storage". TechCrunch. San Francisco: Regent LP. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  24. ↑ Rondeaux, Candace; Dalton, Ben; Nguyen, Cuong; Simeone, Michael; Taylor, Thomas; Walker, Shawn (January 2022). "Acknowledgments". Parler and the Road to the Capitol Attack. Washington: New America. p. 2. Retrieved 2026-08-23.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  25. 1 2 Troy, Dave (16 October 2022). "The Wide Angle". The Washington Spectator. New York: Public Concern Foundation. ISSN 0887-428X. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  26. ↑ Troy, Dave (18 November 2024). "Welcome to America 2.0". America 2.0. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  27. ↑ "Dave Troy". Byline Times. London. ISSN 2632-7910. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  28. ↑ Troy, Dave (12 December 2014). "Social maps that reveal a city's intersections and separations". TED. TED Conferences. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  29. ↑ Troy, Dave (4 August 2025). "Is democracy dying?". TEDxBerlin. Berlin. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  30. ↑ Chalupa, Andrea (25 February 2026). "State of the Union". Gaslit Nation. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  31. ↑ Harbaugh, Ken (19 March 2024). "Dave Troy: Russia & the Religious Right". Evergreen Podcasts. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  32. ↑ Troy, Dave (13 December 2024). "Podcast: Dave Troy Presents..." America 2.0. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
  33. ↑ "Dave Troy Presents". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
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