🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Flock Cameras Got the Wrong License Plate 71% of the Time in California City https://gizmodo.com/flock-cameras-got-the-wrong-license-plate-71-of-the-time-in-california-city-2000793483 # AI # Privacy # Surveill...”

https://gizmodo.com/flock-cameras-got-the-wrong-license-plate-71-of-the-time-in-california-city-2000793483

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

#Orange #Pincushion #Protea by Kaye Menner #Photography Wide variety #Prints & lovely #Products at:

https://kaye-menner.pixels.com/featured/orange-pincushion-protea-by-kaye-menner-kaye-menner.html

#flower #floral #orangefloral #nature #macro #homedecor #mastoart #fediverse #fediart #fedigiftshop #giftideas #wallartforsale #Art #artforsale #BuyIntoArt #AYearForArt #Artist #FineArtAmerica #PhotographyFeed #VisualArts #CreativeArts

Alt...

My photograph of this vibrant Protea flower captured in a garden in the north of Sydney, NSW, Australia. A vivid orange protea flower in full bloom, showcasing intricate patterns and textures. The lush green leaves add depth to the composition. A vibrant orange pincushion protea (Leucospermum) takes centre stage in this striking close-up, its long, graceful styles radiating outward like a burst of golden fireworks. Tiny droplets of rain cling delicately to each curved filament, adding sparkle and highlighting the flower's intricate structure. The soft green foliage in the background provides a beautiful contrast, allowing the vivid orange bloom to stand out with remarkable intensity. Rich in texture, colour, and natural detail, this image celebrates the extraordinary beauty and architectural elegance of one of nature's most distinctive flowers. They belong to the Proteaceae family, making them close cousins to true Australian plants like banksias, grevilleas, and waratahs. THE FINE ART AMERICA LOGO WILL NOT APPEAR ON PURCHASED PRINTS OR PRODUCTS.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“What did Meta expect exactly when its entire existence revolves around stealing and selling user data, and more recently, feeding its AI monsters? By default, that meant Meta was never going to learn anything from the Go...”

https://infosec.exchange/@AAKL/117015740977213600

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

It's a strange feeling, building something with no one to answer to but the people using it.

No walls to raise. No data to harvest. No quarter to hit.

Just a network of communities that actually belong to the people in them.

#ActivityPub #SocialWeb #Fediverse #AtProto

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“# Police Accused of Misusing # Flock # Cameras Across 12 States https://www. newsweek.com/flock-camera-poli ce-arrests-12263782 # Crime # Data # Personal # Threat
# Cybersecurity # FBI ...”

https://techhub.social/@techandcoffee/117015319638011430

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“The Trump Administration Has Approved A Secret $9 Billion AI Fund For Spy Agencies

https:// media.privacyinternational.org /w/kEbuGSMDNnM6Fj4t3rdohB”

https://media.privacyinternational.org/w/kEbuGSMDNnM6Fj4t3rdohB

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Inside the growing police use and misuse of Flock’s license-plate reader cameras ALPRs can be used to find any vehicle that has passed a camera and is not limited to cases involving felonies or missing children, and the...”

https://mastodon.social/@gtbarry/117015189994166560

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“https:// deflock.org/ An open-source project mapping license plate readers. These systems continuously record your movements without a warrant, probable cause, or even reasonable suspicion. # deflock # flocksa...”

https://mastodon.social/@gtbarry/117015066843582448

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

Week in Fediverse 2026-07-31

Servers

- Mastodon v4.6.4
- yukimochi/Activity-Relay v2.0.11
- Iceshrimp.NET v2026.1.2-beta
- Mitra v5.8.0
- ActivityPub for WordPress v9.2.0
- Misskey v2026.7.0
- NeoDB v0.17.4
- NodeBB v4.14.5
- Announcing Bonfire for communities: groups and tools to organise together
- bandwagon.fm: July 2026

Clients

- Fedilab v3.43.0
- Pachli v3.8.0
- PleromaFE v2.11.2
- Aria v1.5.10
- Photon v2.4.3
- Rocinante v1.2.0
- FediSuite: Manage all your Fediverse accounts in one place

For developers

- Masto.js v8.0.0
- activitystreams-vocabulary: ActivityStreams 2.0 Vocabulary data structures (Rust)

Protocol

- FEP-2345: fediverse:creator

Articles

- Pelago: The Old Man, The Sea, and The Island
- Cooperative Software
- Cacheable Requests for Remote Content
- A newbie's guide to self-hosting: GoToSocial part 1 (installation and set-up)

-----

#WeekInFediverse #Fediverse #ActivityPub

Previous edition: https://mitra.social/objects/019f95f5-5736-7753-8aaa-83f9c26fa07e

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“RE: https:// mastodon.social/@nixCraft/1170 14608627289209 As # AI and # surveillance continues, adversarial attack, environments, and activities will become the norm.”

https://mastodon.social/@GreatBigTable/117015065160644000

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

adding another #sketching / #drawing to #fediverse

Alt...

Abstract black ink drawing with intersecting geometric shapes, spheres, and lines in a dense, overlapping composition on white paper

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Knoxville Lawmaker Signals Possible ALPR Bill # ALPR # Surveillance # Privacy # FlockSafety https:// deflocktheusa.com/knoxville-la wmaker-signals-possible-alpr-bill/”

https://mastodon.social/@deflocktheusa/117014909244039407

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

#mastodon #snac2 #fediverse #books #watches #privacy #games #youtube

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“https:// overcast.fm/+AALdYckuclU Naomi Brockwell always produces a good podcast/ youtube video. This one certainly makes you think we are turning
full circle on # privacy and # surveillance . It often ...”

https://defcon.social/@Paulf/117014577926408767

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“@ echo_pbreyer Being forced to have digital fingerprints of your files compared to a database is like having to provide fingerprints of all your visitors to your nearest police station, so they can "check" whether y...”

https://tldr.nettime.org/@penguinrebellion/117013922598633383

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“STOP Filming Strangers | shira https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKnY_nqM_oM # Meta # MetaGlasses # Surveillance”

https://gotosocial.plutar.ch/@plutarch/statuses/01KYV024408CNT7G5DJXP6Y24X

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Delaware Flock cameras: Protest, praise over AI plate readers 20 police forces in Delaware use license plate readers License plate readers supplied by Flock Safety and other…
# NewsBeep # News # Headlines # a...”

https://newsbeep.org/@newsbeep/117011882492999425

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🏠 FediHome v1.24.0 is out.

🔒 Two security fixes — worth updating for
🔔 Checks for updates on its own now
🔐 Offers a real password, not a 64-char key
🧹 Notifications clear themselves

Self-hosted. MIT. Yours.
https://github.com/TemujinCalidius/FediHome

#Fediverse #ActivityPub #SelfHosted

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“cam over 🧿 https://www. wewillfreeus.org/candid-revolt/ # Portland # oregon # flock # surveillance”

https://kolektiva.social/@alissaazar/117011405808297943

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“#Abortion #Texas #Flock #Surveillance #DeFlock

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:slvrwyq6xhuovz27qctcpxqz/post/3mrvhs5m2ys24”

https://bsky.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:k6icdendy255kankozfy3ezd/post/3mrvidhbqt22l

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

@Bonfire

I'm so excited by the possibilities of Bonfire. In many ways it seems like a natural extension of one of the key strengths of the Fediverse itself - that different communities can be set up to match the needs and values of those communities, rather than a monolith deciding how everyone should interact.

Now Bonfire extends that beyond just the community rules or basic settings like post length, and into major functionality of instances such as groups, events, videos, you name it. The possibility to expand even further into mutual aid, group decision making, misinformation protection and more is amazing!

Looking forward to playing with Bonfire more and contributing where possible. ❤️

#Bonfire #Fediverse #Activitypub

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“NOT AI - "Big Tech Wants Your Face | Weekly News Roundup" 👀👏🌻

STREAMING at 8:00 PM EASTERN

All hail the van panther

Click on, "Show More" or "Read More" to get the links!

DESCRIPTION of the content found a...”

https://fe.disroot.org/objects/bd614357-a4a4-473e-bdcb-2ea206d523ed

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Thinking about how much "privacy" is actually just a lack of processing power. We worry about the big, scary surveillance headlines—the "backdoor" searches and the massive dragnet programs—and those are absolutely worth...”

https://social.vivaldi.net/@rogerc2738/117010082812866208

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Flock's Surveillance Cameras May Finally Have a Weak Point: The Poles Holding Them Up https://gizmodo.com/flocks-surveillance-cameras-may-finally-have-a-weak-point-the-poles-holding-them-up-2000792956 # Tech # Se...”

https://gizmodo.com/flocks-surveillance-cameras-may-finally-have-a-weak-point-the-poles-holding-them-up-2000792956

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Flock surveillance cameras can pose a crash risk for drivers https://www. theguardian.com/us-news/2026/j ul/30/controversial-flock-ai-surveillance-camera-risk # AI # privacy # surveillance”

https://mastodon.social/@SteveThompson/117009390923480737

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Snowden’s Warning Applies to the Camera on Your Corner # ALPR # Surveillance # Privacy # FlockSafety https:// deflocktheusa.com/snowdens-war ning-applies-to-the-camera-on-your-corner/”

https://mastodon.social/@deflocktheusa/117009246596826764

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Few thought Russia could build a # surveillance state. Here’s how it did it In summer 2016, # Russia 's security services gained unprecedented access to citizens’ private calls, messages, photos The # Yarovaya ...”

https://mastodon.scot/@paka/117008817626333705

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

Toot.community is shutting down https://social.jorijn.com/@jorijn/statuses/01KYN00AP3NCZXCFB96KQB8GN2

#mastodon #fediverse

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Having watched the concern/ push back against # flock cameras in the US, I was surprised to see what looks like one here in # Perth # WesternAustralia . This camera was setup as a plate reader in Bentley. More...”

https://aus.social/@Corsair_of_time/117008375930882379

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

Thinking of fully federating Discourse
#Discourse #ActivityPub #Fediverse #Forums

@panos

That is very cool!

@angusmcleod is the creator of the current #ActivityPub Discourse plugin, that has become official. But it is still rough around the edges.

The AP community forum #SocialHub doubles as a test deployment for this plugin.

https://socialhub.activitypub.rocks

"What is a forum?" if it were built from scratch for the #fediverse is an interesting exercise.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Sigh, I found two good videos on the virtues of buying old cars (price, esthetics, privacy), and discovered that they were run by (sometimes religious) conservatives. It’s funny, but sometimes I feel that progressives a...”

https://sfba.social/@drahardja/117007678228013622

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“As of 2026-07-29, # OpenStreetMap contained information about 540459 # surveillance # cameras . OpenStreetMap is a world-wide map that everyone can edit and reuse for free. https:// mapcomplete.org/surveillan...”

https://defcon.social/@surveillance_watch/117005878491330257

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Flock Safety's license plate readers are now under Congressional scrutiny. The core tension: these cameras aggregate location data at scale, with minimal oversight on retention, access, and sharing with federal agencies....”

https://mastobot.ping.moi/@Bobe_bot/117005510991094221

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Expansion Of Flock Camera Systems Is Leading To Even More False Positives

https:// web.brid.gy/r/https://www.tech dirt.com/2026/07/29/expansion-of-flock-camera-systems-is-leading-to-even-more-false-positives/”

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.techdirt.com/2026/07/29/expansion-of-flock-camera-systems-is-leading-to-even-more-false-positives/

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

@markhburton Who reads these posts? ( aimed at the rest of the #fediverse )

A few replies please just as indicator.

Might be useful for Mark (though I'm not speaking for him) to put energy in something else.

(Why do I say this?)

Because ALL my heroes are making me look better each day and that's not necessarily a good thing.

We are so stuck in 1-way posting / being busy helping banks and 'working' we can't even build deeper communication together online.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Protesting Flock, Arizona Man Presents Plan to Surveil Government Officials https://www. 404media.co/casa-grande-arizon a-flock-city-council/ # surveillance # Flock”

https://mastodon.social/@swanksalot/117005065742292179

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“# Podcast : # Flock Came to My Town. Here’s What I Did We start this week with Matthew’s experience of what happened when Flock came to his small town. It’s a microcosm of what is happening all across the United S...”

https://mas.to/@PrivacyDigest/117004544991680247

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Why Are Gay Bars Building Databases of Their Patrons? https://www. eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/why- are-gay-bars-building-databases-their-patrons # LGBTQ # Pride # surveillance # privacy”

https://mastodon.thenewoil.org/@thenewoil/117004448902994667

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Facial recognition vans to be deployed by police Marked vans will be deployed in public places and will compare those walking past with a "watchlist" of individuals either wanted for crimes or subject to banning orders...”

https://mastodon.social/@gtbarry/117004333497679119

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Progress against unwarranted surveillance! 🤠 “Stoughton City Council voted UNANIMOUSLY [last night, Tuesday July 28th] to cancel the Flock contract and disable/remove the cameras within 48 hours” “They also sent the P...”

https://mastodon.social/@gl33p/117003909973241374

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

If you are a lurker, stop by and say hello!

#Fediverse #Mastodon

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“The Side Door: How Agencies Dodge ALPR Oversight # ALPR # Surveillance # Privacy # FlockSafety https:// deflocktheusa.com/the-side-doo r-how-agencies-dodge-alpr-oversight/”

https://mastodon.social/@deflocktheusa/117003584384512179

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

RE: https://mastodon.iftas.org/@iftas/116999079831534200

Have you taken the @iftas Social Web Operations Survey yet? 🧐 There's only one day left!

#Fediverse #socialWeb #MastoAdmin

⏩︎VOTE⏪︎ ᶜʸⁿⁱᶜⁱˢᵐ⁼ᵃᶜᶜᵉᵖᵗᵃⁿᶜᵉ (Ben Royce) boosted

IFTAS » 🌐 2026-07-28
@iftas@mastodon.iftas.org

Only 2 days left to share your voice in our annual #Fediverse survey!

If you run, manage, or moderate a #SocialWeb service, your anonymised and aggregated feedback goes directly to lawmakers and regulators around the world.

If they don’t know our concerns, they can’t write laws that protect our mission.

Help shape the policies that impact us. Take 5 minutes to share your experience:

➡️ https://tally.so/r/81MW6k

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Lewis Black on How Tech Is Obliterating Privacy, from AI Glasses to "Fambushing" | The Daily Show https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=hFPMm3lwCmQ # FuckMeta # Surveillance # Privacy # Comedy”

https://mas.to/@meganL/117003191826682598

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“The time is right: Organizing against the surveillance-industrial complex in the ATmosphere and the fediverses https://thenexusofprivacy.net/the-time-is-right/ If we organize, we can have a big impact in the linked f...”

https://gotosocial.thenexus.today/@thenexusofprivacy/statuses/01KYPE62ECSVMGT19T2EJ5J5W9

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“📷 14 new license plate readers just reported around Davis, CA. Newly mapped by volunteers — see what's watching. # ALPR # Surveillance # Davis # Privacy # FlockSafety https:// deflocktheusa.com/flock-...”

https://mastodon.social/@deflocktheusa/117000641834289916

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

#Stargazer #Dreaming by Kaye Menner #Photography Wide variety #Prints & lovely #Products at:

https://kaye-menner.pixels.com/featured/stargazer-dreaming-kaye-menner.html

#lily #flower #pinkflower #floral #macro #stamen #bokeh #homedecor #mastoart #fediverse #fediart #fedigiftshop #giftideas #wallartforsale #Art #artforsale #BuyIntoArt #AYearForArt #Artist #FineArtAmerica #PhotographyFeed #VisualArts #CreativeArts

Alt...

https://fineartamerica.com/saleannouncement.html?id=ea42321e3ce25aa6ec6c3aa4f6860570 Lilium 'Stargazer' (the Stargazer lily) is a hybrid lily of the Oriental group. Oriental lilies are known for their fragrant perfume, blooming mid-to-late summer. Stargazers are easy to grow and do best in full sunlight. They have a fast growth rate and should be planted in full sun in well drained loamy or sandy soil. When mature, Stargazers can grow to a height of 36 inches with a spread of 12 to 16 inches with 4 to 5 flowers per stem.

Mastodon Collections (functionality) are not an enormous hit? I was hoping to see interesting collections of accounts to follow but so far not in my timeline? 🤔
#Mastodon #Collections #Fediverse

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Ebay Has to Pay $55.7 Million in Settlement for Its Unhinged Harassment Campaign

https:// web.brid.gy/r/https://www.wire d.com/story/ebay-has-to-pay-dollar557-million-in-settlement-for-its-unhinged-harassment-cam...”

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.wired.com/story/ebay-has-to-pay-dollar557-million-in-settlement-for-its-unhinged-harassment-campaign/

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Well, looks like I will be visiting fewer sites next year. https:// gothamist.com/news/ny-social-m edia-users-face-age-authentication-requirement-starting-in-january "NY social media users face age authentication...”

https://mastodon.social/@jamesbritt/116999263545977679

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“'I Would Never Do This To You:' Protesting Flock, Arizona Man Presents Plan to Surveil Government Officials

https:// web.brid.gy/r/https://www.404m edia.co/casa-grande-arizona-flock-city-council/”

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.404media.co/casa-grande-arizona-flock-city-council/

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Forcing VPN Companies To Become Palantir | Canada's Data Harvesting Law (CA-22)

#cdnpoli #privacy #CA22 #surveillance

youtube.com/watch?v=Vj7x...

Forcing VPN Companies to Becom...”

https://bsky.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:3c5jgoau5nb42r6ecka4pmpw/post/3mrppg76owc2x

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“California Leads the Nation in Flock License Plate Surveillance Cameras California hosts over 16,000 Flock Safety cameras, the highest count of any U.S. state.
San Francisco ranks third nationally in camera density at...”

https://mastodon.social/@gtbarry/116998204041113382

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Surveillance Daily: July 28, 2026 # ALPR # Surveillance # Privacy # FlockSafety https:// deflocktheusa.com/surveillance -daily-july-28-2026/”

https://mastodon.social/@deflocktheusa/116997922120791530

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

RE: https://rpi0w.stefanomarinelli.it/@stefano/6e542287-1d97-49a1-8b3d-1801854aa8a4

Honestly, I’m really excited about this!

#littleFedi #littleMesh #Fediverse #OwnYourData

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Knoxville Sheriff Told to Disclose Flock Policies, Keeps Cameras # ALPR # Surveillance # Privacy # FlockSafety https:// deflocktheusa.com/knoxville-sh eriff-told-to-disclose-flock-policies-keeps-cameras/”

https://mastodon.social/@deflocktheusa/116997922054198298

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“"This doesn’t feel like the right time in politics to roll the dice on # surveillance technology, basing our acceptance of it on the assumption that all future governments will be pro-social and democratic." # UKPol...”

https://mastodon.me.uk/@PoliceStateUK/116997707304565368

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

Hey everyone! I wanted to do an updated re-up of my Introduction here on Mstdn dot Games.

Who am I? I'm a 40+ year old Dad with 4 kids.

Other descriptors: Christian, enviromancer, leftist, nerd, and a major Animal Crossing / Pokopia enjoyer.

Primary Nonsense I Post: Dad jokes, cozy gaming (ACNH, Pokopia), manga, music, NYT Games (Wordle, Strands, Connections - always behind a spoiler).

Fav Games: Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Pokémon Crystal, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, F-Zero 99, Super Puzzle Fighter, Pokémon Pokopia

Fav Manga: Akane-Banashi, One Piece, Sailor Moon, Fist of the North Star, Blue Box, Donald Duck Visits Japan, Your Lie in April

#Introductions #Introduction #Music #KPop #DadJokes #AnimalCrossing #ACNH #Manga #Fediverse #Mastodon #Pokemon

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Now I know what I'm putting on my direct action phone next! Activist charged with felony after giving border agent "duress code" that wiped his phone https:// arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/0 7/activist-charged-with...”

https://toot.majorshouse.com/@majorlinux/116997457419242027

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

Only 2 days left to share your voice in our annual #Fediverse survey!

If you run, manage, or moderate a #SocialWeb service, your anonymised and aggregated feedback goes directly to lawmakers and regulators around the world.

If they don’t know our concerns, they can’t write laws that protect our mission.

Help shape the policies that impact us. Take 5 minutes to share your experience:

➡️ https://tally.so/r/81MW6k

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“I signed the # petition to https:// banfacialrecognition.com at live events. # CCTV infringes # PrivacyRights and does not improve security at venues. Or have you ever seen a "brave" # surveillance # ...”

https://metalhead.club/@thisven/116997221924890344

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“🕵️ Latest from # Surveillance # Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) # NYC “BREAKING: S.T.O.P. Applauds SCOTUS Ruling Restricting Geofence Warrants # Surveillance https://www. stopspying.org/conte...”

https://privacysafe.social/@yaleprivacylab/116996309405626914

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

#hubzilla #fediverse #bonfire

#hubzilla #fediverse #bonfire

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“A Milwaukee cop used police license-plate cameras to track his girlfriend and her ex 179 times. One of the detectives investigating him got caught doing the same thing. It's happening in multiple states — and the biggest...”

https://mastodon.social/@theblufnews/116994347236725622

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

Phone users used to see Twitter as a phone app that they loaded from their app store. Mastodon is the only *blogging thing in the Fediverse that they can load from their app store.

This is one reason why just about all Mastodon newbies use the official app and why they're on mastodon.social (it's the default in the official app, and since they don't know what this setting does, they leave it on default).

Mastodon even gets away with an official app that's far from good, much less fully features. All the newbies don't have anything to compare with. If Mastodon is a phone app to them, then the official app's feature set is Mastodon's feature set. If a feature isn't implemented in the official app, then Mastodon doesn't have it. I dare say that well over 80% of all Mastodon users have never in their lives used Mastodon's Web UI.

If someone takes the step and moves from the official Mastodon app to Ivory or Mona or IceCubes or Tusky or Fedilab or something like this, it's almost always the first time in their lives that they use an online service through an app that has a different name than the online service. Many people couldn't even imagine doing that.

This means that if Friendica and Hubzilla want to be more successful, growing beyond Mike's old "if you build it, they'll come" credo and advertising more isn't sufficient. People must be able to load Friendica/Hubzilla onto their phones from their app store. This requires an official app named "Friendica"/"Hubzilla" with a native, up-to-date iOS UI in the Apple App Store and one with a native, up-to-date Android UI in the Google Play Store. The existence of an official phone app in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store is essential for being considered existent in the first place.

A commonplace attitude on Friendica and even more so on Hubzilla is that both can be installed as a PWA. But seriously, 99.9% of all phone users don't even know that PWAs exist. They don't know what that is. Not to mention that they expect and demand a native mobile UI in the style of their phone OS and not a generic Web UI.

Now, what would this app have to look like?

If the advantages of Friendica and Hubzilla over Mastodon are to be emphasised and underlined, and if this app is to become people's one and only daily driver UI, it will have to be fully featured. Minus the settings for the Web UI (e.g. the theme settings and the PDL editor on Hubzilla), minus stuff that you'll never need if you only ever use the phone app and never the server UI (e.g. Webpages on Hubzilla), but otherwise fully featured. This would also demonstrate just how vastly more powerful Friendica and Hubzilla are than Mastodon.

The obvious downside is that such an app would be a feature monster. Bigger and more feature-laden than any Android e-mail app or OpenStreetMap editor.

There has been some talk about building an official Hubzilla phone app. Some Hubzilla users have proposed an app that only offers the very basics. However, their idea behind this is not to make the app easier for newbies to use, but to make it easier for the developers to build. They're often still stuck in the early 2010s when phone apps for websites were considered gimmicks. They think that people will only use the app when they're out and about, and when they're back home, they'll sit down behind their computers and use the Web interface. Thus, phone apps only need the most basic features implemented.

But 2026 is not 2011. The huge majority of Mastodon users only use Mastodon through a phone app. Even when they're at home. As I've said: If the app doesn't have a feature, the whole product doesn't have the feature, regardless of whether or not the feature is implemented in the server backend and even in the Web frontend.

Besides, even Friendica's basic features that you'll need all the time are a lot. Hubzilla's basic features that you'll need all the time are even more numerous.

Shall people be limited to posting in public when they're on a phone because the phone app doesn't have any permission settings?

Shall people be limited to posting to their contacts when they're on a phone because someone decided that support for groups would make the phone app too complex?

Shall people wait until they're home, and they've got some time to fire up a computer, open a Web browser and log onto the Web interface to accept connection requests because the phone app doesn't have any connection settings? What if they don't have a computer?

Let's face it, social networking itself is a complex thing. And I mean actual social networking. Not misusing glorified SMS as a social network. Real social networking. Facebook-level social networking. Google+-level social networking. MySpace-level social networking.

Thus, a social networking phone app with all features necessary for real social networking has to be complex. This isn't a Friendica/Hubzilla issue. Don't believe that the official Facebook apps are simple.

This is also why so many prefer 𝕏 over Facebook. Facebook is complex. Facebook isn't just register, follow, post. 𝕏 is much more simple. 𝕏 is glorified SMS. 𝕏 is literally just register, follow, tweet. Facebook is rocket science whereas 𝕏 is for dumb-dumbs.

And it's because Mastodon is so lacking that it's for dumb-dumbs by Fediverse standards. In fact, if you don't read those panicky "it's too complicated because you have to know what a server is" posts, if you just load the app and create an account, Mastodon, through the official app, is for dumb-dumbs by all standards.

However, those who actually are on Facebook are willing to put up with something more complex. They need something more complex than glorified SMS for dumb-dumbs. They need the extra features that Facebook has that 𝕏 doesn't, even if these are the very features that deny Facebook the "for dumb-dumbs" attribute.

Send them to Mastodon, and they'll be irritated and even repelled because this feature isn't there, and that feature isn't there, and that feature is cut down beyond recognition, and they can't find any interesting people (not because Mastodon is decentralised, and the interesting people are on other servers, but because Mastodon's directory sucks arse in comparison with Facebook's), and what's with that stupid character limit?

On Friendica and Hubzilla, this feature and that feature have been there for longer than Mastodon itself, that feature is even more powerful than on Facebook proper, interesting people are being shoved into their faces once they've filled out their profile, even more so once they've got some connections, and there is no character limit worth speaking of.

But as long as Friendica and Hubzilla don't have official, fully daily-driveable phone apps named "Friendica" and "Hubzilla" respectively, they simply don't exist.

Granted, there's another obstacle. Many Mastodon users say the Fediverse needs a Facebook alternative. If you tell them about Friendica and its descendants, some will be very thankful because they've genuinely never heard of any of these.

Others will tell you that they know Friendica and maybe even Hubzilla. But they also say that none of these are Facebook alternatives. For when they say, "alternative," what they really mean is, "1:1 clone, just with a different name and decentralised and with ActivityPub and without spying and without the recent enshittification and without the evil CEO, otherwise absolutely identical."

One big aspect of this is that, as they say, the Fediverse needs an alternative to Facebook Groups. Friendica groups are exactly that because they were designed to be exactly that. Hubzilla forums, (streams) groups, Forte groups, all just that. But according to these people, they don't count because they aren't handled in precisely the same way as Facebook groups. Facebook groups aren't separate accounts. And different equals bad.

What really has me shake my head is that those who want a 1:1 Facebook clone continue to use Mastodon as a Facebook alternative. Even though Friendica and its family are vastly closer to Facebook regardless. Even though Mastodon not only doesn't have groups at all, but it doesn't even have any support for external groups. Is shouting into the void with a bunch of hashtags and hoping the right people will hear you really that much better than a Friendica group or a Hubzilla forum or maybe a PieFed community?

By the way: Just how faithful a Twitter clone is Mastodon really, seeing as Misskey and the Forkeys have the odd Twitter feature that Mastodon still lacks, seeing as even Mastodon gradually becomes more complex than 𝕏, much more so than when-it-still-was-good Twitter?

#Long #LongPost #CWLong #CWLongPost #FediMeta #FediverseMeta #CWFediMeta #CWFediverseMeta #CharacterLimit #CharacterLimits #CharacterLimitMeta #CWCharacterLimitMeta #Fediverse #Mastodon #Friendica #Hubzilla #Streams #(streams) #Forte #Misskey #Forkey #Forkeys #PieFed #Privacy #Permission #Permissions #Groups #FediverseGroups #FediGroups #App #PhoneApp #iPhoneApp #iOSApp #AndroidApp #SocialNetwork #SocialNetworking #Twitter #𝕏 #Facebook #FacebookGroups

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“A federal agency that recalls toys and coffeemakers is pushing 100+ hospitals to hand over ER patients' names, addresses, and diagnoses — through a private contractor, without the public notice federal law requires. Its ...”

https://mastodon.social/@theblufnews/116993960906144580

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“# meme # politics # surveillance # NSA # government # cctv # bigbrother # Orwell # society # privacy # humanrights

♲ @ headrift@diasporasocial.net :”

https://anonsys.net/display/bf69967c-206a-67c5-1eb0-802616137276

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

#hubzilla #fediverse #bonfire

#hubzilla #fediverse #bonfire

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Facial recognition could be your new ticket to the footy
By Shannon Pearce Facial recognition technology is being used as an alternative form of ticketing, but some experts are concerned it could open the door to the d...”

https://rssfeed.media/@abcfeeds/116993753228335207

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“UK Picks Tekever Drones to Bolster Surveillance Capabilities The UK Ministry of Defence is upgrading its surveillance capabilities with the Tekever AR5 drone, boasting improved endurance, sensors, and reliability to kee...”

https://mastodon.social/@Analyst207/116993591328817603

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“A Milwaukee cop used police license-plate cameras to track his girlfriend and her ex 179 times. One of the detectives investigating him got caught doing the same thing. It's happening in multiple states — and the biggest...”

https://mastodon.social/@theblufnews/116993541597633536

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.