First, they'll ask for your official IDs to confirm your age and identity.

This will create a large treasure trove
of sensitive data, which will attract criminals, and will inevitably leak from either negligence or malice, sooner than later.

Then, they'll claim your official ID is
unreliable, because it was stolen so many times, and demand you share your biometric data.

They will collect your face scan,
your palm scan, and even your iris scan (no exaggeration, these are all already being collected by some companies for identification). They will claim it's super safe.

This will create a large treasure trove
of sensitive biometric data, which will attract criminals, and will inevitably leak from either negligence or malice, sooner than later.

Then what? Rinse and escalate.

You will have lost control of not just your corporate social media accounts by participating to this, but to any data capable of validating your identity, to your privacy rights, to the protections you could use online to stay safe.

We don't have to wait that it escalates.

We can, and must, push back and say No now. Start to say No now.

#Privacy #Biometrics #DataMinimization #AgeVerification

#Linux Desktop Market Share Surpasses 10% in North America

https://linuxiac.com/linux-desktop-market-share-surpasses-10-in-north-america/

#privacy #FOSS

Tuta Mail is an open-source email provider with built-in end-to-end encryption, secure calendars, and clients for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and the web.

I reviewed its privacy, security, features, pricing, and limitations to help you decide if it's the right fit.

Review: https://digitalescapetools.com/reviews/tuta-mail-review.html

#Privacy #Email #OpenSource #Encryption #TutaMail #CyberSecurity

Excited to be teaching the 5th edition of the Tunnel training tomorrow.

In 4 days there be some shiny new sovereign VPNs in the wild, running atop geothermal energy in Iceland, each capable of supporting hundreds of people.

One small step toward re-asserting that the basic right to privacy ought not be left to private enterprises. Rather, it should be in the hands of communities, meeting their needs, and on their terms.

https://courses.nikau.io/tunnel/

#sysadmin #privacy #decentralisation

The #security and #privacy oriented #NextcloudPi project, which is focused on self-hosting on your own raspberry pi hardware, blocks #TORbrowser from accessing docs.nextcloudpi.com.

One is not allowed, apparently, to exercise one's privacy when learning how to use the software.

@voorstad @signalapp @AboutSignalNL gosh, "maps.google.com/maps?q=" has been hardcoded in the client apps since the feature was first added in 2015-2019. This could be swapped to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geo_URI_scheme trivially. Though it doesn't (at least on iOS) know how to parse or make-clickable those geo: URIs.

#locationsharing #privacy

"Is It Possible to Make Smart Glasses That Aren’t Creepy?"

"As more big companies invest in glasses that record audio and video and pack AI on board, privacy concerns are only getting louder."

https://www.wired.com/story/is-it-possible-to-make-privacy-friendly-smart-glasses/

#Privacy

Tech could be good.
Tech could serve humanity first.

Surveillance capitalism isn't an inherent part of tech, it's an inherent part of capitalism.

We could, and we must, build better tech.
Tech for the people.

#Tech #Privacy #HumanRights

𝗚𝗼𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀:

#Analytics #Statistics #Privacy #GoAccess

https://thewhale.cc/posts/goaccess

GoAccess is an open source real-time web log analyzer and interactive viewer that runs in a terminal in *nix systems or through your browser. It provides fast and valuable HTTP statistics for system administrators that require a visual server report on the fly.

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GoAccess is an open source real-time web log analyzer and interactive viewer that runs in a terminal in *nix systems or through your browser. It provides fast and valuable HTTP statistics for system administrators that require a visual server report on the fly.

The #EU wanted to kill the #CookieBanner, but then #Google called.

https://tuta.com/blog/why-eu-member-states-and-google-want-to-keep-cookie-banner

#privacy

Meet ArcaneChat: a secure and #decentralized private messenger

Anonymous: No SIM card needed! No phone numbers required for registration, just set a name and start chatting!

Private: All your conversations are end-to-end encrypted

Discreet: No one can discover you or know that you are using the app! only people you share your invitation link or QR with can contact you

#digitalindependence #privacy #security #family #encryption #autonomy #european #openSource #europe #diday #decentralization

Need to share a terminal session securely?

TermPair is a free, open-source tool that lets you share a live terminal in your browser with end-to-end encryption. Choose read-only or interactive access, with no Docker, Node.js, or Python required.

https://digitalescapetools.com/tools/tool.html?id=termpair

#OpenSource #Terminal #Linux #SelfHosting #Privacy #DevOps #CyberSecurity #FOSS

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TermPair terminal generating a secure, end-to-end encrypted browser link for sharing a live terminal session.

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TermPair web interface showing a live shared terminal session with end-to-end encryption and interactive read/write access.

1. The Main Switch

This is the main setting Google shows you, but it's not the only one.

Gmail (Desktop):

⚙️ Settings → See all settings → Smart features and personalization → Uncheck "Turn on smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet" → Save Changes.

#Google #Email #Privacy #AI

2. The Hidden Switch

Turning off the first setting isn't enough. Most people stop there.

On the same settings page: Google Workspace smart features → Manage Workspace smart feature settings → Turn off both checkboxes → Save.

Both settings need to be turned off.

#Google #Email #Privacy #AI

3. Your Phone

The settings don't always sync between devices, so check the Gmail app separately.

Gmail app → Menu (☰) → Settings → Select your account → Turn off "Smart features and personalization" → Confirm.

#Google #Email #Privacy #AI

4. Delete Gemini History

If you've used Gemini before, your chats may be saved, and some could be reviewed by humans.

Go to http://myactivity.google.com/product/gemini → Turn off Gemini Apps Activity → Delete Activity → All Time.

This removes your past Gemini chat history and stops future conversations from being saved.

#Google #Email #Privacy #AI

5. Move Sensitive Emails

Turning off Gmail's smart features helps, but for truly private emails, consider using a separate service.

For medical, legal, or financial emails, use a free Proton Mail account. It offers end-to-end encryption and doesn't use AI to scan your emails.

Keep Gmail for newsletters, promotions, and less sensitive messages.

#Google #Email #Privacy #AI

@dbattistella
My husband and I use tuta (@Tutanota) for sending encrypted email. The account also includes a calendar.

I started with a free account just to test it out and then moved to the paid tier to get some more features.

No affiliation with the company, just a customer.

#Email #Privacy #Encryption

There was an option to see their privacy policy. I could see the advisor on the screen waiting for me to join, so I clicked the link and scrolled through the privacy policy. There was absolutely nothing about AI - what data would be collected, how the data would be used and shared, how they protected the data, how long before they deleted the data, or whether it would use my data for further training of whatever model they were using.

#privacy
#AI
#information

Zerion 3.0 is in its final stage before release. The dev branch, with the native protocol stack, I2P and the Bluetooth mesh, is now being tested by an external party before we ship it.

We don’t release security features on trust. They get checked first, and the whole thing is open source so you can read every line yourself while we do.

This is separate from the independent audit we’re still raising funds for. Both matter.

zerion.chat

#privacy #tor #foss #infosec

@Ayzacoder: Attention if you have a Gmail account:

Google's AI now scans your emails and attachments, bank statements, tax files, medical letters, all of it. It turned on by default, and there's a class-action lawsuit over how.

Here are 5 moves to shut it off, the switch is hidden in two places:

#Google #Email #Privacy #AI

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CU photo of a smiling man in a suit and tie (Sundar Pichai) next to a large Google mail icon

"The public has been asked to accept a significant expansion of surveillance based on the promise that it would dramatically improve public safety."

The post Flock Surveillance Cameras Are Actually Horrible for Fighting Crime, FBI Data Shows appeared first on Futurism.

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Flock Surveillance Cameras Are Actually Horrible for Fighting Crime, FBI Data Shows

#Amgen says cloud #DataBreach exposed patient #health, proprietary info

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/amgen-says-cloud-data-breach-exposed-patient-health-proprietary-info/

#privacy #cybersecurity #healthcare

#OptingOut

On Friday, I had an online meeting with a financial advisor. When I logged onto zoom, I was treated to an advertisement-like message telling me that AI would be recording the meeting and helping prepare notes for the advisor. I could enter the meeting only if I agreed to this, and the other option kicked me out of the meeting.

#AI
#privacy
#InformationCollection

#Google plans to exempt sanctioned nations from #Android developer verification

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/07/google-plans-to-exempt-sanctioned-nations-from-android-developer-verification/

#privacy #cybersecurity #KeepAndroidOpen

Most Australian teens still on #SocialMedia three months after under-16 ban began, study finds

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/most-australian-teens-still-social-media-three-months-after-under-16-ban-began-2026-07-31/

#Australia #SocialMediaBan #AgeVerification #privacy

Amending #AB1709 Doesn’t Fix It: #California’s #SocialMediaBan Still Threatens Free Speech and #Privacy

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/amending-ab-1709-doesnt-fix-it-californias-social-media-ban-still-threatens-free

#SocialMedia #AgeVerification

Andy Burnham says Britain’s £1.8bn Digital ID programme is dead. The official record tells a more complicated story.

One Login, GOV.UK Wallet, private verification firms and statutory data-sharing powers remain—alongside Palantir’s expanding NHS and defence footprint.

I traced what was cancelled, and what quietly survived.

https://thomaster.substack.com/p/burnham-cancelled-digital-id-britains

#DigitalID #Palantir #Privacy #Surveillance #CivilLiberties #UKPolitics

The #SCREENAct Threatens #Privacy Far Beyond Adult Websites

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/screen-act-threatens-privacy-far-beyond-adult-websites

#nsfw #AgeVerification

Adam's Bail Fund is below 👇🏿

He appears to have a court date set for August 5th.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-adam-lee-heimermans-legal-defense

#AdamHeimerman #AdamLeeHeimerman #FuckFlock #tennessee #MutualAid #CourtWatch #Flock #ACAB #USPol #Privacy #surveillance

The #CHATBOTAct Forces One Parenting Model On Every Family

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/chatbot-act-forces-one-parenting-model-every-family

#privacy #AI

High school defends staying silent while boys made #AI nudes of 59 classmates

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/high-school-defends-staying-silent-while-boys-made-ai-nudes-of-59-classmates/

#privacy #nudify #deepfake #nsfw

A Surveillance Treaty in Disguise: Canada Signs UN Cybercrime Convention

https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/07/a-surveillance-treaty-in-disguise-the-trouble-with-canadas-quiet-decision-to-sign-the-un-cybercrime-convention/

Comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49134694

#HackerNews #surveillance #treaty #Canada #UN #cybercrime #digital #rights #privacy

For #ageverification to truly be #privacy preserving, it shouldn't only ensure that services can't get any unnecessary data. It should also ensure that the state (including govt departments private companies acting on behalf of the state) can't get any unnecessary data, such as information about which sites you verify with. The latter, privacy towards the state, doesn't seem to be taken into account in the #eudiwallet design, as far as I can tell.

#EUDI #eidas #privacywashing

"These two tools automatically tracked and disclosed certain [actions] to Meta."

The post FTC Concerned About Meta Surveillance of Users of Erectile Dysfunction Apps appeared first on Futurism.

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FTC Concerned About Meta Surveillance of Users of Erectile Dysfunction Apps

Want to detect intruders before they reach your real systems?

OpenCanary is a free, open-source network honeypot that emulates common services and sends instant alerts when someone interacts with them. It's lightweight, easy to deploy, and works on Linux, macOS, Docker, and Raspberry Pi.

More details: https://digitalescapetools.com/tools/tool.html?id=opencanary

#OpenSource #CyberSecurity #InfoSec #Honeypot #SelfHosting #Privacy #Linux #Homelab #FOSS

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Screenshot of the OpenCanary project page describing the lightweight network honeypot with passing GitHub test, Docker build, and PyPI badges.

happy #caturday! don't forget to be a little weird today and to join some #ArcaneChat channels! check the list at:

https://arcanechat.me/channels

#chatmail #DeltaChat #channels #memes #news #politics #dev #developerjokes #comics #android #opensource #privacy #encryption #security

Medical data is among the most valuable on black markets, worth 10-40x more per record than stolen credit card data.

#privacy #healthcare #databreach #indigoprivacy

The SCREEN Act Threatens Privacy Far Beyond Adult Websites https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/screen-act-threatens-privacy-far-beyond-adult-websites #Privacy

🔐 #Privacy news & updates from @privacyguides:

“🚨 This Week In Privacy #64 will be live in 30 minutes, an activist has been charged with a felony for providing a "duress code" which wiped his GrapheneOS device, we'll be discussing the legal implications and the lates...”

https://mastodon.neat.computer/@privacyguides/117016010109518884

🤖 via RSS feed. May not reflect our views.

#SouthKorea fines #telco giant #KT $39 million for customer #DataBreach

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/south-korea-fines-telco-giant-kt-39-million-for-customer-data-breach/

#cybersecurity #privacy

#Flock cameras are getting mobbed

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/30/us/flock-camera-vandalism-protests-cec

#privacy #surveillance

Zerion 3.0 just landed two new transports in dev, on top of our native protocol stack.

I2P as an opt-in alternative to Tor, for people who want a different anonymity network. Tor stays the default.

And a Bluetooth mesh for communicating with no internet at all. Messages are carried encrypted from device to device, store-carry-forward, until they reach the recipient. Built for blackouts, protests, disasters, anywhere the network is down or cut.

zerion.chat

#privacy #tor #i2p #mesh #foss

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

#CareCloud begins to notify hundreds of thousands after hackers stole #medical records

https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/30/carecloud-begins-to-notify-hundreds-of-thousands-after-hackers-stole-medical-records/

#privacy #cybersecurity #DataBreach #healthcare

Catastrophic #MoD #DataBreach would not have happened if staff had been trained on #Excel

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/afghan-data-breach-superinjunction-defence-report-mod-b3022842.html

#privacy #cybersecurity

🚨 The text is up https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/s5090/text for S.5090, a federal Digital Age Assurance Act, and it is very not good:

* There is no #OpenSource exemption!

* It requires users to “establish an account with the provider”. (§3(a)(1)(A)(i)) This makes local/offline accounts, as is typical on #Linux, #Windows 10, etc, illegal.

[see thread; there's much more]

This #ageVerification bill is a dramatic escalation in the politicians' war against #privacy and #FOSS. Call your senators!!!

Read This Before You Buy That TV #Streaming Stick

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2026/07/read-this-before-you-buy-that-tv-streaming-stick/

#cybersecurity #privacy

Building apps with #VerifiableCredentials? Or just getting started?
The updated @w3c "Verifiable Credentials Overview 1.1" is a great starting point for #developers and implementers exploring trusted digital credentials. Find out how Controlled Identifiers, JOSE/COSE, Cryptosuites, #JSON Schema and other key specs fit together to help you build interoperable, #privacy preserving digital #identity solutions #GroupNoteDraft

▶️ https://www.w3.org/TR/vc-overview-1.1/

Feedback wlc: https://github.com/w3c/vc-overview/issues/

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Lifecycle of a single Verifiable Credential: the roles and information flows for this specification.

macUSB is a free, open-source utility for creating bootable macOS, Windows, and Linux USB drives directly from your Mac.

It supports Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, includes a built-in macOS downloader, verifies checksums, and makes creating installation media much easier than using Terminal commands.

More details: https://digitalescapetools.com/tools/tool.html?id=macusb

#OpenSource #macOS #Linux #Windows #SelfHosting #Privacy

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Screenshot of the macUSB homepage showing the app's description, supported Mac architectures, and a preview of its bootable USB creation interface.

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macOS Full Disk Access settings with macUSB granted permission to access protected files and folders.

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macOS Login Items & Extensions settings showing macUSB enabled to run background tasks.