soc.octade.net is a Fediverse instance that uses the ActivityPub protocol. In other words, users at this host can communicate with people that use software like Mastodon, Pleroma, Friendica, etc. all around the world.
This server runs the snac software and there is no automatic sign-up process.
🧐 Headlines in #privacy from @thenewoil
“⌗Chrome Web Store extensions caught stealing ⌗crypto, browser data bleepingcomputer․com/news/security/chrome-web-store-extensions-caught-stealing-crypto-browser-data/ ⌗cybersecurity ⌗malware ⌗privacy”
https://mastodon.thenewoil.org/@thenewoil/117191304988755521
🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.
#Doxxing Safety Part II: Incident Response
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/doxxing-safety-part-ii-incident-response
#Doxxing Safety Pt I: Prevention and Footprint Management
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/doxxing-safety-pt-i-prevention-and-footprint-management
#Privacy on the Map (Part 2): Progress, Pitfalls, and the Fight for Enforceable Location Data Protections
#LGBT Q&A: What’s One Thing I Can Do Today to Improve My Safety and Security Online as an LGBTQ+ Person?
preparing to move the whole folk dance course's #WhatsApp group to #ArcaneChat
#european #europe #android #family #privacy #encryption #OpenSource
We’ve reached an important milestone: Bitcoin and Monero are now integrated into zVault. 🔐
The wallet integration has completed its testing cycle, including penetration testing. zVault is encrypted, device-local and built around self-custody.
Desktop Windows and Linux development took longer than planned while we completed this work. We’ll resume it as soon as possible
More to come.
Stares in Mayor Wilson's direction.
YET another prominent GOP figure coming out swinging against Flock and mass CCTV surveillance.
It's pretty clear the GOP is running to the left of the Dems on police tech this election cycle.
And fuck... would not be surprised if this keeps tons of Republican voters engaged that otherwise would have stayed home this year.
#RonDeSantis #Florida #GOP #Privacy #surveillance #ACAB #Flock
Papermark is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to DocSend. Share documents with custom links, track viewer engagement, and use custom domains and branding.
A great option for founders, freelancers, and teams who want to keep their document-sharing infrastructure under their control.
More details & alternatives: https://digitalescapetools.com/tools/tool.html?id=papermark
#California’s #AgeVerification Bill Passes with #Linux Exemption Intact
https://linuxiac.com/californias-age-verification-bill-passes-with-linux-exemption-intact/
They confided in #ChatGPT. Their secrets ended up in court.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/confided-chatgpt-secrets-ended-court-090000568.html
This week in privacy:
• EFF says license-plate-reader (ALPR) mass surveillance is "irredeemably harmful" and should be eliminated, not reformed.
• An Oregon activist won $300K exposing a Flock blind spot; more US cities are dropping Flock (some for Verkada).
• Florida police set up a fake Flock camera as bait, then charged the man who vandalized it with 3 felonies.
So what: map cameras near you at deflock.org and push your council to reject Flock.
#McKesson discloses breach after #ShinyHunters claims patient data theft
#privacy #cybersecurity #DataBreach #healthcare #pharmaceutical
Zoom on Linux sucks. Well, yes, I know Zoom suck in general but so many work/care related meetings I need to attend use it -- but for me the last few months, it's breaking by freezing on joining/adjusting settings, or booting me at being assigned to a breakout room, and this is via all kinds of installation methods on Linux (software centre, terminal, Snap, Flatpak etc) and even the guidance out there about fixes for Debian-based distros hasn't helped. It's a good thing I don't host workshops on Zoom these days, but when I do again, an open source, privacy-respecting alternative that provides live captioning would be great (feel free to share your recommendations!) #Zoom #Linux #VideoMeetings #VideoConferencing #accessibility #privacy #security
Make an AI image in Windows Paint or Photos and it isn't as local as it looks.
A researcher found Microsoft sends your prompt to its servers for "moderation," then hides a unique ID invisibly in the image's pixels, tied to your account and traceable back to you. It survives cropping.
It's the digital version of the tracking dots color printers have hidden for decades.
So what: don't use the built-in Paint or Photos AI tools for anything private.
Pharmacy chains sell de-identified prescription data to health data brokers who then re-identify it by combining it with other consumer datasets.
So what: under HIPAA you can get your medical records and a list of who they went to. Request both, and correct anything wrong.
Google is adding more network privacy features to Android 17. That’s good news, but privacy shouldn’t stop at the operating system.
Zerion is an open-source messenger for Android. No phone number, no account and no central server. Messages are end-to-end encrypted and routed over Tor.
We’re still early, building in public and improving step by step.
Try Zerion and tell us what you think:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.professor.zerion
This week: an “unprecedented” number of Apple users received mercenary spyware alerts, a 30-40% jump over previous waves. And a phishing platform is using AI voice agents to call people posing as Apple Support, fishing for passcodes.
Different attacks, same target: your account, your device, your identity.
Zerion has none of those to steal. No account, no phone number, no server. Nothing in the middle to compromise.
zerion.chat
Was es soll?
In Deutschland wurde (spät, spätdr als in anderen Kulturnationen) die deutsche nationalbibliothek eingerichtet. Nach dem 2. Weltkrieg (und bis heute) gibt es zwei davon - in Frankfurt und Leipzig. Wolfram Weimer hat die DNB dieses Jahr angegriffen und nachhaltig beschädigt. Vor vielen Jahren hat der Bundestag klargestellt, dass die Einliefdrungspflicht eines Pflichtexemplars auch für digitale Publikationen gilt. Die DNB hat dies extrem eigenwillig interpretiert und die Tweets von Helmut Kohl, Oskar Lafontaine, Angela Merkel, Rita Süssmuth, Lauterbach, Schröder, Scholz, Baerbock, Habeck, Merz, Amthor, Reiche nicht archiviert: Twitter hat die ja nachhaltig und dauerhaft archiviert. Als Musk dann Twitter gekauft und die APIs weitgehend geschlossen hat, hat die DNB panikartig begonnen, zu retten, was noch zu retten ist.
Natürlich ist es weiterhin nötig zu archivieren, was auf X gepostet wird, egal worin der Inhalt besteht. Wer seine Vergangenheit nicht kennt, wird sie wiederholen.
#anonym #antisoziale #privacy #twix #UnplugMusk #UnplugTrump #wissen #twitter
I would also point out that verified/unverified refers only to whether *Google* has verified them. If you want to install an app made by your best friend, you've known since kindergarten and have talked to every days since, they're still "unverified" even though they're totally verified by you. You cannot verify a developer. Your friends can't verify a developer. Third parties you trust can't. Only Google gets this right.
We must support mobile Linux NOW to build a better alternative.
New Zealand Pushing for Failed Age Verification Law
New Zealand lawmakers have announced that they are stupid enough to table age verification legislation.
https://www.freezenet.ca/new-zealand-pushing-for-failed-age-verification-law/
#Censorship #News #Privacy #Security #AgeVerification #fail #legislation #NewZealand
Why Tor Button? 💪🏻
Imagine living in a country where Tor is allowed and reachable, but some apps or services are blocked and you don't want, can't, or don't trust a commercial VPN.
Install Tor Button, press one button, and your Android apps' TCP traffic goes through Tor.
No per-app proxy configuration. No VPN provider to trust.
Want your own music streaming service?
Kima is a self-hosted music platform for your personal library, with surprisingly powerful music discovery.
It supports Spotify/Deezer/YouTube playlist imports, Lidarr & Audiobookshelf, Subsonic, podcasts, PWA/Android TV, and a “Vibe” system that finds similar music based on audio characteristics.
More details & alternatives: https://digitalescapetools.com/tools/tool.html?id=kima-hub
While it was only a matter of time, this is still a very bad development.
«An internet troll on the Pentagon’s payroll has made a database to track Americans based on their political affiliation. …
The release of the evidently government-funded DSA Explorer comes amid a broader effort to label left-wing activists and organizers as domestic terrorists.
In a lengthy disclaimer on the database website, Pounds warned that her data may not be 100 percent accurate. … “Do not rely on this material without independent verification.”»
I'm just not sure a disclaimer and request to be careful is going to hold back people who are determined to make an inference that itself is bogus on its face and is likely in search of any flimsy justification.
#fascism #surveillance #SurveillanceSociety #USElections #USPolitics #DSA #DSAExplorer #privacy #democracy #Constitution #BillOfRights
Buried in #Meta’s $18B settlement is a legal pass on kids’ data
https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/27/buried-in-metas-18b-settlement-is-a-legal-pass-on-kids-data/
in #ArcaneChat you can have several profiles separating private life from work!
you can mute your work profile while you keep available for family and friends, ex. during weekends or vacations
🔐 #Privacy news & updates from @privacyguides:
“🚨 This Week In Privacy ⌗68 will be live in 30 minutes, we'll be talking about how Nitter was just sent a cease and desist from X (Twitter) raising concerns over other frontends suffering the same fate․ We'll also be co…”
https://mastodon.neat.computer/@privacyguides/117175026539520910
🤖 via RSS feed. May not reflect our views.
A #Georgia #Cop Used #Flock to Track 2 Other Cops: His Ex and Her Friend
https://www.wired.com/story/a-georgia-cop-used-flock-to-track-2-other-cops-his-ex-and-her-friend/
Attorney General Mayes Announces Review of Automated License Plate Readers’ Impact on Privacy Rights, Voices Concerns on Misuse
"...PHOENIX — Attorney General Kris Mayes today announced she will conduct a review of the use of Flock cameras and other similar surveillance and automated license plate reader systems across Arizona....Attorney General Mayes’ announcement follows a wave of scrutiny in recent weeks: several law enforcement agencies have canceled their Flock contracts, others have reported misuse of the systems, and the public has raised growing concerns about the use of the technology and the impacts on privacy...."
#Brave launches #Email Aliases to keep your personal email address private from websites
#Manchester Airports Group says hackers stole travelers' data
#MAG #airport #travel #privacy #cybersecurity #DataBreach #Stansted #EastMidlands
Protect your digital peace of mind with #ArcaneChat:
All your private data lives only in your device, independent of any server! you own it!
No one can discover you or know you are using the app, no spam, no scammers!
🔐 #Privacy news & updates from @privacyguides:
“🔒 How does your Password Manager stack up?We created a tierlist video ranking them all from best to worst! 🥇Did your favourite password manager get put in S-tier? Watch our video to find out! ⬇️ neat․tube/w/trRn86hBW…”
https://mastodon.neat.computer/@privacyguides/117173376593265992
🤖 via RSS feed. May not reflect our views.
Buried in Meta’s $18 billion settlement is a legal pass on kids’ data, reports @Sarahp of @Techcrunch.
🎉 Geschafft! Die vollständige Überarbeitung der Empfehlungsecke ist abgeschlossen.
In den vergangenen Wochen habe ich wirklich jedes Thema einzeln geprüft, aktualisiert, ergänzt und an vielen Stellen neu bewertet. Veraltetes ist raus, neue Empfehlungen sind dazugekommen und zahlreiche Hinweise wurden präzisiert.
Jetzt ist die Empfehlungsecke wieder auf Stand August 2026. 😊
👉 https://www.kuketz-blog.de/empfehlungsecke/
#Datenschutz #ITSecurity #Privacy #DigitaleSelbstverteidigung
MangoDisk is an open-source disk cleanup and storage analysis tool for Windows and macOS.
It can find large and duplicate files, caches, app leftovers, developer files, and even local AI models taking up space.
It also includes an app uninstaller, startup manager, disk usage analysis, system optimization, and a CLI.
More details & alternatives: https://digitalescapetools.com/tools/tool.html?id=mangodisk
Britain is building far more than a digital ID.
Certified private verification providers, personal-data intermediaries, new cyber-security powers and a cross-government identity layer are all moving at once.
Taken together, they begin to define who and what the digital state will trust.
https://thomaster.substack.com/p/britain-is-building-the-trust-layer
#DigitalID #CyberSecurity #Privacy #DataProtection #DigitalRights #UKPolitics #Surveillance #AI #OSINT
Quick update on Zerion Desktop. We’re working through the issues that have come in since the 1.0.0 release, thanks to everyone who reported them.
Right now we’re focused on broader platform coverage: aarch64 and other architectures, plus tightening up the Flatpak and Android builds so everything lines up across platforms.
Fixes are on the way. Keep the reports coming, they genuinely help.
github.com/zerionproject/Zerion-Desktop/issues
Gestapo, KGB, Stasi, eat your hearts out.
But here is the key:
«Internet-connected cars can be more convenient.»
Just one sample:
«A 2023 analysis by Mozilla, the maker of the Firefox browser, examined the privacy policies of 25 car brands. Every one failed to meet the privacy and security standards that Mozilla uses to compare brands. Mozilla said cars were "the worst product category we have ever reviewed for privacy".»
BBC article:
Trillions of miles of data: Your car is spying on you, and it's only just the beginning
<https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260513-your-car-is-spying-on-you-its-about-to-get-worse>
#Alabama country boy vs #AI #surveillance and #privacy defilement
Jacob Rockwell at a #Pensacola, #Florida #CityCouncil meeting
👏 👏 👏
(Jacob's actually from Escambia County, which is the far Western tip of Florida, so basically Alabama)
🧐 Headlines in #privacy from @thenewoil
“⌗X sends cease-and-desist to open source project ⌗Nitter over alleged scraping techcrunch․com/2026/08/25/x-sends-cease-and-desist-to-open-source-project-nitter-over-alleged-scraping/ ⌗Twitter ⌗FOSS ⌗pr…”
https://mastodon.thenewoil.org/@thenewoil/117163583215923283
🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.
Privacy is not a tech skill. It is a set of small decisions anyone can make, one at a time. You do not need to understand how tracking works under the hood. You just need to know which few settings matter, and that part is simple.
Ooof, per 404 Media:
"...The 43-page investigation found Fultz had posed for pictures as Adolf Hitler, freely used racial slurs in texts, masturbated on camera in his police vehicle, took pictures of his ex-girlfriend with his service weapon in her mouth during sex, repeatedly broke the law to generate clout online for his motorcycle themed Instagram and TikTok accounts, and used Flock to stalk his ex-girlfrie...."
Aw, It’s Baby’s First #AI #Surveillance System
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/business/smart-baby-monitors-nanit-owlet.html
State attorneys general bypass legislatures, use courts to force #surveillance cameras into innocent people's bedrooms, shred online #anonymity, and impose extreme #speech #curfews.
Everyone then claps and cheers at how much safer the children are going to be now.
I'm going to be sick. We'll all be marched into camps at this rate. God help us all.
#EFF statement: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/eff-statement-meta-settlement
Settlement (PDF, 122 pages): https://oag.dc.gov/sites/default/files/2026-08/Settlement%20Agreement%20FINAL%20-%20Fully%20Executed.pdf
News article: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/26/meta-kids-safety-features-settlement-01050418
If I recall correctly, something like 85% of the US population can be uniquely identified by birthdate, gender, and zip code.
https://www.johndcook.com/blog/2018/12/07/simulating-zipcode-sex-birthdate/
It's OK to Take a Break from Thinking About Digital #Privacy
https://theprivacydad.com/its-ok-to-take-a-break-from-thinking-about-digital-privacy/
Zerion Desktop is here. Version 1.0.0 for Windows and Linux is live.
It brings Zerion to the desktop with the same serverless design: peer-to-peer messaging over Tor, no accounts, no phone number. It speaks the same wire protocol as mobile, so desktop and phone identities can talk to each other.
It also includes the encrypted ZVault and non-custodial BTC, ETH and XMR wallets, keys stay with you, all traffic over Tor.
github.com/zerionproject/Zerion-Desktop
‚Beim Verifizieren des eigenen Profils oder Alters auf vertrauten Plattformen geben Nutzende sensible biometrische Informationen an dritte Unternehmen weiter. Eines dieser Unternehmen ist das US-amerikanische Persona, dessen Prüfungen weit über bloße Identitätskontrollen hinausgehen….
Wer dein Gesicht scannt, wenn du dich online verifizierst #LinkedIn #Etsy #Roblox
#Persona #USA #Technology #Gesichtserkennung #Biometrie #Datenschutz #Privacy #Netzpolitik
#GTA6 Leaker Now Charges $165K To Make Contact, Builds System Linking #Monero Payment To Private #Session
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/cyberleek-gta6-leaks-contact-fee-1815962
"Websites track you" is abstract. Blacklight makes it concrete.
Type in any site, your bank, a news site, a store, and this free tool shows you in ~30 seconds:
- how many third-party trackers it runs
- whether it records your keystrokes before you hit submit
- which platforms get your data (Google, Meta, now TikTok and X)
It's from The Markup, a nonprofit whose job is exposing tracking, not doing it.
themarkup.org/blacklight
Digitale Rasterfahndung: Wenn Bilder im Netz Leben zerstören
Die Öffentlichkeitsfahndung wird zunehmend für Bagatellfälle genutzt. Experten warnen vor unverhältnismäßigen Grundrechtseingriffen…..
https://www.heise.de/news/Digitale-Rasterfahndung-Wenn-Bilder-im-Netz-Leben-zerstoeren-11305596.html
#Überwachung #Deutschland #Datenschutz #Gesichtserkennung #Privacy
In a dramatic capitulation, the owner of #Facebook & #Instagram agreed to the financial penalties for violating federal #child #privacy & states’ #ConsumerProtection laws, the #states announced. #Meta also agreed to limit how long #teenagers can spend on its platforms & to bans on features that stoke #MentalHealth issues,striking at the heart of the company’s business of #engagement for advertising.
BREAKING: Meta will pay $16.7 billion to settle a case brought by California AG Rob Bonta and a bipartisan coalition of 29 states, alleging Facebook and Instagram misled the public about child mental-health harms.
Meta must add teen daily usage limits, nighttime blocks, stronger age checks, and new parental tools, within months.
You don't have to wait: turn on teen daily limits, sleep mode, and supervision in Meta's Family Center today.
#Apple Won't Change #HideMy #Email Domain After Backlash
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/24/apple-hide-my-email-domain/
Friends don't let friends in centralized walled gardens
#ArcaneChat #decentralization #europe #european #family #friends #android #privacy
@davemosk
I *had* never used it ... until I (sort of) *had to* use it.
I'd been a very happy Signal user. But then joining a community (I strongly support) that entirely communicates (almost exclusively) via WhatsApp (and some public facing stuff via Facebook) had meant the end of it.
Gladly on my GrapheneOS phone I was able to use a throw-away SIM (foreign, from a recent EU trip) to register a WhatsApp account in an entirely isolated user profile.
It is painful to have to use WhatsApp (for that one thing) now. But it is also painful – depending on one's community – to *not* use it.
The big question is this: How can one (peacefully) motivate such a community to 'get off' of WhatsApp/Facebook without alienation and offending them? Certainly educated arguments don't work. :-(
Any strategies?
As always a great talk from Bill Swearingen, this year he spoke about defeating systems like flock.
He mentioned some crazy stats:
🗺️ There's 120k Flock cameras
📸 They scan cars 20 BILLION times a month
And that's just flock's network 🤯
#DEFCON #BillSwearingen #privacy #surveillance #flock #acab #deflock
@snap here, have another flyer to help you in your quest 👏👏👏
EDIT: fix typo in flyer
#DeltaChat #decentralization #privacy #linux #macos #ios #android #windows #software #encryption #communication #activism #flyer #poster
Carrier agreements with emergency alert system operators expose subscriber contact information and device capabilities to those system operators.
So what: switch to Firefox or Brave, turn on encrypted DNS, and add a no-log VPN if your ISP sells your browsing history.
404 Media: Man Charged With 3 Felonies For Breaking 3D-Printed ‘Decoy’ Flock Camera
"...A police department in Florida used “decoy” Flock cameras that an officer 3D-printed at home to “bait” would-be vandals. Police officers monitored the fake cameras for days, then charged a man with three felonies after he cut down and destroyed one of the plastic devices. The police department in question refuses to release any information about how the decoy operation was devised or carried out and claims there is zero paper trail whatsoever about the operation...."
https://www.404media.co/man-charged-with-3-felonies-for-breaking-3d-printed-decoy-flock-camera/
ATTENTION YouTubers
Please provide a PeerTube option in addition to your YouTube account.
EXAMPLE
The Linux Experiment
Website: https://tilvids.com/c/thelinuxexperiment_channel/videos
Fediverse: @thelinuxEXP @thelinuxexperiment
PEERTUBE
Website: https://joinpeertube.org
Fediverse: @peertube @Framasoft
THANK YOU
#Google #YouTube #YouTuber #YouTubers #deGoogle #Framasoft #PeerTube #FreeSoftware #FOSS #FLOSS #SoftwareLibre #OpenSource #Privacy #InfoSec #Fediverse #Video #Decentralized #SelfHost #SelfHosting #ActivityPub
You do not have to be perfect to be private. A few steady habits beat one perfect app you set up once and forget. Start with the easy wins, keep the ones that stick, and let it build from there. Progress counts more than a spotless setup.