Age verification ...

#privacy #privacymatters #ageverification #socialmedia #surveillance #dataskydd #dataprotection #gdpr #deepstate

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A meme related to age verification on the Internet

The Trump administration has thrown billions at purging non-white people from this country. Most of that has ended up in the hands of ICE, which has — in turn — thrown hundreds of millions at a number of private companies offering bespoke and/or off-the-shelf surveillance solutions. The slide down the slippery slope began less than […]

Let's talk architecture, not anecdotes. 🧱

Centralization is fragile. In Ep. 30 of Impractical Privacy, we are stripping back the myths:

🔗 Public Blockchains & CEX Funnels

💬 Metadata Whispers & E2E Fallacies

📡 P2P Mesh Networks

🌐 The math behind NAT Hole Punching and sovereignty.

Tune in for the deep dive into truly resilient networking.
👇
ImpracticalPrivacy.com

#P2P #CryptoPrivacy #Networking #Cybersecurity #Meshtastic #Privacy #Surveillance #Metadata #Decentralization #PrivacyMatters

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AI Generated Image.

US lawmakers are alarmed that Bill Pulte, a housing official with no intelligence experience, is poised to take charge of one of the government's most powerful surveillance tools.

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Trump Risks Key Surveillance Authority Over ‘Unqualified’ Spy-Chief Pick

"The true scope of Seguritech's operations, however, has never been fully examined."

"[A]warded at least 63 government surveillance contracts in Mexico since 2012, totaling more than 21.8 billion pesos ($1.27 billion)."
———————————————
Author: José Olivares
Publications: Type Investigations & Rest of World
April 8, 2026
———————————————
#Mexico #Texas #USA #Drugs #Policing #Incarceration #Surveillance #Border
https://typeinvestigations.org/investigation/2026/04/08/a-mexican-surveillance-giant-youve-never-heard-of-is-now-watching-the-us-border/

After a global scandal over its use of the notorious Pegasus spyware to target journalists and activists, the Presidential office of Nayib Bukele’s El Salvador secretly sought to acquire alternative spyware through a shadowy international deal involving intermediaries in Central America, Europe, and the Middle East. https://thenewsground.com/bukele-secretly-pursued-spyware-deal/ #spyware #journalist #surveillance

"Just days after a damning WIRED report exposed that Meta had quietly embedded facial recognition technology (FRT) code into millions of phones, the tech giant has quietly acquiesced in demands to reverse course.

Last week, researchers identified code in Meta AI, a companion app for its line of smart glasses, that could convert images of faces into unique biometric signatures to identify strangers in public. EFF’s Threat Lab verified these findings through static analysis, and reminded consumers to think twice before buying or using Meta’s surveillance glasses.

Just as quietly as Meta embedded this code, the app’s June 5th app update appears to have quietly removed all those features and systems. Gone is the face-recognition technology, the code meant to trigger “Person recognized” alerts, and the machine learning models and databases designed to detect, digitize, and store the biometric signatures of people users engage with.

When WIRED broke the news last week, Meta’s executives immediately went on the defensive. Yet, their actions speak louder than their tweets: less than 48 hours after the public caught wind of their plans, Meta quietly launched an update to scrub nearly all traces of the FRT system from their app."

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/06/victory-meta-strips-facial-recognition-code-smart-glasses-app-after-public-outcry

#Meta #Surveillance #SmartGlasses #FacialRecognition

"The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to make it effectively impossible for people to buy what many call burner phones—a phone not explicitly linked to your identity at the point of purchase—which would impact privacy-conscious people, to domestic abuse survivors, to journalists, and many more. The FCC plans to do this by legally forcing the country’s telecoms to store a wealth of personal information about essentially all phone customers, including a government issued identification number and their physical address, alarming privacy advocates and civil rights activists who compare the measures to those from authoritarian countries where it can be difficult to buy a mobile phone plan without giving up your identity.

The proposed change would drastically shake up how people obtain phone plans in the U.S., and have all sorts of privacy and cybersecurity knock-on effects. The FCC is proposing the data collection partly as a way to combat scammers, with telecoms being required to collect other information on business and foreign customers like the intended use case of their bulk phone plan purchase and their IP address. But the changes would mean telecoms collect data on all new and renewing customers, and the FCC provides a long list of other things that the collected data could help authorities with."

https://www.404media.co/fcc-wants-to-kill-burner-phones-by-forcing-telecoms-to-get-all-customers-ids/

#USA #FCC #BurnerPhones #Privacy #Surveillance

Most US World Cup stadiums are surrounded by surveillance cameras. Want to know if you’re being watched on your way to a match? These maps will help you.

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Mapping Every Flock License Plate Reader Near US World Cup Stadiums

RE: https://mastodon.social/@thomaster/116722439609895478

It starts with scanning photos. But if the OS has to scan 3rd party apps, this means it can scan EVERYTHING that is done on the phone.

There is no trust between users and BigTech or the Government because they have proved, time and time again, a total lack of competence in securing our data and a surprising speed of scope creep in using that data. And, as Thom Aster points out, this has not been through Parliament. This is one man making a statement on the TV.

The Government cost the tax payer a lot of money but seem incapable of approaching any tech issue without resorting to greater levels of surveillance. Come on chaps, put some thought into it.

#privacy #surveillance

Privacy and Surveillance boosted

Thom Aster » 🌐 2026-06-09 / 2026-06-09
@thomaster@mastodon.social

The UK just announced they'll scan every photo on your phone to "protect children." The problem? "Proof of age" isn't defined. No legislation. No spec. No limits. This is surveillance infrastructure with no defined end state.

https://thomaster.substack.com/p/the-uk-is-about-to-scan-every-photo

#Privacy #UK #Surveillance #DigitalRights #OnlineSafety #KeirStarmer #Labour #Apple #Google #BigBrother

Some day Civil Society must grapple with whether platforms can differentiate markets on the basis of delivering Privacy & Security features https://alecmuffett.com/article/160535 #BackDoors #ChatControl #SiriAi #apple #dma #surveillance

Some day Civil Society must gr...

This Company Will Add #Phone , #AirPod , and #Smartwatch #Trackers to #LicensePlate Readers

A #surveillance company plans to add #sensors to automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) that would mean the devices, as well as capture the license plate of passing vehicles, would also sweep up unique identifiers of mobile phones, wearables, and other Bluetooth-enabled devices in those cars, potentially letting law enforcement identify specific drivers or passengers.

The technology, called #SignalTrace , would turn #ALPR #cameras from devices focused on #tracking cars to ones that can more readily track the location of particular people. ALPR cameras have become a commonly deployed technology all across the U.S.; SignalTrace would make some of those cameras capable of collecting much more data.
#privacy #security

https://www.404media.co/this-company-will-add-phone-airpod-and-smartwatch-trackers-to-license-plate-readers/

Leonardo is a $17 billion US defense contractor. It built a system called SignalTrace using sensors that clip onto existing license plate readers already mounted on street poles, overpasses, and police cars across the country.

Every time you drive past one, the sensor is designed to grab the Bluetooth and WiFi signals from every device in your car, tying them to your plate, and logging the time and location.

Your phone, your AirPods, your kid's tablet. All of it goes into the same file. A friend rides with you once and their devices are also linked to your plate.

Leonardo has sold this system to police departments since at least 2023. There is no federal law covering it, no opt-out, and no warrant requirement.

#Surveillance #Tech #LawEnforcement
https://www.404media.co/this-company-will-add-phone-airpod-and-smartwatch-trackers-to-license-plate-readers/

The UK just announced they'll scan every photo on your phone to "protect children." The problem? "Proof of age" isn't defined. No legislation. No spec. No limits. This is surveillance infrastructure with no defined end state.

https://thomaster.substack.com/p/the-uk-is-about-to-scan-every-photo

#Privacy #UK #Surveillance #DigitalRights #OnlineSafety #KeirStarmer #Labour #Apple #Google #BigBrother

This Company Will Add Phone, #AirPod, and Smartwatch Trackers to License Plate Readers

https://www.404media.co/this-company-will-add-phone-airpod-and-smartwatch-trackers-to-license-plate-readers/

#SignalTrace #privacy #ALPR #surveillance

Meta removed facial-recognition code from its smart glasses app days after reports revealed systems designed to identify people through biometric signatures. 👓
The reversal followed public scrutiny, but questions remain over future deployment plans and any data collected during internal testing. 🔒

🔗 https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/06/victory-meta-strips-facial-recognition-code-smart-glasses-app-after-public-outcry

#TechNews #Meta #FacialRecognition #SmartGlasses #Biometrics #Privacy #Surveillance #DigitalRights #Transparency #Security #Technology #AI #Data #Freedom #Rights #Facebook

Wouldn't it be fun if someone invented a telephone booth in today's surveillance society?

You could only make or receive a call after facial recognition + govt. ID verification.

And Superman would be arrested for public indecency the very first time he tried to change into his hero outfit.

#surveillance #phone #communication

"... If I sold Google some data cables, and months later sent them an email “btw in 5 business days your cables will start sending all the data going through them to me, even though you specifically told me not to enable this feature, unless you re-disable it”, I would go to jail for hacking."

#Surveillance #Panopticon #SpyWare #Google #Gemini #Privacy #Security #Email

"Make no mistake: These kinds of regulations are like a bad cold — they spread fast and are hard to shake. Governments and legislators around the world are constantly peeking over the fence at their neighbors to see what policies they’re rolling out and asking themselves whether they, too, can enact such laws.

You shouldn’t be surprised when more nations ask, If Turkey can do away with that pesky anonymous internet speech, why can’t we? In fact, the sentiment already exists in democratic nations freer than Turkey. In February, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for an end to anonymous posts. “I want to see real names on the internet,” he said. “I want to know who is speaking.” Coincidentally or not, Germany also prosecutes insults to public officials. Not long after Merz’s statements, police investigated a Facebook comment calling Merz “Pinocchio.”

Anonymous online speech is in peril even here in the United States. In 2023, then-presidential candidate Nikki Haley walked back her demand that companies “verify every single person” using their platforms “by name.” The idea was toxic at the time, and she faced backlash among conservatives. But in the years since, that campaign has ballooned. The bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, which enjoys Democratic and Republican support, as well as the constantly growing list of state-level age-verification bills in red and blue states are putting a real strain on Americans’ ability to remain anonymous, whether they are 16 years old or 60."

https://expression.fire.org/p/its-the-end-of-internet-anonymity

#Turkey #Anonymity #AgeVerification #FreedomOfExpression #Censorship #Surveillance

https://youtu.be/Nhz6vao13bs

[copypasta]

California AB 2047: The End of Open Source 3D Printing

California just introduced a bill that doesn't just regulate "ghost guns", it mandates a digital kill switch for every 3D printer sold. California AB 2047 requires "blocking technology" that connects your printer to a government-approved database before every single print. If the system goes down, or your file is flagged, your hardware becomes a paperweight.

This isn't just about firearms. This is the death of Open Source. If this bill passes, it effectively bans Marlin, Klipper, and Orca Slicer, forcing every manufacturer to lock down their firmware. It turns general-purpose computing into a walled garden where you only rent permission to use the hardware you own.

[/copypasta]

#OpenSource #RightToRepair #Privacy #Clippy #California #Monopolies #3dPrinters #3dPrinting #Technology #Government #Firearms #Guns #SoftwareFreedom #Surveillance #Panopticon #Lobbyists

All the donor-funded foundations ought to be fighting against and speaking out against this Orwellian garbage.

@eff@mastodon.social
@fsf@hostux.social
@linuxfoundation@social.lfx.dev
@privacyint@mastodon.xyz
@openssf@social.lfx.dev
@rms@mastodon.xyz
@CCIAnet@techpolicy.social
@WriterOfMinds@sigmoid.social
@SeaGL@mastodon.social
@hopeconf@mastodon.online
@w3c@w3c.social
@ACM@mastodon.acm.org
@irtf@discuss.systems
@osi@opensource.org

🚨 LinkedIn Is Illegally Searching Your Computer

｢ Every time any of LinkedIn’s one billion users visits https://linkedin.com, hidden code searches their computer for installed software, collects the results, and transmits them to LinkedIn’s servers and to third-party companies including an American-Israeli cybersecurity firm.
The user is never asked. Never told. LinkedIn’s privacy policy does not mention it ｣

https://browsergate.eu/

#linkedin #privacy #surveillance

Federal Right To #Privacy Act

The Solution: A Comprehensive Privacy Bill

The bill imposes hard limits on #surveillance , hidden collection, #coercive “consent,” brokered data trafficking, and government circumvention of what should be a lawful process balancing #freedom with evidence of wrongdoing. It restores rule-based protections people can understand and courts can enforce.

https://righttoprivacyact.github.io/

"While the [age verification] bill moved through the legislature, the OSI, FSF, Software Freedom Conservancy, and Linux Foundation all sat it out — no testimony, no public analysis, no formal opposition on the record."

California's computer age verification law is poison. The new California age verification law is a version of INGSOC's telescreen watching you. And the usual self-proclaimed software freedom fighters are AWOL as this attack on your freedom is executed.

Don't listen to apologists who claim this isn't a big deal. It is a huge deal. This law is not about protecting children. The California law is a ruse for laying the foundation and precedent for mandatory remote control of all operating systems. They are using children as a shield for their true intentions. It's called a 'subterfuge' or a 'pretext' to hide the real rationale. And in politics subterfuge is very common. These politicians don't care about your children. They care about control and information is control. Compliance with California's new law is highly corrosive to free software and deadly to personal privacy.

With the mandatory age verification API in place, legislators can later add more laws mandating retrieval of even more privacy-invasive information just to install and use any operating system. This is Big Brother's telescreen in your living room. And the Linux community is nearly silent on the matter, instead focused on artificial intelligence investment.

Where were the software freedom organizations when California was mandating installation of #spyware in all free and open source operating systems? Did they oppose it? Or did they support it by silence? The California age verification law is the greatest threat to software freedom in recent history., striking right at the root of software installation for all users. Yet (((crickets))).

Is silence really tacit support?

"While the [age verification] bill moved through the legislature, the OSI, FSF, Software Freedom Conservancy, and Linux Foundation all sat it out — no testimony, no public analysis, no formal opposition on the record."

Where were they when this mandatory spyware infrastructure was being shoved down our throats? Where were the self-proclaimed software freedom fighters? Where were the calls to action? I didn't see any.

Is silence golden ... or is gold buying silence?

Let these organizations know that you oppose California's age verification spyware law and that you expect them to rally in defense of true software freedom--freedom from government oversight of your software systems. Parents--and not the spyware state--should protect their children. The government is neither your parent nor your god nor your savior and the people should send a clear message stating that.

California, stay out of my operating system! And stay the hell away from children!

@eff@mastodon.social
@linuxfoundation@social.lfx.dev
@fsf@hostux.social
@osi@opensource.org
@conservancy@sfconservancy.org

#AgeVerification #Linux #EFF #OSI #LinuxFoundation #FSF #Privacy #Cybersecurity #Surveillance #Spyware #OpenSource #OperatingSystems #FreeSoftware #SoftwareFreedom #Panopticon #BigBrother #Government

CC: @laffer1@bsd.network @leo@twit.social @MichaelRoss@social.linux.pizza @rms@mastodon.xyz @thenewoil@mastodon.thenewoil.org @TechDesk@flipboard.social @remixtures@tldr.nettime.org

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A crowd of sillouettes of people stands in front of a giant telescreen depicting a single giant eye watching them.

From threat modeling to encrypted collaboration apps, we’ve collected experts’ tips and tools for safely and effectively building a group—even while being targeted and tracked by the powerful.

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How to Organize Safely in the Age of Surveillance

My message for #GlobalEncryptionDay... for every entity interested in #surveillance:
I will resist and it's my human right.
Encryption is not for bad actors only, it protects innocent people every day.
We are not criminals.

#privacy #encryption

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My modified photo. Woman in grey hoodie and black trousers, with right hand up and close to camera, is blurred. Top and bottom parts of the image are covered with added dark blue shadow. Whole picture is covered with semi-transparent Base64 PGP message. There is pale yellow text near bottom part: "I am not a criminal. I am not a terrorist. I USE ENCRYPTION."

The $94 Million Smart Meter Surveillance Scheme Exposed

https://youtu.be/onYWQJsWFpk

Sacramento residents discovered their utility company has been secretly feeding their private energy data to police without warrants, leading to a massive surveillance operation that generated $94 million in fines. This explosive investigation reveals how SMUD transformed smart meters into government spy devices, monitoring when you shower, sleep, or use appliances.

Innocent homeowners faced armed police raids for using electricity to power medical equipment or mine cryptocurrency. One resident was forced outside in his underwear at gunpoint, while another disabled veteran was threatened with arrest for refusing warrantless entry. The surveillance threshold dropped dramatically from 7,000 to just 2,800 kilowatt hours per month, making air conditioning use suspicious in Sacramento's brutal heat.

Internal documents expose how SMUD analysts actively mined customer data for police, checking over 10,000 homes in a single month. Despite California law explicitly prohibiting utilities from sharing precise meter data without warrants, SMUD violated these protections daily for a decade.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation's lawsuit could reshape smart meter privacy nationwide. With the October 2025 court decision approaching, every American with a smart meter needs to understand how their utility company might be spying on them right now.

#SMUD #SmartMeters #EFF #Privacy #Utilities #Electricity #surveillance #SurveillanceCapitalism #Spying #4thAmendment #WarrantlessSearch #Constitution #CivilRights #Courts #Lawsuit #SCOTUS #Cops #Police #Extortion #Fraud

@privacy@a.gup.pe @infosec@a.gup.pe @infostorm@a.gup.pe