LA Times:

"...After previously denying it had federal contracts, Flock Chief Executive Garrett Langley admitted in interviews in recent months that the company has worked with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations. ..."

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-01/surveillance-company-flock-safety-los-angeles

#privacy #surveillance #bigbrother #flock #ICE

Alt...

Much of the backlash has been aimed specifically at Flock — a heavyweight in the surveillance market that contracts with a reported 5,000 U.S. policing agencies. The company’s data-sharing with federal authorities and cybersecurity lapses have been documented by 404 Media and other outlets. After previously denying it had federal contracts, Flock Chief Executive Garrett Langley admitted in interviews in recent months that the company has worked with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations. The company has since said that it has severed ties with both agencies, and responded to other concerns by giving communities more power to decide whom to grant access to state or nationwide lookup networks.

Video doorbells are handy, but they’re a threat to privacy. I spoke to experts about why you might ditch your doorbell, and how to safeguard your video.

Alt...

Video Doorbell Advice and Settings for Opting Out of the Surveillance State

Hackers Expose The Massive Surveillance Stack Hiding Inside Your “Age Verification” Check

https://www.techdirt.com/2026/02/25/hackers-expose-the-massive-surveillance-stack-hiding-inside-your-age-verification-check/

‚Mandatory age verification creates massive, centralized honeypots of sensitive biometric data that will inevitably be breached. Every single time. And every single time it happens, the politicians who mandated these systems and the companies that built them act shocked—shocked!—that collecting enormous databases of government IDs, facial scans, and biometric data from millions of people turns out to be a security nightmare....‘

#Surveillance #AgeVerification #Privacy #Data #technology #AI #KI

Bundesregierung setzt sich auf EU-Ebene für mehr #Gesichtserkennung ein:

"Digitalcourage hält die Ratsposition, die nur Echtzeitsysteme verbietet, für problematisch und lehnt diese ab. Denn diese Klausel verhindere nicht den Missbrauch biometrischer Daten zur #massenuberwachung Außerdem sei unklar, wie viel Zeit verstreichen müsse, damit es sich nicht um einen Einsatz etwaiger Systeme in „Echtzeit“ handelt. „Vieles wäre mit der Begrenzung auf Echtzeit zulässig, zum Beispiel die biometrische Massenüberwachung aller, die sich 2017 während der Zeit des G20-Gipfels durch Hamburg bewegt haben“, so @digitalcourage weiter."

https://netzpolitik.org/2023/ai-act-bundesregierung-setzt-sich-eu-ebene-fuer-mehr-gesichtserkennung-ein/

#netzpolitik #surveillance #antireport

1/3
"Nicht entgangen sind Habeck auch Tests mit Supermärkten in westlichen Ländern, wo "beim Reingehen eine #Face-ID-Scannung" erfolge. Der Kunde nehme dann Produkte aus Regalen, wobei alles gemessen und aufgezeichnet werde. Der Computer rechne die Summe aus und bestelle gleich nach. Der Minister freute sich: "Das ist keine abgefahrene Spökenkiekerei." Viele aktuellen gesellschaftlichen Probleme und #Krisen inklusive #Klimawandel und #Pandemien könnten und müssten digital beantwortet werden, hob der #Grünen-Politiker hervor."

Nee Robert, das ist echt keine "abgefahrene Spökenkiekerei". Das ist einfach nur euer scheiß übergriffiger #Überwachungskapitalismus, den ihr "Grünen" hier aufs erbärmlichste grün zu waschen versucht. Und das ist auch keine "neue #Kultur" von der dein Kollege #Wissing da faselt, sondern einfach nur das technische Update für die alte Nummer namens Ausbeutung des Menschen durch den Menschen. Wobei das wahrscheinlich schon das ganze Kulturverständnis der #FDP abdeckt.

https://www.heise.de/news/Digitalgipfel-Habeck-schwaermt-vom-Bezahlen-mit-Iris-Scan-7372336.html

#Gesichtserkennung #Surveillance #netzpolitik #Digitalisierung #Datenschutz #antireport

We must fight age verification with all we have

#AgeVerification laws exploit the moral panic over social media and mental health to repackage old censorship tactics under the guise of protecting children.

'I’ve been talking a lot over the past couple weeks about what an unmitigated disaster the rollout of identity verification has been in the U.K. I wrote a whole piece about it for The Guardian and a story about how these “child safety” crackdowns are a gift to big tech in Zeteo.

The UK’s rollout shows how #digitalID systems lead to mass censorship. They serve those in power, harm human rights, and we have to do everything we can to fight their expansion in the U.S.

Today, I’m excited to present a guest post by Cynthia Conti-Cook, Rebecca Williams, and Pratika Katiya. These three women are doing incredible work fighting back against the surveillance state....'

https://www.usermag.co/p/we-must-fight-age-verification-with

#Tech #Technology #AI #UK #EU #Surveillance #Privacy #Data

A new California law says all operating systems, including Linux, need to have some form of age verification at account setup

"I wonder how the government of California plans to enforce it?"

https://www.pcgamer.com/software/operating-systems/a-new-california-law-says-all-operating-systems-including-linux-need-to-have-some-form-of-age-verification-at-account-setup/

#AgeVerification #dystopia #privacy #surveillance #software #technology #Linux

The madness continues …

#OpenAI reaches deal to deploy #AI models on US Department of #Defense #classified network

#SamAltman said Friday OpenAi reached an agreement with the #DoD.

"In all of our interactions, the DoW displayed a deep respect for safety & a desire to partner to achieve the best possible outcome," Altman posted on X using the #Trump admin’s BS name for the DoD.

#law #tech #surveillance #AutonomousWeapons #privacy #security #InfoSec #military
https://www.reuters.com/business/openai-reaches-deal-deploy-ai-models-us-department-war-classified-network-2026-02-28/?utm_source=braze&utm_medium=notifications&utm_campaign=2025_engagement

Alt...

Altman post: Tonight, we reached an agreement with the Department of War to deploy our models in their classified network. In all of our interactions, the DoW displayed a deep respect for safety and a desire to partner to achieve the best possible outcome. AI safety and wide distribution of benefits are the core of our mission. Two of our most important safety principles are prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapon systems. The DoW agrees with these principles, reflects them in law and policy, and we put them into our agreement. We also will build technical safeguards to ensure our models behave as they should, which the DoW also wanted. We will deploy FDEs to help with our models and to ensure their safety, we will deploy on cloud networks only. We are asking the DoW to offer these same terms to all AI companies, which in our opinion we think everyone should be willing to accept. We have expressed our strong desire to see things de-escalate away from legal and governmental actions and towards reasonable agreements. We remain committed to serve all of humanity as best we can. The world is a complicated, messy, and sometimes dangerous place.

…The ultimate winner could now prove to be Elon #Musk’s #xAI [great /s], which #defense ofcls say has already agreed to the #Pentagon’s terms for working on #classified systems. The entrepreneur jumped on Emil Michael’s social media Friday [the DoD’s technology chief] saying “#Anthropic hates Western Civilization.” [ridiculous idiot.]

#Trump #RevengePolitics #law #AI #tech #surveillance #AutonomousWeapons #SupplyChainRisk #privacy #security #InfoSec #military

Earlier in the week, Jeff Dean, #Google’s chief #AI scientist, said he was opposed to the #technology being used for #surveillance & repeated his long-standing opposition to #AutonomousWeapons.

#SamAltman, #OpenAI’s chief executive, said Friday that it was important for AI companies to find ways to work with the #Pentagon but that he had concerns similar to those of his rival #Amodei.

#Trump #RevengePolitics #law #Anthropic #tech #SupplyChainRisk #privacy #security #InfoSec #military

The #Pentagon did not explain the #legal reasoning behind its claim [there is none] that it could compel #military contractors to immediately cease work with Anthropic.

…Experts said the #Trump admin’s dramatic intervention Friday is likely to have ramifications for more than just the #US govt’s relationship with #Anthropic, potentially complicating the admin’s work with other #AI developers, especially in relation to #defense work.

#RevengePolitics #law #tech #surveillance #AutonomousWeapons

…Many researchers & engineers working on #AI have long harbored concerns about their #technology being used to power #weapons or #surveillance. The battle between #Anthropic & the #Pentagon has reawakened those concerns across the industry.

By Friday afternoon, >550 employees at #Google & #ChatGPT maker #OpenAI signed an open letter in support of Anthropic’s position & calling on their bosses to stand up to the Pentagon.

#Trump #RevengePolitics #law #AutonomousWeapons
https://notdivided.org/

…The #SupplyChainRisk designation issued by #Hegseth late Friday was an extraordinary escalation, ranking a leading #US #AI company alongside the likes of Chinese & Russian firms seen as a danger to the #UnitedStates.

It was unclear how easy it would be for government departments to move away from #Anthropic’s #technology, or for the company’s partners that do business with the #Pentagon to cut ties.

#Trump #RevengePolitics #law #surveillance #AutonomousWeapons #privacy #security #military

The company wrote that, “Designating #Anthropic as a supply chain risk would be an unprecedented action—one historically reserved for US adversaries, never before publicly applied to an American company.” The unsigned blog post added: “We are deeply saddened by these developments.”

#Trump #RevengePolitics #law #AI #tech #surveillance #AutonomousWeapons #privacy #security #InfoSec #military

#Anthropic said it would fight the blacklisting in court. In a blog post late Friday, the company said that it believed the wide-reaching ban #Hegseth described was not permitted by federal #law & that the designation of the company as a #SupplyChainRisk was “legally unsound.” [pretty good bet]

#Trump #RevengePolitics #law #AI #tech #surveillance #AutonomousWeapons #privacy #security #InfoSec #military

Late Friday, #Defense Secy Pete #Hegseth followed #Trump’s unhinged post, saying in his own post that he was declaring #Anthropic a #SupplyChainRisk. “Effective immediately, no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic,” Hegseth wrote.

#RevengePolitics #law #AI #tech #surveillance #AutonomousWeapons #privacy #security #InfoSec #military

So much for holding back. GMAFB.

#Pentagon declares #Anthropic a threat to #NationalSecurity

#Defense Secretary Pete #Hegseth declared Anthropic a “#SupplyChainRisk,” blocking all federal agencies & contractors from doing business with the company.

#Trump #RevengePolitics #law #AI #tech #surveillance #AutonomousWeapons #privacy #security #InfoSec #military
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/02/27/trump-anthropic-claude-drop/

The setback comes as #AI leader #Anthropic raced to sell novel #technology to #business & #government, particularly for #NationalSecurity, ahead of its widely expected #IPO.

At the same time, the battle over #tech #guardrails had raised concerns that the #DoD would follow #US #law [certainly not this one] but little other constraint when deploying AI for national-security missions, regardless of #safety or #ethics service terms embraced by the technology's developers.

#Trump #surveillance

Lawmakers Demand #DHS Define ‘Domestic #Terrorist ’ As It Uses Vast Array of #Surveillance Tools

The move also comes as DHS and its various components purchase and deploy a wide range of surveillance technologies and demand sensitive information from tech companies to unmask people criticizing #ICE.
#privacy #immigration

https://www.404media.co/lawmakers-demand-dhs-define-domestic-terrorist-as-it-uses-vast-array-of-surveillance-tools/

Will this force the US Government to actually reckon with the actual domestic terrorists?

I think not.

Lawmakers Demand DHS Define ‘Domestic Terrorist’ As It Uses Vast Array of Surveillance Tools

https://www.404media.co/lawmakers-demand-dhs-define-domestic-terrorist-as-it-uses-vast-array-of-surveillance-tools/

#Lawmakers #US #DHS #ACAB #DomesticTerrorist #Surveillance #Privacy #Security #Tech

#Anthropic had sought guarantees that its #AI would not be used for fully #AutonomousWeapons or for mass #domestic #surveillance - applications in which the #Pentagon claimed it had no interest [wink wink nudge nudge].

#law #privacy #security #InfoSec #Trump #fascism

Trump's decision stopped short of #threats issued by #Hegseth & the #Pentagon, including that it could invoke the Defense Production Act to require Anthropic's compliance. The Pentagon had also said it considered designating #Anthropic a #SupplyChain risk, a step previously only used against businesses tied to foreign adversaries.

But #Trump vowed further action if Anthropic did not cooperate with the phaseout.

#law #AI #surveillance #AutonomousWeapons #privacy #security #InfoSec

Just like all #rapists, #Trump really doesn’t like being told no.

Trump says he is directing federal agencies to cease use of #Anthropic #technology in a petty whiny social media post.

#law #AI #surveillance #AutonomousWeapons #privacy #security #InfoSec
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-he-is-directing-federal-agencies-cease-use-anthropic-technology-2026-02-27/?utm_source=braze&utm_medium=notifications&utm_campaign=2025_engagement

Alt...

Trump post: THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL NEVER ALLOW A RADICAL LEFT, WOKE COMPANY TO DICTATE HOW OUR GREAT MILITARY FIGHTS AND WINS WARS! That decision belongs to YOUR COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, and the tremendous leaders I appoint to run our Military. The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution. Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY. Therefore, I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic's technology. We don't need it, we don't want it, and will not do business with them again! There will be a Six Month phase out period for Agencies like the Department of War who are using Anthropic's products, at various levels. Anthropic better get their act together, and be helpful during this phase out period, or I will use the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply, with major civil and criminal consequences to follow. WE will decide the fate of our Country - NOT some out-of-control, Radical Left Al company run by people who have no idea what the real World is all about. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

#Anthropic said in a statement that the #Pentagon’s new language was framed as a compromise but “was paired with legalese that would allow those safeguards to be disregarded at will.” [shocker]

In a lengthy blog post Thursday, Amodei wrote: “I believe deeply in the existential importance of using #AI to defend the #UnitedStates & other democracies, & to defeat our autocratic adversaries.”

#Trump #Hegseth #law #privacy #InfoSec #ContractLaw #military #surveillance #democracy

Anthropic rejects Pentagon’s revised AI deal, saying terms still risk enabling mass surveillance or autonomous weapons. ⚖️

The $200M contract would make Claude the first AI model in classified defense networks—now stalled over ethical limits and state control. 🧭

🔗 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/26/tech/anthropic-rejects-pentagon-offer

#TechNews #AI #Ethics #Privacy #Accountability #Defense #Policy #Anthropic #Security #Transparency #BigTech #Surveillance #Freedom #Governance #Innovation #Pentagon #US #USA #Trump #Weapons #Claude

DHS accused of using surveillance tech to track legal observers in Maine

multiple plaintiffs said federal immigration officers scanned observers’ faces and license plates, and threatened to appear at their homes and place them on a domestic terrorist database

#Maine #dhs #ice #surveillance #facialrecognition #privacy #technology #tech

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/23/dhs-accused-of-using-surveillance-tech-to-track-legal-observers-in-maine-00792722

#Border #Surveillance Technology with #BerkeleyCenter for New Media

March 19, 2026 - 5:00pm to 6:30pm PDT
#Berkeley , CA

In pursuing its agenda of #security theater, the U.S. government has turned the border into the main stage for debuting new and invasive surveillance technologies. These technologies are ineffective and wasteful, but borderland communities ultimately pay the highest price with their #civilLiberties and #humanRights
#rights #privacy #cbp

https://www.eff.org/event/virtual-tour-surveillance-technology-us-mexico-border

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/victory-tenth-circuit-finds-fourth-amendment-doesnt-support-broad-search-0

A federal appeals court ruled that police can’t use overly broad search warrants to scrape everything on someone’s phone or digital accounts after a protest — like texts, photos, location history, or social media.

The court said those warrants were too vague and violated basic Fourth Amendment privacy protections.

#privacy #digitalrights #EFF #civilrights #surveillance

This week's net.wars, "Information wants to be surveiled," discovers surveillance pricing, in which the pythons of industry use everything they know about us to wring out every last drop of profit: https://netwars.pelicancrossing.net/2026/02/20/information-wants-to-be-surveiled/ #NetWars #Surveillance #Retail

#Privacy #Surveillance

Just throwing it out there that #OS level age verification is the stupidest idea I've heard in a long time.

Unless you look at it through the lens of mass population surveillance. Than it makes perfect sense.

Amodei said #Anthropic understands that the #Pentagon, “not private companies, makes #military decisions.” But “in a narrow set of cases, we believe #AI can undermine, rather than defend, democratic values.” In the case of mass #surveillance & #AutonomousWeapons are “outside the bounds of what today’s technology can safely & reliably do.”

#Trump #Hegseth #law #privacy #InfoSec #ContractLaw #democracy

#Anthropic is rejecting the Pentagon’s latest offer to change their contract, saying the changes do not satisfy the company’s concerns that #AI could be used for mass #surveillance or in fully #AutonomousWeapons.

The #Pentagon & Anthropic are at odds over restrictions the company places on the use of #Claude, the first #AI system to be used in the #military #classified network.

#Trump #Hegseth #law #privacy #InfoSec #ContractLaw
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/26/tech/anthropic-rejects-pentagon-offer?cid=ios_app

#Tech Companies Shouldn’t Be Bullied Into Doing #Surveillance
#DepartmentofDefense (#DoD)has reportedly threatened to label Anthropic a “supply chain risk,” in retribution for not lifting restrictions on how their technology is used.
#Anthropic #AI should stick by their principles and refuse to allow their #technology to be used in the two ways they have publicly stated they would not support: autonomous weapons systems and surveillance. - #EFF
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/tech-companies-shouldnt-be-bullied-doing-surveillance

Tech Companies Shouldn’t Be Bullied Into Doing #Surveillance

The Sec of Defense has given an ultimatum to the #artificialIntelligence company #Anthropic in an attempt to bully them into making their technology available to the U.S. #military without any restrictions for their use. Anthropic should stick by their principles & refuse to allow their tech to be used in the 2 ways they have publicly stated they would not support: #autonomousWeapons systems and surveillance.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/tech-companies-shouldnt-be-bullied-doing-surveillance

Bro, our national surveillance network of thousands of cameras that can be accessed by practically any law enforcement agency is not mass surveillance, bro.

https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/does-flock-enable-mass-surveillance #surveillance #flock

discord:
- preparing for age verification
- centralized
- no e2ee
- monitored platform
- surveillance-ridden
- forced phone number validation

deltachat/chatmail:
- no logs
- e2ee
- decentralized
- federated
- relay-swapping
- multi-relay (become unstoppable!)
- no tracking
- relay operators see nothing
- no surveillance

the #deltachat and #chatmail teams are hard at work improving our ecosystem, client ui/ux, and building community!

download: https://delta.chat/en/download
run your own relay: https://github.com/chatmail/relay
bot ecosystem: https://deltachat-bot.github.io/public-bots/#/home
support forum: https://support.delta.chat/

#privacy #surveillance #discord

The danger of not being able to keep tabs on what surveillance technology the government is buying is very real and very present.

https://www.404media.co/the-government-just-made-it-harder-to-see-what-spy-tech-it-buys/ #surveillance

🎙️ NOUVELLE CHRONIQUE : « Attention à l'économie de l'attention »
Version chronique de ma BD sur le capitalisme de surveillance, où j'explique que l'addiction aux médias sociaux, c'est un truc organisé…
▶️ https://grisebouille.net/lhdg33-attention-a-leconomie-de-lattention
#chronique #GriseBouille #radio #numérique #capitalisme #surveillance #addiction

Alt...

Donc si vous passez 20 minutes à scroller du contenu sans voir le temps passer, c'est par design. Et les acteurs de l'économie de l'attention, quand il s'agit de vous rendre accro à leurs plateformes, ne sont pas étouffés par un sens de l'éthique trop encombrant, on va dire. Non, hein, là, on utilise à fond tous les pires leviers pour stimuler vos circuits d'addiction. J'sais pas si vous connaissez l'expérience de la boîte de Skinner. Alors, Skinner, pas le proviseur dans les Simpson, hein. Non là on parle de Burrhus Frederic Skinner, un psychologue américain célèbre pour avoir fait, dans les années 30, des expériences sur des rats dans une petite boîte : la boîte de Skinner donc. L'une de ces expériences portait sur l'impact de l'aléatoire sur les systèmes de récompense. Dans le premier cas, on met, avec notre rat dans la boîte, un bouton qui, lorsqu'on appuie dessus, fait tomber de la nourriture dans la boîte. Le rat comprend rapidement le principe, et quand il a faim, il appuie sur le bouton, mange la nourriture, et tout se passe bien. Là où ça devient intéressant, et vachement pervers au passage, c'est ce qui se passe si on introduit de l'aléatoire. Maintenant, lorsqu'on appuie sur le bouton, il y a de la nourriture qui tombe… ou pas. Avec une certaine probabilité. Eh bien vous savez ce qui se passe ? Le rat se met à appuyer frénétiquement sur le bouton, et mange de plus en plus de nourriture, même s'il n'a plus faim. Donc lorsque Facebook vous cache des trucs, lorsque