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"The projects at the Office of Industry Partnership include automated surveillance in airports; adapters allowing agents to use phones for biometric scanning; and an AI platform that ingests all 911 call data nationally and builds 'geospatial heat maps' to 'predict incident trends', which appears to be a form of predictive policing." theguardian.com/us-news/2026/m…
#politics #USPol #privacy #surveillance

Hacked data shines light on homeland security’s AI surveillance ambitions

Records show DHS tech incubator spending large sums on partnerships that would expand surveillance capabilities

^{Jason Wilson (The Guardian)}

If you're ready to fight for privacy rights, Privacy Guides is building the resources to support you 🔒✊

Whether you're a privacy activist, digital rights organization, or someone who wants to start, the Privacy Activist Toolbox is for you! 🧰

privacyguides.org/en/activism/…

It's a section filled with short tips to help with your advocacy journey, and your battles to defend privacy rights.

#PrivacyGuides #Activism #PrivacyActivistToolbox #Privacy #DigitalRights

Privacy Activist Toolbox - Privacy Guides

The Privacy Activist Toolbox is a unique resource with tips for anyone interested in becoming a better privacy rights activist, or anyone who wants to start.

^{Privacy Guides}

The teacher opens an app on their phone, holds it up, and takes several photos of the room. Within seconds, the images travel to a cloud server, where a facial-recognition algorithm detects each student’s face, extracts it, and compares it against a database of biometric profiles. The app LRCO Paraná returns a list of names. Students identified in the photos are marked present; those the system does not find are marked absent.

For some students, a false absence is a bureaucratic irritation. For others, it could threaten their family’s access to welfare. In Brazil, eligibility for the Bolsa Família program depends in part on school attendance, and in Paraná such records are now largely generated by an algorithm.

One of our kids used Plus Plus to re-create the Tuta logo. 🥰 💓

The importance of #Privacy needs to be learned as early as possible. 🔒

A redditor (Ok_Lingonberry3296) traced $2 billion in nonprofit grants and lobbying records across 45 states to figure out who's behind the age verification bills.

The answer is Meta - a company that profits from your data writing laws that collect more of it.

Page: github.com/upper-up/meta-lobby…

Page backup: archive.ph/2026.03.13-193015/g…

Reddit discussion: web.archive.org/web/2026031314…

#Meta #Facebook #AgeVerification #privacy #surveillance #dystopia #socialmedia #technology

GitHub - upper-up/meta-lobbying-and-other-findings

Contribute to upper-up/meta-lobbying-and-other-findings development by creating an account on GitHub.

^GitHub

"There is little evidence that young people are using VPNs to bypass digital ID checks imposed by the [UK] Online Safety Act."

Age gating them "will have little impact on children's online safety but will deter adults from using them or force people to hand over personal documents or biometric data."

🗣️ @JamesBaker for ORG.

independent.co.uk/extras/indyb…

#vpn #privacy #cybersecurity #onlinesafety #ukpolitics #ukpol

Could VPNs be banned in the UK? We asked the experts

The government has launched a public consultation into whether VPNs should be age-restricted

^{Alex Lee (The Independent)}

Is this the first time a major service has removed end-to-end encryption instead of adding it? Why Instagram?

#instagram #socialmedia #privacy #infosec #technology #enshittification

Joråsåatteeehhh...

webperf.se/articles/sapo-soker…
#security #intelligence #privacy

Säpo söker spioner som kan hålla tyst – men läcker deras identitet till USA

"Du bör inte berätta att du sökt tjänst hos Säkerhetspolisen för andra personer än dina närmast berörda."

^{Pierre Mesure (webperf.se)}

The problem with having a surveillance state is not that they will know everything about you. The problem is that they will assert that they know everything about you. And you’re screwed either way; no matter if they’re right or wrong.

theguardian.com/us-news/2026/m…

Via @yawnbox

#privacy #humanRights #democracy #surveillance #surveillanceState #policeState

Tennessee grandmother jailed after AI facial recognition error links her to fraud

Angela Lipps spent nearly six months in jail after AI software linked her to a North Dakota bank fraud case

^{Marina Dunbar (The Guardian)}

I'm wondering what would be necessary to build GrapheneOS releases yourself, and regularly update your phone from your own servers, with your builds. The server for apps.grapheneos.org should also be replaced. Has anyone done this?

The documentation for GrapheneOS has a section about how to reproduce builds:

grapheneos.org/build#reproduci…

But it would be more involved than that.

GrapheneOS build documentation

Building instructions for GrapheneOS, a security and privacy focused mobile OS with Android app compatibility.

^GrapheneOS

The current state of the web assumes that the reader is an adversary to be trapped and monetized.

When a news website forces you through three dismissive actions just to read a headline, they are burning your cognitive budget before delivering any value. You are greeted by a cookie banner taking up the bottom 30% of your screen, a "Subscribe!" modal dead center, an autoplaying video pinned to the corner and a prompt begging to send you push notifications.

I wrote about the state of news websites. Would love to hear your thoughts✨🙏

thatshubham.com/blog/news-audi…

#enshittification #darkpattern #web #technology #socialmedia #indieweb #ux #privacy

The 49MB Web Page

A look at modern news websites. How programmatic ad-tech, huge payloads and hostile architecture destroyed the reading experience.

^{thatshubham.com}

I built a breathing exercise app because every one I tried wanted my email, tracked me, or hid basic features behind a paywall.

Mindful Breathe — guided inhale/hold/exhale cycles, customizable presets, haptic cues, dark mode, multilingual.

Fully free. No account. No tracking. Works offline. MIT licensed.

Android: play.google.com/store/apps/det…
iOS: apps.apple.com/pl/app/mindful-…
Source: github.com/kosciukus/breathe

#OpenSource #FOSS #Breathwork #Privacy #MindfulBreathe #Meditation #ReactNative #Flutter

I actually have two questions, first, should I switch to GOS even though they don't really recommend it on their website and might be left behind soon?

Second, should I install the new March android update? I don't use any of these features that are listed, and some dont even work for pixels older than 8. My worry is that the phone will just get slower and drain battery faster. But on the other hand I probably need to update this to receive other security updates later this year before the 5y period of support runs out.

Also I'm not looking to replace my phone. This is still an amazing and fast device with camera better than 90% of phones out now.

Thanks for the advice!

cross-posted from: lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/65229031

This vote fails to reject the whole regulation but approves text amendments and now the whole process goes back to the LIBE Committee (Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs)

Amendment 5, tabled by Pirate Party MEP Markéta Gregorová (Greens/EFA group) and adopted by a narrow margin, demands that any scanning of private communications must be strictly limited to individual users or groups of users suspected by a competent judicial authority of being linked to child sexual abuse. This aligns with the European Parliament’s 2023 mandate on the permanent Chat Control regulation (CSAR).

• Vote details
• Amendments

Other sources:
- MEPs Vote to End Untargeted Mass Scanning of Private Chats
- Chat Control Timeline

Historic Chat Control Vote in the EU Parliament: MEPs Vote to End Untargeted Mass Scanning of Private Chats

In a sensational turn of events in the fight against Chat Control, a majority in the European Parliament voted today to end the untargeted mass scanning of private communications.

^{Patrick Breyer}

Originally Umbrachat was a web app named Peersuite ( that I also developed) that was distributed as a docker image, web site, or electron app. Umbrachat has chat with channels, file sharing, threaded replies, and image preview in chat. Also, audio/video conferencing and screenshare.

I pulled out the non-social business type features ( document editing, whiteboard, and kanban ) and simplified the CSS and the code. I got everything down to under 200k in size and packaged it as a browser extension, which IMO is a way simpler method to use it.

All datastreams ( chat, audio, video) are encrypted end to end. After the initial connection to the server you are connected directly to your friends in a mesh network with superpeer capability.

github: github.com/openconstruct/umbra…
peersuite github: github.com/openconstruct/Peers…

Firefox: addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firef…

Chrome: chromewebstore.google.com/deta…

Happy to answer any questions!

UmbraChat – Get this Extension for 🦊 Firefox (en-US)

Download UmbraChat for Firefox. Ephemeral private P2P room chat with audio, video, and screen share.

^{addons.mozilla.org}

cross-posted from: hexbear.net/post/7917532

cross-posted from: hexbear.net/post/7916767

cross-posted from: hexbear.net/post/7913289

cross-posted from: hexbear.net/post/7906646

cross-posted from: hexbear.net/post/7906305

https://chuffed.org/project/150674-support-umm-mohammeds-family-to-rebuild-their-future-and-to-survive-amidst-the-genocide
🙏🙏🙏🙏😔😔😔

Help Karim and my family… My child needs urgent surgeries and our life is very difficult

My name is Fadi, and I am a father of three children whom I love more than anything in the world: Karim, 11 years old, Majd, 14 years old, and Mohammed, 5 years old.

^Chuffed

For those who use GrapheneOS, is it worth it? Do you like it?

My backups are done, all that is left is the final choice to wipe my whole phone.

Is it worth wiping everything?

My photos, notes, contacts, calendar, and files backed up, however I will still lose a lot of things that I take for granted.

Public Share

HOLY FUCK, IM COMING, AHHH!

^{im.proxybird.cc}

“This broad amendment takes power away from [UK] parliament and Ofcom and hands it to ministers. The consequence of this would be every adult having to provide their personal data, or use their body and biometric features as a key to unlock the Internet."

It doesn't address the structural causes of online harms and can be used to restrict content ideologically.

🗣️ @JamesBaker

#onlinesafety #digitalid #privacy #ageverification #freedomofexpression #ukpolitics #ukpol

I was browsing Gemini (the protocol, not the AI) when I came across this gemlog:

• Gemini version
• HTTP version

I usually disable JavaScript, but this post advises against it. I am also worried by the fact that most users of Fingerprint.com, Am I Unique?, and Cover Your Tracks will likely be using private browsers, so the real-world results would be quite different.

What do you think?

Cover Your Tracks

See how trackers view your browser

^{coveryourtracks.eff.org}

cross-posted from : lemmy.zip/post/60567571

grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/…

GrapheneOS boycotts EU Unified Attestation, asks developers to help

In an official statement on X, GrapheneOS has completely rejected the new Unified Attestation initiative from the EU.

^{Dwayne Cubbins (PiunikaWeb)}

GrapheneOS

2026-03-09 16:16:18

We strongly oppose the Unified Attestation initiative and call for app developers supporting privacy, security and freedom on mobile to avoid it. Companies selling phones should not be deciding which operating systems people are allowed to use for apps.

uattest.net/

Unified Attestation

Unified Attestation is a free, open-source alternative to Google Play Integrity with offline verification and simple app + server integration.

^uattest.net

🚨 Wide ranging powers to restrict Internet access in the UK have been voted through 🚨

Ministers will be able to impose digital ID checks, curfews and VPN restrictions without Parliamentary scrutiny.

This can be used on websites, social media, apps and games with no need to show there's any harm to children.

Find out more ⬇️

openrightsgroup.org/press-rele…

#onlinesafety #digitalid #id #privacy #ageverification #freedomofexpression #ukpolitics #ukpol

MPs give ministers powers to restrict entire Internet

MPs have rejected a Lords amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would allow a social media ban for under 16s.

^{Open Rights Group}

Hundreds of scientists say stop! ✋🚨

Governments should pause plans for mandatory #AgeChecks on online services until serious #privacy and #security concerns are addressed.

As countries push to ban children from social media, the risk to everyone’s privacy is growing. 🔐🌍

👉 Read more on #AgeVerification, why scientist say NO & whether your country wants it: tuta.com/blog/age-verification…

Digital ID checks ransom our access to information.

We’re forced to splurge our sensitive data all over the place, eroding our freedoms and creating a privacy timebomb.

It’s lose lose.

UK MPs mustn't hand the government unbridled powers over all Internet services in today's vote.

Write to your MP ⬇️

action.openrightsgroup.org/no-…

#onlinesafety #digitalid #privacy #freedomofexpression #ageverification #ukpolitics #ukpol

No ID Checks for Web Access

Take action! What’s the problem? The Government has proposed amendments to the Children Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which would give Ministers the power to restrict access to "internet services".

^{Open Rights Group}

I have been using it for more than a week and now am worried about the consequences that I am not sure are true or not!

I am worried that by allowing random users to surf using my network to prevent surveillance, someone will use my address to do malicious things, and I will get into legal consequences. Also, what if many services blacklist my IP address so eventually I get a lot of restrictions in my browing experience.

Furthermore, will this extension increase my fingerprint?

Are these thoughts valid, or am I just overthinking? If anyone knows, please comment.

cross-posted from: lemmy.zip/post/60387352

cross-posted from : lemmy.zip/post/60387297

Proton Mail provided Swiss authorities with payment data for defendtheatlantaforest@protonmail.com — the account linked to Stop Cop City protests in Atlanta. The FBI obtained this information through a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty request on January 25, 2024, identifying the activist behind the anonymous account through their credit card identifier.

Privacy-Focused Proton Mail Aids FBI in Uncovering ‘Stop Cop City’ Protester’s True Identity - Gadget Review

Proton Mail gave FBI payment data from Swiss servers, proving encrypted email privacy has limits when governments use legal treaties to demand user information.

^{C. da Costa (Gadget Review)}