Direct link to PDF: https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26041555/nyc-surveillance-peoples-handbook.pdf

Saw this by way of https://filen.io/hub/help-us-fight-chat-control-our-privacy-and-security-are-under-threat-again/. Not shillin', just sayin'.

I noticed today, having searched about TOR nodes possibly being run by government departments in a browser, I got this message, " Your request has been blocked by network security. Please try to login with your Reddit account. " I didn't login in the app!

Haven't come across that before. Has anyone else seen i?

Jmp.chat provides an adapter (a eUICC device?) that can be used to store an eSIM on a physical card. I have such an adapter that I have already used for a plan tied to my identity. Is it safe to purge the chip, and then to reuse it for anonymous communications?

What are some of the best alternatives out there to Google Docs and other cloud based productivity software?

I've heard of CognitoForms as alternative to Google Forms, does anyone have any experience with it?

Switched to swisstransfer instead of wetransfer some time ago, but now I have to give them my email every time I want to create a link with data to download. No good development of infomaniak... Any alternatives to swisstransfer?

Please read Section 201(3)-(4) of the Real ID Act:

(3) OFFICIAL PURPOSE- The term 'official purpose' includes but is not limited to accessing Federal facilities, boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft, entering nuclear power plants, and any other purposes that the Secretary shall determine.

(4) SECRETARY- The term 'Secretary' means the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Source: https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/real-id-act-text.pdf

In other words, the Secretary of Homeland Security has unilateral authority to expand the uses of real IDs. In their 2008 rule, DHS even doubled down:

"DHS does not agree that it must seek the approval of Congress as a prerequisite to changing the definition in the future (except of course to remove one of the three statutorily-mandated official purposes) as § 201(3) of the Act gives discretion to the Secretary of Homeland Security to determine other purposes."

Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2008/01/29/08-140/minimum-standards-for-drivers-licenses-and-identification-cards-acceptable-by-federal-agencies-for

That could include voting, accessing medical care, etc. Do you trust Kristi Noem with this power? Do you trust every future secretary with this power?

If not, I urge you to not get a real id or real id driver's license if you don't have one, or turn in your real id for a state id or state driver's license if you do have one, and instead get a passport. The DHS cannot enforce anything if the majority of Americans refuse to get real ids. Let us not just bow down to a national id that invades our privacy and could be used to control us.

It feel like we’re losing to Google, day by day. They aren’t killing AOSP directly, but they are making it useless step by step.

Now it’s Google Play Services, Play Integrity checks, installation source checks… more and more apps just refuse to run without GMS. Banking apps? Most of them don’t work. And it’s only getting worse. I run vanilla AOSP on my main profile, no Play Services. I keep GMS only in my work profile for the apps that absolutely need it. But now even some regular apps that don't need any play services won’t work on my main profile anymore. They simply block your from running , like le chat.

Maps is google's most important app there is no way to run without play services. Sure we can use webview or gmaps wv, but they don't provide turn-by-turn directions. Earlier maps used to work without play services, but two years ago, an update stopped it from working. Now that old version is out of date and no longer works.

Google is slowly making GMS very important to run. The problem with GMS is they require to run as system app and has to have all the permissions by default.

Hope EU puts pressure to make google allow apps to run independently without GMS or atleast install them as user apps(like graphene os sandboxed play services).

If we keep going on like this, AOSP can only run fdroid apps in the future.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the first 5-Week De-Google Challenge on Signal!

I'm about to start another de-Google challenge AND a de-Amazon challenge on Monday.

Here is info on the de-Amazon group. (Signal group and PDF plan)

The de-Google Signal group is here.

And for the de-Google challenge we'll be using this checklist

I hope you'll join (and share) one...or both!.

During Prime Days I was dumb and bought some Chinese lamp because it was on sale. I gotta say, it’s actually awesome — with the app I can change colors, styles, and so on, and I really like it.

The account creation already bugged me, although I think it was only needed for the first startup. I deleted the account since then. The app is in deep sleep on my phone with zero permissions except Bluetooth.

What really bothers me, though, is the built-in microphone for voice commands — on a lamp! I don’t want someone listening to me. It’s too late to send it back, and I actually want to keep it.

Until now, I’ve just unplugged it from the outlet every time I don’t use it, but that’s very tedious. So, is there an easier way to completely disable the microphone? Does putting tape over it completely mute it? Or would I have to take it apart and desolder it — which I’m probably too lazy, impatient, and inexperienced to do? So is there maybe a smarter or brute force way to do it? im paranoid i dont want my fucking lamp listening to me. sometime i even turn of mic and cam acsess on my phone.

This is not to promote the product. I merely came across it and couldnt find any reviews except for those from Google Play. I use Android and as much as I hate iOS, their Email app is very consistent regardless if you use their .mac email or Gmail. On Android, it is very difficult to find an email app that is decent. I've been on Fairmail for quite a while until recently when I have sync problems.

So I dig around and found "EPRIVO - Encrypted email and chat". It was a surprise because I am constantly on the look for a good email app (and browser !) on Android. Usually, on Google Play, you will see: Gmail, Thunderbird, Proton, Outlook, Edison Fairmail...etc. I never see Eprivo before.

Anyway, I tested it out on a Gmail account. The app works quite well, here is what I learn:

1. You are forced to create a blanket Eprivo account. This takes like 10 seconds. Then this Eprivo account is then used to get you access to the email app. You can use any email account within it: Gmail, Yahoo. I use Gmail and it works well.

2. The privacy features are interesting. You can do a lot of stuff like prevent forwarding, set timer so email can only be read once, password protect...etc. Now I also used Proton in the past and these features are exclusive to a .proton account. In this app, I can do some of them such as setting the timer on an email. To get the full private features, you need to create a Eprivo email (very easy to create within the app). So, you will have something like abc@eprivovip.com.

3. Prices are surprisingly cheap: 5 bucks / year.

4. They advertise themselves as not an email service but to my understanding a "privatized email service". So it is like a private layer on top of your existing email.

Any thoughts?

Contact your local MP and spread this far and wide:

Subject: Urgent Action Required – Online Safety Act Harms

Dear [MP’s Name],

I am writing to you as a concerned constituent to demand urgent review and amendment of the Online Safety Act (OSA). While its stated aim is to protect users, it has already created serious harm to privacy, freedom of expression, and access to public knowledge.

The Government’s response to the Change.org petition failed to meaningfully address any of these widely raised concerns, offering vague assurances instead of evidence or concrete changes. This is unacceptable in a democracy.

Key problems now being reported: • Excessive censorship – Vague definitions of “harm” are silencing lawful speech, political debate, and online communities. • Privacy risks from mandatory age verification – Requires intrusive ID checks (including facial recognition), creating huge data breach risks. • Threat to public-interest platforms – Wikipedia and similar sites could face UK restrictions if forced to verify all contributors. • Erosion of encryption – Weakening secure communication systems in a way experts call “authoritarian” and “technically incoherent.” • Ineffectiveness – VPN use has surged by over 500%, making the law easy to bypass while still harming UK-based platforms. • Harm to vulnerable communities – Risks “outing” LGBTQ+ individuals and deterring use of safe online support spaces.

Recent events highlight the urgency: • High Court ruling (Aug 2025) dismissed Wikimedia’s challenge, but confirmed Ofcom must act proportionately. • Major online communities and platforms have blocked UK users or imposed invasive checks. • Civil rights groups and tech experts continue to warn the OSA is fundamentally flawed.

I am asking you to: 1. Support a full Parliamentary review of the OSA’s harms and unintended consequences. 2. Press for immediate amendments to protect privacy, encryption, and public-interest platforms. 3. Suspend or repeal the most damaging provisions until they can be replaced with proportionate, evidence-based measures.

This is not a partisan matter — it is about protecting fundamental rights, digital freedoms, and public trust. I request a written reply outlining your position and the actions you will take.

Yours sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Address]

TLDR: Techbros in SF are wearing AI pins that record everything everyone says around them.

“My general sense is that we should assume we are being recorded at all times,” said Clara Brenner, a partner at venture capital firm Urban Innovation Fund. “Of course, this is a horrible way to live your life.”

Damn right it is. Every day one step closer to dystopia. Fuck this shit.

(Above link with skipped Paywall)

Summary by Andi:

A teenage hacker named Reynaldo Vasquez-Garcia discovered that the Halo 3C vape detector, which looks like a standard smoke detector in school bathrooms, contained hidden microphones and security flaws that allowed it to be turned into a secret listening device[^1].

Working with another hacker known as "Nyx," Vasquez-Garcia found the device could be hacked by exploiting weak password controls and firmware update vulnerabilities. Once compromised, attackers could use it to eavesdrop on conversations in real-time, disable its detection capabilities, create fake alerts, or play audio through its speaker[^1].

The researchers revealed these findings at the 2025 Defcon hacker conference, demonstrating how any hacker on the same network could hijack a Halo 3C by brute-forcing passwords at 3,000 attempts per minute. The device's firmware could also be modified since its encryption key was publicly available in updates on the manufacturer's website[^1].

Motorola, which owns the Halo 3C's manufacturer IPVideo Corporation, said it developed a firmware update to address the security flaws. However, the researchers argue this doesn't solve the fundamental privacy concern of having microphone-equipped devices installed in sensitive locations like school bathrooms and public housing[^1].

[^1]: Wired - It Looks Like a School Bathroom Smoke Detector. A Teen Hacker Showed It Could Be an Audio Bug

Aurora store is starting to not work by days in the last weeks.

What is the plan team, how to get proprietary apps if Aurora store went down one day and never went up again?

Hello ,

As the title says what happens if theUK requires age verification for VPN’s or makes it illegal to use them?

Does that mean everyone will move to tor or I2P?

It seems if the UK gov keep pushing their agenda under the guise of protecting children people will increasingly go dark .

I guess what I’m asking is how does everyone think this will unfold?

M

Site: https://anonymousplanet.org/guide/

Re-reading this for about the 20th time, lol. I always learn something I may have glossed over. I got to thinking, there are probably other comprehensive guides just like the Hitchhiker's Guide. I have searched, and most of what I find is general info. Secure your router, harden Linux and Windows, etc, but never really getting into the meat n' taters.

So, I turn to the pros here to see if perhaps I have missed some resource somewhere. I generally tend to stay away from video and podcast tuts, preferring to read instead. I feel I get a better understanding that way.

Inundate me with info!

Dropsitenews published a list of websites Facebook uses to train its AI on. Multiple Lemmy instances are on the list as noticed by user BlueAEther

Hexbear is on there too. Also Facebook is very interested in people uploading their massive dongs to lemmynsfw.

Full article here.

Link to the full leaked list download: Meta leaked list pdf

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/34006757