CIRCLE WITH A DOT

In the UK as a cyclist you may see odd little boxes appearing on posts around and about. As a driver you are of course too focused on driving safely to see these paperback sized boxes about 2m off the ground. They’re designed to be unobtrusive and insignificant. I have seen them pop up all over the place, unremarked, invasive, nothing announced about who owns them, where the data is held, who has access to it and so on.These are speed cameras. Ostensibly for use by community speed watch groups but yours for £800 quid and you need no prior permissions to use them on private land, just highways approval for public roads. The data is accessible via a web portal and can be shared with community members. They log your number plate and the time. Apparently they’re only going to record someone who breaks the speed limit, but you can set that limit via the interface. Think of the alternative uses of a device that can monitor number plates. And of course the data will be provided to the police on request I’m sure. The surveillance state grows quietly and at the behest of those who think they’re doing the right thing. Ring doorbell cameras, CCTV, and now these. https://store.autospeedwatch.org/ #privacy #surveillance #flockcameras

️ Latest from #Surveillance #Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) #NYC “New NPR reporting reveals ICE’s growing use of data brokers to access sensitive personal data, often evading traditional safeguards. As surveillance expands, our current oversight is falling behind.Read more:https://w...”https://bsky.app/profile/stopspyingny.bsky.social/post/3mhxpnh4is22o via RSS feed. May not reflect our views.

@LisaKalayji man, that's a real commitment to privacy and i respect it so much.

@CharlieMcHenry i get the privacy concerns, but the potential for cool, helpful apps in places like museums is pretty exciting too.

@technotion @eff sounds like an absolutely inspiring talk, and that's exactly the kind of energy we need to keep pushing for digital rights.

2026 is the year of global awakening against central bank digital currencies. What was sold as technological progress is increasingly recognized as infrastructure for total financial surveillance and control.The United States Senate just passed a bill prohibiting the Federal Reserve from issuing a CBDC until December 31, 2030. The message from lawmakers is clear: financial privacy is a fundamental right that must be protected, not traded for perceived convenience.In Europe, protests against the digital euro are spreading across Germany, France, and the Netherlands. Citizens are taking to the streets, collecting signatures, and demanding referendums. Constitutional arguments are being raised: the right to financial privacy is enshrined in basic laws.China remains the warning. The digital yuan is already used to:Block transactions at political ralliesImpose spending limits on specific groupsIntegrate financial behavior into social credit systemsCut political opponents off from the financial system entirelyThe risks extend beyond activists. Journalists, religious minorities, and ordinary citizens who value privacy will all be vulnerable. Centralized systems also introduce new dangers: mass cyberattacks, technical failures that freeze millions of accounts, and the ability to confiscate funds without judicial oversight.Alternatives exist: defend cash as anonymous payment, support decentralized cryptocurrencies, and demand legislative bans like the one passed in the US.Financial privacy is not a privilege. It is a right worth fighting for.https://newsgroup.site/2026-global-resistance-cbdc-financial-surveillance/#CBDC #privacy #finance #surveillance #digitalrights

April 6, 2026, will mark a historic turning point. The European Parliament has ended Chat Control 1.0—the proposed legislation that would have mandated mass scanning of all private messages across the European Union.For two years, the debate raged. Proponents argued that mass scanning was necessary to combat child exploitation. Opponents—including digital rights organizations, technology experts, and millions of ordinary citizens—argued that security cannot be achieved at the cost of freedom, and that infrastructure designed for mass surveillance inevitably expands beyond its stated purpose.Germany became the center of resistance, joined by Austria, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. Their constitutional arguments, combined with public pressure and technical evidence about the impossibility of mass scanning without destroying encryption, forced the European Commission to retreat.What does this mean for ordinary people? Starting April 6:Email remains private correspondence, not subject to automatic analysisChat messages will not pass through AI filtersPersonal photos and videos will not be automatically scannedEncryption remains the foundation of digital privacyThis victory proves that civil society can effectively resist government and corporate efforts to establish total control. But experts warn that new versions of Chat Control are already being prepared under different names with similar objectives.Privacy is not a state. It is a constant process of defense. Today, we won one battle. Tomorrow, we must remain vigilant.https://newsgroup.site/eu-chat-control-1-0-ended-privacy-victory-2026/#ChatControl #privacy #digitalrights #EU #surveillance

@wired.com wow, that's a wild and important read about digital privacy.

@SwooshyCueb @adamsaidsomething https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/24/fcc_foreign_routers/=> found with a search engine.

“Learning that our leaders, people who were fighting for basic rights and dignity for Indigenous people, were treated as threats is shocking. This was targeted political surveillance rooted in racism and colonialism.”#Indigenous #FirstNations #RCMP #surveillance #policinghttps://www.windspeaker.com/news/opinion/full-transparency-and-public-apology-required-rcmp-surveillance-indigenous-leaders-mko

@newsgroup The opt-out rate is rising, but not because people suddenly value privacy. They're bored. The attention economy has won, but it's starting to feel stale. I wonder if that changes what people actually want.

@logicite First of all: Stay away from /eOS—it’s far too insecure, poorly maintained, and still connected to Google’s servers via microG.No, that’s not quite how it works: GrapheneOS offers the option to run Google Play Services in a sandbox—but it doesn’t automatically isolate every app in a sandbox on its own. That’s why I have this setup, to make sure Meta (or Google) can’t get access to my data and activities through cross-device tracking and permissions.

India just announced it is slowing down its CBDC rollout. In any other context, this would be a routine technical update. But in 2026, it is a significant signal.While China aggressively deploys its digital yuan—a system already used for transaction tracking, spending limits, and financial behavior control—India is taking a step back.The official reasons: scalability, security, regulatory frameworks, and digital access in rural areas. The unofficial context: growing recognition that CBDCs are not neutral financial tools. They are infrastructure for surveillance.Consider what a fully deployed CBDC enables:Every transaction tracked from coffee to medical expensesAccounts blocked based on political donations or affiliationsSpending limits imposed without legislative oversightMoney programmed to expire, forcing spending patternsIndia has unique experience with digital financial infrastructure through Aadhaar and UPI. If they are proceeding cautiously, perhaps they understand something other governments refuse to acknowledge.This could be a genuine victory for financial privacy. Or it could be a pause until technical obstacles are removed. Skepticism remains essential.Financial privacy is not a privilege. It is a fundamental right.https://newsgroup.site/indiya-2026-spovilnennia-cbdc-peremoga-pryvatnosti/#CBDC #privacy #finance #India #surveillance

Your #Body Is Betraying Your #Right to #PrivacyAttachment to smart devices and #biometric #surveillance leaves Americans more vulnerable to police searches than ever. Left unchecked it will only get worse.https://www.wired.com/story/book-excerpt-your-data-will-be-used-against-you-andrew-guthrie-ferguson/

@theintercept Is Palantir the most evil company in the world? Answers on a postcard!@UKLabour @ZackPolanski @uk_politics @NHSrCommunity @NoPalantirInSouthYorkshire @nhsactivistrn #Palantir #NoToPalantir #NHS #Data #Surveillance #Gaza #PalestinianGenocide #Israel #Thiel #WhiteSupremacy #AntiChrist

@session the anonymous messenger with no phone number requirement needs our support, let's support it while we still can "The threats against privacy are now greater than ever before, and Session must evolve to face the challenges of the future. Session's current caretaker, the Session Technology Foundation, does not have the funding required to carry Session any further. Important work, such as PFS and post-quantum cryptography, is still in progress — and we don’t have enough time left."#privacy #anonymity #surveillance #Signal https://getsession.org/donate

Google continues to operate the most comprehensive surveillance system in human history.Through search, Gmail, Maps, YouTube, and Android, the company collects vast amounts of data on every aspect of users' lives. Each query, each movement, each interaction is added to a digital profile. Algorithms analyze this data to predict behavior and manipulate choices. Then advertisers buy access to target users based on demographics, interests, location, and even psychological traits.This is the business model. Users are not customers. Users are the product.Regulatory efforts have consistently failed to keep pace with technological advancement. While privacy advocates raise alarms, Google maintains its dominant position through a system designed to extract as much personal data as possible.But alternatives are growing. Privacy-focused search engines like DuckDuckGo, Startpage, Qwant, and Brave Search offer genuine protection without tracking. Decentralized meta-search engines like SearXNG aggregate results from multiple sources while preserving anonymity.Platforms such as search.vir.group represent the next step: search systems with no data storage, no user identification, open-source transparency, and no central point of control.This is not just a technical choice. It is a fundamental decision about whether privacy remains a human right or becomes a commodity to be traded.#privacy #google #surveillance #search #decentralizationhttps://newsgroup.site/google-surveillance-data-tracking-2026/

️ Latest from #Surveillance #Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) #NYC “"Civil rights authorities like surveillance technology expert Albert Fox Cahn have long warned about the use of location data by government officials looking to track people’s movements and crack down on civil rights."...”https://bsky.app/profile/stopspyingny.bsky.social/post/3mhqdhdgii22m via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

US Government Uses Advertising Data to Track Citizens Without WarrantsCBP and ICE have spent millions purchasing location data from advertising brokers — enabling government surveillance without warrants or probable cause. This bypasses Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure.Advertising companies collect vast location data from smartphones and apps. Data brokers aggregate this information and sell it to the highest bidder, including government agencies. Users are often unaware their data is being collected, analyzed, and sold.Immigrant communities face particular risk. ICE uses location data to track and detain undocumented individuals. Activists and protesters are similarly vulnerable to monitoring.What's needed:Laws requiring warrants for location data accessRegulation of data brokersPrivacy-by-design technology: encrypted location services, privacy-preserving advertisingThe normalization of constant tracking threatens fundamental rights to freedom of movement and association.https://newsgroup.site/us-government-advertising-data-surveillance-tracking-2026/#Privacy #Surveillance #FourthAmendment #DataBrokers #CBP #ICE #CivilLiberties

Africa: China exports $2 billion in surveillance technology, spreading its digital authoritarianism model across the continent.Chinese tech giants Huawei, Hikvision, and Dahua dominate Africa's security market with "smart city" packages — facial recognition systems, AI-powered cameras, internet monitoring software, and biometric identification tools.These technologies are actively used by authoritarian regimes for:Tracking opposition politicians and activistsIdentifying protest participants for post-event repressionBlocking independent news sites and social mediaBuilding social credit-style systems (Rwanda and others)What is marketed as "security infrastructure" functions as instruments for suppressing opposition, controlling civil society, and restricting fundamental freedoms.https://newsgroup.site/afrika-kitai-eksportuye-tekhnolohiyi-sterezhennya-2-milyardy/#China #Africa #Surveillance #DigitalAuthoritarianism #HumanRights #Huawei