Category Archives: Global Domination

Clearview AI faces criminal heat for ignoring EU data fines – wait: these creeps still exist?

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Privacy advocates at Noyb filed a criminal complaint against Clearview AI for scraping social media users’ faces without consent to train its AI algorithms.

Austria-based Noyb (None of Your Business) is targeting the US company and its executives, arguing that if successful, individuals who authorized the data collection could face criminal penalties, including imprisonment.

The complaint focuses largely on Clearview’s apparent disregard for fines from France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK. Aside from the UK — where Clearview recently lost its appeal of a $10 million fine from the Information Commissioner’s Office — the company has yet to pay other fines totaling more than $100 million, Noyb claims.

“EU data protection authorities did not come up with a way to enforce its fines and bans against the US company, allowing Clearview AI to effectively dodge the law,” said Noyb in its announcement today.

Max Schrems, privacy lawyer and founder of Noyb, said: “Clearview AI seems to simply ignore EU fundamental rights and just spits in the face of EU authorities.”

The criminal complaint, filed with Austrian public prosecutors, hinges on Article 84 of the GDPR, which allows EU member states to seek proportionate punishments for data protection violations, including through criminal proceedings.

Clearview AI claims it has collected more than 60 billion images to help law enforcement agencies improve facial recognition tech.

Scraping data is not inherently illegal, however, Clearview’s sweeping collection of social media photos for commercial gain has repeatedly violated GDPR regulations across Europe.

Austria ruled the company’s practices illegal in 2023, though it imposed no fine.

Noyb is using a provision in Austria’s own implementation of the GDPR that allows criminal proceedings to be brought against managers of organizations that flout data protection laws.

“We even run cross-border criminal procedures for stolen bikes, so we hope that the public prosecutor also takes action when the personal data of billions of people was stolen – as has been confirmed by multiple authorities,” said Schrems.

Source: Clearview AI faces criminal heat for ignoring EU data fines • The Register

‘Change course now’: humanity has missed 1.5C climate target, says UN head

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[…]Humanity has failed to limit global heating to 1.5C and must change course immediately, the secretary general of the UN has warned.

In his only interview before next month’s Cop30 climate summit, António Guterres acknowledged it is now “inevitable” that humanity will overshoot the target in the Paris climate agreement, with “devastating consequences” for the world.

He urged the leaders who will gather in the Brazilian rainforest city of Belém to realise that the longer they delay cutting emissions, the greater the danger of passing catastrophic “tipping points” in the Amazon, the Arctic and the oceans.

“Let’s recognise our failure,” he told the Guardian and Amazon-based news organisation Sumaúma. “The truth is that we have failed to avoid an overshooting above 1.5C in the next few years. And that going above 1.5C has devastating consequences. Some of these devastating consequences are tipping points, be it in the Amazon, be it in Greenland, or western Antarctica or the coral reefs.

He said the priority at Cop30 was to shift direction: “It is absolutely indispensable to change course in order to make sure that the overshoot is as short as possible and as low in intensity as possible to avoid tipping points like the Amazon. We don’t want to see the Amazon as a savannah. But that is a real risk if we don’t change course and if we don’t make a dramatic decrease of emissions as soon as possible.”

The planet’s past 10 years have been the hottest in recorded history. Despite growing scientific alarm at the speed of global temperature increases caused by the burning of fossil fuels – oil, coal and gas – the secretary general said government commitments have come up short.

Fewer than a third of the world’s nations (62 out of 197) have sent in their climate action plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris agreement. The US under Donald Trump has abandoned the process. Europe has promised but so far failed to deliver. China, the world’s biggest emitter, has been accused of undercommitting.

António Guterres speaking at a Cop29 podium
António Guterres giving his speech at Cop29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024. Photograph: Anatoly Maltsev/EPA

Guterres said the lack of NDC ambition means the Paris goal of 1.5C will be breached, at least temporarily: “From those [NDCs] received until now, there is an expectation of a reduction of emissions of 10%. We would need 60% [to stay within 1.5C]. So overshooting is now inevitable.”

He did not give up on the target though, and said it may still be possible to temporarily overshoot and then bring temperatures down in time to return to 1.5C by the end of the century, but this would require a change of direction at and beyond Cop30.

[…]

Source: ‘Change course now’: humanity has missed 1.5C climate target, says UN head | Climate crisis | The Guardian

CBP will photograph non-citizens entering and exiting the US for its facial recognition database

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The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) submitted a new measure that allows it to photograph any non-US citizen who enters or exits the country for facial recognition purposes. According to a filing with the government’s Federal Register, CBP and the Department of Homeland Security are looking to crack down on threats of terrorism, fraudulent use of travel documents and anyone who overstays their authorized stay.

The filing detailed that CBP will “implement an integrated, automated entry and exit data system to match records, including biographic data and biometrics, of aliens entering and departing the United States.” The government agency already has the ability to request photos and fingerprints from anyone entering the country, but this new rule change would allow for requiring photos of anyone exiting as well. These photos would “create galleries of images associated with individuals, including photos taken by border agents, and from passports or other travel documents,” according to the filing, adding that these galleries would be compared to live photos at entry and exit points.

These new requirements are scheduled to go into effect on December 26, but CBP will need some time to implement a system to handle the extra demand. According to the filing, the agency said “a biometric entry-exit system can be fully implemented at all commercial airports and sea ports for both entry and exit within the next three to five years.”

Source: CBP will photograph non-citizens entering and exiting the US for its facial recognition database

High-tech poker and NBA scam used X-ray tables, special glasses, collusion, card machines

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Two federal indictments were unsealed on Thursday, one focused on a high-tech poker cheating scam, the other focused on a sports betting conspiracy.

Starting around 2019, a group of alleged mafia associates began operating a high-stakes poker con at several locations around Manhattan, according to an indictment filed by the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. The card cheating scheme relied on X-ray tables, rigged card shufflers, and glasses capable of reading hidden card markings.

Authorities say they arrested 31 individuals across 11 states, including members and associates of the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese organized crime families of La Cosa Nostra.

Chauncey Billups, the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, and former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones were also arrested.

Billups’ attorney Chris Heywood told ESPN in a statement that his client did not do what the government claims and that Billups intends to fight the charges.

For years, these individuals allegedly hosted illegal poker games where they used sophisticated technology and enlisted current and former NBA players to cheat people out of millions of dollars

“For years, these individuals allegedly hosted illegal poker games where they used sophisticated technology and enlisted current and former NBA players to cheat people out of millions of dollars,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch in a statement.

“This complex scheme was so far reaching that it included members from four of the organized crime families, and when people refused to pay because they were cheated, these defendants did what organized crime has always done: they used threats, intimidation, and violence.”

As described in the indictment, the victimized card players believed they were participating in fair but illegal poker games against other players. However, the games were rigged, resulting in a loss of at least $7 million since the scheme’s inception. The NBA celebrities supposedly served as “Face Cards” to attract players.

“The defendants and their co-conspirators, who constituted the remaining participants purportedly playing in the poker games, worked together on cheating teams … that used advanced wireless technologies to read the cards dealt in each poker hand and relay that information to the defendants and co-conspirators participating in the illegal poker games,” the indictment claims.

The cheating scheme allegedly employed compromised shuffling machines that could read the cards in the deck and transmit this information to an off-site relayer who messaged the details back to a player at the table, referred to as the “Quarterback” or “Driver.” This individual then used prearranged signals to communicate with co-conspirators at the table, all to win poker games against unsuspecting victims.

The defendants also allegedly employed “a chip tray analyzer (essentially, a poker chip tray that also secretly read all cards using hidden cameras), an X-ray table that could read cards face down on the table, and special contact lenses or eyeglasses that could read pre-marked cards.”

[…]

Online poker games have long presented a risk of cheating and player collusion, but this incident reaffirms that in-person games, where collusion has always been a possibility, can also be subverted through technology.

“I think the sophistication in the cheating technologies is far greater than the sophistication in detection, and it’s not very common for people to even have expensive detection technology,” said Rubin. “You’re not, as a player, equipped to compete in a way with the people that have the resources to cheat like that.”

Major Las Vegas casinos like the MGM Grand or Caesars Palace, Rubin said, put a lot of money and effort into protecting games at their facilities and have an interest in preventing cheating scandals from tarnishing their brands. “You’re probably safe playing in big, brand name casinos,” he said. “But at the end of the day, you know, it’s poker and if somebody wants to try hard enough and spends money to do it, they may find a way to cheat.

[…]

The second of the two indictments alleged that six defendants, including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA assistant coach and player Damon Jones (named in the first indictment), colluded to share inside information and to alter in-game behavior to influence the outcome of bets on NBA games.

[…]

Source: High-tech poker scam used X-ray tables, special glasses • The Register

Amazon’s Ring to partner with Flock, a network of AI cameras used by ICE, feds, and police with little oversight

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Amazon’s surveillance camera maker Ring announced a partnership on Thursday with Flock, a maker of AI-powered surveillance cameras that share footage with law enforcement.

Now agencies that use Flock can request that Ring doorbell users share footage to help with “evidence collection and investigative work.”

Flock cameras work by scanning the license plates and other identifying information about cars they see. Flock’s government and police customers can also make natural language searches of their video footage to find people who match specific descriptions. However, AI-powered technology used by law enforcement has been proven to exacerbate racial biases.

On the same day that Ring announced this partnership, 404 Media reported that ICE, the Secret Service, and the Navy had access to Flock’s network of cameras. By partnering with Ring, Flock could potentially access footage from millions more cameras.

Ring has long had a poor track record with keeping customers’ videos safe and secure. In 2023, the FTC ordered the company to pay $5.8 million over claims that employees and contractors had unrestricted access to customers’ videos for years.

Source: Amazon’s Ring to partner with Flock, a network of AI cameras used by ICE, feds, and police | TechCrunch

For more on Flock cameras and how unsecured and dangerous these things are (and also how to join a network of people monitoring this pervasive surveillance) click here.

Microsoft illegally tracked students via 365 Education, must now say what it did with the data

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An Austrian digital privacy group has claimed victory over Microsoft after the country’s data protection regulator ruled the software giant “illegally” tracked students via its 365 Education platform and used their data.

noyb said the ruling [PDF] by the Austrian Data Protection Authority also confirmed that Microsoft had tried to shift responsibility for access requests to local schools, and the software and cloud giant would have to explain how it used user data.

The ruling could have far-reaching effects for Microsoft and its obligations to inform Microsoft 365 users across Europe about what it is doing with their data, noyb argues.

The complaint dates back to the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools rapidly shifted to online learning, using the likes of 365 Education.

The privacy group said: “Microsoft shifted all responsibility to comply with privacy laws onto schools and national authorities – that have little to no actual control over the use of student data.”

When the complainant filed an access request to see what information was being processed, “this led to massive finger pointing: Microsoft simply referred the complainant to its local school.”

But the school and education authorities could only provide minimal information. The school, for example, could not access information that rested with Microsoft. “No one felt able to comply with GDPR rights.”

This prompted a complaint against the school, national and local education authorities, and Microsoft.

The ruling, machine translated, said: “It is determined that Microsoft, as a controller, violated the complainant’s right of access (Art. 15 GDPR) by failing to provide complete information about the data processed when using Microsoft Education 365.”

Microsoft was ordered to provide complete information about the data transmitted, and to provide clear explanations of terms such as “internal reporting,” “business modelling” and “improvement of core functionality.” It must also disclose if information was transferred to third parties.

[…]

 

Source: Microsoft ‘illegally’ tracked students via 365 Education • The Register

Germany against ChatControl: Denmark takes it off the table so the EU can’t vote against it NOW, but will re-try (3rd time lucky) later again, when the people aren’t looking.

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Germany does not support the Danish proposal on the so-called CSA regulation, which is called ‘chat control’ by critics.

The proposal was to be voted on on Tuesday in the EU Council of Ministers, but it has now been taken off the table.

The Danish government, which currently holds the EU Presidency, has chosen to withdraw the proposal from the vote. This is stated in a press release from the German parliament.

[…]

Among other things, 500 researchers from 34 countries worldwide, including 25 from Danish universities, have signed a letter criticizing the CSA regulation, as they believe, among other things, that the method will be ineffective and that there will at the same time be a high risk of misuse of information.

And leading experts in encryption have compared the suggestion of placing a spy microphone in everyone’s pockets.

[…]

The Danish Minister of Justice, Peter Hummelgaard (S), confirms in a written reply to DR News that the proposal will not be discussed at the Council meeting next week.

“It’s no secret that it’s a difficult case with many considerations that needs to be balanced. This is shown by the great public debate that has been in the recent past as well.

“Since the necessary support for the current compromise proposal has not yet been established, prior to the Council meeting next week, the proposal will not be discussed by the ministers at the Council meeting,” he said.

Despite the fact that the government has not succeeded in finding the necessary support, the Minister of Justice does not give up.

– However, the Danish EU Presidency will continue to work on the Member States to find a solution, and therefore negotiations on the technical details of the proposal will continue.

[…]

“Both ministries stressed (the German Ministry of Interior and Justice) that, like many other EU countries, they do not support the Danish proposal in the current form,” it said.

Source: Tyskland fejer kontroversielt ‘chatkontrol’-forslag af bordet | Politik | DR

An absolute gutter move by Denmark, freeing them up to try again a 3rd time – and call it a second attempt. Maybe they will try over December, April or July, when the proletariat is on holiday and won’t raise such a stink about being spied on 24/7 by their own governments. There is nothing democratic about the way this is being handled.

Germany slams brakes on EU’s Chat Control snoopfest

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Germany has committed to oppose the EU’s controversial “Chat Control” regulations following huge pressure from multiple activists and major organizations.

The draft regs would allow authorities to compel providers of communications services – such as WhatsApp, Signal, etc – to monitor user comms for potential child sexual abuse material. And they wouldn’t exempt encrypted services.

Jens Spahn, a member of the Bundestag for Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) – part of the ruling coalition in the country – confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that the German government would not allow the proposed regulations, which are commonly referred to as Chat Control, to become law.

“We, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, are opposed to the unwarranted monitoring of chats. That would be like opening all letters as a precautionary measure to see if there is anything illegal in them. That is not acceptable, and we will not allow it.”

As The Reg has mentioned previously, to pass the legislation, EU leaders need support from nations representing the majority of the member-state bloc’s population – which is why Germany’s is a key player.

The news follows speculation last week that Germany would reverse its stance and oppose the Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Regulation, which EU politicians have tried to pass since it was first tabled in 2022.

Essentially, it’s the EU’s version of the UK’s long-held ambition to force encrypted messaging platforms to break end-to-end encryption (E2EE), packaged under a similar guise.

If passed, the CSA Regulation would require communications platforms to deploy AI-powered content filters to ensure CSA material was blocked, and those possessing and sharing it be brought to justice.

And, of course, would also undermine E2EE, theoretically allowing the EU to spy on any citizen’s private communications.

So far, Chat Control has naturally received similarly heated opposition as the UK’s equivalent plans, first through the Investigatory Powers Act and later through the Online Safety Act.

[…]

Source: Germany slams brakes on EU’s Chat Control snoopfest • The Register

Another Day, Another Age Verification Data Breach: Discord’s Third-Party Partner Leaked Government IDs. That didn’t take long, did it?

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Once again, we’re reminded why age verification systems are fundamentally broken when it comes to privacy and security. Discord has disclosed that one of its third-party customer service providers was breached, exposing user data, including government-issued photo IDs, from users who had appealed age determinations.

Data potentially accessed by the hack includes things like names, usernames, emails, and the last four digits of credit card numbers. The unauthorized party also accessed a “small number” of images of government IDs from “users who had appealed an age determination.” Full credit card numbers and passwords were not impacted by the breach, Discord says.

Seems pretty bad.

What makes this breach particularly instructive is that it highlights the perverse incentives created by age verification mandates. Discord wasn’t collecting government IDs because they wanted to—they were responding to age determination appeals, likely driven by legal and regulatory pressures to keep underage users away from certain content. The result? A treasure trove of sensitive identity documents sitting in the systems of a third-party customer service provider that had no business being in the identity verification game.

To “protect the children” we end up putting everyone at risk.

This is exactly the kind of incident that privacy advocates have been warning about for years as lawmakers push for increasingly stringent age verification requirements across the internet. Every time these systems are implemented, we’re told they’re secure, that the data will be protected, that sophisticated safeguards are in place. And every time, we eventually get stories like this one.

The pattern reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of how security works in practice versus theory. Age verification proponents consistently treat identity document collection as a simple technical problem with straightforward solutions, ignoring the complex ecosystem these requirements create. Companies like Discord find themselves forced to collect documents they don’t want, storing them with third-party processors they don’t fully control, creating attack surfaces that wouldn’t otherwise exist.

These third parties become attractive targets precisely because they aggregate identity documents from multiple platforms—a single breach can expose IDs collected on behalf of dozens of different services. When the inevitable breach occurs, it’s not just usernames and email addresses at risk—it’s the kind of documentation that can enable identity theft and fraud for years to come, affecting people who may have forgotten they ever uploaded an ID to appeal an automated age determination.

[…]

the fundamental problem remains: we’re creating systems that require the collection and storage of highly sensitive identity documents, often by companies that aren’t primarily in the business of securing such data. This isn’t Discord’s fault specifically—they were dealing with age verification appeals, likely driven by regulatory or legal pressures to prevent underage users from accessing certain content or features.

This breach should serve as yet another data point in the growing pile of evidence that age verification systems create more problems than they solve. The irony is that lawmakers pushing these requirements often claim to be protecting children’s privacy, while simultaneously mandating the creation of vast databases of identity documents that inevitably get breached. We’ve seen similar incidents affect everything from adult websites to social media platforms to online retailers, all because policymakers have decided that collecting copies of driver’s licenses and passports is somehow a reasonable solution to online age verification.

The real tragedy is that this won’t be the last such breach we see. As long as lawmakers continue pushing for more aggressive age verification requirements without considering the privacy and security implications, we’ll keep seeing stories like this one. The question isn’t whether these systems will be breached—it’s when, and how many people’s sensitive documents will be exposed in the process.

[…]

Source: Another Day, Another Age Verification Data Breach: Discord’s Third-Party Partner Leaked Government IDs | Techdirt

If you want to look at previous articles telling you what an insanely bad idea mandatory age verification systems are and how they are insecure, you can just search this blog.

Chat Control Is Back On The Menu In The EU. It Still Must Be Stopped

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The European Union Council is once again debating its controversial message scanning proposal, aka “Chat Control,” that would lead to the scanning of private conversations of billions of people.

Chat Control, which EFF has strongly opposed since it was first introduced in 2022, keeps being mildly tweaked and pushed by one Council presidency after another.

Chat Control is a dangerous legislative proposal that would make it mandatory for service providers, including end-to-end encrypted communication and storage services, to scan all communications and files to detect “abusive material.” This would happen through a method called client-side scanning, which scans for specific content on a device before it’s sent. In practice, Chat Control is chat surveillance and functions by having access to everything on a device with indiscriminate monitoring of everything. In a memo, the Danish Presidency claimed this does not break end-to-end encryption.

This is absurd.

We have written extensively that client-side scanning fundamentally undermines end-to-end encryption, and obliterates our right to private spaces. If the government has access to one of the “ends” of an end-to-end encrypted communication, that communication is no longer safe and secure. Pursuing this approach is dangerous for everyone, but is especially perilous for journalists, whistleblowers, activists, lawyers, and human rights workers.

If passed, Chat Control would undermine the privacy promises of end-to-end encrypted communication tools, like Signal and WhatsApp. The proposal is so dangerous that Signal has stated it would pull its app out of the EU if Chat Control is passed. Proponents even seem to realize how dangerous this is, because state communications are exempt from this scanning in the latest compromise proposal.

This doesn’t just affect people in the EU, it affects everyone around the world, including in the United States. If platforms decide to stay in the EU, they would be forced to scan the conversation of everyone in the EU. If you’re not in the EU, but you chat with someone who is, then your privacy is compromised too. Passing this proposal would pave the way for authoritarian and tyrannical governments around the world to follow suit with their own demands for access to encrypted communication apps.

Even if you take it in good faith that the government would never do anything wrong with this power, events like Salt Typhoon show there’s no such thing as a system that’s only for the “good guys.”

Despite strong opposition, Denmark is pushing forward and taking its current proposal to the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting on October 14th.

We urge the Danish Presidency to drop its push for scanning our private communication and consider fundamental rights concerns. Any draft that compromises end-to-end encryption and permits scanning of our private communication should be blocked or voted down.

Phones and laptops must work for the users who own them, not act as “bugs in our pockets” in the service of governments, foreign or domestic. The mass scanning of everything on our devices is invasive, untenable, and must be rejected.

Republished from the EFF’s Deeplinks blog.

Source: Chat Control Is Back On The Menu In The EU. It Still Must Be Stopped | Techdirt

No account? No Windows 11 for you, says Microsoft

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Microsoft is closing a popular loophole that allowed users to install Windows 11 without a Microsoft account.

The change has appeared in recent Insider builds of Windows 11, indicating it is likely to be included in the production version soon.

Microsoft refers to these loopholes as “known mechanisms” and is talking about local commands in this instance. You can learn all about these in our piece for getting Windows 11 installed with a local account, but suffice to say start ms-cxh:localonly is no more.

“While these mechanisms were often used to bypass Microsoft account setup, they also inadvertently skip critical setup screens, potentially causing users to exit OOBE with a device that is not fully configured for use,” Microsoft said.

“Users will need to complete OOBE with internet and a Microsoft account, to ensure [the] device is set up correctly.”

As far as Redmond is concerned, this is all for the user’s own good. It is also important to note that managed devices are not directly affected, just hardware that users want to get running with Windows 11 without having to deal with a Microsoft Account during setup.

The change is part of Microsoft’s ongoing game of Whac-A-Mole with users trying to find ways of avoiding its online services. In March, it removed the bypassnro.cmd script that allowed users to get through the Windows 11 setup without needing an internet connection. That time, Microsoft said the change was to “enhance security and user experience of Windows 11.”

There remain a number of ways to avoid the Microsoft account requirement during setup, including setting up an unattended installation, but these are more complicated. It is also clear that Microsoft is determined to continue closing loopholes where it can.

It is getting increasingly difficult to use Windows 11 on an unmanaged device without a Microsoft account. Users who don’t want to sign up should perhaps consider whether it’s time to look at an alternative operating system instead.

Source: No account? No Windows 11 for you, says Microsoft • The Register

UK government says digital ID won’t be compulsory – unless you want a job. Even Palantir steps back from this one.

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The British government has finally given more details about the proposed digital ID project, directly responding to the 2.76 million naysayers that signed an online petition calling for it to be ditched.

This came a day after controversial spy-tech biz Palantir said it has no intention of helping the government implement the initiative – announced last week by prime minister Keir Starmer but not included in his political party’s manifesto at last year’s general election.

It is for this reason that Louis Mosley, UK boss at Palantir – the grandson of Sir Oswald Mosley – says his employer is not getting involved, despite being mentioned as a potential bidder.

“Digital ID is not one that was tested at the last election. It wasn’t in the manifesto. So we haven’t had a clear resounding public support at the ballot box for its implementation. So it isn’t one for us,” he told The Times

[…]

Following in the footsteps of Estonia and other nations, including China, the UK government wants to introduce a “free” digital ID card for people aged 16 and over – though it is consulting on whether this should start at 13 – to let people access public and private services “seamlessly.” It will “build on” GOV.UK One Login and the GOV.UK Wallet, we’re told.

“This system will allow people to access government services – such as benefits or tax records – without needing to remember multiple logins or provide physical documents.

[…]

The card, scheduled to be implemented by the end of the current Parliament, means employers will have to check digital ID when going through right-to-work checks, and despite previously saying the card will be mandatory, the government confirmed: “For clarity, it will not be a criminal offence to not hold a digital ID and police will not be able to demand to see a digital ID as part of a ‘stop and search.’

[…]

Big Brother Watch says the national ID system is a “serious threat to civil liberties.”

“Digital ID systems can be uniquely harmful to privacy, equality and civil liberties. They would allow the state to amass vast amounts of personal information about the public in centralised government databases. By linking government records through a unique single identifier, digital ID systems would make it very easy to build up a comprehensive picture of an individual’s life.”

[…]

Source: UK government says digital ID won’t be compulsory – honest • The Register

It also creates a single point of entry for anyone willing to hack the database. Centralised databases are incredibly broken ideas.

Also see: New digital ID will be mandatory to work in the UK. Ausweiss bitte!

And a quick search for “centralised database”

Outrage That NL Tax and Customs Authorities will give all data to US by switching to MS 365: ‘Insult to Parliament’

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‘An insult not only to the House of Representatives, but also to Dutch and European businesses’, says GroenLinks-PvdA MP Barbara Kathmann about the switch of government services to Microsoft. Earlier today, outgoing State Secretary for Taxation Eugène Heijnen (BBB) informed the House of Representatives about the switch of the Tax Authorities, the Allowances department, and Customs to Microsoft 365. This means that these services will become dependent on this American software giant for their daily work.

Outrage over Tax Authorities’ switch to Microsoft: ‘An insult to the House of Representatives’

Over the past year, there have been frequent debates about the digital independence of the Netherlands, and the call to become independent from American companies is growing louder. The fact that the State Secretary is now announcing that three government services will still switch to Microsoft is causing a lot of anger among Kathmann. ‘They are essentially just ushering us into the American cloud during this caretaker period, and that is really not necessary.’ Bert Hubert, former supervisor of the intelligence services, previously stated that Dutch tax data could end up on American servers via email contact.

Cluster of European companies

Kathmann emphasizes that it would be naive to think that we could be independent of Microsoft tomorrow, but that Dutch and European businesses are capable of a lot.

[…]

According to the State Secretary, this is not possible because there are no comparable European alternatives. Kathmann explains that the intention is precisely not to become dependent on one supplier.

[…]

Stimulate development

Last week, caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof called on executives of large companies to become independent from non-European suppliers. Schoof also emphasized in the House two days ago that this is a priority.

[…]

the government can play an important role in stimulating the development of European and Dutch technology. ‘The government is the largest IT buyer in the Netherlands. If it becomes the largest buyer of European Dutch products, then it will really take off.’

[…]

Source: Kagi Translate

It really is amazing how at a time when everyone is talking about digital sovereignty, the Tax people – responsible for handling extremely sensitive data – decide to give it all to an increasingly untrustworthy ally.

Signal threatens to exit Germany over Chat Control vote – 14th of October we know if Denmark has managed to turn the EU into a Stazi surveillance state.

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The Signal Foundation announced on October 3, 2025, that it would withdraw its encrypted messaging service from Germany and potentially all of Europe if the European Union’s Chat Control proposal passes in an upcoming vote. According to Signal President Meredith Whittaker, the messaging platform faces an existential choice between compromising its encryption integrity and leaving European markets entirely.

The German government holds a decisive position in the October 14, 2025 vote on the Chat Control regulation, which aims to combat child sexual abuse material but requires mass scanning of every message, photo, and video on users’ devices.

[…]

The Chat Control proposal mandates that messaging services like Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Threema scan files on smartphones and end devices without suspicion to detect child sexual abuse material. This scanning would occur before encryption, according to technical documentation from the European Commission’s September 2020 draft on detecting such content in end-to-end encrypted communications.

[…]

The Chat Control vote reveals deep divisions among EU member states on digital privacy and surveillance. Fifteen countries support the proposal, eight oppose it, and several remain undecided as the October 14 deadline approaches.

[…]

Germany’s position remains critical and undecided. Despite expressing concerns about breaking end-to-end encryption at a September 12 Law Enforcement Working Party meeting, the government refrained from taking a definitive stance. This indecision makes Germany’s vote potentially decisive for the proposal’s fate.

Belgium, Italy, and Latvia remain undecided as of September 23, 2025. These countries express desire to reach agreement given the expiring interim regulation, with all three expressing support for the proposal’s goals while remaining formally uncommitted. Italy specifically voices doubts concerning inclusion of new child sexual abuse material in the scope of application. Latvia assesses the text positively but faces uncertainty about political support.

Poland and Austria share the desire for solutions but maintain skepticism about the current proposal’s approach. Greece’s position remains unclear, with the government evaluating technical implementation details. Sweden continues examining the compromise text and working on a position. Slovakia appears in both opposition and undecided categories depending on sources, reflecting the fluid nature of negotiations.

The arithmetic suggests that Germany’s decision could determine whether the required majority materializes. With 15 states supporting and 8 opposing, the undecided nations hold the balance.

[…]

Technical experts have warned that client-side scanning fundamentally undermines encryption security. A comprehensive 2021 study titled “Bugs in Our Pockets: The Risks of Client-Side Scanning,” authored by 14 security researchers including cryptography pioneers Whitfield Diffie and Ronald Rivest, concluded that such systems create serious security and privacy risks for all society.

The researchers explained that scanning every message—whether performed before or after encryption—negates the premise of end-to-end encryption. Instead of breaking Signal’s encryption protocol directly, hostile actors would only need to exploit access granted to the scanning system itself. Intelligence agencies have acknowledged this threat would prove catastrophic for national security, according to the technical consensus outlined in the research paper.

[…]

Germany’s historical experience with mass surveillance through the Stasi secret police informs current privacy advocacy. The country maintained principled opposition to Chat Control during the previous coalition government, though this position became uncertain after the current government took office

[…]

Denmark assumed the EU Council Presidency on July 1, 2025, and immediately reintroduced Chat Control as a legislative priority. Lawmakers targeted the October 14 adoption date if member states reach consensus. France, which previously opposed the measure, shifted to support the proposal by July 28, 2025, creating momentum for the 15 member states now backing the regulation.

[…]

Source: Signal threatens to exit Germany over Chat Control vote

Academic research finds economic, technical and operational harms from Italy’s Piracy Shield

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Walled Culture first wrote about Piracy Shield, Italy’s automated system for tackling alleged copyright infringement in the streaming sector, two years ago. Since then, we have written about the serious problems that soon emerged. But instead of fixing those issues, the government body that runs the scheme, Italy’s AGCOM (the Italian Authority for Communications Guarantees), has extended it. The problems may be evident, but they have not been systematically studied, until now: a peer-reviewed study from a group of (mostly Italian) researchers has just been published as a preprint (found via TorrentFreak). It’s particularly welcome as perhaps the first rigorous analysis of Piracy Shield and its flaws.

[…]

one of the major concerns about the system is the lack of transparency: AGCOM does not publish a list of IP addresses or domain names that are subject to its blocking. That not only makes it extremely difficult to correct mistakes, it also – conveniently – hides those mistakes, as well as the scope and impact of Piracy Shield. To get around this lack of transparency, the researchers had to resort to a dataset leaked on GitHub, which contained 10,918 IPv4 addresses and 42,664 domain names (more precisely, the latter were “fully qualified domain names” – FQDN) that had been blocked. As good academics, the researchers naturally verified the dataset as best they could:

While this dataset may not be exhaustive … it nonetheless provides a conservative lower-bound estimate of the platform’s blocking activity, which serves as the foundation for the subsequent analyses.

Much of the paper is devoted to the detailed methodology. One important result is that many of the blocked IP addresses belonged to leased IP address space. As the researchers explain:

This suggests that illegal streamers may attempt to exploit leased address space more intensively, even if just indirectly, by obtaining them by hosting companies that leases them, leading to more potential collateral damages for new lessees.

This particular collateral damage arises from the fact that even after the leased IP address is released by those who are using it for allegedly unauthorised streaming, it is still blocked on the Piracy Shield system. That means whoever is allocated that leased IP address subsequently is blocked by AGCOM, but are probably unaware of that fact, because of the opaque nature of the blocking process. More generally, collateral damage arose from the wrongful blocking of a wide range of completely legitimate sites:

During our classification process, we observed a wide range of website types across these collaterally affected domains, including personal branding pages, company profiles, and websites for hotels and restaurants. One notable case involves 19 Albanian websites hosted on a single IP address assigned to WIIT Cloud. These sites are still unreachable from Italy.

Italian sites were also hit, including a car mechanic, several retail shops, an accountant, a telehealth missionary program – and a nunnery. More amusingly, the researchers write:

we found a case of collateral damage involving a Google IP. Closer inspection revealed the IP was used by Telecom Italia to serve a blocking page for FQDNs filtered by Piracy Shield. Although later removed from the blocklist, this case suggests that collateral damage may have affected the blocking infrastructure itself.

The academics summarise their work as follows:

Our results on the collateral damages of IP and FQDN blocking highlight a worrisome scenario, with hundreds of legitimate websites unknowingly affected by blocking, unknown operators experiencing service disruption, and illegal streamers continuing to evade enforcement by exploiting the abundance of address space online, leaving behind unusable and polluted address ranges. Still, our findings represent a conservative lower-bound estimate.

It distinguished three ways in which Piracy Shield is harmful. Economically, because it disrupts legitimate businesses; technically, because it blocks shared infrastructure such as content delivery networks, while “polluting the IP address space” for future, unsuspecting users; and operationally, because it imposes a “growing, uncompensated burden on Italian ISPs forced to implement an expanding list of permanent blocks.” The paper concludes with some practical suggestions for improving a system that is clearly not fit for purpose, and poses a threat to national security, as discussed previously on Walled Culture. The researchers suggest that:

widespread and difficult-to-predict collateral damage suggests that IP-level blocking is an indiscriminate tool with consequences that outweigh its benefits and should not be used.

Instead, they point out that there are other legal pathways that can be pursued, since many of the allegedly infringing streams originate within the EU. If FQDN blocking is used, it should be regarded as “a last resort in tightly constrained time windows, i.e., only for the duration of the live event.” Crucially, more transparency is needed from AGCOM:

To mitigate damages, resource owners must be immediately notified when their assets are blocked, and a clear, fast unblocking mechanism must be in place.

This is an important piece of work, because it places criticisms of Piracy Shield on a firm footing, with rigorous analysis of the facts. However, AGCOM is unlike to pay attention, since it is in the process of expanding Piracy Shield to apply to vast swathes of online streaming: amendments to the relevant law mean that automatic blocks can now be applied to film premieres, and even run-of-the-mill TV shows. Based on its past behaviour, the copyright industry may well push to extend Piracy Shield to static Web material too, on the basis that the blocking infrastructure is already in place, so why not use it for every kind of material?

Source: Academic research finds economic, technical and operational harms from Italy’s Piracy Shield – Walled Culture

Ladybird Browser Gains Cloudflare Support to Challenge the Status Quo

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In a somewhat unexpected move, Cloudflare has announced its sponsorship of the Ladybird browser, an independent (still-in-development) open-source initiative aimed at developing a modern, standalone web browser engine. It’s a project launched by GitHub’s co-founder and former CEO, Chris Wanstrath, and tech visionary Andreas Kling.

It’s written in C++, and designed to be fast, standards-compliant, and free of external dependencies. Its main selling point? Unlike most alternative browsers today, Ladybird doesn’t sit on top of Chromium or WebKit.

Instead, it’s building a completely new rendering engine from scratch, which is a rare thing in today’s web landscape. For reference, the vast majority of web traffic currently runs through engines developed by either Google (Blink/Chromium), Apple (WebKit), or Mozilla (Gecko).

The sponsorship means the Ladybird team will have more resources to accelerate development. This includes paying developers to work on crucial features, such as JavaScript support, rendering improvements, and compatibility with modern web applications. Just to remind you, last year the project was already funded with $1 million from Wanstrath and his family.

Cloudflare stated that its support is part of a broader initiative to keep the web open, where competition and multiple implementations can drive enhanced security, performance, and innovation.

[…]

Source: Ladybird Browser Gains Cloudflare Support to Challenge the Status Quo

The browser wars in the 2000s were not lite for no reason – the browser is the viewing portal to the world and who controls the underlying technology is also the harvester of information. Something that most Chrome users don’t really understand.

The Internet Reacts To Electronic Arts’ $55 Billion Acquisition

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After reports sprouted up last week that Electronic Arts, the publisher behind The Sims, BioWare’s catalog, and most of your favorite sports games, was being acquired for over $50 billion in a joint venture between Saudi Arabia’s Private Investor Fund, Silver Lake, and the Jared Kushner-owned Affinity Partners, the company has officially confirmed the deal. If approved, the acquisition would be one of the most expensive in the history of the video game industry and would make Electronic Arts a privately held company. Given the questionable ownership, the internet is not taking the news well.

The Saudi Arabian government’s attempts at sportswashing away the stink of its dire human rights laws, as evidenced by its investments in various facets of the video game industry, are well-documented at this point.

[…]

Given Saudi Arabia’s treatment of queer people, a fair bit of concern has been extended specifically to The Sims and to BioWare, the developer of Mass Effect and Dragon Age, all of which have been trailblazers for queer representation in video games. EA CEO Andrew Wilson has stated in an email statement to staff that the company’s “values and [its] commitment to players and fans around the world remain unchanged,” but considering that both the Saudi Arabian government and Jared Kushner, the owner of Affinity Partners and Donald Trump’s son-in-law, now own the publisher, that’s not exactly convincing.

[…]

The Saudi government’s influence on the games it has money in has thus far resulted in some bizarre shit, such as soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo showing up in the latest Fatal Fury, though developer SNK has insisted the company’s sale to PIF would not affect its games. Beyond that, the Saudi Arabian government has been hosting events with industry figureheads like Hideo Kojima. The nation’s monetary investment in video games has been extensive, but buying one of the biggest companies in the space, whose games are played by millions every year, is almost certainly the farthest-reaching move it’s made thus far. We don’t know what impact this will have on EA, its studios, and its IP in the future, but in this moment, things look bleak.

Source: The Internet Reacts To Electronic Arts’ $55 Billion Acquisition

So yes, maybe EA will have more money to make more games, but they will be right wing nutcase / religious games, heavily censored. Considering that the gaming industry is larger than Hollywood and the shared experiences from gaming shape our culture, this is a pretty iron grip on what it is that we see, experience and how we experience it. Gaming tells us who are the goodies and the baddies and now this is under control of some very dubious people.

New digital ID will be mandatory to work in the UK. Ausweiss bitte!

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Digital ID will be mandatory in order to work in the UK, as part of plans to tackle illegal migration.

Sir Keir Starmer said the new digital ID scheme would make it tougher to work in the UK illegally and offer “countless benefits” to citizens, while his senior minister Darren Jones said it could be “the bedrock of the modern state”.

However, opposition parties argued the proposals would not stop people crossing the Channel in small boats.

The prime minister set out his plans in a broader speech to a gathering of world leaders, in which he said it had been “too easy” for people to work illegally in the UK because the centre-left had been “squeamish” about saying things that were “clearly true”.

[…]

Another Labour prime minister, Sir Tony Blair, tried to introduce compulsory ID cards but the idea was scrapped by the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition in 2010.

However, Sir Keir has recently said he believes the debate has “moved on in the last 20 years” as “we all carry a lot more digital ID now than we did”.

Labour believes its new proposal has public support, although more than a million people have signed a petition against the idea.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the plan would “do nothing to stop the boats” but would “end up being used against law-abiding citizens while crooks walk free”.

She also expressed concern about the security of the data saying it would be a risk to put the information “in one database”.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said his party would “fight tooth and nail” against the scheme which would “add to our tax bills and bureaucracy, whilst doing next to nothing to tackle channel crossings”.

Some campaign groups have also objected to the plan, with Liberty arguing it raised “huge concerns” about mass surveillance, while Big Brother Watch said it would make the country “less free”.

[…]

The new digital ID will be held on people’s phones, in a similar way to contactless payment cards or the NHS app.

It is expected to include a person’s name, date of birth, nationality or residency status and a photo.

The consultation will also consider whether additional information such as an address should be included.

[…]

The government said the roll-out would eventually make it simpler to apply for services like driving licences, childcare and welfare – as well as streamlining access to tax records.

[…]

Emlyn Jenkins, 23, is against digital IDs, describing the plan as “fascistic and horrible”.

“How will people who are homeless be affected if they don’t have access to a smartphone or they don’t have access to consistent internet?” she asked.

Arianwen Fox-James, 20, says she can see some practical benefits but is uncomfortable with the idea of a “centralised hub of all the data”.

[…]

data safety. “Every time these things get launched they get hacked,” she says. “Everyone hacks everything.”

Source: New digital ID will be mandatory to work in the UK

Another point: to fight migrants “taking jobs”  (hint: they are not) they are going to make it more difficult for those who don’t have jobs by making them incur costs and difficulties to get a government issued ID somehow and for temporary employers to check the validity of these IDs. So that will probably actually raise the amount of illegal work being done.

Mesh-Mapper – Drone Remote ID mapping and mesh alerts

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Project Overview

The FAA’s Remote ID requirement, which became mandatory for most drones in September 2023, means every compliant drone now broadcasts its location, pilot position, and identification data via WiFi or Bluetooth. While this regulation was designed for safety and accountability (or to violate pilot privacy 😊), it also creates an unprecedented opportunity for personal airspace awareness.

This project harnesses that data stream to create a comprehensive detection and tracking system that puts you in control of knowing what’s flying overhead. Built around the powerful dual-core Xiao ESP32 S3 microcontroller, the system captures Remote ID transmissions on both WiFi and Bluetooth simultaneously, feeding the data into a sophisticated Python Flask web application that provides real-time visualization and logging.

But here’s where it gets really interesting: the system also integrates with Meshtastic networks, allowing multiple detection nodes to share information across a mesh network. This means you can deploy several ESP32 nodes across your property or neighborhood and have them all contribute to a unified picture of drone activity in your area.

Why This Project Matters

Remote ID represents a fundamental shift in airspace transparency. For the first time, civilian drones are required to broadcast their identity and location continuously. This creates opportunities for:

  • Privacy Protection: Know when drones are operating near your property and who is operating them
  • Personal Security: Monitor activity around sensitive locations like your home or business
  • Community Awareness: Share drone activity information with neighbors through mesh networks
  • Research: Understand drone traffic patterns and airspace usage in your area
  • Education: Learn about wireless protocols and modern airspace management
The key difference between this system and commercial drone detection 
solutions is that it puts the power of airspace awareness directly in your 
hands, using affordable hardware and open-source software.

While you can build this project using off-the-shelf ESP32 development boards, I’ve designed custom PCBs specifically optimized for Remote ID detection integration with Meshtastic that are that are available on my Tindie store. Thank you PCBway for the awesome boards! The combination of their top tier quality, competitive pricing, fast turnaround times, and stellar customer service makes PCBWay the go-to choice for professional PCB fabrication, whether you’re prototyping innovative mesh detection systems or scaling up for full production runs.

https://www.pcbway.com/

Step 1: Hardware Preparation

If using custom MeshDetect boards from Tindie:

  • Boards come pre-assembled, flashed, and tested
  • Includes Stock 915mhz and 2.4ghz antennas
  • USB-C programming interface ready to use

If building with standard ESP32 S3:

  • Xiao ESP32 S3 development board recommended
  • USB-C cable for connection and power
  • Optional upgraded3 2.4GHz antenna for better range
  • Optional Heltec Lora V3 for Mesthastic Integration

Step 2: Firmware Installation

To install the firmware onto your device, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/colonelpanichacks/drone-mesh-mapper

Open the project in PlatformIO: You can use the PlatformIO IDE (in VS Code) or the PlatformIO CLI.

2.Select the correct environment:

This project uses the remotied_mesh_dualcore sketch, which enables both BLE and Wi-Fi functionality.Make sure the platformio.ini environment is set to remoteid_mesh_dualcore.

3. Connect you device via usb and flash

Upload the firmware:

  • In the IDE, select the remoteid_mesh_dualcore environment and click the “Upload” button.

3. Sofware Installation

Install Python dependencies:

  • flask>=2.0.0
  • flask-socketio>=5.0.0
  • requests>=2.25.0
  • urllib3>=1.26.0
  • pyserial>=3.5

Run the detection system:

python mapper.py

The web interface automatically opens at http://localhost:5000

Step 4: Device Configuration

1. Connect ESP32 via USB-C

2. Select the correct serial port in the web interface

3. Click “Connect” to start receiving data

4. Configure device aliases and settings as needed

How It Works

The ESP32 S3’s dual-core architecture allows simultaneous monitoring of both WiFi and Bluetooth Remote ID transmissions:
  • Core 0 handles WiFi monitoring in promiscuous mode, capturing Remote ID data embedded in beacon frames and processing Neighbor Awareness Networking transmissions on channel 6 by default.
  • Core 1 continuously scans for Bluetooth LE advertisements containing Remote ID data, supporting both BT 4.0 and 5.0 protocols with optimized low-power scanning.
  • Both cores feed detected Remote ID data into a unified JSON output stream via USB serial at 115200 baud. The firmware is based on Cemaxacuter’s excellent Remote ID detection work, enhanced with dual-core operation.
  • The Python Flask web application receives this data and provides real-time visualization on an interactive map, automatic logging to CSV and KML files, FAA database integration for aircraft registration lookups, support for up to 3 ESP32 devices simultaneously, live data streaming via WebSocket, and comprehensive export functions.
Meshtastic Integration: Distributed Detection

One of the most exciting features is Meshtastic integration. The ESP32 firmware can send compact detection messages over UART to a connected Meshtastic device. This enables:

  • Distributed Monitoring: Multiple detection nodes sharing data across your property or neighborhood
  • Extended Range: Mesh networking extends effective coverage area beyond single-device limitations
  • Redundancy: Multiple nodes provide backup coverage if one device fails
  • Low-Power Operation: Meshtastic’s LoRa radios enable remote deployment without constant power
  • Community Networks: Integration with existing Meshtastic mesh networks for broader awareness
  • Messages sent over the mesh network use a compact format optimized for LoRa bandwidth constraints:

Features in Action

Real-Time Detection and Mapping

The web interface provides a Google Maps-style view with drone markers showing current aircraft positions, pilot markers indicating operator locations, color-coded flight paths derived from device MAC addresses, signal strength indicators showing detection quality, and automatic cleanup removing stale data after 5 minutes.

Data Export and Analysis

The system continuously generates multiple data formats including timestamped CSV logs perfect for spreadsheet analysis, Google Earth compatible KML files with flight path visualization featuring individual drone paths color-coded by device and timestamped waypoints, and JSON API providing real-time data access for custom integrations with RESTful endpoints and WebSocket streams.

FAA Database Integration

One of the most powerful features is automatic FAA registration lookup that queries the FAA database using detected Remote ID information, caches results to minimize API calls and improve performance, enriches detection data with aircraft registration details, and includes configurable rate limiting to respect API guidelines.

Multi-Device Coordination

The system supports up to three ESP32 devices simultaneously with automatic device discovery and connection, individual device health monitoring, load balancing across multiple receivers, and unified data view combining all devices.

Performance and Optimization

Reception Range

Testing has shown effective detection ranges of 5 Km in urban environments, 10-15 kilometers in open areas with good antennas, overlapping coverage that eliminates dead zones when using multiple devices, and significant improvement with external antennas compared to built-in antennas.

System Resources

The Python application is optimized for continuous operation with efficient memory management for large datasets, automatic log rotation to prevent disk space issues, WebSocket connection pooling for multiple clients, and configurable data retention policies.

For remote deployments, Meshtastic integration enables off-grid operation, webhook retry logic ensures reliable alert delivery, local data storage prevents data loss during network outages, and bandwidth optimization handles limited connections.

Privacy and Security Considerations

This system puts powerful airspace monitoring capabilities in individual hands, but it’s important to use it responsibly. The detection data contains location information about both drones and their operators, so implement appropriate data retention policies and be aware of local privacy regulations.

For network security, remember that the Flask development server is not production-ready, so consider a reverse proxy for production use and implement authentication for sensitive deployments. Use HTTPS for webhook communications and monitor for unauthorized access attempts.

The system enables you to know what’s flying over your property while respecting the legitimate privacy expectations of drone operators. It’s about transparency and awareness, not surveillance.

Conclusion

This Remote ID detection system represents a significant step forward in personal airspace awareness. The combination of dual-core ESP32 processing, comprehensive web-based interface, Meshtastic mesh integration, and professional data export features creates a platform that’s both accessible to makers and powerful enough for serious privacy protection applications.

The availability of custom-designed PCBs on Tindie removes the barrier of hardware design, while the open-source firmware and software ensure complete customizability. Whether you’re building a single-node setup for personal property monitoring or deploying a mesh network for neighborhood-wide awareness, this system provides the foundation for comprehensive drone detection and tracking.

As more drones come online with Remote ID compliance, having your own detection system becomes increasingly valuable for maintaining privacy and situational awareness of your local airspace

Resources and Links

Mesh Mapper Github : https://github.com/colonelpanichacks/drone-mesh-mapper

Mesh Detect Github (all firmware for Mesh Detect boards: https://github.com/colonelpanichacks/mesh-detect

Mesh Detect SMA mount clip SMA mount clip for the Mesh Destect board by OrdoOuroboros https://www.printables.com/model/1294183-mesh-detect-board-sma-mount

Build Your Own

Ready to start monitoring your local airspace? The combination of affordable hardware, open-source software, and comprehensive documentation makes this project accessible to makers of all skill levels. Start with a single ESP32 device to learn the system, then expand to multiple nodes and Meshtastic integration as your privacy protection needs grow.

The future of airspace monitoring is distributed, affordable, and puts control back in the hands of individuals and communities. Join the movement building these next-generation detection systems!

Source: Mesh-Mapper – Drone Remote ID mapping and mesh alerts – Hackster.io

Detecting Surveillance Cameras With The ESP32 from Colonel.Panic

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These days, surveillance cameras are all around us, and they’re smarter than ever. In particular, many of them are running advanced algorithms to recognize faces and scan license plates, compiling ever-greater databases on the movements and lives of individuals. Flock You is a project that aims to, at the very least, catalogue this part of the surveillance state, by detecting these cameras out in the wild.

The system is most specifically set up to detect surveillance cameras from Flock Safety, though it’s worth noting a wide range of companies produce plate-reading cameras and associated surveillance systems these days. The device uses an ESP32 microcontroller to detect these devices, relying on the in-built wireless hardware to do the job. The project can be built on a Oui-Spy device from Colonel Panic, or just by using a standard Xiao ESP32 S3 if so desired. By looking at Wi-Fi probe requests and beacon frames, as well as Bluetooth advertisements, it’s possible for the device to pick up telltale transmissions from a range of these cameras, with various pattern-matching techniques and MAC addresses used to filter results in this regard. When the device finds a camera, it sounds a buzzer notifying the user of this fact.

Meanwhile, if you’re interested in just how prevalent plate-reading cameras really are, you might also find deflock.me interesting. It’s a map of ALPR camera locations all over the world,  and you can submit your own findings if so desired. The techniques used by in the Flock You project are based on learnings from the DeFlock project. Meanwhile, if you want to join the surveillance state on your own terms, you can always build your own license plate reader instead!

Source: Detecting Surveillance Cameras With The ESP32 | Hackaday

EU becomes a little more fascist and starts collecting fingerprints at the border

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The new Entry/Exit System (EES) will start operations on 12 October 2025. European countries using the EES will introduce the system gradually at their external borders. This means that data collection will be gradually introduced at border crossing points with full implementation by 10 April 2026.

Source: What is the EES?

You need to provide your personal data each time you reach the external borders of the European countries using the EES. For more information – see What does progressive start of the EES mean? 
The EES collects, records and stores: 

  • data listed in your travel document(s) (e.g. full name, date of birth, etc.)
  • date and place of each entry and exit 
  • facial image and fingerprints (called ‘biometric data’)
  • whether you were refused entry.

On the basis of the collected biometric data, biometric templates will be created and stored in the shared Biometric Matching Service (see footnote).

If you hold a short-stay visa to enter the Schengen area, your fingerprints will already be stored in the Visa Information System (VIS) and will not be stored again in the EES.

Depending on your particular situation, the system also collects your personal information from:

[…]

If you refuse to provide your biometric data, you will be denied entry into the territory of the European countries using the EES.

Who can access your personal data?

  • Border, visa and immigration authorities in the European countries using the EES for the purpose of verifying your identity and understanding whether you should be allowed to enter or stay on the territory.
  • Law enforcement authorities of the countries using the EES and Europol for law enforcement purposes. 
  • Under strict conditions, your data may be transferred to another country (inside or outside the EU) or international organisation (listed in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 – a UN organisation, the International Organisation for Migration, or the International Committee of the Red Cross) for return (Article 41(1) and (2), and Article 42) and/or law enforcement purposes (Article 41(6)).
  • Transport carriers will only be able to verify whether short-stay visa holders have already used the number of entries authorised by their visa and will not be able to access any further personal data.

[…]

Your data cannot be transferred to third parties – whether public or private entities – except in certain cases. See Who can access your personal data. 

[…]

So lots of data collected, and loads of people who can access this data – exceptions are absolutely everywhere. And for what? To satisfy far right fantasies about migration running rampant.

LaLiga’s Anti-Piracy Tactics Disrupt Major Sites in Spain. Again. Allowing company dragnets with no recourse, warning or anything is insanely stupid.

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LaLiga, Spain’s top football league, is facing a firestorm of criticism after boasting about a staggering 142% increase in anti-piracy takedown notices in early 2025 while simultaneously causing extensive collateral damage across the internet.

As the 2025/2026 season began on August 15, LaLiga ramped up its enforcement strategy, triggering widespread outages for entirely lawful websites, services, and platforms.

These disruptions are tied to a controversial anti-piracy scheme operated in partnership with telecom giant Telefónica.

The initiative, which enjoys judicial backing in Spain, allows LaLiga to instruct major internet service providers, including Movistar, Vodafone, Orange, and DIGI, to block IP addresses suspected of hosting unauthorized streams.

The fallout is that entire chunks of the internet go dark for Spanish users, often during match broadcasts.

LaLiga doesn’t target specific infringing content. Instead, it flags entire IP ranges, many of which are shared by thousands of unrelated domains.

When one site is accused of hosting pirated material, everyone else sharing that IP address gets swept up in the block.

The result is a digital dragnet that has ensnared companies as diverse as Amazon, Cloudflare, GitHub, Twitch, and even Google Fonts.

TorrentFreak has documented repeated weekly blocks of platforms like Vercel since early 2025, while Catalonia’s own .cat domain registry has also reported service disruptions.

The issue became so disruptive that iXsystems, the team behind TrueNAS, a widely used open-source NAS operating system, was forced to shift its distribution model entirely. After its CDN IPs were repeatedly blocked in Spain, making critical security updates inaccessible to users, the developers resorted to distributing their software via BitTorrent.

[…]

LaLiga, meanwhile, continues to tout its enforcement record. A self-published report revealed that over 26 million takedown notices were sent in the first half of 2025 alone, more than doubling the total from all of 2024.

Source: LaLiga’s Anti-Piracy Tactics Disrupt Major Sites in Spain

Related: Massive expansion of Italy’s Piracy Shield underway despite growing criticism of its flaws and EU illegality

As site blocks pile up, European Commission issues subtle slapdown to Italy’s Piracy Shield

Why Italy’s Piracy Shield destroys huge internet companies and small businesses with no recourse (unless you are rich) and can lay out the entire internet in Italy to… protect against football streaming?!

Italy is losing its mind because of copyright: it just made its awful Piracy Shield even worse

Italy’s Piracy Shield Blocks Innocent Web Sites, Makes It Hard For Them To Appeal so ISPs are ignoring the law because it’s stupid

EU prepares to give new rights to live streaming sites, to the detriment of the Internet and its users

LaLiga Piracy Blocks Randomly Take Down huge innocent segments of internet with no recourse or warning, slammed as “Unaccountable Internet Censorship”

Now the copyright industry wants to apply deep, automated blocking to the Internet’s core routers

Samsung confirms its $1,800+ fridges will start showing you ads

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Samsung started rolling out an update to its refrigerators that brought ads to the display, whether you like it or not. The whole situation is rather surreal but not entirely unsurprising. There were some doubts that the changelog wasn’t real or that it belonged to a different product. Now, Samsung has confirmed to us that ads are indeed coming to its refrigerators.

We had reached out to Samsung for a statement, and this is what a Samsung spokesperson said:

Samsung is committed to innovation and enhancing every day value for our home appliance customers. As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen that value, we are conducting a pilot program to offer promotions and curated advertisements on certain Samsung Family Hub refrigerator models in the U.S. market.
As a part of this pilot program, Family Hub refrigerators in the U.S. will receive an over-the-network (OTN) software update with Terms of Service (T&C) and Privacy Notice (PN). Advertising will appear on certain Family Hub refrigerator Cover Screens. The Cover Screen appears when a Family Hub screen is idle. Ad design format may change depending on Family Hub personalization options for the Cover Screen, and advertising will not appear when Cover Screen displays Art Mode or picture albums.
Advertisements can be dismissed on the Cover Screens where ads are shown, meaning that specific ads will not appear again during the campaign period.

As the statement notes, this is a pilot program for certain Samsung Family Hub refrigerator models sold in the US. As part of the program, these refrigerators will display “promotions and curated advertisements” on certain Cover Screens when the Family Hub screen (i.e., the door display) is idle.

The company notes that ads can be dismissed, and dismissed ads will not appear again. The ad design format will also change depending on the Cover Screen’s personalization options. Ads will not appear when the Cover Screen displays photos or art.

From the changelog, we know that ads will be displayed on the Cover Screen for the Weather, Color, and Daily Board themes, whereas the Cover Screen for the Art and Gallery themes will not display advertisements, in line with the company’s statement.

It’s still unclear which exact refrigerators are getting the ad infestation, but Samsung’s current Family Hub-equipped lineup in the US starts at $1,800 and goes all the way up to $3,500. It doesn’t seem like users can entirely turn off ads

Source: Samsung confirms its $1,800+ fridges will start showing you ads

Yay the good old US where this is legal. I am not sure this would go in the EU but then again, I am not sure what EU law would stop this either. Apparently you don’t own what you bought and you can’t stop “new features” if you don’t want them.

US, CA and EU Airlines Sell 5 Billion Plane Ticket Records to the Government For Warrantless Searching

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A data broker owned by the country’s major airlines, including American Airlines, United, and Delta, [and Air France, Lufthansa, JetBlue] is selling access to five billion plane ticketing records to the government for warrantless searching and monitoring of peoples’ movements, including by the FBI, Secret Service, ICE, and many other agencies, according to a new contract and other records reviewed by 404 Media.
The contract provides new insight into the scale of the sale of passengers’ data by the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), the airlines-owned data broker. The contract shows ARC’s data includes information related to more than 270 carriers and is sourced through more than 12,800 travel agencies. ARC has previously told the government to not reveal to the public where this passenger data came from, which includes peoples’ names, full flight itineraries, and financial details.
“Americans’ privacy rights shouldn’t depend on whether they bought their tickets directly from the airline or via a travel agency. ARC’s sale of data to U.S. government agencies is yet another example of why Congress needs to close the data broker loophole by passing my bipartisan bill, the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act,” Senator Ron Wyden told 404 Media in a statement.
ARC is owned and operated by at least eight major U.S. airlines, publicly released documents show. Its board of directors includes representatives from American Airlines, Delta, United, Southwest, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, and European airlines Air France and Lufthansa, and Canada’s Air Canada. ARC acts as a bridge between airlines and travel agencies, in which it helps with fraud prevention and finds trends in travel data. ARC also sells passenger data to the government as part of what it calls the Travel Intelligence Program (TIP).
TIP is updated every day with the previous day’s ticket sales and can show a person’s paid intent to travel. Government agencies can then search this data by name, credit card, airline, and more.
The new contract shows that ARC has access to much more data than previously reported. Earlier coverage found TIP contained more than one billion records spanning more than 3 years of past and future travel. The new contract says ARC provides the government with “5 billion ticketing records for searching capabilities.”
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Screenshots of the documents obtained by 404 Media.
404 Media obtained the contract through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with the Secret Service. The contract indicates the Secret Service plans to pay ARC $885,000 for access to the data stretching into 2028.
[…]
An ARC spokesperson told 404 Media in an email that TIP “was established by ARC after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and has since been used by the U.S. intelligence and law enforcement community to support national security and prevent criminal activity with bipartisan support. Over the years, TIP has likely contributed to the prevention and apprehension of criminals involved in human trafficking, drug trafficking, money laundering, sex trafficking, national security threats, terrorism and other imminent threats of harm to the United States.”
The spokesperson added “Pursuant to ARC’s privacy policy, consumers may ask ARC to refrain from selling their personal data.”
After media coverage and scrutiny from Senator Wyden’s office of the little-known data selling, ARC finally registered as a data broker in the state of California in June. Senator Wyden previously said it appeared ARC had been in violation of Californian law for not registering while selling airline customers’ data for years.

Source: Airlines Sell 5 Billion Plane Ticket Records to the Government For Warrantless Searching

Supposedly you can opt out by emailing them at privacy@arccorp.com

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Danish Minister of Justice and chief architect of the current Chat Control proposal, Peter Hummelgaard:

Danish Minister of Justice, Peter Hummelgaard.

“We must break with the totally erroneous perception that it is everyone’s civil liberty to communicate on encrypted messaging services.”

Share your thoughts via https://fightchatcontrol.eu/, or to jm@jm.dk directly.

Source: https://www.ft.dk/samling/20231/almdel/REU/spm/1426/index.htm

In the answers he cites “but we must protect the children” – as soon as that argument is trotted out have a good look at what they are taking away from you. After all, who can be against the safety of children? But blanket surveillance is bad for children and awful for society. If you know you are being watched, you can’t speak freely, you can’t voice your opinion and democracy cannot function. THAT is bad for the children.

There is something rotten in the state of Denmark. Big Brother, 1984, they were warnings, not manuals.

Source: https://mastodon.social/@chatcontrol/115204439983078498

More discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/1nhdtoz/danish_minister_of_justice_we_must_break_with_the/

PS I would not buy a used camel from this creep.