Fighting for privacy rights is fighting against fascism. In case there were any doubts that mass surveillance is a fascist's tool.
Privacy isn't some secondary luxury, it's fundamental to democracy and civil liberties.
privacy
Mass surveillance doesn't make us safer. We need to deconstruct this false notion.
Mass surveillance is only a tool for control and oppression, it is not for protection.
Even if Germany opposes Chat Control on October 14th, this is still only a blocking minority. If your country is still undecided or is supporting Chat Control, keep the pressure on! 💪🇪🇺
👉 Use this tool to contact your MEPs: https://fightchatcontrol.eu/
📰 Contact your local media
🗣️ Keep talking about it on social media!
Let's change this blocking minority into a blocking majority! ✊🔒
RE: https://mastodon.social/@eff/115345214105078622
And, let me just remind everyone that —
Wireless telecommunications companies (i.e., your mobile provider) collects and sells this data, too.
And, this is not something you can block from your phone. It is not something you can opt-out of.
...
Of course, it doesn't mean you shouldn't prevent others from collecting this data. (You probably should.)
So, what the EFF wrote here is good advice.
But, while doing what they wrote makes you safer — you are not completely safe.
"We take your privacy seriously"
👇
"We fake your privacy, seriously"
This week's net.wars, "The bottom drawer", finds Keir Starmer's ID card rhetoric weirdly archaic and worries he will not learn the right lessons for studying India's Aadhar: https://netwars.pelicancrossing.net/2025/10/17/the-bottom-drawer/ #NetWars #privacy #DigitalID
Phishing targets LastPass & Bitwarden users with fake breach alerts, pushing malware that installs remote access tools 🔐
LastPass confirms no hack; attackers exploit social engineering and outdated app fears ⚠️
Users should verify alerts on official sites and avoid unsolicited downloads. 🛡️
Syncro MSP platform abused, but not compromised 🤔
#TechNews #Cybersecurity #Phishing #DataSecurity #PasswordManager #Privacy #UserSafety #Infosec #OnlineSecurity #SecurityAwareness
Safety Reminder:
Although the Fediverse is much better than Big Tech for your privacy, no communication here is end-to-end encrypted, and all your Mastodon public and quiet-public posts can be seen by anyone on the internet.
For sensitive communications, you should only use trustworthy applications using end-to-end encryption.
Stay safe 💚
Edited 32d ago
The #Trump #EPA Followed Up on an Unusual Request About #Abortion Pills
Scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency found that they could develop methods to identify traces of the #medication in #wastewater — a practice long sought by the anti-abortion movement.
#law #surveillance #medicine #healthcare #ReproductiveRights
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/us/politics/epa-abortion-wastewater.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
My Rayhunter is live! All clear, so far. We'll see if it finds anything at this weekend's festivities. 🤔
This was pretty painless to get going (<$50 hardware, <5min setup).
#Rayhunter #CellSiteSimulator #Stingray #privacy #surveillance
Europe needs its own social media platforms to safeguard sovereignty
Social media has emerged as the central nervous system of global communication, shaping politics, culture, and identity. Yet, Europe’s digital public square is not its own. Over 80% of the continent’s social media activity flows through platforms headquartered in the United States—Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Alphabet (YouTube), and X (Twitter)—creating a dependency that undermines Europe’s autonomy.
Recently, it has become increasingly clear that European companies urgently need to build Europe’s own sovereign social media ecosystem to counter disinformation, protect democratic integrity, preserve cultural diversity, and reclaim control from US corporate and geopolitical interests. Europe’s sovereignty in the 21st century is at stake.
The threat of US interference: Disinformation as a geopolitical weapon
The 2016 Brexit referendum exposed how US-based actors exploited European vulnerabilities. For example, Cambridge Analytica harvested data from 87 million Facebook users—including millions of Europeans—to micro-target voters with divisive ads. Leaked documents revealed campaigns designed to inflame anti-EU sentiment, demonstrating how US corporate tools can destabilize European unity.
Moreover, false narratives about voter fraud propagated by US politicians on Twitter and Facebook flooded European networks, bolstering extreme movements. In Germany, the “Querdenker” movement leveraged these claims to protest COVID-19 measures, while in other countries, several disinformation groups backed by US billionaires amplified baseless accusations about election rigging.
It is important to understand that US platforms optimize for engagement and their owners interests, not truth. During France’s 2022 presidential race, YouTube’s algorithm disproportionately recommended far-right candidate Éric Zemmour, boosting his visibility despite his marginal polling. Researchers found that 60% of French-language election content on YouTube contained misinformation, much of it algorithmically amplified.
US billionaire oligarchy problem
American billionaires, including tech billionaires, wield outsized influence over European discourse. Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter (rebranded as X) led to the reinstatement of 62,000 banned accounts, including extremists, far-right figures like Germany’s Nikolai Nerling, who had spread anti-vaccine conspiracies, persons who committed several serious crimes in Europe, and persons who promote illegal activities such as rape and dehumanization of others. Meanwhile, Meta’s content moderation policies routinely ignore EU directives; in 2023, the European Commission accused Meta of failing to curb disinformation campaigns. Recently, several disinformation campaigns linked to US billionaires attacked EU officials on social media platforms, spreading false narratives and encouraging committing crimes (e.g., murdering officials or overthrowing governments in the EU). It has become clear that these platforms operate as extensions of US corporate power and the new US administration, prioritizing profit and political gains over Europe’s stability and safety.
Data colonialism: US platforms exploit Europe
GDPR vs the US surveillance state
While the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enshrines privacy as a fundamental right, US platforms remain bound by laws like the CLOUD Act, which grants American authorities access to data stored anywhere in the world. In 2022, the European Data Protection Board fined Meta for transferring EU user data to US servers, citing risks of NSA surveillance. Despite the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, experts warn that European data remains vulnerable to US intelligence overreach.
Economic extraction
US platforms siphon billions from Europe’s digital economy. In 2022, Meta reported €4.3 billion in EU revenue but paid an effective tax rate of 8.5% through Irish loopholes—€2.5 billion less than standard EU corporate rates. Google and Apple similarly route profits through tax havens, depriving European governments of funds needed for tech innovation. This financial drain perpetuates Europe’s dependency, stifling homegrown competitors.
Erasing Europe’s diversity
US platforms homogenize culture by privileging English-language content aligning with the worldview of the current US presidential administration and US billionaires. More than 70% of trends on social media originate in the US, overshadowing local creators. European journalists and influencers struggle to compete with US influencers, while platforms like Instagram algorithmically promote American beauty standards, marginalizing Europe’s diverse cultural identities. The shrinking visibility of local users and their regional languages also threatens linguistic heritage of Europe.
Europe is facing digital sovereignty crisis
The US tech cold war has turned data into a strategic asset, yet Europe remains a digital colony. US platforms dominate critical infrastructure: 92% of European governments use Facebook for public communication, while Google’s search monopoly shapes access to information. This dependency leaves Europe exposed to geopolitical coercion. For instance, US platforms are involved in limiting and censoring pro-European content but promoting anti-European narratives that are aligned with US interests. Developing sovereign European platforms, including social media platforms and search engines, would ensure the sovereignty in technology, economy, information space, security and defense.
Building on European strengths: The fediverse and beyond
European companies and communities already host decentralized alternatives like Mastodon, a federated network powered by the homegrown Mastodon software. These GDPR-compliant tools allow users to control data and interconnect across servers—a model echoing the EU’s federalist values. However, fragmentation, lack of user-friendly UI and underfunding limit their reach. A unified EU initiative could fund these projects while the alliance of European companies and communities could merge these projects into a public-private platform.
It is in the best interest of the European Union to provide funding for European-owned social media platforms to ensure their development and European digital sovereignty.
Network effects and innovation
Critics often argue that Silicon Valley’s dominance is insurmountable, citing global statistics of Meta-owned platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Threads) and X. Yet Europe’s 450 million affluent users offer a critical mass. Moreover, Europe attracts people from other regions such as Asia, Africa and South America. Case studies from China (WeChat, Weibo, Xiaohongshu) show that sovereign platforms can thrive and expand globally.
Moreover, the EU is a regulatory superpower which can use legislation to support homegrown social media platforms. For example, the EU can mandate US “gatekeeper” platforms (per the Digital Markets Act) to interconnect with European alternatives, allowing cross-platform interactions. In addition, the EU could introduce EU-wide tax breaks for creators using European platforms in the form of “cultural exceptions”.
Europe’s digital destiny
The choice is stark: continue as a digital colony of US tech giants or forge a sovereign future. European social media platforms are not just a tool—they shield against disinformation, act as guardian of cultural diversity, and a pillar of strategic autonomy. By combining support and strategic interests with cutting-edge innovation, the EU can support the development of the homegrown social media ecosystem. The time to act is now, before the algorithms of Meta and X platforms write Europe’s next chapter for it.
#Europe #EU #digitalsovereignty #technology #tech #fediverse #socialmedia #privacy #data
I'm old enough to remember when having your photo and fingerprints taken by the authorities was reserved to convicted criminals.
Now it will eventually be all of us.
All of us constantly tracked by governments and corporations alike, requiring our biometric data for anything they feel like.
Our privacy rights are going down the drain under the pretext of security.
But it will not make us safer, on the contrary.
Don't believe their authoritarian lies.
Something that sounds cool for Californians: an easy way to send delete requests to 500+ data brokers all at once — for free.
The system won't be available until January 1, 2026 and the data brokers won't start processing the requests until August 1, but still a nice step.
h/t @twrling
She stretched -- lightly, easily, with the grace of a cat -- and relaxed into a sense of profound calmness.
She was at home, her home, and the time at her fingertips was completely her own.
And she didn't feel particularly inclined to share it just now . . .
Elegance canvas print -- https://stevehendersonart.com/featured/elegance-steve-henderson.html?product=canvas-print
#art #artwork #mastoart #fediart #buyintoart #woman #beauty #ayearforart #fedigiftshop #bath #home #privacy #decor #relax #calm
Overwhelmed by randomness of my toots? Protip: you don't need to follow me/people, you can just follow hashtags for interaction. I use several, like:
#InfoSec #Privacy #Venice #Food #Art #F1 #Caturday (yup) & #LazyPip #Education #Security #Photography #Motorbike & #Ducati #theNetherlands #PhotoChallenge
#ChatControl is OFF the table for now. 💪
But the Danish Minister of Justice and chief architect of the current Chat Control proposal, Peter Hummelgaard, wants to bring it back in December.
😡 He now even claims your activism was paid for by Big Tech! 😡
We must keep fighting for #encryption and our right to #privacy 🔒️
Legal experts called DHS’ move to use driver’s license data for citizenship checks more evidence of federal overreach.
“The administration wants to get as much data as it can, however it can, whenever it can.”
https://www.propublica.org/article/dhs-citizenship-checks-drivers-license-data?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #DHS #Immigration #Data #Privacy #Security #Law #Trump
Was forced to use biometrics instead of a boarding pass to board a
@unitedairlines flight today. This is completely unacceptable. No airline should be allowed to possess biometric data on California residents...or anyone, for that matter.
Unfortunately, United hides its opt out forms behind an email alias (privacy@united.com) that generates a user-specific opt-out form. This is an anti-pattern designed to discourage the exercise of your rights.
The request-specific web form itself contains anti-patterns designed to discourage use, from clunky date fields to other fields designed to make you make a mistake so they can deny. Those are followed by multiple attempts at identity confirmation, adding friction and risk.
In forcing the use of #biometrics on passengers, United Airlines joins Trumps' ICE Gestapo in violating the #privacy and individual rights of both citizen and non-citizen alike. This move is NOT about safety. It's got to stop.
Edited 13d ago
⚔️ Start your adventures in #privacy with software you can rely on. Available on #Windows, #Mac, and GNU / #Linux desktops NOW.
👉 https://privacysafe.app
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
ORG has complained to the Information Commissioner's Office (UK) about Meta's changes to their privacy policy.
Meta's plans to take users’ information to 'develop and improve AI' appear to violate GDPR in a number of ways.
We say privacy over profits!
Find out more ⬇️
It's incredible to me how we gave up on so many aspects of privacy in the past five years. Things that we were taking for granted not long ago.
Now, some think it's totally normal to record others without their consent in any contexts.
People feel entitled to others' images and personal lives, incessantly demanding access to it. Everyone needs to share everything publicly online or be deemed suspicious, and excluded.
This has greatly eroded the fabric of social relationships and trust in our societies.
There is so much we need to do to heal this culture and the damages that have been done and continue to be done.
We need to treat each other with respect. Genuine respect as human beings. And consent, true consent with true choices, is at the center of that.
Edited 3d ago
This week's net.wars, "The panopticon in your home", is disturbed by HMRC's use of passenger records to deny benefits, and ponders the word "robot" in connection with something that has to be remotely operated by a human: https://netwars.pelicancrossing.net/2025/11/07/the-panopticon-in-your-home/ #NetWars #privacy #robots
I hate that I can basically recycle my posts about Chat Control every month or so. These lobbyists are extremely motivated.
Let's show them that we are
even more motivated than them to protect privacy rights, human rights, and democracy! ✊🔒
You know what you have to do:
👉 https://fightchatcontrol.eu/
• Recent news:
"Just before a decisive meeting in Brussels, digital rights expert and former Member of the European Parliament Dr. Patrick Breyer is sounding the alarm. Using a “deceptive sleight of hand,” a mandatory and expanded Chat Control is being pushed through the back door, in a form even more intrusive than the originally rejected plan. The legislative package could be greenlit tomorrow in a closed-door EU working group session."
#ChatControl #Privacy #HumanRights #DigitalRights #Democracy #EUpol