PrivacyDigest

Judge rebukes Kari Lake by ordering Voice of America staffers back to work

https://www.npr.org/2026/03/17/nx-s1-5751162/voice-of-america-lawsuit-kari-lake

What Displays Get Scrapped at America’s Parks? It Looks Like Anyone’s Guess.

President #Trump ordered officials to remove information deemed disparaging to the United States. A review of government documents shows little guidance and striking inconsistencies.
#rights #authoritarianism #newspeak

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/climate/national-parks-removal-displays.html

#Witness Caught Using #Smartglasses in #Court Blames it all on #ChatGPT

Jakštys showed up the next day in the glasses again and the judge told him to turn them off. “Jakštys denied that he was using the smart glasses to receive the answers that he was to give in court to the questions being asked,” the judgement said. “He also denied that his smart glasses were linked to his mobile phone at the time that he was giving evidence before me.”
#ai #artificialintelligence

https://www.404media.co/witness-caught-using-smartglasses-in-court-blames-it-all-on-chatgpt/

Federal Right To #Privacy Act

The Solution: A Comprehensive Privacy Bill

The bill imposes hard limits on #surveillance , hidden collection, #coercive “consent,” brokered data trafficking, and government circumvention of what should be a lawful process balancing #freedom with evidence of wrongdoing. It restores rule-based protections people can understand and courts can enforce.

https://righttoprivacyact.github.io/

A Tale of Two Bills: Lawful Access Returns With Changes to #Warrantless Access But Dangerous #Backdoor #Surveillance Risks Remain - Michael Geist ( #Canada )
#warrants #privacy

https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/03/a-tale-of-two-bills-lawful-access-returns-with-changes-to-warrantless-access-but-dangerous-backdoor-surveillance-risks-remains/

#Immigration agents wearing Meta’s #AI glasses is a huge red flag. How are they getting away with it? | The Independent

ICE and #BorderPatrol are increasingly using government body #cameras and #facialRecognition scanners in deployments across U.S. cities. But some agents are taking matters into their own hands with #Meta AI #smartGlasses ,

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/immigration-officers-meta-ai-glasses-recording-b2935642.html

#Trump Officials Attended a Summit of #Election Deniers Who Want the President to Take Over the #Midterms

Several high-ranking federal election officials attended a summit last week at which prominent figures who worked to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the #2020election pressed the president to declare a national emergency to take over this year’s midterms.

https://www.propublica.org/article/election-denier-summit-trump-midterms

The Government Just Made it Harder to See What #Spy Tech it Buys

It might look like something from the early days of the internet, with its aggressively grey color scheme & rectangles nested inside rectangles, but FPDS.gov is one of the most important resources for keeping tabs on what powerful spying tools U.S. gov agencies are buying. It includes everything from phone #hacking tech, to masses of location data, to more #Palantir installations
#privacy

https://www.404media.co/the-government-just-made-it-harder-to-see-what-spy-tech-it-buys/

☺️ Trust Us With Your Face | EFFector 38.4

But have you ever been carded to use the internet? Being required to present your #ID to access content online is becoming a growing reality for many. We're explaining the dangers of #ageVerification laws, and the latest in the fight for #privacy and #freeSpeech online, with our EFFector newsletter.
#biometrics #facialrecognition

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/trust-us-your-face-effector-384

This App Warns You if Someone Is Wearing #SmartGlasses Nearby

A new hobbyist developed app warns if people nearby may be wearing smart glasses, such as Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses, which #stalkers and harassers have repeatedly used to film people without their knowledge or consent. The app scans for smart glasses’ distinctive #Bluetooth signatures and sends a push alert if it detects a potential pair of glasses in the local area.
#privacy #surveillance #meta #rayban

https://www.404media.co/this-app-warns-you-if-someone-is-wearing-smart-glasses-nearby/

#DHS Opens a Billion-Dollar Tab With #Palantir

“If you are interested in helping shape and deliver the next chapter of Palantir’s work across DHS, please reach out,” a Palantir executive wrote to employees about the massive purchasing agreement.
#privacy #security #ice #immigration #surveillance

https://www.wired.com/story/department-homeland-security-ice-billion-dollar-agreement-palantir/

Donald #Trump Jr’s Private DC Club Has Mysterious Ties to an Ex-Cop With a Controversial Past

The #ExecutiveBranch has a reported membership list that includes #Trumpworld elites like #DavidSacks. A WIRED review of corporate filings reveals an under-the-radar player: a notorious former DC police officer.
#suspicious #conflictofinterest

https://www.wired.com/story/magas-secretive-members-only-club-is-partly-owned-by-an-ex-cop/

A $10K #Bounty Awaits Anyone Who Can #Hack #Ring #Cameras to Stop Sharing Data With #Amazon

The #FuluFoundation , a nonprofit that pays out bounties for removing user-hostile features, is hunting for a way to keep Ring cameras from sending data to Amazon—without breaking the hardware.
#privacy #security #surveillance

https://www.wired.com/story/a-10k-bounty-awaits-anyone-who-can-hack-ring-cameras-to-stop-sharing-data-with-amazon/

Jeffrey Epstein’s Ties to #CBP Agents Sparked a #DOJ Probe

Documents say #customs officers in the US #VirginIslands had friendly relationships with Epstein years after his 2008 conviction, showing how the infamous sex offender tried to cultivate allies.
#jeffreyepstein #security

https://www.wired.com/story/jeffrey-epstein-cbp-agents-us-virgin-islands/

The #SearchEngine for #OnlyFans #Models Who Look Like Your Crush

Presearch’s “Doppelgänger” is trying to help people discover adult creators rather than use nonconsensual #deepfakes.
#privacy #security #presearch #Doppelgänger

https://www.wired.com/story/the-search-engine-for-onlyfans-models-who-look-like-your-crush/

How #PrivateEquity Debt Left a Leading #VPN Open To Chinese #Hackers

made by #Ivanti Inc., was something of an industry standard across gov & much of the corp world. Clients included the #USAF , #Army , #Navy & other parts of the Defense Dept, the Dept of State, the #FAA , #FederalReserve , the #NASA , thousands of companies & more than 2,000 banks including #WellsFargo & Co. and #DeutscheBank AG, according to federal procurement records, internal docs
#privacy #China

https://it.slashdot.org/story/26/02/20/003230/how-private-equity-debt-left-a-leading-vpn-open-to-chinese-hackers?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed

#Email Blunder Exposes $90 Billion #Russian #Oil #Smuggling Ring

blunder has revealed an apparent smuggling ring that has moved at least $90bn of Russian #oil and is playing a central role in funding the Kremlin's war in #Ukraine.
#russia #kremlin #security

https://it.slashdot.org/story/26/02/20/1559212/email-blunder-exposes-90-billion-russian-oil-smuggling-ring?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed

#PayPal Discloses #DataBreach That Exposed User Info For 6 Months

PayPal is notifying customers of a data #breach after a software error in a loan application exposed their sensitive personal information, including #SocialSecurity numbers, for nearly 6 months last year. From a report: The incident affected the #PayPalWorkingCapital ( #PPWC ) #loan app, which provides small businesses with quick access to #financing.
#ssn #privacy #security

https://slashdot.org/story/26/02/20/1733211/paypal-discloses-data-breach-that-exposed-user-info-for-6-months?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed

#Metadata Exposes Authors of ICE’s ‘Mega’ #Detention Center Plans

Comments and other data left on a #PDF detailing Homeland Security’s proposal to build “mega” detention and processing centers reveal the personnel involved in its creation.
#dhs #ice #homelandsecurity

https://www.wired.com/story/metadata-exposes-authors-of-ices-mega-detention-center-plans/

#DHS Wants a Single #SearchEngine to Flag Faces and #Fingerprints Across Agencies

#HomelandSecurity aims to combine its face and #fingerprint systems into one big #biometric platform—after dismantling centralized #privacy reviews and key limits on face recognition.
#facialrecognition #ice #privacy #security #facerecognition #immigration #deportation

https://www.wired.com/story/dhs-wants-a-single-search-engine-to-flag-faces-and-fingerprints-across-agencies/

#FCC asks stations for "pro-America" programming, like daily #PledgeofAllegiance

FCC Chairman today urged joining "Pledge America Campaign" that Carr established to support Trump's "Salute to America 250" project

Carr said in a press release that "I am inviting broadcasters to pledge to air programming in their local markets in support of this historic national, non-partisan celebration." … "air patriotic, pro-America programming in support of America’s 250th birthday."
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/02/fcc-asks-stations-for-pro-america-programming-like-daily-pledge-of-allegiance/

Fury over Discord’s age checks explodes after shady Persona test in UK

Shortly after #Discord announced that all users will soon be defaulted to teen experiences until their ages are verified, the platform faced immediate backlash

One of the major complaints was that Discord planned to collect more gov IDs as part of its global #ageVerification process. It shocked many that Discord would be so bold so soon after a third-party #breac exposed 70K Discord users' gov IDs

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/02/discord-and-persona-end-partnership-after-shady-uk-age-test-sparks-outcry/

#MAHA moms threaten to turn this car around as #RFK Jr. flips on #pesticide

Members of the Make America Health Again movement are in open revolt after founder Robert F. Kennedy Jr. publicly backed President Trump's executive order Wednesday that would increase domestic production of #glyphosate —a pesticide the MAHA movement and #Kennedy have railed against.
#health #maga #Trump

https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/02/maha-moms-threaten-to-turn-this-car-around-as-rfk-jr-flips-on-pesticide/

Underground #FacialRecognition Tool Unmasks #Camgirls

An underground site uses facial recognition to reveal the site a #camgirl streams on, potentially letting someone take a woman’s photo from social media, then use the site to out their sex work.
#socialmedia #sexwork #privacy #security

https://www.404media.co/underground-facial-recognition-tool-unmasks-camgirls/

“You’re Not Going to Investigate a Federal Officer”

When a federal agent shoots someone, which agency is responsible for investigating the incident? A ProPublica analysis identified 12 shootings by on-duty federal agents that have led to the deaths or injuries of #citizens & #immigrants since September. In almost every instance, President Donald Trump’s administration blamed the injured and dead for the #shooting within hours of the incident.
#Trump #maga #coverup #ice

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jpkGOc0b_rA

#Leaked Email Suggests #Ring Plans to Expand ‘Search Party’ #Surveillance Beyond Dogs

Ring’s controversial, AI-powered “Search Party” feature isn’t intended to always be limited only to dogs, the company’s founder, Jamie Siminoff, told Ring employees in an internal email obtained by 404 Media.
#privacy #security

https://www.404media.co/leaked-email-suggests-ring-plans-to-expand-search-party-surveillance-beyond-dogs/

Palantir, Which Is Powering ICE, Says #Immigration Crackdown May Hurt #Hiring

In its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), #Palantir says that increased regulation of immigration may impact the company’s ability to hire the talent it needs. At the same time, Palantir provides the technological #infrastructure for the #Trump administration’s mass #deportation mission.
#ethics #ice #dhs #maga #privacy

https://www.404media.co/palantir-which-is-powering-ice-says-immigration-crackdown-may-hurt-hiring/

#Insurer Agrees to Pay Millions for Failing to Fix Errors That Made It Harder for Customers to Get #MentalHealth Care

#EmblemHealth this week agreed to a $2.5 million settlement with the #NewYork attorney general’s office because of the large number of inaccuracies in its listings of in-network mental #health providers, a problem that has persisted for years.
#insurance

https://www.propublica.org/article/emblem-health-ghost-network-settlement-mental-health

Sudden #Telnet Traffic Drop. Are #Telcos Filtering Ports to Block Critical #Vulnerability?

Telcos likely received advance warning about January's critical Telnet vulnerability before its public disclosure, according to threat intelligence biz GreyNoise. Global Telnet traffic "fell off a cliff" on January 14, 6 days before #security advisories for CVE-2026-24061 went public on Jan 20. The flaw, a decade-old bug in GNU #InetUtils telnetd with a 9.8 #CVSS score, allows …

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/02/14/0447228/sudden-telnet-traffic-drop-are-telcos-filtering-ports-to-block-critical-vulnerability?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed

#FBI stymied by Apple's #LockdownMode after seizing journalist's #iPhone

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has so far been unable to access data from a #WashingtonPost reporter's iPhone because it was protected by Apple's Lockdown Mode when agents seized the device from the reporter's home, the US government said in a court filing.
#apple #security #privacy #journalism

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/02/fbi-stymied-by-apples-lockdown-mode-after-seizing-journalists-iphone/