"You have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide..." it's an argument you hear from Big Tech and their apologists. But it doesn't take much to figure out why it's a bad one...

A Republican congressman has announced plans to sponsor a bill that would strip federal funding from police departments that utilize Flock and other similar surveillance systems: https://www.newsweek.com/massie-bill-would-bar-funding-for-police-using-flock-license-plate-readers-12244884

Massie bill would bar funding for police using Flock license plate readers

The proposal comes amid growing national debate over automated license plate readers, which have expanded rapidly across the U.S.

newsweek.com

U.S. prosecutors have charged a man with "destroying evidence" for utilizing a "duress password" to wipe his phone while he was being held for questioning: https://www.404media.co/the-government-hopes-to-set-a-precedent-an-interview-with-the-man-charged-for-allegedly-wiping-his-grapheneos-phone/

We can't believe that, in 2026, people are still giving out their email address just for a 10% off coupon! It's time to stop giving out your real email address...but you can still redeem those discounts if you have email aliases.

For years, Europe's Border and Coast Guard Agency illegally collected and shared data on over 13,000 migrants and activists with Europol: https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-07-13/for-years-the-eus-border-agency-illegally-transferred-data-on-migrants-and-activists-to-europol.html

France and Germany have abandoned their relationships with Palantir and vowed to develop "a European sovereign digital backbone": https://www.politico.eu/article/france-germany-want-to-develop-a-palantir-rival/

France, Germany vow to develop Palantir rival

A top NATO commander said recently there was no real European alternative.

politico.eu

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to spend over $1 billion on surveillance towers and other tools that spy on communities and neighborhoods near the U.S.-Mexico border: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/explosion-surveillance-towers-coming-us-borders-costing-over-1-billion

An Explosion of Surveillance Towers is Coming to U.S. Borders, Costing Over $1 Billion

A new report from the Government Accounting Office reveals that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to nearly triple the number of surveillance towers along U.S. borders, from the current 830 to 2,300 by 2034.DHS expects to expend $1 billion...

eff.org

While some people are excited to implement emerging tech like AI, it's important to recognize that, in its current form, these models and tools create HUGE risks to your data and your privacy...

Lmao, whut? 😬 No thanks, i'm gonna pass on that attempted invasion of #privacy and i'll stick with my @startmail.bsky.social account.

Introducing selfie for sign-in: a new, easy way to access your Google Account

Selfie video gives you more options if you’re ever locked out or don’t have access to your usual phone or computer.

blog.google

While cities across the US are ditching Flock cameras due to public backlash, many are simply replacing them with similar cameras from companies like Axon: https://www.gadgetreview.com/cities-are-ditching-flock-safety-cameras-then-hiring-axon-to-do-the-same-job

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that "VPNs are lawful technical tools" and cannot be held liable for copyright infringement: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/vpns-are-lawful-technical-tools-says-eu-court-in-landmark-anne-frank-copyright-ruling

'VPNs are lawful technical tools,' says EU Court in landmark Anne Frank copyright ruling

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that publishers and VPN providers aren't liable for copyright infringement

techradar.com

We've always strived to introduce and improve features to better our users' experiences. Since our subscribers are our ONLY source of revenue, we work for THEM and only them...not for shareholders, advertisers, or investors.

An American pilot shares his firsthand account of "How a Stranger Used One Text Message to Steal My Entire Digital Life": https://time.com/article/2026/07/07/how-a-stranger-used-one-text-message-to-steal-my-entire-digital-life/

How a Stranger Used One Text Message to Steal My Entire Digital Life

“He read my entire Social Security number and my date of birth back to me. That was the moment I knew my identity had been stolen.”

time.com

It's not just local police departments. Grocery and retail stores in America are also putting up Flock cameras... and then sharing that information with police: https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/grocery-store-tracking-license-plate-152736433.html

Google is introducing a new version of its "reCAPTCHA Mobile Verification" that will allow sites to block any device that runs a "de-Googled" version of its Android OS: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/googles-new-remote-attestation-scheme-every-bit-terrible-its-old-remote

Google's New Remote Attestation Scheme is As Bad As Its Old One

Google owes its existence to the open web, but today, its technological “innovations” have much to do with locking users into a “walled garden.” The latest of these is “reCAPTCHA Mobile Verification,” an experimental initiative that will let companies b...

eff.org

You may think that the worst part of being served targeted ads is that they're super creepy and specific. In reality, the info that's being used for that scarily accurate targeting is being shown to thousands of companies without your knowledge.

All new cars in the EU must now be equipped with driver cameras and emergency auto-brakes according to new regulations implemented this year: https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/nya-regeln-obligatorisk-kamera-pa-bilforaren

Nya regeln: Obligatorisk kamera på bilföraren

Obligatorisk kamera och nödbroms – det kommer att vara krav i alla nya bilar från och med den 7 juli i år. Trafiken ska bli säkrare, men det finns en oro för vilken data som samlas, och till vem. – Det här är oprövat, om man tittar på längre sikt, säger...

svt.se

Did you know that TikTok is tracking you even if you don't use their app? But the good news is that there are things you can do about it: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260210-tiktok-is-tracking-you-even-if-you-dont-use-the-app-heres-how-to-stop-it

TikTok is tracking you, even if you don't use the app. Here's how to stop it

TikTok is growing its data harvesting empire, and avoiding the app won't protect you – but some easy steps can keep you safe.

bbc.com

AI advocates keep trying to tell us that the technology is "inevitable". The truth is, no technology is inevitable...especially one that poses SUCH a huge privacy risk. Do YOU trust it with your private data?

Law enforcement agencies and organizations from the UK are warning parents not to publicly share images of their children due to the rise and abuse of AI-generated deepfakes: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd7wj7d0jzzo

Parents warned not to publicly share children's images amid AI abuse risks

The NCA says there is a growing threat of children's images being used to create child abuse material.

bbc.com

A county in the US with 37 data centers (and plans for more) is warning schools and county agencies to expect a 25% increase in energy costs and asks employees to "conserve electricity" accordingly: https://www.404media.co/henrico-virginia-datacenter-energy-cost-email/

The city of Cleveland is one of nearly 50 cities that have cancelled their contracts with Flock Safety, but the cameras have allegedly remained on and in use by police: https://www.gadgetreview.com/cleveland-voted-to-kill-its-flock-camera-network-they-have-remained-on-with-police-still-using-them

Cleveland Voted to Kill Its Flock Camera Network. They Have REMAINED ON, With Police Still Using Them

Cleveland's Flock Safety cameras kept recording after a 3-1 council vote killed the $250,000 contract, raising questions about who controls city surveillance.

gadgetreview.com

You need to stop giving out your real email address. Seriously. It's not just about spam...your email address itself is a tracker that companies and bad actors can use to track you. Learn more about the risks here: https://www.startmail.com/stop-giving-your-real-email

According to inside sources, the European Commission's president is expected to announce a proposal to ban children from social media apps in September: https://www.euractiv.com/news/eu-plans-to-announce-social-media-ban-for-kids-in-september/

Apple has failed to fix a vulnerability with their "Hide My Email" tool that can expose a user's real email address, according to cybersecurity researchers and journalists: https://www.404media.co/apple-hide-my-email-vulnerability-reveals-peoples-real-email-addresses/

One of our most useful and vital features isn't our encryption or our owned and operated infrastructure...it's our support team of REAL HUMANS! When you're having issues, a real human who genuinely wants to help makes all of the difference in the world.

A company in the U.S. seeks to turn school buses into roving, AI powered, license plate reader cameras that capture passing vehicles and disclose their location to authorities: https://www.404media.co/buspatrol-put-ai-cameras-in-tens-of-thousands-of-school-buses-now-they-want-to-give-cops-access/

‘BusPatrol' Put AI Cameras in Tens of Thousands of School Buses. Now They Want to Give Cops Access

BusPatrol plans to scan the license plates of all vehicles the buses drive past, and then let law enforcement search that data. The plan would essentially turn school buses into roaming surveillance vehicles.

404media.co

The European Commission was set to eliminate cookie banners for their constituents, but now Google has lobbied enough commissioners to kill the proposal: https://cybernews.com/tech/cookie-banner-france-germany/

The U.S. House of Representatives has fast tracked and passed the KIDS Act, "a Privacy and Free Speech Disaster" that stitches together over a dozen failed bills that seek to age-gate the Internet: reclaimthenet.org/the-house-ju...

Countries and regions across the globe are passing Age Verification laws that mandate certain websites and users to check that all users are over a certain age. While advocates claim that these laws "protect children", they put EVERYONE at risk: https://www.startmail.com/age-verification