#surveillance

The article discusses how smart glasses are increasingly viewed as "pervert glasses" due to privacy concerns, highlighting public discomfort with undisclosed recording capabilities and calls for clearer social norms and regulations around their use.

Residents of Green River, Wyoming, forced city officials to halt a proposed license plate reader camera project after raising privacy concerns at a public meeting. The project, which would have installed cameras at key city entry points, was dropped following strong opposition from the community.

A group of teens in San Mateo were recorded using a Waymo driverless car to drive around while firing a toy gun at objects from the vehicle. The incident, captured by Waymo's internal cameras, has raised concerns about passenger privacy and the extent of surveillance inside autonomous vehicles.

Chat Control is proposed EU legislation requiring messaging platforms to scan private communications for child sexual abuse material, sparking debate over privacy and encryption. Critics argue it undermines fundamental rights and end-to-end encryption. As of 2025, the proposal remains under negotiation.

The European Union is one step closer to reinstating rules that would require the scanning of private messages for illegal content, such as child sexual abuse material. The proposed legislation has raised significant privacy and encryption concerns, as it could undermine end-to-end encryption protections. The next vote will determine whether the measure moves forward.

A politician who had been investigating abuses of spyware was himself targeted and had his phone hacked using the Pegasus spyware, highlighting the risks faced by those probing surveillance technology misuse.

An unidentified individual used Pegasus spyware to target a member of the committee that oversees Israel's Pegasus spyware exports, according to a report. The incident raises concerns about the security and oversight of the controversial surveillance tool.

Spyware from NSO Group's Pegasus was found on the phone of a European Parliament member who is part of a committee investigating the use of surveillance spyware. The discovery raises concerns about the targeting of officials looking into such technologies.

Scott Aaronson argues America faces a privacy emergency due to mass data collection by corporations and government, erosion of Fourth Amendment protections, and normalized digital surveillance. He warns the public is largely unaware of how their activities are tracked, creating a system prone to abuse.

Internal DHS documents reveal the U.S. government is preparing for potential nationwide civil unrest driven by opposition to artificial intelligence, with plans to crack down on dissent using surveillance and law enforcement measures.

Germany's government has proposed new legal powers allowing its intelligence agencies to proactively hack and disrupt the computer systems of foreign attackers, including by using offensive malware and denial-of-service attacks, as part of a broader strategy to bolster cybersecurity defenses.

Cory Doctorow describes "technocarcinization" as the trend of Apple and Google adopting Facebook-like surveillance and control. He argues this is driven by a policy environment rewarding enshittification, and recommends free and open source software as the remaining alternative.

The article presents a critical manifesto against Palantir, arguing that the company's surveillance and data-mining technologies enable mass surveillance, undermine civil liberties, and serve authoritarian and imperialist interests. It calls for a collective refusal to participate in or legitimize such systems, advocating instead for building liberatory, community-controlled alternatives.

EncroChat was a secure communications platform used primarily by criminals. Law enforcement agencies infiltrated it by deploying a malware implant that intercepted messages before encryption. This operation led to thousands of arrests across Europe, but also sparked legal debates about the admissibility of such bulk-harvested evidence in court.

A Columbia Law School paper examines how workplace monitoring platforms collect and share employee data, raising concerns about privacy and the legal implications of such surveillance practices in modern work environments.

The article argues that surveillance, often promoted as a safety measure, actually erodes democratic rights and freedoms. It contends that mass data collection and monitoring by authorities threaten privacy, autonomy, and the ability to dissent, ultimately undermining the very democracy such measures claim to protect.

Uit een onderzoeksrapport blijkt dat de AIVD en MIVD slordig en soms onrechtmatig omgaan met bulkdatasets: grote bestanden met data over miljoenen willekeurige mensen, verkregen via informanten, andere overheidsorganisaties, buitenlandse diensten of commerciële partijen.

The article outlines five reasons why Media Over QUIC (MOQ) streaming is well-suited for surveillance and monitoring applications, citing benefits such as lower latency, improved reliability over lossy networks, better congestion control, efficient bandwidth usage, and enhanced security compared to traditional streaming protocols.

A proposed reform of Europol's mandate ahead of 2026 would dangerously expand surveillance powers and automate data processing, eroding fundamental privacy rights, according to civil society groups. The reform risks turning Europol into a mass surveillance agency without proper safeguards.

The article examines whether facial recognition tools can track users online, noting that most analyze uploaded photos rather than use live feeds. Real-time online tracking via facial recognition remains technically limited, but privacy concerns about linking facial data to profiles persist.

Federal agents reportedly located an anti-ICE activist known as the "Dad" in a New York City hotel, but the methods used to track him down remain unclear. The incident has raised questions about the extent of surveillance and data-sharing practices involved in the operation.

A Roanoke homeowner discovered that a Flock safety camera device had been installed on her property without her knowledge or consent. She expressed concern over the lack of notice and the privacy implications of the surveillance technology being placed on private land.

The article discusses how governments are increasingly seeking to regulate speech and communication, framing these efforts as necessary for public safety or national security, but raising concerns about overreach and the erosion of free expression.

Canadian Bill C-26 would grant authorities the power to disconnect citizens from the internet without a warrant, reason, or notice. Critics argue this exceeds the legal safeguards applied to police wiretaps and poses a serious threat to digital rights and freedoms. The legislation represents a significant expansion of state surveillance and control over internet access.

PatronScan, a facial recognition system used by some San Francisco bars and clubs, reportedly deleted its database of scanned faces after facing backlash over privacy concerns during Pride weekend. The company stated it would no longer store facial data from patrons, marking a shift in its data retention policies.

A redesign of US government websites has raised surveillance concerns due to new visitor-tracking features that may monitor user behavior more extensively than before, sparking fears about privacy and data collection.

School districts across the U.S. are equipping buses with license-plate-reading cameras and external surveillance systems to monitor surrounding vehicles, raising privacy concerns among parents and civil liberties advocates.

A redesign of US government websites has raised concerns about increased visitor tracking and surveillance, as new tools may allow for more extensive data collection on users who visit federal pages.

XPRIZE founder Peter Diamandis argues that humans behave better when they believe they are being observed, suggesting that increased transparency and accountability can drive prosocial behavior and innovation.

The Metropolitan Police's DPIA for its Palantir pilot program has drawn criticism for failing to adequately address privacy risks and oversight, raising more questions than answers about the force's use of large-scale data analytics.