State of Surveillance
AI Has Made Video Surveillance Automated and Terrifying
AI can flag people based on their clothing or behavior, identify people's emotions, and find people who are acting "unusual."
Head of Android Security Says Locking Out Law Enforcement Is an ‘Unintended Side Effect’
Google is taking steps to make it harder for someone to push a malicious update that disables the security features on an Android phone.
Facebook and Silicon Valley Are Colluding to Profit From Your Personal Data
A New York Times report shows big tech trades personal data like the rest of us trade Pokémon cards.
Malware Companies Are Finding New Ways to Spy on iPhones
Kaspersky Lab’s found evidence that a small spyware government contractor sells iOS malware, showing it may not be as rare as some people think.
With $20 of Gear from Amazon, Nearly Anyone Can Make This IMSI-Catcher in 30 Minutes
Surveillance takes on different character when it trickles down to more ordinary, everyday users. The significance and threat from IMSI-catchers is multiplied when a lot more people can deploy one using cheap tech from Amazon and free code from Github.
It’s Amateur Hour in the World of Spyware and Victims Will Pay the Price
We’re living in the golden age of spyware and government hacking, with companies rushing to join a blossoming billion dollar market. The weakest among us—activists or journalists—will suffer the consequences if we don’t regulate it appropriately.
How to Use an iPod Touch as a Secure Device Instead of a Phone
From SIM-jacking, to SS7, to dodgy telco data selling, for some people an iPod may be a better security decision than using a normal phone.
Hacking Team Hacker Phineas Fisher Has Gotten Away With It
Leaked court documents show that Italian authorities have no idea who hacked the government spyware maker Hacking Team.
Pentagon Wants to Predict Anti-Trump Protests Using Social Media Surveillance
A series of research projects, patent filings, and policy changes indicate that the Pentagon wants to use social media surveillance to quell domestic insurrection and rebellion.
How ‘Mr. Hashtag’ Helped Saudi Arabia Spy on Dissidents
Saud Al-Qahtani, a close advisor of crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, was tasked with buying Hacking Team spyware, and apparently moonlighted as a member of online cybercrime website Hack Forums.
Government Spyware Vendor Left Customer, Victim Data Online for Everyone to See
The Germany-based spyware startup Wolf Intelligence exposed its own data, including surveillance target’s information, passports scans of its founder and family, and recordings of meetings.
German Art Activists Get Passport Using Digitally Altered Photo of Two Women Merged Together
It's part of an artwork called “Mask ID,” a campaign that’s encouraging ordinary citizens to “flood government databases with misinformation” and disrupt mass surveillance programs.