#digital security

[liberaljane]

There are many reasons an abortion may have to be a secret - from state laws to immigration status.

Check out these tips for safely finding accurate reproductive health information and care online.

Alt-text included on all pieces

[midwesttranssurvivalcollective]

diy hrt: how to safely search & order online

BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ONLINE RELATING TO DIY read this <3

as many institutions seem to be already complying in advance and without resistance to gender affirming care bans (eye roll) i wanted to back into posting on here about accessing diy t.

first of all, stop using Google as your search engine. google search histories HAVE ALREADY been used in court, meaning law enforcement could request your search history and use it against you. incognito browsers do not actually give you any meaninful privacy either.

here's your mini digital security checklist:

-download TOR (aka the onion router) a free, privacy-focused browser. it's legit, it's used by many, many people for many different reasons. it has important features that help keep you more private online - their webpage has a great description of how it works.

-download a good VPN. (no VPN you've seen advertised in a youtube video will actually be good.) often they require payment, for a free one the ProtonVPN is fine. as long as you're in a country where usage of TOR is common it's less of a big deal, but still good. launch your VPN before launching TOR.

-while on TOR and your VPN, create a private email. ProtonMail is fine, there are other options if you want to look more deeply. only access this email through TOR, and create a very strong password. when you're shopping for your diy, you'll need to create an account with an email, so use this email for that and not for other things.

-get some bitcoin. it's annoying especially when that pay with paypal/bank transfer/credit card option is so easy, but it's really worth it. we go way into depth about this in the guide but the more familiar you get with using crypto for privacy, the more protected you can be when making purchases online.

the guide in our pinned post has more info including lots of places to look for different btc, mail, vpn, and other privacy services. and add on if you have other digisec checklist items!!

[directactionforhope]

Ways the US government can view your data and info

Don't know who needs to hear this, but given the current political situation in the United States, unless you are literally a digital security specialist, you NEED to be assuming that the federal government, the police, ICE, the NSA, the FBI, and the tech corporations that work with the government can all easily find, view, and attach to your IRL life:

Everything single message or thing you've ever sent that requires a signal or wifi (aka all of your texts, dms, discord servers, emails, the contents of photo or file attachments, etc.)

Every single post you've ever made on any social media platform, including tumblr, yes, even if your profile is completely anonymous

If you use Google and/or Google Chrome, your entire search history and every single website you've ever been to (and even if you don't use Google Chrome, unless you have a bunch of adblockers and tracker blockers, they will have all of this stuff anyway)

Any online petitions you've signed that were not specifically anonymous, and some that were

Any online donation you made

All the photos in your phone camera roll and/or that you've uploaded to the internet

The precise, real-time location and location history of your cell phone, yes often even if you have your location turned off, and yes, this IS usually just a literal, real-time log of all your movements

The precise, real-time location and location history of any car with Carplay, or likely any car with a built-in GPS

The precise, real-time location of - and the info picked up by - your FitBit or any other wearable health or fitness tracker

Anything you say in sound range of an Amazon Echo or other digital/home assistant

Anything you say or type into Alexa, Siri, Cortana, or any other digital assistant

The live and old footage of every single Ring camera (which ICE now has access to via a partnership between Amazon and surveillance database Flock, yes including the one on your own house, if you have one, and including the ones on your neighbor's house)

The live and old footage of every single security camera connected to the internet, plus any owned by a collaborating corporation (combined, this will be almost all of them)

Every app you have downloaded, and often everything entered into them, including and especially PERIOD TRACKERS (which have already been used to convict multiple ppl of an abortion in states where it is illegal. FB messages about finding an abortion clinic have been used to convict too

Every single thing you've ever entered into an AI, such as ChatGPT, even if you've deleted the logs, which ChatGPT and afaik other AI companies are required to retain indefinitely by court order

Anyway if you don't want the cops potentially seeing it and using it to convict you, don't send it over an unencrypted connection, period

And finally:

Do not use biometrics or fingerprints to log into things. Use a password. Police can access any account that only requires biometrics, but cannot force you to give up a PIN or password

[quartzlantern]

ANTI-SPOTIFY AI BOYCOTT SURVIVAL KIT

Attention everyone!!! While we are all rightfully upset that YouTube is implementing an AI age verification system, it is not the only site doing this. Other sites like Reddit, Twitter / X, Spotify, etc. are doing the same. And as more days pass, more sites that we love using will follow. One day, Tumblr will be forced to use an AI age verification system. That will be a dark day, indeed. But for the sake of this post, I'll be focusing on how you can boycott Spotify until this is over. I am warning you, if you're planning to boycott Spotify or are intrigued by the idea, you'll need to be prepared to be in it for the long haul. We are talking potentially weeks, months, years, and maybe forever. Boycotting does not last one day; it needs to be big enough and last long enough for the companies to realize that they made a mistake. The Civil Rights Bus Boycott didn't last one day; it took a little over a year (381 days) before there was change. If you are ready to boycott AI age-using platforms, and potentially the government, then I put together a list of alternatives you can use while you boycott Spotify.

Before we begin, I'll answer this question: Have any podcast platforms been hit?

Popular podcasting platforms like Buzzsprout, Libsyn, Transistor, Simplecast, Speaker, and Acast have not made any public announcement saying they'll use AI age verification. But keep your eyes peeled for any announcements or suspicious updated terms of service.

Spotify Alternatives

1. Soundiiz (and SSDs or HDDs)

These are not music platforms, but rather a way for you to transfer your playlists from one service to another. Soundiiz does have an AI tool, but that's more geared toward making playlists for you "based on your tastes". I'd still be wary of it, though. If you want something more reliable, I recommend using SSDs or HDDs for transferring your Spotify playlists.

2. MediaMonkey

I'd like to thank @grubcats for bringing this site to my attention! MediaMonkey is a program for Windows and Android where you can store and play your transferred songs and playlists. The reviews I've seen so far are positive.

3. SoundCloud

Users must be 18 years or older in the United States and 16 in the UK to make an account on this site. If you're younger than that (13 is the minimum age), you'll need parental permission. According to the official Account Policy, if they "receive reports" that a user is underage, they'll remove the account and notify the owner. The owner must "provide us evidence that they are over 18 or they have parental permission". This doesn't automatically mean "hand over your ID!", but it's pretty vague and somewhat fishy.

4. Beatsource

This music streaming service is catered to DJ music and DJ artists, and also a way to contact and hire them. From what I can tell, it doesn't use AI age verification. However, I'm getting conflicting results on whether its parent company, Beatport, is using an AI age verification. Its TOS policy doesn't mention it.

5. Pandora

Do you guys remember Pandora? It was essentially Spotify before Spotify was a thing, and it was basically a personalized radio. Pandora analyzes the music you listen to to give you a more personalized playlist using an AI program. It's not using an AI age verification yet, though.

6. CDs???

I know I definitely sound like an old man now, and this only pertains to people who still have playable CDs and a working old CD player lying around. But if you're feeling extra nostalgic? That might be it.

Bonus suggestion - Rhythm Games

Rhythm games, especially the bigger ones, have a whole library of songs you can play. And most have a replay feature, so you can play the music without having to break your fingers doing a hard level. Some of my personal favorite rhythm games off the top of my head are:

Deemo (it's a series)

Muse Dash

Geometry Dash (Geometry Dash Lite is the free version)

Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage

If you guys have any Rhythm Game suggestions, please list them in your reblogs or comments! We need as many good suggestions as possible!

If you are musically adept, you can also make music of your own and share it with others. Heck, write songs protesting AI age verification, KOSA, etc., if you want to, and post them everywhere! It's your voice and your right to use that voice!

The biggest thing in this list and on this post, however, is to get the attention of big creators, politicians, and courts. If you want this boycott to end faster, we need to spread the word around. A one-day protest and a petition against YouTube specifically won't change anything. If you want change, you'll need to message the senators (don't harass or spam them!!!). If you want change, you'll need to share this in non-English speaking spaces; people outside America probably don't know this is happening. If you want change, you'll need to let your friends and family know about this, your local businesses, your teacher, your college professor, your boss, your mayor (don't harass or spam them!!!). If you want change, you'll need to protest and demonstrate publicly and openly. Don't do anything dangerous!!! Educate yourselves and the general public on KOSA, the Screen Act, COPPA 2.0, and similar acts like it, why we oppose it, and why they should oppose it too. Tell them who wants these laws passed, who this benefits from them, and tell them why. Offer easier and safer solutions to KOSA.

"If you oppose the Kids Online Safety Act, you don't want children to be safe!" "No. It's up to the parents to monitor what their children are listening to, not trillion-dollar companies and governments."

"You're just upset you won't be able to listen to NSFW music." "No. We all have varied musical tastes. I should not have to constantly listen to "adult-sounding" songs to avoid Spotify flagging me as a child or worry while I'm listening to "child-sounding" songs for Spotify to flag me as a child."

"What's so bad about giving Spotify or other platforms your ID or selfie?" "If Spotify gets hacked, my ID might get stolen. Have you ever heard of the Tea Incident? The incident happened this year involving an app called Tea. It was supposed to be a women's-only dating app and safe space where women helped give dating advice to other women, including tips on whether a guy was giving red flags, and you needed to give your personal information if you wanted to register. Unfortunately, on July 25th, the app suffered a security breach, which exposed 13,000 selfies and photo identification documents used for account verification. It also exposed over 1.1 million private direct messages between users, with a lot of them leaked all over 4Chan and Twitter.

“But that was Tea. Spotify's security is much better!” "While there hasn't been a massive data breach so far, users have reported unauthorized access and account takeovers. The site also suffered an outage this year, but the company denies any hacking. And with the company happily touting that it's requiring its users to hand over personal information, it only gives hackers a bigger incentive.” Here's an article talking about the outage: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spotify-down-not-working-downdetector/

"What happens if Spotify's AI believes you're a minor?" "If Spotify's AI system suspects you're under the minimum age of 13, it will deactivate and eventually delete your account."

"If it's not for the children, who does it benefit?" "AI corporations, Online verification companies, and politicians who want the government to monitor internet users.”

"Are there other sites doing this, or just Spotify?" "So far, YouTube, Spotify, Reddit, Twitter / X, and Discord are implementing AI age verification systems on their platforms. Dailymotion, TikTok, BlueSky, LinkedIn, Threads, and Instagram are planning to use AI age verification systems in the near future. If nothing is done about this, more social media companies will be forced to do the same."

I implore all who read this:

Please boycott Spotify for more than a day. Be prepared to boycott for years

Please cancel whatever subscriptions you have

Please boycott other sites that are using AI age verification (be vigilant, do research)

Review-bomb any app that uses or plans to use AI Age verification, as well as their parent companies (for example, the people who hold the most significant ownership over Spotify and have the most voting power are its co-founders, Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon)

Please convince more people to boycott Spotify and other sites

Please spread the word beyond Tumblr and Reddit. Translate your anti-Spotify AI and anti-KOSA posts and post them on non-English speaking sites or forums

Please educate yourself and the people around you. This is not just a violation of our online freedom. This is a violation of our right to privacy and our right to free speech. This is a violation of our First and Ninth Amendment rights. Again, research and tell people about KOSA, the Screen Act, and COPPA 2.0. These are the laws that are making Spotify do this

Please look up and spread awareness about Spotify's and other platforms’ data breaches, not just online, but with the general public as well. Show that these platforms are not ready to house your government information.

And please contact senators you know who oppose these laws and might help repeal them. Don't harass them, please, and do background checks on them. I don't want this movement to go up in flames because a senator who opposes this law is a confirmed predator.

THE FASTER WE END THESE LAWS, THE FASTER WE'LL GET TO USE SPOTIFY AGAIN

[bunnygirlskull]

NEW DISCORD SCAM / HACK

hey everyone my friend @esics had it's discord hacked and this is the general thing they will try to get you with so if anyone in your friends list sends you a link or a story like that

DO NOT CLICK THE LINK OR DOWNLOAD IT

it will lock you out your account and will hold your account ransom

[disasterhimbo]

Search is full of ads and wrong answers. Every other email is an ad. Prime Video charges you and shows ads. Paramount? Ads. Peacock? YouTube? Hulu? Ads followed by more ads. Netflix full of ads. Meta and X, every other thing is an ad. Pinterest is nothing but ads.

AI is in everything. AI finishes sentences incorrectly and won’t stop. AI reads your email and search history to target you with more ads.

Every time you open an app or visit a site there’s an update making it worse. In a hurry? First, click here to agree to terms you don’t have time to read and must accept. You need an account to do that. Change your temporary password. Enter your 2FA code. Check your email and enter that code. Now use a passkey. Your password is too simple to remember. Change it. No, not like that. Now log on. Enter your 2FA code. Check your email for a code… Welcome back! We’ve updated our terms of service and privacy policy (you have none).

Subscribe to the site. Subscribe to Netflix. Subscribe to toilet paper. Subscribe to these groceries. Pay a membership fee for the right to subscribe then tip your driver who delivers the subscriptions your membership lets you subscribe to.

Time to work? We’ve got to update your laptop and will slow down everything you do until you agree to update. But first, click here to agree. Update installed — your laptop’s broken now. It doesn’t matter, since your boss just replaced you with AI. Go to your phone to complain on social media. Wait, your phone needs an update so we can add more AI. Click here. Oh sorry, your phone can’t handle this update. Now it’s useless. Go get the newest phone.

Here’s a text from a friend, an email, a voice mail they left three days ago but you didn’t see until now because of sync problems with the cloud. It’s their GoFundMe. Their MLM. Their Patreon. Never mind, you didn’t respond to their text within 9 minutes and now you’re no longer friends. They blocked you. Make new friends. Download this app to find people in your area. In your neighborhood. On your street. Two doors down from you. Do you know this person yet, we think you’d get along.

You need an account to use this app. That username is taken. Enter a password. Not that one, you used it on another site. You need to be connected to WiFi to download the app. Allow the app to connect to other devices on your network. Allow the app to access your contacts, know your precise location, store your credit card details. Oops, sorry, we got hacked now all that info is available on the web. There’s a class action suit. You can join. It’ll take a decade to get your $3.73 share of the ten billion settlement. We’ll send it via PayPal or deposit it to your bank, just tell us those details. Oh no, another hack. That info is circulating now, too. Here’s a spam call, a spam email, a spam text.

Why are you angry? Why are you talking about getting rid of your phone? Why don’t you like AI, it lets us make all of this easier? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? This is progress. You’ll be left behind. Do you want to be left behind? Do you???”

— Tweet by Katherine Argent (@effthealgorithm) dated April 30, 2026.

Paragraph breaks added for ease of reading.

[profeminist]

Guide to Abortion Privacy — Digital Defense Fund

This page is organized into different security-related threats. You can jump to the ones that most concern you. Along with each scenario is a list of digital security tips to neutralize the threat!

These are possible concerns you might have:

Seeing advertisements related to pregnancy/abortion

Tech companies like Facebook and Google storing information about your pregnancy/abortion

That the person who pays your phone bill can see your texts

That someone who can access, steal, or demand your phone will see your messages or your browsing history

Your phone company keeps copies of your browsing history or texts about your abortion

Protestors outside the clinic may violate your privacy

* New *: Abortion Mobile Privacy Settings Quick Guide

Read the full piece here and PLEASE SHARE THANKS!

https://digitaldefensefund.org/ddf-guides/abortion-privacy