#privacy issues

[itshype]

No???

I had this shit turned off for a reason???

If anyone else is jumpscared by this and wants to turn it off please do so here.

[thoughtlessarse]

EU advances age-verification apps amid privacy and security concerns

The European Commission unveiled new technology this week designed to power smartphone apps that verify users’ age online, part of an effort

The European Commission unveiled new technology this week designed to power smartphone apps that verify users’ age online, part of an effort to make the internet safer for children by limiting access to pornography sites, social media accounts, and online alcohol purchases. Experts remain divided on whether the system will work effectively in practice. The technology is intended to prevent users from falsely claiming they are old enough to access restricted content or services. Instead of relying on self-declared ages, new apps using the EU system are expected to be developed, with the first countries planning to roll them out later this year. Under the system, users would scan a passport or national ID card within an app to confirm their age. Once verified, they would be able to access websites with minimum age requirements. The app is designed to confirm only that a user meets the age threshold, without revealing their identity. Jaap-Henk Hoepman, a senior lecturer in digital security at Radboud University, said the approach effectively makes age verification universal, noting that “in practice, everyone will have to prove they are old enough when visiting such a website.” However, shortly after the system was presented, the European Commission updated the app following reports that it could be hacked. The app’s code had been made publicly available on GitHub, where developers reportedly found that it was possible to bypass the verification system and fake being an adult.

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Apparently, Tumblr thinks this is mature content, and have ignored my appeal. That's fucked up, @staff.

[tearsofrefugees]

ICE, DOGE seek sensitive Medicare data as immigration crackdown intensifies

Trump immigration officials and the U.S. DOGE Service are seeking to use a sensitive Medicare database as part of their crackdown on undocum

[amloveabledeathmo]

Anti AI and Flock Camera Letter

Please get involved with your local government, all this stuff is so terrible, it really is. Here is a letter I've drafted and sent to local government people. If you are better at letter writing please feel free to leave a comment on how I can improve it.

I, as a citizen of the United States, find the use of ai especially ai readers being placed with the intent to monitor private citizens at all times for the very flimsy excuse of 'protection and safety" incredibly concerning and disgusting. Our country was founded on freedoms, including from persecution. Innocent until proven guilty, while of course rarely actually done correctly, is still a supposedly held belief and law. By monitoring and collecting data on all citizens with no consent and no reasonable cause, the government is overreaching and assigning all citizens as criminals under trial. I believe the Fourth Amendment is not being upheld. This is incredibly concerning and upsetting. 

The Fourth Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights. While our current federal government is stomping all over the constitution and rights of the public that does not mean our local governments should as well. The Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches unless justified by probably cause. By removing the privacy of citizens with the constant monitoring and analyzing of all citizens going about daily life in public and private and cataloguing that data with ai cameras and databases the government is telling us that existing in public is enough of a reasonable cause to be harassed and investigated. The Fourth Amendment was to protect citizens from general warrants that allowed searches of anyone, anywhere, whenever and yet that is what flock cameras and other such monitoring cameras and ai databases are doing. There is no longer any reasonable cause needed as it has been shown numerous times that the police and even private individuals are allowed to access and search up anyone they want with zero reason and even harass individuals for personal relationships. We as citizens of the United States of America should not be entered into law enforcement databases or indeed any government databases or assumed guilty of crimes not yet thought of or committed just by existing in public. GPS trackers are not allowed to be placed without an individuals consent or a warrant as is ruled by the U.S. Supreme court, so why are camera and databases that boil down to advanced GPS trackers allowed to do just that with no oversight or consent?

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) warns that automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) are becoming tools for routine mass location tracking and surveillance, with too few rules governing their use. These systems can collect and store data on millions of innocent drivers, creating detailed records of people's movements without their knowledge or consent.

There is no longer any excuse to allow these cameras and systems to continue. We have seen in news reports and lawsuits across the nation the damage that these surveillance systems have caused. Leaving them up just leaves the city open for the same liability that others have faced. We need to get these removed as soon as possible before more get hurt by these illegal and unconstitutional cameras.

Sincerely

[wandering-wolf23]

My hot take of the day is that social media has poisoned people. We are used to having way too much information about each other, so much so that basic privacy is now taken as “you’re doing something illegal/abusive/wrong”.

[quicquam-dot-com]

if people (who are registered to vote in the US) are looking to contact their reps and senators about S.686 (RESTRICT act or the TikTok ban bill), here’s a great video explaining how to find and reach them:

https://www.tiktok.com/@sayheyjames/video/7214624676419554606

and here’s what I sent to mine if you’re having trouble thinking of what to say (i literally copy pasted for all of them, feel free to edit as necessary but make sure you actually say S.686 and/or RESTRICT act instead of just Tik Tok ban):

I am a voter in your district and I would like to voice my extreme opposition to S.686 RESTRICT Act. If you choose to vote in favor in the RESTRICT Act, I will vote for your opponent in the next primary. This bill is an egregious violation of privacy, and a shocking display of an attempt at governmental overreach. I hope that you consider voting against S.686.

as with all internet restriction/censorship bills, this one is so so so important and can change everything for the worse. ik that analysts say it only has a 5% chance of passing, but that’s 5% more than there should be. please contact your reps and senators and let them know that you’ll be voting/campaigning against them in the primaries.

i may not like or use tik tok, but a lot of people do and a lot of those people use it to spread important information. no one should have the power to censor the internet.

[just-a--man]

Privacy in asian houses is " what's it that you need to hide from us"

[starmedianews]

Why Tik Tok is so important?

As we know, many countries have been considering banning Tik Tok for security reasons. Tik Tok is owned by China and many people have now been concerned with how much information the apps takes from us. According to ABC, Tik Tok uses our ‘phone’s camera, microphone, contact list and location using GPS tracking.’ Should this be a concern for us? As users, we already have apps like Facebook and Instagram that use our information. Facebook has been accused of security issues in the past that were never banned. The media does have a point that safety is important and I am personally concerned about predators that lurk on these apps. Other apps like Instagram also store our photos without users knowing and have predators, but are not banned. Privacy and surveillance is an overall problem in social media. We have two options, which is to avoid social media to protect our privacy or accept that privacy does not exist on the internet.

The media fails to understand that Tik Tok does have benefits. For some users, they start a career from it and are employed by Tik Tok or become freelancers. Many small businesses have been successful from just a 15-second video and others develop a following to become influences. Tik Tok has help people chase their dreams and get out of toxic jobs. The public has also found comfort in expressing themselves in groups about Religion, LGBTQ+, cosplay and other communities. Media companies are focusing on expressing the concerns of the app; however, the media must recognise the great parts of Tik Tok and understand why users on Tik Tok want to stay. Instead of the media dealing with the issues, they decide to cancel the app and run away.

This leaves us questioning what the right thing is to do. Let countries take away a platform that has positively impacted many people who now have a place to inspire others. We should deal with the negatives instead of taking away the positives, due to the negatives.