Tootfinder

Georgia State University has rescinded a job offer given to a high profile activist
who is currently fighting a case in which he allegedly wiped a security-focused Android phone
before Customs and Border Protection (CBP) could search it.
The case, which 404 Media first covered and has now received widespread and national attention,
has important ramifications for privacy
and when someone can still be charged with an offense even if authorities don’t have suspic…

University Rescinds Job Offer to Activist Who Allegedly Wiped Phone Before DHS Could Search It
Samuel Tunick allegedly wiped his GrapheneOS phone before CBP officials could search it, in what has become a high profile civil liberties case. Now Georgia State University has rescinded a job offer to him.

Signal – Don’t forget to configure for privacy
In a business or non-profit environment, there is a good chance that your management team is using Signal. And why not? It brings security and privacy to messaging, file sharing, video and phone calls. Not only can you do one-to-one communications, you can create and manage groups. Sensitive business conversations can remain secret. What’s not to like about that?
Out-of-the-Box Signal needs attention to the configuration settings to get the best privacy. If you are a CISO or IT specialist, you can help your management team configure Signal for the best privacy.
After installing Signal on a mobil phone or desktop, review the configuration settings and adjust them as needed. Here is a free guide that will get you started:
#Security #Privacy #Signal

SCOTUS limits the law enforcement use of "geofence" warrants, saying people have "a reasonable expectation of privacy" in their cell-phone location data (TechCrunch)
https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/29/in-m

In major privacy win, Supreme Court rules geofence warrants are protected by privacy rights | TechCrunch
The Supreme Court's decision to limit geofence warrants is a win for privacy advocates, who called their use unconstitutional but sought an outright ban.

Ex-Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre calls Prince Harry's phone hacking case a "conspiracy" to destroy the Mail and the verdict is a "vindication" of its journalism (Alice Brooker/Press Gazette)
https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/paul-d

Paul Dacre: Prince Harry privacy case ‘conspiracy to destroy paper’
UK media and legal reaction to Prince Harry privacy trial dismissal, including Paul Dacre and Sir Simon Hughes.

Public Records Show FBI Secretly Extracted Data From ICE Protesters’ Phones
They used Cellebrite, of course.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/06/cellebrite-phone-protest-ice-dhs-spokane-fbi-conspiracy-su…

Public records show FBI secretly extracted data from ICE protesters’ phones
Previously unreported documents reveal “extractions” from at least 13 devices after a Washington state protest last June.

Using tools like Face ID or fingerprint unlocking to get into your phone and log in to accounts is certainly easy,
but if you're concerned about your privacy, you should avoid them.
Thanks to a 5th Amendment loophole, law enforcement can compel you to use biometric data to unlock your devices,
but they can't force you to give them a password or passcode.
We saw this earlier this year, when a Washington Post reporter's home was raided by the FBI.

The DOJ and DHS won't say whether they got Don Lemon's phone records using an obscure law that experts say the state is abusing to gather records on journalists (Sam Levine/The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/02/don-lemon-phone-records…

US prosecutors refuse to say if they secretly obtained Don Lemon’s phone records
Experts have expressed deep concerns that the practice runs afoul of the fourth amendment’s right to privacy

This Man Bought Phone Location Data from Around the World (with Mike Yeagley) https://www.404media.co/this-man-bought-phone-location-data-from-around-the-world-with-mike-yeagley/

At a time when the Trump administration seeks to expand the definition of terrorism to encompass a wide range of dissenting views,
Americans’ fears of abuse of government surveillance of their communications are more justified than ever;
15 activists in Minneapolis were recently indicted based largely on Signal chats, for example.

Public records show FBI secretly extracted data from ICE protesters’ phones
Previously unreported documents reveal “extractions” from at least 13 devices after a Washington state protest last June.

U.S. customs officers want your password? It's an insidious trap. (Mike Fox/Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/08/07/phone-searches-airports-set-dangerous-privacy-precedent/
http://www.memeorandum.com/260807/p103#a260807p103

I have no idea what I'll do when I buy my next TV. Definitely not LG; their sets spy on you even when offline or in standby ("off"), wardriving to log nearby devices and even using a microphone to record you. I'm hoping their expected monetization of my habits will lower the cost and be a no-op when I ensure the set never connects to the internet, but if I ever need to update the thing, what the heck would it phone home?
#privacy

U.S. Citizen Who Deleted Phone's Data Says His Prosecution Puts Privacy at Risk (Adeel Hassan/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/21/us/politics/samuel-tunick-deleted-phone-felony.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7FA.xXGp.YprutzwuBHdZ&smid=url-share
http://www.memeorandum.com/260821/p41#a260821p41