Tootfinder

A look at Phreeli, a privacy-focused phone carrier that lets users sign up with only a ZIP code and uses an encryption system based on "zero-knowledge proofs" (Andy Greenberg/Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/new-anonymous-phone-carrier…

A New Anonymous Phone Carrier Lets You Sign Up With Nothing but a Zip Code
Privacy stalwart Nicholas Merrill spent a decade fighting an FBI surveillance order. Now he wants to sell you phone service—without knowing almost anything about you.

Privacy stalwart Nicholas Merrill spent a decade fighting an FBI surveillance order.
Now he wants to sell you phone service
—without knowing almost anything about you.
https://www.wired.com/story/new-anonymous-phone-carrier-sign-up-wit…

A New Anonymous Phone Carrier Lets You Sign Up With Nothing but a Zip Code
Privacy stalwart Nicholas Merrill spent a decade fighting an FBI surveillance order. Now he wants to sell you phone service—without knowing almost anything about you.

A UK privacy lawsuit by Prince Harry, Elton John, and others against Associated Newspapers begins, with allegations of phone hacking and illicit data collection (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/prince-harry-elton-john…

#DataRetention

Czechia illegally stored citizens’ phone data: here’s what it means
The ruling affects metadata from calls and texts, shows who communicated and where; lawmakers must revise rules, tightening access and protecting privacy.

""From my home office, running Bluehood in passive mode (just listening, never connecting), I could detect:
* When delivery vehicles arrived, and whether it was the same driver each time
* The daily patterns of my neighbours based on their phones and wearables
* Which devices consistently appeared together (someone’s phone and smartwatch, for instance)
* The exact times certain people were home, at work, or elsewhere
None of this required any …

Privacy-focused MVNO Cape, which has raised $61M from a16z and others, launches across the US following a March 2025 beta, offering a $99 monthly plan (Steven Melendez/Fast Company)
https://www.fastcompany.com/91481000/this-

This new privacy-focused phone service is designed to keep your phone from getting hacked
Cape, which offers a range of enhanced privacy and security measures, is now offering service across the United States. 

Figured out a cheap trick to blur a smartphone's camera:
1. Cut a piece of transparent adhesive tape.
2. Sandpaper it.
3. Attach on top of the camera.
Wanted to blur instead of covering the camera, because the phone interprets full cover as darkness and dims the screen.
#privacy #diy

The thing about a life-logger, is you input sensitive data about your life, lifestyle and activities, so privacy and data-integrity are some of the most important issues.
There can be no server, the data has to be yours and yours alone. Because you can’t tell what is happening to the data in a closed-source app, it must be completely free and open source.
You can’t trust a corporate diary, they must sell to anyone offering enough money.
So it is with my life log app, all data completely in your own device. No home server ever sees anything.
There is no home server. Just the code.
To achieve this Exocortex Log is a Progressive Web App. It downloads when you are online at the website and can be installed onto the homepage of your phone.
It keeps all data on the local device using indexdb.
This means you must be responsible for your own backups. Be sure to export and back up your data regularly. I have gaps in my ten year record where my phone was stolen and most recent backup was months prior.
Once installed it will work offline, airplane mode, no internet, down in the tube station at midnight, anywhere.
There's a blog on the website saying this and more: https://exocortexlog.com/news/articles/2025-12-06-release/

Lightning round privacy guide
https://microblog.jackiejude.me/posts/202602021855/

In written evidence to the Prince Harry privacy trial, ex-Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre says allegations of phone hacking are "grave and sometimes preposterous" (Dominic Ponsford/Press Gazette)
https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/paul-d

Paul Dacre says hacking and tapping claims 'grave, preposterous, deeply upsetting'
Ex-Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre has described the allegations of phone hacking against his former team as “grave and sometimes preposterous”.

India backs off mandatory 'cyber safety' app after surveillance backlash https://therecord.media/india-drops-mandate-sanchar-saathi-app-privacy-surveillance

Samsung says it will introduce a display feature for the Galaxy S26 series that improves "privacy at a pixel level" to protect users from "shoulder surfing" (Abhijeet Mishra/SamMobile)
https://www.sammobile.com/news/samsung-teases-gala…

Samsung confirms Galaxy S26’s insane ‘pixel level’ privacy feature
Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S26 series will introduce a new display feature designed to improve privacy when using your phone in public. The company stopped short of directly calling it a “privacy display,” but its wording leaves little room for doubt. In a new press release, Samsung talks about “privacy at a pixel

Send & Receive alerts about ICE raids and activity in your area.
Stop ICE Alerts Network works with technology already built into your phone without the need to download an app
https://stopice.net/

Stop ICE Secure Line
Setup a secure hotline number designed for user anonymity and user privacy.

Whilst waiting for weather to clear would love to spend some time prepping Loops/peertube clips, editing together music, text etc with some very short videos I've shot (very roughly -> don't expect BBC style nature documentaries), while in the middle of fieldwork.
EDIT: I just discovered @… have added creator mode to the @… app! Awesome work - will test it out right now. If it works from #Antarctica, guess it will work anywhere?
What are your recommendations for easy lightweight ideally #FOSS apps for video editing on an android phone? Don't mind paying but privacy is essential...
#HiveMind #FediRecommends