Tootfinder

Flock Surveillance
refers to the camera and data systems developed by Flock Safety,
-- a private technology company that provides automated license plate recognition  and
vehicle-tracking networks to
police departments, homeowners’ associations, and private businesses across the U.S.
🔥This system enables mass tracking of drivers and data sharing across police and private networks
without sufficient oversight,
raising serious concerns about privacy, …

What is FLOCK surveillance w/ EFF's Sarah Hamid; Oakland Police Commission w/ Ricardo Garcia Acosta and Omar Farmer | KPFA
Flock Surveillance refers to the camera and data systems developed by Flock Safety, a private technology company that provides automated license plate recognition  and vehicle-tracking networks to police departments, homeowners’ associations, and private businesses across the U.S. This system enables mass tracking of drivers and data sharing across police and private networks without sufficient oversight, … Continued

The State of Anti-Surveillance Design https://www.404media.co/the-state-of-anti-surveillance-design/

ICE Is Watching You -- In the latest stop in Donald Trump's war on liberal democracy ... (Tressie McMillan Cottom/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/opinion/ice-surveillance-protesters.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JVA.dhXI.BfXFYsw1chhr
http://www.memeorandum.com/260203/p90#a260203p90

You’re not an ally if your freedom/privacy/human rights/democracy event is sponsored by surveillance capitalists like Google that are complicit in Israel’s genocide and pose an existential threat to human rights and democracy.
#FOSDEM #etc

From #RobertReich @rbreich@instagram.com and @inequalitymedia@instagram.com @…
The #AI #surveillance

Hier ook nog niks vastgelegd.
Surveillance under Surveillance
https://sunders.uber.space/#how

The Austrian German term for managers who push bullshit like this is "dem hams ins Hirn gschissn", which translates as "someone shat into their brain".
(This about the thinly veiled workplace surveillance stuff [they call it "bonus system" or some shit] Meta is pushing on their employees.)

Democratic support for surveillance powers will be 'heavier lift' next time, House lawmaker says https://therecord.media/section-702-surveillance-powers-renewal-jim-himes-house-democrats

Sources and docs: India's government is considering forcing phone makers to enable always-on satellite location tracking; Apple, Google, and Samsung are opposed (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boa…

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.

NYC Wegmans is storing biometric data on shoppers' eyes, voices and faces
https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-wegmans-is-storing-biometric-data-on-shoppers-eyes-voices-and-faces

NYC Wegmans is storing biometric data on shoppers' eyes, voices and faces
The supermarket chain says it’s a move to ensure shopper safety. Surveillance experts warn of privacy risks.

Victory! Court Ends Dragnet Electricity Surveillance Program In Sacramento | Techdirt
https://www.techdirt.com/2025/12/01/victory-court-ends-dragnet-electricity-surveillance-program-in-sacramento/

404 Media: Our Zine About ICE Surveillance Is Here;
PDFs in both English and Spanish available for downloading. @…
https://www.404media.co/icezine/

Our Zine About ICE Surveillance Is Here
Download a PDF of our first ever zine here.

Series D, Episode 10 - Gold
AVON: How do you know about this?
KEILLER: Me? [Chuckles] Look at all this surveillance. I'm a little more than a purser, you see. I'm a security man. A poorly paid one.
https://blake.torpidity.net/m/410/37 B7B4

Moody Urbanity - Urban surrealism 🕰️
情绪化城市 - 都市超现实主义 🕰️
📷 Pentax MX
🎞️ Ilford HP5 Plus 400, expired 1993
#filmphotography #Photography #blackandwhite

One Extraordinary Photo: AP photographer uses infrared technology as surveillance tool | AP News https://apnews.com/article/2025-invisible-infrared-surveillance-technology-extraordinary-photo

One Extraordinary Photo: AP photographer uses infrared technology as surveillance tool
The aim was to show how powerful surveillance technology such as face recognition appears when used on individuals controlled by state agencies.

Fascinating illustration of the number of surveillance cameras we interact with.
https://apnews.com/photo-essay/chinese-surveillance-silicon-valley-tech-photo-essay-2da6d9ae5c29d973955e761fa42f7798

Photo essay shows how AP photographers captured infrared technology used in surveillance
When you unlock a phone, step into view of a security camera or drive past a license plate reader at night, beams of infrared light - invisible to the naked eye — shine onto the unique contours of your face, your body, your license plate lettering.

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

SEC complaint: a whistleblower alleges Google broke its ethics rules in 2024 to help an Israeli military contractor use AI to analyze drone surveillance video (Gerrit De Vynck/Washington Post)

Google helped Israeli military contractor with AI, whistleblower alleges
A whistleblower complaint filed with the SEC claims that Google breached its own ethics rules to help an Israeli contractor apply AI to drone surveillance video.

this is kind of amazing: a handdrawn 2002 attempt to map every #surveillance camera in times square & midtown #nyc, by the surveillance camera players, activist/prankster group. feel like these #maps would bot…

Welcome to the Jade Helm Presidency (Sam Biddle/The Intercept)
https://theintercept.com/2026/02/02/trump-ice-military-occupations-surveillance-state-violence/
http://www.memeorandum.com/260202/p59#a260202p59

"Indeed, this budget would put ICE as the 14th most well-funded military in the world, right between Ukraine and Israel. "
I think this is just ICE and does not include the FBI or ATF or National Guard or other federal police forces.
https://www.techdirt.com/2…

Dans un arrêt rendu le 19 novembre, le TAF vient d’en faire la démonstration en prenant position sur un recours contre la loi fédérale sur le renseignement (LRens), qui autorise de facto le SRC Š espionner massivement les Suisses, sans limite ni contrôle. Afin de respecter les droits fondamentaux ainsi bafoués, le parlement fédéral est invité, dans un délai de cinq ans, Š réviser sa copie, approuvée Š 65,5% par la population lors d’un référendum en 2017.
https://www.letemps.ch/suisse/autorisant-la-surveillance-de-masse-des-suisses-y-compris-des-journalistes-et-avocats-la-loi-sur-le-renseignement-devra-etre-revisee?shouldPreventPurchase=true&inAppView=3.19.0&didomiConfig.user.externalConsent.value={"purposes":{"consent":{"enabled":["abtesting-p6FL2BYL","audiencem-hJxaeGrR","cookies","create_ads_profile","create_content_profile","device_characteristics","geolocation_data","improve_products","market_research","measure_ad_performance","measure_content_performance","parselyne-Ya2EC4dG","select_basic_ads","select_personalized_ads","select_personalized_content","use_limited_data_to_select_content"],"disabled":[]},"legitimate_interest":{"enabled":[],"disabled":[]}},"vendors":{"consent":{"enabled":["amazon","c:aws-cloudfront","c:bannerwise-EeHwBjLT","c:chartbeat","c:cloudflare","c:echobox-GqD96L9K","c:forecast-ZRJPAUT7","c:googleana-4TXnJigR","c:hotjar","c:jsdelivr-xdD77X6w","c:jw-player","c:kameleoon-experiment","c:kameleoon-personalization","c:keycdn","c:linkedin","c:magnitein-ePEpbCQ7","c:meta-43HDmFRa","c:microsoft","c:nonli-jnWf8kqD","c:pianohybr-R3VKC2r4","c:pinterest","c:spyri-XAtBPx3i","c:tapadinc-VDTUUcKw","c:tiktok-KZAUQLZ9","c:unrulygro-nKyLqdKi","c:youtube","facebook","google","twitter",1,10,1020,1021,1028,1046,1069,108,109,11,1126,12,120,1269,128,13,130,131,1310,132,136,137,138,142,143,1449,154,156,16,164,202,209,21,211,23,238,24,241,243,25,253,264,28,284,290,30,301,32,36,39,4,412,422,45,469,475,493,50,519,52,559,58,61,612,617,68,684,69,73,76,77,783,790,793,80,81,811,84,85,855,898,91,92,95,965,98],"disabled":[]},"legitimate_interest":{"enabled":[],"disabled":[]}},"user_id":"36B03261-8BC8-4FB4-A026-0543FF748710","created":"2025-05-28T08:36:56.058Z","updated":"2025-11-08T21:05:15.048Z","source":{"type":"app","domain":"ch.letemps.LT"},"action":"webview"}

New York becomes the first US state to require retailers to disclose use of algorithmic pricing tied to personal data; 10 states are considering similar bills (Tim Balk/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/nyregio

N.Y. Law Could Set Stage for A.I. Regulation’s Next ‘Big Battleground’
The new law seeks to prevent retailers from ripping off consumers by using artificial intelligence and their personal data to charge them higher prices.

Border Patrol and other federal law enforcement agencies are conducting a massive surveillance network monitoring the actions of millions of Americans.
These agencies are not protecting Americans from threats. They are the threat.
https://apnews.co…

Wow, seems the people farmers of surveillance capitalism have fully embraced scammer techniques now.
Ran into this new flow on a number of sites just now (Indiewire, Variety, and RollingStone) delivered by the colossal douchebags at html-load.com who run report-error.com.
They make it look like a browser error has occurred and then tell you to disable your tracker/ad blocker.
To the asshole developers who built this for them instead of refusing: Fuck you for making everyone…

from my link log —
'The goal is to automate us': welcome to the age of surveillance capitalism.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jan/20/shoshana-zuboff-age-of-surveillance-capitalism-google-facebook

Wenn ihr mal gucken wollt, was so Stand bei Infektionen ist: https://www.rki.de/DE/Themen/Forschung-und-Forschungsdaten/Sentinels-Surveillance-Panel/GrippeWeb/Aktueller-Wochenbericht/Woc…

With the holidays upon us, it's easy to default to giving the tech gifts that retailers tend to push on us this time of year:
smart speakers, video doorbells, bluetooth trackers, fitness trackers, and other connected gadgets are all very popular gifts.
But before you give one, think twice about what you're opting that person into.
One big problem with giving these sorts of gifts is that you're opting another person into a company's intrusive surveillance prac…

Think Twice Before Giving Surveillance for the Holidays
With the holidays upon us, it's easy to default to giving the tech gifts that retailers tend to push on us this time of year: smart speakers, video doorbells, bluetooth trackers, fitness trackers, and other connected gadgets are all very popular gifts. But before you give one, think twice about...

Mass surveillance is gross. "AI-enhanced" mass surveillance is even worse, and Flock Safety (funded by Horowitz's a16z & Y Combinator) is exceptionally scummy, insecure, incompetent, and lying about it:
https://youtu.be/vU1-uiUlHTo?t=442

Surveillance Watch – Una mappa che mostra le connessioni tra le aziende di sorveglianza
Le tecnologie di sorveglianza e gli #spyware vengono utilizzati per prendere di mira e sopprimere giornalisti, dissidenti e difensori dei diritti umani in tutto il mondo. Surveillance Watch è un database interattivo che documenta le connessioni nascoste all'interno dell'opaco settore della so…

You know, in most countries, "panopticon" is a label you need to defend your proposal for surveillance against, not gleefully adopt yourself. Not so on Normal Island. https://www.thenational.scot/news/25780001.shabana-mahmood-p…

https://sanjosespotlight.com/santa-clara-county-may-ditch-camera-vendor-amid-privacy-issues/

Santa Clara County may ditch camera vendor amid privacy issues - San José Spotlight
Cities across Silicon Valley may be on the cusp of cutting ties with a surveillance company linked to local police departments' cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Authoritarian governments don't build surveillance systems from scratch—they weaponize existing infrastructure.
The US has a history of illegal surveillance: COINTELPRO, Carnivore, PRISM, warrantless wiretapping. Tech companies too willingly comply with government data requests.
Once your data leaves your control, it can be accessed by any administration with enough legal pressure—or disregard for it.
Now is a good time to rethink smart home devices and reduce your digi…

The experience @… describes here is deeply familiar to me: advertisers keep shoving in front of me ads in which I have •negative• interest.
Does the massive adtech surveillance apparatus actually work on someone out there? Because it’s sure failing to target me. https://wandering.shop/@Violinknitter/115624133826239199

Oh joy. I feel so much safer. /s
Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with 'suspicious' travel patterns
https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-patrol-surveillance-drivers-ice-trump…

Border Patrol monitors US drivers and detains Americans for ‘suspicious’ travel
The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious. The Associated Press has found that the predictive intelligence program has resulted in people being stopped, searched, and in some cases arrested. A network of cameras scans and records vehicle license plate information, and an algorithm flags vehicles deemed suspicious based on where they came from, where they were going, …

Oh joy. I feel so much safer. /s
Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with 'suspicious' travel patterns
https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-patrol-surveillance-drivers-ice-trump…

Border Patrol monitors US drivers and detains Americans for ‘suspicious’ travel
The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious. The Associated Press has found that the predictive intelligence program has resulted in people being stopped, searched, and in some cases arrested. A network of cameras scans and records vehicle license plate information, and an algorithm flags vehicles deemed suspicious based on where they came from, where they were going, …

Senators Push for Answers on ICE's Surveillance Shopping Spree (Jason Koebler/404 Media)
https://www.404media.co/senators-push-for-answers-on-ices-surveillance-shopping-spree/
http://www.memeorandum.com/260129/p107#a260129p107

CFO Palantir talking about how they're working to make the various data streams of surveillance efficiently useful and remove the needle-in-a-haystack anonymity we have previously enjoyed. Awesome.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/opinion

Flock Uses Overseas Gig Workers to Build its Surveillance AI https://www.404media.co/flock-uses-overseas-gig-workers-to-build-its-surveillance-ai/

Je t'offre mes services,,
Tu penses chercher des réponses, c'est moi qui te trouve.
Tes clics font ma fortune,
Tes data sont la dope que je deale aux méchants,
Je connais tes angoisses,
Tes recherches Š 2h du mat',
Tu m'as ouvert la porte en un clin d'œil,
J'écoute tes conversations,
Je te suis dans tes déplacements,
Je sais où tu étais mardi dernier,
Je suis plus totale que la Stasi,
Mais tu ne me contestes plus.…

Comment l’industrie de la publicité en ligne alimente en secret la surveillance d’Etat
Des entreprises proposent aux forces de l’ordre de pister des utilisateurs de smartphones grâce à leurs données publicitaires. « Le Monde » a assisté à des présentations confidentielles de ces nouveaux outils de surveillance.

Not surprised that the said #AI sweatshop workers are from the #Philippines ​🇵🇭
https://futurism.com/arti…

AI Surveillance Startup Caught Using Sweatshop Workers to Monitor US Residents
The powerful surveillance startup Flock was caught using workers in the Philippines to collate data on US residents.

"Emperor... will free our hands in all manners of surveillance, search & seizure."
"Why can't they just leave us in peace?"
"It's going on everywhere."
Sounds familiar.
▶️ Andor: The Death of Truth
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q4cVBVSS9f

Wie zu erwarten war, geht #Arduino durch den Verkauf an #Qualcomm nun den Bach runter. Der neue Besitzer hat AGB und Datenschutz geändert. Die Arduino-Plattform ist somit wohl nicht mehr unter freier Lizenz. Auch erhält Qualcomm eine Nutzungsgenehmigung für alle hochgeladenen Materialien …

ICE Can Access Your Social Media. Here’s What To Know.
https://borderlessmag.org/2026/01/08/ice-social-media-surveillance-immigration-applications-enforcement-chicago/

ICE Can Access Your Social Media. Here’s What To Know – Featured – Borderless Magazine NFP
ICE Can Access Your Social Media. Here’s What To Know – Featured – Borderless Magazine NFP

Les Italiens exagèrent-ils quand ils expriment des doutes Š propos des enquêtes des autorités valaisannes? Clairement, il n’y a rien Š voir.
https://www.rts.ch/info/regions/valais/2026/article/videosurvei…

»Schweiz plant Überwachung schlimmer als die USA:
Die Revision des Schweizer Überwachungsgesetzes VÜPF würde sich direkt gegen VPN- und verschlüsselte Chat- und E-Mail-Anbieter mit Sitz in der Schweiz richten.«
Ja dem ist so und doch ist dies den meisten Scheizer*innen nicht mal im Ansatz bewusst, denn anscheinend hat ja niemensch was zu verbergen.
😡

Schweiz plant Überwachung schlimmer als die USA | Tuta
Die Revision des Schweizer Überwachungsgesetzes VÜPF würde sich direkt gegen VPN- und verschlüsselte Chat- und E-Mail-Anbieter mit Sitz in der Schweiz richten.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2025/12/16/ai-bathroom-monitors-welcome-to-americas-new-surveillance-high-schools/
AI Bathroom Monitors? Welcome To America’s New Surveillance High Schools

Monumental III 🪦
纪念 III 🪦
📷 Nikon F4E
🎞️ Ilford HP5 Plus 400, expired 1993
#filmphotography #Photography #blackandwhite

Surveillance tools exported by China, based on US tech and obtained by Chinese companies, to countries like Nepal are being used to stifle Tibetan refugees (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/china-tibet-nepal-sur…

Chinese surveillance based on US tech is used to silence Tibetans in Nepal
Nepal is just one of at least 150 countries to which Chinese companies are supplying surveillance technology, from cameras in Vietnam to censorship firewalls in Pakistan to citywide monitoring systems in Kenya. This technology is now a key part of China’s push for global influence, as it provides cash-strapped governments cost-effective, if invasive, forms of policing — turning algorithms and data into a force multiplier for control. The irony at the heart of this digital authoritarianism i…

You know our future is definitely a dystopian surveillance nightmare when the government acts like you're a criminal for wanting a level of privacy that was considered normal just 10 years ago.
#Privacy #Security

OK, that’s bad, but WTF is anyone doing in a supermarket without a mask? @… https://infosec.exchange/@RedwoodSec/115555377373661471

The River and the Fever Dream #surveillance

The River and the Fever Dream
A converted digital camera can use infrared light to reveal Texas border militarization—in the same way the armed forces once scanned for enemies from the sky.

Some of the headlines about the impact of the current flu season don’t seem to be reflected in the UKHSA data?
I note that they’ve updated the dashboard today with additional seasonal data.
https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/syndromic-surv…

License Plate Surveillance Logs Reveal Racist Policing Against Romani People | Techdirt
https://www.techdirt.com/2025/11/17/license-plate-surveillance-logs-reveal-racist-policing-against-romani-people/

Senators Push for Answers on ICE's Surveillance Shopping Spree https://www.404media.co/senators-push-for-answers-on-ices-surveillance-shopping-spree/

DHS Says Critical ICE Surveillance Footage From Abuse Case Was Actually Never Recorded, Doesn't Matter (Jason Koebler/404 Media)
https://www.404media.co/dhs-says-critical-ice-surveillance-footage-from-abuse-case-was-actually-never-recorded-doesnt-matter/
http://www.memeorandum.com/260127/p74#a260127p74

https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2025/12/16/ai-bathroom-monitors-welcome-to-americas-new-surveillance-high-schools/
AI Bathroom Monitors? Welcome To America’s New Surveillance High Schools

#eDNA Environmental DNA
The Core Concept: A non-invasive monitoring technique that detects the presence of species by extracting and analyzing genetic material shed into the environment (water, soil, air) rather than isolating the organism itself.
Key Distinction/Mechanism: Unlike traditional ecology which relies on physical capture or visual observation ("macro-organismal" interaction),…

What Is: Environmental DNA (eDNA)
The Silent Archive: Environmental DNA and the Revolution in Planetary Surveillance

Different Corners III ▶️
不同的角落 III ▶️
📷 Nikon F4E
🎞️ Fujifilm NEOPAN SS, expired 1993
#filmphotography #Photography #blackandwhite

Our Zine About ICE Surveillance Is Here https://www.404media.co/icezine/

The powerful tools in ICE's arsenal to track suspects -- and protesters (Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2026/ice-surveillance-immigrants-protesters/
http://www.memeorandum.com/260129/p98#a260129p98

Protect yourself from online security and privacy threats with an ad-blocker.
"In this deep-dive, I explain how ad blockers defend against surveillance and malware. I also have plenty of ad blocker suggestions for you to consider!"
From: @…

Every week, Metacurity delivers our free and paid subscribers a run-down of the top infosec-related long reads we didn't have time for during the daily crush of cyber news.
This week's selection covers
--Massive surveillance in Mexico City leaves crime high,
--Workplace surveillance can harm workers,
--Machine learning privacy attacks are less effective in reality than they are in theory,
--LLMs produce more secure code when trained on flaw-free code,

Best infosec-related long reads for the week of 11/8/25
Massive surveillance in Mexico City leaves crime high, Workplace surveillance can harm workers, Machine learning privacy attacks are less effective in reality than they are in theory, LLMs produce more secure code when trained on flaw-free code, Three major kinds of bots cause web resource headaches

Ireland has been every bit as important in exporting US Big Tech around the world as the US has been.
But Ireland has another key export, one that is confined to the European Union.
Because every tax haven must be a crime haven,
and because Big Tech's favorite crime is illegal surveillance,
Ireland has exported American tech spying to the whole European Union.
-- @…

ICE Is Going On A Surveillance Shopping Spree | Techdirt
https://www.techdirt.com/2026/01/14/ice-is-going-on-a-surveillance-shopping-spree/

This is just a reminder!
Tails is a portable operating system that protects against surveillance and censorship.
#TailsOS

I get that surveillance cameras can do a lot of good, and this case is just one illustration. But I don't think I'll ever get comfortable with the idea of government-owned surveillance gear like this. When the government owns it, qui custodes custodiet?
Cameras helped ID suspect in Tepe killings. But how effective are they?
https://archive…

Documents and former US government officials detail ICE's digital surveillance capabilities, amid a drive to deport 1M people in President Trump's first year (Peter Andringa/Financial Times)
https://ig.ft.com/us-ice-surveillance/

The only flavour of decentralisation there’s no room for at FOSDEM is the kind that won’t speak at a conference that allows itself to be sponsored by, and thereby whitewashes, a surveillance capitalist like Google that is complicit in Israel’s ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.
ht…

DHS Says Critical ICE Surveillance Footage From Abuse Case Was Actually Never Recorded, Doesn't Matter https://www.404media.co/dhs-says-critical-ice-surveillance-footage-from-abuse-case-was-actually-never-recorded-do…

Sources: the Pentagon is clashing with Anthropic over safeguards limiting the use of its tech to target weapons autonomously and conduct domestic surveillance (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/business/pentagon-clashes-with-anthropic-over-mil…

Exclusive: US conducting surveillance flights over Nigeria after Trump intervention threat (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/us-conducting-surveillance-flights-over-nigeria-after-trump-intervention-threat-2025-12-22/
http://www.memeorandum.com/251222/p72#a251222p72

Coalition Urges Congress to Block All Funding for ICE 'Surveillance Panopticon' | Common Dreams
https://www.commondreams.org/news/ice-surveillance-technology-funding

FBI Spied on Washington Post Reporter Prior To Raiding Their Home https://thedissenter.org/fbi-spied-on-washington-post-reporter-prior-to-raiding-their-home/

Once limited to policing the nation’s boundaries,
the Border Patrol has built a surveillance system stretching into the country’s interior
that can monitor ordinary Americans’ daily actions and connections for anomalies instead of simply targeting wanted suspects.
The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious, The Associated Press has found.
The …

Border Patrol monitors US drivers and detains Americans for ‘suspicious’ travel
The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious. The Associated Press has found that the predictive intelligence program has resulted in people being stopped, searched, and in some cases arrested. A network of cameras scans and records vehicle license plate information, and an algorithm flags vehicles deemed suspicious based on where they came from, where they were going, …

ICE wants all the federal funding , all the government data, all the surveillance technology it can get its hands on. Now it wants to track people using data it can source from technology and advertising companies. It is a malignant black hole.
ICE knocks on ad tech’s data door to see what it knows about you
https://www.<…

ICE knocks on ad tech’s data door to see what it knows about you
: Agency looks to understand the extent of identifying information available to its masked agents

Germany-based Quantum Systems, which sells surveillance drones that are being used by Ukraine, raised €180M, tripling its valuation to €3B since May (Christina Kyriasoglou/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/202…

Defense Startup Quantum Systems Triples Valuation to €3 Billion
Quantum Systems, a German drone maker backed by Peter Thiel, boosted its valuation to €3 billion ($3.5 billion) in a new funding round as the defense startup plans to increase production capacity of unmanned aerial systems.

Lindsey Graham Is Outraged About Federal Surveillance Powers That Lindsey Graham Helped Create and Expand (Eric Boehm/Reason)
https://reason.com/2025/11/19/lindsey-graham-is-outraged-about-federal-surveillance-powers-that-lindsey-graham-helped-create-and-expand/
http://www.memeorandum.com/251119/p131#a251119p131

“Technologies used and managed for criminal investigative purposes are being repurposed, in part, to track down grandmas to deport,” says Scott Shuchart, a former ICE assistant director who left in January.
https://ig.ft.com/us-ice-surveillance/

When you're a kid, you want to talk about things without your parents, teachers, principals, or (some of) your peers or siblings listening in.
You want to plan things without these people listening in, because they might try and stop you from doing them, or punish you if you succeed.
So, it's worth figuring out how to use new technologies, because the existing ones are riddled with censorship and surveillance back-doors ("parental controls") that can be deployed …

Some US schools are deploying AI surveillance tech like facial recognition and listening devices; critics say there is little evidence they make school safer (Thomas Brewster/Forbes)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewste

ICE's interest in high-tech gear raises new questions: 'What is it for?' (Alfred Ng/Politico)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/26/ice-high-tech-surveillance-lower-privacy-guardrails-00705401
http://www.memeorandum.com/251226/p22#a251226p22

The Louvre's Video Surveillance Password Was 'Louvre' - Slashdot
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/11/05/238245/the-louvres-video-surveillance-password-was-louvre?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed

US tech enabled China's surveillance empire. Now Tibetan refugees in Nepal are paying the price (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/china-tibet-nepal-surveillance-technology-silicon-valley-eadac8211c5d0ca88374afecfbba00d5
http://www.memeorandum.com/251220/p35#a251220p35

In the first successful US prosecution of a spyware operator in 10 years, pcTattletale founder pleads guilty to promoting surveillance apps for unlawful uses (Zack Whittaker/TechCrunch)
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/06/foun

Founder of spyware maker pcTattletale pleads guilty to hacking and advertising surveillance software | TechCrunch
Bryan Fleming, the founder of hacked stalkerware company pcTattletale, pleaded guilty to federal charges linked to the running of his now-defunct Michigan-based spyware company.

DHS ramps up surveillance in immigration raids, sweeping in citizens (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/digital-crackdown-immigration-minneapolis-trump-52662450a15a7be8d9df69036f9b5f12
http://www.memeorandum.com/260130/p60#a260130p60

Happy Saturday morning! Each week, Metacurity offers our free and paid subscribers a run-down of the top infosec-related long reads we couldn't get to in the daily crush of news.
This week's selection includes pieces that touch on
--Estonia served as the first target of Russian cyberattacks,
--Inside a sprawling scam compound in Myanmar,
--How to protest safely amid massive surveillance,
--Silicon Valley is now the tech handmaiden of US authoritarianism,…

Best infosec-related long reads for the week of 1/10/26
Estonia served as the first target of Russian cyberattacks, Inside a sprawling scam compound in Myanmar, How to protest safely amid massive surveillance, Silicon Valley is now the tech handmaiden of US authoritarianism, It's hard to gain access control over AI agents

ACLU and EFF Sue a City Blanketed With Flock Surveillance Cameras https://www.404media.co/aclu-and-eff-sue-a-city-blanketed-with-flock-surveillance-cameras/

As US schools adopt AI, a look at the growing use of AI-powered monitoring tools like GoGuardian to scan students' chatbot conversations for signs of self-harm (Janne Knodler/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/20

AI Chatbot Surveillance Tools Are Quietly Watching Kids In Class
As US educators embrace AI in the classroom, firms are selling software to flag mentions of self-harm, raising concerns over privacy and control.

An interview with Chris Gilliard on his new book Luxury Surveillance, how smart wearables could normalize pervasive surveillance, X's political shift, and more (Anika Collier Navaroli/The Tech Policy Press Podcast)
https://techpolicy.press/through-to-th

Through to Thriving: Protecting Our Privacy with Chris Gilliard | TechPolicy.Press
Tech Policy Press fellow Anika Collier Navaroli in conversation with Critical Internet Studies Institute privacy researcher and advocate Chris Gilliard.

Axon Enterprise Inc. is working with a Canadian police department to test the addition of face recognition technology (FRT) to its body-worn cameras (BWCs).
This is an alarming development in government surveillance that should put communities everywhere on alert. 
FRT brings a rash of problems.
It relies on extensive surveillance and collecting images on individuals, law-abiding or otherwise.
Misidentifications can cause horrendous consequences for individuals, includ…

Axon Tests Face Recognition on Body-Worn Cameras
Axon Enterprise Inc. is working with a Canadian police department to test the addition of face recognition technology (FRT) to its body-worn cameras (BWCs). This is an alarming development in government surveillance that should put communities everywhere on alert. As many as 50 officers from the...

Two Weeks of Surveillance Footage From ICE Detention Center ‘Irretrievably Destroyed’ https://www.404media.co/two-weeks-of-surveillance-footage-from-ice-detention-center-irretrievably-destroyed/

Police Unmask Millions of Surveillance Targets Because of Flock Redaction Error (Jason Koebler/404 Media)
https://www.404media.co/police-unmask-millions-of-surveillance-targets-because-of-flock-redaction-error/
http://www.memeorandum.com/260113/p88#a260113p88

NYPD Confirms Involvement in
FBI Probe Targeting Volunteer Observers in Immigration Court
An FBI document referred to activists at immigration courts as
“anarchist violent extremist actors”
and cited a
“sensitive source with excellent access” to an encrypted chat

NYPD Confirms Involvement in FBI Probe Targeting Volunteer Observers in Immigration Court
An FBI document referred to activists at immigration courts as “anarchist violent extremist actors” and cited a "sensitive source with excellent access” to an encrypted chat.

Police Unmask Millions of Surveillance Targets Because of Flock Redaction Error https://www.404media.co/police-unmask-millions-of-surveillance-targets-because-of-flock-redaction-error/

DHS Is Deploying a Powerful Surveillance Tool at College Football Games https://www.404media.co/dhs-is-deploying-a-powerful-surveillance-tool-at-college-football-games/

Judge Rules Flock Surveillance Images Are Public Records That Can Be Requested By Anyone https://www.404media.co/judge-rules-flock-surveillance-images-are-public-records-that-can-be-requested-by-anyone/