Facebook-Like Decentralised Social Network on Nostr
Michael J Burgess, 12/17/2025
Michael J Burgess
Hi, I'm Michael. I'm a writer, photographer, and self-sovereignty guide, author of 2 books.
#Linux #SelfHosting #Privacy #DigitalSovereignty #SelfSovereignty #SelfCustody #Decentralisation #Bitcoin #OpenSource #Web3 #FreedomTech #PrivacyTools #Homelab #RaspberryPi #IndieCreator #Writer #Photographer #Podcast #Fediverse #FreedomOfSpeech #TechForFreedom #DigitalFreedom #SovereignTech
This week's Surveillance Report is a reminder that privacy failures are not abstract.
Dashlane says attackers obtained fewer than 20 encrypted password vaults after brute-forcing/abusing 2FA enrolment flows. Encrypted vaults are still serious: weak master passwords can become the real failure point once attackers have the vault offline.
The Pentagon has acknowledged that US personnel have been targeted using commercial location data. That turns the data broker industry from a consumer privacy scandal into a national security problem: the same ad-tech surveillance that follows ordinary people can expose soldiers, officials and families.
Europe is accelerating digital sovereignty work through projects like Euro-Office, Nextcloud and Tuta, aiming to reduce dependence on US Big Tech for office, cloud and communications infrastructure.
Meta's AI support chatbot was reportedly abused to hijack high-profile Instagram accounts by changing account access. It shows why AI support systems need strict guardrails, human review and proper authentication boundaries.
Defence bulletin: Carnival, Charter, Ultrahuman, PayTel and Atlas Menu all reported data exposure. Android users should apply the latest security update. WordPress admins should urgently check WP Maps Pro and Kirki. Tor Browser, Mullvad and Proton also have useful privacy/security updates.
Watch:
#Cybersecurity #Privacy #DigitalRights #DataBrokers #WordPress #OpenSource #SurveillanceReport
Technology should help people become more independent, not more locked in.
BIMNY / Be It Me Not You is a Matrix community for Calm, practical conversation around freedom tech, open source, self-hosting, decentralisation, Web3, privacy, self-sovereignty, self-custody, AI, independent publishing and the open web.
It's for people who are interested in building, using, and understanding tools that give individuals and communities more ownership, resilience and control.
If that sounds like your sort of conversation, you're welcome to join:
https://matrix.org/#/bimny:matrix.org
#Matrix #BIMNY #BeItMeNotYou #FreedomTech #OpenSource #SelfHosting #Decentralisation #Web3 #Privacy #DigitalSovereignty #OpenWeb #AI #Community
Google is not just a search engine. It sits across your browser, email, maps, documents, video habits, Android devices, ads, and countless websites using Google services.
This Proton video is a useful reminder that privacy is not about having something to hide. It is about not letting one company build a quiet diary of your life by default.
A good starting point is to check your Google My Activity page, review Web & App Activity, Location History, YouTube History, personalisation, Chrome sync, app permissions, and auto-delete settings. Then start replacing what you can with tools that better respect you: Proton, Firefox, Brave, GrapheneOS, Organic Maps, OpenStreetMap, self-hosted services, and local-first tools where possible.
You do not need to escape Big Tech overnight. Start by turning off the data taps you do not need.
How much of your digital life are you comfortable letting Google remember?
#Privacy #Google #DigitalSovereignty #SelfSovereignty #DataPrivacy #SurveillanceCapitalism #BigTech #OpenSource #Proton #BeItMeNotYou
Discord's age verification push should worry anyone who cares about privacy.
When a chat app starts asking for face scans or government ID to unlock normal access, the trust equation changes. Safety matters, but building giant Identity pipelines is not the answer.
The 5CA incident showed the obvious risk: once ID data exists, it becomes a target.
Matrix is not perfect, but it points in the right direction: open Protocol, decentralised servers, and more control over where your community lives.
Maybe it is time to stop building communities inside platforms that keep moving the walls closer.
What would it take for you to leave Discord?
#Discord #Matrix #Privacy #DigitalSovereignty #SelfHosting #Decentralisation #OpenSource #FreedomTech
Docker is everywhere in self-hosting for one simple reason: it turns messy app installs into tidy, isolated containers.
Instead of one app fighting another over versions, libraries, ports, or system packages, Docker lets each service bring what it needs and run separately on the same machine.
For homelabs, that is huge. One Raspberry Pi, mini PC, or VPS can run a blog, search engine, status page, media server, database, and more without everything becoming a tangled mess.
It is not magic, and you still need to check what images you trust. But once Docker clicks, self-hosting feels much less scary.
What was the first Docker app that made it click for you?
#Docker #SelfHosting #Homelab #Linux #OpenSource #DigitalSovereignty #Privacy #Decentralisation
A survivor of the Oxford grooming scandal has spoken about being groomed and abused from the age of 12, and about the failure of police, social services and political leaders to face child exploitation honestly.
The official Serious Case Review later accepted that agencies missed warning signs, misunderstood grooming, and too often saw abused children as difficult rather than exploited. That should haunt every institution involved.
When Sadiq Khan is asked about grooming gangs in London, the answer should be clear evidence, open scrutiny, and full accountability, not political fog.
How many more survivors have to speak before the system stops protecting reputations before children?
#ChildProtection #GroomingGangs #Survivors #Accountability #UKPolitics #Safeguarding #Justice
The UK is edging closer to a possible under-16 social media ban, or at least tougher limits on addictive design features like infinite scroll and autoplay.
Protecting children online matters. But a blanket ban could mean something much bigger: normalising age checks across the web, asking adults to prove who they are to use everyday services.
Australia's experience already shows the problem. Kids can bypass bans, while everyone else gets pushed towards more surveillance.
Do we want safer platforms, or a web where Identity checks become the price of entry?
#OnlineSafety #DigitalRights #Privacy #AgeVerification #FreeSpeech #SelfSovereignty #UKPolitics
Ads are no longer just something you see before a video.
They are in your feeds, your smart devices, your Kindle, your petrol pump, your inbox, your search results, and now companies are even exploring ways to push advertising into the night sky.
This video nails something important: advertising has moved from "here is a product you might like" to "we will occupy every spare second of your attention."
The worst part is how much of it relies on tracking, loneliness, addiction loops, and forced exposure. AI companion ads, unskippable videos, sponsored everything, digital billboards, and surveillance-based targeting are not signs of a healthy internet.
They are signs of a system that treats human attention as a resource to be strip-mined.
At what point do we start treating public attention and digital privacy as things worth defending?
#Privacy #DigitalRights #AdTech #SurveillanceCapitalism #SelfSovereignty #OpenWeb #FreedomTech
The Broadview Six case has collapsed, and the reason should worry everyone who cares about protest rights and due process.
Federal charges against the anti-ICE protesters were dismissed with prejudice after serious grand jury misconduct came to light. Judge April Perry raised concerns about improper prosecutorial conduct, including grand jury proceedings, redacted transcripts, and attempts to avoid deeper judicial review.
This is not just about one protest outside an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois. It is about what happens when the state uses prosecution as pressure; then the process itself becomes tainted.
Whatever you think about the protest, the principle matters: the government must not be allowed to bend the justice system to punish dissent.
Source:
#BroadviewSix #CivilLiberties #DueProcess #FreeSpeech #ProtestRights #DOJ #Accountability #Privacy #Freedom
I’ve launched The Autonomy Lab on Patreon, the supporter community behind Be It Me Not You.
This is where I’ll be building and sharing more around privacy, freedom, decentralisation, self-sovereignty, self-custody, Linux, self-hosting, Web3, open tools, and practical ways to take back control of your digital life.
The goal is simple: help people move from passive users to confident digital citizens.
Support helps fund the research, writing, guides, podcasts, videos, experiments, hosting, and community resources behind Be It Me Not You.
Do you want to help build a more open and independent internet?
https://patreon.com/TheAutonomyLab
#Privacy #DigitalFreedom #SelfHosting #Linux #Web3 #Decentralisation #SelfSovereignty #OpenSource #FreedomTech #BeItMeNotYou
A candid getting-ready moment from the wedding morning.
Before the ceremony, before the polished photos, and before the day moved into full flow, there were these honest little moments of preparation. The calm, the focus, the small movements, and the feeling of everyone slowly stepping into the day.
This is what I love about wedding photography, the story is often found in the spaces between the big moments.
What do you enjoy most about candid wedding photos?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966631819399090526
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #CandidPhotography #WeddingMorning #GettingReady #BeItMeNotYou
A quiet getting-ready moment from the wedding morning.
Before the ceremony, before the day gathered pace, there were these calm little pauses where everything felt natural. The small preparations, the soft focus in the room, and the feeling of everyone moving towards something meaningful.
This is the side of wedding photography I love, the honest build-up before the big moments arrive.
What do you enjoy most about getting-ready wedding photos?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966631341436440925
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #WeddingMorning #GettingReady #CandidPhotography #BeItMeNotYou
A playful moment from the wedding day.
Weddings are full of big emotional scenes, but sometimes it is the playful little moments that bring the whole day to life. The laughter, movement, and natural energy around the edges often say more than a perfectly posed frame.
That is what I enjoy about candid photography, catching the honest moments as they happen, without forcing them into something polished.
What kind of wedding photos feel most alive to you?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966630295276597595
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #CandidPhotography #WeddingDay #BeItMeNotYou
A lovely wedding morning scene, with the day slowly coming to life.
Before the ceremony, before everything became busy, there was this calm rhythm in the room. People getting ready, small conversations happening, quiet details unfolding, and that feeling of anticipation building naturally.
These are the moments that make wedding photography feel human, not staged, not forced, just a little piece of the day as it really happened.
What do you notice first in a wedding morning photograph?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966629549546377562
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #WeddingMorning #CandidPhotography #DocumentaryPhotography #BeItMeNotYou
A behind-the-scenes moment from the wedding morning.
Before the ceremony and the polished final details, there is always a quieter rhythm happening in the background. People getting ready, helping each other, moving through the room, and slowly stepping into the day.
These are the photographs I enjoy most because they show the wedding as it really felt, not just how it looked.
What do you enjoy most about behind-the-scenes photography?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966628824564855129
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #CandidPhotography #WeddingMorning #BehindTheScenes #BeItMeNotYou
A calm getting-ready moment from the wedding morning.
Before the ceremony, before the rush, and before the formal photographs, there were these quiet scenes where the day was still unfolding naturally. I love capturing this part of a wedding because it shows the real rhythm of the morning, the small preparations, the soft pauses, and the feeling of everyone slowly stepping into the day.
Sometimes the build-up tells just as much of the story as the ceremony itself.
What do you enjoy most in behind-the-scenes wedding photos?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966627324199965016
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #CandidPhotography #WeddingMorning #GettingReady #BeItMeNotYou
A calm moment from the wedding morning.
Before the ceremony, before the formal photos, and before the day began to move quickly, there were these quieter pauses where everything felt still. I love capturing these moments because they show the human side of a wedding, the calm between the excitement, the anticipation, and the emotion.
Not every wedding photograph needs to be loud. Sometimes the quiet ones say the most.
What kind of moments do you notice first in wedding photography?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966626676488823127
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #CandidPhotography #WeddingMorning #PortraitPhotography #BeItMeNotYou
A quiet candid portrait from the wedding morning.
Before the ceremony and before the day gathered pace, there were these softer moments where people were simply themselves. No forced pose, no big performance, just a natural portrait caught in the middle of the morning.
That is what I enjoy most about photography, finding the honest little pauses between everything else.
What makes a portrait feel real to you?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966625912847057238
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #PortraitPhotography #CandidPhotography #WeddingMorning #BeItMeNotYou
A quiet portrait from the wedding morning.
Before the ceremony, before the pace of the day picked up, there were these softer moments where everything felt still for a second. I love portraits like this because they are not loud or overdone. They just hold the feeling of the morning, the anticipation, the calm, and the small human details around a big day.
Sometimes a simple portrait says more than a staged scene ever could.
What do you think makes a portrait feel honest?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966624589048086869
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #PortraitPhotography #WeddingMorning #CandidPhotography #BeItMeNotYou
A good online community does not have to be loud to be useful.
BIMNY / Be It Me Not You is a Matrix community for people interested in technology that gives individuals more independence, ownership and control.
Think freedom tech, open source, self-hosting, privacy, Web3, decentralisation, self-sovereignty, self-custody, AI, independent publishing and the open web.
The aim is calm, thoughtful, practical conversation — not hype, pressure, or shouting into the void.
If that sounds like your kind of space, you can join here:
https://matrix.org/#/bimny:matrix.org
#Matrix #BIMNY #BeItMeNotYou #FreedomTech #OpenSource #SelfHosting #Privacy #Web3 #Decentralisation #DigitalSovereignty #OpenWeb #AI #Community
A tender moment from the wedding morning.
Before the ceremony, before the formal photos, and before the day became busy, there were these quiet little scenes of care and connection. This is the part of wedding photography I always find meaningful: the moments when people are not performing for the camera; they are simply being themselves.
The softest moments often become the ones that stay with you.
What makes a wedding photo feel personal to you?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966368520656478508
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #CandidPhotography #WeddingMorning #FamilyPhotography #BeItMeNotYou
A beautiful little pocket of joy from the wedding morning.
Before the ceremony, before the formal photos, and before the full pace of the day arrived, there were these small bursts of happiness that made everything feel alive. That is what I love about photographing weddings, not only the big set pieces, but the little moments of laughter, movement, and connection happening naturally around the room.
Sometimes the joy of the day is found in the smallest scenes.
What kind of wedding photographs stay with you most?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966367441644245290
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #CandidPhotography #WeddingMorning #FamilyPhotography #BeItMeNotYou
A quiet, joyful moment from the wedding morning.
Before the ceremony and the formal parts of the day, there were these little flashes of happiness happening naturally in the room. The kind of moments you cannot really stage, because they come from people feeling comfortable, present, and part of something meaningful.
That is what I love about candid wedding photography. It captures the feeling around the day, not just the event itself.
What kind of moments make a wedding photo feel alive to you?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966366565918331177
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #CandidPhotography #WeddingMorning #FamilyPhotography #BeItMeNotYou
A gentle family moment during the wedding morning.
Among the getting ready, the movement, and the little bursts of excitement, there are always quieter moments that say just as much as the big scenes. This is the side of wedding photography I love most, the simple human details, the family connections, and the feeling of people sharing a meaningful day.
Sometimes the softest moments carry the most weight.
What do you think makes a family photo feel timeless?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966365910796587304
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #FamilyPhotography #CandidPhotography #WeddingMorning #BeItMeNotYou
A sweet family moment from the wedding morning.
Before the ceremony, before the formal photos, and before the day fully gathered pace, there were these small moments of connection between generations. Wedding photography is often at its best when it catches the parts people do not perform for the camera, the play, the tenderness, the little family exchanges happening naturally in the room.
These are the photographs that help a wedding feel remembered, not just recorded.
What kind of family moments do you look for in wedding photos?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966361948511133990
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #FamilyPhotography #WeddingMorning #CandidPhotography #BeItMeNotYou
A relaxed moment from the wedding morning.
Before the ceremony, before the formal photos, and before the pace of the day picked up, there was this quieter side of the wedding. These are the moments I enjoy capturing, the natural pauses where people are simply present in the room, getting ready, chatting, laughing, and easing into the day.
Wedding photography is not just about the big dramatic shots. Sometimes the softer in-between moments tell the story best.
What kind of wedding photos stay with you most?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966360887471604005
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #CandidPhotography #WeddingMorning #DocumentaryPhotography #BeItMeNotYou
The wedding morning begins in the soft glow of getting ready.
There is something special about these early moments, before the ceremony, before the full rush of the day, when everyone is still settling into the emotion of what is about to happen. Wedding photography is not only about the big scenes. It is also about the quiet build-up, the light, the movement, and the feeling in the room.
What do you love most about candid wedding photography?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966360047680520476
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #CandidPhotography #WeddingMorning #BeItMeNotYou
A joyful little moment before the wedding day properly got moving.
Before the dress, the getting ready photos, and the ceremony, there was play, laughter, and family. These are the small honest moments I love capturing most, the ones that sit around the edge of the big event but often hold the deepest feeling.
What little details do you notice first in a photograph?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966356373263434011
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #FamilyMoments #Bride #CandidPhotography #BeItMeNotYou
Before the rush of the wedding day fully began, there was this quiet little moment between the bride and her daughter.
No posing, no pressure, just a small piece of real life before the dress, the details, and the ceremony took over. These are the photographs I love most, the ones that hold the feeling of the day.
What do you think makes a wedding photo feel truly honest?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/966355722192769306
#Photography #WeddingPhotography #Pixelfed #Fediverse #FamilyMoments #Bride #CandidPhotography #BeItMeNotYou
if you’re interested in technology that gives people more independence, BIMNY is a Matrix community for calm, practical conversation about freedom tech, open source, self-hosting, privacy, decentralisation, Web3, self-sovereignty, self-custody, the open web, AI, and independent publishing.
The aim is simple: thoughtful discussion without hype, pressure, or culture-war noise. Just people exploring how to build and use tools that offer more ownership, resilience, privacy, and control.
Join here: https://matrix.org/#/bimny:matrix.org
#Matrix #BIMNY #BeItMeNotYou #FreedomTech #OpenSource #SelfHosting #Privacy #Decentralisation #DigitalSovereignty #OpenWeb #AI
We’ve launched our new Matrix community for people who care about privacy, freedom, self-sovereignty, self-custody, Web3, decentralisation, Linux, self-hosting, and digital independence.
Matrix gives us a more open, decentralised way to build community, with rooms organised around focused topics rather than one noisy feed.
As major platforms move further into age assurance, ID checks, and tighter centralised controls, spaces like this matter more than ever. This is about having somewhere we can talk, learn, share, and build without giving up our autonomy.
Join us here:
https://matrix.to/#/#bimny:matrix.org
What kind of room or topic would you like to see added?
#Matrix #Privacy #SelfSovereignty #Decentralisation #SelfHosting #Linux #Web3 #DigitalFreedom #FreedomOfSpeech #SelfCustody
A little throwback from a 2019 B&Q work Christmas event.
These photos capture the side of work people often forget: the friendships, the jokes, the shared nights out, the familiar faces, and those small moments that become proper memories over time.
It is less about the venue or the drinks, and more about the people who made that time feel alive.
What old work memory still makes you smile?
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/p/beitmenotyou/965538986025992193
#Photography #Pixelfed #WorkEvent #ChristmasParty #BQ #PeoplePhotography #CandidPhotography #Memories #PhotoCollection
I've launched my new self-hosted Pixelfed site for my photography.
Pixelfed is a free, open-source, decentralised photo-sharing platform. Think Instagram, but federated, privacy-friendly, ad-free, and not built around one company controlling the whole space.
I'll be using it to share my photography in a place that feels more aligned with ownership, creativity, and the open web.
Have a look and follow my work here:
https://photos.beitmenotyou.online/beitmenotyou
#Pixelfed #Photography #Fediverse #SelfHosting #Decentralisation #OpenSource #DigitalSovereignty #BeItMeNotYou
If you would like a Discord-style community experience, but with a Matrix backend and end-to-end encrypted foundations, come and join us.
We now have a proper Matrix space set up for Be It Me Not You, with different rooms for different parts of the community:
Start Here, for introductions and guidance.
Community Chat, for general conversation.
Privacy & Freedom Tech, for talking about Linux, self-hosting, decentralisation, privacy tools, secure messaging, Web3, freedom of speech, and digital self-sovereignty.
Projects, for sharing what you are building, testing, writing, hosting, or researching.
Live Rooms, for voice, video, and real-time hangouts.
Events, for future chats, meetups, workshops, streams, and community sessions.
The aim is simple: a calmer, more private, more open place to talk about taking back control of our digital lives.
Join here:
https://matrix.to/#/#bimny:matrix.org
What Room would you like to see added next?
#Matrix #Privacy #SelfHosting #DigitalFreedom #Decentralisation #Linux #SelfSovereignty #OpenSource #BeItMeNotYou
Fort Knox still lists 147.3 million fine troy ounces of gold, but the bigger issue is trust.
Treasury says US deep-storage gold has been audited, yet critics argue that sealed vault compartments are not the same as a fresh public count, weigh, and assay.
If gold backs confidence, why should the public have to rely on old assurances?
#Gold #FortKnox #Transparency #SoundMoney #SelfSovereignty #Finance
A VPN is still useful, but it is not magic.
Wyden’s warning cuts to the heart of the problem: if a VPN hides your real location, government systems may treat that traffic as foreign and push it into looser surveillance rules under FISA 702 or Executive Order 12333.
That does not mean “never use a VPN”. It means understand the tool. A good VPN can hide your IP address from websites, apps, trackers, and dodgy public WiFi. A bad VPN can become another data broker with better branding.
The deeper issue is bigger than VPNs. It is the internet’s surveillance architecture, the third party loophole, and the idea that data loses protection once it passes through someone else’s servers.
Privacy tools matter. So do laws that stop the state buying or collecting its way around your rights.
Do you still trust commercial VPNs, or is it time to rethink the whole privacy stack?
https://odysee.com/@NaomiBrockwell:4/Wyden-VPNs:9
More background:
https://massie.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=395818
#Privacy #VPN #Surveillance #FISA702 #DigitalRights #SelfSovereignty #Encryption
On 19 May, the TAKE IT DOWN Act moved from law to enforcement.
People in the US can now ask covered platforms to remove non consensual intimate imagery, including AI generated sexual deepfakes. Platforms must remove valid reports, plus known identical copies, within 48 hours.
That matters. A fake nude is not just “content”. It is identity theft, sexual abuse, coercion, and a loss of control over your own body online.
The NO FAKES Act pushes the same fight into another area: voice, likeness, image, and digital replicas. It would recognise that your identity should not be harvested, cloned, sold, or used by AI systems without consent.
Both raise hard questions around enforcement and speech, but the principle is simple: consent should travel with your body, your face, your voice, and your creative identity.
Should digital identity rights become a basic part of online safety law?
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/05/ftc-begins-enforcing-take-it-down-act
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1367
#Privacy #Deepfakes #AI #DigitalRights #Consent #SelfSovereignty #NOFAKESAct #TakeItDownAct
EFF and 18 organisations are warning UK policymakers that online safety cannot be solved by locking down the open web.
Age checks and access restrictions may sound protective, but they can quickly become identity checks for everyone. That means more surveillance, more data collection, more breach risk, and less anonymity.
The real problem is deeper: platform design built around addiction, data extraction, targeted advertising, and profit over people.
Protecting children matters. But we should not accept policies that make everyone less private, less free, and more dependent on platform gatekeepers.
How do we protect people without breaking the open web?
#Privacy #FreeSpeech #OnlineSafety #DigitalRights #OpenWeb #UKPolitics
After my transfer is done and I know everything is working, I’ll be writing up the full Raspberry Pi setup.
I’ve managed to use OpenClaw to create an SSH bridge to my Zorin PC, run a daily backup of the Pi, check the bridge with a cron job, save the backup to my PC, then remove it from the Pi to save space.
OpenClaw is basically becoming the control layer for the Pi, connected to ChatGPT through an API. I’ve also got SearXNG running as a private search engine, WordPress hosted on the Pi, and Uptime Kuma coming soon for service monitoring.
Once the SSD is ready, more services will be added.
Full blog post coming soon, including what worked, what broke, and what I learned.
What would you run on a self-hosted Pi setup like this?
#SelfHosting #RaspberryPi #Linux #OpenSource #Privacy #SearXNG #WordPress #Homelab #DigitalSovereignty
Wall Street is not trying to kill Bitcoin now. It is trying to wrap it, custody it, fee it, and keep it inside products people never truly control.
Morgan Stanley launched MSBT this month, and the bigger question is not price. It is power. When more BTC sits inside institutional products, more of the network's economic weight moves further away from self custody and closer to gatekeepers.
Bitcoin was built for peer to peer ownership, not permanent dependence on advisers, custodians, and closed platforms.
Are we watching adoption, or a slow capture of Bitcoin’s original purpose?
#Bitcoin #SelfCustody #Decentralisation #FinancialFreedom #Crypto #WallStreet #FreedomTech
Age checks, digital ID, and "government by app" are being sold as conveniences and safety measures. But once proving who you are becomes the price of using everyday digital tools, privacy stops being a right and starts becoming a permission slip.
In the UK, Apple now requires some adults to verify they are 18+ for certain account actions, Ofcom says more services are introducing age checks under the Online Safety Act, and the government is consulting on a national digital ID tied to future public services.
Will you accept digital life being gated by Identity checks, or will you push back now?
#Privacy #DigitalID #OnlineSafetyAct #UKPolitics #Freedom #DigitalAutonomy #SelfSovereignty
US age verification just got worse.
A new House bill, H.R. 8250, would push age checks down into the operating system itself. That means the device becomes the checkpoint, not just the website or app.
Once you normalise controls at that layer, it becomes much easier to expand them into broader identity checks, access controls, and surveillance by design.
Do you trust your phone, tablet, or computer to become the new gatekeeper for what you can access online?
#Privacy #DigitalRights #AgeVerification #Surveillance #SelfSovereignty #FreeSpeech
EFF’s point is simple: if lawmakers want to tackle online harms, they should stop feeding the surveillance machine that creates so many of them in the first place.
A privacy-first internet means no behavioural ads, less data collection, real opt-in consent, the right to access, move, correct, and delete your data, and proper enforcement. You do not fix a broken digital world by demanding even more tracking.
How many so-called online safety laws would look very different if privacy came first?
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/11/address-online-harms-we-must-first-do-privacy
#Privacy #DigitalRights #OnlineSafety #Surveillance #DataProtection #EFF
Citizen Lab just exposed Webloc, a Penlink geolocation surveillance system built on ad-based data pulled from ordinary apps and digital advertising. According to the report, it can monitor hundreds of millions of people and give customers years of movement history.
This is the real danger of the surveillance economy. Data gathered for ads can quietly become a tool for state tracking.
How much of your life should be available for purchase?
https://citizenlab.ca/research/analysis-of-penlinks-ad-based-geolocation-surveillance-tech/
#Privacy #Surveillance #ADINT #Geolocation #DigitalRights #Decentralisation
Privacy is not just a personal setting; it is a community practice.
EFF's latest piece argues that good privacy starts by asking a few simple questions together: what are we protecting, who are we protecting it from, how much inconvenience are we willing to accept, and who are our allies?
It also pushes a broader point that people often miss. Secure messaging matters, but so do your social media habits, your cloud backups, your group roles, and your response plan for when something goes wrong.
Privacy works better when communities treat it as shared infrastructure, not just an individual choice. What would a real community privacy plan look like where you are?
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/02/building-community-privacy-plan
#Privacy #DigitalSecurity #CommunitySafety #SelfSovereignty #Signal #EFF
A teen lies about her age to join Discord. Her account gets hacked. Her dad tries to warn the support because other minors could be at risk
That is the bit that sticks with me. Platforms keep talking about safety, age assurance, and AI moderation, but when a real family needs urgent human help, the system seems to fall apart.
If a platform can infer age, lock accounts, and gate features, should it also be able to respond fast when a child account is compromised?
#Discord #Privacy #ChildSafety #OnlineSafety #DigitalRights #TechPolicy
The Third-Party Doctrine is one of the biggest privacy traps of the digital age.
Use a Bank's, phone company's, email host's, cloud service's, or app's services because modern life leaves you little choice, and the state argues that the moment your data touches a third party, your privacy protections weaken. That logic may have started in a different era, but in today's world, it creates a massive surveillance loophole.
Your data should not lose constitutional protection just because someone else stores it for you.
Should using modern Technology really mean giving up your rights?
#Privacy #FourthAmendment #Surveillance #DataBrokers #DigitalRights #SelfSovereignty #Decentralisation
A brutal reminder that most Windows domain takeovers do not start with movie-style hacking, they start with boring misconfigurations that no one reviewed.
This demo walks from standard user to Domain Admin by chaining insecure AD permissions, an ESC1-style certificate template issue, and certificate-based authentication. The scary bit is not that this is clever. It is what Spencer says: these are still among the most common findings in internal pentests.
If your organisation still relies on Active Directory, delegation reviews and AD CS hardening cannot stay on the "later" list.
How many environments would fail over due to a single missed permission?
#CyberSecurity #ActiveDirectory #WindowsSecurity #InfoSec #ADCS #BlueTeam #SysAdmin
Calling public concern about London crime "disinformation" does not fix the problem.
Yes, false narratives and bot activity exist. But that cannot become a catch-all excuse for brushing off real fears.
Even official London sources show serious concerns around shoplifting, theft and sexual offences. If people feel unsafe, they deserve honesty, not spin.
When criticism is dismissed as misinformation, who gets to define reality?
#London #Crime #SadiqKhan #UKPolitics #DigitalID #Privacy #CivilLiberties #Surveillance
1792 days in Bitcoin can teach you more than any headline ever will.
This video nails three lessons that many people only learn after getting shaken out: bear markets test conviction, patience matters more than hype, and the monetary system is built to reward those closest to the printer.
That is why Bitcoin hits differently for so many people. It is not just about the number going up. It is about seeing the rules clearly, then choosing to step outside them.
What lesson has Bitcoin taught you personally?
#Bitcoin #BTC #SelfCustody #FinancialFreedom #SoundMoney #Decentralisation #Freedom
Hungary's 12 April election feels like more than a domestic vote. After 16 years of Orbán, markets are watching whether Péter Magyar and Tisza can reset EU ties, unlock frozen funds, and ease pressure on the forint. Monday's bond auction could show whether investors believe change is coming, or whether Hungary stays stuck in the same cycle of political brinkmanship and financial risk.
Would a political reset make your money safer, or shift the risk elsewhere?
#Hungary #Orban #PeterMagyar #Tisza #EU #Forint #Bonds #Markets #Europe
Gen Z is being told to work harder inside a system that feels increasingly gamified, distracted, and unstable. That is why the Roman Empire comparison lands. Bread and circuses became screens and feeds. Stable work became precarious. Citizenship became metrics, clout, and survival under debt.
The answer is not to romanticise collapse. It is to build outside the spectacle: a local community, practical skills, stronger friendships, better philosophy, and a life not fully owned by platforms or institutions.
Are we raising a generation to participate in society, or to perform inside its collapsing arena?
#GenZ #Economy #DigitalAddiction #AI #YouthUnemployment #Community #Stoicism #SelfSovereignty #Privacy #Culture
US-Iran ceasefire: real relief or just a pause before the next shock?
Right now, markets are cheering the truce, oil has pulled back, and risk assets have bounced. But the Strait of Hormuz is still the real macro lever here. If flows stay disrupted, inflation can stay sticky, central banks stay trapped, and the relief rally can fade fast.
That is why this story matters beyond geopolitics. It hits fuel, shipping, stocks, rates, and Crypto all at once. Bitcoin may be rising with risk assets today, but it is also sitting in the middle of a world that still looks fragile.
What do you think happens next?
#Iran #USIran #StraitOfHormuz #Oil #Inflation #Macro #Markets #Bitcoin #Crypto #Geopolitics
Apple just moved age checks closer to the device itself. If adults must prove who they are to unlock normal access, that is not safety; that is infrastructure for control.
Today, it is age assurance. Tomorrow, it is digital ID by default.
Are you comfortable with your phone becoming an Identity checkpoint?
#Apple #Privacy #DigitalRights #AgeVerification #DigitalID #UK
France is showing two radically different faces right now.
On one side, the state is talking digital sovereignty, moving government desktops from Windows to Linux and shifting 80,000 Health Insurance Fund staff onto sovereign open-source tools.
On the other hand, GrapheneOS says it is leaving France after threats, smear campaigns, and pressure tied to encryption and device access.
That contradiction should alarm everyone. Open source for institutions, but hostility towards privacy tools for people is not sovereignty. It is controlled by wearing a nicer mask.
How can a government praise digital independence while treating strong privacy like a threat?
https://nordictimes.com/tech/grapheneos-exits-france-after-threats-and-smear-campaign/
#Linux #OpenSource #DigitalSovereignty #Privacy #GrapheneOS #Encryption #France #SelfSovereignty
Privacy gets treated like a nuisance right up until the day you need it most.
This week's privacy roundup is a bleak one: Microsoft's account suspensions hit key security tools like WireGuard and VeraCrypt, while employers are increasingly being accused of using personal data to work out the lowest wage you'll accept. That is the same old story in a new form: more control for platforms, less power for ordinary people.
At some point, we need to ask whether modern tech is being built for user safety, or for bureaucracy, profiling, and lock-in.
How much more "security theatre" are people expected to tolerate before they push back?
https://streamyard.com/watch/G8dAKAEzh5ff
#Privacy #Security #DigitalRights #WireGuard #VeraCrypt #Microsoft #Surveillance #DataPrivacy #SelfSovereignty
Whether you agree with Daily Expresso or not, this row says something bigger about British politics right now: Labour looks nervous, Starmer still faces questions over authority, and the 7 May local elections could become a public verdict on leadership, workers' rights, and where the country goes next. Is this just media theatre, or are the cracks inside Labour getting harder to hide?
#UKPolitics #KeirStarmer #Labour #AngelaRayner #LocalElections #WorkersRights #FairWorkAgency
Stop Killing Games is no longer just a petition people can laugh off. UFC-Que Choisir is suing Ubisoft in France over The Crew, and the case goes right at the heart of the scam: calling something a purchase, then treating it like a revocable permission slip.
If courts agree that games sold to players must remain usable, this could hit far beyond Ubisoft. It could reshape how publishers handle shutdowns, ownership, refunds, preservation, and live service design across Europe.
Are we finally about to test whether buying a game means anything at all?
#StopKillingGames #Ubisoft #TheCrew #ConsumerRights #GamePreservation #Gaming
The UK says this is about online safety, but the pattern is getting harder to ignore: stronger age checks, pressure on encrypted services, and digital ID systems that make it easier to tie your online life back to the state.
The danger is not just what today's government does with these powers. It is the infrastructure they leave behind for the next one. Once privacy is weakened and Identity becomes easier to track across services, that switch rarely gets handed back to you.
At what point does "safety" become a permanent excuse for surveillance?
#Privacy #Surveillance #OnlineSafetyAct #Encryption #DigitalRights #UK
Passkeys are one of those rare bits of security tech that are both safer and easier to use.
Instead of memorising a password that can be stolen, guessed, or phished, your device proves it's really you with your fingerprint, face, or PIN. The site gets a secure cryptographic check, not a reusable secret. That is the shift.
This is exactly the kind of security people actually need: simple enough for everyday users, strong enough to cut down on phishing and password theft.
Are you already using passkeys, or are passwords still your default?
#Passkeys #CyberSecurity #Privacy #DigitalSecurity #TechExplained #SelfSovereignty
John Deere’s $99 million settlement is not the clean win some headlines make it out to be.
Farmers were locked out of software and forced to use authorised dealers for repairs. Now the so-called fix only guarantees repair tools for 10 years.
If ownership comes with a timer, was it ever really ownership?
#RightToRepair #JohnDeere #Ownership #DigitalRights #Farmers #SelfCustody
GrapheneOS says it is pulling out of France after reported threats, smear campaigns, and pressure around encryption and device access. Whether you use GrapheneOS or not, this matters. When a privacy-first open-source project says it no longer feels safe operating in a country, that is a warning sign for everyone who cares about digital rights, secure devices, and freedom from backdoors.
Are privacy tools now being treated as the problem rather than the protection?
https://nordictimes.com/tech/grapheneos-exits-france-after-threats-and-smear-campaign/
#GrapheneOS #Privacy #Encryption #OpenSource #DigitalRights #France
Looking for a place to chat with people who care about decentralisation, privacy, safety, freedom of speech, Web3, and digital self-sovereignty?
Our group is open for real conversation, news updates, and announcements. It's a space to meet like-minded people and stay in the loop without the noise.
Ready to join us?
https://signal.group/#CjQKIOoAV1L9ILbh_er6__uCKNzYeC56ykaSphMPB4jOYHNAEhBFMXTGbv-8_LzHTCtym-Sm
#SignalGroup #Decentralisation #Privacy #FreedomOfSpeech #Web3 #SelfSovereignty #DigitalFreedom
Anthropic holding back Claude Mythos should worry everyone. This feels like the moment AI stops being a clever assistant and starts becoming a genuine cybersecurity threat. If a model can autonomously find and chain exploits across Linux, browsers, and core software at machine speed, defenders will be under huge pressure.
Are we ready for AI-powered hacking?
https://anthropic.com/glasswing
#AI #Cybersecurity #Linux #Privacy #SelfSovereignty
Using a VPN should not be enough to make you look foreign to the surveillance state.
This week's Surveillance Report is a sharp reminder that the privacy fight is connected. Questions around Section 702 and VPN use, the Axios supply chain compromise, malware in Google Play apps, device-level age checks, and Europe only just pushing back on chat scanning all point the same way: the internet is being redesigned to treat privacy as suspicious and gatekeepers as normal.
Are we building a future where basic self-defence online is treated like suspicious behaviour?
#Privacy #VPN #Section702 #Surveillance #CyberSecurity #DigitalRights #AgeVerification #ChatControl #OpenSource #Android
The US-Iran ceasefire already looks less like peace and more like a pause before the next shock.
Hormuz is still choked, shipping is still constrained, and the argument over Lebanon shows how thin this deal really is. If the terms are disputed this early, markets, civilians and the wider region stay stuck in the blast radius.
Does this end in a wider war, or a face-saving exit?
#Iran #USA #Geopolitics #MiddleEast #StraitOfHormuz #Oil #War #Ceasefire
What caught my attention here is not the phrase "fiat reset" on its own; it is the deeper shift happening underneath global Finance.
You can feel the old order straining. Energy shocks, trade fragmentation, BRICS payment rails, CBDC experiments, and growing distrust in the dollar system all point to a world where the plumbing of money is being rebuilt in real time.
That is exactly why Bitcoin matters to me. Not because it fixes everything, but because it offers an escape hatch from permissioned money, programmable restrictions, and systems that can be reshaped above your head.
Are we witnessing a monetary transition or the construction of a more controlled financial cage?
#Bitcoin #CBDC #IMF #BRICS #Fiat #Decentralisation #SelfSovereignty #Privacy
I didn't want to like this either.
Perplexity Computer feels like the kind of AI product I should roll my eyes at, especially at $200 a month, but I can see why people will love it. If it really turns plain prompts into working tools, websites and research workflows without all the setup pain, that is a real shift.
It still raises the usual question for me: are we paying for capability, or just for convenience wrapped in a shiny box?
Would you pay for convenience over control?
#AI #Perplexity #Automation #Tech #FutureOfWork #SelfSovereignty
I've started a new Signal group for chat, updates, and announcements. It's a more direct space to connect, share ideas, and stay in the loop without relying on noisy platforms.
Would you like to join us?
https://signal.group/#CjQKIOoAV1L9ILbh_er6__uCKNzYeC56ykaSphMPB4jOYHNAEhBFMXTGbv-8_LzHTCtym-Sm
#Signal #Privacy #Community #Announcements #Chat
Europe looks stuck, but this may be less a collapse than a power shift. Ge:contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}wn on nuclear, and Brussels wants to channel idle savings into investment. Cheap equities might tempt capital back, but deeper integration could come with more control over money and markets.
Is Europe heading for renewal, or for a more centralised system dressed up as rescue?
#Europe #EU #Economy #Investing #NuclearEnergy #CapitalMarkets #Privacy #Sovereignty
Recording ICE or any federal agent in public is not a privilege reserved for journalists. It is a right protected by the First Amendment.
That matters because intimidation works best when people do not know where the line is. Record what is happening, do not obstruct, and remember this, too: a judge-issued warrant matters. An administrative one is not the same as a home one, especially at your home. And if they want your phone, they still need a warrant to search it.
How many people around you actually know these rights before the pressure starts?
#ACLU #KnowYourRights #ICE #CivilLiberties #FreeSpeech #Privacy #Constitution
UK digital ID is being sold as "data minimisation", yet the consultation says it would include your full name, date of birth, nationality and a biometric facial image. It also floats a way to ensure you're called by the "right name", while saying sex/gender will not be included.
That contradiction raises serious questions about what this system is really for.
Are you comfortable with a state digital ID built like this?
#DigitalID #Privacy #CivilLiberties #Surveillance #UKPolitics
The UK is steadily building the machinery for digital surveillance. What begins as "online safety" quickly turns into message scanning, pressure on encryption, platform compliance, and growing support for digital ID systems that could tie more of your online life to your legal Identity.
We have already seen pressure on Apple, weakened privacy protections, and a wider push toward routine monitoring in the name of safety. The real danger is not just what today's government does with these powers, but what future governments could do once the infrastructure is in place.
How much privacy are you willing to surrender for the promise of safety?
#Privacy #Surveillance #UK #OnlineSafetyAct #Encryption #DigitalRights #SelfSovereignty
Linux and FreeBSD users are being squeezed by age verification systems designed around locked-down platforms, invasive checks, and compliance requirements for the biggest vendors. Ofcom says age checks are spreading across social media, dating, gaming, and messaging, but also says they must not unduly block adults from legal content. If the open web only works for approved devices and "normal" browser setups, that is not safe. It is soft exclusion.
Are we protecting children, or normalising a web that only works for gatekept platforms?
#Linux #FreeBSD #OnlineSafetyAct #Privacy #DigitalRights #OpenSource #AgeVerification #InternetFreedom
Microsoft's Windows gatekeeping just backfired.
WireGuard, VeraCrypt and Windscribe were reportedly locked out of the Windows Hardware Program, blocking driver signing and Windows updates. WireGuard's dev says no notice arrived. VeraCrypt warns that some full disk encryption users could face boot issues after July 2026 if this drags on.
When "platform security" can quietly cut off essential privacy tools, who is really in control?
#Microsoft #Windows #WireGuard #VeraCrypt #Windscribe #OpenSource #Privacy #Security #DigitalSovereignty
Europe's digital ID push is speeding up. The EU wallet rollout is real, Ireland is testing its Government Digital Wallet, and age verification is becoming part of the stack. Officials say it's about convenience and privacy, but systems built for one purpose rarely stay there. Mission creep is the real story.
Are you comfortable with digital ID becoming the default layer for access, age checks, and public services?
#DigitalID #Privacy #Europe #Surveillance #SelfSovereignty
The CLARITY Act is being sold as Crypto clarity. Still, the danger is obvious: ban passive stablecoin yield, leave "activity-based rewards" vague, and you hand legacy Finance a fresh choke point over digital money.
That is not freedom. That is Crypto repackaged for banks, custodians, and gatekeepers.
Are we getting real self-custody and open Finance, or just a cleaner cage for the same old system?
#Crypto #Bitcoin #Stablecoins #SelfCustody #Decentralisation #FreedomTech
A barrister’s breakdown of the Andrew Bridgen case raises uncomfortable questions about speech, satire, police powers, and how “grossly offensive” is being interpreted online. If political posts can trigger police interviews this easily, that should worry everyone, regardless of party.
Are police protecting the public here, or chilling lawful speech?
#FreeSpeech #CivilLiberties #UKLaw #Police #Speech #Politics
Smart glasses are being sold as a convenience, but they normalise low-friction surveillance.
The problem is not just the camera. It is the behavioural shift. Put recording, AI and a data-hungry platform on someone's face, and you train people to see strangers as content.
Meta's business has never been about your freedom. It is about extraction. Wearables move that logic from your pocket to your eyes.
Should we start treating smart glasses like phones in private spaces, take them off or leave them outside?
#Privacy #Meta #SmartGlasses #Surveillance #DigitalRights #AI #Freedom