Former MEP was hacked by the same gov behind the Pegasus attacks we exposed 2 years ago! @citizenlab.ca revealed that Stelios Kouloglou, former EU PEGA Committee member, was targeted by the same operator that hacked several Russian- & Belarusian-speaking journalists + activists living in EU 🧵1/

Thinking this through, fifa could proactively rent-seek, issuing red cards then soliciting head of state concessions to rescind eh @wajali.bsky.social

Madison Wisconsin

NEW: Russia hacked into the phone of a Putin political opponent with Cellebrite — three months after the company said it cut ties with the Russian government. Cellebrite said that “any use of legacy Cellebrite hardware in Russia after March 2021 is entirely unauthorized.” Clearly it didn’t matter.

Access Now alongside ten other civil society organizations joined in filing an amicus brief urging the U.S. court to uphold the permanent injunction against NSO Group and protect encryption from Pegasus spyware. Read more ▶️ www.accessnow.org/press-releas...

As many are aware by now, @accessnow.org 's annual @rightscon.org was cancelled because of pressure on the host govt Zambia 🇿🇲 by China 🇨🇳 www.rightscon.org/rc26-stateme... In their statement, @accessnow.org rightly flags this is as an example of transnational repression

The U.S.-based organizers of an international human rights conference said they canceled it days before it was due to open because China pressured the African host country to exclude Taiwanese activists.

Following our April 29 announcement, we believe it's important to be transparent about the context that led to the decision. We want to explain, where we can, why this was made on such short notice, only days before we were set to host RightsCon. Read: www.rightscon.org/rc26-stateme...

kudos to @rightscon.org for standing firm and not sacrificing principles or vulnerable participants. Zambian officials, evidently pressed by Beijing, caved and behaved like amateurs. it’s an example of how china seeks not only geopolitical power but wants to crush critical civil society.

The major tech and human rights conference RightsCon "will not proceed" after Zambian government officials announced they would postpone the conference in order to “ensure full alignment with Zambia’s national values, policy priorities, and broader public interest considerations.”

I wrote about RightsCon's cancellation after Zambia's government announced it would postpone the event to sort out its concerns over "thematic issues." With thousands about to depart (or already en route) to Lusaka, it's a huge blow to the digital and human rights field.

the government of zambia is announcing that it canceled RightsCon. this is a serious attack on civil society, the global & local ones. thousands of people - activists, academics, govt etc - are en route to lusaka. to cancel at this late stage is just horrible.

What's the pc term for a manhole?

Can @mayor.nyc.gov lift the Grimace curse? Asking for the @mets.com

NEW: A hack-for-hire group targeted victims with Android spyware and with phishing attacks to break into iCloud backups. The group, codenamed BITTER, has alleged ties with Indian government, and attacked victims in the Middle East and North Africa, including journalists and government officials.

NYT reporting that under this ceasefire each ship will pay $2M to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. It was $0 before Trump launched this illegal war. 100-130 ships pass the Strait daily. Trump just gave Iran an extra $100M-$130M per day. Masterful gambit, sir. Impeach and remove this fascist—NOW.

I've seen Pakistani diplomats at the UN build coalitions far bigger than what you might expect. Smooth, funny, well dressed operators. The UN can be a bubble and they have risen in several resolutions I've worked on.

“Acts or threats of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population are prohibited.” Geneva Convention Additional Protocol I and Department of Defense Law of War Manual, § 5.2.2

#Artemis II - Mission Control flip their mission patches to the return side as instructed by Orion crew “Integrity we are earth bound and ready to bring you home” We now see the crescent of the earth as Orion’s signal beams back, which marks the beginning of their journey back to Earth 🚀🌕🌍

It was so comforting to have a president that wasn’t a malignant narcissist.

NEW | 2025 was a record year for internet shutdowns — 313 times. Authorities imposed shutdowns to control information and restrict access. The #KeepItOn coalition spent last year documenting shutdowns across the world. These are the findings ⬇️ 🧵

Pope Leo XIV's top Middle East envoy rebuked Pete Hegseth for invoking God in justifying the US-Israel war against Iran. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa called Hegseth’s actions “the gravest sin we can commit at this time.”

Pete Hegseth removed 4 decorated Army officers—2 Black, 2 women—from a promotion list. The Army Secretary refused, calling their records exemplary. Hegseth overrode it. Possibly illegally. They gave decades to this country. He erased them & called it meritocracy. This is white Christian nationalism.

“Someone decided to compress the kill chain. Someone decided deliberation was latency. Someone decided to build a system that produces 1,000 targeting decisions an hour and call them high-quality. Someone decided to start this war. Several hundred people on Capitol Hill are refusing to stop it.”

@wajali.bsky.social watching the Giants v Yankees?

I'm attending a conference (RightsCon) this year that has a resident zebra at the venue. Couldn't be more stoked.

Defamed sign at #sxsw The Creep State is Watching!

UPDATE ON THE HORMUZ COALITION (Mon, March 16): 🇫🇷 France: REJECTED 🇬🇧 UK: REJECTED 🇮🇹 Italy: REJECTED 🇪🇸 Spain: REJECTED 🇯🇵 Japan: REJECTED 🇳🇴 Norway: REJECTED 🇨🇦 Canada: REJECTED 🇦🇺 Australia: REJECTED 🇩🇪 Germany: REJECTED 🇨🇳 China: NO RESPONSE 🇳🇱 Netherlands: NO RESPONSE 🇰🇷 South Korea: NO CONFIRMATION

Only six Black men have won Best Actor. Michael B Jordan is the 6th. Wow.

#oscarsSoQuiet why can't we hear the audience?

NEW | Hundreds of companies are pitching shady surveillance tech to EU migration agencies through industry events that evade lobbying transparency rules. See the 450+ companies involved ⬇️ www.accessnow.org/companies-po...

Pro and anti-Iran war protest right now near Times Square. #Iran #nyc

The latest Freedom on the Net report found that gov't investments in #AI sovereignty could enable repression. To protect human rights, policymakers & tech firms in democratic countries should work with civil society & embed safeguards in these systems, write Kian Vesteinsson & Grant Baker:

Defenders of the damn union

‘Keep bombing people until they stop talking about the Epstein Files’ is the main plank of U.S Foreign Policy in 2026.

Trump: Americans may be lost and we may have casualties. Americans, you cool with dying for Netanyahu and his genocidal government?

Goddamnit

Don't support any elected officials who take money from OpenAI. Their lobbyist Cheri Bustos, ex DCCC chair, is now President of Next America Era that is taking money from all these freaks to promote "pro growth" ads ahead of 2026 and 2028. www.axios.com/2026/02/08/c...

It's curious to see Google Gemini summarize a spammy phishing email, without Gemini or Gmail recognizing the threat. All Google showed was a graphic offering a free @starbucks Yeti tumbler.

I do hope Green Day donates all their Super Bowl money to the right causes.

Last month, the Trump administration pulled out of 3 key global #cybersecurity organizations. Former #cyber diplomat Chris Painter warns that the withdrawal will hamper intelligence-sharing, coordinated response, and capabilities, leaving both the U.S. and its allies vulnerable:

Happy Black History Month

“Rand Hammoud, the surveillance campaigns lead at Access Now, said Pall Mall leadership needs to set up “clear criteria for industry engagement … to protect the credibility of an initiative that depends on good faith participation.” therecord.media/spyware-make...

Mail for my 10 month old telling her that the hospitals and doctors who've treated her no longer will. Thanks so much @mountsinaigi.bsky.social and Anthem for failing your patients.

I see you Brooklyn

Friday massacre for press freedom and democracy

People should follow Tom Homan with big bags marked $50K

The Last Action Hero soundtrack had no business being this good.

Uganda shut down its internet at 15:00 UTC (6pm local) today as a security measure during national elections. #UgandaElections2026 Not the first shutdown in Uganda. They did the same thing five years ago, @lawyerpants.bsky.social and I wrote up a post about it: www.kentik.com/blog/from-eg...