"If you have an encounter with law enforcement, you should inform them that you are exercising your Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and that you are not speaking to them without a lawyer present." https://c4osl.org/so-youre-living-under-fascism-what-do-you-do-now/ #freedom #privacy

“One of the most shocking revelations from the upcoming Watchlist is that in the United Kingdom, prosecutions over real child sexual abuse materials have actually fallen…” Learn how precision can protect children → https://c4osl.org/november-2025-newsletter #ChildProtection #NewsLetter

"You should unlock your device with a password or PIN, not face unlock, eye scan, or fingerprint unlock because password and PIN unlock is protected by the Fourth Amendment." https://c4osl.org/so-youre-living-under-fascism-what-do-you-do-now/ #privacy #freedom #security

On November 17, C4OSL joined 60+ organizations to release a statement on encryption: “Policymakers should strengthen, not weaken, the tools that protect our shared digital infrastructure.” Read the statement → https://c4osl.org/november-2025-newsletter #Newsletter #Encryption

"Use apps that offer end-to-end encryption, such as: @signal.org, @element.io, @session-app.bsky.social, @proton.me, @ente.io, @notesnook.com, @joplinapp.bsky.social" https://c4osl.org/so-youre-living-under-fascism-what-do-you-do-now/ #privacy #encryption #freedom

The ban*will* silence their voices and that’s the point!

New on the C4OSL blog: “Beyond the Filter: Fantasy Sexual Materials and Offending.” Hosts Brandy and Jeremy explore whether AI-generated images, cartoons, or sex dolls are linked to real-world offending. Read → https://c4osl.org/november-2025-newsletter #Newsletter

"First things first, make sure your sensitive information is encrypted. IOS and Android are encrypted by default, so there’s no extra steps you have to go through to encrypt your cell phone." https://c4osl.org/so-youre-living-under-fascism-what-do-you-do-now/ #privacy #encryption #freedom

Our new C4OSL newsletter is live: “Seeing Clearly: Why Precision Protects Children in the Age of AI.” “Around the world … what’s real, what’s synthetic, and what’s simply artistic or fictional expression.” Read → https://c4osl.org/november-2025-newsletter #Newsletter

"For those of us not living under a rock, and with the unfortunate ability of pattern recognition, it’s not hard to realize that if you’re living in the United States right now we are living under a fascist regime." https://c4osl.org/so-youre-living-under-fascism-what-do-you-do-now/ #privacy #tips

Conservatives in Alabama are literally starving the local public library of funding because it refuses to hide sex ed books, and novels that feature sex and masturbation, from teenagers. They'd rather shut the library down than allow teens to access knowledge that contradicts dogma.

Social media isn’t driving the teenage “loneliness epidemic”. Teenagers’ loneliness was the same in the 1970s,1980s, and 1990s long before anyone heard of TikTok or smartphones.

Twitch says it will comply with the British government's demand and require users to submit facial scans in order to access streams.

NCOSE dresses itself up in respectable clothes by claiming to be all about stopping "sexual exploitation." Stopping actual sexual exploitation is good. But they use that to actually advocate for truly horrific policies. Because their definition of "sexual exploitation" is ridiculously broad...

NEW: the IRS accessed a massive database of Americans flights without a warrant. Includes where and when someone flew, credit card used. Usually when the government gets this data from an airline it needs approval. IRS accessed a database it just paid for access to www.404media.co/irs-accessed...

ICE is using a new app called Mobile Fortify to scan people's faces and determine their immigration status. The government's use of biased, unreliable facial recognition tech to supercharge its mass deportation campaign endangers all of our rights.

COSL is among 60 signatories to an open letter on encryption released today: "Weakening encryption introduces systemic vulnerabilities that criminals and hostile actors can exploit, erodes consumer confidence, and drives users and businesses toward unsecure platforms."

The answer to how do we keep kids safe online isn't destroy everyone's privacy. It's not force people to hand over their IDs to access legal content. And it's certainly not ban access to the tools that protect journalists, activists, and abuse survivors. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

In Texas, a new law has redefined “parental rights” to mean that a single parent now has the right to remove a book from libraries district wide because the the story of a boy unicorn with eyelashes offends them.

Register for a free webinar about #art #censorship and strategies that can help #artists share artistic work while minimizing the risk of getting banned/shadow banned, downranked, or flagged as inappropriate content. https://law-arts.org/event/tactics-to-avoid-art-censorship-online

New: Google has chosen a side in Trump's mass deportation campaign. Google is hosting a CBP facial recognition app to hunt immigrants; no indication Google will remove. At same time Google takes down apps for reporting ICE sightings “Big tech has made their choice” www.404media.co/google-has-c...

Your Data Will Be Used Against You. www.theverge.com/2024/9/24/24...

Hidden in the controversial about UK "choking ban" proposal are a host of even more egregious proposals that could: * make camming illegal * redefine escort ads as pimping * render model contracts unenforceable * criminalize discussions of teen sexuality And a whole lot more ...

Meanwhile whorephobic orgs targeting sex workers have tried desperately to capture the discourse, they want to talk about rape culture in a way that implies the internet has to be age verified, all your favorite games and books have to be banned, and sex workers should be pushed to the margins

The Online Safety Act has made going online even more dangerous. Google is now warning that as Britons turn to VPNs to avoid the act, there's been an explosion in scam VPNs that sell data or provide it to state actors. Naturally, that would includes data on (and access to) minors.

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This problem is pervasive across the web. Just this past weekend IG began mass censoring news accounts for reposting content. We are witnessing widespread censorship on apps like X and TikTok and I really wish platforms would stand up and fight for free expression

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Looking for a remote tech role with purpose? Liberato Hosting (via COSL) needs a Technical Manager - 5-10 hrs/week helping Linux servers & infrastructure. -> Details: https://c4osl.org/job/technical-manager-liberato-hosting/ #techjobs #remotework #digitalrights

Hmmm. At the same time that there’s a booming for-profit push to require users to submit biometrics everywhere from porn sites to Roblox. You don’t say?

“We’re not calling for... blanket availability of different sexual materials, but maybe there are conditions under which things could be used in restricted ways or regulated ways where they don’t cause harm.” https://c4osl.org/beyond-the-filter-fantasy-sexual-materials-and-offending/ #Podcast #Sex

“Whenever you're thinking about sexual crime prevention, try as much as possible to take a breath and think about where your attitudes are coming from.” https://c4osl.org/beyond-the-filter-fantasy-sexual-materials-and-offending/ #Podcast #Sex #Crime #Prevention

We're hiring (volunteer)! Join Liberato Hosting as a Technical Manager - remote, global. Help build secure, privacy - focused hosting that supports free expression. -> https://c4osl.org/job/technical-manager-liberato-hosting/ #linux #hosting #opensource #freedom

Big tech continues to demonstrate its’ alignment with fascists. BAN FACIAL RECOGNITION

KOSA UPDATE: House lawmakers are considering removing duty of care & KOSA is currently in limbo since the House & Senate versions will differ. BUT the threat of Bad Internet Bills still looms as the House considers age verification in new kids safety package... www.theverge.com/policy/81087...

“When you increase sexual satisfaction, you see risk levels reduce.” https://c4osl.org/beyond-the-filter-fantasy-sexual-materials-and-offending/ #Podcast #Fantasy #Fiction #Sex

“When you criminalize something, the people that are generally more prosocial... are unlikely to be the ones that are going to be engaging in offending behavior anyway.” https://c4osl.org/beyond-the-filter-fantasy-sexual-materials-and-offending/ #Podcast #Criminalization #Fantasy #Fiction

Queer art isn't illegal. But lawmakers in Oklahoma believe that if they make the criminal liability threatening enough, event spaces, permit boards, municipal clerks and protest organizers will treat it as if it is — and do the censorship for them.

“In terms of the association between use of fictional sexual materials and risk of sexual offending, the research is converging around the view that there's no association at all.” https://c4osl.org/beyond-the-filter-fantasy-sexual-materials-and-offending/ #Fiction #Fantasy #Podcast

This is such a needed book AND it is almost definitely going to get attacked by "concerned parents" for "encouraging kids to watch porn" 🙄

MasterCard is marketing its new MasterCard Threat Intelligence platform to issuers & acquirers. A source familiar w/ MasterCard’s internal operations told me MTI is flagging anime, VTubing, adult content, tabletop, video games as potentially “high fraud risk” fintechmagazine.com/news/how-is-...

‼️ ICYMI: Amazon Ring announced a partnership with the notorious surveillance tech company Flock, which was recently exposed for secretly sharing camera data w/ ICE & law enforcement investigating people who travel for abortion care.

"Big Tech giants don’t care about keeping kids safe or protecting LGBTQ+ rights to free expression. They care about making money. If given the choice between fighting expensive lawsuits and policing speech the way Trump wants them to, we can anticipate what they’ll do."

if youre canadian, its a very good idea to be contacting your representatives in govt about Bill S-209, and stressing that age verification policies do not protect people, and in fact make them less safe.

Librarians in Arkansas are being instructed to hide over 50 books with LGBTQ+ content, as a new law makes it a crime for them to allow students to access to "material harmful to minors."

"The Center for Online Safety and Liberty calls on the Australian Parliament to reject the proposed bill expanding AFP powers to share or distribute real child sexual abuse material." https://c4osl.org/stop-state-sanctioned-revictimization/

"The Center for Online Safety and Liberty (COSL) is looking for a dynamic Membership & Community Officer to help grow our movement for digital freedom and online safety." https://c4osl.org/october-2025-newsletter #HumanRights #DigitalFreedom #OnlineSafety #JoinUs

"Survivor and advocate Marley Basford has spoken powerfully about this issue. She explained that the continued use of real abuse material removes survivors’ agency and renews their fear." https://c4osl.org/stop-state-sanctioned-revictimization/

My general rule of thumb is never trust any internet bill from Josh Hawley or Richard Blumenthal. And if it's from both of them, it almost certainly should be tossed into a burning fire pit never to be spoken of again. This is another moral panic nonsense bill.