It's especially alarming that they use DMCA 1201 -- the rule against circumventing technical protection measures to access copyrighted works -- for their claim. A win on that gives them permanent leverage over scrapers of all kinds, including good guys. www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/...

As the former Google Associate General Counsel for web search -- a product built on scraping third party content without permission -- I'm having a lot of trouble processing Google's new lawsuit against someone else for scraping search results. storage.googleapis.com/gweb-uniblog...

The US TikTok sale has been signed. The company will be controlled by a joint venture including Oracle, Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz, Abu Dhabi-based MGX. Adding a UAE company really makes it clear that this was never about national security concerns. www.axios.com/2025/12/18/t...

Today is the last day to apply to EFF's Trainer Workshop series! If you want to up the digital defense of your community, apply now to join us for four newbie-friendly sessions which will prepare you to host your own grassroots trainings. eff.org/TrainerSerie...

NEW: A hacker gained control of 1,100 mobile phones powering covert, AI-generated ads on TikTok. Then, he shared details of the operation with 404 Media. A look inside how startup Doublespeed, which is backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), is creating AI spam pages on TikTok to promote products.

I don’t want to download an app to track my order Shopify. I really don’t.

404 Media zine has apparently outsold American Canto. Help continue that trend here: 404media.myshopify.com/products/pre... www.404media.co/behind-the-b...

If Kohler can view the user’s toilet data, as it admits to doing in this email exchange with technologist Simon Fondrie-Teitler, then it’s not—by definition—using end-to-end encryption. @evystadium.bsky.social has more. Full story by @mjgault.bsky.social here: www.404media.co/kohlers-smar...

I am so tired of poor customer service. I understand businesses see it as a massive cost center, but it really makes me rethink who I do business with and what I think of a company. In 2026, I hope companies decide to invest in actual, good customer service.

Meta’s surveillance systems are pervasive, but there are ways to limit how it collects and uses your personal data. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Police can’t spy on the private electricity data of thousands of people with zero suspicion. Not in Sacramento. Not anywhere. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

I really want to know the full story behind this epic hack, and yet I also hope it is never solved.

you know you want one

Happy Max Headroom Broadcast Signal Intrusion Day to all who celebrate!

I just left a giant masterpiece for all the World's Greatest Newspaper nerds!

It's my favorite day! It's the 38th anniversary of the Max Headroom signal broadcast intrusion! 1st incident lasted 25s during the 9PM news on WGN-TV in Chicago; The 2nd, 2hrs later, lasted ~90s on PBS affiliate WTTW during Dr. Who. You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqge...

The long sought-after solution to the fourth passage of “Kryptos,” artist Jim Sanborn’s secret-code-bearing sculpture at CIA headquarters, sold at an auction for a final price of $962,500, blowing past its $300,000 to $500,0000 estimate.

Hackers Off Planet Earth

NEW: US airlines (Delta, United, American, etc) will shut down a program in which it sold hundreds of millions of your flight records to government agencies, including ICE, FBI, ATF, more. Comes after intense lawmaker-pressure and 404 Media's months-long reporting www.404media.co/airlines-wil...

When Ohio voters protected the rights "to make reproductive decisions and travel for healthcare, they didn’t intend for their state to subsidize the very surveillance tools that can criminalize those choices,” EFF’s @tsnvaa.bsky.social told @clevelandscene.bsky.social.

I’ve decided there are too many ways to reach me. Too many platforms that allow people to send messages.

Tucked away deep in the Settings app on Android are all sorts of privacy and security features you may have never seen. It’s time to get to know those settings. ssd.eff.org/module/how-...

They decided to stop making the penny?!

This is a damn shame to see. @brianhofer.bsky.social has been such a driving force not just in keeping this city on track and protecting its citizens' privacy, but in creating a standard for the rest of the country. Thanks for all you've done, Brian. oaklandside.org/2025/11/12/o...

Appreciate the cynical responses… and don’t disagree. No consequences, no compliance.

Do large retailers just not care about PCI compliance anymore? I am shocked at how many big and established retailers collect credit card details via a credit card authorization form over email.

“We should have banned government use of face recognition when we had the chance because it is dangerous, invasive, and an inherent threat to civil liberties,” EFF’s @MGuariglia.bsky.social told @404Media.co. www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp...

No? Just me?

Anyone else getting non stop “Invesco QQQ” spam calls? Maybe 5-6 a day at this point.

This is why I always, always opt out of the use of these when asked by a nurse or doctor.

@wbm312.bsky.social gave me this payphone pin @shmoocon.bsky.social one time and it’s the coolest pin I’ve ever seen, and I kept thinking I needed to save it for special occasions but it’s too cool not to display, so it’s on the bag now next to the pirate jelly (that I made).

Ok it’s Friday! Tell me about all the good things that happened this week.

The New York Times publishes a handy guide to which federal forces are terrorizing us at any moment. This is America, 2025.

If I had a spare $100k (or if any hundred millionaire or billionaire is feeling generous), I definitely would be participating in this auction. I want a fraggle! www.juliensauctions.com/en/auctions/...

“Ring’s new partnership with Flock shows that the company is more interested in contributing to mounting authoritarianism than servicing the specific needs of their customers,” EFF’s @MGuariglia.bsky.social told @ArsTechnica.com. arstechnica.com/gadgets/202...

I feel like every day I'm unsubscribing from a new type of LinkedIn email or notification...

I’ve lost faith in our courts and our legal system. Not really sure where we go from here. No one seems to be doing their job or holding anyone accountable.

I will die on this hill. Because we need and have other internets besides the Internet.

Let today be a reminder that competition and diversity in the tech industry is extremely important.

The billionaire to fascist pipeline is remarkably strong lately.

New: hackers just doxed hundreds of DHS, ICE, FBI, and DOJ officials. I went through the data. In many cases does look legitimate, sometimes includes residential addresses. “Mexican Cartels hmu [hit me up] we dropping all the doxes wheres my 1m [1 million].” www.404media.co/hackers-dox-...

Flock is preparing to roll out a new feature: Its gunshot detection devices will begin listening for voices in “distress.” www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

A sheriff told the media that his team searched a license plate reader database because they were worried about a woman's safety. Records show it was an abortion investigation. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

New from 404 Media: the Discord hack is every users' worst nightmare. Yesterday the hackers started posting Discord users' selfies, identity documents, email addresses, phone numbers, more. I watched in real time. This is risk of tech storing ID for age verification www.404media.co/the-discord-...

Which of my IP attorney friends is bored and wants to help some hackers take down someone stealing their sticker designs?

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

Daily bunny no.3101 flying by night