Tag: surveillance
232 articles
China Rapidly Expands Secretive 'Area 51'-Like Airbase
New satellite images reveal a massive expansion at Lop Nur Airbase in Xinjiang, with fresh taxiways, hangars, and fuel storage facilities that supercharge the airfield's capacity for aircraft movements and flight tests. The rapid buildout, including a sprawling 3.1-mile runway, suggests a frantic pace of activity at the secretive base.
AI-Powered Baby Monitors Raise Surveillance Concerns
Nanit's recent $50 million investment boost is set to supercharge its AI-powered baby monitors, enabling them to track crucial developmental milestones like speech, language, and motor skills, and watch over kids well into their teenage years. This raises important questions about surveillance and the expanding role of AI in our children's lives.
Bipartisan Retail Theft Bill Sparks Surveillance Fears
A bipartisan bill aimed at tackling organized retail theft has sparked fears of a massive surveillance network, with critics warning it could have far-reaching and alarming consequences. The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act would create a new coordination center within ICE's Homeland Security Investigations division.
US Agencies Expand DNA Database
The US government's DNA database is expanding rapidly, with a 2025 goal to build a national DNA database for solving crimes that's sparking heated debate about genetic data collection and storage. This move links DNA samples from Homeland Security detainees to the FBI's crime-fighting database, CODIS.
ICE Bans Meta Smart Glasses Over Privacy Risks
The use of Meta smart glasses poses a significant risk of secretly recording or transmitting sensitive information, compromising privacy and legal protections, which is why ICE has banned their use. These devices essentially act as body-worn cameras, capable of covertly capturing video and audio.
Apple Alerts 110 Countries to Mercenary Spyware Threats
Apple just sounded the alarm for users in 110 countries, warning them they've been targeted by highly sophisticated mercenary spyware attacks that are among the most advanced digital threats out there. This latest alert is part of a multi-year effort to protect users, with notifications now sent to customers in over 150 countries.
Apple Warns Users of Mercenary Spyware Attacks on iPhones
Got a warning from Apple about a mercenary spyware attack on your iPhone? This means hackers are trying to secretly access your device, and Apple is stepping in to alert and protect you.
OpenAI Introduces Keylogging Feature for ChatGPT Users
OpenAI's new Computer History feature for ChatGPT users raises some red flags, capturing a detailed stream of interactions like clicks, typing, and keyboard shortcuts from allowed apps and websites, and storing them as local memory files that could potentially be accessed by other programs on your macOS.
Wetherspoons Targets Smart Glasses Over Covert Surveillance Concerns
Wetherspoons is taking a stand against covert surveillance by asking customers to switch off their smart glasses' cameras, citing concerns over secret filming of patrons and staff. The pub chain is opting for a camera-off approach rather than an outright ban on the wearable tech.
Congressional Candidate Targets License Plate Cameras
Meet Adam Lee Heimerman, an independent congressional candidate with a bold - and potentially costly - stance against license plate cameras, who now faces four felony vandalism charges for allegedly destroying four automated license plate reader cameras in Tennessee. His campaign to represent the state's 2nd Congressional District just got a lot more complicated.
MSG Facial Recognition System Flags Activists, Spares Celebrities
The MSG facial recognition system is a stark example of a disturbing double standard, where activists are flagged and scrutinized, while celebrities and wealthy elites are spared, fueling concerns about a surveillance state that's increasingly out of touch with the rights of ordinary people. This biased approach perpetuates a worrying future where the privileged enjoy privacy, and the rest are left vulnerable to corporate monitoring.
UK Picks Tekever Drones to Bolster Surveillance Capabilities
The UK Ministry of Defence is upgrading its surveillance capabilities with the Tekever AR5 drone, boasting improved endurance, sensors, and reliability to keep the Army ahead in reconnaissance. The £400 million deal will bring a fleet of up to 24 AR5 units by 2029, replacing the Watchkeeper ISTAR drones.
Stalkers Exploit Chrome's Sync Feature for Surveillance
Imagine having your every online move tracked by someone you trust - all because they exploited a feature meant to make your life easier. A security researcher found that a stalker can use Google Chrome's sync feature to monitor a victim's online activity, gaining access to their browsing history from anywhere in the world.
Pine Gap's Strategic Value Erodes
Australia's reliance on Pine Gap may be misguided, with the facility's significance in the US alliance being overstated. Located near Alice Springs, Pine Gap plays a crucial role in downlinking sensitive data from US satellites, but its value to Canberra and the bilateral intelligence relationship may be eroding.
NATO Bolsters Surveillance with Saab's GlobalEye Aircraft
NATO is taking its surveillance capabilities to new heights with the planned purchase of up to ten Saab GlobalEye aircraft, a deal that has Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson calling it "a great day for the country's defence industry". Eleven NATO allies are joining forces to make this cutting-edge technology a reality.
Victims of Predatorgate Sue Spyware Maker for €8 Million
Eight individuals targeted in Greece's Predator spyware scandal are taking a stand, suing the spyware maker for €8 million in moral damages after their devices were hacked between 2020 and 2021. Led by lawyer Zacharias Kesses, the group is seeking justice and accountability for the victims of this massive digital breach.
EU Faces Calls to Act as Pegasus Spyware Targets MEP
The discovery of Pegasus spyware on MEP Stelios Kouloglou's phone raises alarming questions about the integrity of Europe's oversight mechanisms, particularly when he was actively investigating spyware abuse by European countries. This incident highlights a disturbing threat to independent scrutiny at the highest levels.
Pegasus Spyware Targets European Parliament Investigator
In a shocking twist, a member of the European Parliament's PEGA Committee, Stelios Kouloglou, was targeted with the notorious Pegasus spyware - the very same spyware his committee is investigating. This brazen move raises serious concerns about surveillance and accountability.
Cellebrite Tool Used by Russia on Jailed Activist's iPhone Despite Sales Cutoff
Despite Cellebrite's claims to have cut off sales to Russia, a shocking forensics trail on a jailed activist's iPhone reveals that the company's tool was used to extract data as recently as June 2021. This alarming discrepancy raises serious questions about Cellebrite's control over its technology.
Cellebrite Tool Exploited by Russia to Infiltrate Activist's Phone
Russian authorities exploited a loophole in Cellebrite's UFED tool, using it to extract data from activist Andrey Pivovarov's phone, even after the device was no longer receiving updates. This security gap allowed the authorities to access the phone's data as far back as June 2021.
London Police Deploy Live Facial Recognition in West End
Get ready for a safer West End: by the end of the year, London's Metropolitan Police Service will be deploying live facial recognition cameras to help keep you protected. This game-changing tech will be used to identify individuals on the watchlist, building on a successful six-month pilot in Croydon.
Teledyne FLIR Unveils Black Recon Microdrone System
Meet the Black Recon microdrone system, a game-changing innovation that empowers operators with persistent situational awareness and faster access to actionable intelligence. This cutting-edge tech launches, recovers, and recharges autonomously from manned ground vehicles, revolutionizing high-tempo missions.
Section 702 Surveillance Program Set to Lapse Amid Congressional Standoff
A critical surveillance program that helps the US gather foreign intelligence is on the verge of lapsing for the first time in its history, sparking a heated debate among lawmakers, tech companies, and civil liberties groups. This development puts at stake the country's ability to collect vital information from abroad.
FCC Proposes Sweeping Phone Data Collection to Curb Burner Phones
The FCC is taking aim at burner phones with a new proposal that would require telecom carriers to collect and store personal info on virtually all customers, effectively ending anonymity for prepaid phone users. If implemented, this rule would revolutionize how phone plans are obtained and used across the country.