Hacker News with Generative AI: Surveillance

Anyone Can Buy Data Tracking US Soldiers an Spies to Nuclear Vaults and Brothels (wired.com)
A joint investigation by WIRED, Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), and Netzpolitik.org reveals that US companies legally collecting digital advertising data are also providing the world a cheap and reliable way to track the movements of American military and intelligence personnel overseas, from their homes and their children’s schools to hardened aircraft shelters within an airbase where US nuclear weapons are believed to be stored.
Privacy, Data Security, Military, Surveillance, Journalism
9 points by SirLJ 5 hours ago | 0 comments
Why NSA Rules Say No to Smartphones, No to Texting, Yes to Podcasts (newyorker.com)
The National Security Agency’s new podcast takes its name from the clandestine organization’s own nickname, No Such Agency, and its hosts—Cam Potts, Christy Wicks, Brian Fassler, and John Parker—are all N.S.A. employees.
Podcasts, Government, Technology, Surveillance
22 points by fortran77 2 days ago | 4 comments
Military's UFO-hunting aerial surveillance system detailed in report (twz.com)
The Pentagon provided new details today about how its deployable, readily reconfigurable suite of sensors called GREMLIN works to help set the stage for figuring out what unidentified objects in our skies are and are not, if they appear at all.
Military, Surveillance, UFOs, Technology
108 points by speckx 5 days ago | 122 comments
NSO's attacks against WhatsApp users unsealed (techcrunch.com)
On Thursday, WhatsApp scored a legal victory by convincing a U.S. federal judge to publicly release three court documents that include new revelations about the inner workings of Pegasus, the spyware made by Israeli surveillance tech maker NSO Group.
Cybersecurity, Lawsuits, Surveillance, Israel, WhatsApp
20 points by miohtama 5 days ago | 0 comments
Why is my air fryer spying on me? We reveal the smart devices gathering data (which.co.uk)
Which? research has found evidence of excessive smart device surveillance - from air fryers demanding permission to listen in on conversations and sharing data with TikTok, to TVs wanting to know users’ exact locations at all times
Privacy, Smart Devices, Consumer Reports, Surveillance, Data Collection
7 points by gnabgib 5 days ago | 0 comments
7th Circuit Again Says Long-Term Pole Camera Surveillance Isn't Unconstitutional (techdirt.com)
The Seventh Circuit Appeals Court was somewhat hesitant to bless the 18 months of pole camera surveillance in the Tuggle case back in 2021. The reluctance to state affirmatively this sort of surveillance will always be constitutional shows up in its most recent decision dealing with the same subject matter.
Law, Surveillance, Privacy, Technology, Courts
15 points by hn_acker 5 days ago | 0 comments
Surveillance and the history of 19th-century wearable tech (mitpress.mit.edu)
On December 22, 1860, the Vincennes Gazette, an Indiana weekly paper, ran the following anecdote:
Surveillance, History, Wearable Tech
56 points by lapetitejort 6 days ago | 13 comments
Privacy, Why? (tbray.org)
They’re listening to us too much, and watching too. We’re not happy about it. The feeling is appropriate but we’ve been unclear about why we feel it.
Privacy, Surveillance
5 points by HieronymusBosch 6 days ago | 0 comments
DeFlock is to help you learn about Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) (deflock.me)
Privacy, Surveillance, Technology, Data
17 points by WaitWaitWha 8 days ago | 2 comments
The Wired Guide to Protecting Yourself from Government Surveillance (wired.com)
President-elect Donald Trump has promised to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. He’s vowed to jail his political foes and journalists. A Republican-controlled government could further restrict abortion and transgender rights. Influential conservatives have called for a crackdown on left-leaning activist groups, a replay of Trump’s hardline attitude against protesters in his first administration.
Privacy, Politics, Surveillance, Journalism, Law Enforcement
75 points by mdhb 9 days ago | 70 comments
Meta does a U-turn, will share its technology with Five Eyes members (slashdot.org)
Meta, Technology, Government, Surveillance, Privacy
92 points by sourcepluck 14 days ago | 77 comments
NRO chief: "You can't hide" from our new swarm of SpaceX-built spy satellites (arstechnica.com)
The director of the National Reconnaissance Office has a message for US adversaries around the world.
Space, National Security, Satellites, Surveillance, Intelligence
33 points by rbanffy 15 days ago | 12 comments
Escape the Surveillance Web with Gemini (soban.ski)
Intrusive advertisements, Bloated JavaScript widgets, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated, Search Engine Optimized (SEO) slop suffocate our web browsing experience.
Privacy, Web Browsing, Technology, Surveillance, Artificial Intelligence
19 points by runamuck 16 days ago | 24 comments
As the Gun Detection Tech Firm Said, Its Tech Doesn't Work in NYC Subways (techdirt.com)
What are the odds.
Gun Control, Surveillance, Technology
10 points by hn_acker 22 days ago | 2 comments
License Plate Readers Are Creating a US-Wide Database of More Than Just Cars (wired.com)
From Trump campaign signs to Planned Parenthood bumper stickers, license plate readers around the US are creating searchable databases that reveal Americans’ political leanings and more.
Privacy, Surveillance, Data Collection, Politics, Technology
61 points by walterbell 23 days ago | 24 comments
The sins of the 90s: Questioning a puzzling claim about mass surveillance (cr.yp.to)
Meredith Whittaker, president of the Signal Foundation, gave an interesting talk at NDSS 2024 titled "AI, Encryption, and the Sins of the 90s".
Privacy, Surveillance, Security, Artificial Intelligence, Encryption
243 points by ibotty 24 days ago | 193 comments
Facial recognition glasses turn everyday life into creepy privacy nightmare (foxnews.com)
In a scenario that feels almost surreal and scary, we find ourselves grappling with the implications of the latest Meta Ray-Ban 2 Smart Glasses. These innovative shades have quickly become the center of a privacy storm, raising important questions about how technology intersects with our personal lives.
Privacy, Surveillance, Facial Recognition, Technology
14 points by thunderbong 26 days ago | 9 comments
The Thing, also known as the Great Seal bug (wikipedia.org)
The Thing, also known as the Great Seal bug, was one of the first covert listening devices (or "bugs") to use passive techniques to transmit an audio signal.
History, Technology, Cold War, Espionage, Surveillance
4 points by KolmogorovComp 28 days ago | 0 comments
Location tracking of phones is out of control (arstechnica.com)
You likely have never heard of Babel Street or Location X, but chances are good that they know a lot about you and anyone else you know who keeps a phone nearby around the clock.
Privacy, Location Data, Mobile Devices, Surveillance
58 points by dangle1 28 days ago | 7 comments
Show HN: RF Hunter – Find hidden cameras and other devices (github.com/RamboRogers)
RFHunter is a device to find hidden Cameras at AirBNBs
Security, Hardware, Privacy, Surveillance
594 points by RamboRogers 28 days ago | 175 comments
The global surveillance free-for-all in mobile ad data (krebsonsecurity.com)
Not long ago, the ability to digitally track someone’s daily movements just by knowing their home address, employer, or place of worship was considered a dangerous power that should remain only within the purview of nation states.
Privacy, Mobile Advertising, Data Security, Surveillance
294 points by todsacerdoti 29 days ago | 162 comments
Lawsuit: City cameras make it impossible to drive anywhere without being tracked (arstechnica.com)
Police use of automated license-plate reader cameras is being challenged in a lawsuit alleging that the cameras enable warrantless surveillance in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
Privacy, Surveillance, Lawsuits, Technology, Law Enforcement
15 points by MBCook 30 days ago | 5 comments
How Many U.S. Persons Does Section 702 Spy On? The ODNI Needs to Come Clean (eff.org)
EFF has joined with 23 other organizations including the ACLU, Restore the Fourth, the Brennan Center for Justice, Access Now, and the Freedom of the Press Foundation to demand that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) furnish the public with an estimate of exactly how many U.S. persons’ communications have been hoovered up, and are now sitting on a government server for law enforcement to unconstitutionally sift through at their leisure.
Privacy, Surveillance, Government, Law Enforcement, Civil Liberties
18 points by hn_acker 30 days ago | 1 comments
Lawsuit Argues Warrantless Use of Flock Surveillance Cameras Is Unconstitutional (404media.co)
A civil liberties organization has filed a federal lawsuit in Virginia arguing that widespread surveillance enabled by Flock, a company that sells networks of automated license plate readers, is unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment.
Surveillance, Law, Civil Liberties, Fourth Amendment, Technology
20 points by aspenmayer 30 days ago | 3 comments
U.S. border surveillance towers have always been broken (eff.org)
A new bombshell scoop from NBC News revealed an internal U.S. Border Patrol memo claiming that 30 percent of camera towers that compose the agency's "Remote Video Surveillance System" (RVSS) program are broken.
Surveillance, Government, Technology, USA, Border Security
127 points by gslin 31 days ago | 139 comments
The Pentagon Wants to Use AI to Create Deepfake Internet Users (theintercept.com)
The United States’ secretive Special Operations Command is looking for companies to help create deepfake internet users so convincing that neither humans nor computers will be able to detect they are fake, according to a procurement document reviewed by The Intercept.
Artificial Intelligence, Deepfakes, Military, Security, Surveillance
14 points by croes 33 days ago | 8 comments
GPS Tracking of Teens 24/7 Impacts Parent-Child Relationships (scientificamerican.com)
Phone apps can tell whether your kid is playing hooky. But remotely surveilling your child might not be great for navigating the trials of the teen years
Parenting, Technology, Teenagers, Surveillance
15 points by Brajeshwar 33 days ago | 4 comments
Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (wikipedia.org)
Harvest now, decrypt later, also known as store now, decrypt later or retrospective decryption, is a surveillance strategy that relies on the acquisition and long-term storage of currently unreadable encrypted data awaiting possible breakthroughs in decryption technology that would render it readable in the future - a hypothetical date referred to as Y2Q (a reference to Y2K) or Q-Day.
Surveillance, Encryption, Technology, Security
7 points by sandwichsphinx 33 days ago | 0 comments
Apple Hosts Secretive Conferences to Teach Law Enforcement for Police Work (macrumors.com)
Apple in 2023 hosted a "Global Police Summit" to help police agencies around the world better take advantage of Apple products for police work like surveillance, reports Forbes.
Apple, Law Enforcement, Surveillance, Technology, Privacy
6 points by bookofjoe 40 days ago | 0 comments
NASA's Inspector General Has Decided to Buy Itself Some Clearview Access (techdirt.com)
NASA bought access to Clearview AI, a powerful and controversial surveillance tool that uses billions of images scraped from social media to perform facial recognition, according to U.S. government procurement data reviewed by 404 Media.
Privacy, Surveillance, Facial Recognition, Government, Law Enforcement
3 points by hn_acker 40 days ago | 1 comments