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Brian Hofer

@brianhofer.bsky.social
669 followers 308 following 68 posts

Executive Director, Secure Justice (@securejustice.bsky.social) secure-justice.org fmr. Chair, City of Oakland Privacy Advisory Commission (2016-2025)

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Brian Hofer
vp.net @vpnet.bsky.social · 23h
Towns are ending Flock contracts after residents showed up and asked questions. Next: a rule that stops the next contract. @brianhofer.bsky.social of @securejustice.bsky.social joins us Saturday at 2pm ET. Mark the calendar: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQqv... #ALPR #Surveillance #Flock #HideAndSpeak
youtube.com
Flock Cameras Are Coming Down. Here's How to Keep Them Down. | Hide & Speak
YouTube video by Verified Privacy VPN (vp.net)
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
DeFlock Redmond @deflock-redmond.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
#Flock are at it again! 😩 > “the City’s direction was not followed, and the camera was placed back into service without authorization.” "After that report, the city said staff checked camera locations across the community & found one more reinstalled camera." #deflock #surveillance #alpr
kstp.com
Dayton Flock cameras reinstalled without city approval, police notified
Dayton found two Flock cameras reinstalled without city approval after a program hold and ordered their removal.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Secure Justice @securejustice.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
SB 1013 is no longer simply about putting guardrails around ALPR surveillance. It increasingly risks normalizing the surveillance architecture itself. secure-justice.org/blog/sb1013
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Secure Justice @securejustice.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Worried about the rapidly expanding surveillance state? Join us at a free digital security training Aug 15 in Richmond (10-2pm) to get specific product recs and strategies to reduce your digital footprint. Register here: secure-justice.org/aug-15-richm...
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Secure Justice @securejustice.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Bay Area - Richmond: on June 27 we're hosting another privacy/digital security training workshop along with Reimagine Richmond and Safe Return Project. Free to the general public. More info and register here: secure-justice.org/jun-27-richm... Learn how to reduce your digital footprint.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Fight for the Future @fightforthefuture.org · 29/05/2026
✊🏽LETS GO - DEFLOCK SAN FRANCISCO!! Join us today at 4pm deets in graphic below 👇🏽 @securejustice.bsky.social @indivisiblesf.bsky.social @bayresistance.bsky.social @aptpaction.bsky.social
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Fight for the Future @fightforthefuture.org · 26/05/2026
That's why we're taking action this Friday to pressure Lowe's to drop its Flock contract. If you're in the #SanFranciso area, join us! @securejustice.bsky.social @indivisiblesf.bsky.social @bayresistance.bsky.social @techworkerscoalition.org
graphic with two logos at the top that are from Fight for the Future and DeFlock SF with a yellow highlighted section that says May 29th @4pm to the left of a light blue highlighted section with the text 491 Bayshore Blvd, San Francisco, CA with larger text in a white box that says 'join us in SF to pressure Lowe's to drop its Flock contract on the same day as its big shareholder meeting. Flock is not welcome on San Franciso's streets or its business parking lots. There are 6 logos on the bottom of the graphic, from left to right: secure justice, People's aid, Bay resistance, anti-Police Terror Project and Indivisible SF
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Fight for the Future @fightforthefuture.org · 18/05/2026
📣 San Francisco we want to see you on May 29th! Flock surveillance has a huge shareholder meeting so we're teaming up with @securejustice.bsky.social @indivisiblesf.bsky.social @bayresistance.bsky.social @techworkerscoalition.org & more to let the company know just how unwelcome they are!
white event graphic with text highlighted in yellow that reads May 29th at 4 PM and words highlighted in blue that read 491 Bayshore Blvd San Francisco, CA with larger text beneath it that reads 'join us in SF to pressure Lowe's to drop its Flock contract ont he same day as its big shareholder meeting. Flock is not welcome in San Fransico's streets or business parking lots. There are organizational logos on the bottom of the graphic including Indivisible San Franciso, Bay Resistance, Secure Justice and others.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Melissa Gira Grant @melissagiragrant.com · 08/05/2026
“‘What’s happening right now is probably the swiftest disenfranchisement of Black folks since Reconstruction, due to disenfranchisement by racist gerrymandering. And they will lie and say that it’s for political purposes,’ said Democratic state representative Justin Pearson of Tennessee…”
theguardian.com
‘This is not democracy’: voting rights activists shocked by speed of US states moving to stifle Black voters
Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and other southern states stun residents with all-out charge to redraw congressional maps to favor white voters after supreme court ruling
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
DeFlock Redmond @deflock-redmond.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Do you know how many other agencies your local police department shares #Flock data with? Check out the Network visualizer on FlockHopper: dontgetflocked.com/maps?mode=ne... #deflock #surveillance #alpr
Screenshot from FlockHopper (dontgetflocked.com) showing the data-sharing network for Flock ALPR cameras in Tukwila, WA. Colored arcs on a dark map of NE Washington branch out from Tukwila to visually links to the other police agencies.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Maaike @maaikeverbruggen.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
i had no idea they tracked fonts for unique fingerprints. that is interesting
What you carry
Georgia · Courier New · Comic Sans MS · Impact · Trebuchet MS · Garamond · Verdana · Tahoma · Lucida Console · Cambria
Your device carries these typefaces, of the seventeen commonly probed by fingerprinting checks. On desktop, the specific combination of fonts is often nearly unique — fonts accumulate over time, with apps and OS updates, and the resulting set becomes a fingerprint made of letters. Advertising networks combine this with your screen size, language, timezone, and GPU to identify devices across websites. Without cookies. Without accounts. Without a name. The technique is called browser fingerprinting. It is legal in most jurisdictions. It is happening on most pages you visit. None of them mention it.
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Brian Hofer @brianhofer.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Make it make sense 🤦🏻‍♂️
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Secure Justice @securejustice.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Why are Bay Area law enforcement agencies violating state law in record numbers?
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Brian Hofer @brianhofer.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...
forbes.com
Microsoft Gave FBI BitLocker Encryption Keys, Exposing Privacy Flaw
The tech giant said providing encryption keys was a standard response to a court order. But companies like Apple and Meta set up their systems so such a privacy violation isn’t possible.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Sasha Costanza-Chock @schock.cc · 22/01/2026
I just called all of my Congresspeople using this handy calling tool from @fightforthefuture.org and you should too! Call tonight, call tomorrow, don't stop calling until we abolish ICE www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/no-f...
fightforthefuture.org
No Funding for ICE Surveillance Tech!
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Secure Justice @securejustice.bsky.social · 28/12/2025
You you can support the fight for privacy here: secure-justice.org/donate
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Jeff St John @jeffstjohn.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
If you work for a tech company, you can sign this. iceout.tech?utm_source=s...
iceout.tech
Tech demands ICE out of our cities
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Project On Government Oversight @pogo.org · 18/01/2026
Make sure to read our latest investigation with American University's Investigative Reporting Workshop: Texts and records reveal how Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona privately talk about use of force and accountability — and how to avoid discipline.
pogo.org
Inside One of the Border Patrol’s Most Violent Sectors
Texts and records reveal how Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona privately talk about use of force and accountability — and how to avoid discipline.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Kate Kaye @katekaye.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
Through Feb 14, Portland is accepting comments from anyone on the police bureau's Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) policy directive, now under second review. This is a great opportunity to engage in local government's public rulemaking process related to surveillance tech use!
portland.gov
Second Universal Review and Public Comment Period
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Brian Hofer @brianhofer.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
www.404media.co/here-is-the-...
404media.co
Here is the Agreement Giving ICE Medicaid Patients' Data
On Tuesday, ICE was allowed to continue using Medicaid data in deportation cases.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
DeFlock Redmond @deflock-redmond.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
A call to action against #Flock #surveillance today from @seindivisible.bsky.social 'With the first city council meetings of 2026 beginning, right now is a critical opportunity to urge your council to protect their constituents.. Email your city council: "Shut down ALPR cameras."' 📝 #deflock #wa
mobilize.us
Urge Your City Council to SHUT DOWN Flock · Indivisible
With the first city council meetings of 2026 beginning, right now is a critical opportunity to urge your council to protect their constituents from Trump's ICE goons. ALPR (Automated License Plate R...
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Brian Hofer @brianhofer.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
gothamist.com/news/nyc-weg...
gothamist.com
NYC Wegmans is storing biometric data on shoppers' eyes, voices and faces
The supermarket chain says it’s a move to ensure shopper safety. Surveillance experts warn of privacy risks.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Ali Winston @awinston.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
On the campaign trail, Zohran Mamdani condemned the NYPD's Bloomberg-era 'mosque-raking' program. Will he allow a public accounting of the city's mass surveillance of Muslim communities? A new open records lawsuit is raising this issue back to the fore. My latest
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
DeFlock Redmond @deflock-redmond.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
"The final installment of the Flock Trilogy, filmed on a publicly deployed Flock Safety camera." Benn found nearly 70 #Flock AI surveillance cameras with no user name or password required to access the past 31 days of recorded or live footage! 😩 Cancel Flock! 🚫 #deflock #surveillance #flocksafety
youtu.be
This Flock Camera Leak is like Netflix For Stalkers
YouTube video by Benn Jordan
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
SCOOP: Flock left at least 60 of its AI-powered, people-tracking surveillance cameras exposed and livestreaming to the open internet. We tracked ourselves. The exposure highlights the power of these cameras and types of things they're tracking. Not just cars. www.404media.co/flock-expose...
404media.co
Flock Exposed Its AI-Powered Cameras to the Internet. We Tracked Ourselves.
Flock left at least 60 of its people-tracking Condor PTZ cameras live streaming and exposed to the open internet.
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Brian Hofer @brianhofer.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
ICE is using smartwatches to track pregnant women, even during labor: ‘She was so afraid they would take her baby’
Pregnant immigrants in ICE monitoring programs are avoiding care, fearing detention during labour and delivery
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Brian Hofer @brianhofer.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
ICE is using smartwatches to track pregnant women, even during labor: ‘She was so afraid they would take her baby’
Pregnant immigrants in ICE monitoring programs are avoiding care, fearing detention during labour and delivery
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
C. Robert Cargill @crobertcargill.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
The economy is FAR WORSE than the government is acknowledging. This holiday season, if you know folks struggling, don't be afraid to leave a mystery box of groceries or some gifts from Santa for the kids on their porch. Maybe drop a grocery store gift card in their mailbox. Be the Christmas magic.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Indybay @indybay.org · 29/11/2025
Berkeley Police Chief Withholds Evidence of “ICE” Search of City Camera Data
indybay.org
Berkeley Police Chief Withholds Evidence of “ICE” Search of City Camera Data
Copwatch Calls for Ban on Mass Surveillance
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Jonathan Shorman @jonshorman.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Homeland Security wants access to driver’s license info for its powerful citizenship data system, and may turn to an obscure data sharing network for it — a move that could avoid having to negotiate with states My latest for @stateline.org stateline.org/2025/11/25/h...
stateline.org
Homeland Security wants state driver’s license data for sweeping citizenship program • Stateline
The Trump administration wants access to state driver’s license data on millions of U.S. residents as it builds a powerful citizenship verification program amid its clampdown on voter fraud and illega...
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Privacy International @privacyinternational.org · 27/11/2025
Our societies are militarising: 1️⃣ Governments are using data-intensive systems for military ends 2️⃣ Non-defence companies are entering the defence sector 3️⃣ Defence tech is seeping into civic spaces 4️⃣ Tech used in conflict is used commercially too privacyinternational.org/long-read/56...
privacyinternational.org
What is Militarisation of Tech?
Governments are rapidly militarising our societies. They are already increasing military spending, undermining civil rights protections, and reducing social protection programmes.
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Brian Hofer @brianhofer.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
You voted for this, America.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Jaime Omar Yassin [TNH] @hyphyrepublic.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
If you're looking for a cracking good story to read in bed on a federal holiday, this Flock story's got it all.
oakland-observer.ghost.io
Reporter’s Notebook: Committee Failure Breaks Flock Momentum For Now--More on Oakland Arms Embargo and OPD's Bearcats
Flock Fails at Public Safety Committee Meeting A surprise stalemate at Oakland’s Public Safety Committee Tuesday sapped the trajectory of what many observers believed was an all but assured vote to institutionalize and expand OPD’s Flock surveillance program. OPD’s proposal that would see the department taking over
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
We need your help. Because 404 Media uses Ghost (a privacy-forward stack) we don't know much about our readers. Do they find us through articles, or podcasts? Are readers on Bluesky, Mastodon, both? Please fill this out to help us grow sustainably, it takes 1 min! www.404media.co/please-pleas...
404media.co
Please, please do our reader survey
It'll take just a minute and help 404 Media figure out how to grow sustainably.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Faiza Patel @faizapatel.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
After 9/11, the U.S. built a huge surveillance infrastructure for counterterrorism. It was abused to target Muslim Americans, but the broad authorities were also used to go after protestors. Immigration enforcement is the new counterterrorism: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
ICE Wants to Go After Dissenters as well as Immigrants
The Trump administration is being open about its plans to violate Americans’ First and Fourth Amendment rights.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Here is the video for our latest FOIA Forum, where we told you how to get information about Flock from your local agencies/government. Includes network audits, which are the files that show why exactly cops are using the cameras (helping ICE, for example): www.404media.co/heres-the-vi...
404media.co
Here's the Video for Our Seventh FOIA Forum: Flock
Here is the archived video of our FOIA Forum about how to do reporting on Flock.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Elizabeth Joh @elizabethjoh.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
So we’re just experimenting with AI in criminal cases huh “The case is among the first in which a prosecutor is accused of filing court papers marred by A.I.-generated mistakes.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
nytimes.com
Prosecutor Used Flawed A.I. to Keep a Man in Jail, His Lawyers Say
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Dave Maass 🔦 @maassive.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Cops around the country searched Flock Safety ALPR databases related to the No Kings protests.
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Brian Hofer @brianhofer.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
missionlocal.org/2025/11/sf-j...
missionlocal.org
Women in S.F. jail say they were forced to undress while deputies filmed them
Women being held in a San Francisco jail say deputies ordered them to strip while the deputies laughed and filmed them with body cameras.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Rebecca Williams @rebeccawilliams.info · 20/11/2025
The comment period for this proposed rule closes in 7 days: www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
federalregister.gov
Collection of Biometric Data From Aliens Upon Entry to and Departure From the United States
This final rule amends Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations to provide that DHS may require all aliens to be photographed when entering or exiting the United States, and may require non-e...
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
404 Media @404media.co · 18/11/2025
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...
404media.co
Airlines Will Shut Down Program That Sold Your Flights Records to Government
The move comes after intense pressure from lawmakers and 404 Media’s months-long reporting about the airline industry's data selling practices.
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Brian Hofer @brianhofer.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
www.dailycal.org/news/uc/fede...
dailycal.org
Federal judge sides with UC employees in free speech lawsuit against Trump administration
A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction in the latest installment of a coalition of UC employees and students’ lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 26/10/2025
A Sunday morning read: I wrote a deeply personal essay on what it was like to see a fellow Chicagoan taken by ICE, how it connects to Latin-America's long history of desaparecidos, and how we can mobilize theory, particularly faith, into action. in @truthout.org truthout.org/articles/ice...
truthout.org
ICE Kidnapped My Neighbor in Broad Daylight. The Aftermath Left Me Reeling.
Watching disappearances in our community leaves psychological trauma, but we can counter it with our solidarity.
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Reposted by Brian Hofer
Secure Justice @securejustice.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Secure Justice newsletter A mixed bag for privacy eepurl.com/jqqNVQ
eepurl.com
A mixed bag for privacy
View this email in your browser
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Brian Hofer @brianhofer.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
Can’t see how this might be abused
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Brian Hofer @brianhofer.bsky.social · 04/10/2025
www.wired.com/story/ice-so...
wired.com
ICE Wants to Build Out a 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Team
Documents show that ICE plans to hire dozens of contractors to scan X, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms to target people for deportation.
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Brian Hofer @brianhofer.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
www.propublica.org/article/tom-...
propublica.org
Trading on Tom Homan: Inside the Push to Cash in on the Trump Administration’s Deportation Campaign
A Pennsylvania businessman who had Tom Homan on his payroll led companies to believe his connections to the future border czar could help advance their bids for government work, industry executives sa...
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