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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)

@christopher-parsons.com
1.6K followers 799 following 283 posts

Policy wonk. Street photographer. Torontonian. Not necessarily in that order. Interests: privacy, national security, artificial intelligence, accountability, democratic governance. Posts are mine, not my employer’s. christopher-parsons.com

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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Runa Sandvik @runasand.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Great writeup from @lorenzofb.bsky.social on the recent OpenAI vs. Hugging Face incident. Turns out it started with a human mistake at OpenAI: someone forgot to set up an isolated environment prior to testing a model; the model went rogue; and attacked Hugging Face. techcrunch.com/2026/07/22/h...
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
As many are aware by now, @accessnow.org 's annual @rightscon.org was cancelled because of pressure on the host govt Zambia 🇿🇲 by China 🇨🇳 www.rightscon.org/rc26-stateme... In their statement, @accessnow.org rightly flags this is as an example of transnational repression
rightscon.org
A statement to our community about why RightsCon 2026 will not take place in Zambia
Our official statement to the digital rights community about why RightsCon 2026 will not take place in Zambia
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 26/04/2026
Some very thoughtful suggestions for students and early career professionals who are exploring the technology law space, and considering ways of breaking into the field.
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 16/04/2026
For students and early-career professionals trying to understand technology policy: some thoughts on how to enter the field, what skills matter, and how the work tends to unfold over time. Link: christopher-parsons.com/2026/04/10/a... #careers #techpolicy #cyberpolicy
christopher-parsons.com
A Career in Technology Policy: How to Get Started and What to Expect
Technology policy sits at the intersection of law, technology, and politics. This post describes ways of entering the field, developing relevant skills, and building a sustainable career.
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 16/04/2026
For students and early-career professionals trying to understand technology policy: some thoughts on how to enter the field, what skills matter, and how the work tends to unfold over time. Link: christopher-parsons.com/2026/04/10/a... #careers #techpolicy #cyberpolicy
christopher-parsons.com
A Career in Technology Policy: How to Get Started and What to Expect
Technology policy sits at the intersection of law, technology, and politics. This post describes ways of entering the field, developing relevant skills, and building a sustainable career.
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Eric Geller @ericjgeller.com · 07/04/2026
Hours after Microsoft reveals that Russian hackers have been breaking into poorly secured routers & hijacking DNS requests (sometimes to collect Outlook data) www.microsoft.com/en-us/securi... DOJ says it has kicked those Russians out of the US routers they hacked: www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justi...
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 03/04/2026
In summary, these changes would create new risks, reduce transparency, and undermine independent oversight — key foundations of a healthy democracy.
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 03/04/2026
Our submission warned that the proposals would significantly limit public access to government records held by the premier, cabinet ministers, parliamentary assistants, and political staff, while also weakening privacy protections for Ontarians.
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 03/04/2026
Yesterday, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario provided our comments to the legislature on Bill 97, which you can find at www.ipc.on.ca/en/resources... #foi #privacy #transparency #ONpoli
ipc.on.ca
IPC urges the removal of Bill 97 changes that weaken access and privacy rights
Schedule 7 of Bill 97, Plan to Protect Ontario Act, would significantly limit public access to government records held by the premier, cabinet ministers, parliamentary assistants, and political staff,...
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 03/04/2026
Yesterday, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario provided our comments to the legislature on Bill 97, which you can find at www.ipc.on.ca/en/resources... #foi #privacy #transparency #ONpoli
ipc.on.ca
IPC urges the removal of Bill 97 changes that weaken access and privacy rights
Schedule 7 of Bill 97, Plan to Protect Ontario Act, would significantly limit public access to government records held by the premier, cabinet ministers, parliamentary assistants, and political staff,...
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 25/03/2026
Commissioner Patricia Kosseim has released an updated statement addressing the Government of Ontario’s shifting justifications for their proposal to reduce Ontarians’ transparency rights. Full statement: www.ipc.on.ca/en/media-cen... #Privacy #AccessToInformation #FIPPA #Transparency #PublicPolicy
ipc.on.ca
Updated statement on proposed changes to Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
TORONTO, ON (March 25, 2026) – For nearly forty years, Ontarians have had the right to access government-related records at the highest levels.
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 18/03/2026
Last week, the Ontario government announced sweeping changes to Ontario’s access and privacy laws. The Privacy Commissioner of Ontario is warning that these changes risk taking us back to the information dark ages. 🔗 www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti... #privacylaw #foi #privacy #transparency
theglobeandmail.com
Opinion: Ontario steps back into the information dark ages
The Ford government’s efforts to ‘modernize’ the province’s freedom of information laws just eviscerates public accountability
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario @ipcontario.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Read the full statement here: www.ipc.on.ca/en/media-cen...
ipc.on.ca
Statement from Commissioner Patricia Kosseim on proposed changes to Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) was built on a simple democratic principle: that government transparency and accountability are fundamental to a healthy democrac...
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario @ipcontario.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
In a new statement, Commissioner Patricia Kosseim warns that proposed changes to Ontario's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act would seriously weaken privacy protections, transparency, reduce independent oversight and put Ontarians’ personal information at greater risk.
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
ON 🇨🇦 Premier Doug Ford is scaling back access to information b/c he's worried "the communist Chinese" will request his cellphone records @stephaniecarvin.bsky.social and I splashed some "that's ridiculous" cold water on logic (More likely he's hiding something) www.thestar.com/politics/pro...
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 13/03/2026
Today, the Government of Ontario announced forthcoming amendments to Ontario’s privacy and access laws. You can find the statement from Cssr Kosseim about these proposals at: www.ipc.on.ca/en/media-cen... #privacy #privacylaw #FOI
ipc.on.ca
Statement from Commissioner Patricia Kosseim on proposed changes to Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) was built on a simple democratic principle: that government transparency and accountability are fundamental to a healthy democrac...
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Nick Sullivan @nicksullivan.org · 27/01/2026
USENIX Enigma has published its CFP for 2026: www.usenix.org/conference/u... Submissions are due March 31, 2026. Looking forward to seeing many of you this year.
usenix.org
USENIX Security '26 Enigma Track Call for Participation
USENIX Security brings together researchers, practitioners, system programmers, and others to share and explore the latest advances in the security and privacy of computer systems and networks.
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Damien Van Puyvelde @dvanp.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
My forthcoming book on "The DGSE" is now available for pre-order through Georgetown University Press: press.georgetown.edu/Book/The-DGSE
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 21/01/2026
Today the Ontario IPC and OHRC jointly released our AI Principles. They are designed to help orgs develop, deploy, and use AI systems in ways that maintain the public trust while respecting privacy and upholding human rights. Read the Joint IPC-OHRC AI Principles at: www.ipc.on.ca/en/resources...
ipc.on.ca
Principles for the responsible use of artificial intelligence
The IPC and the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) have developed joint principles to guide the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. These principles are designed to help ...
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 21/01/2026
Today the Ontario IPC and OHRC jointly released our AI Principles. They are designed to help orgs develop, deploy, and use AI systems in ways that maintain the public trust while respecting privacy and upholding human rights. Read the Joint IPC-OHRC AI Principles at: www.ipc.on.ca/en/resources...
ipc.on.ca
Principles for the responsible use of artificial intelligence
The IPC and the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) have developed joint principles to guide the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. These principles are designed to help ...
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Isaac Callan @isaaccallan.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
NEW: A former staffer at the centre of the Greenbelt scandal is taking Ontario’s transparency watchdog to court. He’s fighting a summons to be interviewed under oath over his use of personal emails for government work. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1162160...
globalnews.ca
Former Ford government staffer challenges watchdog order for Greenbelt interview under oath | Globalnews.ca
Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner has been trying to compel a former senior government staffer to turn over personal emails related to the Greenbelt decision-making.
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 21/01/2026
PM Carney’s speech at Davos is surprisingly direct in articulating his — and the Canadian government’s — views on the current state of global geopolitics and their implications. Agree or not, it’s refreshing to see this kind of clarity and candour from senior leaders. www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/spee...
pm.gc.ca
“Principled and pragmatic: Canada’s path” Prime Minister Carney addresses the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting
Thank you, Larry.It’s a pleasure – and a duty – to be with you at this turning point for Canada and for the world.Today, I’ll talk about the rupture in the world order, the end of a nice story, and th...
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Sense Hofstede @sensehofstede.nl · 14/01/2026
Exclusive: Beijing tells Chinese firms to stop using US and Israeli cybersecurity software, sources say – Reuters: ‘Chinese authorities expressed concern that the software could collect and transmit confidential information abroad, said the sources’
reuters.com
Exclusive: Beijing tells Chinese firms to stop using US, Israeli cybersecurity software, sources say
Chinese authorities have told domestic companies to stop using cybersecurity software made by roughly a dozen firms from the U.S. and Israel due to national security concerns, two people briefed on th...
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Global News @globalnews.ca · 05/01/2026
A panel of three judges has thrown out an attempt by the province to stop the release of government calls on Premier Doug Ford’s personal cellphone. globalnews.ca/news/1159745...
globalnews.ca
Ontario court rules Doug Ford must turn over personal phone records | Globalnews.ca
An Ontario court says it is reasonable to conclude Premier Doug Ford uses his personal cellphone to communicate and that he should make those records public.
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 04/01/2026
A notable (if unsurprising) event. These are the kinds of intel ops that we would generally expect security and intelligence agencies to undertake to better understand foreign leaders’ thinking to help inform domestic leaders’ decision-making. I’m curious if the vulns were known to the USA or not…
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Isaac Callan @isaaccallan.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
NEW: The Ontario government is dipping its toe into the world of artificial intelligence, telling civil servants they can use Microsoft Copilot in their day-to-day jobs. The OPS now have highest Copilot use in the country. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1152523...
globalnews.ca
Ontario Public Service has highest Copilot use in Canada, as Ford government rolls out AI | Globalnews.ca
The Ontario Public Service has the highest Microsoft Copilot use in the country, according to internal government documents, and is used weekly by more than 15,000 civil servants.
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Ryan Naraine @ryanaraine.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
FULL SHOW youtu.be/EwMJsU8klZ0?...
youtu.be
OpenAI’s Dave Aitel talks Aardvark, economics of bug-hunting with LLMs
YouTube video by Three Buddy Problem
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Kevin Beaumont @doublepulsar.com · 27/08/2025
. @ciaranm.bsky.social mentioned in this The Times piece about telecom hacks. He's absolutely on the money. A large part of the problem with UK telcos is attackers knowing SNMP strings (and default ones). SNMPv2 from 1995, btw. Then using it to redirect traffic.
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
Germany's top court: Police can only use spyware to probe serious crimes due to its "exceptional reach" and "very serious interference" with individual rights therecord.media/germany-spyw...
therecord.media
Germany’s top court holds that police can only use spyware to investigate serious crimes
The plaintiffs argued that a 2017 rules change enabling law enforcement to use spyware to eavesdrop on encrypted chats and messaging platforms could unfairly expose communications belonging to people ...
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
New from 404 Media: more than 130,000 Claude, Grok, ChatGPT, and other LLM chats are readable on Archive.org. It's similar to the Google indexing issue, but shows it impacts many more LLMs than just ChatGPT. Some chats contain API keys. www.404media.co/more-than-13...
404media.co
More than 130,000 Claude, Grok, ChatGPT, and Other LLM Chats Readable on Archive.org
The issue of publicly saving shared LLM chats is bigger than just Google.
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 07/08/2025
NEW: "The electronic case filing system used by the federal judiciary has been breached in a sweeping cyber intrusion that is believed to have exposed sensitive court data across multiple U.S. states, according to two people with knowledge of the incident."
politico.com
Federal court filing system hit in sweeping hack
The identities of confidential court informants are feared compromised in a series of breaches across multiple U.S. states.
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 28/07/2025
CSE and NSERC to fund research on exploratory analysis of unstructured data www.canada.ca/en/communica...
canada.ca
CSE and NSERC to fund research on exploratory analysis of unstructured data - Canada.ca
The Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) are pleased to announce the funding of a new research community focus...
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Council of Canadian Academies/Conseil des académies canadiennes @cca-reports.ca · 23/07/2025
Interested in the intersection of science and public policy? Apply to be a Project Coordinator. We're looking for a motivated and enthusiastic individual who excels working in a fast-paced environment. #CdnSci #PoliSci Find out more and apply: www.cca-reports.ca/careers/
Blue background with the text, we're hiring!
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 22/10/2024
For 2+ years I’ve been curating a public RSS feed on #cybersecurity, #AI, #privacy, #nationalsecurity, #criticalinfrastructure, & associated policy/legal updates. Most recent 20 links are at: christopher-parsons.com/resources/li... You can subscribe to the RSS feed at: raindrop.io/collection/2...
christopher-parsons.com
Links of Interest
Photo by Matheus Bertelli on Pexels.com I aggregate and share links to articles, reports, or other materials pertaining to my professional interests. Topics covered tend to include: cybersecurity, …
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 20/07/2025
Ufffff…
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 16/07/2025
While it’s received understandable less attention by scholars, journalists, and civil society, I think it’s notable that Canada’s Bill C-2 will amend the Oceans Act, and specifically the section dealing with the Coast Guard. #nationalsecurity #intelligence
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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 25/06/2025
Excited to announce the Enigma Track program is now live for USENIX Security '25! Taking place August 13-14, this track delves into technology's societal impacts & future challenges: www.usenix.org/conference/u... 1/8
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 25/06/2025
Today the Ontario IPC released guardrails for the use of Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) by police. www.ipc.on.ca/en/resources... #policing #privacy #genealogy
ipc.on.ca
Guardrails for Police Use of Investigative Genetic Genealogy in Ontario
While investigative genetic genealogy is a valuable tool for solving crimes and bringing closure to grieving families, there are no clear laws for how police can use it, and under what circumstances. ...
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 02/06/2025
It will be a good one, “Foreign Influence on American's [sic] Data Through the CLOUD Act” : judiciary.house.gov/committee-ac...
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 02/06/2025
This panel will not only scrutinize the UK's secret order demanding Apple build a backdoor into its products but also dive into the critical tension between law enforcement access and the fundamental importance of end-to-end encryption for global security and individual privacy
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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 02/06/2025
It will delve into the US-UK data agreement and potential reforms. Expert testimony will be provided by: Richard Salgado (Salgado Strategies), Greg Nojeim (Center for Democracy & Technology), Susan Landau (Tufts University), and Caroline Wilson Palow (Privacy International)
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Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD @josephhall.org · 02/06/2025
This Thursday, June 5, at 10 AM ET, a critically important congressional hearing will unpack foreign influence on American data via the CLOUD Act. Expect robust debate on encryption, backdoors, and cross-border data access.
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Tamir @digitalprivacy.ca · 02/06/2025
Globe and Male editorial board calls on the government to create a thoughtful AI regulatory framework as a top priority.
theglobeandmail.com
Globe editorial: A real reform mandate for the first federal AI minister
The Prime Minister declined to pen a mandate letter for the minister of a AI and digital innovation. So we did it for him
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Reposted by Christopher Parsons (he/him/his)
evacide @evacide.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
The greatest job alert! My team at EFF is hiring and you could be on it: www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.p...
paycomonline.net
Policy and Research Staff Technologist
...
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Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 23/05/2025
NEW by @lorenzofb.bsky.social: A mysterious government hacking group called "Careto" (aka "The Mask") was once one of the "most advanced threats" of its time, but was never publicly linked to a specific government. Researchers privately concluded that Careto was working for the Spanish government.
techcrunch.com
Mysterious hacking group Careto was run by the Spanish government, sources say | TechCrunch
The elusive hacking group Careto was never publicly linked to a specific government, but TechCrunch has learned researchers concluded privately that the Spanish government was behind the group.
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 21/05/2025
Japan’s new Active Cyberdefense Law will permit a lot! 1. Japan’s Self-Defence Forces will be able to provide material support to allies under the justification that failing to do so could endanger the whole of the country. #cybersecurity #offensivecyber
therecord.media
Japan enacts new Active Cyberdefense Law allowing for offensive cyber operations
The new law, which was first mooted in 2022, is intended to help Japan strengthen its cyber defense “to a level equal to major Western powers” and marks a break from the country’s traditional approach...
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Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 15/05/2025
In memoriam: Cryptome co-founder John L. Young, who died March 28 at age 89 in New York City, was one of the early, under-recognized heroes of the digital age.
eff.org
In Memoriam: John L. Young, Cryptome Co-Founder
John L. Young, who died March 28 at age 89 in New York City, was among the first people to see the need for an online library of official secrets, a place where the public could find out things that g...
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Kevin Collier @kevincollier.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
NEW: TeleMessage, the Signal knockoff used by Mike Waltz and potentially other gov officials to archive group chats in plaintext, has suspended all services after it was hacked *at least twice.* @404media.co reported a hack last night; a different hacker also broke in and gave me evidence.
nbcnews.com
TeleMessage suspends services after hackers claim breach
The app was seemingly used by Mike Waltz in last week's cabinet meeting, according to a photograph published by Reuters.
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Christopher Parsons (he/him/his) @christopher-parsons.com · 01/05/2025
Neurotechnology is an emerging area of interest for many privacy practitioners. Neurotechnologies can be used for medical and therapeutic interventions, as diagnostic and preventative tools, to enhance cognitive functions, and advance research on the brain.
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