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Mikael Thalen

@mikaelthalen.bsky.social
4.6K followers 168 following 339 posts

Tech Reporter at Straight Arrow News-mthalen@san.com -mikaelthalen@protonmail.ch-Signal: mikaelthalen.12

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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Raphael Satter @raphae.li · 51m
Scoop: I spoke to Pryx, a.k.a. Adem El Adeb, friend of ShinyHunters suspect Saif Al-Din Khader. El Adeb said Khader told him he was going to hack the FBI in *early* Sept. which (if true) pushes our timeline back a bit. El Adeb says he told Khader he was "crazy." www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
reuters.com
EXCLUSIVE: Friend of suspected FBI data thief says he warned 'crazy' teen not to hack bureau
A friend of the suspected thief of a massive cache of personal data from the FBI says he begged the teenager not to do it.
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 1h
The F.B.I. has arrested a man in Pennsylvania on suspicion of carrying out the computer hack that stole sensitive information about thousands of F.B.I. employees, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke with The New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/u...
nytimes.com
F.B.I. Arrests Key Suspect in ShinyHunters Hack of Its Own Agents’ Data
The hack left the nation’s premier law enforcement agency racing to respond as both the victim and the investigator of a murky group that threatened to expose agents’ personal information.
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 2h
FBI Director Kash ​Patel said on ‌Friday that the bureau has ​arrested another ​person tied to the ⁠ShinyHunters hacking ​group www.reuters.com/world/us/fbi...
reuters.com
FBI Director Patel says bureau has arrested another person tied to ShinyHunters hackers
FBI Director Kash ​Patel said on ‌Friday that the bureau has ​arrested another ​person tied to the ⁠ShinyHunters hacking ​group.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Maggie Harrison Dupré @mharrisondupre.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
NEW: TikTok creators seeking affiliate kickbacks are promoting cheap Meta AI Glasses dupes by claiming that the knockoffs don't feature "annoying" indicator lights that signal when wearers are filming. “I’m recording you right now and you probably can’t even tell..." futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com
Influencers Are Promoting Cheap Dupes of Meta AI Glasses that Don't Have the "Annoying Blinking Light" When They Record
Creators are promoting cheaper dupes for Meta smart glasses. Often, the lack of any recording light is central to their pitch.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Straight Arrow @san.com · 2h
A U.S. senator is demanding answers from Trump Mobile after a ransomware group hacked and leaked the personal data of 3,615 customers. straightarrowne.ws/4hOkQ2p
Senator demands answers about ‘sensitive’ hack of Trump Mobile
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Straight Arrow @san.com · 07/10/2026
Straight Arrow's Mikael Thalen spoke with Anthony Sistilli who said the visit lasted about 30 minutes. “Their concern was that mapping police movements could put officers at risk and help people committing crimes,” Sistilli told Thalen. Full interview: ow.ly/l35A50ZVAh8
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
NEW: I spoke with a Canadian YouTuber who was visited by police after building a Flock-style camera designed to record the license plates of cop cars. 'My impression was that they weren’t familiar with many of the controversies or examples of misuse in the United States.' san.com/cc/he-built-...
san.com
He built his own Flock-style camera to track police. The police didn’t like it
A YouTuber was visited by law enforcement after he built a Flock-style camera designed to record the license plates of police vehicles.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · 06/10/2026
👀 "Trump Mobile’s latest problem: Hackers just released customer information" @mikaelthalen.bsky.social for @san.com
san.com
Trump Mobile’s latest problem: Hackers just released customer information
A newly established ransomware gang appears to have hacked Trump Mobile, resulting in the exposure of personal data for 3,615 customers.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 05/10/2026
"I got scammed by Trump Mobile and all I got was this lousy data breach."
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
NEW: Trump Mobile appears to have been hacked, resulting in the leak of personal data on 3,615 customers. A person in the data confirmed to me that he spent $100 on a Trump phone last year but never received a device. san.com/cc/trump-mob...
san.com
Trump Mobile’s latest problem: Hackers just released customer information
A newly established ransomware gang appears to have hacked Trump Mobile, resulting in the exposure of personal data for 3,615 customers.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Raphael Satter @raphae.li · 03/10/2026
Huge scoop: An alleged key member of ShinyHunters has been detained in Jordan and *is cooperating,* sources tell us Just broke on @reuters.com. More details TK. www.reuters.com/world/middle...
reuters.com
EXCLUSIVE: ShinyHunters hacker in FBI data theft detained in Jordan, cooperating with bureau, sources say
A key member of the ShinyHunters hacking group, ‌which claims to have stolen data on every FBI employee, was detained this week in Jordan, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Two of ​t...
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
NEW: The cybercrime group ShinyHunters tells me it took down its website on Wednesday, but denies it had anything to do with the fallout from its breach of the FBI. The group has now launched a new dark web leak site, complete with added protections against DDoS attacks. san.com/cc/hunted-by...
san.com
Hunted by FBI, ShinyHunters hackers deny website disruption related to investigation
The cybercrime group ShinyHunters says disruptions to its dark web leak site are unrelated to its breach of the FBI.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Straight Arrow @san.com · 01/10/2026
Hackers have stolen the personnel records of millions of military service members following a months-long breach of a Pentagon server. san.com/cc/pentagon-...
Pentagon is latest federal agency hit by hackers
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
It looks like ShinyHunters may have launched a new dark net leak site, with a new captcha system, after its original site went offline two days ago following its breach of the FBI.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai @lorenzofb.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
NEW: An iPhone hacking company claims it can freeze the iPhone in a state that makes it easier for cops to access data. The iPhone has an automatic reboot feature that reverts the device to a state where data is harder to extract. This would defeat that feature. www.404media.co/cops-can-byp...
404media.co
Cops Can Bypass iPhone’s Automatic Reboot to Get Into Locked Phones, Leaked Video Claims
Magent Forensics, the owner of the GrayKey phone unlocking tool, says it can bypass an iPhone rebooting feature that was locking cops out.
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Cyber-criminals who hacked the FBI say they have medical data for thousands of its special agents, such as blood and urine test results. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Special agents blood and urine test results stolen in FBI hack
Experts say the hack could leave agents vulnerable to scams, blackmail and targeted attacks.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
The Intercept @theintercept.com · 25/09/2026
A new map published Wednesday by a cybersecurity researcher reveals Flock’s nationwide reach is even bigger than previously known. Now, Flock is trying to get that map wiped from the internet. buff.ly/IlMa7hN
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
New: from 404 Media. The catastrophic FBI hack also exposed the FBI's own hacking unit. The Remote Operations Unit is a highly secretive part of the FBI, responsible for making tools to break into peoples' devices. Some of their names and addresses are in the data www.404media.co/fbi-hack-exp...
404media.co
FBI Hack Exposed FBI’s Own Hacking Unit
The FBI's Remote Operations Unit (ROU) is a highly secretive team of hackers making exploits and tools to break into target’s devices. Some of its members just got exposed.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Raphael Satter @raphae.li · 23/09/2026
Scoop: Data allegedly stolen from the FBI provides sensitive assignment descriptions for named employees, exposing members of the "China criminal enterprise unit” & “Russia Operations Section" among others. One ex-employee described it as a foreign intel "goldmine." www.reuters.com/world/hacked...
reuters.com
EXCLUSIVE: Hacked FBI data has sensitive information about employees’ intelligence roles
FBI data allegedly stolen by the hacking group ShinyHunters carries granular detail about scores of bureau officials’ job assignments, including sensitive work ‌against Chinese spies, Russian intellig...
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
DHS fusion centers are monitoring anti-Flock activists and an online service known as SparrowMap, which uses volunteer cameras to track the police, according to an intelligence report obtained by Reason. reason.com/2026/09/23/h...
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 22/09/2026
"We're sniffing out site updates for you!" is definitely one way to say "we were hacked and thousands of FBI agents and applicants had their information stolen." Those federal puppers are fucking adorable though. www.404media.co/we-hacked-th...
the FBI's website that was hacked, now reads "We're sniffing out site updates for you!" with two, admittedly very cute puppies.
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The ShinyHunters hacker group just released this PSA, which is addressed in part to FBI Director Kash Patel, to their dark web leak site. ShinyHunters, according to 404 Media, appear to have hacked the FBI. The group says the agency made "substantial false allegations regarding our organization."
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
New: hackers say they have personal data on all FBI employees and spouses. I got a sample of 5,000 alleged employees, including name, physical address, phone number, and in some cases spouses. Could be a massive national security and counterintelligence risk www.404media.co/we-hacked-th...
404media.co
‘We Hacked the FBI:’ Hackers Say They Have Data on All FBI Employees
A sample of 5,000 alleged agents seen by 404 Media includes names, addresses, phone numbers, and details on FBI employees' spouses.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Straight Arrow @san.com · 17/09/2026
The D.C. Police Union filed a complaint against the department after internal affairs used Flock cameras to track officers suspected of misconduct. san.com/cc/union-cri...
Union cries foul after DC police use Flock cameras to track cops accused of misconduct
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Micah Lee @micahflee.com · 16/09/2026
Flock cameras are riddled with security vulnerabilities and hard-coded credentials. Here's my analysis of today's @ddosecrets.org Flock leak micahflee.com/flock-camera...
micahflee.com
Flock cameras are riddled with security vulnerabilities and hard-coded credentials
This morning, DDoSecrets published an exciting new dataset: Filesystem images of the partitions from an in-use Flock ALPR camera. 404 Media and Wired published a joint investigation into it. I downloa...
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
A hacker collective pulled down a Flock camera and dumped its data. The files included thousands of videos and logs showing that the device captured 1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles in 21 days www.wired.com/story/hacker...
wired.com
Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera. Its Data Shows How the System Really Works
A hacker collective pulled down a Flock camera and dumped its data. The files included thousands of videos and logs showing that the device captured 1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles in 21 days.
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
NEW: The ShinyHunters ransomware gang has leaked more than a half-million files from the Florida DMV, including scans of passports, Social Security cards, driver's licenses, 
resident alien cards, vehicle titles, refugee travel documents and permanent resident cards. san.com/cc/ransomwar...
san.com
Ransomware gang leaks more than half a million files after Florida DMV hack
Scans of passports, driver’s licenses and Social Security cards are among the more than 500k files leaked after a hack of the Florida DMV.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Straight Arrow @san.com · 11/09/2026
Hackers have exposed personal information about thousands of people on probation and parole — and about the agents tasked with tracking them. san.com/cc/hack-of-p...
Hack of probation, parole monitoring firm is part of campaign against law enforcement
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Distributed Denial of Secrets @ddosecrets.org · 11/09/2026
VeriTracks (215.29 MB) VeriTracks is a web-based electronic monitoring, supervision and management platform used to track offenders in real-time with GPS, RF, and alcohol monitoring devices. ddosecrets.org/article/veri... Help us keep publishing: donorbox.org/ddosecrets
ddosecrets.org
VeriTracks - Distributed Denial of Secrets
VeriTracks is a web-based electronic monitoring, supervision and management platform used to track offenders in real-time with GPS, RF, and alcohol monitoring devices. The data includes records of…
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
NEW: The hacker group "Internet Yiff Machine" has breached a platform used to monitor those on parole & probation, exposing details on thousands being monitored & the agents monitoring them, as part of a campaign to disrupt "the police & prison industrial complex.” san.com/cc/hack-of-p...
san.com
Hack of probation, parole monitoring firm is part of campaign against law enforcement
Hackers have exposed personal information about thousands of people on probation and parole — and about the agents tasked with tracking them.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · 10/09/2026
New, by me: ID verification giant IDScan confirms data breach of driver's licenses. The company checks IDs used in stores and entertainment venues to verify age/identity. IDScan's statement implies hackers contacted the company with a ransom demand. Ad-block bypass: web.archive.org/web/20260910...
techcrunch.com
ID verification giant IDScan confirms data breach with more than 150 million driver's licenses stolen | TechCrunch
The ID checking company said the data breach included people's full names and driver's licenses and other government-issued identity documents.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
NEW: An artist made a GTA V mod that adds over 200 Flock cameras to Los Santos, which you can smash and shoot for money. It also has a 5 percent chance of misidentifying your vehicle and calling the cops on you. @regret.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/you-ca...
wired.com
You Can Now Destroy Flock Cameras for Cash in GTA V
A new GTA mod lets you smash and shoot Flock’s automatic license plate readers around the fictional Los Santos.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
New: a secretive DHS predictive policing unit is analyzing Americans' financial activity, feeding those names to police, then having cops pull them over. Not suspected of any particular crime We're revealing the unit name too: Predictive Intelligence Targeting Team www.404media.co/a-secretive-...
404media.co
A Secretive DHS ‘Predictive Policing’ Unit is Analyzing Americans' Financial Habits and Pulling Them Over
404 Media is revealing the name of Border Patrol's predictive policing units, which analyze financial data and have local cops pull people over. The people are not suspected of any particular crime.
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
NEW: The ShinyHunters hacker group has published the alleged driving record of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as part of an extortion attempt against the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. san.com/cc/hackers-t...
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
404 Media @404media.co · 03/09/2026
Flock taught cops how they could surveil the No Kings protests and “small parades” using a mix of Flock’s technology and law enforcement’s own databases in a webinar last year. Here's a short clip from the webinar: @jasonkoebler.bsky.social reports: www.404media.co/flock-taught...
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
NEW: You’ve probably heard of police officers accused of abusing Flock searches to stalk exes and romantic interests. We got the code for Flock’s latest search tool, figured out how it works, and recreated it for all to see. @dell.bsky.social and @dmehro.bsky.social w/ the scoop:
wired.com
This Is Flock’s AI Search Tool for Cops
WIRED rebuilt Flock’s latest search tool from code the company sends to a police officer’s browser. Its AI can keep watch across multiple cameras for anyone fitting a written description.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Straight Arrow @san.com · 02/09/2026
A digital scan of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s driver’s license is among more than 170 million identity documents now on the dark web. san.com/cc/want-a-co...
Want a copy of Pete Hegseth’s driver’s license? It’s for sale on the dark web
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Straight Arrow @san.com · 02/09/2026
The security researcher who found terabytes of exposed data from Andrew Tate’s online empire reveals how it all went down. straightarrowne.ws/4y7IfSI
Meet the security researcher who found Andrew Tate’s secretive data leaking online
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
New: Axon says cops are asking it to change its license plate readers to make them look less like Flock cameras. This is because people keep vandalizing Flock ones. Axon said it is looking to change the design. CEO said this in a now deleted webinar, but we got a copy www.404media.co/cops-are-ask...
404media.co
Cops Are Asking Axon to Make Their Cameras Look Different From Flock So People Don't Destroy Them
“Is there any talk to redesign the Outpost to not look exactly like the Flock camera — I think it will help agencies with the optics while we batten down the hatches,” one apparent cop asked during a ...
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Jason Leopold @jasonleopold.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
NEW/SCOOP: After a yearlong #FOIA battle, I finally obtained Ghislaine Maxwell's prison transfer form from BOP. But the agency redacted its rationale for moving the convicted sex offender to a minimum-security prison Read it in this special edition of FOIA Files 🎁 www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
bloomberg.com
Ghislaine Maxwell’s Prison Transfer Application Released
FOIA Files obtained a copy of the document from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The agency redacted its justification for moving the convicted sex offender to a less-restrictive minimum-security prison...
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
simonedelrosario.bsky.social @simonedelrosario.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Andrew Tate's course taught men to pursue "loyal, classy village girls" from "religious families." "Have complete control of every area" of her life, including "her daily routine, the clothes she wears, the friends she hangs out with, how she eats." san.com/cc/manospher...
san.com
‘Manosphere’ influencer Andrew Tate faces sexual misconduct charges. A data leak is exposing his secrets
A leak of sensitive information from “manosphere” influencer Andrew Tate’s online empire reveals new information about his online empire.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
simonedelrosario.bsky.social @simonedelrosario.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Andrew Tate's War Room program taught a class on how to spy on and blackmail wealthy people for personal gain. “Partake in taboo activities with them. Cements the trust, really locks it in.” The class used real-world examples. Scoop from @mikaelthalen.bsky.social san.com/cc/manospher...
san.com
‘Manosphere’ influencer Andrew Tate faces sexual misconduct charges. A data leak is exposing his secrets
A leak of sensitive information from “manosphere” influencer Andrew Tate’s online empire reveals new information about his online empire.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Documents from Andrew Tate's business include details of a "Penetrating the Elite" program that teaches members how to dig up dirt on wealthy people to use as leverage in business deals. Big scoop from @mikaelthalen.bsky.social here san.com/cc/manospher...
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
NEW: A data leak is exposing 12 terabytes of information from Andrew Tate's online empire, including 76 paid course videos from his online "War Room" network, the unique Telegram IDs of his staff, and archives of raw, unedited and unreleased videos from private events. san.com/cc/manospher...
san.com
‘Manosphere’ influencer Andrew Tate faces sexual misconduct charges. A data leak is exposing his secrets
A leak of sensitive information from “manosphere” influencer Andrew Tate’s online empire reveals new information about his online empire.
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
New: ICE plans to spend millions of dollars on Boston Dynamics dog robots. ICE says this is to improve "officer safety." The robots can open doors, pick up objects, have 360 cameras, infrared vision, etc. Boston Dynamics didn't respond to question on its stance on ICE www.404media.co/ice-plans-to...
404media.co
ICE Plans to Spends Millions on Boston Dynamics Dog Robots
ICE wants the robot dogs to improve “officer safety.”
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Reposted by Mikael Thalen
Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 28/08/2026
New: Americans' feelings toward Flock & license-plate readers have completely flipped since last year. More Americans now oppose police use than support it, saying the cameras don't make them feel safer and that they don't want any near their homes. Gift link: wapo.st/4gwxmTq
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Benn Jordan @bennjordan.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Flock takes their privacy very seriously. But the ethical gray area in surveillance technology works both ways. Under no circumstances should elected officials or public servants enjoy an expectation of privacy when spending tax dollars to attend a surveillance lobbying event.
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Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
A grand jury in Ohio has declined to indict a man charged with felony vandalism for allegedly destroying a Flock automatic license plate reader camera. san.com/cc/grand-jur...
san.com
Grand jury declines to indict Ohio man charged with destroying Flock camera
The grand jury's decision not to charge Cody Morelock comes amid a growing backlash against Flock and its cameras.
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Jacob Silverman @jacobsilverman.com · 20/08/2026
This is very interesting. Military insiders are making big longshot polymarket bets that are then copied by trading bots, "raising concerns that the market could broadcast signals exploitable by foreign adversaries." www.reuters.com/business/fin...
reuters.com
EXCLUSIVE: More than 150 Polymarket wallets may have traded on military secrets, research finds
More than 150 wallets on Polymarket International may have traded on inside U.S. military information, attracting copycat ​bets and raising concerns that the market could broadcast signals exploitable...
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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
New: 404 Media obtained footage of investigation and arrest of a cop who used police surveillance databases and license plate cameras to surveil and stalk a woman. "We’ve told them over and over again 'You see a hot chick, you don’t look them up in a database.'" www.404media.co/i-saw-a-shin...
404media.co
'I Saw a Shiny Thing': Cop Explains Why He Used License Plate Reader to Stalk Woman
Body camera footage shows police surveillance abuse is common: "We’ve told them over and over again: 'You see a hot chick, you don’t look them up in a database.'"
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