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Monique Barrow

@moniquebarrow.bsky.social
57 followers 22 following 170 posts

🌻Writer, Gamer, Introvert, Privacy Enthusiast 🌐Website: monique-barrow.com 📩Privacy Newsletter: theprivacycloud.substack.com ❤️Support Me: monique-barrow.com/support-me

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Reposted by Monique Barrow
The New Oil @thenewoil.org · 26/09/2026
#ChatControl 2.0 — 6th Trilogue this Tuesday, #EU Parl. to be given workaround own legal service already deems illegitimate discuss.privacyguides.net/t/chat-co… #privacy […]
mastodon.thenewoil.org
Original post on mastodon.thenewoil.org
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Discord is finally rolling out it's age assurance measures this week. #privacy #tech #discord #ageverification discord.com/blog/safer-f...
discord.com
Safer for Teens, Same Discord for Adults
We’re launching a revamped, privacy-focused age assurance solution including methods that won’t require an ID or selfie. Here’s how it works.
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
A persistent live USB of Linux is a really awesome tool to have. You can learn more about my take about the tool in my latest newsletter. #linux #privacy theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/why-you-sh...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
Why You Should Have a Persistent Linux Live USB
A great tool to have
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Still no word on when Discord will implement their global age verification (it was pushed back to the second half of 2026). However, Discord has a new vendor, Incode, and has been running tests with them, so its still happening. cybernews.com/privacy/disc... thecybersecguru.com/news/discord...
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The Privacy Cloud's news roundup for August is available to read. Some of the biggest headlines I caught include automated license plate readers (ALPR), age verification, and AI. #privacy #technology #surveillance #security theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/august-202...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
August 2026 Privacy News Roundup
News, News, News
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Reposted by Monique Barrow
Privacy International @privacyinternational.org · 20/08/2026
🧐 There’s a misconception that privacy is just about hiding personal information, but privacy is actually so much more than that. Privacy is foundational to who we are as human beings.
privacyinternational.org
Privacy Matters | Privacy International
To be free and equal Privacy has become all the more essential in the age of data exploitation. The way data and technology are now deployed means that our privacy is under increased threat and on a scale...
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Reposted by Monique Barrow
404 Media @404media.co · 12/08/2026
Documents from law enforcement spy centers show the government is warning cops of "extensive and ongoing chatter on social media" about methods to "physically destroy Flock LPR cameras."
404media.co
The Government is Monitoring Anti-Flock TikTok and Instagram Accounts
Documents from law enforcement spy centers show the government is warning cops of "extensive and ongoing chatter on social media" about methods to "physically destroy Flock LPR cameras."
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
The Privacy Cloud's news roundup for July is available to read. Some of the biggest headlines I caught include age verification, surveillance, and Flock. #privacy #surveillance #security #technology theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/july-2026-...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
July 2026 Privacy News Roundup
News, News, News
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Reposted by Monique Barrow
Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 03/08/2026
Showing your ID to a bartender isn’t the same as uploading your ID online and having it saved in a database. If the SCREEN Act passes, that’s what many adults will have to do to see lawful content online. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
eff.org
The SCREEN Act Threatens Privacy Far Beyond Adult Websites
The Senate Commerce Committee is set to consider S. 737, the SCREEN Act, a sweeping age-verification bill that would require online services to verify users’ ages before they can access any sexually
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Reposted by Monique Barrow
Privacy International @privacyinternational.org · 03/08/2026
BREAKING: Apple are back alongside ourselves and Liberty - in challenging the UK government's regime of secret TCNs. www.ft.com/content/2cc9...
ft.com
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
"The Silent World Cup Winners are the Companies Normalizing Surveillance" "Cities Are Ditching Flock Safety Cameras – Then Hiring Axon to Do the Same Job" "Mapping the spread of age-verification laws" (1/2)
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Reposted by Monique Barrow
Smartphone, don't spy! @data-unicorn.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Smartphone security tip of the week: You restart your phone often #smartphone #privacy #security
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Just a little reminder! If you enjoy what I create, you can support me ❤️ at monique-barrow.com/support-me/
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Reposted by Monique Barrow
Fight Chat Control @fightchatcontrol.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
TOMORROW AT 12:00 is the final vote on Chat Control 1.0. An absolute majority of 361 MEPs is needed to stop it! This is the works of EP President Roberta Metsola who is forcing through the vote on Chat Control 1.0 despite the plenary already rejecting it. Take action now! fightchatcontrol.eu
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
"The Surveillance Hubs: How Data Centers Enable The Modern Police State" "‘You Will Not Speak on Flock Tonight’: County Commissioner Refuses to Let Residents Opposing Flock Speak at Meeting" "Apple plans Hide My Email domain change that could make anonymous signups easier to block" (1/2)
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
(1/2) "FCC Wants to Kill Burner Phones By Forcing Telecoms to Get All Customers’ IDs" "Soccer Fans, You’re Being Watched" "How Pokémon Go players may have unknowingly helped train military AI" "Age Verification: What countries require you to perform ID checks & for what websites and platforms?"
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Reposted by Monique Barrow
Smartphone, don't spy! @data-unicorn.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Smartphone security tip of the week: Use alternative frontends #smartphone #privacy #security
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Reposted by Monique Barrow
Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 25/06/2026
🚨THE KIDS ACT IS AN INTERNET SURVEILLANCE BILL🚨 Congress is rushing the KIDS Act toward a vote. This blend of KOSA, the SCREEN Act, SAFE Bots, and other bills is a single package that is a threat to privacy and free expression for ALL internet users. 🧵(1/10)
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
A little support goes a long way! If you’d like to help me keep creating, you can do so at monique-barrow.com/support-me/
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
As early as next month, Discord could enable their global age verification measures. #privacy #ageverification theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/discord-wi...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
Discord will enable global age verification soon
Now's the time to move
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Discord plans to move forward with their global age verification measures. It could come as early as next month. Now’s the time to move away from Discord if you do not want go through the process. #privacy #ageverification #discord theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/discord-wi...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
Discord will enable global age verification soon
Now's the time to move
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
"US Law Enforcement Warns of ‘Anti-Tech Extremism’ as AI Hatred Grows" "Linux devs are fighting the new age-gated internet" "After Town Bans Flock, Councilmember Crashes Out, Proposes Internet and Phone Ban" "Google is shrinking free storage from 15GB to 5GB unless you add a verified phone number"
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
“But instead, politicians seek to massively invade everyone’s privacy and undermine democratic rights on a global scale. In other words, the latter is the real objective – they do not want to protect children; they want to impose control.” #privacy #ageverification mullvad.net/en/blog/age-...
mullvad.net
Age verification for social media – the beginning of the end for a free internet? | Mullvad VPN
So-called age verification for social media is spreading across the world, framed as an effort to create a safer internet for children. In reality, age verification lays the foundation for a fully gov...
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
"Utah Wants Websites To See Through VPNs. That’s Not How VPNs Work." "Major VPN provider says it could leave Canada over lawful access bill" "Cities Are Covering Flock Cameras With Trash Bags" "DuckDuckGo installs are up 30% as users reject being ‘force-fed’ Google’s AI Search"
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
We have 99 days to stop Google from implementing the Android Developer Verification program, which demands developers verify themselves before they can develop Android apps. Keep Android Open is a campaign being raised that calls for Google to drop the verification program. keepandroidopen.org
keepandroidopen.org
Keep Android Open
Your phone is about to stop being yours. In September 2026, Google will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with them.
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Discord now has e2ee voice and video calls, but not DMs. Interesting timing since in a few months, Discord will roll out their global age verification measures for a second time (originally meant for March 2026, it’s now set for the second half of 2026). www.digitaltrends.com/computing/di...
digitaltrends.com
Discord calls finally get end-to-end encryption, but your DMs didn’t make the cut
Discord's multi-year encryption project is done. Every call is now E2EE by default across consoles, mobile, and browsers. However, there’s a catch that you might want to know.
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Android users: You should check out Molly, a Signal fork that aims to improve the official Signal app. #privacy #security theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/what-is-mo...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
What is Molly?
Signal gets an upgrade
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Reposted by Monique Barrow
Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 11/05/2026
Canada’s C-22 bill is a surveillance overreach that paves the way to backdoor encrypted communications of users around the world. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
eff.org
Canada’s Bill C-22 Is a Repackaged Version of Last Year’s
Last year, the Canadian government pushed Bill C-2, which would erode Canadian digital rights in the name of “border security.” The bill was so bad it didn’t even make it to committee because of the
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
"FreeTube is a free and open source YouTube client that is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. FreeTube blocks ads and prevents Google from tracking you as you watch your videos." #privacy #youtube theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/how-to-wat...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
How to watch YouTube videos without the ads
No more ads
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
"Meta’s ‘Pervert Glasses’ Are Turning People Into Creeps" "Federal Bill Would Bring OS-Level Age Verification to the Entire U.S." "Why you should refuse to let your doctor record you" "AI’s New Training Data: Your Old Work Slacks And Emails" Utah’s New Law Targeting VPNs Goes Into Effect Next Week"
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
“In addition to all of the above, privacy is a right that as such also enables our enjoyment of other rights, and interference with our privacy often provides the gateway to the violation of the rest of our rights.” - Privacy International theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/why-does-p...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
Why Does Privacy Matter?
Yeah, we're answering this question again
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Portable apps have some cool privacy advantages you should look at. #privacy theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/how-portab...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
How Portable Apps Can Improve Privacy
On the go
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
If find value in The Privacy Cloud, here’s how you can support me: 📧 Subscribe to The Privacy Cloud🔐☁️ (theprivacycloud.substack.com) 🗣️ Share The Privacy Cloud 🔐☁️ with friends 🫙 Make a one-time donation or become a recurring donor! (monique-barrow.com/support-me/)
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
"Rep. Finke Was Right: Age-Gating Isn’t About Kids, It’s About Control" "US state laws push age checks into the operating system" "Your Body Is Betraying Your Right to Privacy" Check out the full list headlines I caught for March. #privacy #tech theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/march-2026...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
March 2026 Privacy News Roundup
No pranks or jokes here
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Make sure you check out my Ko-fi shop. You'll find some digital guides that can help you protect your privacy, and all purchases support my work! ko-fi.com/moniquebarro...
ko-fi.com
Visit Monique Barrow's Shop!
I've opened a shop. Come take a look!
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Reposted by Monique Barrow
Techlore @techlore.tech · 03/04/2026
The playbook's the same: Industry harms people → regulators don't touch industry → individuals get surveilled instead Kids exposed to addictive products? Scan everyone's face. Kids on social media? Scan everyone's face. Zero accountability for companies. Maximum surveillance for everyone else.
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
The Privacy Cloud's news roundup for March is available to read now. Some of the biggest headlines I caught include age verification, surveillance, and the end of Chat Control. #privacy #anonymity #technology #security theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/march-2026...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
March 2026 Privacy News Roundup
No pranks or jokes here
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
The Privacy Cloud is entirely run by me. I handle all the writing, editing, and research for the newsletters. If you find value in my work, please consider making a recurring donation or a one-time tip. Your donations allow me to continue creating newsletters! #ko-fi monique-barrow.com/support-me/
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Reposted by Monique Barrow
Smartphone, don't spy! @data-unicorn.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Smartphone security tip of the week: You use Tor or the Tor browser #smartphone #privacy #security
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Reminder: Discord is still moving forward with global age verification; they just delayed it to the second half of 2026. If you don’t want to go through those measures, then I suggest you transition away from Discord and find an alternative. #privacy alternativeto.net/software/dis...
alternativeto.net
Best Discord Alternatives: Top Group Chat Apps in 2026
The best Discord alternatives are Stoat Chat, Signal and Telegram. Our crowd-sourced lists contains more than 100 apps similar to Discord for Web-based, Android, iPhone, Windows and more.
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Tor Browser is an important browser that you should include in your privacy toolkit. #privacy #anonymity theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/why-you-sh...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
Why You Should Download the Tor Browser
Download it!
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Invest $5 in my Password Tips Checklist to learn how to create and store strong passwords for your accounts. The checklist will help you build better digital habits while supporting my work! #privacy #ko-fi ko-fi.com/s/55e1c40afb
ko-fi.com
Password Tips Checklist - Monique Barrow's Ko-fi Shop
A checklist in a PDF that contains 11 tips that will help you create strong passwords. Having strong passwords is important as they protect your accou...
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
“I need privacy, not because my actions are questionable, but your judgement and intentions are” - unknown theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/4-social-m...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
4 Social Media Posts that Explain What Privacy is
Great descriptions about what privacy is
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
The Privacy Cloud's monthly news roundup for February is available to read now. See the privacy headlines that I caught throughout the month. #privacy #security #technology theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/february-2...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
February 2026 Privacy News Roundup
News
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Today marks Stardew Valley's 10-year anniversary! 🎂 #videogames monique-barrow.com/stardew-vall...
monique-barrow.com
Stardew Valley Celebrates It's Tenth Birthday
Today marks the 10-year anniversary of Stardew Valley's launch. The release of Stardew Valley was transformative for many reasons, such as: And with ConcernedApe (Eric Barone), the creator of the game...
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
What happened to the Mario & Sonic Olympic series? #olympics monique-barrow.com/the-mario-an...
monique-barrow.com
The Mario & Sonic Olympic Series is No More
My familiarity with the Olympic Games was not from watching athletes from all around the world compete for gold in various sports on TV, but from a video game called Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games...
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Looking for an alternative to Discord? Check out @alternativeto.net page and filter through the results to find what you are looking for. alternativeto.net/software/dis...
alternativeto.net
Best Discord Alternatives: Top Group Chat Apps in 2026
The best Discord alternatives are Stoat Chat, Signal and Telegram. Our crowd-sourced lists contains more than 100 apps similar to Discord for Web-based, Android, iPhone, Windows and more.
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
From now until February 18th, you can purchase my simple privacy checklist at a 50% discount! ko-fi.com/moniquebarro...
ko-fi.com
50% discount off Monique Barrow's Shop
Visit Monique Barrow at Ko-fi for 50% discount off Shop
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Monique Barrow @moniquebarrow.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Try these gift ideas for Valentine's Day! #privacy #security #valentinesday theprivacycloud.substack.com/p/privacy-re...
theprivacycloud.substack.com
Privacy Respecting Gifts For Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine's Day ❤️
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Reposted by Monique Barrow
Smartphone, don't spy! @data-unicorn.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Smartphone security tip of the week: Deactivate Bluetooth if you don't need it #smartphone #privacy #security
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