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Suzanne Smalley

@suzannesmalley.bsky.social
5.3K followers 916 following 430 posts

Reporter covering digital privacy and cybersecurity policy for The Record. Mom. Pub trivia queen. Crossword enthusiast. Literary fiction connoisseur. Idiosyncratic. Signal: Suzanne.236 Email: suzanne.smalley@therecord.media.

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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
OpenAI apologized to Australia today, acknowledging it did not tell officials there its agents had gone rogue + accessed four government websites w/o authorization until about a month after it learned of the incidents. "We are sorry and working to do better," it said. therecord.media/openai-apolo...
therecord.media
OpenAI apologizes for agents breaching Australian government websites without authorization
The artificial intelligence giant acknowledged it botched its response to the incidents and should have done more to promptly notify and work with the Australian government in the days after it discov...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The spyware company Paragon Solutions will be publicly traded on the Nasdaq exchange by the end of the year. While the move will increase transparency via SEC filings, for those trying to curb the spread of spyware "this isn’t a good sign," says expert Jen Roberts. therecord.media/controversia...
therecord.media
Controversial spyware firm Paragon to go public by end of year
The company plans to close the deal around the end of the year at which point Paragon will begin trading on Nasdaq under the REDLattice umbrella.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
European Commission releases proposal for package of reforms to protect kids online. The proposed law would ban kids under 13 from social media entirely + create tough restrictions for kids b/w 13 + 15. The KIDS Act also includes sweeping safe by design requirements therecord.media/european-com...
therecord.media
European Commission set to push social media restrictions, safety requirements into law
The proposal, known as the EU KIDS Act, would block social media platforms from offering accounts to children younger than 13 and establish a bloc-wide minimum age of 15 for account creation.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Microsoft: Campaign of 1 million-plus scam emails sent to users 2 days in Aug. Fraudsters forwarded fake emails w/ threads impersonating bosses telling finance team to pay phony $50K invoices. Huge scale, detailed customization in targeting made possible by AI, per MS therecord.media/invoice-scam...
therecord.media
Microsoft sees some new wrinkles in invoice-scam emails
Researchers analyzed a flood of fraudulent business emails and found that the threat actors had doubled-up on tactics to make them appear legitimate, including help from AI.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
CISA's Andersen on cyber peril, esp. in AI era. "We know the worst that can happen, and if we don't make some very serious, very significant changes in quick succession" experts will have to explain "how you knew the worst that could happen + why we didn't do enough.” therecord.media/cisa-hiring-...
therecord.media
CISA head says agency must change quickly to prevent the 'worst that could happen'
CISA's cybersecurity, infrastructure security and emergency communications divisions are among the priorities as the agency fills vacancies created at the beginning of the Trump administration, acting...
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Reposted by Suzanne Smalley
jon christian @jonchristian.net · 09/09/2026
NEW: In one of the most horrifying stories I've ever reported, I found that Facebook is hosting huge quantities of AI-generated videos of violent child abuse -- kids being beaten, burned, and far more But the genuinely shocking thing was how little Meta seems to care futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism headline:

> Facebook Is Hosting Huge Numbers of Horrifying AI-Generated Videos of Violent Child Abuse, and Meta Is Barely Even Pretending to Care About Taking Them Down

> Facebook is filled with AI-generated videos of children being beaten, burned, and bludgeoned with heavy objects. Meta doesn't seem to care.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Cities + counties nationwide are cutting ties w/ Flock Safety. More than 90 did so in August alone. LA says it won't renew contract w/o significant new data protections. State govts in TX and FL have issued tough restrictions on the ALPR cameras in the past 2 weeks therecord.media/flock-safety...
therecord.media
Where the backlash against Flock Safety is having the biggest impact
Two populous states and two large cities are among the U.S. jurisdictions where leaders have taken direct action to address criticisms of automated license plate readers (ALPRs).
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Reposted by Suzanne Smalley
Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Spyware found on phone of European Parliament member probing it @suzannesmalley.bsky.social therecord.media/pegasus-spyw...
therecord.media
Spyware found on phone of European Parliament member probing it
Stelios Kouloglou, formerly a member of the European Parliament's committee investigation abuses of commercial spyware, was twice infected with Pegasus while serving, researchers said.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
The SCOTUS decision in the Slaughter case could jeopardize the agreement allowing data to flow from the EU to the U.S. Meta and Google have already said they will pull out of Europe if the Data Privacy Framework collapses therecord.media/supreme-cour...
therecord.media
Supreme Court decision threatens EU-US data transfer agreement
In a Tuesday letter, Max Schrems, the founder of the Vienna-based privacy advocacy organization noyb, told European officials he plans to sue to invalidate the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (DPF) tha...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Undersea cables news
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Check out my story about how Cellebrite appears to have had a hard time pulling back its data extraction tech from regimes that abuse it and persecute dissidents
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Maine has closed its breach portal to the public after a fraudster reported fake data breaches at Discord and VRChat. therecord.media/maine-turns-...
therecord.media
/maine-turns-off-breach-portal-fake-reports
Maine is still allowing companies to report breaches, but won’t make the portal easily available to the public until after it completes an audit of its procedures to stop such incidents, according to ...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
CISA orders civilian government agencies to patch some cyber vulnerabilities within 3 days, in part in response to the increasing threats posed by AI therecord.media/cisa-to-requ...
therecord.media
CISA to require federal agencies to patch some cyber vulnerabilities within 3 days
CISA is giving agencies 180 days to adopt the new patching time frame, according to a directive released Wednesday.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
CISA plans to transform how it assesses cyber risks and vulnerabilities and will release a binding operational directive outlining next steps tomorrow therecord.media/cisa-to-tran...
therecord.media
CISA to transform how it assesses cyber vulnerabilities and risks, Andersen says
A binding operational directive being released Wednesday will direct federal agencies to change the way they address vulnerabilities by elevating some while putting others to the side.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Criminal liability for tech execs are a possibility if major companies don't implement device controls to block nude images of kids within 3 months. therecord.media/uk-gives-big...
therecord.media
UK gives big tech 3 months to create device controls to block nude images of kids
The companies “must activate built-in features or implement technical solutions on smartphones and tablets to detect and block nude images for children,” according to a press release from the Home Off...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
WhatsApp says it has found evidence that NSO has been targeting its users with spearphishing attacks. If true, NSO is violating a court order directing it to stop using WhatsApp infrastructure for spyware attacks. WhatsApp says it is filing a contempt complaint therecord.media/whatsapp-say...
therecord.media
WhatsApp says NSO targeted users with spearfishing attacks in violation of court order
WhatsApp said it is filing a federal court contempt order against NSO for violating a permanent injunction that bars it from mounting attacks against its users.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Big decision on closely watched Supreme Court case weighing whether FCC fines against major telecom companies were illegal finds that the penalties were constitutional and did not violate the firms' rights to a jury trial therecord.media/supreme-cour...
therecord.media
Supreme Court rules FCC fines punishing telecom giants for sharing location data were legal
The Trump administration had backed the FCC’s position and, apart from Justice Clarence Thomas, the high court agreed.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
I interviewed Adam Unikowsky, who recently argued a Supreme Court case about the constitutionality of geofence warrants. He spoke w/ me abt why he believes geofence searches are problematic + why the ruling could have a dramatic impact on Americans’ right to privacy. therecord.media/why-supreme-...
therecord.media
Why the Supreme Court's Chatrie case could change the meaning of privacy in America
Lawyer Adam Unikowsky spoke with Recorded Future News about why he believes geofence searches are problematic and why the way the court rules could have a dramatic impact on Americans’ right to privac...
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Reposted by Suzanne Smalley
Allan “Ransomware Sommelier” Liska @ransomwaresommelier.com · 22/05/2026
Why the Supreme Court's Chatrie case could change the meaning of privacy in America Really good interview from @suzannesmalley.bsky.social via @therecordmedia.bsky.social
therecord.media
Why the Supreme Court's Chatrie case could change the meaning of privacy in America
Lawyer Adam Unikowsky spoke with Recorded Future News about why he believes geofence searches are problematic and why the way the court rules could have a dramatic impact on Americans’ right to privac...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
OpenAI is launching a new ChatGPT feature allowing users to connect all of their financial accounts to the chatbot for personal finance advice. Privacy and cyber experts say that's a problem therecord.media/experts-warn...
therecord.media
Experts warn of privacy risks as AI firms looks to connect to financial accounts
OpenAI announced Friday that it is rolling out a new ChatGPT feature allowing users to connect all of their financial accounts to the chatbot for personal finance advice.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
GM agrees to pay California $12.8 million to resolve charges that it sold consumers' driving data for use by insurers who raised rates. Deal requires GM to begin deleting driving data w/i 180 days + stop selling it to consumer reporting agencies + brokers for 5 yrs therecord.media/gm-to-pay-12...
therecord.media
GM to pay over $12 million in California privacy settlement involving driver data
The settlement, announced by California officials Friday, is the largest fine issued under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in its more than five-year history.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Access Now: In run up to Zambia cancelling RightsCon, a govt contact told organizers Chinese diplomats were pressuring officials about the fact that Taiwanese human rights defenders would be there. China bankrolled the event venue. RightsCon 2025 was held in Taiwan www.rightscon.org/rc26-stateme...
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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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
The Senate Judiciary Committee has marked up a bill that requires AI companies to use age verification to keep children from accessing AI companions. Critics say the bill will potentially require age gating to access even search engines because it is broadly written therecord.media/senate-judic...
therecord.media
Senate Judiciary advances bill that would bar minors from interacting with AI companions
The bill, known as the GUARD Act, also requires that AI companions advise users of all ages that they are not human and lack professional credentials. It also makes it a crime for AI companions to kno...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Zambia announced it was cancelling the large digital freedoms conference RightsCon days before it was to be held in Lukasa even as thousands were en route. Officials cited concerns about the conference's themes. The Chinese govt reportedly bankrolled the event venue. therecord.media/zabia-cancel...
therecord.media
Zambia cancels global digital freedoms conference days before start
On Tuesday, Zambia’s Minister of Technology and Science offered the first hint that the conference would be cancelled, telling a Zambian news outlet that participants’ security clearances were incompl...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
European Commission announces preliminary findings alleging that Meta violates DSA for allowing children under 13 to use its platform. Fines could be up to 6% of revenue from annual core business activity if findings are confirmed following Meta rebuttal therecord.media/european-com...
therecord.media
European Commission accuses Meta of breaching child safety rules
The platforms allegedly flouted the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA) by “failing to diligently identify, assess and mitigate the risks of minors under 13 years old accessing their services,” the comm...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
SCOTUS signals it won't ban geofence searches, but disagrees with the government's contention that they don't require a warrant. Several justices seem to indicate they want to offer guidance on how to make the reverse search warrants as narrow and specific as possible therecord.media/supreme-cour...
therecord.media
Supreme Court signals location data searches should require a warrant
Privacy advocates had worried that the high court would rule that geofencing does not qualify as a constitutionally protected search, opening the door to much broader use of warrantless reverse search...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Norway considering social media ban for children under 16. therecord.media/norway-prime...
therecord.media
Norway's prime minister proposes ban on social media access for young teens
An upcoming proposed bill will include language that holds big tech accountable for using age verification tools to block young users.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
New @citizenlab.ca report highlights how surveillance vendors are exploiting SS7 and other telecom infrastructure to track targets' locations. Cases found by Citizen Lab are just two concrete examples of a pervasive problem, researcher says. @rondeibert.bsky.social therecord.media/surveillance...
therecord.media
Surveillance companies exploiting telecom system to spy on targets’ locations, research shows
The campaigns exploited a weakness in telecom infrastructure to allow the unnamed vendors to secretly pose as real cellular providers and pinpoint victims’ locations.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Privacy advocates are alarmed by a new data privacy bill introduced Wednesday by House Republicans. It includes several exemptions for what data is protected and is therefore toothless, they say. It also preempts at least 20 state laws, many of which are tougher therecord.media/house-republ...
therecord.media
House Republicans unveil data privacy law that would override state protections
The bill, known as the SECURE Data Act, is backed by top Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce and Financial Services committees.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Court ruling makes live facial recognition legal in the UK. London police captured 3 million faces last year and matched them to a suspect watchlist, yielding 2,100 arrests. therecord.media/facial-recog...
therecord.media
UK court determines police use of live facial recognition legal
Live facial recognition can be deployed nationwide, a U.K. court ruled, dismissing arguments from plaintiffs who said the technology is racially biased and is used arbitrarily.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Last night the gov of VA signed a law that bans sales of precise geolocation. Data brokers can't sell data showing where consumers are within a 1,750 foot radius. VA is 3rd state to enact such a ban. Four more state legislatures are now considering their own bans therecord.media/virginia-ena...
therecord.media
Virginia enacts ban on precise geolocation data sales as momentum for similar prohibitions builds
The legislation bars the sale of geolocation within a 1,750 foot radius, a buffer large enough to keep data brokers from pinpointing where consumers live, work, worship, shop and otherwise travel.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
FCC proposes new rule to crack down on illegal robocalls. Rules would stiffen penalties for providers and require they collect a lot more information from customers, do more to verify it therecord.media/fcc-proposes...
therecord.media
FCC proposes new rule to further crackdown on illegal robocalls
The rule would force originating providers to gather more information from customers before they allow calls, verify the provided data more carefully and be assessed steeper penalties when they fail t...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Hack of LA City Attorney's Office data storage system exposes vast amount of LAPD files used in discovery. Files reportedly include witness names, medical information and unredacted criminal complaints therecord.media/breach-expos...
therecord.media
Breach exposes sensitive LAPD files stored in city attorney system
The LA Times reported that social media posts allegedly featuring information about the stolen material — some of which have since been taken down — revealed there were 7.7 terabytes of data available...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Two prominent Egyptian journalists, both of whom have been critical of the regime, were targeted with sophisticated spearphishing attacks says AccessNow therecord.media/two-egyptian...
therecord.media
Two prominent Egyptian journalists targeted with elaborate spearphishing campaign
Digital civil rights nonprofit Access Now released a report on the findings with the mobile security company Lookout on Wednesday, saying they saw evidence the hackers may “use the methods and infrast...
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Reposted by Suzanne Smalley
Andrew Guthrie Ferguson @profferguson.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
DC folks. This Sunday, April 12, I will be at Politics and Prose in conversation with the amazing Rachel Levinson-Waldman of the Brennan Center about my book — Your Data Will Be Used Agaisnt You. Stop by and support your local bookstore. politics-prose.com/andrew-guthr...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Bryan Fleming, owner of onetime stalkerware product pcTattletale, received no jail time + a $5K fine at sentencing Friday. Fleming is the first spyware maker to be convicted since 2014. He had marketed the product as a tool for catching cheating spouses and employees. therecord.media/stalkerware-...
therecord.media
First stalkerware maker prosecuted since 2014 receives no jail time
Bryan Fleming, founder of pcTattletale, was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine by a San Diego federal judge and will spend no time in prison beyond the one day he already served.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
The EU's cyber agency blames hacking group TeamPCP for recent massive hack. The agency, CERT-EU, also says that Shiny Hunters posted the 92 GB of compressed data to its dark web leak site. therecord.media/european-com...
therecord.media
EU cyber agency attributes major data breach to TeamPCP hacking group
The European Union’s cybersecurity agency said the hacking group TeamPCP was behind a massive recent data breach at the European Commission.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
WhatsApp told 200 users - mostly Italian - they installed phony version of the app containing spyware. Fake messaging app was created by spyware firm SIO. WhatsApp says attacks were "highly targeted" and result of social engineering. SIO works with the Italian govt. therecord.media/whatsapp-war...
therecord.media
WhatsApp warns users of fake app used to distribute spyware
The Meta subsidiary alleges that Italy’s SIO spyware manufacturer designed the phony app specifically for iPhones. Most of the impacted users are in Italy, according to a WhatsApp announcement.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Lawmakers in Europe have voted against allowing tech companies to continue to scan for CSAM. therecord.media/eu-parliamen...
therecord.media
European Parliament rejects extension of CSAM scanning rules for tech platforms
The 311 members of Parliament who voted against an extension did so despite strong support from law enforcement, children’s rights groups, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, several European commission...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
A Dutch court has ruled that xAI be fined $115,000 a day up to a max of $11.5 million if it does not block Grok from generating nonconsensual intimate images. Nonprofit that brought lawsuit submitted screenshots of Grok still undressing real people as late as March 11 therecord.media/dutch-court-...
therecord.media
Dutch court threatens xAI with fines over Grok's nonconsensual nude images
Grok — which is owned by Elon Musk’s xAI — will be forced to pay damages of €100,000 ($115,000) a day if it does not comply, according to the ruling.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Apple launched new age verification program which requires age checks on all UK users seeking to use some features therecord.media/apple-rolls-...
therecord.media
Apple rolls out age verification to UK iPhone users
The age filters will be turned on by default, meaning that all users — including adults — will have to prove their age via credit card and other payment methods on file or by submitting an ID to be sc...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
CISA chief Nick Andersen warns of "accumulating" risks caused by shutdown. Agency has 1,000 vacancies and six highly skilled members of a vital technical team all resigned on one day a couple of weeks ago. Intelligence sharing is becoming "exceedingly strained" therecord.media/cisa-acting-...
therecord.media
CISA's acting chief warns shutdown is increasing cyber risks, causing resignations
With CISA’s reduced capacity during the shutdown, Andersen said, the agency is largely limited to responding to imminent threats, protecting life and property, sharing critical vulnerability and incid...
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Reposted by Suzanne Smalley
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai @lorenzofb.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Is this the first ever case of a spyware maker publicly criticizing their own customers? I’m struggling to think of one.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
The author of your Data Will Be Used Against You, a new book, on the risks posed to individuals by a self-surveillance society. "The reality is there is no piece of information, no data in your life, that is too private, that cannot be obtained with a warrant." therecord.media/your-data-wi...
therecord.media
‘Your Data Will Be Used Against You’: Author of new book on the dangers of a surveillance society
The author of a new book on surveillance discusses how an upcoming Supreme Court case could limit what data police can dig up showing individuals’ locations.
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
FCC bans imports of foreign-made routers. Cos will have to get exemption to be excluded from ban. U.S. router market dominated by foreign manufacturers, raising questions abt how consumers will obtain new routers. FCC: It's acting to counter national security threat therecord.media/fcc-routers-...
therecord.media
FCC bans foreign-made routers from US market over ‘unacceptable risk’
The Federal Communications Commission has banned all consumer routers produced outside of the U.S. from being imported unless their manufacturers obtain an exemption due to what the agency called an “...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
CISA Acting Director Nick Andersen says agency has not seen an uptick in threats from Iran. Agency is working closely with industry to assess the situation and augment protections therecord.media/cisa-officia...
therecord.media
CISA official says agency has not seen uptick in cyber threats amid Iran war
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security (CISA) Acting Director Nick Andersen said the agency has been working closely with industry and sector-based groups on threats from Iran in the past couple of...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
The DOE is working on a cyber strategy that will focus in part on defending against AI-enabled offensive cyber weapons therecord.media/energy-depar...
therecord.media
Energy Department set to release its first-ever cyber strategy
Alex Fitzsimmons, the acting director of the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), said the plan is meant to supplement the recently-published national cyber strate...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
After failing to include it in many drafts, European Council on Friday released proposal for amending its AI Act that includes a provision "prohibiting AI practices regarding the generation of non-consensual sexual and intimate content or child sexual abuse material.” therecord.media/european-cou...
therecord.media
European Council includes ban on nudification tools in its proposal for amending AI Act
The Council said in a press release that it has added a new provision in the AI Act “prohibiting AI practices regarding the generation of non-consensual sexual and intimate content or child sexual abu...
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Reposted by Suzanne Smalley
Vas Panagiotopoulos @vaspanagiotopoulos.com · 13/03/2026
“Tal Dilian, founder of the surveillance technology company Intellexa, has made what observers describe as an indirect admission that the controversial Predator #spyware used in 🇬🇷Greece was operated by state authorities.” www.dnews.gr/eidhseis/new...
dnews.gr
Intellexa Founder Tal Dilian Indicates State Authorities Used Predator in Greece - Dnews
Israeli tech entrepreneur Tal Dilian appeared to hint that Greece’s state authorities were behind the use of the controversial Predator spyware. Israeli businessman Tal Dilian, founder of the surveill...
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Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
I interviewed FTC official Chris Mufarrige. Among other things, he said the agency is keeping an eye on Meta's facial recognition smart glasses. Check it out! therecord.media/ftc-mufarrig...
therecord.media
‘We’re not trying to remake the economy’: FTC’s Mufarrige charts new course on tech enforcement
The FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection chief discussed the agency’s embrace of age verification and how industry should think about data privacy enforcement under his watch.
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