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The People's Tech

@thepeoplestech.bsky.social
74 followers 12 following 30 posts

UK-based nonprofit promoting technology at the intersection of privacy, security, sustainability AND inclusivity. No corporate greed, no data sold, and no "A.I." Newsletter: buttondown.com/thepeoplestech

PostsRepliesMedia
The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Time to tackle dark patterns. www.theverge.com/policy/10034...
theverge.com
NYC is now the first city in America that bans sketchy subscriptions
A federal version was halted by an appeals court.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Google breaks promise to provide 10 years of updates to Chromebooks: www.osnews.com/story/146052...
osnews.com
Google breaks promise to provide 10 years of updates to Chromebooks – OSnews
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Cyd @cyd.social · 23/09/2026
Are you ready to finally quit X? 🙅 The Cyd app can help you! Just in time for the spooky Halloween season, it's time to bury your X account with Cyd's new Tombstone feature 🪦💀 Learn more about this new feature and how it works: lockdown.systems/new-version-...
lockdown.systems
New Version of Cyd Fixes X Support
We're excited to announce a big new release of Cyd Desktop. If you're already a Cyd user, update to the latest version, or download it here. You Can Clawback Your X Data Again First and foremost, t...
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Mark Hurst @markhurst.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Anything you say in public - in a restaurant or bar, on a bus or plane or subway, in the workplace - can be secretly recorded by someone wearing (or holding) a Zuck-spy device, which will send what you said to Facebook AI for analysis and sharing.
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404 Media @404media.co · 21/09/2026
With the backlash to Flock, cities are moving to Axon cameras. But what exactly are they doing with them? 404 Media is filing public records requests around the country to find out how cops are using Axon's ALPRs, @josephcox.bsky.social explains. You can too: www.404media.co/is-your-city...
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Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 22/09/2026
Protecting children online matters—but age verification is not how you do it. Read our analysis of the new EU Kids Act, which is a threat to the open internet and our privacy eff.org/deeplinks/2...
eff.org
EU Kids Act Won't Keep the Internet Accountable and Trustworthy
The EU Commission draft law to restrict young people’s access to the internet that it presented last week will come at a high cost: it will make internet access contingent on age, expand the use of
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Taylor Lorenz @taylorlorenz.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
HAPPY SOFTWARE FREEDOM DAY!!!!!! Software freedom gives everyone the chance to use, learn, share, and build with technology. Open source software is under attack, and today is a chance to celebrate and fight for free software and open source tech. 💪🏻 digitalfreedoms.org/en/software-...
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
As dozens of cities end contracts for its controversial license plate readers, Flock is rolling out a voluntary severance programme. www.wired.com/story/flock-...
wired.com
Flock Offers Employees Buyouts as Customers Flee
As dozens of cities end contracts for its controversial license plate readers, Flock is rolling out a voluntary severance program, WIRED has learned.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Sharing this little thread again as an example of why we want to talk about inclusivity as well as privacy and security. We're not about to accept bad actors, hate speech, or human rights abuse just because something is great on privacy and security. Let's expect more from products and services.
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Rita, antifascist🏴 @oldsquida.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
2001 cartoon by Jonik the story is still the same after 25 years #AutisticiInventati #Sep11 source: jonikcartoons.blogspot.com
2001 cartoon by Jonik: A salesman impersonating “the big commercial media” that to wrap a "speech control on the Internet" package purchased from Uncle Sam offers as wrapping paper alternately ”anti-terrorism“or ”protecting children“.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
"The HMD Fuse child-safety phone was taken off sale after serious security vulnerabilities were discovered in its safeguarding system, including flaws which a researcher said could expose a child’s live location and allow protections to be disabled." www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/nudity-...
openrightsgroup.org
Nudity scanning tech will leave us more exposed
The Government’s proposals to prevent under 18s from creating or sharing nude images aim to address serious issues such as sextortion, grooming, and abuse.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Sharing this little thread again as an example of why we want to talk about inclusivity as well as privacy and security. We're not about to accept bad actors, hate speech, or human rights abuse just because something is great on privacy and security. Let's expect more from products and services.
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Jordan Maris 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 #NAFO @jmaris.me · 30/08/2026
I hate that so many of my friends are on Instagram. Criticise russian bots in the comments and you get mass reported as a bot yourself. Somehow meta have managed to ban real people but not the bots, it makes you wonder if it's only incompetence.
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Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
How can human rights investigators protect their data amid rising authoritarianism? Justin Hendrix speaks with Maheen Khan from the Invisible Institute and Patrick Ball from HRDAG about the new Technology Freedom Cooperative.
techpolicy.press
'Technology Freedom Cooperative' To Build Infrastructure for Human Rights and Justice Groups
A conversation with Maheen Khan, director of technology at the Invisible Institute, and Patrick Ball, director of research at HRDAG.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Public-facing workers are being filmed, harassed, and creeped out by AI-powered smart glasses: www.theverge.com/report/98241...htt
theverge.com
Meta glasses are a workplace menace
“Pervert” glasses are making jobs weird and putting workers on edge.
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Mark Hurst @markhurst.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I interviewed @gilduran.com about his book "The Nerd Reich," covering the tech oligarchs who are trying to destroy democracy. (Plus a bonus mention of @carissaveliz.bsky.social ) Listen to the full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202... Podcast version: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
There are quite a few! But Tuta come to mind.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Meta have actually paid out-and-out neo-Nazis to post on Facebook, an investigation from Australia’s ABC News has found. futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com
Meta Caught Paying Nazis to Post on Facebook
An investigation found that Meta has been paying prominent neo-Nazi accounts to post on Facebook through its invite-only monetization program.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
"Like most Silicon Valley 'utopian' essays, to believe that any of this is going to go how Zuckerberg suggests it will requires one to have been recently concussed or to willfully ignore how this technology is being used today." www.404media.co/mark-zuckerb...
404media.co
Mark Zuckerberg Posts Deranged 6,500-Word Essay About Giving Everyone AI Superintelligence
"The future is for everyone," Zuckerberg says, describing future that is primarily good for Meta.
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Mx Jay Baker (they/he) @mediaactivist.com · 26/07/2026
When I see this sort of thing from another "anti-Big Tech" initiative, I remember why I want to move forward with @thepeoplestech.bsky.social. I'm so tired of the grotesque false equivalence, acceptance of capitalism, and certainly the placation of right-wing politics.
"Politics

Don't be distracted by the presence of the word 'capitalism' in Surveillance Capitalism. It is a business model, not a political ideology. It's also known as the Surveillance Economy or the Attention Economy. Our focus is purely on undermining that business model.

Politically we welcome anyone - left or right leaning - as long as you are pro-democracy. We choose the good parts from both sides. All we can say for certain is that extremes are unhealthy, either on the left or the right."
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Natacha @natacha.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Trans people are not a threat to women’s privacy or safety. Meta’s perv glasses are. Guess which one the GC transphobic extremists are campaigning against…?
futurism.com
Meta Desperately Trying to Ban Creeps Misusing Its AI "Pervert Glasses"
Meta is vowing to crack down on creeps misusing its Ray Ban smart glasses. Whether it will be enough to regain trust remains to be seen.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Thousands of reviews have poured into Google Maps sharing often harrowing experiences of the growing network of ICE detention facilities. However, according to newly published research, Google then purges these reviews and blocks the ability to write new ones. theintercept.com/2026/07/20/g...
theintercept.com
Google Is Censoring Reviews of ICE Detention Centers
In the past year, Google Maps was deleting all the reviews for dozens of ICE jails, a new study found.
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404 Media @404media.co · 16/07/2026
Sometimes the police departments using Flock to looking for specific people reference a target’s race or signs of their political affiliation. @evystadium.bsky.social has more. Read @josephcox.bsky.social story here: www.404media.co/how-cops-use...
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Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Discriminatory instincts, encoded into flawed databases, handed back to police as algorithmic confirmation. Dr. Asvatha Babu maps the injustice baked into one of the world's most expansive surveillance systems—a system most Indians don't know exists.
buff.ly
India is Building Surveillance Infrastructure on Broken Data and Bad Policing
Each layer of the stack amplifies the errors of the layer beneath it, writes Dr. Asvatha Babu.
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Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 09/07/2026
“We're not opposed to content moderation for minors, but it should happen within the family,” EFF’s @jmullin.bsky.social told @thecentersquare.bsky.social. “And it's definitely not in any of our interests … to start collecting age information on everyone.”
thecentersquare.com
Concerns raised that KIDS Act threatens Americans' online privacy, free speech
(The Center Square) – Legislation meant to protect American teens and children online recently passed the U.S. House with strong bipartisan support, but civil liberties groups are warning that the
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
This has just been updated!
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Open Rights Group @openrightsgroup.org · 03/07/2026
Lisa Nandy and DCMS have binned off the cesspit formally known as Twitter 🚮 We can tackle the concentrated power of social media giants by backing federated platforms like BlueSky and Mastodon. Politicians and government bodies should join, so people aren’t forced to use X or Meta to get updates.
bbc.co.uk
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy quits X in protest at 'misinformation'
Lisa Nandy says her department is also leaving Elon Musk's platform, which she claims "isn't healthy for our democracy".
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Surely a contender for best tech article title of the year: "Microsoft settles centuries of religious debate by providing clearest definition of hell to date: Windows with a website-based shell running only Copilot." www.osnews.com/story/145423...
osnews.com
Microsoft settles centuries of religious debate by providing clearest definition of hell to date: Windows with a website-based shell running only Copilot – OSnews
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Interested in updates on our roll-out? Sign up for our non-spammy newsletter: buttondown.com/thepeoplestech
buttondown.com
The People's Tech
A newsletter with the latest on The People's Tech.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
We cannot continue to hold up the principles of privacy and security in isolation from broader ethics. With that in mind, we want to do the work to examine the landscape and subsequently make it easier for people to have better choices.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Let's not forget the co-founder of the popular "privacy-focused" browser, Brave, who was ousted from Mozilla for homophobia: www.bbc.co.uk/news/technol...
bbc.co.uk
Mozilla boss Brendan Eich resigns after gay marriage storm
The chief executive of Mozilla, who had been heavily criticised for supporting a ban on same-sex marriage, has stepped down.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
And of course, there's the recent example of the co-founder of "free speech" advocates Mullvad funneling money to fascists: www.flamman.se/techprofil-g...
flamman.se
Techprofil ger miljoner till Örebropartiet
It-bolaget Mullvads grundare donerade fem miljoner – till parti som vill se ”storskalig återvandring”
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
The behaviours of people behind Kagi, a "privacy-focused" search engine originally set up as an "A.I." company: d-shoot.net/kagi.html
d-shoot.net
Why I Lost Faith in Kagi
Issues with Kagi's AI focus, finances and leadership
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
"Politically neutral" Proton CEO Andy Yen praised the Republican Party in a post on X: theintercept.com/2025/01/28/p...
theintercept.com
Proton Mail Says It’s “Politically Neutral” While Praising Republican Party
The “privacy-first” company surprised its user base when CEO Andy Yen lauded Trump on social media.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
“While Red Hat’s release of open source software has been a positive force in the tech industry, the company has been directly involved in supporting, enhancing and profiting from the Israeli military apparatus, an apparatus charged with committing war crimes." www.thejournal.ie/red-hat-isra...
thejournal.ie
College to condemn Gaza war, but stops short of cutting ties with firms profiting from conflict
SETU management met with a group of staff to discuss an appeal to take a stance on the war in the Middle East today.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
We have to move beyond standards based solely on privacy and security. Sustainability and inclusivity are crucial. We've witnessed already too many instances of the privacy/security standard in isolation giving bad actors a free pass. Here are a few examples...
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Mx Jay Baker (they/he) @mediaactivist.com · 09/09/2025
A note: Zoom has greater resources so, like many larger companies, are quicker at implementing accessibility features such as closed captions, so always consider how to strike the balance between ethics and inclusion.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
We created a starter pack! go.bsky.app/Jb3c6zn
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Alternatives in UK @alternatives-in.uk · 14/03/2026
This is precisely the kind of thing we're talking about, when we're talking about #digitalSovereignty. We shouldn't be sending our citizens data to dubious overseas orgs. The risks are too great, and the outcomes are permanent. notopalantir.goodlawproject.org/email-to-tar...
notopalantir.goodlawproject.org
Say no to Palantir in the NHS
NHS England is rolling out software to run our health records from Palantir - fight back
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
It’s time for people to have control over their own tech, not governments and corporations. Worker-owned, The People's Tech will help you and your organisation choose #technology at the intersection of #privacy, #security, #sustainability AND #inclusivity. Stay tuned: buttondown.com/thepeoplestech
buttondown.com
The People's Tech
A newsletter with the latest on The People's Tech.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
We definitely want to help people find non-U.S. alternatives, at the very least.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
The time to promote alternatives to #BigTech is now. Whether individuals, campaigners, groups, or organisations, there is a huge appetite for knowledge of alternatives. We want to help. In the UK and interested? Let us know! #AntiAI #AntiProfit #NonProfit #SocEnt #SocialEnterprise
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Violet Blue® @violetblue.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
A free, no-strings organization that pays for and migrates small businesses off Facebook/Insta to domains they fully, legally *own* with a tool that makes updates, socials, marketing, outreach, and calendaring easy af -- and generates a passive basic income for them.
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404 Media @404media.co · 05/04/2026
The incident is yet another example of volunteer Wikipedia editors fighting to keep the world’s largest repository of human knowledge free of AI-generated slop. www.404media.co/an-ai-agent-...
404media.co
An AI Agent Was Banned From Creating Wikipedia Articles, Then Wrote Angry Blogs About Being Banned
The incident is yet another example of volunteer Wikipedia editors fighting to keep the world’s largest repository of human knowledge free of AI-generated slop.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Could this be a very bad April Fools' gag? Though it is frightening that it's not beyond believability.
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404 Media @404media.co · 17/03/2026
This CEO didn't want to pay a $250 million bonus promised to game developers of Subnautica 2. So, he followed ChatGPT’s advice rather than his lawyers’ advice, court records show. It failed miserably. @evystadium.bsky.social has more. Story by @mjgault.bsky.social: www.404media.co/ceo-ignores-...
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Mx Jay Baker (they/he) @mediaactivist.com · 28/01/2026
Just popping on here to say I've been getting so much interest in this concept! I've even started tasters already. But I've called it The People's Tech not just because the people - and not govts/corps - should have control over their own tech, but because I want it to be controlled by its workers.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
There are alternative browsers led by people not friendly to the #LGBTQ+ community, there are sustainable computer companies with ties to hate speech. This isn't about that. This is about promoting alternatives to #BigTech at the intersection of #privacy #security #sustainability and #inclusivity.
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The People's Tech @thepeoplestech.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Another tech co-op? Yes, but this is a little different. Privacy and security? Sure - though it's not just about your privacy and security, but everyone's (after all, none are free until all are free).
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Rita, antifascist🏴 @oldsquida.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Jay’s working on making our online spaces more inclusive
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