iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Whitney Merrill

No, bombing Yandex has not impacted automated Russian trolling operations in the U.S.

Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Byron Tau @byrontau.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

"Freedom from persistent, dragnet-style surveillance while in public…is a reasonable expectation," a federal judge finds in weighing whether license plate readers constitute a search under the Fourth Amendment. reason.com/2026/10/07/j...

reason.com

Judge says warrantless Flock search violated driver's Fourth Amendment rights

This is the second federal court decision in a little over a week to suggest that driver surveillance systems can go too far.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

We got the bodycam and in-car footage related to the Flock search that a judge ruled was "indiscriminate mass surveillance" and unconstitutional. Ton of wild stuff in here More here: www.404media.co/watch-footag...

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Just think of all the tokens and energy spent to generate this nugget.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

This is huge: a judge ruled a Flock search was 'indiscriminate mass surveillance' and unconstitutional. Says the search by a cop, who did it because a passing car had a plate from a different state, violated the driver's rights. Meaning, Flock should require a warrant www.404media.co/federal-judg...

404media.co

Federal Judge Rules a Flock Search Was ‘Indiscriminate Mass Surveillance’ and Unconstitutional

Flock’s nationwide network is quickly “approaching dragnet-type law enforcement practice” and the cop should have got a warrant, the judge wrote.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

New from 404 Media: a surveillance company is telling cops it wants to add facial recognition to Flock cameras. Flock doesn't do face rec, but that doesn't stop other companies doing it. "This is the way the world is going, the way the world will have to be" www.404media.co/surveillance...

404media.co

Surveillance Company Tells Cops It Wants to Add Facial Recognition to Flock Cameras

A surveillance company wants to "close the gap" that Flock won't do, by pitching facial recognition on its cameras.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

evacide @evacide.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Meta Muse appears to read your Apple messages and upload them to the cloud even if you explicitly tell it not to: appleinsider.com/articles/26/...

appleinsider.com

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

evacide @evacide.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

A world of always-on cameras and microphones on peoples' bodies is a very serious privacy and security problem for the people wearing them and for everyone around them.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 23/09/2026

ALPRs' threat to privacy and safety can’t be solved by city protocols, EFF's @adamdschwartz.bsky.social told @mercurynews.com. “At minimum, officers should be required to get a warrant issued by a judge before searching the stored location data. Even better, cities should not use ALPRs at all.”

mercurynews.com

San Jose pushes for tighter controls on Flock camera data after police officer abuse

Mayor Matt Mahan is pushing for more real-time supervision of license-plate reader data and the closure of a legislative loophole to make unauthorized access expressly illegal.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Stop getting your AI agent to email us. It's not impressive, it's lame as fuck, and you look like an idiot doing it. Our inboxes are full of this crap. www.404media.co/theres-a-100...

404media.co

There’s a 100% Chance AI Agents Are Already Ruining the Internet

“AI agents” now have enough power and permission to be extremely annoying online.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 14/09/2026

“Our right to conversational privacy must include freedom from other people, without our clear opt-in consent, using technology to document what we are saying,” EFF's @adamdschwartz.bsky.social told @pcworld.com.

pcworld.com

Will Siri Recap make the Apple Watch creepy? Privacy experts weigh in

A new Siri AI feature lets newer Apple Watch models quietly listen in and deliver "high-level" summaries of your conversations.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Your ChatGPT chats are not private, and humans are reading them. Anthropic's Claude too. More here: www.404media.co/inside-proje...

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

ACLU @aclu.org · 03/09/2026

Flock isn't the only company trying to profit off of our data. Our leaders must listen to the people and protect our privacy from all automatic license plate readers.

aclu.org

Beware of Other License Plate Surveillance Companies Besides Flock | ACLU

Flock deserves the heat it’s getting, but switching to another provider won’t necessarily improve anything

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Kashmir Hill @kashhill.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

A public housing authority in Concord, N.H. installed smart monitoring devices in residents’ homes that collected minute-by-minute data. They are suing saying it violates NH’s version of the Fourth Amendment. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/02/t...

nytimes.com

Noise and Motion Monitors in Their Homes? These Tenants Say No. (Gift Article)

The public housing authority in Concord, N.H., installed monitoring devices in 300 homes. Tenants are now suing to remove the Minut sensors.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

evacide @evacide.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

If you're writing a story about police abusing Flock access to stalk current/former/potential partners, I'm begging you to please follow up on the consequences these cops face for getting caught, because a lot of the time it's barely more than a slap on the wrist.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

ACLU @aclu.org · 26/08/2026

Numerous studies, including from the FBI itself, show that invasive mass surveillance tech like Flock and Axon's automatic license plate readers don't help police fight crime. Surveillance is not safety.

futurism.com

Flock Surveillance Cameras Are Actually Horrible for Fighting Crime, FBI Data Shows

New FBI data shows case closure rates for the Atlanta Police Department have not improved despite thousands of ALPRs installed since 2021.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Alex Zalben @azalben.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Dolly Parton, among a thousand other amazing things she did in her life, gifted over 330 million books to kids through her Imagination Library program. Her passing is a tremendous loss to the world, but you can support the program today to keep it going imaginationlibrary.com

imaginationlibrary.com

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library | USA, UK, IE, CA, AU

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free books to children from birth until they begin school in participating areas.

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Vaccinate your children you monsters.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Mark Lemley @marklemley.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I'm sorry to see the CA Senate nerfed new state antitrust legislation by eliminating the private right of action. But even this weakened bill is better than nothing. With the federal government no longer a trustworthy enforcer, we need state law more than ever www.legalnewsline.com/northern-cal...

legalnewsline.com

CA Dems strip private lawsuit threat from antitrust law rewrite

SACRAMENTO — Businesses in California may be spared a potential avalanche of new lawsuits, which critics say would have cost the state economy hundreds of billions of dollars in coming

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

New from 404 Media: we solved which AI company is buying massive shipments of rare books, scanning and destroying them to train AI. We put an Apple AirTag in a rare book, followed it. It ended up at an Amazon facility. Its logo is a dinosaur ripping through a book www.404media.co/we-tracked-a...

404media.co

We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility

We placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

New: a new tool called DecryptAds unmasks the shadowy world of ad companies that track your phone's location. It is incredibly difficult to investigate this world, but DecryptAds pulls together public data in a wholly unique way to make digging through this possible www.404media.co/this-tool-un...

404media.co

This Tool Unmasks the Shadowy World of Ads that Track Your Location

It's usually very difficult to investigate the advertising industry. A new tool called DecryptAds aims to make it much easier with a massive dataset anyone can query.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

ACLU @aclu.org · 13/08/2026

NEW: Flock just announced several operational changes to try to stem the nationwide backlash against its mass surveillance system — but we aren't fooled. This is nothing more than putting lipstick on a pig. Automatic license plate readers are always a threat to our privacy and our leaders must act.

aclu.org

Flock's Cameras Remain Civil Liberties Threat Despite Updates

ACLU responds to surveillance company Flock's announcement of changes to license plate reader system.

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

“It doesn’t have to make sense. It has to make money.”

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

I refuse to accept the panopticon is inevitable.

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Hot take: I think user privacy is worse than ever & that global privacy regulations and the lack of enforcement has given a false sense that things are better than before. When in reality, companies are probably just lying about compliance. I’ve experienced so many off situations as a user.

static.klipy.com

Onya Nurve: I'm Ready To Fight

Alt: Onya Nurve: I'm Ready To Fight

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

This is amazing! I would love the pattern! ❤️❤️❤️

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

New: Flock planned to use cameras in hundreds of thousands of Uber, Lyft, and delivery driver vehicles as a way to collect more license plate data. Pitched the idea to an Attorney General. Would basically turn Uber/Lyft into roaming surveillance vehicles www.404media.co/flock-pitche...

404media.co

Flock Pitched a Plan To Turn Uber and Lyft Drivers Into Roaming Surveillance Vehicles

A Flock presentation shows the company planned to use around 350,000 Uber, Lyft, and delivery drivers to collect license plate data for its surveillance system.

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Did you ever have the purple and green ketchup back in the day?

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 04/08/2026

You might be a 1337 hacker, but can you obtain a glorious beard by Friday? Join us at the DEF CON Beard and Mustache Contest on the Contest Stage from 13:00-15:00. All are welcome to spectate (and participate!) defcon.org/html/defcon...

Three winners display their awards at the DEF CON Beard and Mustache contest, showcasing unusual colors, materials, and textures.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Josh Gerstein @joshgerstein.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

BREAKING: Judge Carlton Reeves (Obama/SDMS) rules that tower dumps, which provide police with time and location data on many or all phones connected to a cell tower, are "per se unconstitutional general warrants," violating the 4th Amendment. Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/28...

documentcloud.org

TowerDumpsReevesOpn080526

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I just packed it up with a few new extras!

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Tyty! I try to use good manufacturers.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

AFK - ON SABBATICAL @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com · 04/08/2026

Hey, so I’ll be at #DEFCON34 talking about the national fight against ALPRs with my @eff.org friends. (Friday 4pm @ Crypto / Privacy Village) But like, I need @404media.co to slow down its reporting, I’m trying to finalize our slide deck. bsky.app/profile/jaso...

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Tonight likely! Will ping they’re up!

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Making stickers and pins has always been a way for me to comment on the world. Anyways, here’s some new ones I’ve made. I’ll have these on my Etsy and with me at DEFCON! thegarbagefile.etsy.com

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 31/07/2026

most tech outlets spent the week burying the lede that this was a completely avoidable error (or intentional marketing decision) by a human being, and not a malevolent self aware cyber consciousness that slipped its leash

wired.com

OpenAI’s Hacking Debacle Comes Down to Human Error

If the generative AI giant had followed well-known security best practices, it’s likely that its AI agent would never have escaped to the open internet and hacked multiple companies.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

The Verge @theverge.com · 27/07/2026

The government is prosecuting US citizen Sam Tunick for allegedly providing authorities with a “duress password” that wiped his phone when they tried to seize it at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport.

theverge.com

The US is charging an American citizen for wiping his phone at the border

Whoops, was that the duress password?

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 26/07/2026

“The vast majority of the talent and agents at our events felt that these were a violation of their privacy and were damaging and spoiling the interactions at the tables. Several expressed concerns that they might not continue to attend in-person events if they were being recorded in secret.”

bbc.com

Meta glasses banned by Comic-Con promoter after 'secret filming'

A number of guests said they would be reluctant to appear at conventions again after cases of recordings taking place without their knowledge.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Flock's CEO keeps saying people don't understand their tech. Just told local news their cameras take a "static picture." But the company has spent the last year announcing it was bringing real-time video to existing ALPRs and public records show this was turned live: www.404media.co/flocks-ceo-s...

404media.co

Flock's CEO Says its ALPRs Don't Do Video After Repeatedly Announcing They Can

Flock's CEO Garrett Langley says people don't understand the capabilities of its ALPR system, but they do.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

You opened a credit card. ICE now knows where you live. Here's how when you open a credit card your address leaves your bank, goes through middlemen companies, and ends up with ICE. ICE plans to use this data for immigration and 'voter fraud'. No warrant More: www.404media.co/you-opened-a...

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Sometimes I miss being able to see what people liked.

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