Melania Trump has demanded that Hunter Biden retract comments linking her to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and has threatened to sue if he does not.

Biden, the son of the former president Joe Biden, alleged in an interview this month that Epstein introduced the first lady to Donald Trump.

The statements were false, defamatory and “extremely salacious,” Melania Trump’s lawyer, Alejandro Brito, said in a letter to Biden. Biden’s remarks were widely disseminated on social media and reported by media outlets around the world, causing the first lady “to suffer overwhelming financial and reputational harm,” he added.

Biden made the Epstein comments during a sprawling interview with the British journalist Andrew Callaghan in which he lashed out at “elites” and others in the Democratic party who he said undermined his father before he dropped out of last year’s presidential campaign.

Melania Trump demands Hunter Biden retract comments linking her to Jeffrey Epstein

First lady threatens to sue Joe Biden’s son after he said the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump

^{Guardian staff reporter (The Guardian)}

Who is impacted?

Millions of YouTube users—especially teens and adults—will soon be affected by a new AI-based age detection system launching August 13th. This system analyzes your entire watch history and behavior to estimate your age, overriding the age you've set on your account. If the system thinks you're underage, you'll be locked out of content unless you upload your government-issued ID—putting your personal information at serious risk.

What is at stake?

This isn’t just about age restriction—it’s about mass surveillance and data control. Similar measures are spreading fast: the UK’s Online Safety Act has already led to censorship and demands for ID. In Australia, YouTube is being restricted for those under 16. Spotify is now requiring ID in some regions. Games are being banned from Steam and itch.io. This pattern—justified as “protecting kids”—is being used to normalize invasive tracking and limit freedom online.

Why is now the time to act?

This policy goes into effect on August 13th, and we cannot allow YouTube to quietly implement AI surveillance that violates privacy and autonomy. Once these systems are normalized, they rarely go away—they expand. If we don't speak up now, we risk losing our ability to browse, create, and enjoy content freely. This is about more than YouTube. This is about digital freedom.

I don't know about you, but I don't want AI and companies tracking everything I do, with all my personal information going who knows where. This is an attempt to acquire user data, and blatant censorship hidden behind a thin veil of ''protect the kids!'' We cannot allow this to escalate further.

YouTube’s AI Tracks Everything You Watch — Stop This Now

^{Gerfdas Gaming (Change.org)}

“The information given by our support team was totally wrong.”

Stripe apologizes for customer service agents claiming LGBTQ products were banned

^{Ash Parrish (The Verge)}

As wildfires rage across southern Europe, claiming lives and displacing thousands, leaders are pointing to the fossil fuel-driven climate crisis.

Archived version: archive.is/newest/commondreams…

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

'We Are Being Cooked Alive': Wildfires Driven by Climate Crisis Ravage Europe

Fire-related deaths were reported in Turkey, Spain, Montenegro, and Albania.

^{jessica-corbett (Common Dreams)}

Tesla’s in-car graphics could be getting an upgrade thanks to Unreal Engine.

Tesla’s graphics are about to get Unreal

^{Jay Peters (The Verge)}

Another specialized Linux distro has announced its shutdown, joining the growing graveyard of discontinued distributions.

https://www.neowin.net/news/sad-news-another-linux-distro-is-shutting-down/

Lip-Bu Tan has received Trump's approval. Still, Intel needs more than a PR boost: it may be slimming down too much to perform.

Intel's CEO survives baptism of fire, will his company do the same? - Techzine Global

^{Erik van Klinken (Techzine)}

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5070304

• Open Terms Archive;
• Reddit.

LinkedIn removes hate speech protections for transgender individuals

On July 29, 2025, LinkedIn removed “misgendering or deadnaming” from examples of prohibited content in its policy on hateful and derogatory content.

^{opentermsarchive.org}

https://apnews.com/article/do-kwon-terraform-court-montenegro-crypto-mogul-46d924b4d34e90b850889d711c93c802

https://apnews.com/article/russia-norway-dam-sabotage-cyberattack-16673f35c17aacf5ed871918136bdf6f

Op-ed by Ihsan Yilmaz, Research Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Deakin University - Ana-Maria Bliuc, Associate Professor in Social Psychology, University of Dundee - John Betts, Senior Lecturer, Monash University - Nicholas Morieson, Research fellow, Deakin University.

Last week, Australian authorities arrested a woman for foreign interference. The Chinese citizen and Canberra resident is just the third person ever charged under our foreign interference laws.

According to the Australian Federal Police, she was allegedly gathering information on, and may be involved in efforts to infiltrate, the Guan Yin Citta Buddhist association. The group is banned in China.

[...]

The story might seem unimportant. After all, it doesn’t involve defence secrets or political leaders, but a small, relatively obscure community.

But this is exactly why it matters. The case shows the Chinese Communist Party is deeply interested in Australia’s Chinese diaspora communities. It’s willing to disregard Australian law to police and manipulate them in ways that serve Beijing’s interests.

It also shows how authoritarian regimes use “sharp power”, or covert, manipulative influence, to do more than just spy. They also surveil, intimidate and control communities far beyond their borders.

[...]

Sharp power is different [from soft power and hard power in that] it manipulates and distorts the information people receive, quietly shaping how they see the world and the choices they think they have. It’s the use of covert, manipulative and often emotional tactics to shape how other countries think, decide and act, often without them realising it’s happening.

[...]

When China’s state news agency, Xinhua, operates openly in other countries, it is playing the soft power game. But when China Radio International secretly funds 33 radio stations in 14 countries, or when Turkey spreads anti-Western conspiracy theories and disinformation, it crosses into sharp power.

[...]

Sharp power in Australia

The Canberra spy case shows how Beijing can shape opinions by infiltrating local Chinese organisations. It can also control information and mobilise people in ways that serve its own political interests. It reveals how some authoritarian governments regard co-ethnic, co-religious, or culturally linked diasporas in the West as part of their national community and seek to influence them accordingly.

Australia’s universities have also been targets of China’s sharp power. Scholars critical of Beijing’s oppression of Tibetans, Uighur Muslims, and pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong have faced pressure from student groups aligned with Chinese state interests.

The Chinese language media in Australia has also become deeply influenced by Beijing’s narratives. Many once independent outlets now republish state controlled content, narrowing the diversity of views available to Chinese-speaking Australians. This also encourages them to remain loyal and connected to China.

[...]

For a multicultural society such as Australia, the challenge is to respond firmly to authoritarian sharp power attacks without undermining the openness and diversity that are among our greatest democratic strengths.

[...]

Foreign interference can be hidden in plain sight. Here’s how countries use ‘sharp power’ in Australia

Authoritarian nations are using new tactics, from emotional manipulation to digital surveillance, to sway diaspora attitudes in their favour.

^{The Conversation}

cross-posted from: sopuli.xyz/post/31024070

Making the jump from Samsung to iPhone soon, mainly for privacy reasons.
Want to cut Google out as much as possible while I'm at it.

What I'm planning so far:

• Mailbox.org instead of Gmail
• DuckDuckGo for search, would prefer something even better
• Safari with all the privacy stuff turned on

Where I'm stuck:

• What about YouTube? Just use the web version?
• Google Drive alternatives that actually work well?
• Best way to store photos that aren't big greedy corps?

Questions:
- Any must-have privacy apps once I get the iPhone?

• Settings I should change immediately out of the box?
• Services I'm forgetting that are probably feeding Google my data?

twikz

2025-07-26 23:14:48

Samsung → iPhone: Need Your De-Google Tips

Note: I prefer Apple over Google and I’m not ready to go full privacy-hardened, I want to find a balance between convenience and privacy protection.

So I'm moving from Samsung to iPhone soon, mainly because I despise Google.
Want to cut Google out as much as possible while I'm at it.

What I'm planning so far:

• Mailbox.org instead of Gmail
• DuckDuckGo for search, would prefer something even better
• Safari with all the privacy stuff turned on

Where I'm stuck:

• What about YouTube? Just use the web version?
• Google Drive alternatives that actually work well?
• Best way to store photos that aren't big greedy corps?

Questions:
- Any must-have privacy apps once I get the iPhone?

• Settings I should change immediately out of the box?
• Services I'm forgetting that are probably feeding Google my data?

A fresh expansion of UK crimefighters' access to live facial recognition (LFR) technology is being described by officials as "an excellent opportunity for policing." Privacy campaigners disagree.

The Home Office said today that more police forces across England will gain LFR capabilities thanks to ten new "cutting edge" vans being wheeled out, adding to those already in use by London's Metropolitan Police and forces in South Wales.

Seven forces will gain access to LFR vans as part of the latest expansion. These are: Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey and Sussex (jointly), and Thames Valley and Hampshire (jointly).

UK expands police facial recognition rollout with 10 new vans heading to a town near you

: Seven additional regions across England will now have access to the controversial tech

^{Connor Jones (The Register)}

Thanks to everyone who participated in the first 5-Week De-Google Challenge on Signal!

I'm about to start another de-Google challenge AND a de-Amazon challenge on Monday.

Here is info on the de-Amazon group. (Signal group and PDF plan)

The de-Google Signal group is here.

And for the de-Google challenge we'll be using this checklist

I hope you'll join (and share) one...or both!.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the first 5-Week De-Google Challenge on Signal!

I'm about to start another de-Google challenge AND a de-Amazon challenge on Monday.

Here is info on the de-Amazon group. (Signal group and PDF plan)

The de-Google Signal group is here.

And for the de-Google challenge we'll be using this checklist

I hope you'll join (and share) one...or both!.

Signal Messenger Group

Follow this link to join a group on Signal Messenger.

^signal.group

Thanks to everyone who participated in the first 5-Week De-Google Challenge on Signal!

I'm about to start another de-Google challenge AND a de-Amazon challenge on Monday.

Here is info on the de-Amazon group. (Signal group and PDF plan)

The de-Google Signal group is here.

And for the de-Google challenge we'll be using [this checklist](punchinguppress.com/post/shake…

I hope you'll join (and share) one...or both!).

Signal Messenger Group

Follow this link to join a group on Signal Messenger.

^signal.group

Nonostante il corrente clima della mia terra ormai sia talmente tanto seccante da portare quasi difficoltà a respirare, figurarsi esistere (…nonostante sia un clima umido, che assurdo paradosso), stranamente in questo agosto non sto scadendo troppo nel rotting… e, infatti, piano piano il Pignio (che, manco a farlo apposta, sotto sotto in questo periodo dell’anno […]

octospacc.altervista.org/2025/…

minioctt

2025-08-13 22:16:29

presente pignanza con aggiornamenti stellari ci porta al futuro sempre più conifero (aggiornamenti Pignio)

Nonostante il corrente clima della mia terra ormai sia talmente tanto seccante da portare quasi difficoltà a respirare, figurarsi esistere (…nonostante sia un clima umido, che assurdo paradosso), stranamente in questo agosto non sto scadendo troppo nel rotting… e, infatti, piano piano il Pignio (che, manco a farlo apposta, sotto sotto in questo periodo dell’anno ci sta benissimo, ricordando le pinete a mare insomma) sta ancora crescendo, e ad ora credo sia tipo in quello stato perfettamente a metà tra la goduria infinita data dall’idea passata del primo rilascio, e la cristallizzazione definitiva come prevista da una versione finale più futura che inglobi tutto quello che deve essere necessario per godere non solo infinitamente, ma sul serio… 😤

Quindi eh eh… ehh boh. Nonostante io non abbia ancora completamente sistemato le robe di multi-utente, e in generale mancano ancora diverse cose relative ad un uso più da social network (per copiare Pinterest proprio per benino, insomma), le funzioni generali sono già di livello pazzo: feed Atom (in uscita) messo a punto, OCR automatico per le immagini tramite Tesseract (…nonostante faccia assolutamente schifo su foto con font strani o colori merdosi, purtroppo, ed è tutto dire che sia comunque la libreria open-source di OCR che funziona meglio al mondo), il salvataggio dei video che ora funziona bene… wow… (Ci sono poi anche miglioramenti generali sull’interfaccia, tipo che ho migliorato ancora un po’ le pagine di gestione e visualizzazione, oltre ad aver aggiunto la localizzazione in italiano oltre che in inglese… ma queste cose puntualmente quando ci sono non vengono apprezzate, e quando mancano invece arrivano i reclami, di utenti per giunta mai paganti…) 😻

Però, il pezzo proprio grosso ora sono i nuovi tipi di elementi supportati, perché con questi si passa davvero da “ma che è, Pinterest senza glitch?” a “wow, o’ Pign!!!“… perché per foto e video sono bravi tutti, ma i file audio molti se li dimenticano, i post di puro testo ma con immagini di sfondo non esistono da nessuna parte (…se non su Facebook, dal quale ancora non ho finito di copiare cose), i documenti (PDF) nessuno sa come visualizzarli, e i modelli 3D sono praticamente inconcepibili… e invece il Pignio ha già tutto ciò, ora!!! (E le faville arriveranno a breve.) Non ho finito finito, c’è ancora lavoro da fare per perfezionare queste categorie, ma intanto io delivero (…e solo per stavolta risparmio il mondo dal raccontare l’irreale trafila dell’orrore che renderizzare testo potenzialmente non-ASCII sotto forma di immagini lato server implica, ma il README ne fa indirettamente accenno). 💣

Ecco però, a proposito di cose fatte a metà… Per questi nuovi elementi, che potrebbero in alcuni casi non avere proprio una miniatura visiva (come molti file audio), o per cui comunque non ho ancora potuto aggiungere una generazione automatica, ho aggiunto semplici emoji come icone segnaposto nell’interfaccia, che comunque è basata su queste liste a griglia e su elementi che hanno una certa presenza fisica visuale… e il fatto tremendo è che ho accidentalmente scatenato delle vibe che mi sembrano irrealmente buffe. Non tanto il foglio di carta per indicare i documenti, che non è nulla di strano, e nemmeno le scatole per indicare modelli 3D, che non è troppo una forzatura nonostante faccia ridere pensare che quella è una scatola che contiene l’oggetto 3D, che quindi si apre cliccandoci, rivelando l’oggetto… quanto le note musicali per i file audio, e qui ormai capisco che sono completamente da buttare. 🤧

Io giuro che, per qualche motivo evidentemente inspiegabile, pure a distanza di 2 giorni, ancora mi viene assolutamente da ridere a guardare (ma anche solo ad immaginare, poverannuj!!!) questa schermata. Semplicemente i controlli di riproduzione sotto, e l’emoji della nota musicale sopra che funge da icona… non c’è una ceppa di buffo, non c’è un cazzo da ridere, eppure il mio cervello non ne vuole sapere! E non è nemmeno il brano del caso che magari è meme o che; è proprio che la pura idea di questo fatto mi fa pisciare. Boh, o sarà il pacchetto emoji di Windows 10 che è particolarmente buffo a vedersi, o altrimenti ormai è ufficiale che anche il mio senso dell’umorismo, così come altri tratti della mia personalità, si è corrotto… ma ormai l’unica cosa importante è che non si corrompa l’archivio del mio Pignio!!! (E pure se succede, di quello ho frequenti backup.) 🤗

#Dev #devlog #Pignio

octt / Pignio · GitLab

GitLab.com

^GitLab

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