After about 8 months, I love this Android browser. Not Chrome, FF, or Edge based.
UPDATE: THIS USES GOOGLE WEB VIEW. DO NOT USE.
I can't figure out why nobody talks about this. I see all kinds of alternative browsers on here, but never this one. I especially like the color coded bookmarks for different categories (my news is gray, my searxng/swisscows and other search engines green, my tech solutions purple). It has anti-fingerprinting and a quick toggle for if you need to quickly adjust javascript or cookie setting to make a quick exception. There are lots of features. If anyone else has tried it, it would be interesting to hear your feedback too.
Review of Cory Doctorow's *Enshittification*
Why the Internet is Turning to Shit
Cory Doctorow’s new book is an insightful diagnosis of how Big Tech is making every app and website worse—even if his solutions leave something to be desired.Alex Skopic (Current Affairs Inc)
AutoHotKey Alternative on Wayland
The main barrier for me transitioning to Linux as my main OS is finding a suitable alternative to AutoHotKey (AHK) on windows. I use AHK for all kinds of automation but haven't found a usable alternative in Wayland.
Thought I'd check here to see if anyone has any suggestions?
I'm on hyperland, and I've configured ydotool to do some of this work. It can move the mouse, enter keyboard shortcuts and do a bunch of things that autohotkey can, however it is by no means a complete solution, or one that comes with sensible defaults. It's just a daemon and client, and you'll need to set it up to do what you want.
As far as I know there's no record and replay function, though you could likely script one.
Also, for triggering the scripts, you'll need to set your Desktop's keybindings to point to them.
For me, it filled the requirements that it was launchable by systemd unit, as the user on login.
I use it for a vairiety of tasks, but the primary one is typing out my clipboard as if I had pasted something. I rebound alt + shift + p to that, so I can paste windows login passwords or whatever in to Teamviewer/other stuff that doesn't accept a paste command.
GitHub - ReimuNotMoe/ydotool: Generic command-line automation tool (no X!)
Generic command-line automation tool (no X!). Contribute to ReimuNotMoe/ydotool development by creating an account on GitHub.GitHub
White House fires CDC director Monarez after she refuses to resign; 4 top health officials quit
White House fires CDC director Monarez after she refuses to resign; 4 top health officials quit
Susan Monarez, a longtime federal government scientist, was sworn in on July 31.Annika Kim Constantino (CNBC)
Republicans get court win over "green bank" funds
A federal appeals court sided with the Environmental Protection Agency in its effort to freeze billions of dollars and terminate contracts for nonprofits charged with running a "green bank" to finance climate-friendly projects.
The decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, handed down in a 2-1 ruling, shifts the dispute away from the federal district court and into the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, which handles contract matters. For the nonprofits involved, including Climate United Fund, the ruling represents a major setback in their push to regain access to roughly $16 billion in frozen funds.
Trump Administration Gets Court Win Over 'Green Bank' Funds
The decision stands as a high-profile win for the Trump administration's EPA and a stinging blow to climate groups.Gabe Whisnant (Newsweek)
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‘Puppet!’ Charlamagne Calls Hakeem Jeffries ‘AIPAC Shakur’ in Brutal Takedown of Minority Leader
Charlamagne and the rest of The Breakfast Club welcomed entertainers Claudia Jordan and Erica Cobb to the show, where the duo talked about their new podcast Accidentally Informed.
While talking about their favorite guests, Jordan — who’s also a contributor for CNN — revealed she enjoys political conversations and spoke fondly of her talk with Jeffries. That’s when host DJ Envy revealed that Charlamagne “hates” the minority leader:
JORDAN: You do?CHARLAMAGNE: I don’t hate him. I just don’t think he stands for anything. I call him “AIPAC Shakur.”
JORDAN: Well, definitely — we did talk about messaging, and I actually went to the Capitol and had a meeting with him. And we talked about messaging how I was like, the frustration of the party is y’all have to get more gangster. Like, stop going by the politics of the late 2000s, in 2010, and you have to rise to the occasion in the messaging. And he did. I saw him do more afterwards.
CHARLAMAGNE: Hakeem is a puppet. Hakeem isn’t doing anything if Chuck Schumer doesn’t tell him to do it. And it’s simple as that.
‘Puppet!’ Charlamagne Calls Hakeem Jeffries ‘AIPAC Shakur’ in Brutal Takedown of M ...
Charlamagne tha God revealed his brutal nickname for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries while detailing his gripes with him.Ahmad Austin Jr. (Mediaite)
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Solar flares as you've never seen them before
Solar flares as you’ve never seen them before
The world’s largest solar telescope captured a powerful X-class solar flare in August 2024.Laura Baisas (Popular Science)
What distro do you game on?
GE-Proton10-15 Released
- fixed opening hang in crosscode
- fixed video playback in fable: the lost chapters
Release GE-Proton10-15 Released · GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom
fixed opening hang in crosscode fixed video playback in fable: the lost chaptersGitHub
What was the update? Getting address not found on both calyos.org and calyxinstitute.org which doesn't bode well
Edit: came back up. Update if it's down when viewed
Update: August 27 2025We are concerned that some users may have not seen the important message in this letter about CalyxOS’ current hiatus. Therefore, we are rolling out one last OTA update to devices currently running CalyxOS to reach as many active users as we can. You can read our post for more details about this update.
Apertus: a fully open, transparent, multilingual language model
Apertus: a fully open, transparent, multilingual language model
EPFL, ETH Zurich and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) released Apertus today, Switzerland’s first large-scale, open, multilingual language model — a milestone in generative AI for transparency and diversity.news.epfl.ch
The Former Lead For Apple Graphics Drivers On Linux Is Now Working At Intel
The Former Lead For Apple Graphics Drivers On Linux Is Now Working At Intel
There's a follow-up to yesterday's surprising story of Alyssa Rosenzweig stepping away from Asahi Linux and that ARM graphics driver work where she led reverse engineering and development of the Asahi Gallium3D and HoneyKrisp Vulkan drivers within Me…www.phoronix.com
(solved, thanks guys!) "No key available with this passphrase" despite it being the correct passphrase
Edit: Turns out you guys were right, I entered the setup password wrong for LUKs. I got this new Logitech keyboard I got for a gift and I type around 170wpm, but I've been having issues with it kind of lagging keys for some reason. What I did was I opened up a notepad and typed in my password a bunch of times and noticed whenever I would type something such as "stain" for example, it would come out at "stani" despite me looking at the keyboard and knowing that wasn't what I was typing. So I encrypted my drive with the wrong password, but figured out how to decrypt it that way. Thanks for the help doods!
Hello! I have a external drive I've encrypted with LUKs that has irreplaceable backups of mine, and for some reason no matter which PC I try it won't unlock despite it being the correct password. It doesn't give me anything else in the terminal other than what I put in the title.
I recently just backed up everything onto the external drive from my computer cause I was distro hopping. It's worked fine on my PC, I saved the password so I was able to mount it no problem before, but now it won't mount on any other PC I try. It isn't the end of the world since I can just try and copy old data from my computers drive before the format since I haven't downloaded anything yet that could overwrite anything important, but I'd still like to be able to get this external drive unlocked. As I've said, irreplaceable files of mine are on it so I'm hoping to get it working. Thank you!
How Erik Prince is Trying to “Make Haiti a Hub for Mercenaries” | Haiti Liberte
Erik Prince, the founder of many mercenary companies since Blackwater, is looking to gain a lucrative foothold in Haiti through wheeling and dealing with unelected, illegitimate leaders as cynical as he is. It won’t end well. Photo: ABC News
How Erik Prince is Trying to “Make Haiti a Hub for Mercenaries” | Haiti Liberte
(Français) Erik Prince, 56, the founder of several mercenary companies beginning with the now rebranded Blackwater, might have Washington’s backing forTravis Ross (Haiti Liberté)
Linux and Secure Boot certificate expiration
Linux and Secure Boot certificate expiration
Linux users who have Secure Boot enabled on their systems knowingly or unknowingly rely on a ke [...]LWN.net
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Democratic congressman Jerry Nadler for New York will retire next year in move to galvanize generational change among Democratic party
Jerry Nadler, a Democratic representative from New York, will retire next year after 34 years in Congress in a self-proclaimed move aimed at galvanizing a generational changing of the guard in the party.
Nadler, 78, who represents one of New York’s wealthiest districts covering midtown Manhattan, said he had been persuaded not to run for re-election in 2026 after witnessing the implosion of Joe Biden’s presidential bid last year. The former president was pressured into abandoning his candidacy amid widespread doubts about his age and mental acuity. He was replaced by the former vice-president, Kamala Harris, who subsequently lost the election to Donald Trump.
“Watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party, and I think I want to respect that,” Nadler told the New York Times, which broke the news of his forthcoming retirement.
He told the newspaper that a younger replacement “can maybe do better, can maybe help us more”.
Democratic congressman Jerry Nadler will not seek re-election in midterms
New York representative will retire next year in move to galvanize generational change among Democratic partyRobert Tait (The Guardian)
CHECK DETAILS
Session is a FOSS messenger focused on privacy. No phone numbers, decentralized servers, and full end-to-end encryption. Perfect for anyone tired of surveillance-hungry chat apps. Secure, anonymous, open-source.
🔗 GitHub: SESSION - GITHUB
GitHub - oxen-io/session-android: Session Android - Onion routing based messenger [DEPRECATED SEE README]
Session Android - Onion routing based messenger [DEPRECATED SEE README] - oxen-io/session-androidGitHub
😅😅😅
kill --windows,
install --linux,
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What will MS do when Linux becomes a serious threat to their monopoly ?
What actions might they take in the future?
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I'd wager they have enough resources to stave it off for as long as possible, and when they can't do that anymore they will have a strategy for making money off of their "services" in the linux space.
Microsoft is part of the cabal at this point. Businesses give it money because they're expected to.
Linux on my smart tv?
I have been rather unhappy with my smart TV's functionality as I feel it isn't smart for me but smart for the manufacturers. I just can't use it how I want to. I would love to overwrite the existing OS from Android to Linux. I've recently converted from Windows and loving Mint.
I haven't read too much regarding Linux smart tvs as my searches mostly come up with raspberry Pi and overwriting an Android box. I don't want to connect anything and just want my tv to boot up in Linux when it's turned on, and get some of my apps going. Is there a way to do this?
For reference I have a Sony Bravia with Android installed on it.
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I wish! I have a Samsung and I used to have an LG. One thing I anticipated which turned out to be on the nose is that these TVs stay operational just up until the maker decides they want your money again. I never bought into it to begin with. I only got a Smart TV to begin with because it has everything else I want. But I go straight to hooking up a computer. The apps on the TVs are all ooh and aah until a couple of years go by and then suddenly the apps are not compatible with the sites or backends what have you, and guess what? No more updates. You need a new TV despite the fact that yours is 100% perfectly fine, other than the inherent sabotage built in.
So that’s why I never even had any expectations. But I would love to find the best Linux distro for a media machine that my wife could learn to use. Right now I have to do all of it because it’s just browse to the files or load a playlist. I’d like something like Kodi or Plex but they have issues with one thing or another. I just want an SMB based connection in an interface that shows friendly thumbnails kinda like Nova player on Android. That app is highly underrated. Free, as far as I know open source and aside from a few control designs not being too great, the app is terrific. Kicks VLC’s butt. Why are they still designing the software like it’s 20 years ago and it’s on Windows XP?
Anyway I digress. Smart TV running Android or Linux would rock but I don’t expect it to be too feasible. But what do I know, because I’m not a professional dev.
The cheapest is to buy some android box with armlogic processor and install coreelec on it. You can do it for 20 bucks, then you have a kodi oriented linux distro on your tv.
Though I prefer to straight up connect my laptop to the tv with a small remote keyboard and have full computer functionality. I'm looking to change the laptop for a miniPC when the laptop finally breaks down. I would use a normal DE. Nothing specially suited for smartTV usage. But you get used to it pretty quick.
Do you guys just have flawless experiences or what?
It's been a week. Ubuntu Studio, and every day it's something. I swear Linux is the OS version of owning a boat, it's constant maintenance. Am I dumb, or doing something wrong?
After many issues, today I thought I had shit figured out, then played a game for the first time. All good, but the intro had some artifacts. I got curious, I have an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 and thought that was weird. Looked it up, turns out Linux was using lvmpipe. Found a fix. Now it's using my card, no more clipping, great!. But now my screen flickers. Narrowed it down to Vivaldi browser. Had to uninstall, which sucks and took a long time to figure out. Now I'm on Librewolf which I liked on windows but it's a cpu hungry bitch on Linux (eating 3.2g of memory as I type this). Every goddamned time I fix something, it breaks something else.
This is just one of many, every day, issues.
I'm tired. I want to love Linux. I really do, but what the hell? Windows just worked.
I've resigned myself to "the boat life" but is there a better way? Am I missing something and it doesn't have to be this hard, or is this what Linux is? If that's just like this I'm still sticking cause fuck Microsoft but you guys talk like Linux should be everyone's first choice. I'd never recommend Linux to anyone I know, it doesn't "just work".
EDIT: Thank you so much to everyone who blew up my post, I didn't expect this many responses, this much advice, or this much kindness. You're all goddamned gems!
To paraphrase my username's namesake, because of @SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone and his apt gif (also, Mr. Flickerman, when I record I often shout about Clem Fandango)...
When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall GNU/LINUX OS grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail."
I agree that there should be a grace period after payments are stopped before they delete stuff. But I see no reason that they should provide you with free access to their service - if you haven’t paid, service is cut off.
But that is just my opinion.
Why do Waymos keep loitering in front of my house?
Why do Waymos keep loitering in front of my house?
Waymo vehicles have been loitering outside some houses in LA, leaving residents confused as to why their streets have become informal hangouts for the robotaxis.Rachel Kraus (The Verge)
Sept. 11 Victims’ Lawsuit Against Saudi Government Can Go to Trial, Judge Rules
In his ruling, Daniels noted that the two sides had different interpretations of almost every piece of evidence. But he endorsed the plaintiffs’ views of several key exhibits, including a diagram of an airplane found in one of Bayoumi’s notebooks. Citing aviation experts, the plaintiffs’ lawyers said the drawing and the calculations beside it showed how a plane might hit an object on the ground. The Saudis’ lawyers suggested that Bayoumi had drawn it while helping his son with homework.
Daniels said the plaintiffs’ evidence created “a high probability as to Bayoumi and Thumairy’s roles in the hijackers’ plans, and the related role of their employer,” the Saudi government. “In many instances,” he added, “it even appeared that Bayoumi actively injected himself” into the hijackers’ illicit activities.
9/11 Victims’ Lawsuit Against Saudi Kingdom Can Go to Trial: Judge
Information uncovered by plaintiffs has already undermined the FBI’s conclusion that two U.S.-based Saudi officials “unwittingly” helped al-Qaida hijackers after they arrived in America.ProPublica
Fedia and Piefed have baked in code to block their users from seeing our replies, posts, and comments, while allowing a form of one way federation.
US suspends most visas for Palestinian passport-holders, after 80 Palestinian officials were denied visas ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Earlier in August, visitor visas were paused for people hoping to travel from the Palestinian territory of Gaza. This newly-reported decree would affect a wider group - including people living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The decision was issued in a diplomatic cable dated 18 August, the New York Times and CNN reported.
US consular officers were told to refuse non-immigrant visas to "all otherwise eligible Palestinian Authority passport holders", the communication was quoted as saying.
That would apply to Palestinians hoping to come to the US for a range of purposes, including for business, study or medical treatment.
The move meant that officials would be required to perform a further review of each applicant, which amounted to a blanket ban on issuing visas to Palestinians, the New York Times added in its report.
US suspends most visas for Palestinian passport-holders, reports say
The new restriction comes after a group of Palestinian officials were refused visas for a key UN meeting in New York.James FitzGerald (BBC News)
I am web developer where can I get white label websites and other resources since I am solo
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Trump's use of National Guard in Los Angeles illegal, judge rules
A federal judge in California has ruled that the way President Donald Trump deployed deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles this summer was illegal.
The ruling comes as Trump seeks to use National Guard troops in order to crack down on crime in other US cities and support immigration enforcement.
US District Judge Charles Breyer said Trump violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the power of the federal government to use military force for domestic matters.
The law, first passed in 1878, prohibits using the US military in order to execute domestic laws, or assist with doing so. The law has limited exceptions, such as authorisation by Congress.
Judge Breyer found that the ways the Trump administration used the National Guard in Los Angeles violated these restrictions.
Trump's use of National Guard in Los Angeles illegal, judge rules
The ruling comes as Trump seeks to use National Guard troops in order to crack down on crime in other US cities.Kayla Epstein (BBC News)
Help Me Comprehensively Understand The "Big Picture".
There's just too much going on for any one person to understand it all. Never mind accounting for the geopolitical, economic, and cultural factors of every situation. Than there's the rapidly changing contexts. New technology, new science and physics, new species of bacteria/fungai. Rediscovering of ancient practices. Regional problems and solutions. I could go on and on.
I advocate for "futuristic solutions" but I acknowledge that transition will not be overnight or always linear.
So what is going on out there? That's what I'm asking c/climate@slrpnk
- What's going on in your local region / etc and what is the political or economic context.
- Which solutions are being implemented or developed
- Who is organizing and leading their community towards solutions
...
As a Canadian I'm aware that we're expanding our LNG/Fracking, mineral mining, and oil... First Nations groups are providing some pushback against those projects, but we can't expect them to hold the line on ecological protection (There's a clear fiscal incentive for them to give in).
davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-d…
ief.org/news/how-to-make-minin…
cbc.ca/news/indigenous/leaders…
Canada also has and ongoing protest to stop old growth forest logging, which has gotten out of control. I honestly don't know what to think about our forest management, because I'm under the impression that logging can be done in an environmentally friendly way; but it isn't.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_Cr…
naturecanada.ca/news/press-rel…
Canada also has a lot of old hydro-electric dams which are bad for the rivers and their immediate environment.
ucs.org/resources/environmenta…
I'm hopeful Canada's growing role as a global commodity supplier will allow us to set higher international environmental standards.
I've also read online that there are already climate refugees from both rising oceans and regional droughts upending agriculture in the middle east.
lawfaremedia.org/article/from-…
Logging Emerges as Canada’s Third Largest Climate Polluter - Nature Canada
Report concludes that logging is Canada’s third-highest-emitting sector behind oil & gas and transportation greenhouse gas emissions in CanadaNature Canada
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stop doing the things we can't electrify
Or eliminate the problem in the first place. For instance walkable cities reducing transportation demand overall.
substitute a few industrial gases
What and why?
steel making without fossil fuels and it works
This is interesting! Can you please elaborate or provide a link? Where is it being adopted?
emissions are increasing more slowly than they would have without the effort, but we are ona trajectory which makes loss of major ecosystems quite likely and threatens the viability of agriculture as a basis for civilization
This is where I'm coming from. Outdoor agriculture is both harming the planet and about to become significantly less viable as the planet heats up.
As far as industrial gases, there mostly ones with fluorine in them. SF₆ and refrigerant are the biggies.
For steel, the big one that exists at pilot scale is the use of hydrogen to reduce ore instead of carbon. Seems to work OK and makes a good enough product for most use.
Indoor farming only really is viable for specialty crops like drugs and a few vegetables. I dont expect to see it used for the grains that feed most of the population. The room to lower the amount of agriculture comes from reducing meat consumption and the use of food crops as motor vehicle fuel.
pilot scale is the use of hydrogen to reduce ore instead of carbon
Ooh it's being done in Canada! cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/ar…
Indoor farming only really is viable for specialty crops like drugs and a few vegetables.
Yes and no. I garden. Hydroponically grown produce in my experience is higher quality, has long shelf life, and grows significantly faster. While cash crop commercial scaling may not be viable outside select crops, smaller household grows certainly are.
I fully agree though that mitigating livestock cultivation and biofuels are our biggest opportunities at present.
technical readiness level for hydrogen production is lacking.
adoption is slowed down by chicken egg problem (steam methane reforming vs pyrolysis/electrolysis)
but yeah. I sign your points.
Israeli protesters stage ‘day of disruption’ calling for end to war in Gaza
A majority of Israelis back ending the war as part of a ceasefire deal to free all remaining hostages, a sentiment mostly driven by concerns about hostages still in Gaza and the impact of two years of war on Israeli society and its economy.Most protests include some demonstrators calling for an end to famine and the slaughter of Palestinians, but they are usually a tiny minority. Polling this week showed that nearly three-quarters of Jewish Israelis partially or totally agree with the claim made by Israel's government that "there are no innocents in Gaza".
Earlier this month, another survey found 78% of Jewish Israelis said they were "not so troubled" or "not troubled" at all by reports of Palestinian suffering.
Large majority of Israeli Jews untroubled by reports of famine in Gaza, poll finds
Among the Arab public, 86 percent of respondents said they are 'very troubled' or 'somewhat troubled' about the situation in Gaza. The poll also found a much greater degree of concern among left-wing JewsLinda Dayan (Haaretz)
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Jesus... Three quarters of Israel's population think there are no innocent people in Gaza.
That's some evil shit right there.
Haiti at the Tipping Point: From Invisible Chains to Tangible Solutions | Haiti Liberte
Haiti at the Tipping Point: From Invisible Chains to Tangible Solutions | Haiti Liberte
(Français) Over the first two and a half decades of the 21st century, we have seen the emergence of Haiti’s “gangs,” as the U.S. State Department andKervens Louissaint (Haiti Liberté)
Report: Apple Demands Suppliers Switch to Robotics for Manufacturing
Report: Apple Demands Suppliers Switch to Robotics for Manufacturing
Apple is significantly accelerating the rollout of automation and robotics across its manufacturing supply chain, DigiTimes reports. While Apple...Hartley Charlton (MacRumors.com)
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Static sites enable a good time travel experience
- Hacker News.
:::
Static sites enable a good time travel experience
A static site with version control history enables me to travel into any point in the project’s past and serve the site as it was back in the day.Juha-Matti Santala
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Salesforce CEO says it cut 4,000 support jobs - and replaced them with AI
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has revealed the company has nearly halved its customer support workforce, replacing thousands of jobs with AI agents.In a podcast interview with Logan Bartlett on YouTube, Benioff brutally stated: “I need less heads,” noting how instead of using human power, Salesforce is now using AI to process around 10,000 leads weekly.
Yet in the same interview, Benioff noted a lack of human resources had caused the company to accrue a backlog of 100 million uncalled leads over 26 years.
Salesforce CEO says it cut 4,000 support jobs - and replaced them with AI
Salesforce has cut 45% of its customer support workersCraig Hale (TechRadar)
For those of us with ADHD, if you are thinking about a task every second you're not doing it and desperately want to do the task more than anything else and are devastated that you can't do it so much that you use all your energy just on trying to make yourself do the thing that you want to do but can't, that is NOT procrastination. That is executive dysfunction. It only seems like procrastination to people who have never experienced executive dysfunction and those who have only ever experienced executive dysfunction.
Procrastination is when you fully have the ability to do something and choose not to do it but to do the thing you prefer doing instead. I hadn't experienced this until very recently, after a lot of therapy and medication.
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Trial of Brazil’s Bolsonaro enters verdict phase over alleged coup plot
Trial of Brazil’s Bolsonaro enters verdict phase over alleged coup plot
The former president is charged with five counts, including plotting the assassination of senior officials.Al Jazeera
What is the best Android browser for privacy?
PrivacyBrowser is a really good browser in my opinion. But I cant do an analysis on its privacy.
I will add that I love how they handle bookmarks.
CBP Had Access to More than 80,000 Flock AI Cameras Nationwide
CBP Had Access to More than 80,000 Flock AI Cameras Nationwide
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regularly searched more than 80,000 Flock automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, according to data released by three police departments. The data shows that CBP’s access to Flock’s network is far more robust and widespread than has been previously reported. One of the police departments 404 Media spoke to said it did not know or understand that it was sharing data with CBP, and Flock told 404 Media Monday that it has “paused all federal pilots.”In May, 404 Media reported that local police were performing lookups across Flock on behalf of ICE, because that part of the Department of Homeland Security did not have its own direct access. Now, the newly obtained data and local media reporting reveals that CBP had the ability to perform Flock lookups by itself.
Last week, 9 News in Colorado reported that CBP has direct access to Flock’s ALPR backend “through a pilot program.” In that article, 9 News revealed that the Loveland, Colorado police department was sharing access to its Flock cameras directly with CBP. At the time, Flock said that this was through what 9 News described as a “one-to-one” data sharing agreement through that pilot program, making it sound like these agreements were rare and limited:
“The company now acknowledges the connection exists through a previously publicly undisclosed program that allows Border Patrol access to a Flock account to send invitations to police departments nationwide for one-to-one data sharing, and that Loveland accepted the invitation,” 9 News wrote. “A spokesperson for Flock said agencies across the country have been approached and have agreed to the invitation. The spokesperson added that U.S. Border Patrol is not on the nationwide Flock sharing network, comprised of local law enforcement agencies across the country. Loveland Police says it is on the national network.”
New data obtained using three separate public records requests from three different police departments gives some insight into how widespread these “one-to-one” data sharing agreements actually are. The data shows that in most cases, CBP had access to more Flock cameras than the average police department, that it is regularly using that access, and that, functionally, there is no difference between Flock’s “nationwide network” and the network of cameras that CBP has access to.
According to data obtained from the Boulder, Colorado Police Department by William Freeman, the creator of a crowdsourced map of Flock devices called DeFlock, CBP ran at least 118 Flock network searches between May 13 and June 13 of this year. Each of these searches encompassed at least 6,315 individual Flock networks (a “network” is a specific police department or city’s cameras) and at least 82,000 individual Flock devices. Data obtained in separate requests from the Prosser Police Department and Chehalis Police Department, both in Washington state, also show CBP searching a huge number of networks and devices.
A spokesperson for the Boulder Police Department told 404 Media that “Boulder Police Department does not have any agreement with U.S. Border Patrol for Flock searches. We were not aware of these specific searches at the time they occurred. Prior to June 2025, the Boulder Police Department had Flock's national look-up feature enabled, which allowed other agencies from across the U.S. who also had contracts with Flock to search our data if they could articulate a legitimate law enforcement purpose. We do not currently share data with U.S. Border Patrol. In June 2025, we deactivated the national look-up feature specifically to maintain tighter control over Boulder Police Department data access. You can learn more about how we share Flock information on our FAQ page.”
A Flock spokesperson told 404 Media Monday that it sent an email to all of its customers clarifying how information is shared from agencies to other agencies. It said this is an excerpt from that email about its sharing options:
“The Flock platform provides flexible options for sharing:
National sharing
- Opt into Flock’s national sharing network. Access via the national lookup tool is limited—users can only see results if they perform a full plate search and a positive match exists within the network of participating, opt-in agencies. This ensures data privacy while enabling broader collaboration when needed.
- Share with agencies in specific states only
- Share with agencies with similar laws (for example, regarding immigration enforcement and data)
- Share within your state only or within a certain distance
- You can share information with communities within a specified mile radius, with the entire state, or a combination of both—for example, sharing with cities within 150 miles of Kansas City (which would include cities in Missouri and neighboring states) and / or all communities statewide simultaneously.
- Share 1:1
- Share only with specific agencies you have selected
- Don’t share at all”
In a blog post Monday, Flock CEO Garrett Langley said Flock has paused all federal pilots.
“While it is true that Flock does not presently have a contractual relationship with any U.S. Department of Homeland Security agencies, we have engaged in limited pilots with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), to assist those agencies in combatting human trafficking and fentanyl distribution,” Langley wrote. “We clearly communicated poorly. We also didn’t create distinct permissions and protocols in the Flock system to ensure local compliance for federal agency users […] All federal customers will be designated within Flock as a distinct ‘Federal’ user category in the system. This distinction will give local agencies better information to determine their sharing settings.”
A Flock employee who does not agree with the way Flock allows for widespread data sharing told 404 Media that Flock has defended itself internally by saying it tries to follow the law. 404 Media granted the source anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the press.
“They will defend it as they have been by saying Flock follows the law and if these officials are doing law abiding official work then Flock will allow it,” they said. “However Flock will also say that they advise customers to ensure they have their sharing settings set appropriately to prevent them from sharing data they didn’t intend to. The question more in my mind is the fact that law in America is arguably changing, so will Flock just go along with whatever the customers want?”
The data shows that CBP has tapped directly into Flock’s huge network of license plate reading cameras, which passively scan the license plate, color, and model of vehicles that drive by them, then make a timestamped record of where that car was spotted. These cameras were marketed to cities and towns as a way of finding stolen cars or solving property crime locally, but over time, individual cities’ cameras have been connected to Flock’s national network to create a huge surveillance apparatus spanning the entire country that is being used to investigate all sorts of crimes and is now being used for immigration enforcement. As we reported in May, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been gaining access to this network through a side door, by asking local police who have access to the cameras to run searches for them.
9 News’s reporting and the newly released audit reports shared with 404 Media show that CBP now has direct access to much of Flock’s system and does not have to ask local police to run searches. It also shows that CBP had access to at least one other police department system in Colorado, in this case Boulder, which is a state whose laws forbid sharing license plate reader data with the federal government for immigration enforcement. Boulder’s Flock settings also state that it is not supposed to be used for immigration enforcement.
This story and our earlier stories, including another about a Texas official who searched nationwide for a woman who self-administered an abortion, were reported using Flock “Network Audits” released by police departments who have bought Flock cameras and have access to Flock’s network. They are essentially a huge spreadsheet of every time that the department’s camera data was searched; it shows which officer searched the data, what law enforcement department ran the search, the number of networks and cameras included in the search, the time and date of the search, the license plate, and a “reason” for the search. These audit logs allow us to see who has access to Flock’s systems, how wide their access is, how often they are searching the system, and what they are searching for.
The audit logs show that whatever system Flock is using to enroll local police departments’ cameras into the network that CBP is searching does not have any meaningful pushback, because the data shows that CBP has access to as many or more cameras as any other police department. Freeman analyzed the searches done by CBP on June 13 compared to searches done by other police departments on that same day, and found that CBP had a higher number of average cameras searched than local police departments.“The average number of organizations searched by any agency per query is 6,049, with a max of 7,090,” Freeman told 404 Media. “That average includes small numbers like statewide searches. When I filter by searches by Border Patrol for the same date, their average number of networks searched is 6,429, with a max of 6,438. The reason for the maximum being larger than the national network is likely because some agencies have access to more cameras than just the national network (in-state cameras). Despite this, we still see that the count of networks searched by Border Patrol outnumbers that of all agencies, so if it’s not the national network, then this ‘pilot program’ must have opted everyone in the nation in by default.”
CBP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Texas Cop Searched License Plate Cameras Nationwide for a Woman Who Got an Abortion
The sheriff said the woman self-administered the abortion and her family were concerned for her safety, so authorities searched through Flock cameras.Joseph Cox (404 Media)
They're advertised to the public as "license plate readers" but can do way more than that. Fingerprinting cars based on bumper stickers, colors, dents, scratches, etc.
And if the ability to do all of that is baked into these cameras, it would be trivial to do the same for humans.
nvidia 470 on debian trixie (kernel 6.12). any ideas?
the context is: the 470 legacy driver doesn't compile on the linux 6.12 kernel. because of that, debian decided to officially drop support to that driver. i tried installing the driver myself using nvidia's official installer, but the installation indeed fails during the module compilation stage.
this means i am stuck with nouveau. it got better since i last tested it on bookworm, but one major pain in the ass is that nouveau has no support for performance levels for my card and it runs at the lowest clock bc of that (~400 megahertz instead of its max ~900 mhz).
this causes a noticeable performance hit, even for desktop usage, but it's good enough for work. waching full hd 60 fps video is a bit painful, but it's possible. but gaming, which was possible, got way worse. even a lightweight game like celeste got frustrating to play due to stuttering.
i guess i'll have to deal with it and maybe this is the cue to buy another graphics card and never buy nvidia again, but i'm thinking about what my options would be here:
- downgrade to bookworm. not easy to do, would only delay the problem.
- install an older kernel and use only that. not sure how, the official repos only have the 6.12 kernel. i could get the older kernel from the bookworm backports and pin it to prevent any updates, but mixing repos from different versions makes me uneasy.
- patch the driver. there are a few patches floating around that make nvidia's driver compile on the 6.12 kernel. applying the patch by hand is annoying and i would have to re-apply it at every kernel update.
- cope.
any ideas?
edit
and it runs at the lowest clock bc of that (~400 megahertz instead of its max ~900 mhz).
that was a mistake. i was reading the clock off of my onboard video chip, which also happens to be nvidia. the onboard chip is at .../dri/0; my graphics card is at .../dri/1. nouveau seems to support reclocking for my card, but i'm trying to change the clock and the video signal goes crazy when i do it
GitHub - polhdez/nouveau-reclocking-guide: How to reclock nvidia cards at boot on Linux using nouveau.
How to reclock nvidia cards at boot on Linux using nouveau. - polhdez/nouveau-reclocking-guideGitHub
you're right. i thought my card didn't support it because i might have misread the feature matrix. adding to the confusion, /dri/0 is my onboard video (which also happens to be nvidia) and that's where i got the 400 mhz number from
still, i just tried it reclocking seems to drive the video signal crazy
edit: yeah it's definitely unsupported, the display turns completely into scrambled eggs. i'll try a newer kernel just in case
edit 2: tried it on the 6.16 kernel (i have an opensuse tumbleweed installation laying around) just in case it had some development on that front compares to 6.12 (debian's version) and it's still a mess. so reclocking for my card is definitely a no-no on nouveau
I gave it some thought, I think that you are getting slowdowns because of some kind of a bug and not due to slow speed of the GPU.
I have actually daily-driven a MacBook Pro 15-inch 2009 with a GeForce 9600M GT and even at 279 Mhz core, it was usable on Manjaro KDE, animations were a bit laggy, but nothing compared to what you are describing.
I still remember trying kernel 6.7 or 6.8 and immediately seeing MUCH worse performance with constant lags. I have only consistently used kernels 6.1, 6.6 and 6.12 on Manjaro on that machine, all of them with decent experience. I would try some other kernel if that's possible, but considering that you have tried 6.12 and 6.16 at this point, I am not too hopeful.
Selhosted P2P File Transfer & Messaging
IMPORTANT NOTES (PLEASE READ!):
* These are NOT products. They are for testing and demonstration purposes only.
* They have NOT been reviewed or audited. Do NOT use for sensitive data.
* All functionality demonstrated is experimental.
* These are NOT meant to replace robust solutions like VeraCrypt, Simplexchat, Signal, Whatsapp, wetransfer. It's a proof-of-concept to show what's possible with browser APIs.
* Cyber security is full of caveats, so reach out for clarity on any details if they can't be found in the docs.
Aiming to create the worlds most secure messaging app.
positive-intentions.com/docs/p…
- Open Source
- Cross Platform
- PWA
- iOS, Android, Desktop (self compile)
- App store, Play store (coming soon)
- Desktop
- Windows, MacOS, Linux (self compile)
- Run
index.htmlon any modern #browser
- Decentralized
- Secure
- No Cookies
- P2P E2EE encrypted
- Forward secrecy
- No registration
- No installing
- Messaging
- Group Messaging (coming soon)
- Text Messaging
- Multimedia Messaging
- Screensharing (on desktop browsers)
- Offline Messaging (in research phase)
- File Transfer
- Video Calls
- Data Ownership
- SelfHosted
- GitHub pages Hosting
- Local-only storage
For more information on "how it works", check out:
positive-intentions.com/blog/d…
(Degoogled links to the apps)
- P2P Chat: chat.positive-intentions.com/
- P2P File: file.positive-intentions.com/
- Encrypted drive storage: dim.positive-intentions.com/?p…
More:
- GitHub: github.com/positive-intentions
- Mastodon: infosec.exchange/@xoron
- Reddit: reddit.com/r/positive_intentio…
Decentralized Microfrontend Architecture
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital communication, decentralization has emerged as a powerful concept with diverse interpretations and applications.xoron (positive-intentions)
“private and secure chat app”
I don't think it's a solved problem. There are countless nuances to it. So it's good to have various approaches.
Recommendations on a home alarm system
I am in the process of purchasing a home, and the house that it’s looking like I am likely to buy has a Ring alarm system and camera installed. I like the idea of having burglar alarms on the windows and doors, but I do not want to use Ring. Between their ownership from Amazon and sharing data with the cops, I don’t trust them.
Are there privacy-friendly home security systems out there that don’t require an ongoing subscription? Bonus points if the devices are HomeAssistant compatible.
For cameras look for NVRs that let you hook up wired cameras to. I have yet to try it but have heards that installing Frigate lets you have complete control over the recordings. Riolink and Lorex both offer systems that dont require subscriptions and supposedly let you keep your data local.
So you mean to tell me these camera companies usually do not allow you to keep you data local? And you put them in or around your house?
Many home camera companies use subscriptions as an excuse to store your recordings in the cloud and allow you to view or access them remotely on a phone app. I havent put up any that do that, but a shitload of other people have.
Frigate is a custom OS for NVRs. The NVR stores the recordings, and the OS ideally puts you in complete control of the cameras and associated data. I am working on getting hardware that will let me install it, so I am only saying its worth taking a look at but am not endorsing it since I have not successfully uses it yet.
The reason I say to use wired cameras is because they are more secure and can get continuous power instead of worrying about rechargung batteries. You can run them with no internet connection and control your local recordings that way. The drawback is that its only accessible by direct physical means. If someone breaks in and steals that hard drive then the whole system is worthless.
Does it get better?
I've tried switching to Linux from Windows 10 twice now. The first time went wonderfully (on Mint) until I found out that secure boot was stuck in the enabled mode and I had to completely reinstall my bios. This was absolutely necessary as everything was unbelievably slow, especially gaming (on a decent laptop). I understand this is totally my fault as almost every Linux guide says to make sure secure boot is disabled. After fighting with that for literal days, I finally reinstalled Linux mint. WiFi was suddenly completely nonfunctional, no networks were detected, and none of the proposed solutions I saw online worked. I have very little experience with Linux and other complicated tech nerd stuff besides that which comes with tinkering with computers occasionally. I do however have a great deal of patience and stubbornness. I spent maybe a week or 2 just working on this first attempt at making Mint work, until I ran out of patience. After coming back to it a month or 2 later, I decided to try Pop!_OS. Once again, it went incredibly at the start. Because I fixed the secure boot situation, I could now game better than I ever could when I had windows installed. Very few compatibility issues showed up that I couldn't conquer.
Suddenly, I try playing Enter the Gungeon after having already played it a couple of times. Nothing out of the ordinary, I had done this before. Suddenly the entire computer freezes and I can still hear just fine. I restart my computer and... no sound. Nothing from any possible source, not Discord, not Firefox, not even the media I have downloaded. I look up the problem, I see several people have had it before, and only a couple ever got a solution. I try EVERY proposed solution on any forum with even similar issues, and still nothing. I have been fighting with my computer for 3 or 4 hours now.
I've heard Linux praised for feeling like it is *your* computer that is subject to your will. I'd disagree right now, because it feels like there are spirits in my laptop trying to intentionally fuck me over every time I start enjoying the Linux experience.
Does it get better? Am I crazy? Am I haunted? How is this anyone's ideal experience?
edit: I'm on an MSI Thin GF63. Nvidia GPU, Intel CPU. Compatibility seemed fine WHILE this latest attempt was working, up until my sound got fucked. I have a hard time imagining if that could be related to anything besides my sound card and drivers, but I'm nowhere near savvy when it comes to Linux. I'm now installing Bazzite as some of you guys recommended so I can ease myself into this whole Linux thing. I'll give another update if this fixes it :3
edit edit: It's still happening. I can see the "Alder Lake PCH-P high definition audio controller" in my audio config GUI apps and I can see the meter moving when audio is playing. Still, nothing is played. I am not dual-booting. Ive seen people have had issues with this card before, but seemingly the only solution (that I've yet to try) is to buy a whole new laptop. I don't have the money to do that currently. If someone is particularly tech savvy I am willing to hear out proposed solutions, but know that I have tried nearly everything online even remotely related to broken audio on Linux. My computer is haunted and I'll need a proper qualified exorcist it seems.
note: it works with Bluetooth headphones. I haven't had a chance to test it with wired headphones but I will continue to give (near)real-time updates.
I have just seen your edit. I had a similar problem with no audio but meter levels working on my toughbook. Could you start terminal, type alsamixer and turn all the volumes up? Press F6 to swap through sound cards.
For me I had to adjust the headphone volume.
When I first moved to linux I used Mint for a week and then moved to something else. As always by EVERYONE it was suggested to me as a "starter" distro and I really wish people would stop doing that.
I, like you, had issues with it. Sound issues, Wifi issues, GPU issues, and doing personal research and digging the consensus was always "it's an issue with Mint." I was about to go back to Windows 11 cause I was like "none of this linux shit works"
THEN I decided to try a different distro, CachyOS, and suddenly the sound was fixed, the wifi didn't randomly drop out, and my GPU worked flawlessly. I've distro hopped since then and those Mint/Ubuntu issues never came back.
Try something other than Mint. if you still have the issues go back to Windows.
Selhosted P2P File Transfer & Messaging
IMPORTANT NOTES (PLEASE READ!):
* These are NOT products. They are for testing and demonstration purposes only.
* They have NOT been reviewed or audited. Do NOT use for sensitive data.
* All functionality demonstrated is experimental.
* These are NOT meant to replace robust solutions like VeraCrypt, Simplexchat, Signal, Whatsapp, wetransfer. It's a proof-of-concept to show what's possible with browser APIs.
* Cyber security is full of caveats, so reach out for clarity on any details if they can't be found in the docs.
Aiming to create the worlds most secure messaging app.
positive-intentions.com/docs/p…
- Open Source
- Cross Platform
- PWA
- iOS, Android, Desktop (self compile)
- App store, Play store (coming soon)
- Desktop
- Windows, MacOS, Linux (self compile)
- Run
index.htmlon any modern #browser
- Decentralized
- Secure
- No Cookies
- P2P E2EE encrypted
- Forward secrecy
- No registration
- No installing
- Messaging
- Group Messaging (coming soon)
- Text Messaging
- Multimedia Messaging
- Screensharing (on desktop browsers)
- Offline Messaging (in research phase)
- File Transfer
- Video Calls
- Data Ownership
- SelfHosted
- GitHub pages Hosting
- Local-only storage
For more information on "how it works", check out:
positive-intentions.com/blog/d…
(Degoogled links to the apps)
- P2P Chat: chat.positive-intentions.com/
- P2P File: file.positive-intentions.com/
- Encrypted drive storage: dim.positive-intentions.com/?p…
More:
- GitHub: github.com/positive-intentions
- Mastodon: infosec.exchange/@xoron
- Reddit: reddit.com/r/positive_intentio…
Decentralized Microfrontend Architecture
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital communication, decentralization has emerged as a powerful concept with diverse interpretations and applications.xoron (positive-intentions)
its a work in progress and hope to get to a point its comparable to Signal and OnionShare.
for now, the purpose is to present open-source code to demonstrate a concept. like mentioned in the post it isnt ready to replace any existing tools.
Debian, encrypted boot, how to increase password attempts?
Since Debian 13 (Trixie), when using the default FDE which uses grub to decrypt the luks partition, I have a single attempt
When the password is mistyped there is a long pause (over 10 seconds) and then the error appears.
I already tried increasing the max tries, which seems to be set to 1 when a keyfile is used.
The config/script seems to be in /usr/share/initramfs-tools/scripts/local-top/cryptroot.
I copied that to /etc/initramfs-tools/scripts/local-top/cryptroot and replaced the value CRYPTTAB_OPTION_tries=1 with 10 using find/replace (ansible stuff).
I think this has no effect though and doing so (might be a different issue) breaks boot entirely 💀
More info:
- by default when legacy boot (BIOS) is available, Debian will install grub to the MBR. This is where it happens
- when forcing or prioritizing legacy boot and using GPT, debian somehow boots from a 300MB efi partition, the same happens though, one attempt
After you updated the config did you update-initramfs or update-grub (I forget which flags might be needed off hand).
Since this is happening pre-boot it isn't reading from /etc.
Hm, I only ran update-grub
Ran update-initramfs from the chroot trying to repair it
Found that there is a cleaner way in /etc/default/grub with grub commandline arguments. But that wants a source= variable which is weird to me as that hardcodes a drive in there that wasnt there first?
Tbh I will try this on a secondary laptop now, I reinstalled that thing like 5 times now and am a bit traumatized XD
Luckily we have more than enough
[Question] Community maintained free IP geo lists
I'll be self-hosting a service with user submissions soon, so I'm worried about the howto.geoblockthe.uk/ situation.
Based on this I've wondered, are there any community maintained geo block lists that might be useful? All database options I found are either 1. an on-demand online service which seems questionable for privacy reasons, or 2. IPv4 only, or 3. have weird terms of use with a gag clause regarding the entire company making it and other weird stuff.
I'm not a fan of geo blocking in general, but the situation is what it is.
PS: Please don't discuss the Online Safety Act itself too much in the comments, or whether somebody should be using a geo ip to handle this. While I might appreciate useful input on that, I'm hoping this post can remain a resource for those who are looking for such a database for other reasons as well.
Ukraine responds to Polish president’s initiative to ban Ukrainian red and black flag
So... Poland is finally admitting that the hate symbol used by hate group is a hate symbol yet is still showering that group with money, weapons and other support.
Typical fucking Poland, mistaking enemy for an ally.
UI regression in KDE Arianna - How can I back up and restore specific version of Flatpak package?
All I could find is how to make a list, and reinstall flatpaks from that list, as well as backup app data, however all of that assumes I want to do updates.
Meanwhile what I want is akin to extracting APK of a stable version of some app, backing it up and using it for years to come. For example that's how I joined these 2 screenshots, using JointPics from 2014 which isn't even on Play Store anymore, and targets API so low that it has to be installed via ADB. (Yeah, I am too dumb for GIMP)
As for the regression, you can see. On left is older Flatpak, on right is version from Arch repo. The Flatpak I originally installed as a hotfix for update that broke it completely at one point on Arch.
You can see the older version nicely fits the screen, splitting up text into columns.
Meanwhile the new version just does smaller page in middle of screen that doesn't even work properly with Breeze Dark theme, causing different background for text sections.
The only improvement is ability to flip pages rather than use arrows, but that's minimum.
Well, and maybe the progress keeping got fixed, but I didn't test that much.
Don't pay attention to the taskbar. I wish it could flip to vertical with different screen orientation. Yeah, the icons' clickability is a dice roll of what you tap.
If you already have the correct version of the flatpak installed, you can try flatpak build-bundle.
flatpak build-bundle LOCATION FILENAME NAME where
- LOCATION is the path of the repo on disk. Run flatpak info -l org.kde.arianna, and copy the part before /app
- FILENAME is the output file name, preferably .flatpak. Eg: arianna.flatpak
- NAME is the name of the app, here org.kde.arianna
The generated file can be installed with a double-click, or with flatpak install <file>
This is the equivalent of an Android .apk. It contains the app but depends on a runtime. If you want to install it in a few years, odds are the runtime will no longer be available. You can backup the runtime the same way with the --runtime option.
flatpak build-bundle --runtime LOCATION FILENAME NAME where
- LOCATION same as earlier
- FILENAME eg arianna-runtime.flatpak
- NAME is the name of the runtime, which you can get with flatpak info --show-runtime org.kde.arianna
This takes a while, for some reason. Maybe it's compressing stuff?
The runtime is installed the same way as the app: double click or flatpak install.
Note: I only did this once, and not specifically on Arianna. Hope it works.
No, you don't want to hire "the best engineers" — I think this might be the meanest thing I've ever written.
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36758698
::: spoiler Comments
- Hacker News.
:::
No, you don't want to hire "the best engineers" — I think this might be the meanest thing I've ever written.
::: spoiler Comments
- Hacker News.
:::
like this
Request, US Border Crossings, Privacy Guides
Hello,
I am trying to gather some information on steps, procedures, and options for increasing privacy while crossing into the US.
My girlfriend goes to school in Canada and crosses the borders frequently throughout the year for; long weekends, extended holiday breaks, semester breaks, and summer breaks.
She'll be going back to Canada for this next year and with everything happening she's asked me to help her find ways to limit her exposure to data being reviewed or stored as she's studying a more Social/Liberal Arts degree which could flag her as a target because of the current political climate.
I've also suggested possibly limiting border crossing instead of coming back as often as she used to.
I'm working through articles and finding things from EFF and ACLU, but would happily taken suggestions, guidance, or any direction from anyone willing to share.
I've considered trying to find a way for her to backup her devices, maybe store those backups in the cloud, create "decoy" states of her devices (elaboration below), then restore the original state of the devices once she's safely past the border.
Devices:
iPhone 11 [18.6]
MacBook Air 13 [Possibly Sequoia 15.5, as stated in her iCloud, she doesn't have it with her right now]
For "decoy" device states, I mean having some apps and data on the devices, but nothing identifying/or that might otherwise give agencies data to further search (online account names/services, stored passwords, large collections of contacts/message histories, etc.)
I've suggested trying to switch to android/PC devices to provide alternative privacy/security options, but her family pays for the devices so it's just the same brand as whatever they have. So, that's not an option at this point, but any statements regarding increased effectiveness, or even lack thereof, by switching to different brand devices may help with any future transition considerations.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read through my post and any guidance you might be able to provide is highly appreciated.
This article is from The Guardian:
On the advice of various experts, people are locking down social media, deleting photos and private messages, removing facial recognition, or even traveling with “burner” phones to protect themselves.In Canada, multiple public institutions have urged employees to avoid travel to the US, and at least one reportedly told staff to leave their usual devices at home and bring a second device with limited personal information instead.
It seems like you already know what you’re doing and I agree with everyone else: backup your data and reinstall later. Create an iCloud account specifically for travel purposes.
This article mentions someone who opted to delete their social media accounts before coming to the US. So don’t be surprised or offended when some of us start deleting our comments, lol. Good luck.
EDIT: As long as you have a travel account you shouldn’t need Advanced Data Protection but perhaps after you/she reaches her destination.
Burner phones, wiped socials: the extreme precautions for visitors to Trump’s America
Horror stories about detainments at the border have also soured some from visiting during Trump’s second termJosie Harvey (The Guardian)
Three basic options exist:
1) Burner: Take a device that isn't a normally used device for each category. Make sure it has nothing you care about on it, no incriminating web history, no accounts logged in or saved as cookies that are incriminating, etc, etc. This is simplest, most expensive, but also most fool-proof against all possible threats.
2) Wiped: Wipe the device before travel, possibly backing things up in the cloud to download after arriving. You'll have to back up again with any changes you make and wipe again before traveling back then at your final destination again restore the device from backups. If you have serious fears of close inspection or forensic analysis then it would behoove you to use a secure erase feature on the drive and reinstall the OS rather than just trying to delete problematic files. For smartphones especially doing this and restoring from a cloud back-up can be pretty easy, for laptops it's more of a pain.
3) Mail ahead: Take the devices to a package service, UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc ahead of time, mail them ahead of or just behind you so they arrive just before or slightly after you. For this to work you need a fixed accommodation that can accept packages and which you trust to store them and give them to you. This technically doesn't prevent mail interception but unless you're a high value target that's unlikely at present as its kind of a multi-agency intentional effort thing. Still I'd mail the device in a fully encrypted state.
No other feasible options exist. You can encrypt yes and if you are a US citizen you cannot be denied re-entry (non-citizens can be not only denied entry but barred for years after for refusing to decrypt a device/cooperate) but they can seize your device and hold it for up to a year while trying to crack it and you'll have to expend effort to get it back at the end of that period. They can also put you in a holding cell for hours or hypothetically up to a couple days if they really want to press it accuse you of something and be unpleasant during that time.
Maiq
in reply to ScoffingLizard • • •Hawk
in reply to Maiq • • •ashema
in reply to ScoffingLizard • • •So, Chrome-based.
sexy_peach
in reply to ashema • • •bobslaede
in reply to sexy_peach • • •sexy_peach
in reply to bobslaede • • •ScoffingLizard
in reply to sexy_peach • • •Giblet2708
in reply to sexy_peach • • •who
in reply to sexy_peach • • •FriendBesto
in reply to ScoffingLizard • • •I tend to turn off JavaScript for most sites and I found enabling and disabling it on this browser to be a pain. Has that changed?
Also, it is webview, so you cannot harden it unless you root and download a hardened webview.
ScoffingLizard
in reply to FriendBesto • • •BananaTrifleViolin
in reply to ScoffingLizard • • •It uses Android Web view which is essentially just Chrome without the interface, and is entirely proprietary. It suffers from all the drawbacks of Chrome based browsers with the added problem of being an Android component so out of much, if any, control of the developers.
This app should not be a serious consideration for anyone who is privacy or security focused. The very first thing a secure browser should be providing is it's own rendering engine. Even providing it's own chrome based rendering engine would be more secure than this.
Also in terms of extensions, as it is Chrome based it's extensions such as uBlock will have the same privacy breaking restrictions as the rest of the chrome ecosystem with manifest v3 which favours Google's advertising business over user security and privacy.
jokeyrhyme
in reply to BananaTrifleViolin • • •I think it's possible for a Chrome-based browser to have better ad-blocking than Google Chrome
spacebar.news/stop-using-brave… is something I agree with, but Brave does have better ad-blocking features than Google Chrome, despite using the same core engine
Stop using Brave Browser - by Corbin Davenport
Corbin Davenport (The Spacebar)Melody Fwygon
in reply to jokeyrhyme • • •ScoffingLizard
in reply to BananaTrifleViolin • • •Dequei
in reply to ScoffingLizard • • •Uses AdBlock not Ublock Origin...
Ty but I am fine with IronFox
ScoffingLizard
in reply to Dequei • • •infjarchninja
in reply to ScoffingLizard • • •FOSS browser, FREE browser, Privacy browser and monocles browser are all pretty similar to me.
For basic browsing I am sure they are all OK.
monocles browser will switch to a custom WebView called Privacy Webview.
stoutner.com/privacy-browser-a…
I use the monocles browser (rebranding of Privacy browser) for quick searches with javascript and cookies turned off as default.
For instance, if I am searching git for something and I see what I want, I enable javascript with the button, to see the latest releases and download sections.
I like the turn on javascript button. and the selection of EasyList , easy privacy, fanboys annoyances list, Ultra list and Ultra privacy list for adblocking and tracking.
From what I remember they all have the Delete browser data on exit. Monocles Browser makes it easier to "clear and exit" for me.
To clear, history, cookies etc. The "CLEAR AND EXIT" button is at the top of the left side drop down menu, so it is easier to find. unlike the others where it is at the bottom of the drop down menu.
I suppose its all about choice and personal preference.
codeberg.org/monocles/monocles…
monocles_browser
Codeberg.orgScoffingLizard
in reply to infjarchninja • • •So if I switch to Monacles, I will not be using Android Webview, which I just learned the Foss browser uses? I want to switch immediately.
Edit: I guess the question is how much info is still sent since Monacle is based off android webview.
infjarchninja
in reply to ScoffingLizard • • •Hey ScoffingLizard
I am always the sceptic, but I have read that the monocles browser uses the monocles webview.
f-droid.org/en/packages/de.mon…
It says here: In the defaults, the monocles browser uses the monocles webview
here it is more in depth:
basically they are saying that unless you are using an up to date custom rom, currently android 15 on my lineage phone, there maybe security issues with webview
docs.monocles.eu/apps/browser.…
Limitations and Known Issues#
Security Issues#
As monocles Browser is based upon the WebView component, it is dependant of the underlying Android ROM and it's updates.#
We thus recommend to use the latest available Version of Android for your device and - if necessary - upgrade to an aftermarket ROM like:
DivestOS
/e/
LineageOS
If a device has no modern firmware updates anymore and Aftermarket - Firmware is just not available, then please consider a different Browser like Fennec, which is privacy-enhanced version of Firefox for Android nee Firefox Mobile or Tor Browser which you can also get via F-Droid by adding or enabling the Guardian Project repository.
monocles browser | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository
f-droid.orgScoffingLizard
in reply to infjarchninja • • •infjarchninja
in reply to ScoffingLizard • • •I must say you guys in the USA do have a hard time with your shit carriers.
I would never root any phone, there really is no need. I have bricked many rooted phones and it is totally unsafe and insecure. I think its the equivalent of using windows XP.
Here is a guide; It might give you an idea. Its quite a simple process to follow.
droidwin.com/unlock-bootloader…
the "Unlock Bootloader on Samsung Galaxy S25/Plus/Ultra" section.
ScoffingLizard
in reply to infjarchninja • • •infjarchninja
in reply to ScoffingLizard • • •your a star ScoffingLizard
keep at it
HappyFrog
in reply to ScoffingLizard • • •ScoffingLizard
in reply to HappyFrog • • •HappyFrog
in reply to ScoffingLizard • • •marighost
in reply to ScoffingLizard • • •Melody Fwygon
in reply to ScoffingLizard • • •I've seen this when bopping around in the F-Droid catalogue. Never took it seriously because it didn't seem to communicate well what it was doing.
In general; I usually dislike using Chrome anyways....so much so that I hard disable Chrome on my device, oftentimes via ADB, and download a wide range of alternatives; Kiwi (Plugin enabled), Hermit ([Closed source] Forced Isolation of all domains/sites along a side of ad-blocking and web-app caching baked into the app wrapping it's renderer; which is, of course System Webview. Unfortunately this one is not open source, so I do not often recommend it here and while I trust it; your decisions may be different.) and Firefox (Plugins installed, seems to be replacing Kiwi because it's likely a dead/gone/depreciated/archived project.) I even use URLCheck from F-Droid itself as my "Default Browser" so that I have the power to review each URL and open it in a browser I feel is most appropriate to the context of my browsing and choose the browser I feel can best protect my privacy for a given site. One-off visits often go to Hermit; which promptly isolates away and forgets I ever visited the site while blocking ads with a lighter touch than most plugins I've seen that exist. If a site often breaks in Hermit; usually due to ad-blocking hostile scripts; I kick it over to Firefox where I have extensive plug-in tooling to defang the beast...including tools like JShelter, Canvas Blocker, LocalCDN, Chameleon, Decentraleyes and uBlock Origin.
What I do know is that Android System Webview is far more configurable than you might realize; and that it is absolutely possible to build a browser on top of it. Most importantly; Android System Webview IS NOT Chrome! Yes, it is extremely similar and it behaves mostly the same; but it is based on the Chromium project; which is basically what Chrome is before Google applies all of its own Branding, Customization, Policies and Application touches on it. Does Chromium project mirror what Chrome needs? Absolutely yes, but it does not follow Chrome exactly. In general; Android System Webview is a Web rendering component that other applications can call on and wrap their own code around. This means you are basically free to implement whatever other features you want around the webview; including adding plugins and other things like ad-blocking. My favorite closed-source lite-app browser Hermit does this; and I'm not seeing any significant privacy concerns with that one.