The Price of American Authoritarianism
The Price of American Authoritarianism: What Can Reverse Democratic Decline?
What can reverse democratic decline?Foreign Affairs Magazine
Alex Badger e il suo “Orrore Italiano”: un viaggio tra abissi psicologici e realtà brutale
Indice dei contenuti
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- Racconti horror italiani
- Il filo conduttore: il dolore e la solitudine
- Bullismo e omofobia: quando l’orrore è sociale
- Il silenzio assordante dell’indifferenza
- Il mito della perfezione: la storia di Lara Barzaghi
- Biografia
Orrore Italiano
Dieci racconti dell’orrore e del Thriller
Alex Badger
Thriller/horror
18 marzo 2025
Independently published
320 pagine
Mostri orribili, lupi mannari, presenze da altre dimensioni, metamorfosi, ritorni dall’oltretomba, violenza e spargimenti di sangue. Gli ingredienti per un classico racconto dell’orrore, gli elementi adatti a dare senso alla definizione stessa del genere, ai quali però si aggiunge un ulteriore elemento, molto più reale e terribile: la cattiveria umana. L’invidia, il sadismo, l’ossessione, la mancanza di affetto, l’avidità, l’intolleranza, la mancanza di empatia, la disistima di séstessi, la consapevolezza della propria iniquità e della malvagità delle proprie azioni, sono tutte caratteristiche capaci di spaventare molto più di un mostro, un fantasma, un evento sovrannaturale. Nonostante questo, non viene negato, nelle storie, un messaggio di speranze. Se vi sono, in esse, personaggi capaci di atti spregevoli, ve ne sono anche altri capaci di sentimenti e atti positivi, come l’amore, l’amicizia, il senso di protezione nei confronti dei propri affetti, anche a costo di metodi discutibili. Poiché questo è l’uomo. Fatto di luci e di ombre, di bianco e di nero e del grigio che lo rende così sfaccettato.
amazon.it/Orrore-Italiano-racc…
Racconti horror italiani
“Orrore Italiano: Dieci racconti dell’orrore e del thriller” è un titolo che non lascia spazio a dubbi. In questa raccolta, Alex Badger esplora il lato oscuro dell’animo umano attraverso dieci storie di pura emozione. L’autore oscilla con maestria tra il paranormale e il realismo crudo, intrecciando tematiche forti e contrastanti che mettono a nudo il dolore dei protagonisti, fino a spingerli verso l’atto estremo: l’omicidio o il suicidio.
Il filo conduttore: il dolore e la solitudine
Nonostante la diversità di ambientazioni, situazioni e personaggi, i racconti sono legati da un unico, potente filo conduttore: il binomio tra dolore e solitudine. Nelle pagine di Badger, questi sentimenti si intrecciano inevitabilmente con la follia e il desiderio di vendetta.
La morte non è vista solo come fine, ma come un atto punitivo o, paradossalmente, di liberazione; una meta finale necessaria dopo anni di sofferenze indicibili. L’autore esaspera vissuti e comportamenti, inserendo schegge di realtà brutale all’interno di cornici paranormali. È in questo confine sottile, dove la fantasia si mescola alla quotidianità, che il lettore ritrova le paure più autentiche del nostro tempo.
Bullismo e omofobia: quando l’orrore è sociale
Uno dei temi più toccanti della raccolta è quello del bullismo e dell’omofobia. Badger scava nella paura del “diverso” e in quelle convinzioni retrograde che vorrebbero un mondo immobile e uniforme.
Esemplare è la storia di Gianluca e Lorenzo, una giovane coppia che cerca di sostenersi a vicenda in un contesto di giudizio e odio. La loro vicenda, che culmina nel peggiore dei modi, ci spinge a una riflessione profonda: perché l’amore non può essere semplicemente amore? Chi ha il diritto di decidere chi siamo autorizzati ad amare? Il dolore della solitudine che scaturisce dall’esclusione sociale emerge qui in tutta la sua forza distruttrice.
Il silenzio assordante dell’indifferenza
In un altro racconto, l’autore affronta il tema dell’indifferenza familiare. Protagonista è un figlio ignorato, quasi maltrattato, considerato dai genitori come un errore biologico. Il suo unico desiderio — essere visto, amato, ascoltato — rimane inascoltato.
L’analisi psicologica qui si fa finissima: il bisogno di accettazione da parte delle figure affettive primarie è vitale. Se chi ci ha messo al mondo ci considera “zero”, come possiamo sperare di essere accettati dagli altri? La paura costante di essere invisibile condurrà il protagonista a un gesto estremo, un errore fatale di cui si pentirà quando il tempo sarà ormai scaduto.
Il mito della perfezione: la storia di Lara Barzaghi
Infine, Badger rivolge lo sguardo ai disturbi legati all’immagine di sé con il personaggio di Lara Barzaghi. Bella e fragile, Lara è vittima del bisogno di approvazione e dei canoni estetici imposti dai media. Nonostante la sua bellezza oggettiva, si vede sempre inadeguata, ossessionata da una perfezione irraggiungibile.
Il racconto si configura come una chiara denuncia alla società del perbenismo, un sistema che, anziché guidare e guarire le fragilità, finisce per ammalare le menti più sensibili.
Perché leggerlo? “Orrore Italiano” non è solo una raccolta di genere; è un labirinto di emozioni forti e riflessioni costanti sulla natura umana. Se cercate un libro che sappia spaventarvi ma anche farvi riflettere profondamente sulla società odierna, l’opera di Alex Badger è una lettura imprescindibile.
Biografia
Profilo dell’Autore: Alex Badger
Alex Badger, pseudonimo di Alessandro Errico, è uno scrittore italiano nato a Bari il 23 ottobre 1987. La sua formazione è profondamente legata al mondo dell’immagine e della narrazione visiva: ha frequentato il Liceo Artistico De Nittis, dove tra il 2002 e il 2006 ha consolidato la sua passione per il cinema, il fumetto e la letteratura di genere.
Formazione e Influenze
La sua poetica è influenzata dai grandi maestri dell’orrore e del fantastico. Tra i suoi riferimenti letterari figurano:
- Stephen King e Clive Barker per la capacità di scavare nelle paure umane.
- H.P. Lovecraft per l’orrore cosmico e l’ignoto.
- Il mangaka Go Nagai, che ha segnato il suo immaginario visivo.
Oltre alla scrittura, Badger nutre un forte interesse per il disegno, che considera, insieme alla narrativa, la forma d’arte più libera per esprimere la propria fantasia senza i vincoli economici tipici della produzione cinematografica.
Percorso Letterario
Ha iniziato a dedicarsi seriamente alla scrittura nel 2008. La sua opera “Orrore Italiano: Dieci racconti dell’orrore e del thriller” (pubblicata inizialmente nel 2017 con Europa Edizioni e successivamente con BookSprint Edizioni) rappresenta una sintesi della sua visione del genere: un mix di elementi classici (mostri, magia nera, paranormale) e drammi umani profondamente radicati nella realtà sociale, come il bullismo e l’intolleranza. Il libro viene ripubblicato in autonomia il 18 marzo 2025.
Oltre a questa raccolta, ha pubblicato anche “Incubi e drammi: Storie di orrore e di tragedia”, continuando a esplorare il tema della “cattiveria umana” come il peggiore dei mali possibili.
Se volete potete seguirmi su Instagram o tiktok per altre recensioni. Mi trovate come @glo.donati
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Alex Badger e l'Orrore Italiano: Recensione dei 10 Racconti Thriller
"Orrore Italiano" di Alex Badger: una raccolta di dieci racconti che esplorano il confine tra paranormale, bullismo e follia. Una lettura intensa e cruda.Gloria Donati (Magozine.it)
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Evacuations underway in parts of WA with ‘catastrophic’ flooding expected
“Catastrophic” flooding is expected to hit parts of Skagit, Snohomish and King counties Thursday as rivers swell and the region is drenched in rain.Authorities have ordered evacuation for parts of Orting in Pierce County, parts of Skagit County, including Mount Vernon, and Ebey Island east of Everett. An estimated 100,000 Washingtonians could face evacuation orders as floodwaters continue to rise, Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office said Wednesday afternoon.
Ferguson already declared a state of emergency, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said she’s working to get federal assistance for those impacted.
In Grays Harbor County, a nearly century old dam in Lake Sylvia State Park is showing signs of stress. Although it hasn’t failed yet, it could get worse if these weather conditions continue.
The Carbon River near Fairfax; Cedar River near Renton; Puyallup River near Orting; Elwha River near Port Angeles; Snohomish River at Snohomish; Stillaguamish River at Arlington; and the Skagit River at Concrete and Mount Vernon were all expected to either swell above their record height or come within inches of the record.
The Skagit is expected to rise aggressively until a peak around 4 a.m. Thursday in the Concrete area.
More articles about the flooding:
- Mount Vernon braces for potentially historic flood - Seattle Times [archive link]
- Floods may force 100K to evacuate near Skagit, Snohomish, other WA rivers - Seattle Times [archive link]
- ‘Catastrophic’ flooding expected in King, Snohomish, Skagit counties - Seattle Times [archive link]
- Governor Ferguson declares statewide emergency responding to major flooding - The Office of the Governor of Washington State [archive link]
- ‘Historic’ flooding prompts WA governor to declare emergency [archive link]
- Pacific Northwest under flood alerts as atmospheric river brings heavy rain - NBC News [archive link]
- Tens of thousands in Washington could face evacuations as rain continues to pound the region - AP News [archive link]
Map:
Catastrophic flooding could be in store for Washington state
Tens of thousands of residents in western Washington are facing potential evacuation orders as another round of heavy rain drops on the region. The rain is threatening to bring catastrophic flooding as rivers near historic levels.Cedar Attanasio (AP News)
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How to Disable Telemetry Across Windows and Popular Applications
Israel's reign of terror over the West Bank
Israel's reign of terror over the West Bank
Deadly shootings by the army, beatings by settlers, devastating raids, arbitrary arrests, torture in prison: The level of violence inflicted on Palestinians living in the territory has never been so high since the Israeli occupation began in 1967.Luc Bronner (Le Monde)
OpenAI's house of cards seems primed to collapse
OpenAI's house of cards seems primed to collapse
OpenAI is in a far less commanding position than it was following the public release of ChatGPT a few short years ago.Igor Bonifacic (Engadget)
Iceland joins boycott of Eurovision 2026 in protest at Israel’s involvement
Iceland to join boycott of Eurovision in protest at Israel’s involvement
Iceland joins four other nations in a boycott, after the organiser declined to hold a vote over Israel’s involvement.Al Jazeera
Haiyang district heating network expanded, with Rongcheng becoming the third city in China's Shandong Province to receive district heating from the Haiyang nuclear power plant's AP1000 reactors
Haiyang district heating network expanded
Rongcheng has become the third city in China's Shandong Province to receive district heating from the Haiyang nuclear power plant, State Power Investment Corporation announced. ;World Nuclear News
Ms Rachel forced to hire security over Zionist threats
Ms Rachel forced to hire security over Zionist threats - Canary
Ms Rachel had to hire security after a Zionist-led smear campaign unleashed threats against her family — it's Ms Rachel damn it!!Skwawkbox (The Canary)
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‘Not normal’: Climate crisis supercharged deadly monsoon floods in Asia | Cyclones like those in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia that killed 1,750 are ‘alarming new reality’
‘Not normal’: Climate crisis supercharged deadly monsoon floods in Asia
Cyclones like those in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia that killed 1,750 are ‘alarming new reality’Damian Carrington (The Guardian)
Portugal's largest Labour Union Federations call for General Strike on the 11th of December
Labor law? CGTP calls for adherence to the general strike as a "sign of rejection" - PPulse
The government is "attempting to take away the right to a stable, dignified life with future prospects," Tiago Oliveira stated to journalists after a visit toAdmin Moderator (Portugal Pulse - News and community)
'I love an underdog': Trump-Zohran Mamdani voters are at the center of an unexpected relationship
The Oval Office meeting between Mamdani and Trump last month turned heads, with some observers stunned at what a warm reception the right-wing Republican president gave to the democratic socialist mayor-to-be. But in New York City, this wasn't so surprising to Rodriguez. And he wasn't alone.
NBC News exit polling from the November vote showed 9% of 2024 Trump voters who showed up at the polls backed Mamdani, a phenomenon highlighted by one voter's "MAGA for Mamdani" T-shirt that went viral in the run-up to Election Day. Trump himself was fascinated by the development, citing the statistic to reporters following his meeting with Mamdani.
"A lot of my voters actually voted for" Mamdani, Trump said. "One in 10, and I'm OK with that."
Mamdani and his allies see their success winning over a segment of Trump voters as a sign of how other Democrats can win back parts of the electorate that spurned the party for Trump in 2024, including young men and immigrants who felt the party was unresponsive to their needs. But Republicans who spoke to NBC News said that while they were surprised by both the number of Trump-Mamdani voters and the congeniality of the president's meeting with the mayor-elect, they did not feel as if Mamdani unlocked a road map to reconfigure the electorate.
Live updates: Supreme Court hears arguments on Trump tariff case
Get live updates and the latest news NYC mayor, N.J., Va. elections notch Democrat wins and government shutdown becomes longest ever.NBC News
Bison at 35 below zero. Yellowstone National Park, USA. Photo by Tom Murphy.
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The following articles a couple years old but still
..
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
Parts of the US are getting dangerously hot. Yet Americans are moving the wrong wayThe Census Bureau’s new map of the last decade’s population trends shows big growth in the west and on the coasts – and declines in the inland east coast and Great Lakes region.
Now compare that map to ProPublica maps documenting the areas most at risk of extreme heat, wildfires and flooding, and you see the problem. While there has been some recent anecdotal evidence of pragmatic climate migration, overall the census data shows America’s population growth is shifting out of areas that may be the best refuges from the most extreme effects of climate change, and into many areas that are most at risk.
Some of the examples are genuinely mind-boggling. For instance, upstate New York is considered one of the country’s most insulated regions in the climate crisis – and yet almost all of upstate New York saw population either nearly flat or declining. At the same time, there were big population increases in and around the Texas Gulf coast, which is threatened by extreme heat and coastal flooding.
I take issue with the mind boggling quip, this level of stupid is after all why we're in this mess.
They want to pretend that nothing must fundamentally change – even though we’re already seeing that everything is changing faster than ever.
Parts of the US are getting dangerously hot. Yet Americans are moving the wrong way
As the climate changes, census data shows that Americans are shifting from safer areas of the US to the regions most at risk of heating and floodingDavid Sirota (The Guardian)
US demands access to tourists' social media histories
US demands access to tourists' social media histories
The Trump administration wants to force foreign visitors to give border agents access to their social media accounts before they are allowed into the country. The proposal applies to all visa-free travelers.Jon Shelton (Deutsche Welle)
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European Union and Canada strengthen their digital partnership with a focus on artificial intelligence, digital identity wallets and independent media
European Union and Canada strengthen their digital partnership with a focus on artificial intelligence, digital identity wallets and independent media
The EU and Canada reinforced their cooperation and reaffirmed shared interests to boost competitiveness, innovation and economic resilience during the first Digital Partnership Council held today in Montreal, Canada.European Commission - European Commission
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Israel Used Palantir in Lebanon’s Pager Attack and Gaza Genocide: New Book
Israel Used Palantir in Lebanon’s Pager Attack and Gaza Genocide: New Book
In the September 17-18, 2024 attacks on Lebanon, Israel detonated thousands of handheld pagers and walkie-talkies in public places, killing dozens including women and children and injuring nearly 3,00...Quds News Network
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No wonder the CEO/President/Whatever that guy does is going all in on legalizing war crimes.
Apparently he has committed some.
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Europe’s world-first carbon tariff is coming. Here’s what to know.
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is part of a broader effort to decarbonize heavy industries in Europe and globally. It takes full effect Jan. 1.
Europe’s world-first carbon tariff is coming. Here’s what to know.
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is part of a broader effort to decarbonize heavy industries in Europe and globally. It takes full effect Jan.…Canary Media
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Terrain Diffusion: A Diffusion-Based Successor to Perlin Noise in Infinite, Real-Time Terrain Generation
Terrain Diffusion: A Diffusion-Based Successor to Perlin Noise in Infinite, Real-Time Terrain Generation
For decades, procedural worlds have been built on procedural noise functions such as Perlin noise, which are fast and infinite, yet fundamentally limited in realism and large-scale coherence.arXiv.org
Trump Escalates in Venezuela With 'Illegal' US Seizure of Oil Tanker
US military seizes oil tanker off Venezuela coast, escalating tensions. Trump boasts about "largest one ever seized."
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.
Trump Escalates in Venezuela With 'Illegal' US Seizure of Oil Tanker
“Millions of civilians will be at risk if the economy deteriorates and tensions rise," warned one anti-war group.brad-reed (Common Dreams)
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The rise of the electrostate: By dominating clean energy, China is leading on climate action
Ember’s analysis of China’s energy transition shows the country has reached a critical point where it can supply the whole world’s needs for clean energy, not just its own. The country’s solar manufacturing capacity is 65 per cent higher than what’s required — globally — in the International Energy Agency’s net-zero roadmap.That means that China has the capacity to manufacture and supply enough solar panels for the world to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Two-thirds of emerging countries have now overtaken the U.S. in terms of the proportion of solar energy in their total power generation, according to Ember. That includes places like South Africa, Vietnam, Pakistan, Chile and many more.
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Calibri font becomes the latest DEI target as Rubio orders return to Times New Roman
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered diplomatic correspondence to stop using the Calibri font and return to the more traditional Times New Roman effective Wednesday, reversing a Biden administration shift to the less formal typeface that he called wasteful, confusing and unbefitting the dignity of U.S. government documents.
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ICE is using smartwatches to track pregnant women, even during labor: ‘She was so afraid they would take her baby’
ICE is using smartwatches to track pregnant women, even during labor: ‘She was so afraid they would take her baby’
Pregnant immigrants in ICE monitoring programs are avoiding care, fearing detention during labour and deliveryJohana Bhuiyan (The Guardian)
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Congressman Shri Thanedar Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
Congressman Shri Thanedar Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth | U.S. Congressman Shri Thanedar
The Official U.S. Congressional website of Congressman Shri Thanedarthanedar.house.gov
Youth Climate Activists Ask Montana Court to Block Some New Laws
The young plaintiffs, who won a major case over climate change policy in 2023, argue that legislators are illegally ignoring the effects of fossil fuels.
Calibri font becomes the latest DEI target as Rubio orders return to Times New Roman
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered diplomatic correspondence to stop using the Calibri font and return to the more traditional Times New Roman effective Wednesday, reversing a Biden administration shift to the less formal typeface that he called wasteful, confusing and unbefitting the dignity of U.S. government documents.
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ICE is using smartwatches to track pregnant women, even during labor: ‘She was so afraid they would take her baby’
ICE is using smartwatches to track pregnant women, even during labor: ‘She was so afraid they would take her baby’
Pregnant immigrants in ICE monitoring programs are avoiding care, fearing detention during labour and deliveryJohana Bhuiyan (The Guardian)
Massie introduces bill to pull America out of NATO
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Wednesday introduced a bill that would pull the United States out of the NATO alliance.Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said she would co-sponsor the bill, while Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has introduced companion legislation in the upper chamber.
“NATO is a Cold War relic. We should withdraw from NATO and use that money to defend our own country, not socialist countries,” Massie said in a statement.
“NATO was created to counter the Soviet Union, which collapsed over thirty years ago. Since then, U.S. participation has cost taxpayers trillions of dollars and continues to risk U.S. involvement in foreign wars,” he added.
Russian asset does Russian asset things.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5642964-massie-introduces-nato-withdrawal-bill/
Golpistas capturam a política e as leis do Brasil. Lula vê "desavença"
- YouTube
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.www.youtube.com
Hakeem Jeffries Pilloried for Putting Pro-Industry Democrats on AI Policy Task Force, Despite Voter Distrust of Big Tech
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1280…
At a time when the American public, and especially Democratic voters, express overwhelming distrust of artificial intelligence and Big Tech, the top House Democrat is being accused of failing to meet the moment.
On Tuesday, in preparation for an executive order to be signed this week by President Donald Trump, which would seek to block states from implementing new AI regulations, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) unveiled his own effort to cozy up to the industry, whose major players have set aside more than $200 million to push out anti-AI politicians during the 2026 midterms, according to the New York Times.
Jeffries announced the creation of a “House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy,” which will “develop policy expertise in partnership with the innovation community, relevant stakeholders, and committees of jurisdiction.”
What immediately caught the eye of critics was the list of fellow Democrats Jeffries picked to serve on the commission. It will be co-chaired by Reps. Ted Lieu (Calif.), Josh Gottheimer (NJ), and Valerie Foushee (NC), with Reps. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.) and Frank Pallone (NJ) serving as ex officio co-chairs.
As Sludge reported Tuesday: "The panel’s leaders rank among the House Democrats with the deepest ties to Big Tech and AI, from holding millions of dollars in tech stock to the contributions they’ve raised for their campaigns and the Republican-backed deregulation bills they've signed onto."
In July, Gottheimer introduced a bill along with Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) "that would require financial regulators to create 'AI Innovation Labs' where firms could experiment with AI-driven financial products under looser regulations and without the normal threats of enforcement actions."
Gottheimer is also a major stakeholder in Microsoft, which has invested tens of millions of dollars into AI and nearly $7.5 million on lobbying in 2025 so far. Beyond the almost $100,000 in contributions Gottheimer has received from Microsoft, he is also a former executive who received anywhere from $1 million to $5 million last year from his stock holdings in the company, according to financial disclosure forms. He also frequently trades in other AI power players like Amazon, Meta, and Dell.
Lofgren, meanwhile, has accepted more money from the Internet industry over the course of her career than all but one other current House Democrat—including $265,000 from Google, $115,000 from Apple, and $110,000 from Meta, according to data from OpenSecrets.
In September 2024, Lofgren co-sponsored a bill introduced by Rep. Jay Abernolte (R-Calif.) which "would create a federal 'center for AI advancement and reliability' that it would instruct to work closely with private companies and other stakeholders on developing 'voluntary best practices and technical standards for evaluating the reliability, robustness, resilience, security, and safety of artificial intelligence systems.'"
Foushee, a member of the corporate-backed New Democrat Coalition, rode to Congress in 2022 with more than $1 million from the Protect Our Future political action committee, which was backed by former FTX CEO and convicted fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried.
In response to Trump's industry-friendly "AI Action Plan" in July, Foushee and the New Democrats unveiled their own "Innovation Agenda," which called for federal tax credits to companies that "reskill" workers and perform private research and development as well as federal investments in apprenticeships and "labor market data modernization."
Jeffries has neglected to take a position on Trump's proposal to preempt state regulations. Last Monday, he told reporters, "That conversation hasn't been brought to the leadership level yet."
In his statement announcing the Democratic commission on Tuesday, Jeffries said, "It is important that American companies continue to thrive" in the arena of AI, while "at the same time, Congress must consider what policies are needed to prevent bad actors from exploiting this transformative technology and inflicting harm upon the American people." However, he did not specifically mention Trump's pending block on state regulations.
— (@)A poll released Friday by the progressive group Demand Progress showed that Americans across the political spectrum are unsettled by AI's influence in Washington: 68% of respondents overall said they were more worried that "the US government will not regulate artificial intelligence enough," as opposed to just 21% who feared too much regulation. While Democrats and independents were somewhat more concerned about underregulation at 71%, Republicans largely shared those fears, with 62% saying they feared the government would not regulate AI enough.
The consensus was even stronger regarding Big Tech's power over AI policy, with 78% of respondents overall saying it had too much influence. This included 81% of Democrats and independents and 74% of Republicans.
With this in mind, many critics were puzzled by Jeffries' decision to stack his AI commission with some of the industry's top allies.
— (@)As Aaron Regunberg wrote in the New Republic last month, harnessing anger against the rapid, largely unregulated expansion of expensive, energy-sucking AI data centers was an essential part of Democrats' victories across the board in November's off-year elections:
In New Jersey, Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s closing argument was a pledge to freeze electricity rates, which have soared because of data-center demand.In Virginia, Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger won after pledging to make data centers “pay their own way,” and many Democrats went even further.
At least one candidate, John McAuliff, flipped a seat in the House of Delegates by focusing on tying his Republican opponent to the “unchecked growth” of data centers, with an ad that asked, “Do you want more of these in your backyard?”
And in Georgia, Democrats won their first nonfederal statewide races in decades, earning 60% of the vote against two Republican members of the Public Service Commission by criticizing Big Tech “sweetheart deals” and campaigning for policies “to ensure that the communities that they’re extracting from” don’t end up with their “water supplies … tapped out or their energy … maxed out.”
"This is the most populist moment of voter rage I've ever seen, and the leading Democrats are absolutely hostile to the idea of doing anything to address Silicon Valley's massive power," said Matt Stoller, an anti-monopoly expert.
"Anticorruption is one of the strongest arguments with the broadest appeal in American politics right now, but the Democratic leadership simply refuses to stop tanking it," added Matt Duss, a former advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
"I have never seen a gulf this wide between Democratic leadership and the party writ large," said author Zachary D. Carter. "The top is corrupt, the base is raging against corruption."
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.
Ga. rate panel election focuses on power bills, data centers
Two seats are up for grabs on the Georgia Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities and decides whether power bills increase.Staff (WRDW-TV/WAGT-TV)
Lemkin Institute Rebukes Clinton for Blaming Youth Outrage Over Gaza Genocide on TikTok
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1281…
The world's leading genocide prevention group this week accused former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of "outright genocide denial" for comments last week attributing young Americans' opposition to Israel's US-backed genocide in Gaza on social media.
Speaking last week at the Israel Hayom Summit in New York, Clinton asserted that young people's support for Palestine stems from the fact that they are "getting their information from social media, particularly TikTok," adding that many younger Jewish Americans “don’t know the history and don’t understand" the Israel-Palestine issue.
On Monday, the Philadelphia-based Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security—named for Raphael Lemkin, a lawyer and Holocaust survivor who coined the term genocide—published a statement arguing that "Secretary Clinton’s framing is not at all an accurate reflection of why Americans are growing more critical of Israel."
"Young Americans of all political stripes have not fallen prey to propaganda, though that is always a legitimate concern," the institute said. "Rather, they have consumed two years of videos depicting Israel’s genocide against Palestinians that have been uploaded by Palestinian journalists, ordinary people trying to survive in Gaza, [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers, and ordinary Israelis themselves."
"There has been no convincing refutation of the sheer amount of raw evidence of genocide coming out of Palestine," the institute contended. "Young people in the US are not stupid or gullible. They simply reject genocide—something the secretary might consider doing as well."
Wow: Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention (named for Holocaust survivor Raphael Lemkin, who coined term "genocide") calls Clinton's remarks "genocide denial.""Young people in the US are not stupid or gullible. They simply reject genocide – something the Secretary might consider doing as well."[image or embed]
— Prem Thakker ツ (@premthakker.bsky.social) December 9, 2025 at 11:15 AMLIGP continued:
Secretary Clinton appears not to be bothered by the reality of genocidal violence—in fact, she did not mention anything about it. Her concern is, rather, in her words, “the narrative”—the fact that these crimes are no longer hidden and are now being livestreamed and documented in real time, making it harder for her and others to control it. TikTok cannot be blamed for the fact that many members of Gen Z understand that Israel is committing genocide, since so many other people, including those who never look at TikTok, also hold that view. Apart from the Lemkin Institute, the vast majority of large, mainstream human rights organizations, the [United Nations], and many scholars as well as international legal bodies have denounced Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. Many carefully researched reports by international organizations have established that Israel’s crimes meet the international legal threshold for genocide. We encourage the former secretary to read them."The Lemkin Institute continues to support students and young people worldwide for having the courage to stand up for their convictions, to speak truth to power, and to fight against the scourge of genocide in Palestine and elsewhere," LIGP added. "Secretary Clinton’s remarks are not only inaccurate—they are also a shameful example of the lengths to which people complicit in genocide will go to to deny its existence."
The institute's rebuke of Clinton's comments came as the International Court of Justice in The Hague adjudicates a genocide case against Israel filed by South Africa and supported by around two dozen nations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant—who ordered the "complete siege" of Gaza that fueled famine and disease—are also wanted by the International Criminal Court, also located in the The Hague, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder and forced starvation.
Lemkin's denunciation also comes amid a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, a truce Israeli forces have broken more than 500 times, according to officials in the Palestinian exclave. Israeli officials say Palestinian resistance fighters have violated the ceasefire more than 30 times.
Since the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023, Israel's annihilation and siege of Gaza have left more than 250,000 Palestinians dead, maimed, or missing and around 2 million more forcibly displaced, starved, or sickened. Israeli military data suggests that of the the more than 70,000 Palestinian deaths, over 8 in 10 were civilians.
Through it all, the United States has backed Israel with more than $21 billion worth of weaponry and diplomatic support including repeatedly vetoing United Nations Security Council ceasefire resolutions.
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.
US Wields 'Hand of Genocide' by Vetoing Yet Another UN Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution
"This latest shameful U.S. veto—one in a long list—gives Israel the green light to continue its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza," said the head of Amnesty International.brett-wilkins (Common Dreams)
Israeli plot to assassinate Marwan Barghouti sparks international outcry
cross-posted from: hexbear.net/post/6989649
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1252…
The struggle of veteran freedom fighter, and prominent leader of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement, Marwan Barghouti, came back to the fore this week after his family had received an anonymous “intimidating” call, claiming that he was subjected to systematic brutal torture and abuse by his jailors.Barghouti’s son, Qassam, wrote in a Facebook post on Friday, December 5:
“I woke up this morning to a phone call from a released prisoner, who told me: your father was physically destroyed; they broke his teeth, kept beating him, cut off part of his ear, and broke his fingers just for fun.”
“What should I do? Who should I talk to? To whom should we turn? We are living with this nightmare daily… Oh God, have mercy. My father is now 66 years old. Oh God, where do we find the strength?” Qassam added.
Barghouti’s son clarified in another post hours later that he and his family were not able to reach out to the unnamed freed prisoner, who informed them about his father’s condition:
“We are still trying to reach the released prisoner who contacted me this morning, but we have not yet been able to. We have contacted all possible official and legal authorities to help us obtain any information, but we have not been able to do so either. I apologize for causing concern to many of my loved ones due to my emotional reaction to the call. I hope my father and all the prisoners are well; that is all that matters to us.”
Israel is seemingly trying to end Barghouti’s life
The incident was perceived by many as an attempt to end Marwan Barghouti’s life, especially after the Trump administration had brought forward a proposal in October, suggesting the release of the consensual Palestinian political leader, so he would rule post-war Gaza.The proposal had already provoked the ire of Israeli officials, above all Israel’s Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has unleashed an unprecedented crackdown against the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement since January 2023.
Even before the US government put forward the suggestion, Ben-Gvir had intentionally targeted Barghouti, in particular, by releasing a video, showing him threatening the iconic Palestinian national figure inside his jail in August.
Barghouti’s condition sparked an international outcry
In response to the new development regarding Marwan Barghouti’s condition in Israeli prison, more than 200 public figures from different nationalities over the globe joined an international campaign calling for his release.“We express our grave concern at the continuing imprisonment of Marwan Barghouti, his violent mistreatment and denial of legal rights whilst imprisoned. We call upon the United Nations and the Governments of the World to actively seek the release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison,” the statement reads.
The post Israeli plot to assassinate Marwan Barghouti sparks international outcry appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.
From Peoples Dispatch via This RSS Feed.
Palestinian groups express ‘grave concerns’ over Marwan Barghouti’s safety
Palestinians express alarm following ‘intimidating’ call to family of imprisoned leader alleging new abuse.Lyndal Rowlands (Al Jazeera)
Report Exposes Instacart's Hidden AI Price Experiments That Could Cost Families $1,200 Per Year
cross-posted from: hexbear.net/post/6989654
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1253…
Consumer advocates on Tuesday called on the Federal Trade Commission and state officials to investigate artificial intelligence-enabled pricing experiments used by Instacart, the grocery shopping app millions of Americans rely on, that charge up to 23% more for some shoppers than others when they buy the same item at the same store.
Consumer Reports joined the advocacy group Groundwork Collaborative and the labor-focused media organization More Perfect Union to uncover Instacart's pricing experiments enabled by Eversight, an AI pricing software that Instacart acquired in 2022. The company's CEO said last year that the experiments have helped the company “to really figure out which categories of products our customers [are] more price sensitive on"—in other words, to tailor prices based on a customer's shopping habits, whether they're near a competing store, and other factors.
The groups' study, Same Cart, Different Price, describes how researchers ran five tests with 437 participants, studying the prices of a basket of items bought at two Target stores and three Safeway stores using Instacart.
In one test at a Safeway in Washington, DC, shoppers logged on to the app to buy a carton of eggs from the same brand at the same time and found that the price they were given varied widely. Some shoppers were charged just $3.99 for the eggs, while others saw a price as high as $4.79—20% higher.
Shoppers at a Safeway in Seattle saw a 23% difference in prices for Skippy peanut butter, Oscar Mayer turkey, and Wheat Thins crackers. At two different Safeways in Washington, DC, Instacart quoted shoppers at one store a price that was 23% higher than at another for Signature Select Corn Flakes.
"It’s time for Instacart to close the lab. Americans shopping for groceries aren’t guinea pigs and shouldn't have to pay an Instacart tax.”
For the same basket of groceries, shoppers at the Seattle store were asked to pay as much as $123.93, while others were charged just $114.34.
"The average price variations observed in the study could cost a household of four about $1,200 per year," said Groundwork.
Justin Brookman, director of tech policy at Consumer Reports, said Instacart's tactics "hurt families who are simply trying to purchase essential groceries."
"At a time when everyday Americans are struggling with high prices, it is particularly egregious to see corporations secretly conducting individual experiments to see how much a person is willing to pay," said Brookman. "Companies must be transparent and upfront with people about pricing, so that they can make informed choices and keep more of their hard-earned money. We encourage the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to investigate Instacart’s pricing tactics."
Groundwork noted that Instcart's website acknowledges that it runs price tests, but states that "shoppers are not aware that they’re in an experiment" and are having their grocery prices selected for them via algorithm.
While Instacart has claimed its price experiments are "negligible," the groups emphasized that they're being used "against the backdrop of the fastest increase in food prices since the late 1970s."
After previous reporting on companies' use of "shrinkflation," "dynamic pricing," and other practices that keep prices high even as pandemic-era labor and supply chain issues have subsided, "today’s report shows Instacart’s experiments are yet another way corporate pricing tactics are squeezing American families," said Groundwork.
The study did not find evidence that Instacart is giving shoppers different prices based on their ZIP code or income, as companies like Amazon, Delta Air Lines, and Home Deport have been accused of doing.
But the groups said Eversight gives the company the capability to use that data to make pricing decisions tailored to particular shoppers.
“Instacart is quietly running pricing experiments on millions of shoppers during the worst grocery affordability crisis in a generation, and it’s costing households as much as $1,200 a year,” said Groundwork Collaborative executive director Lindsay Owens. “They have turned the simple act of buying groceries into a high-tech game of pricing roulette. When the same box of Wheat Thins can jump 23% in price because of an algorithm, that’s not innovation or convenience, it’s unfair. It’s time for Instacart to close the lab. Americans shopping for groceries aren’t guinea pigs and shouldn't have to pay an Instacart tax.”
The groups credited some state and federal lawmakers who have begun to take notice of pricing practices like Instacart's; US Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) introduced the Stop AI Price Gouging and Wage Fixing Act in July with the aim of prohibiting the use of automated systems to set prices. New York has enacted the first-of-its-kind Algorithmic Pricing Disclosure Act, which requires companies to prominently disclose to customers, "This price was set by an algorithm using your personal data" when they use methods like Instacart's. Other state legislation has been introduced in Colorado, California, and Pennsylvania to ban the use of surveillance to set prices.
The groups called on the FTC to take action under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which bans "unfair methods of competition." Those could include “'price discrimination not justified by differences in cost or distribution,' which appears to match Instacart’s pricing experiments and fluctuations," the report reads.
The FTC could also bring enforcement cases or initiate rulemaking to officially label AI-enabled pricing strategies as an "unfair or deceptive practice," affirming that companies who use them are breaking a consumer protection standard.
"Fair and honest markets are the bedrock of a healthy economy," reads Tuesday's report. "Companies like Instacart offer great convenience, but they are increasingly pursuing corporate pricing practices that unfairly decouple the price of a product from its true cost. As more consumers learn about, and decry, these practices, perhaps companies will change course. But if they do not, policymakers should intervene and require them to change their practices."
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.
Report Exposes Instacart's Hidden AI Price Experiments That Could Cost Families $1,200 Per Year
cross-posted from: news.abolish.capital/post/1253…Consumer advocates on Tuesday called on the Federal Trade Commission and state officials to investigate artificial intelligence-enabled pricing experiments used by Instacart, the grocery shopping app millions of Americans rely on, that charge up to 23% more for some shoppers than others when they buy the same item at the same store.
Consumer Reports joined the advocacy group Groundwork Collaborative and the labor-focused media organization More Perfect Union to uncover Instacart's pricing experiments enabled by Eversight, an AI pricing software that Instacart acquired in 2022. The company's CEO said last year that the experiments have helped the company “to really figure out which categories of products our customers [are] more price sensitive on"—in other words, to tailor prices based on a customer's shopping habits, whether they're near a competing store, and other factors.
The groups' study, Same Cart, Different Price, describes how researchers ran five tests with 437 participants, studying the prices of a basket of items bought at two Target stores and three Safeway stores using Instacart.
In one test at a Safeway in Washington, DC, shoppers logged on to the app to buy a carton of eggs from the same brand at the same time and found that the price they were given varied widely. Some shoppers were charged just $3.99 for the eggs, while others saw a price as high as $4.79—20% higher.
Shoppers at a Safeway in Seattle saw a 23% difference in prices for Skippy peanut butter, Oscar Mayer turkey, and Wheat Thins crackers. At two different Safeways in Washington, DC, Instacart quoted shoppers at one store a price that was 23% higher than at another for Signature Select Corn Flakes.
"It’s time for Instacart to close the lab. Americans shopping for groceries aren’t guinea pigs and shouldn't have to pay an Instacart tax.”
For the same basket of groceries, shoppers at the Seattle store were asked to pay as much as $123.93, while others were charged just $114.34.
"The average price variations observed in the study could cost a household of four about $1,200 per year," said Groundwork.
Justin Brookman, director of tech policy at Consumer Reports, said Instacart's tactics "hurt families who are simply trying to purchase essential groceries."
"At a time when everyday Americans are struggling with high prices, it is particularly egregious to see corporations secretly conducting individual experiments to see how much a person is willing to pay," said Brookman. "Companies must be transparent and upfront with people about pricing, so that they can make informed choices and keep more of their hard-earned money. We encourage the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to investigate Instacart’s pricing tactics."
Groundwork noted that Instcart's website acknowledges that it runs price tests, but states that "shoppers are not aware that they’re in an experiment" and are having their grocery prices selected for them via algorithm.
While Instacart has claimed its price experiments are "negligible," the groups emphasized that they're being used "against the backdrop of the fastest increase in food prices since the late 1970s."
After previous reporting on companies' use of "shrinkflation," "dynamic pricing," and other practices that keep prices high even as pandemic-era labor and supply chain issues have subsided, "today’s report shows Instacart’s experiments are yet another way corporate pricing tactics are squeezing American families," said Groundwork.
The study did not find evidence that Instacart is giving shoppers different prices based on their ZIP code or income, as companies like Amazon, Delta Air Lines, and Home Deport have been accused of doing.
But the groups said Eversight gives the company the capability to use that data to make pricing decisions tailored to particular shoppers.
“Instacart is quietly running pricing experiments on millions of shoppers during the worst grocery affordability crisis in a generation, and it’s costing households as much as $1,200 a year,” said Groundwork Collaborative executive director Lindsay Owens. “They have turned the simple act of buying groceries into a high-tech game of pricing roulette. When the same box of Wheat Thins can jump 23% in price because of an algorithm, that’s not innovation or convenience, it’s unfair. It’s time for Instacart to close the lab. Americans shopping for groceries aren’t guinea pigs and shouldn't have to pay an Instacart tax.”
The groups credited some state and federal lawmakers who have begun to take notice of pricing practices like Instacart's; US Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) introduced the Stop AI Price Gouging and Wage Fixing Act in July with the aim of prohibiting the use of automated systems to set prices. New York has enacted the first-of-its-kind Algorithmic Pricing Disclosure Act, which requires companies to prominently disclose to customers, "This price was set by an algorithm using your personal data" when they use methods like Instacart's. Other state legislation has been introduced in Colorado, California, and Pennsylvania to ban the use of surveillance to set prices.
The groups called on the FTC to take action under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which bans "unfair methods of competition." Those could include “'price discrimination not justified by differences in cost or distribution,' which appears to match Instacart’s pricing experiments and fluctuations," the report reads.
The FTC could also bring enforcement cases or initiate rulemaking to officially label AI-enabled pricing strategies as an "unfair or deceptive practice," affirming that companies who use them are breaking a consumer protection standard.
"Fair and honest markets are the bedrock of a healthy economy," reads Tuesday's report. "Companies like Instacart offer great convenience, but they are increasingly pursuing corporate pricing practices that unfairly decouple the price of a product from its true cost. As more consumers learn about, and decry, these practices, perhaps companies will change course. But if they do not, policymakers should intervene and require them to change their practices."
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.
Casar-Tlaib Bill Would Ban Corporations From Using AI to Set Prices, Wages
"The idea that employers would leverage surveillance data to exploit a worker in a desperate position and offer them a lower wage is appalling," said Rep. Rashida Tlaib.stephen-prager (Common Dreams)
Dr. Wesker
in reply to tatoko556 • • •Obviously, the most effective approach is to reduce the vector by not using them, or in some of these cases (NVIDIA, AMD, etc) only installing the drivers and not the additional software.
Other than that, the most effective approach I've found is analyzing and blocking the traffic at the router level.
tatoko556
in reply to Dr. Wesker • • •Thank you. I use the official website to download drivers, but it seems they only provide packages like AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition or NVIDIA App for installing the drivers. How can I install only the drivers without the additional bundled software?
Also, which on-device traffic blocker would you recommend, and what rules do you use? Are those rules comprehensive enough to block all telemetry traffic?
I’m concerned that if the IP addresses of their servers change and the traffic blocker doesn’t update in time, some information from my device could still be transmitted. Because of that, I have some doubts about relying on traffic blockers alone.
anon5621
in reply to tatoko556 • • •GitHub - henrypp/simplewall: Simple tool to configure Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) which can configure network activity on your computer.
GitHubonlooker
in reply to tatoko556 • • •tatoko556
in reply to onlooker • • •FauxLiving
in reply to tatoko556 • • •Between the update happening and you running the script all of the re-enabled telemetry grabs all of your logs and uploads them.
You wouldn’t even make it through login after the update reboot before this happens.
You cannot remove this telemetry and also receive updates. This is by design.
MonkderVierte
in reply to tatoko556 • • •tatoko556
in reply to MonkderVierte • • •dellhiver
in reply to tatoko556 • • •I use this - github.com/ChrisTitusTech/winu…
But obviously get opinions from other sources first.
It claims to disable most Windows telemetry. Some Adobe. But I haven't actually done any testing to prove it's the case. It's a pretty useful tool. Just use the restore point option first.
Last time I tried this method of disabling Adobe telemetry, photoshop stopped opening after a few days.
For nvidia/amd, just install the drivers, not their tool suite.
As the other posters mention, try to find alternatives.
Other than that, you can try and block at a firewall level. But few companies make it obvious like: nerferoustelemetry.pleasedontb…
GitHub - ChrisTitusTech/winutil: Chris Titus Tech's Windows Utility - Install Programs, Tweaks, Fixes, and Updates
GitHubtatoko556
in reply to dellhiver • • •Thank you. This tool is great for some windows tweak.
I use the official website to download drivers, but it seems they only provide packages like AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition or NVIDIA App for installing the drivers. How can I install only the drivers without the additional bundled software?
dellhiver
in reply to tatoko556 • • •Yeah they are sneaky. You are forced to download everything.
Do a "manual search" on the Nvidia driver page.
Once the "Game Ready" drivers are downloaded. Uninstall the nvidia app (if it's installed already.)
Now to install.
Basically for any windows software, always choose "Custom (Advanced)" installation, instead of "Express (Recommended)".
For nvidia, the next page will show you 3-4 options. Untick everything accept "Graphics driver".
Definitely ignore "HD audio". It tends to mess up your sound (at least that's my experience.)
and "PhysX System Software" unless this out of date or missing. Then you can tick this.
Then just your graphics drivers will be installed.
Obviously you will miss out on the various additional features the nvidia app provides, like auto tweaking game settings. But it's always a tradeoff.
As I said above. Always do "Custom" installs on ANY software. 75% of the time you end up automatically opting into to various forms of telemetry, and at worst find your browers have new plugins, your search engine changed, and antivirus installed. It can be time-consuming to uninstall.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have more questions. I tried to add screenshots but the Lemmy app wasn't having it.
tatoko556
in reply to dellhiver • • •HornedMeatBeast
in reply to tatoko556 • • •It might be a more extreme method, but I use Pi-Hole on my home network running on a Raspberry Pi.
It's more investment than tweaking some Windows settings or configuring a router, but it does a decent job of blocking a lot of telemetry and tracking.
Most of my denied queries listed on the Pi-Hole dashboard are Microsoft based.
I have to use my Pi-Hole as my DHCP server though, otherwise all traffic seems to only come from one device... my router.
If you have a server running at home, Pi-Hole can also be hosted in a Docker container.
tatoko556
in reply to HornedMeatBeast • • •Thank you, which on-device traffic blocker would you recommend, and what rules do you use? Are those rules comprehensive enough to block all telemetry traffic?
I’m concerned that if the IP addresses of their servers change and the traffic blocker doesn’t update in time, some information from my device could still be transmitted. Because of that, I have some doubts about relying on traffic blockers alone.
HornedMeatBeast
in reply to tatoko556 • • •I'm afraid I don't know too much about that.
I use uBlock Origin in Firefox and that is basically all I use on my PC and Pi-Hole does the rest.
Pi-Hole has some default rules that do a decent job and most people just rely on those, you can add your own or apply additional rule lists but the more you add, the greater the chance you break or block something legitimate.
Whatever blocker or rules you use will need updating once Microsoft or whoever makes changes, and some might react faster to the changes than others and they will most likely never react instantly. Something will always get through.
I don't think there is a definite solution that will always work, these large companies will always make changes and try and bypass our protections and all we can do is react to that.
The only way to truly stop all M$ telemetry is to not use their services but I am not going to tell anyone they need to move over to a non-M$ system because I know it's not just that easy. I have software and games that only run in Windows so I am stuck with their slop for now.
Maybe someone will be able to suggest another method that will suit your needs.
tatoko556
in reply to HornedMeatBeast • • •ZeDoTelhado
in reply to tatoko556 • • •There are a couple of things that can be done. Do keep in mind that most of these require some maintenance and checking, since windows updates are notorious for re enabling stuff:
- for windows itself, there are utilities like o&o shutup windows. This usually works quite well to go into the well hidden reg options to disable telemetry
- another good advice is to use such tool to straight up uninstall what ships with windows that you don't need
- at the network level in your house, having a DNS block level service is great. Pihole and adguard come to mind. This solution is more involved and requires more time to setup, but has tremendous benefits not only on windows telemetry, but overall network telemetry
- if you are not in the capacity to have a network level service, setting up the machine to use nextdns is another good step. It is also a DNS block level kind of solution, but works by pointing the machine to the DNS to be used system wide. Do keep in mind is certainly possible for the system in places to use hardcoded DNS and ignore your options (at network level, you can always force to reroute to your local DNS. The case of DoH is a bit more tricky)
Hopefully this helps
tatoko556
in reply to ZeDoTelhado • • •Are there any on-device tools you could recommend? My laptop won’t always be connected to my home Wi-Fi, and some telemetry could still occur when it’s connected to other networks without my DNS configuration.
Thank you. I’m concerned that if the IP addresses of their servers change and the traffic blocker doesn’t update in time, some information from my device could still be transmitted. For the reasons you have listed and changing IP addresses of their servers , I have some doubts about relying on traffic blockers alone.
Libb
in reply to tatoko556 • • •I don't use Windows or Adobe and things like that (I use Linux and before that I was running a Mac), but for VSCode you may consider using VSCodium instead which is the exact same app (the same source code, running the same extensions) just without MS telemetry.
vscodium.com/
VSCodium - Open Source Binaries of VSCode
vscodium.comggtdbz
in reply to tatoko556 • • •PiraHxCx
in reply to tatoko556 • • •In the last few months I saw so many new services being added to Win11, connecting to so many new domains... WindowsSpyBlocker, that a lot of people use with the DNS, is awfully outdated, and unless stuff like Sophia Script, Win-Debloat-Tools, winutil, O&O Shutup were updated recently (like 1 or 2 months tops) it's also outdated.
Microsoft is also constantly changing how stuff works, intertwining stuff so you can't fully remove without breaking functionality. You used to get media expansion packs (stuff like av1, avif and webp support) through updates or you could download them from their site or use a Powershell command to install them, now you are forced to do it through the MS Store, and guess what happens if you uninstall the MS Store? (at least, a few months ago when I got a new Win11 install, removing MS Store removed the packages). Probably a lot of Edge removing tools are broken by now too, if you watch your network you gonna see Microsoft Edge WebView 2 calling tons of domains all the time, and if you remove it you kill your internet connection entirely (you can, however, block it on the firewall. It used to be just one service, but with some recent update it's four different services you have to block now).
What I'd recommend is manually uninstalling all the bloat you can, then running Get-AppxPackage on Powershell to find whatever crap is still lurking and removing it with Get-AppxPackage -Name "PackageName" | Remove-AppxPackage (don't remove what you are not sure what it is for, search or ask AI when in doubt, and some stuff you won't be able to remove anyway), then execute msconfig to disable other crap you may also find there (again, be careful with that) and lastly get a program like simplewall or Portmaster to block Windows communication at firewall level (Portmaster has a very friendly UI) - the problem is, each update Microsoft includes new services, and you should let stuff like Wuauserv, Do Svc, Crypt Svc and BITS open because they handle updates, but always check what the domains they are connecting to are for... still, even though they may not be for telemetry, they could totally be sending telemetry data through them, so there is no way to use Windows safely.
simplewall/Portmaster can completely cut the communication of Adobe, Nvidia and whatever other program you use, so you'd technically look like you are offline to them - if you need to use their online features, or they need online authentication to even run (evil as fuck), I don't think you will be able to escape data collection.
PiraHxCx
in reply to PiraHxCx • • •FauxLiving
in reply to PiraHxCx • • •RotatingParts
in reply to tatoko556 • • •Steve
in reply to tatoko556 • • •I just did a clean re-install of Windows with it. And its been great for the last few days. No dumb bloatware or spyware. Though not so privacy crazy as to break things. Supposedly it's changes can't be rolled back with updates due to the techniques they use. We'll see
Revision
www.revi.ccFauxLiving
in reply to tatoko556 • • •I’d switch to Windows but I don’t want to use an OS that requires digging through shady online instructions and running random power shell scripts in order to stop it from spying on me until the next update.
I disabled telemetry on Linux(Arch, btw) by not installing enshittified corporate spyware masquerading as an operating system.
Ocular/Scribus
Linux, Linux Foundation
The drivers don’t have telemetry, it’s the software that comes with it.
On Linux you can just install the driver from your package manager without the need for any third party applications.
git-scm.com/downloads/guis?os=…
docker + wiki.archlinux.org/title/Docke…
VS Codium, open source VS Code.
nvim if you want your (programming) life changed
aur.archlinux.org/
non-profit technology consortium for development of Linux and open source
Contributors to Wikimedia projects (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.)ftbd
in reply to FauxLiving • • •Zerush
in reply to tatoko556 • • •If you have to use Windows, there are at least two mandatory apps
github.com/hellzerg/optimizer
safing.io/
GitHub - hellzerg/optimizer: The finest Windows Optimizer
GitHub