UK police treated to 10 new LFR vans in fresh expansion
A fresh expansion of UK crimefighters' access to live facial recognition (LFR) technology is being described by officials as "an excellent opportunity for policing." Privacy campaigners disagree.
The Home Office said today that more police forces across England will gain LFR capabilities thanks to ten new "cutting edge" vans being wheeled out, adding to those already in use by London's Metropolitan Police and forces in South Wales.
Seven forces will gain access to LFR vans as part of the latest expansion. These are: Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey and Sussex (jointly), and Thames Valley and Hampshire (jointly).
UK expands police facial recognition rollout with 10 new vans heading to a town near you
: Seven additional regions across England will now have access to the controversial techConnor Jones (The Register)
New De-Google and De-Amazon challenges
Thanks to everyone who participated in the first 5-Week De-Google Challenge on Signal!
I'm about to start another de-Google challenge AND a de-Amazon challenge on Monday.
Here is info on the de-Amazon group. (Signal group and PDF plan)
The de-Google Signal group is here.
And for the de-Google challenge we'll be using this checklist
I hope you'll join (and share) one...or both!.
like this
New De-Google and De-Amazon challenges
Thanks to everyone who participated in the first 5-Week De-Google Challenge on Signal!
I'm about to start another de-Google challenge AND a de-Amazon challenge on Monday.
Here is info on the de-Amazon group. (Signal group and PDF plan)
The de-Google Signal group is here.
And for the de-Google challenge we'll be using this checklist
I hope you'll join (and share) one...or both!.
New De-Google and De-Amazon challenges
Thanks to everyone who participated in the first 5-Week De-Google Challenge on Signal!
I'm about to start another de-Google challenge AND a de-Amazon challenge on Monday.
Here is info on the de-Amazon group. (Signal group and PDF plan)
The de-Google Signal group is here.
And for the de-Google challenge we'll be using [this checklist](punchinguppress.com/post/shake…
I hope you'll join (and share) one...or both!).
Russia clamps down on WhatsApp and Telegram over data sharing
Russia clamps down on WhatsApp and Telegram over data sharing
Calls via foreign-owned platforms curbed as critics say Kremlin is pushing for greater control over Russia’s internetGuardian staff reporter (The Guardian)
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The Ice alert app founder sparking fury in Trump officials: ‘Pam Bondi said I better watch out? Please.’
The Ice alert app founder sparking fury in Trump officials: ‘Pam Bondi said I better watch out? Please.’
After IceBlock’s launch in April, Kristi Noem attacked developer Joshua Aaron and his wife was fired from the DoJ. The attention has only led to more raids being reportedSam Wolfson (The Guardian)
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presente pignanza con aggiornamenti stellari ci porta al futuro sempre più conifero (aggiornamenti Pignio)
Nonostante il corrente clima della mia terra ormai sia talmente tanto seccante da portare quasi difficoltà a respirare, figurarsi esistere (…nonostante sia un clima umido, che assurdo paradosso), stranamente in questo agosto non sto scadendo troppo nel rotting… e, infatti, piano piano il Pignio (che, manco a farlo apposta, sotto sotto in questo periodo dell’anno […]
GenAI tools are acting more ‘alive’ than ever; they blackmail people, replicate, and escape
Multiple studies have shown that GenAI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, DeepSeek, and Alibaba all showed self-preservation behaviors that in some cases are extreme in nature. In one experiment, 11 out of 32 existing AI systems possess the ability to self-replicate, meaning they could create copies of themselves.
So….Judgment Day approaches?
GenAI self-preserves by blackmailing people, replicating itself, and escaping
In tests, generative AI systems showed signs of self-preservation that experts say could spiral out of control.Lucas Mearian (Computerworld)
Brussels Airport ground staff unions refuse to service 'Israel'-bound flights
Unions representing workers at Alyzia, a ground services company operating at Brussels Airport, have called on management to stop providing services to 'Israeli' airline El Al and any other carriers flying to or from 'Israel'.
In a letter sent to company leadership, union representatives demanded that employees be given the choice to opt out of handling baggage or cargo for these flights. The move follows Brussels Airlines’ decision to resume flights to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, August 13, a plan that unions say should only proceed with fully voluntary participation from staff.
In an official joint statement, the Alyzia unions, including Pulse, CNE, and ACV-CSC Transcom, said:
“Since October 2023, genocide has been underway in Gaza and the West Bank against the Palestinian population. Serious violations of humanitarian law and international law continue. Despite this, some airlines have decided to resume flights to Tel Aviv (TLV). Our affiliates refuse to participate in these operations. We will not serve these flights.”
Brussels Airport ground staff unions refuse to service 'Israel'-bound flights
Brussels Airport staff memberRoya News
The mix of weed high with runners high when you get it right is just amazing!
Joint after is still a good call, everything hits harder after exercise when the blood is pumping 😁
Documentary Reveals International Child Trafficking Network in Ukraine
EXPOSED: Documentary Reveals International Child Trafficking Network in Ukraine
A groundbreaking investigative documentary, “The Child Traders”, has uncovered a sprawling criminal network involved in the abducti...Anonymous103 (South Front)
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How to disable Firefox's battery-draining AI features
browser.ml.chat.enabled = false
browser.ml.chat.shortcuts = false
browser.ml.chat.shortcuts.custom = false
browser.ml.chat.sidebar = false
browser.ml.enable = false
browser.tabs.groups.smart.enabled = false
Orion Browser for Linux Gets Exciting Progress Update
Orion Browser for Linux Gets Exciting Progress Update
Kagi's privacy-focused Orion browser for Linux hits Milestone 2 with working tabs, bookmarks, and performance parity with GNOME Web/Epiphany.Joey Sneddon (OMG! Ubuntu!)
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Paid search engine makes sense to me but paid browser does not. The browser's target audience will have a better experience using a free of charge and Open Source browser than a paid one because the paid browser won't integrate very well with package managers.
This is off topic but their search engine pricing is quite scummy. Either you pay $5 for 300 searches per month, which is too little, or you pay $10 for unlimited searches, which is too many for a mere mortal. They are trying to up-sell the $10 subscription.
The browser isnt paid though. help.kagi.com/orion/faq/faq.ht…
I agree the $5 a month option is pretty useless, but I also think $10 is completely reasonable for everything you get.
Also even if it was paid why would it have issues with a package manager? Paid software generally just uses an account or license key to verify payment, with the executable being frwely available. JetBrains and Burp Suite are two software that come to mind and both are in many repositories.
Edit: To be clear, the browser will only be for Kagi and Orion+ members during the testing phase, likely just to control the size of the testing group. After that it will be free.
I also tried a bunch of things. Obsidian with journals plug-in is the perfect solution.
(Ok, journals + like 10 other plugins)
So far the best for me is a mix of Google's Tasks and Notes.
Both hide ticked of tasks, have functional reminders and are accessible from any authenticated device (to be edited).
All others I've tried, lack the hiding of the ticked boxes requiring one to create new pages divided by months, weeks or some other divider.
Ukrainians glorifying Nazi collaborators should be deported – Polish president
Ukrainians glorifying Nazi collaborators should be deported – Polish president
Symbols of Ukrainian Nazi collaborators like Stepan Bandera are “unacceptable” in Poland, President Karol Nawrocki has saidRT
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Zelensky’s Dirty Games: False Flags, Provocations And Nuclear Fearmongering
Zelensky’s Dirty Games: False Flags, Provocations And Nuclear Fearmongering
DEAR FRIENDS. IF YOU LIKE THIS TYPE OF CONTENT, SUPPORT SOUTHFRONT WORK: MONERO (XMR): 86yfEHs6pkoDEKCxc6MAnQX8cVHmzhYxMVrNuwKgNmqpWK8dDxjgGnK8PtUNJMA...Anonymous765 (South Front)
Russia makes biggest 24-hour advance in eastern Ukraine ahead of Alaska summit
Russia makes biggest 24-hour advance in eastern Ukraine ahead of Alaska summit
The Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine made major advances Wednesday as European leaders held online talks with US President Donald Trump ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.FRANCE 24
The AI Tool That Could Make Manufacturing Faster and More Efficient — by Using Lego Bricks
The AI Tool That Could Make Manufacturing Faster and More Efficient — by Using Lego Bricks
A new AI-powered tool created by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science could change the way we manufacture and build things.News
Kobi refused a doctor's AI. She was told to go elsewhere
Kobi refused a doctor's AI. She was told to go elsewhere
Unregulated AI scribes raising privacy, security concerns.Information Age
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[Technology Connections] VHS-C: when a lazy idea stumbles towards perfection (32:36)
- 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
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Karate or Tae Kwon Do for kids?
Which one do you think could fit better for her age and also considering she likes it which is better in the long term?
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FFmpeg 8.0 merges OpenAI "Whisper Filter" for automatic speech recognition, Vulkan AV1 encoding, & VP9 decoding
phoronix.com/news/FFmpeg-Vulka…
phoronix.com/news/FFmpeg-Lands…
FFmpeg 8.0 Merges Vulkan AV1 Encoding & VP9 Decoding
Ahead of the upcoming FFmpeg 8.0 release for this widely-used, open-source multimedia library some more last minute features continue to landwww.phoronix.com
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Google ‘Shell Game’ Shields Executive Lobbying from Public View
TTP - Google ‘Shell Game’ Shields Executive Lobbying from Public View
Google once ranked as the country’s top corporate spender on lobbying, but then its numbers dropped sharply. A little-known legal strategy played a role.www.techtransparencyproject.org
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Destroy a Microphone
During Prime Days I was dumb and bought some Chinese lamp because it was on sale.
I gotta say, it’s actually awesome — with the app I can change colors, styles, and so on, and I really like it.
The account creation already bugged me, although I think it was only needed for the first startup. I deleted the account since then. The app is in deep sleep on my phone with zero permissions except Bluetooth.
What really bothers me, though, is the built-in microphone for voice commands — on a lamp! I don’t want someone listening to me.
It’s too late to send it back, and I actually want to keep it.
Until now, I’ve just unplugged it from the outlet every time I don’t use it, but that’s very tedious.
So, is there an easier way to completely disable the microphone?
Does putting tape over it completely mute it?
Or would I have to take it apart and desolder it — which I’m probably too lazy, impatient, and inexperienced to do? So is there maybe a smarter or brute force way to do it? im paranoid i dont want my fucking lamp listening to me. sometime i even turn of mic and cam acsess on my phone.
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I had a similar incident with a cheap, 360, cam I bought off of Aliexpress. It was not going to be a security cam, just a cam to keep an eye on some seedlings in a grow box. I set it all up and would review the video of the seedlings sprouting. Then I noticed an weird behavior. At 5:00 AM it would automatically pan and stop, then repeat.
At the time we were experiencing some heavy electrical storms in our area and I have a Woody doll that sits up on a shelf in my lab. When we get electrical storms in this area, my Woody doll will introduce himself all on his own. 'Hey howdy hey! My name's Woody!' It'll freak you out if you didn't know it does that. The Woody doll has a pull string voicebox and I haven't pulled the string in years. I attribute the phenomenon to static charges in the air that activate the voicebox somehow.
So the panning I attributed to this static electrical charge during electrical storms. However, it started becoming a schedule. At 5:00 AM~ it would begin panning. So I got into the guts of the cam and the software. Turns out, no matter what DNS you used, one was already hard coded (1.2.4.8) along with other network settings, into the firmware and seemed to bypass any setting you punched in. The cam operated as a normal cam would and for what I was using it for, it did the job, except for the early morning panning.
So, great, I've allowed a nefarious actor into my network. I removed the cam off the wifi, and destroyed it. Combed through the network for any signs of exfiltration or other angles of attack and found nothing, except that I had pretty much set up a cheap, Trojan horse on my network.
Is it possible to run qbittorrent and protonvpn in a VM?
Does anyone know how to run qbittorrent and protonvpn in a VM? When I try to run the qbittorrent setup app I get this message (image below) and I don't see anything mentioning a VM in the qbittorrent [dot] org forum.
I am new to torrenting, so I don't really know what to do. I figured/assumed that torrenting/seeding in a VM might be safer as it is another layer deep, and that it may help keep traffic separate (inside the VM: I'd be using a vpn and torrenting, and outside the VM: I'd not be using a vpn and just regular internet surfing). Is this possible?
Thank you.
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Don't run your torrent client in a VM, that doesn't actually provide you with any additional security.
Use a Docker container instead. Binhex has torrent+vpn containers that will fetch the random open port number from Proton and pipe it into qBittorrent for you, as well as make sure the port is updated if the VPN drops. The container also acts as a killswitch.
Using a docker container provides you with the exact amount of extra protection as using a VM: zilch.
Only advantage is you can use other people's config easily.
- signed, someone happily using their own VM-based setup
Trump Puts Big Tech Above the Law Amid Industry’s Billion-Dollar Influence Campaign
- Reddit.
Trump Puts Big Tech Above the Law Amid Industry’s Billion-Dollar Influence Campaign - Public Citizen
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Trump administration has already dropped or halted one third of targeted enforcement actions against technology corporations…Public Citizen
CATL announces sodium batteries that cost as little as $10/kWh, a massive price reduction compared to the current average of $115/kWh for lithium-ion batteries.
- 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
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Technology reshared this.
Big if true. They are claiming a lot of things, which would be exciting if I had any reason to believe that they're anything more than claims, probably to juice investment. Sodium ion battery tech is infamous for being heavier per kW such that it's less ideal for EVs, last for fewer power cycles such that it's less ideal for EVs, and the cost savings to switch just hasn't been enough to justify. Here, they're claiming comparable energy density, 2.5-5x the power cycles, and under 10% of the cost compared to lithium ion, all without mentioning how they've managed to achieve all of this. I want this to be true, but I'm not jumping for joy until I see them actually selling this product that they claim will exist at this price that they claim it will be.
I would've been on board with sodium ion tech for home battery solutions connected to smart power management on a market adjusted power plan before ever seeing a breakthrough like this. Imagine subsidizing your home power needs with a battery during the hot summer day and then charging that battery overnight at 2am when there are minimal power needs on the grid. That application doesn't really care about weight, and if you could just call somebody to come swap out your batteries every couple years, then the power cycle limit doesn't really matter either. As for cost, early adopters of the idea could inject the capital for these companies to scale up production which would drive costs down. Suddenly, 20 years from now, who the fuck bothers to have a gas/diesel backup generator at their house anymore? Now if these claims turn out to be true, every home and business could utilize this plan.
This is mostly interesting for grid scale imho, but nice if it happens. We'll see how it works out for EV's. Their electronics will need major redesign because sodium battery voltages drop a lot more than lithium does during the discharge cycle.
undecidedmf.com/how-catl-made-…
Large LFP auctions seem to be running US$50 to US$60 a kwh as of a month ago:
reneweconomy.com.au/watershed-…
"Watershed moment:" Big battery storage prices hit record low in huge China auction | RenewEconomy
Huge China auction delivers another stunning fall in battery storage prices. It is being hailed as a potential tipping point for "round the clock" renewables.Giles Parkinson (RenewEconomy)
Kiev ‘ready’ to discuss territory with Moscow – Merz
Kiev ‘ready’ to discuss territory with Moscow – Merz
The current line of contact should be the starting point in talks between Moscow and Kiev over territory, Friedrich Merz has saidRT
en.mehrnews.com/news/235304/Uk…
Ukraine ready to give up lost territories to settle conflict
TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (MNA) – Ukraine may give up the territories it had already lost in order to end the war, a British newspaper wrote.Mehr News Agency
Where are the Western outlets reporting on this?
It's almost like not reporting on news that makes your opposition look good is a part of how propaganda works...
China-built satellite station a ‘shining’ example of support for Namibia
China-built satellite station a ‘shining’ example of support for Namibian space programme
China backs Africa’s growing space industry by funding and building a data receiving ground station in Namibian capital.Jevans Nyabiage (South China Morning Post)
Kim Keon Hee: South Korea's ex-first lady arrested in bribery probe
Kim Keon Hee: South Korea's ex-first lady arrested in bribery probe
This is the first time in the country's history that a former first couple is in jail at the same time.Kelly Ng (BBC News)
Study: Social media probably can’t be fixed
It's no secret that much of social media has become profoundly dysfunctional. Rather than bringing us together into one utopian public square and fostering a healthy exchange of ideas, these platforms too often create filter bubbles or echo chambers. A small number of high-profile users garner the lion's share of attention and influence, and the algorithms designed to maximize engagement end up merely amplifying outrage and conflict, ensuring the dominance of the loudest and most extreme users—thereby increasing polarization even more.Numerous platform-level intervention strategies have been proposed to combat these issues, but according to a preprint posted to the physics arXiv, none of them are likely to be effective. And it's not the fault of much-hated algorithms, non-chronological feeds, or our human proclivity for seeking out negativity. Rather, the dynamics that give rise to all those negative outcomes are structurally embedded in the very architecture of social media. So we're probably doomed to endless toxic feedback loops unless someone hits upon a brilliant fundamental redesign that manages to change those dynamics.
Co-authors Petter Törnberg and Maik Larooij of the University of Amsterdam wanted to learn more about the mechanisms that give rise to the worst aspects of social media: the partisan echo chambers, the concentration of influence among a small group of elite users (attention inequality), and the amplification of the most extreme divisive voices. So they combined standard agent-based modeling with large language models (LLMs), essentially creating little AI personas to simulate online social media behavior. "What we found is that we didn't need to put any algorithms in, we didn't need to massage the model," Törnberg told Ars. "It just came out of the baseline model, all of these dynamics."
Study: Social media probably can’t be fixed
“The [structural] mechanism producing these problematic outcomes is really robust and hard to resolve.”…Jennifer Ouellette (Ars Technica)
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Legal groups file complaint against UK Lawyers for Israel director over alleged ethics breaches
Two legal advocacy organisations have filed a formal complaint with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) against the director of UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).
The complaint, which was filed on 5 August and made public on 13 August, alleges Turner has violated the SRA's Principles and Code of Conduct, including through the use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), which are legal threats designed to deter free expression on matters of public interest.
PILC and ELSC want the SRA to investigate whether UKLFI, which is not regulated under any UK legal regulatory body, is in effect operating as a law firm, and to bring it under formal regulatory oversight.
Recognising Palestinian state must not distract from ending Gaza mass deaths, UN expert says
Wed 13 Aug 2025 05.00 EDTShe called for an embargo on all arms sales to #Israel and a cessation of trade agreements – as well as accountability for the war crimes and crimes against humanity with which the international criminal court has charged top #Israeli officials. She also called for a complete Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory by the 17 September deadline set by the #UN general assembly.
“Ending the question of #Palestine in line with international law is possible and necessary: end the genocide today, end the permanent occupation this year, and end apartheid,” she said.
Recognising Palestinian state must not distract from ending Gaza mass deaths, UN expert says
Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur for the occupied territories, calls for practical actions and warns against distracting ‘attention from where it should be: the genocide’Alice Speri (The Guardian)
Trump Administration Guts Annual Human Rights Report on Israel
The United States published its annual report on Israeli human rights abuses on Tuesday. Last year, the State Department published 103 pages on Israel’s “significant human rights issues.” The new report is just nine pages long.
The congressionally mandated human rights reports, which are used to guide U.S. decisions on diplomacy and aid, have been turned into wholly political documents built to soft-pedal abuses by the administration’s allies and target countries with whom the Trump administration has clashed.
The report on Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip was just one of 200 hollowed-out reports on human rights that the State Department released Tuesday, which, as expected, whitewash the records of some of the world’s worst violators of human rights. Experts said the report on Israel was among the most egregious, with its page count plummeting 91 percent from last year.
Trump Administration Guts Annual Human Rights Report on Israel
Clocking in at nine whole pages — down from 103 in 2024 — the new State Department human rights report is “functionally useless.”Nick Turse (The Intercept)
LemmyThinkAboutThat
in reply to Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her] • • •Cat_Daddy [any, any]
in reply to Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her] • • •like this
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LemmyThinkAboutThat
in reply to Cat_Daddy [any, any] • • •You’re right, de-AWS will be difficult but maybe you can critique this Github* list.
*Github’s is owned by Microsoft.
GitHub - guenter/aws-oss-alternatives: Open Source Alternatives to AWS Services
GitHubCorduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her]
in reply to Cat_Daddy [any, any] • • •like this
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Cat_Daddy [any, any]
in reply to Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her] • • •like this
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Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her]
in reply to Cat_Daddy [any, any] • • •Cat_Daddy [any, any]
in reply to Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her] • • •Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her]
in reply to Cat_Daddy [any, any] • • •Cat_Daddy [any, any]
in reply to Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her] • • •Arthur Besse
in reply to Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her] • • •like this
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Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her]
in reply to Arthur Besse • • •like this
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Arthur Besse
in reply to Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her] • • •july
in reply to Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her] • • •Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her]
in reply to july • • •ScoffingLizard
in reply to Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her] • • •Alas Poor Erinaceus
in reply to Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her] • • •Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her]
in reply to Alas Poor Erinaceus • • •ScoffingLizard
in reply to Alas Poor Erinaceus • • •sunzu2
in reply to Alas Poor Erinaceus • • •That's half the market... Add microshit and you got the market
Crazy_Cow029
in reply to Corduroy_Pillows_Making_Headlines [she/her] • • •