Hackers and Trolls Target Wave of #ICE Spotting Apps

https://www.404media.co/hackers-and-trolls-target-wave-of-ice-spotting-apps/

#DEICER #privacy #cybersecurity #politics #StopICE

#Hackers & #Trolls Target Wave of #ICE Spotting App

Over the last few days hackers & trolls have targeted a slew of ICE spotting apps & their users in apparent attempt to intimidate & stop them from reporting sightings of ICE. These hackers sent threatening TXT messages to users of #StopICE , claiming their personal data has been sent to the authorities; attempted to wipe uploads on #EyesUp , which aims to doc ICE abuses; & sent push notifications to #DEICER app users

https://www.404media.co/hackers-and-trolls-target-wave-of-ice-spotting-apps/

Can You Use #EpsomSalt on Driveway #Ice? We Asked a Winter Maintenance Expert

Find out if you can get rid of ice with Epsom salts alone

By Timothy Dale
Published on 12/04/25

"#EpsomSalts can provide an environmentally friendly option for de-icing your driveway when temperatures are above 20°F. Many homeowners believe that if traditional salts can break down ice, Epsom salts should work the same way. However, it’s essential to consider if they perform as effectively as other de-icing solutions."

Source:
https://www.thespruce.com/epsom-salt-for-driveway-ice-11859488

#DeIcer #WintryConditions #SolarPunkSunday #EnvironmentallyFriendlyDeIcer

Apple Decides ICE Agents Are A Protected Class, Because Apparently Government Accountability Is Now “Hate Speech”

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.techdirt.com/2025/10/10/apple-decides-ice-agents-are-a-protected-class-because-apparently-government-accountability-is-now-hate-speech/

Apple’s Freezing Out Another ICE Related App: DeICER

I’ve linked to coverage about Apple purging apps that are designed to help those looking to protect themselves from the Trump regime’s ICE actions including ICEBlock and Eyes Up. Add another one to the list, this time the app is called DeICER.

According to Pablo Manríquez of Migrant Insider, DeICER is a “civic-reporting app used to log immigration enforcement activity.”

Manríquez goes on to suggest that Apple effectively is treating federal immigration agents as a protected class of individuals. HIs article also includes an account of an interview with the app’s developer Rafel Concepcion over Apple pulling the app and the app’s intended purpose. It is worth a read.

In Chicago, these are dangerous and confusing times, even more so depending on who you are, what you look like and where you live. With a largely unhelpful media, it is challenging for anyone concerned to find accurate info or, as in the case of Eyes Up, preserve what they may have seen or recorded. Do note that recording info with smartphones is one of the methods of resistance Illinois and Chicago officials are encouraging citizens to perform in the face of these actions.

Even so, there are areas of Chicago wherein you would never know this kind of thing is happening. Local independent media is stepping up its game, but unfortunately doesn’t have the reach that large outlets do.

Apple isn’t alone in their cowardly actions. Google is also pulling apps of similar ilk. Both companies are referring to their respective App Store guidelines in their defense of their actions with Apple telling Concepcion,

Information provided to Apple by law enforcement shows that your app violates Guideline 1.1.1 … because its purpose is to provide location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group.

These ICE enforcement actions want to project toughness in their aim to intimidate and harass, but by and large each of these maneuvers to hide what they are doing only serves to show how afraid those responsible for these actions actually are of the chaos, fear, and harm they are causing, regardless of the chest-thumping content they are creating on their raids.

The only ones who appear more afraid are Apple and the other big tech and media companies that keep going along to get along.

You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

#Apple #Chicago #DeICER #google #ICE #ICEBlock #Politics

Uh .. so hilarious .. when bigclivedotcom just tears down another (chinese) epay scam product..

And EEVBlog follows up with a full bust of the same. ;)

Here is BigCliveDotCom with: How a vehicle molecular de-icer works
youtube.com/watch?v=IT-w0KA7vN…
redirect.invidious.io/watch?v=…
invidious.nerdvpn.de/watch?v=I…

And Dave Jones from EEVBlog with: EEVblog 1585 - SCAM! Portable Kinetic Molecular Heater BUSTED
youtube.com/watch?v=PhGPacEg3z…
redirect.invidious.io/watch?v=…
invidious.nerdvpn.de/watch?v=I…

#Quack #Product #Scams #Molecular #Energy #Vehicle #De-Icer #BigCliveDotCom #EEVBlog #Bullshit and #RandomShit ;)

The Road Is Peppered with Rock Salt Alternatives

Every winter, millions of tons of rock salt is sprinkled across roads in the US, mostly in the Midwest and Northeast regions. It's a cheap and effective way to prevent accidents. Rock salt is chemically the same as the stuff that sits next to the pepper, except it isn't as finely ground, and it doesn't have sodium or potassium iodine added to it to prevent goiters. Both table salt and rock salt melt ice by lowering the freezing point of water. So does sugar.

Much of what we salt the Earth with every winter comes from underground networks of salt crystal that formed when various ancient seas dried up. As natural as it may be, rock salt is bad for the environment. For one thing, chloride is forever, and can't easily be decoupled from the soil and water it taints when it washes away. Rock salt also corrodes concrete, makes its way into the groundwater, and is bad for pets. Worst of all, its efficacy drops along with the temperature. At 15° F (-9° C), rock salt loses more than 86% of its melting power.

Disposable Detroit

All this salt is not great for cars, either -- it's bad for the paint and eats up the frame. In the saltiest parts of the US, aka The Salt Belt, cars only last a handful of years before they become Flintstones mobiles. Well, not really, but salt is terrible for the brake lines and most of the undercarriage. Consumer woes aside, there's a real environmental impact to manufacturing all these disposable cars to meet the demand.

But the problem is that we need to use salt, or at something like it. Even though millions of people are staying home a whole lot more, the trucking industry still relies on salted highways and local roads. So if you like stocked grocery stores and stuff arriving from the Bezos Barn in a timely fashion, you can see the problem. So what are the alternatives? Are there any?

Adding Abrasives

A handful of chicken grit. Image via Omelet

Freezing point depressants aren't the only solution, but they're usually a large part of it. For years, plenty of jurisdictions supplemented salt with sand until it started clogging the sewer pipes. One of the modern alternatives to salting the streets willy-nilly is to meter out usage based on road temperature readings. Another trick is to distribute a liquid salt solution instead, which works faster and won't bounce into the gutter.

As far as eco-friendly alternatives go, some individuals use abrasives on their sidewalks and driveways like kitty litter, coffee grounds, or chicken grit, which is a mixture of shells and small pebbles that helps their digestion. But of course, all of these are just traction agents -- they don't melt the ice. Although when it comes to your property, unless there's a layer of ice under the snow, some kind of traction agent will probably suffice after shoveling or snow-blowing.

Of course, these would likely cause the same problems as sand if used on a large enough scale, especially coffee grounds. So even though these may be better for the environment, they come with their own set of problems.

Brine is Fine, Sort Of

Cheeses take in the light after their brine bath. Image via Recycle Reminders

Several years ago, we heard that Wisconsin was using cheese brine on their roads, and not only is it true, it works at much lower temperatures than salt. But how does the average Joe source his cheese brine for home use? We're not sure. Fortunately, other food by-products work too, like sugar beet juice and pickle juice.

But some of those have their problems, too. Sugar beet juice still requires salt to work -- the point is to make a goo that won't run off into the gutters as readily. The problem is that the organic material can deplete the oxygen in rivers, lakes, and streams.

Possibly the worst brine of all comes from fracking, an already controversial practice. This radioactive runoff has already been used in places like Pennsylvania. Road salt is starting to look pretty good, no?

Is There a Nicer De-Icer?

But there is one that's sort of better than salt: potassium acetate. It contains no chloride and is biodegradable, but it has that oxygen-lowering problem and has been proven harmful to aquatic insects. Potassium acetate is more effective as a preventive measure, as it keeps ice from bonding to surfaces. It's roughly three times as expensive as rock salt, but a little goes a long way, so the cost is nearly even. Another preventive treatment known as calcium magnesium acetate is environmentally friendly, but it's only as effective as rock salt when the temperature plummets.

So, what's the answer? We suppose change begins at home, so consider the contents when you go to buy de-icer, or try making your own. Whatever you do, do it sparingly.

[Main and thumbnail images via Shawn Dearn on [Unsplash]](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/winter?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)

#chemistryhacks #hackadaycolumns #transportationhacks #calciummagnesiumacetate #chickengrit #coffeegrounds #deicer #kittylitter #roadsalt #sodiumchloride