🚹BREAKING: The White House just invented a new level of surveillance by making their app mandatory on all government phones. Because if there's one thing bureaucrats love, it's having another pointless app forced upon them. đŸ“±đŸ” #BigBrotherGov
https://www.govexec.com/management/2026/05/white-house-ordering-agencies-place-its-new-app-all-employees-government-phones/413738/ #BreakingNews #GovernmentSurveillance #MandatoryApp #BigBrother #TechNews #HackerNews #ngated
The White House is ordering agencies to place its new app on all employees’ government phones

The newly created, often overtly political app places the Trump administration into unprecedented and “dangerous” territory, IT experts say.

Government Executive

DHS ICE Paragon Solutions Denial Reveals Troubling Government Spin Tactics

DHS ICE Paragon Solutions Denial contradicts public contracts, congressional inquiries, and documented surveillance reporting tied to ICE.

https://thedemocracyadvocate.com/news-to-know/u-s-politics/dhs-ice-paragon-solutions-denial/

Amazon, Facebook, ICE, and the FBI have access to a private intelligence-sharing network operated by Seattle police

Seattle Shield requests suspicious activity reports from companies, which are then circulated with members as part of surveillance apparatus

Prism

TL;DR:

A federal highway bill amendment would cut funding to states and cities unless they shut down automated license plate tracking programs, effectively banning the tech nationwide except for toll collection, over privacy and surveillance concerns.

https://www.wired.com/story/a-bipartisan-amendment-would-end-police-license-plate-tracking-nationwide/

#Privacy #Surveillance #CivilLiberties #DigitalRights #LicensePlateReaders #ALPR #PoliceSurveillance #DataPrivacy #FourthAmendment #GovernmentSurveillance #TechPolicy #PrivacyRights #FacialRecognition #Cybersecurity #EFF

A Bipartisan Amendment Would End Police License Plate Tracking Nationwide

One line tucked into a federal highway bill would strip funds from cities and states unless they kill their automated plate tracking programs—effectively banning the tech for all but toll collection.

WIRED

Congress Probes Trump Administration's Commercial Spyware Ties

Rep. Summer Lee is raising red flags about the Trump Administration's cozy ties to commercial spyware, specifically its willingness to let US investment flow into sanctioned companies like NSO Group and use their tools to infiltrate cell phones. She's demanding answers from the Commerce Department about its role in these dealings.

https://osintsights.com/congress-probes-trump-administrations-commercial-spyware-ties?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

#CommercialSpyware #NsoGroup #UsCongress #CapitolHill #GovernmentSurveillance

Congress Probes Trump Administration's Commercial Spyware Ties

Discover how Congress probes Trump Administration's commercial spyware ties, pushing for transparency. Learn more about the investigation now.

OSINTSights
Data Centers Are Military Targets Now

With militaries increasingly relying on artificial intelligence, data centers have emerged as new targets for strikes.

The Intercept
OpenAI Is Opening the Door to Government Spying

Whether it means to or not

The Atlantic
Oh no, the US government crafted an epic iPhone-hacking toolkit and—surprise!—now it's a global party 🎉 with foreign spies and criminals RSVPing. Who could have predicted that playing with digital dynamite might explode in our faces? đŸ”„đŸš€ It's like leaving a cookie jar open and wondering why there are crumbs everywhere. đŸȘ🙄
https://www.wired.com/story/coruna-iphone-hacking-toolkit-us-government/ #iPhoneHacking #DigitalSecurity #GovernmentSurveillance #CyberThreats #TechNews #HackerNews #ngated
A Possible US Government iPhone-Hacking Toolkit Is Now in the Hands of Foreign Spies and Criminals

A highly sophisticated set of iPhone hijacking techniques has likely infected tens of thousands of phones or more. Clues suggest it was originally built for the US government.

WIRED

Senator, who has repeatedly warned about secret US #GovernmentSurveillance, sounds new alarm over ‘#CIA activities’

by Zack Whittaker, February 6, 2026

Excerpt: "In 2011, #RonWyden said that the U.S. government was relying on a secret interpretation of the #PatriotAct, which he said — without disclosing the nature of his concerns — created a 'gap between what the public thinks the law says and what the American government secretly thinks the law says.'

"Two years later, then-#NSA contractor #EdwardSnowden revealed that the National Security Agency was relying on its secret interpretation of the Patriot Act to force U.S. phone companies, including Verizon, to turn over the call records of hundreds of millions of Americans on an ongoing basis.

"Since then, Wyden has sounded the alarm on how the U.S. government collects the contents of people’s communications; revealed that the Justice Department barred Apple and Google from disclosing that federal authorities had been secretly demanding the contents of their customers’ push notifications; and said that an unclassified report that #CISA has refused to release contains 'shocking details' about national security threats facing U.S. phone companies.

"As noted by Techdirt’s Mike Masnick, we may not know yet why Wyden sounded the siren about the CIA’s activities, but every time Wyden has warned, he has also been vindicated."

Full article:
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/06/senator-who-has-repeatedly-warned-about-secret-u-s-government-surveillance-sounds-new-alarm-over-cia-activities/

#USPol #Fascism #Authoritarianism #SilencingDissent #Spying #USCitizens #WarrantlessSurveillance

Senator, who has repeatedly warned about secret US government surveillance, sounds new alarm over 'CIA activities' | TechCrunch

The two-line letter to the CIA's director is the latest warning in recent years from a long-serving Democratic senator with knowledge of secret government programs and intelligence operations.

TechCrunch

Law enforcement accesses WhatsApp messages via backups.

2025 Vienna research: WhatsApp's API allows querying 100 MILLION phone numbers per hour. November 2025 leak exposed billions of accounts.

"Encrypted" ≠ "Private"
"Encrypted" ≠ "Secure"
"Encrypted" ≠ "Safe from surveillance"

For actual privacy: Use Signal
(Same encryption, zero metadata sharing)

Or use federated/decentralised platforms where YOU control your data.

#Privacy #WhatsApp #GovernmentSurveillance #Fediverse #Encryption