They haven't read Orwell's 1984 - will they ever understand?

source: citizenlab.ca/research/analysi…

Key Findings
• #Webloc is a global #geolocation #surveillance system that monitors hundreds of millions of people based on data purchased from consumer apps and digital advertising. It was developed by Cobwebs Technologies and is now sold by its successor #Penlink.
• In collaboration with the European investigative #journalism platform #VSquare, we reveal that Hungarian domestic #intelligence has been using Webloc since at least 2022 and continues to use it as of today. Webloc customers also include the national police in El Salvador.
• U.S. customers include #ICE, the U.S. #military, #Texas Department of Public Safety, #DHS West #Virginia, #NYC district attorneys, and several #police departments in #LosAngeles, #Dallas, #Baltimore, #Tucson, #Durham and in smaller cities and counties like City of Elk Grove and Pinal County.
• Based on the responses to 96 #freedom of information requests we conclude that governments in #Europe and the U.K. are highly nontransparent about their potential use of ad-based surveillance.
• Cobwebs Technologies has links to the #spyware vendor #Quadream through Cobwebs Technologies founder Omri #Timianker, who now oversees the international operations of Penlink.
• Webloc is sold as an add-on product to the social #media and #web intelligence #system Tangles. Based on technical #analysis and other sources we show that Tangles and other products developed by #Cobwebs Technologies are used in many countries across the globe.
• We briefly investigate another Cobwebs product named #Trapdoor that appears to help trick victims into revealing information. Our analysis leads us to believe that Trapdoor can help facilitate the #deployment of #malware on devices.

#tracking #gps #mobile #monitor #usa #smartphone #app #software #internet #online #bigbrother #bigdata #orwell #dystopia #privacy #economy #politics #security #news #cybersecurity #anonymity #fail #justice #user #freedom #ethics #abuse #omg #wtf #policestate #democracy #society #maga #conspiracy #www #socialmedia #bigtech #technology #future #humanity #spy #position #map

Ecco come il fedele ministro di Orbàn viene usato come cane da riporto della Russia

• Budapest ha sistematicamente utilizzato come arma la questione dei diritti delle minoranze ungheresi in Ucraina per bloccare i negoziati di adesione all’UE.
• Péter Szijjártó ha offerto a Sergey Lavrov di inviare documenti dell'UE tramite l'ambasciata ungherese a Mosca.
• Ungheria e Slovacchia, in qualità di amiche del Cremlino nell'UE, si sono opposte alle restrizioni sulle forniture energetiche russe.
• Budapest ha inoltre sostenuto i “risultati” ottenuti dal Cremlino nel vertice dell'Alaska.L- 'audio trapelato rivela un atteggiamento sorprendentemente deferente e sottomesso da parte di Szijjártó nei confronti di Lavrov.
• Questa è la seconda parte dell'inchiesta di #VSquare, mentre la prima parte si trova a questo link

https://vsquare.org/kremlin-hotline-how-hungary-coordinates-with-russia-blocking-ukraine-from-the-eu/

@politica

V-Square does some of the best journalism on #Russian influence. Here's their top stories of 2024, including a bunch of fascinating things based on leaked documents about the #Kremlin's support for things like #Trump and the #AfD, sabotage operations in #Latvia and #Lithuania, and recent interference in the #Romanian election via #TikTok.

https://vsquare.org/goulash-orban-influence-kremlin-leaks-election-meddling-uncovered-vsquare-best-of-2024/

#Ukraine #putin #Ukraine #VladimirPutin #Russia #Election2024 #2024Election #Trump #DonaldTrump #JDVance #uspol #uspolitics #politics #GOP #MAGA #MAGAts #Republicans #Democrats #Vsquare #Romania #TikTok #Orban #ViktorOrban #Hungary #Fascism #RightWing #Baltics #Poland #Slovakia #Slovak

"A member of the #farright party #AfD in #Germany ; the #Slovak Brother for Brother biker club; #Serbian right-wing activists; a “Tatar” imam; a #Hungarian ex-diplomat and amateur interpreter—these seemingly unrelated individuals have something in common. They have been contributing to or actively supporting #NewsFront, a #Russian #propaganda factory active in 11 languages and linked to 🇷🇺intelligence."

#Europe #eupol #journalism #VSquare #KonstantinKnyrik #YuliaLozanova

https://vsquare.org/newsfront-russia-disinformation-telegram-facebook-sanctions/

Will We Learn From Twitter's Collapse?
https://vsquare.org/will-we-learn-from-twitters-collapse/

My piece got published by #VSquare.

> Even as we watch in disbelief as #Twitter goes down in flames, we continue to put all our digital eggs in the baskets of Google Docs or Microsoft Office 365. We continue to host our services on Amazon AWS, behind CloudFlare. We continue to tie our businesses and public debate and our digital lives to Facebook. Because it’s easier that way.
>
> Until it’s not. But by then it’ll be too late.

After several years of writer's block I finally had a longer piece published today:
https://redecentralize.org/blog/2021/01/18/centralization-is-a-danger-to-democracy.html

Many thanks to @redecentralize for carrying it, @tomasino, @[email protected], and Gerben for reviewing and editing it into shape.

The piece has also been published on #VSquare:
https://vsquare.org/centralisation-is-a-danger-to-democracy/

Our friends at #VSquare just published a series of investigative reports on militarized patriotism -- i.e. literal fascism -- in Central #Europe: https://vsquare.org/

Riveting.