Age verification isn't about safety — it's about data harvesting.

Meta spent $26.2m lobbying for these laws. Not to protect kids. To fuel a $200bn ad business that depends on knowing exactly who you are.

California now forces every OS — including Linux — to verify ages.

Australia's under-16 ban was bypassed from day one.

Privacy is a human right, not a bargaining chip. What do you think?

https://bebraver.to/r7Ba7z

#Privacy #CyberSecurity #Surveillance #GDPR #DigitalRights

The frontier models are priced below cost to get you hooked. When pricing changes, you'll pay whatever they ask or rip out a load-bearing part of your operation. And every time you connect your data to a cloud AI, your competitive advantage becomes someone else's training data.

Here're my thoughts: https://bebraver.to/ca7t3f

What's your approach to AI in your business? I'd love to hear what's working — and what's keeping you up at night.

#AI #Cybersecurity #SmallBusiness #DataProtection

Autonomous robots are already on our streets. AI drones are already on the battlefield. But who actually controls them — and what happens when a hostile state flips the switch?

My latest article explores the uncomfortable truth about autonomous systems. Read the full article on my blog.

https://www.axelsegebrecht.com/posts/2026-03-13-autonomous-robots-are-already-here/

#Cybersecurity #SupplyChainSecurity #AutonomousSystems #AIGovernance #NationalSecurity

Microsoft has rebranded Office into "Microsoft 365 Copilot" and now forces your documents through its AI — processing confidential business data on US-controlled infrastructure. A major law firm is already preparing to sue over AI training data practices.

If you handle sensitive client or employee data, you owe it to your business to understand what is happening and consider European alternatives.

https://www.axelsegebrecht.com/posts/2026-02-21-why-microsoft-is-becoming-a-security-liability/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=why-microsoft-is-becoming-a-security-liability

#DataSovereignty #GDPR #Microsoft365 #OpenSource #DigitalSovereignty

The new booking widget has an additional feature where it creates a combined free/buy calendar feed you can offer to people to subscribe to.

All this is free at https://www.statichost.uk. If you have a static site, you can find a new UK-based home for it that puts privacy first!

You can preview it on my website (www.axelsegebrecht.com) if you like ;-)

Most commercial VPNs give you an illusion of privacy, not the real thing.

My latest post covers the tools worth knowing about: Tor for anonymous browsing, self-hosted WireGuard VPN on Iceland-based infrastructure, Quad9 for private DNS, and even why an SD card can outperform any digital tool when things get serious.

What're your favourite tools?

https://www.axelsegebrecht.com/posts/2026-02-18-my-top-censorship-busting-tools-stay-private-online/

#OnlinePrivacy #DigitalSovereignty #CyberSecurity #SelfHosted #OpenSource

Australia's social media ban for under-16s is already being circumvented. And honestly, that's exactly what happens every single time.

From Iran shutting off the internet to Syria and Egypt during the Arab Spring — censorship doesn't eliminate discontent, it concentrates it.

The answer? Education, not prohibition.

https://bebraver.to/nSytBs

#OnlineSafety #DigitalRights #Privacy #Censorship #DigitalLiteracy

The UK government wants to ban under-16s from social media and VPNs. On paper, it sounds like a win for child safety. In practice, it's theatre.

Meanwhile, the tech giants that designed these platforms to be addictive are dodging billions in tax and facing zero real consequences.

We don't need more bans. We need better education and the political courage to go after the real culprits.

https://axelsegebrecht.com/posts/2026-02-16-banning-teens-from-vpns-and-social-media-wont-protect-them/

#OnlineSafety #Privacy #CyberAwareness

Why I'm Moving My Websites from WordPress to Hugo. 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝘂𝗴𝗼 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲. 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝘆.

https://dub.sh/KW7HB6A

#CyberSecurity #SmallBusinessAdvice #Websites

I've been thinking a lot about how we tackle #climatechange as a community. I want to share why I believe our strongest defense is actually coming together, not relying on governments or coporations.

Read my latest thoughts in the article and share your view: https://dub.sh/3v3XfS4

#climateaction #communityresilience