Ken Macon
Ken is a teacher and contributor who focuses on researching and reporting on mass surveillance and privacy rights across the world. [email protected]
Samsung Bakes Perplexity AI Into Galaxy S26 OS, Raising Privacy Concerns
The AI era’s defining feature isn’t intelligence; it’s installation without asking.
Judge Blocks Virginia’s One-Hour Social Media Limit for Minors as Unconstitutional
Virginia set the government as the default gatekeeper of how long children can read, watch, and talk online, and a federal judge found that unconstitutional before the law ever took effect.
MembersThe Government Wants to Scan Your Face. It’s Not Waiting for Permission.
The US DHS is building a surveillance system vast enough to identify anyone on any street and is doing so without a legal framework to govern when, why, or whether it should.
California Law Forces Age-Tracking Into Every Operating System by 2027
In a different timeline, wiring an age-surveillance layer into the boot sequence of every computing device in California is an idea that would have died in committee.
Mexico Mandates Biometric SIM Registration for All Phone Numbers
Mexico is six months away from building a surveillance system that knows the face behind every phone call in the country.
MembersThe Revolt Brewing Over Discord’s Digital ID Future
Every concession Discord offered this week is a reason to stay distracted while the architecture of permanent surveillance gets bolted into place.
iPhone Software Beta’s UK Age Verification Screen Raises Questions
The screen Apple called an “error” revealed exactly how the company plans to use your credit history, account age, and payment data to decide what you’re allowed to download.
Apple Expands Age Checks to Australia, Brazil, Singapore, and US States
The company selling privacy as a feature is now running age screening on 18+ app downloads without explaining what data makes that determination possible.
LA County Sues Roblox Over False Child Safety Claims and Lack of Age Verification
The false advertising angle is LA County’s way around the First Amendment maze; not “did Roblox harm children?” but “did Roblox lie about it?” – a question courts are far more comfortable answering.
Xbox UK Age Verification Launch Locks Out Thousands of Players
The UK’s age verification mandate arrived as promised, and Xbox delivered it by ejecting players mid-session, stripping away chat, and treating 18-year account holders like suspicious strangers.
EU Defends Censorship Law While Commission Staff Shift to Auto-Deleting Signal Messages
Brussels is pursuing Chat Control to surveil private communications while its own enforcers retreat deeper into encrypted, self-destructing ones.
MembersThe Billion Dollar Business Of Breaking Into Your Pocket
A leaked dashboard screenshot reveals how commercial spyware silently installs via zero-click exploits to read encrypted messages and activate microphones.