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]
UK Government Plans to Use Delegated Powers to Undermine Encryption and Expand Online Surveillance
Delegated powers mean the specific rules (what gets scanned, what gets flagged) get written by a minister, not Parliament.
Arizona Bill Would Require ID Checks to Use a Weather App
The bill would require parental permission or ID checks to open the calculator app that came with your phone.
Meta Considers Timed Face Recognition Launch to Exploit Distracted Society
Meta’s own document treats the civil liberties backlash not as a reason to reconsider, but as a calendar event to schedule around.
Google Handed ICE Detailed Personal and Financial Data Without Court Order or User Notice
Google handed over credit card numbers, IP addresses, and phone records tied to a student’s account without a warrant, and without telling him it had happened.
Victoria Launches Digital Birth Certificate Trial, Linking Newborns to Australia’s National Digital ID System
Victoria calls it a paperwork fix for kindergarten, but the state just gave newborns a digital identity before they can say their own names.
Alabama Moves to Put a Gatekeeper on the App Store
The Legislature waved it through, but HB161 locks mandatory age checks and parent-linked accounts into the foundation of Alabama’s app ecosystem.
EU Law Could Extend Scanning of Private Messages Until 2027
By extending Chat Control while calling it restraint, the Parliament treats permanent surveillance as the new baseline.
Oklahoma’s REAL ID Rebellion Over Who Controls Your Driver Data
A fight over data sovereignty now looks at whether a state’s promise of choice can survive the pull of a national ID grid built outside government hands.
Virginia Court Upholds Norfolk Police License Plate Camera Use
The ruling narrows the Fourth Amendment’s reach for now, but leaves its future boundaries uncertain.
The FTC’s Privacy Paradox: Guarding Kids by Tracking All Users
Despite promises of privacy, the FTC’s new age verification remedy hinges on tracking users’ behavior across the web.
MembersThe Slow Murder of Private Communication
Encryption stands firm while everything surrounding it conspires to see through it.
The Slow March Toward a Digital ID Britain
The quiet expansion of digital ID in 2026 shows how convenience is becoming the gateway to compliance, one app update at a time.