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]
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.
Google to Pay $68M Over Voice Assistant Privacy Lawsuit
A $68 million deal marks Google’s effort to quiet years of unease over smart devices that listened when they shouldn’t have.
TikTok’s New US Joint Venture Expands Data Collection to Include Precise Location Tracking
TikTok’s new era comes with a sharper eye on users’ exact whereabouts.
FBI Accessed Encrypted PCs Using Microsoft Recovery Keys
The case exposes how convenience in cloud security quietly redefines who truly owns digital privacy.
Ireland Moves to Legalize Spyware Use by Police
The bill turns state hacking from a covert act into an accepted instrument of law.
TSA Proposes MyTSA PreCheck Digital ID, Integrating Biometrics and Federal Databases
TSA’s new digital ID plan transforms airport screening into a data exchange, where every shortcut comes with a deeper surrender of personal detail.
Africa Becomes the Sandbox for Bill Gates and OpenAI’s AI Health Experiment
A $50 million experiment in digital medicine that could redefine healthcare access while testing the boundaries of consent and control in AI-driven healthcare.
OpenAI’s AI Age Prediction System Turns Age Verification into Widespread User Surveillance
Age checks are becoming the new frontier of surveillance, where protecting minors and profiling users now operate through the same data stream.
Discord Expands Age Verification ID System to More Regions
Discord’s push to verify users through government IDs shows how safety mandates can quietly turn into systems of surveillance.
Despite Dozens of Data Breaches, Ireland Plans to Tie Social Media to a State App
A government promising online safety is asking citizens to trust the same system that keeps losing their data.
MembersDubai Shows the Face of What Comes Next
A trade show dressed as a tech utopia, Intersec 2026 turns surveillance into spectacle and sells the illusion that safety and scrutiny are the same thing.
TSA’s $45 ConfirmID Fee Ties Air Travel Access to Paid Identity Verification
Starting February 1, travelers must choose between getting a REAL ID or paying $45 to let TSA dig through their personal data.