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]
Texas Orders Discord to Run UK-Style Age Checks for State Users
The agreed injunction gives Discord 90 days to route Texas users into the same face scans and ID checks it already runs for children in Britain.
Delhi Students Ask High Court to Destroy Police Facial Recognition Data on Protesters
Officers filmed the hunger strikers and a second officer said no fixed retention rules exist, so the footage could stay indefinitely.
GrapheneOS Wipe at Airport Leads to Federal Charge in Atlanta
Border search law, Fifth Amendment claims, and Cop City politics collide in an Atlanta federal court case.
Facebook Verified: Meta Now Wants a Video Selfie of Your Face
Meta’s Facebook Verified badge requires a video selfie, part of a fast growing push to collect biometric data.
EU DSA Ruling on TikTok Points to ID Checks
The Commission wants TikTok to know which users are children, which means TikTok has to know exactly who everybody else is too.
Google’s New Recovery Option Stores a Clip of Your Face
Google’s selfie sign-in reflects the growing normalization of face scanning across big tech, from phones to airports.
French Parliament Reaches Deal on Social Media Ban
Two hours in a closed room, and France agreed that anonymity online was a price worth paying for a headline about protecting children.
A Judge Just Recommended Congress Force Apple to Build iCloud Photo Scanning
The judge admits the law “prioritizes privacy,” then treats that like a bug for Congress to patch.
Newsom Adds CA Drivers to National ID System
A phone ID, a national database, and a set of Olympic cameras walk into one bill, and only one of them is about convenience.
San Francisco Police Left Their Live Drone Feeds Unlocked
SFPD drone footage leak shows San Francisco police surveillance reaching apartments, faces, and streets from above.
Predator Spyware Victims File €8 Million Damages Suit in Athens
There is no undo button for a hacked phone, so the victims are asking for the next best thing, a number with six zeros.
Microsoft Decided Your Windows Settings Belong in Its Cloud
Microsoft turns Windows Backup on by default in Windows 11 26H2, sending your settings and Store apps to the cloud.