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]
To Keep Kids Off Social Media, the UAE Will ID Every User
The under-15 ban is how the UAE signs on to a worldwide push for verified digital identity.
Unsealed January 6 Records Show Google Losing a DOJ Keyword Warrant Battle
The government won on a technicality about timing and the Fourth Amendment never got its day in court.
Texas Just Leaked 3 Million Driver’s Licenses and Passports
The same government now demanding digital ID to enter websites just proved it can’t guard the identity documents it already holds.
The Algorithm California Said Didn’t Exist
One of the six systems scores incarcerated people on whether they will be arrested again.
23andMe’s Stolen Data Gets a $46.8 Million Payout
The company that told you to spit in a tube now operates under a different name, a different owner, and a $46.8 million reminder that DNA doesn’t come with a reset button.
France’s Own Hack Is the Best Argument Against Its War on Encryption
The encryption on Tchap did exactly its job, which is more than can be said for the government running it.
Caught Again: Meta Says NSO Still Stalking WhatsApp
The company never had to break WhatsApp’s encryption, only to get someone to tap a link.
How a Bad AI Camera Hit Put the Wrong Man in a San Diego Jail Cell
The officers had a timestamp that ruled him out, a missing gun, and the wrong hoodie color, but the algorithm’s answer outranked all of it.
UK Encryption Backdoor Could Hit US Data, Jordan Warns
Britain’s quiet encryption powers may now reach the phones of Americans who never agreed to them.
Japan Plans Social Media Age Checks via Carrier Data
The fix Tokyo prefers would link the phone account in your legal name to everything you read, post, and scroll past.
Google Wants to Be the ID Checkpoint for Europe’s Internet
Google is volunteering to broker your legal identity for every ordinary thing you do online.
MembersThe US Government Built a Tracking Bazaar and Adversaries Went Shopping
The government spent years defending a market that sells anyone’s location to anyone with money and the bill just came due in a war zone.