knoppix

Age-verification laws now cover half the US, requiring IDs or face scans to access “harmful” content 📄 Advocates warn these mandates expand surveillance, increase breach risks, and could enable censorship under bills like KOSA ⚠️ Groups like @npub1ke2g...jjss are pushing for safer alternatives 🛡️ 🔗

WIRED

The Age-Gated Internet Is Sweeping the US. Activists Are Fighting Back

Half of the country now requires age verification to watch porn or access “harmful” content. Digital rights advocates are pushing back against ...

#TechNews #Privacy #DigitalRights #Censorship #Security #Data #AI #Policy #Internet #Safety #Freedom #Surveillance #USA #OnlineSafety #AgeVerification #US

Amazon’s Ring is rolling out “Familiar Faces,” an opt-in facial-recognition tool that catalogs up to 50 known visitors 🚪 Amazon says data is encrypted, but past law-enforcement partnerships and security issues raise concerns about biometric handling 🔒 🔗

TechCrunch

Amazon's Ring rolls out controversial, AI-powered facial-recognition feature to video doorbells | TechCrunch

The feature lets you identify the people who regularly come to your door by creating a catalog of up to 50 faces. The company says the Ring feature...

#TechNews #Privacy #AI #Surveillance #Security #Data #Biometrics #ConsumerRights #SmartHome #BigTech #Policy #Safety #Ethics #DigitalRights #Accountability #Amazon #Ring #Encryption

Mullvad is removing OpenVPN in desktop app v2025.14, shifting all users to WireGuard for security, performance, and newer anti-censorship tools. 🔄 Some OpenVPN setups may break, and routers/external apps will lose support by Jan 2026. ⚠️ @npub1n0mq...z5ld 🔗

Mullvad VPN

Removing OpenVPN from the Mullvad VPN app

In version 2025.14 of the desktop app, we removed the ability to select OpenVPN as a tunnel protocol.

#TechNews #Privacy #Security #VPN #Data #OpenSource #Linux #Networking #Censorship #Security #Internet #Tech #Software #Cybersecurity #Mullvad #OpenVPN #WireGuard

EFF launches a hub on rising age-verification laws, noting risks of surveillance and reduced access for youth and adults. 🔍 These mandates often rely on intrusive ID or biometric checks that expose sensitive data. 🔒 Experts will discuss impacts in upcoming AMA and livestream. 🎙️ @npub1sqfn...5skr 🔗

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Age Verification and Age Gating: Resource Hub

Age verification (or age-gating) laws generally require online services to check, estimate, or verify all users’ ages—often through invasive to...

#TechNews #Privacy #Data #Security #Policy #Internet #DigitalRights #Surveillance #Censorship #Children #Safety #AI #Law #OpenWeb #Tech #EFF #Age #AgeVerification #Adult #ID #AMA

Tor Browser 15.0.3 is out with key Firefox security fixes and a shift to Tor-hosted NoScript updates for more reliable, self-controlled extension delivery. 🛡️ The release also improves fingerprinting protections and updates core components across platforms. 🔧 @npub1a3r2...9clu @npub1cyz7...06rc @npub1lfwn...2lqe 🔗

New Release: Tor Browser 15.0.3 | Tor Project

Tor Browser 15.0.3 is now available from the Tor Browser download page and also from our distribution directory.

#TechNews #Privacy #Security #OpenSource #Browser #Tor #Firefox #Linux #Windows #Android #Data #Encryption #Internet #Software #Tech #TorBrowser #Onion #Mozilla #Tails

ESET will retire its Password Manager on Oct 18, 2027, with all stored data deleted after shutdown. 🔐 Users must export credentials and migrate early as renewals and activations face strict cutoffs. ⏳ 🔗

Proton

ESET Password Manager is shutting down — now what? | Proton

ESET Password Manager sales have ended, and your saved data will be deleted on Oct 18, 2027. See how this affects you and what to do next.

#TechNews #Security #Privacy #Data #Cybersecurity #Encryption #OpenSource #Passwords #Migration #UserRights #Accountability #Tech #DigitalSafety #ESET #Password #PasswordManager

Schleswig-Holstein reports €15M yearly savings by replacing Microsoft 365 with LibreOffice across most government workplaces 💶 About 80% of offices have migrated, with a €9M one-time investment planned for 2026 to finish the shift and strengthen open-source tools 🧩 @npub1k8dc...5h2l 🔗

It's FOSS

Hurray! This German State Decides to Save €15 Million Each Year By Kicking Out Microsoft for Open Source

Schleswig-Holstein's migration to LibreOffice reaches 80% completion, with a one-time €9 million investment on cards for 2026.

#TechNews #OpenSource #Privacy #Security #Government #EU #Data #Sovereignty #IT #PublicSector #Digital #Microsoft #Office #Software #Tech #Cloud #FOSS #Germany #German #LibreOffice

Russia blocks Apple FaceTime and Snapchat, citing alleged use for terrorism and fraud 🇷🇺 This follows prior bans on Signal, Viber, and Roblox, reflecting growing state control over encrypted and foreign communication platforms 🔒 Concerns for user privacy and digital rights globally 🌐 🔗

BleepingComputer

Russia blocks FaceTime and Snapchat for alleged use by terrorists

Russian telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor has blocked access to Apple's FaceTime video conferencing platform and the Snapchat instant m...

#TechNews #Privacy #Security #CyberSecurity #DataProtection #Encryption #DigitalRights #UserRights #Internet #Messaging #Anonymity #WebFreedom #SecureMessaging #Censorship #OnlineSafety