Free Republic

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved a series of six nominations and seven bills on Wednesday, including a measure to limit the use of vehicles and vehicle technologies developed by foreign entities of concern on American roadways. The bill, introduced by Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, and co-sponsored by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., would ban the import, sale and operation of vehicles manufactured by companies deemed “foreign entities of concern,” based in certain adversarial nations such as China. It would also ban the use of technologies developed by such countries, including Chinese-developed connected vehicle technologies, in the U.S. “This...

You may be hearing that Samsung Messages is going away, and for many Android users, that's true. Samsung is quietly phasing out its Samsung Messages app and moving people to Google Messages as the default texting platform with a planned cutoff around July 2026 in the U.S. Newer Galaxy phones already come with Google Messages preinstalled, and Samsung Messages is no longer available to download on many newer devices. That shift is real. But the way people are finding out about it is causing confusion. For many people, it starts with a text that doesn't feel quite right. They're checking...

They put a bug on my computer that has a 500GB appetite for free space. My computer is 469GB. By the time I was made aware of what's happening my free space was down to ~5GB. MS released a patch, but it requires ~6GB to install and run. By the time I was made aware of the patch, my free space was down to ~2GB. I tried to download the patch several times but it aborted each time for lack of space. I deleted programs and files but as soon as I did, the bug ate the free space. Now,...

The new CA law requires automakers to provide an easy way for consumers to get the tracking on their car shut off under certain circumstances; the carmakers say they need at least a year more to do so.

Windows PCs Are Spying On Their UsersI have spent over two decades investigating corporate surveillance and the erosion of digital privacy. After years of watching Microsoft’s behavior, I believe Windows is no longer simply an operating system but a surveillance platform designed to extract data from every user. From telemetry that can’t be turned off to a built-in screenshot keylogger called Recall, Microsoft has made spying a core feature. Here’s why this matters: your privacy is not an inconvenience to be traded for convenience — it’s a fundamental right that Microsoft is systematically violating.Back in 2015, I warned that Windows...

Sam's Club stores is axing all self-checkouts from its 600 stores — in favor of controversial new technology. The Walmart-owned warehouse chain, often seen as Costco's biggest rival, is rolling out AI-powered 'Scan & Go' tech that lets shoppers skip the line and walk straight out the door once they're done shopping. The move is controversial because it uses a network of cameras and sensors to track shoppers and their carts. In addition, the checkout-free experience requires all customers to use a smartphone and download the store’s app. This could pose a challenge to older shoppers who may struggle with...

BREAKING: TikTok has shut down in the U.S.

Serbian authorities have rejected the claims they used forensic tools from Israeli company Cellebrite and bespoke spyware for illegal surveillance, calling them "nonsensical". Serbian police and intelligence services have used advanced spyware alongside other digital tools to hack the phones of activists and journalists and illegally surveil them, Amnesty International said in a report published on Monday. Mobile forensic products made by Israeli firm Cellebrite are being used by authorities in Serbia to extract data from individuals' phones, while new Serbian spyware — dubbed "NoviSpy" by Amnesty — has been developed to covertly infect devices and capture information, according to...

If you've been tempted to download the Bing Wallpaper app to spice up your Windows 11 desktop backgrounds, you may want to think twice.The Bing Wallpaper app - itself not a new product - was recently added to the Microsoft Store for simpler download and installation. Going on a gut feeling to investigate it when the app appeared on the store, Rafael Rivera discovered a heap of concerning capabilities that he said on X essentially make it a piece of Microsoft-developed "malware." "Who makes a dedicated wallpaper app these days?" Rivera posited to The Register in response to questions about...

The Treasury Department banned the maker of spyware used to target government officials, reporters and activists, deploying “first-of-its-kind” sanctions against sellers of commercial spyware. The U.S. government deployed sanctions against Greece-based spyware vendor Intellexa on Tuesday and the company’s leadership after targeting U.S. officials. “Today’s actions represent a tangible step forward in discouraging the misuse of commercial surveillance tools, which increasingly present a security risk to the United States and our citizens,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson said. The Treasury Department targeted two individuals and five entities associated with Intellexa for their...

"Though it is known as an e-commerce platform, Temu is functionally malware and spyware," Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement. Griffin referred to Temu as a "data theft" business in a press release put out recently. "Today I have filed a first-of-its-kind state lawsuit against the parent companies of Temu—PDD Holdings Inc. and WhaleCo Inc.—for violating the ADTPA and PIPA," Griffin said in a statement. "Though it is known as an e-commerce platform, Temu is functionally malware and spyware."

Popular smartphone apps used to track people’s location and provide weather reports may hand over driving data to a firm that sells the information to insurance companies for the purposes of setting rates for unsuspecting motorists... apps Life360, MyRadar and Gas Buddy are providing user data to an Allstate-owned company, Arity, which computes the numbers to create a “driving score” that takes into account any risky behavior behind the wheel... That information is then sold to other insurance firms — with user consent — which set rates for their customers ... Life360, which is used by parents to keep track...

Hidden cameras are being found in hotel rooms, house rentals, cruise ships, and even airplane bathrooms, leaving many travelers to wonder: “Could a hidden camera be watching me?” Spycams, as they’re called, are getting smaller, harder to find and easier to buy. From alarm clocks to air fresheners, water bottles and toothbrush holders, cameras come embedded in common household items that seamlessly blend with home decor. They can be purchased in shops or online, and through retailers like Amazon and Walmart. And rather than having to retrieve the camera to obtain the recording, owners can stream live images straight to...

Shark Tank star and investor Kevin O’Leary said Friday on Fox News Channel’s “The Story” that he or somebody else American will buy TikTok so it is not shut down. Guest host Gillian Turner said, “Some folks are saying I depend on TikTok to run my marking for my small business. I even run TikTok as a platform to sell and close transactions. If it’s banned eventually, what does that mean for the small business economy?” O’Leary said, “It not going to get banned. I’m going to buy it. Somebody will buy it. It won’t be Meta and Google. A...

The leaked documents supposedly discuss spyware developed by I-Soon, a Chinese infosec company, that’s targeting social media platforms, telecommunications companies, and other organizations worldwide. Researchers suspect the operations are orchestrated by the Chinese government. Unknown individuals allegedly leaked a trove of Chinese government documents on GitHub. The documents reveal how China conducts offensive cyber operations with spyware developed by I-Soon, Taiwanese threat intelligence researcher Azaka Sekai claims. While several researchers have analyzed the supposedly leaked documents, no official confirmation of their veracity exists as of the writing of this article. We have reached out to I-Soon but did not receive...

BISMARCK, N.D. -- Raymon Holmberg didn't know his new sedan came equipped with the long arm of the law. The dealer hadn't bothered to mention the "black box," a computer chip that stores information on speed and seat belt use. "When I bought my car," he said, "I didn't realize I was also buying a highway patrolman to sit in the back seat." Holmberg, a state senator, believes his privacy was violated and is taking aim at black boxes. Lawmakers in 10 other states are also hoping to regulate black boxes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Vietnamese government agents apparently targeted several U.S. lawmakers and journalists with spyware using public posts on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, according to an investigation by Amnesty International and a consortium of media outlets. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) were all tagged in posts earlier this year that featured malicious links to install Predator, a spyware similar to Pegasus, the investigation found. McCaul, who serves as the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was allegedly targeted in a reply to a tweet from Taiwan’s Ministry of...

Washington, DC – The New Civil Liberties Alliance is challenging the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) in federal court for coordinating with Google to automatically install spyware on the smartphones of more than one million Commonwealth residents, without their knowledge or consent, in a misguided effort to combat Covid-19. A newly-released video details how DPH’s actions have violated fundamental constitutional rights. ... Thousands of people do not know DPH’s Covid-19 tracking app is on their phone, as it does not appear on their home screens like other apps. NCLA client Robert Wright, who commutes to Massachusetts for work, was...

Mark Ruffalo is an American actor who spends his free time spewing antisemitic rhetoric and dangerous anti-Israel propaganda to his nearly 30 million social media followers. Ruffalo regularly aligns himself with antisemitic positions and fans the flames of Jew-hatred masked as pro-Palestinian activism.In 2018, Ruffalo tweeted his outrage over CNN’s firing of antisemite Marc Lamont Hill. Hill was caught inciting violence against Israel and the Jewish people by reciting rhetoric that called for the dissolution of the Jewish people and the only Jewish nation. Ruffalo stated Hill was advocating for Palestinian rights, when in reality Hill openly called for the...

The stuff uncovered in the Twitter whistleblower report is much crazier than anything in the "Twitter files" but it's much less politically/tribally salient so it got no attention. Going to do a thread on some of the craziest things, in no particular order. Twitter didn't monitor employee computers at all, it was not uncommon for employees to install spyware on work devices. Twitter does not have separate development, test, staging, and production environments. At least 5,000 employees had privileged access to production systems...