Privacy - this is getting ridiculous (1 Viewer)

[Max Power]

It might be incorrect on my part, but I rather believe that position is politically driven and a big mistake, but there could be some other explanation. We can't discuss that here without getting timeouts.

I think it was Max Power who came close. If that is the case, then his position might be driven by the ends that motivate his political reasoning, but I'm not sure of that and I also consider Max a special case due in part to his unique political outlook, but due more to his service in the military and (what I think is) his employment as a government contractor for the DoD. He's got pretty unique ID tags, belief markers, and formative experiences. His indicia are no bellwether.

Like I said, I can't imagine anything other than the issue of illegal immigration that would move the needle to even 5-10% of people who want to turn more data over to government than they would to businesses. Maybe I'm massively misjudging the U.S.A. I have consistently done so the past decade, so why stop?

it's difficult to take politics entirely out of how situations are viewed. I think they will always have a finger on the scale. I don't subscribe to the thinking that everything one administration does is bad while the other can do no wrong. People who think that way are tough to have fruitful conversations with. Which is why Im often critical of the main stream media and the spin they put on every story.

I read your other post and while I didn't agree with everything, i agreed with most. It was a good perspective. Im currently in a slow dynasty/devy draft this weekend, so my primary attention is elsewhere at the moment and didn't reply.

And yes, historically concerns over the government collecting data has been met with the "you're overreacting" response. In the back of my mind, I'm thinking "maybe they are right". Maybe the shoe just is on the other foot now.

We're seeing advances in AI and data management with ways to make the government more efficient. Consolidating data has been a big win at the lower levels, so I see the benefit. Reducing beaurocracy, highlighting redundancy, and I think it would expose flaws or fraud in the system. This should in theory be a good thing.

I also totally agree with the concerns that the government is horrible safeguarding data. This has been exposed countless times already. It is a very real concern and the best example of a reason to be against the idea.

Im less concerned with the data being used internally to target Americans or for political gain. This data is already available and entities who would use it maliciously already know how to and do.

 

[fatness]

I have no concerns over the existence of a centralized database. I have great concerns over the data that might be included. For example, my browsing history has no business being in government hands. Ditto my cell tower logs, IP addresses from my ISPs, etc.

Data that's planned to be included:

Jason Bassler, co-founder of the government accountability-focused outlet The Free Thought Project, posted to X, formerly Twitter: "No, this Palantir database isn't like the others. It will combine: Tax filings, Student debt, Social Security, Bank accounts, Medical claims, Immigration status. No previous database system has ever centralized this much personal info across various federal agencies."

Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, told Wired in April: "The ultimate concern is a panopticon of a single federal database with everything that the government knows about every single person in this country. What we are seeing is likely the first step in creating that centralized dossier on everyone in this country."

 

[Joe Schmo]

I have no concerns over the existence of a centralized database. I have great concerns over the data that might be included. For example, my browsing history has no business being in government hands. Ditto my cell tower logs, IP addresses from my ISPs, etc.

Data that's planned to be included:

Jason Bassler, co-founder of the government accountability-focused outlet The Free Thought Project, posted to X, formerly Twitter: "No, this Palantir database isn't like the others. It will combine: Tax filings, Student debt, Social Security, Bank accounts, Medical claims, Immigration status. No previous database system has ever centralized this much personal info across various federal agencies."

Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, told Wired in April: "The ultimate concern is a panopticon of a single federal database with everything that the government knows about every single person in this country. What we are seeing is likely the first step in creating that centralized dossier on everyone in this country."

panopticon= A panopticon is a circular prison design, or a metaphor for a system of social control, where individuals can be constantly observed without knowing if they are being watched. It's designed to create a feeling of perpetual visibility, which, in turn, is intended to lead to self-discipline and conformity.

I learned my something new today.

 

[fatness]

Meta and Yandex are de-anonymizing Android users’ web browsing identifiers

Abuse allows Meta and Yandex to attach persistent identifiers to detailed browsing histories.

arstechnica.com

Tracking code that Meta and Russia-based Yandex embed into millions of websites is de-anonymizing visitors by abusing legitimate Internet protocols, causing Chrome and other browsers to surreptitiously send unique identifiers to native apps installed on a device, researchers have discovered. Google says it's investigating the abuse, which allows Meta and Yandex to convert ephemeral web identifiers into persistent mobile app user identities.

What this attack vector allows is to break the sandbox that exists between the mobile context and the web context. The channel that exists allowed the Android system to communicate what happens in the browser with the identity running in the mobile app.” The bypass—which Yandex began in 2017 and Meta started last September—allows the companies to pass cookies or other identifiers from Firefox and Chromium-based browsers to native Android apps for Facebook, Instagram, and various Yandex apps. The companies can then tie that vast browsing history to the account holder logged into the app.

 

[Sand]

And over in this corner Houston has an 88,000 camera surveillance system that they use with no safeguards at all.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/2025/houston-flock-surveillance-explained/

 

[fatness]

Airlines have gotten together to form their own data broker, which then turns around and sells the information to the government.

Airlines Don't Want You to Know They Sold Your Flight Data to DHS - Slashdot

An anonymous reader shares a report: A data broker owned by the country's major airlines, including Delta, American Airlines, and United, collected U.S. travellers' domestic flight records, sold access to them to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and then as part of the contract told CBP to...

news.slashdot.org

A data broker owned by the country's major airlines, including Delta, American Airlines, and United, collected U.S. travellers' domestic flight records, sold access to them to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and then as part of the contract told CBP to not reveal where the data came from, according to internal CBP documents obtained by 404 Media. The data includes passenger names, their full flight itineraries, and financial details.

CBP, a part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), says it needs this data to support state and local police to track people of interest's air travel across the country, in a purchase that has alarmed civil liberties experts. The documents reveal for the first time in detail why at least one part of DHS purchased such information, and comes after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detailed its own purchase of the data. The documents also show for the first time that the data broker, called the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), tells government agencies not to mention where it sourced the flight data from.

"The big airlines -- through a shady data broker that they own called ARC -- are selling the government bulk access to Americans' sensitive information, revealing where they fly and the credit card they used," Senator Ron Wyden said in a statement. ARC is owned and operated by at least eight major U.S. airlines, other publicly released documents show. The company's board of directors include representatives from Delta, Southwest, United, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, and European airlines Lufthansa and Air France, and Canada's Air Canada. More than 240 airlines depend on ARC for ticket settlement services.

The government is hungry for data for its expanding databases right now. And businesses are hungry to make money selling your private data to the government.

Neither entity (government or business) is keeping the other in check. They're working together, and screw your privacy.

 

[Harry Frogfish]

I worry about the future, but not so much my own.

When I'm feeling down about that or aging and stuff, I just think how incredibly lucky we are to have lived in this particular window of time. And where. That's hitting a lottery right there.

 

[beer 30]

The government is hungry for data for its expanding databases right now. And businesses are hungry to make money selling your private data to the government.

Neither entity (government or business) is keeping the other in check. They're working together, and screw your privacy.

The whole Palantir thing scares me. Rogan had one of the Palantir dudes on recently and there is nothing they won't get into if they can. And he didn't impress me as a guy who had limits like, "yes we can do it but should we", type limits.

Couple that with a quantum computer and it would make China look like child's play.

 

[The Longtime Lurker]

The government is hungry for data for its expanding databases right now. And businesses are hungry to make money selling your private data to the government.

Neither entity (government or business) is keeping the other in check. They're working together, and screw your privacy.

The whole Palantir thing scares me. Rogan had one of the Palantir dudes on recently and there is nothing they won't get into if they can. And he didn't impress me as a guy who had limits like, "yes we can do it but should we", type limits.

Couple that with a quantum computer and it would make China look like child's play.

Maybe it shouldn't bother me more than any other company tracking and compiling our data, but Peter Thiel led Palantir as said company scares me also.

 

[fatness]

Apparently the Meta AI app makes all your prompts public, unless you take steps to make them private. And apparently a lot of people don't know this.

PSA: Get Your Parents Off the Meta AI App Right Now

This is bad, folks. Very bad.

gizmodo.com

users are throwing all sorts of prompts into Meta AI without knowing that they’re being displayed publicly, including sensitive medical and tax documents, addresses, and deeply personal information—including, but not limited to—confessions of affairs, crimes, and court cases. The list, unfortunately, goes on. I took a short stroll through the Meta AI app for myself just to verify that this was seemingly still happening as of writing this post, and I regret to inform you all that the pain train seems to be rolling onward. In my exploration of the app, I found seemingly confidential prompts addressing doubts/issues with significant others, including one woman questioning whether her male partner is truly a feminist. I also uncovered a self-identified 66-year-old man asking where he can find women who are interested in “older men,” and just a few hours later, inquiring about transgender women in Thailand.

 

[Sand]

Apparently the Meta AI app makes all your prompts public, unless you take steps to make them private. And apparently a lot of people don't know this.

PSA: Get Your Parents Off the Meta AI App Right Now

This is bad, folks. Very bad.

gizmodo.com

users are throwing all sorts of prompts into Meta AI without knowing that they’re being displayed publicly, including sensitive medical and tax documents, addresses, and deeply personal information—including, but not limited to—confessions of affairs, crimes, and court cases. The list, unfortunately, goes on. I took a short stroll through the Meta AI app for myself just to verify that this was seemingly still happening as of writing this post, and I regret to inform you all that the pain train seems to be rolling onward. In my exploration of the app, I found seemingly confidential prompts addressing doubts/issues with significant others, including one woman questioning whether her male partner is truly a feminist. I also uncovered a self-identified 66-year-old man asking where he can find women who are interested in “older men,” and just a few hours later, inquiring about transgender women in Thailand.

There are distinct advantages to being an AI luddite.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Surveillance pricing

 

[The Longtime Lurker]

How to capture photos and videos with AI glasses | AI Glasses Help | Meta Store

Everything you need to know about taking photos and videos with your AI glasses. Capture button, Meta AI, file format, and more.

www.meta.com

META giving their AI millions of real world eyes shouldn't create any privacy concerns I'm sure. I expect this will expand surveillance capabilities quite a bit when it integrates into our National Citizen Database. Maybe I've seem to many episodes of Black mirror.

 

[fatness]

RFK Jr. Wants Every American to Be Sporting a Wearable Within Four Years

During a House committee meeting Tuesday, Kennedy announced a large-scale ad campaign from the federal government to hype wearable tech.

gizmodo.com

The road to “make America healthy again” will apparently be paved with Apple Watches. Health and Human Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has just unveiled a campaign that will try to encourage the widespread use of wearables. RFK Jr. announced the initiative Tuesday afternoon during a House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee meeting to discuss the HHS’ budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. In response to a question from representative Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) about wearables, Kennedy revealed that HHS will soon conduct one of the agency’s largest ever advertising campaigns to promote their use. He added that in his ideal future, every American will be donning a wearable within the next four years.

If it's a doctor advising me to use a wearable I'd talk it over with him/her and then decide. If it's the government pushing me to wear one, I don't trust that one bit.

 

[The Z Machine]

RFK Jr. Wants Every American to Be Sporting a Wearable Within Four Years

During a House committee meeting Tuesday, Kennedy announced a large-scale ad campaign from the federal government to hype wearable tech.

gizmodo.com

The road to “make America healthy again” will apparently be paved with Apple Watches. Health and Human Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has just unveiled a campaign that will try to encourage the widespread use of wearables. RFK Jr. announced the initiative Tuesday afternoon during a House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee meeting to discuss the HHS’ budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. In response to a question from representative Troy Balderson (R-Ohio) about wearables, Kennedy revealed that HHS will soon conduct one of the agency’s largest ever advertising campaigns to promote their use. He added that in his ideal future, every American will be donning a wearable within the next four years.

If it's a doctor advising me to use a wearable I'd talk it over with him/her and then decide. If it's the government pushing me to wear one, I don't trust that one bit.

Yeah, nah. I'm good.

 

[fatness]

Look out, farmers

A staffer from the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, recently got high-level access to view and change the contents of a payments system that controls tens of billions of dollars in government payments and loans to farmers and ranchers across the United States, according to internal access logs reviewed by NPR. "When we talk about farm loan application records, there is no more personal information anywhere than in that database," Scott Marlow, a former senior official in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told NPR. "The farmer's entire financial life and the life of their kids and their family, every time they've missed a payment, every time they've had a hard time, every time they've gotten in financial trouble … it's there."

With that access, DOGE can view and modify data entries inside the system, giving them a view into sensitive personal information and the power to outright cancel loans.

 

[fatness]

States sue USDA over efforts to gather food stamp data on tens of millions of people

A coalition of 20 states and Washington, D.C. announced a new lawsuit Monday against the U.S. Department of Agriculture after the federal agency told states to turn over the detailed, personal information of food assistance applicants and their household members. The USDA has told states they have until July 30 to turn over data about all applicants to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, over the last five years, including names, Social Security numbers, birth dates and addresses. Last week, the agency broadened the scope of information it is collecting to include other data points, including immigration status and information about household members.

 

[Sparky Polastri]

At this point it should be clear to all of us what the angle here is of consolidating this data into one place, making it easy to access. There's no need to wonder and its irresponsible to compare what is being attempted here to things that existing private companies currently do. This is much further beyond the line drawn for those private companies. If you're outraged over what private companies do and are allowed to do, this should be significantly worse from your perspective.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

At this point it should be clear to all of us what the angle here is of consolidating this data into one place, making it easy to access. There's no need to wonder and its irresponsible to compare what is being attempted here to things that existing private companies currently do. This is much further beyond the line drawn for those private companies. If you're outraged over what private companies do and are allowed to do, this should be significantly worse from your perspective.

If you hate it, then that likely means I love it!

 

[Sand]

At this point it should be clear to all of us what the angle here is of consolidating this data into one place, making it easy to access. There's no need to wonder and its irresponsible to compare what is being attempted here to things that existing private companies currently do. This is much further beyond the line drawn for those private companies. If you're outraged over what private companies do and are allowed to do, this should be significantly worse from your perspective.

Without going into motives this kind of thing makes me very leery just because of both companies' and governments abject inability to secure data. Putting it all in one place makes it an irresistible target.

Government doing this makes it worse because they are under no compulsion to notify or acknowledge breaches. The way we hear about these is generally leaks.

 

[Max Power]

Mobile IDs are coming to North Carolina

A spokesperson for the DMV says it's in the exploratory phase.

www.wfmynews2.com

Digital driver's licenses is a new concept for me. Not sure how I feel about that either.

 

[fatness]

Mobile IDs are coming to North Carolina

A spokesperson for the DMV says it's in the exploratory phase.

www.wfmynews2.com

Digital driver's licenses is a new concept for me. Not sure how I feel about that either.

I guess that'll depend on what information the state gathers and includes with your digital ID, and whether it's a serious effort or just a way to throw money at a vendor setting up the system.
Because you know the database of digital ID information will get hacked.

 

[fatness]

Class-action suit claims Otter AI secretly records private work conversations

A federal lawsuit seeking class-action status accuses Otter.ai of "deceptively and surreptitiously" recording private conversations that the tech company uses to train its popular transcription service without permission from the people using it. The company's AI-powered transcription service called Otter Notebook, which can do real-time transcriptions of Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams meetings, by default does not ask meeting attendees for permission to record and fails to alert participants that recordings are shared with Otter to improve its artificial intelligence systems, according to the suit filed on Friday.

The plaintiff in the suit is a man named Justin Brewer of San Jacinto, Calif., who alleges his privacy was "severely invaded" upon realizing Otter was secretly recording a confidential conversation. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claims Otter's covert recording violates state and federal privacy and wiretap laws.

Users have shared horror stories on platforms such as X and Reddit about Otter's automated recording tools backfiring. Last year, an AI researcher and engineer said Otter had recorded a Zoom meeting with investors, then shared with him a transcription of the chat including "intimate, confidential details" about a business discussed after he had left the meeting. Those portions of the conversation ended up killing a deal, The Washington Post reported.

On Reddit, users have complained about Otter joining meetings automatically when the service is linked to workplace calendars and recording chats without consent.

It's a phenomenon also highlighted by the lawsuit. If someone has an Otter account and joins a virtual meeting, the software will typically ask the meeting's host for permission to record, but it does not by default ask all the other participants. "In fact, if the meeting host is an Otter accountholder who has integrated their relevant Google Meet, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams accounts with Otter, an Otter Notetaker may join the meeting without obtaining the affirmative consent from any meeting participant, including the host," the lawsuit alleges. "What Otter has done is use its Otter Notetaker meeting assistant to record, transcribe, and utilize the contents of conversations without the Class members' informed consent."

 

[fatness]

Microsoft says U.S. law takes precedence over Canadian data sovereignty

Microsoft representative says US CLOUD Act comes before other country's sovereignty.

www.digitaljournal.com

On June 10, 2025, France’s Senate held a hearing as part of its study on the role of procurement in promoting data sovereignty. Microsoft France’s Director of Public and Legal Affairs, Mr. Anton Carniaux, was invited to provide testimony and answer questions from Senators. During the hearing, Mr. Carniaux was asked if he could guarantee that data from French citizens could not be transmitted to United States authorities without the explicit authorization of French authorities. Mr. Carniaux said that he could not guarantee this. In other words, if the United States were to issue a legal request to Microsoft for the data of a French citizen hosted in the EU, Microsoft would comply regardless of French or EU law.

We can assume that this is irrespective of country, as France and the EU have some of the strictest data protection laws in the world and the U.S. law they are talking about is the United States CLOUD Act. As a result, the data of Canadians who use Microsoft or other products from US-based corporations could have their data provided to the United States government, and there is nothing they nor the Government of Canada can do.

 

[RCon]

Microsoft says U.S. law takes precedence over Canadian data sovereignty

Microsoft representative says US CLOUD Act comes before other country's sovereignty.

www.digitaljournal.com

On June 10, 2025, France’s Senate held a hearing as part of its study on the role of procurement in promoting data sovereignty. Microsoft France’s Director of Public and Legal Affairs, Mr. Anton Carniaux, was invited to provide testimony and answer questions from Senators. During the hearing, Mr. Carniaux was asked if he could guarantee that data from French citizens could not be transmitted to United States authorities without the explicit authorization of French authorities. Mr. Carniaux said that he could not guarantee this. In other words, if the United States were to issue a legal request to Microsoft for the data of a French citizen hosted in the EU, Microsoft would comply regardless of French or EU law.

We can assume that this is irrespective of country, as France and the EU have some of the strictest data protection laws in the world and the U.S. law they are talking about is the United States CLOUD Act. As a result, the data of Canadians who use Microsoft or other products from US-based corporations could have their data provided to the United States government, and there is nothing they nor the Government of Canada can do.

Wow, this is an enormous development. This will likely push the EU, Canada, and other countries away from Microsoft, Amazon, and other US providers very rapidly. It may also push US companies with global presence away from those same US providers.

 

[fatness]

SSA whistleblower warns of major security risk following DOGE data access

The top data official from the Social Security Administration is warning that the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency has put the Social Security information of more than 300 million Americans at risk of exposure to malicious actors. A new whistleblower disclosure from SSA Chief Data Officer Charles Borges reported that DOGE officials, while working at SSA, authorized themselves to create a live, cloud-based version of SSA’s entire dataset, containing personal information of millions of Americans. DOGE officials uploaded the dataset to a vulnerable system, without including measures for security or oversight, according to a whistleblower disclosure that the Government Accountability Project submitted to the Office of Special Counsel and multiple congressional committees this week. The report noted that SSA’s data contained details that individuals submit when applying for a Social Security card. Generally, that includes their name, location and date of birth, citizenship status, race and ethnicity, phone number, mailing address, and their parents’ names and Social Security numbers, along with other sensitive information.

 

[fatness]

Also reported here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/26/social-security-data-cloud-whistleblower
And archived here: https://archive.ph/FKBq0

The U.S. DOGE Service uploaded a copy of Americans’ Social Security data to the digital cloud, risking the security of critical personal information for more than 300 million people, a whistleblower in the agency alleged.

Chief Data Officer Charles Borges raised concerns that DOGE staffers bypassed safeguards, circumvented a court order and created a copy of the Social Security Administration’s entire collection of data on the U.S. public on the cloud. Borges said the SSA had no oversight of who had access to the file.

Borges did not allege that the cloud had been hacked or compromised but warned that hosting a copy of one of the government’s most sensitive datasets on a cloud without security controls substantially threatened the safety of Americans’ information. The data includes people’s names, birth dates and other information that could be used to steal their identities.

 

[El Floppo]

probably been covered, but I always first-glance read this thread title as "Piracy- this is getting ridiculous". and dammit, I'm always disappointed at re-read.

 

[Sparky Polastri]

SSA whistleblower warns of major security risk following DOGE data access

The top data official from the Social Security Administration is warning that the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency has put the Social Security information of more than 300 million Americans at risk of exposure to malicious actors. A new whistleblower disclosure from SSA Chief Data Officer Charles Borges reported that DOGE officials, while working at SSA, authorized themselves to create a live, cloud-based version of SSA’s entire dataset, containing personal information of millions of Americans. DOGE officials uploaded the dataset to a vulnerable system, without including measures for security or oversight, according to a whistleblower disclosure that the Government Accountability Project submitted to the Office of Special Counsel and multiple congressional committees this week. The report noted that SSA’s data contained details that individuals submit when applying for a Social Security card. Generally, that includes their name, location and date of birth, citizenship status, race and ethnicity, phone number, mailing address, and their parents’ names and Social Security numbers, along with other sensitive information.

Also reported here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/26/social-security-data-cloud-whistleblower
And archived here: https://archive.ph/FKBq0

The U.S. DOGE Service uploaded a copy of Americans’ Social Security data to the digital cloud, risking the security of critical personal information for more than 300 million people, a whistleblower in the agency alleged.

Chief Data Officer Charles Borges raised concerns that DOGE staffers bypassed safeguards, circumvented a court order and created a copy of the Social Security Administration’s entire collection of data on the U.S. public on the cloud. Borges said the SSA had no oversight of who had access to the file.

Borges did not allege that the cloud had been hacked or compromised but warned that hosting a copy of one of the government’s most sensitive datasets on a cloud without security controls substantially threatened the safety of Americans’ information. The data includes people’s names, birth dates and other information that could be used to steal their identities.

We need to be way more worried about our smart fridges and other devices.

 

[The Z Machine]

Also reported here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/26/social-security-data-cloud-whistleblower
And archived here: https://archive.ph/FKBq0

The U.S. DOGE Service uploaded a copy of Americans’ Social Security data to the digital cloud, risking the security of critical personal information for more than 300 million people, a whistleblower in the agency alleged.

Chief Data Officer Charles Borges raised concerns that DOGE staffers bypassed safeguards, circumvented a court order and created a copy of the Social Security Administration’s entire collection of data on the U.S. public on the cloud. Borges said the SSA had no oversight of who had access to the file.

Borges did not allege that the cloud had been hacked or compromised but warned that hosting a copy of one of the government’s most sensitive datasets on a cloud without security controls substantially threatened the safety of Americans’ information. The data includes people’s names, birth dates and other information that could be used to steal their identities.

So much easier to get important data from the inside, rather than to crack the security and get it from the outside.

 

[MTskibum]

Also reported here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/26/social-security-data-cloud-whistleblower
And archived here: https://archive.ph/FKBq0

The U.S. DOGE Service uploaded a copy of Americans’ Social Security data to the digital cloud, risking the security of critical personal information for more than 300 million people, a whistleblower in the agency alleged.

Chief Data Officer Charles Borges raised concerns that DOGE staffers bypassed safeguards, circumvented a court order and created a copy of the Social Security Administration’s entire collection of data on the U.S. public on the cloud. Borges said the SSA had no oversight of who had access to the file.

Borges did not allege that the cloud had been hacked or compromised but warned that hosting a copy of one of the government’s most sensitive datasets on a cloud without security controls substantially threatened the safety of Americans’ information. The data includes people’s names, birth dates and other information that could be used to steal their identities.

From what I have read elsewhere, their end result is so they can use our personal data for their AI so they can better advertise to us. However, could you imagine the fallout if their database gets hacked and all of our SS numbers and personal info is out there for any bad actor to use.

This could cause catastrophic harm to us, but it is an afterthought in the media.

 

[Gally]

probably been covered, but I always first-glance read this thread title as "Piracy- this is getting ridiculous". and dammit, I'm always disappointed at re-read.

I do this with the CPAP thread......I always read it as "I need help using CRAP machine"

 

[Sand]

Also reported here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/26/social-security-data-cloud-whistleblower
And archived here: https://archive.ph/FKBq0

The U.S. DOGE Service uploaded a copy of Americans’ Social Security data to the digital cloud, risking the security of critical personal information for more than 300 million people, a whistleblower in the agency alleged.

Chief Data Officer Charles Borges raised concerns that DOGE staffers bypassed safeguards, circumvented a court order and created a copy of the Social Security Administration’s entire collection of data on the U.S. public on the cloud. Borges said the SSA had no oversight of who had access to the file.

Borges did not allege that the cloud had been hacked or compromised but warned that hosting a copy of one of the government’s most sensitive datasets on a cloud without security controls substantially threatened the safety of Americans’ information. The data includes people’s names, birth dates and other information that could be used to steal their identities.

From what I have read elsewhere, their end result is so they can use our personal data for their AI so they can better advertise to us. However, could you imagine the fallout if their database gets hacked and all of our SS numbers and personal info is out there for any bad actor to use.

This could cause catastrophic harm to us, but it is an afterthought in the media.

The Chinese already have all this, including my fingerprints. Not sure what else I have left to leak.

 

[AAABatteries]

Also reported here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/26/social-security-data-cloud-whistleblower
And archived here: https://archive.ph/FKBq0

The U.S. DOGE Service uploaded a copy of Americans’ Social Security data to the digital cloud, risking the security of critical personal information for more than 300 million people, a whistleblower in the agency alleged.

Chief Data Officer Charles Borges raised concerns that DOGE staffers bypassed safeguards, circumvented a court order and created a copy of the Social Security Administration’s entire collection of data on the U.S. public on the cloud. Borges said the SSA had no oversight of who had access to the file.

Borges did not allege that the cloud had been hacked or compromised but warned that hosting a copy of one of the government’s most sensitive datasets on a cloud without security controls substantially threatened the safety of Americans’ information. The data includes people’s names, birth dates and other information that could be used to steal their identities.

From what I have read elsewhere, their end result is so they can use our personal data for their AI so they can better advertise to us. However, could you imagine the fallout if their database gets hacked and all of our SS numbers and personal info is out there for any bad actor to use.

This could cause catastrophic harm to us, but it is an afterthought in the media.

The Chinese already have all this, including my fingerprints. Not sure what else I have left to leak.

I tried to use emojis to say **** pics but the eggplant emoji isn’t working.

 

[MTskibum]

Also reported here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/26/social-security-data-cloud-whistleblower
And archived here: https://archive.ph/FKBq0

The U.S. DOGE Service uploaded a copy of Americans’ Social Security data to the digital cloud, risking the security of critical personal information for more than 300 million people, a whistleblower in the agency alleged.

Chief Data Officer Charles Borges raised concerns that DOGE staffers bypassed safeguards, circumvented a court order and created a copy of the Social Security Administration’s entire collection of data on the U.S. public on the cloud. Borges said the SSA had no oversight of who had access to the file.

Borges did not allege that the cloud had been hacked or compromised but warned that hosting a copy of one of the government’s most sensitive datasets on a cloud without security controls substantially threatened the safety of Americans’ information. The data includes people’s names, birth dates and other information that could be used to steal their identities.

From what I have read elsewhere, their end result is so they can use our personal data for their AI so they can better advertise to us. However, could you imagine the fallout if their database gets hacked and all of our SS numbers and personal info is out there for any bad actor to use.

This could cause catastrophic harm to us, but it is an afterthought in the media.

The Chinese already have all this, including my fingerprints. Not sure what else I have left to leak.

I am more worried about ransomware groups from india, Russia, Nigeria, or other countries with large ransomware operations getting the data.

The country of China probably already has a database on us citizens.

 

[Sparky Polastri]

I am more worried about ransomware groups from india, Russia, Nigeria, or other countries with large ransomware operations getting the data.

Tres Sec says nothing to see. We're good. No need to worry.

 

[beer 30]

I am more worried about ransomware groups from india, Russia, Nigeria, or other countries with large ransomware operations getting the data.

The country of China probably already has a database on us citizens.

Probably? They have had the database our government wants to set up via Palantir for probably 20 years or more.

There's a prepper/ultra conservative/everything is a conspiracy guy I work with that was spouting off about the government wanting to get his information so they could exert more & more control over him. He's travelled internationally multiple times. I reminded him that in order to get his passport he not only had to give them his fingerprints but also allowed the government access to a lot of the information he's so desperately trying to hide

I'm with @Sand, anybody that wants to know my personal info already has it.

 

[Sparky Polastri]

anybody that wants to know my personal info already has it.

I think my first post in this thread was basically this. Just have to chuckle when threads like this pop up years after the ship sailed.

 

[kupcho1]

And over in this corner Houston has an 88,000 camera surveillance system that they use with no safeguards at all.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/2025/houston-flock-surveillance-explained/

Breaking The Creepy AI in Police Cameras​

 

[CletiusMaximus]

This seems very normal these days but annoys me no end. I have never ever not once in my life played a Billy Joel song on my Spotify. Last night I was talking to my wife about the Billy Joel Netflix documentary, which she just watched. Maybe my phone or iPad were somewhere in the vicinity of us during this short conversation. I threw on the Spotify ai DJ in my car today and it lead off with Big Shot and then played two more Joel songs in a one hour drive, interspersed with my bluegrass and southern rock music in my normal rotation.

 

[rockaction]

This seems very normal these days but annoys me no end. I have never ever not once in my life played a Billy Joel song on my Spotify. Last night I was talking to my wife about the Billy Joel Netflix documentary, which she just watched. Maybe my phone or iPad were somewhere in the vicinity of us during this short conversation. I threw on the Spotify ai DJ in my car today and it lead off with Big Shot and then played two more Joel songs in a one hour drive, interspersed with my bluegrass and southern rock music in my normal rotation.

No. It’s happening. This ******** happened to me a month ago. For whatever reason I asked ChatGPT about it and it (ironically) said yes and told me how to avoid it.

This has gotten ****ing bizarre. I don’t want this and you’re right to be annoyed. Shut all access to your phone’s mic off. I’m not even sure that will do it. It’s enough to make you grab your gun or sledgehammer and just go to town. It’s amazing because what really sends me through the roof is they called people like you and I paranoid twelve or so years ago.

**** them. They can rot in hell.

 

[TwinTurbo]

Also reported here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/26/social-security-data-cloud-whistleblower
And archived here: https://archive.ph/FKBq0

The U.S. DOGE Service uploaded a copy of Americans’ Social Security data to the digital cloud, risking the security of critical personal information for more than 300 million people, a whistleblower in the agency alleged.

Chief Data Officer Charles Borges raised concerns that DOGE staffers bypassed safeguards, circumvented a court order and created a copy of the Social Security Administration’s entire collection of data on the U.S. public on the cloud. Borges said the SSA had no oversight of who had access to the file.

Borges did not allege that the cloud had been hacked or compromised but warned that hosting a copy of one of the government’s most sensitive datasets on a cloud without security controls substantially threatened the safety of Americans’ information. The data includes people’s names, birth dates and other information that could be used to steal their identities.

From what I have read elsewhere, their end result is so they can use our personal data for their AI so they can better advertise to us. However, could you imagine the fallout if their database gets hacked and all of our SS numbers and personal info is out there for any bad actor to use.

This could cause catastrophic harm to us, but it is an afterthought in the media.

The Chinese already have all this, including my fingerprints. Not sure what else I have left to leak.

Well you could get a Fitbit and leak your biometric health data too through Google. And then AI can measure that increased oxytocin in your brain post exercise when you are more susceptible to making impulse purchases. Oh look an ad for a new Fitbit!

 

[Riffraff]

Google facing $425.7 million in damages for nearly a decade of improper smartphone snooping​

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal jury has ordered Google to pay $425.7 million for improperly snooping on people’s smartphones during a nearly decade-long period of intrusions.

The verdict reached Wednesday in San Francisco federal court followed a more than two-week trial in a class-action case covering about 98 million smartphones operating in the United States between July 1, 2016, through Sept. 23, 2024. That means the total damages awarded in the five-year-old case works out to about $4 per device.

Google had denied that it was improperly tracking the online activity of people who thought they had shielded themselves with privacy controls. The company maintained its stance even though the eight-person jury concluded Google had been spying in violation of California privacy laws.

“This decision misunderstands how our products work, and we will appeal it,” Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said Thursday. “Our privacy tools give people control over their data, and when they turn off personalization, we honor that choice.”


The lawyers who filed the case had argued Google had used the data they collected off smartphones without users’ permission to help sell ads tailored to users’ individual interests — a strategy that resulted in the company reaping billions in additional revenue. The lawyers framed those ad sales as illegal profiteering that merited damages of more than $30 billion.