The hottest Surveillance Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Culture Topics

Best Infosec-Related Long Reads for the Week of 2/3/24

Metacurity • 19 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Security AI Surveillance
  1. London Underground is testing real-time AI surveillance tools to spot crime, a first for the transport body.
  2. AI is being used to generate alerts sent to frontline staff based on live video footage monitored by the system.
  3. Transport for London (TfL) operated the AI system at Willesden Green Tube station, which had 25,000 visitors per day before the pandemic.

Premise Data confirms secret military and intelligence contracts in court filing

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 100 implied HN points • 02 Sep 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Intelligence Agencies Surveillance
  1. Premise Data revealed secret military and intelligence contracts in a court filing.
  2. Premise Data requested protection against further disclosure of their military and intelligence contracts.
  3. Despite revelations, influential outlets have portrayed Premise Data as a neutral polling platform.

🗞️ AI is a 'public problem'; 'Fauxmation'; and the surveillance AI pipeline.

Untangled with Charley Johnson • 19 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Surveillance Ethics Generative AI
  1. Generative AI should be considered a public problem requiring collective consideration.
  2. Technology problems are not just about technology, but also about social, cultural, political, and economic factors.
  3. An important aspect of addressing AI issues is to collectively debate, account for, and manage them.

Life is imperfect

imperfect offerings • 79 implied HN points • 31 Aug 23
🕹 Technology EdTech AI Surveillance Content creation
  1. Life is imperfect - The message shared is about life's imperfections and how it plays out in different settings, emphasizing the need to navigate through challenges.
  2. Criticism in edtech - Discussion on the critique of ed tech companies' practices, highlighting the need for addressing power imbalances and engaging with critical voices.
  3. Generative AI impact - Insights into how generative AI is affecting graduate employment, the restructuring of labor, and the broader impact on work routines and value.
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Cold War 2023

Stove Top • 117 implied HN points • 23 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Telecommunications Espionage Cybersecurity AI Surveillance
  1. Huawei is accused of being a piece of Chinese spyware with ties to government and espionage.
  2. France is taking extreme measures against encryption, raising concerns about privacy and government surveillance.
  3. Consuming true crime content raises complex questions on its impact on mental health and society, with discussions on privacy and ethical concerns.

An FBI-partnered chatroom infiltration firm tried to sell me cellphone location data

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 100 implied HN points • 14 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Surveillance Data Tracking National Security AI Internet
  1. An FBI-partnered firm tried to sell cellphone location data in a chatroom infiltration pitch.
  2. The firm touted the quality and depth of their social media surveillance data compared to competitors.
  3. The firm outsourced cellphone location-tracking to a partner and had key figures from Babel Street in their ranks.

Pollster for Niger coup support is a surveillance platform for U.S. Special Operations Forces

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 60 implied HN points • 27 Aug 23
🌍 World Politics Surveillance Intelligence
  1. A poll on Niger's coup support was conducted by a company that serves as a surveillance platform for U.S. Special Operations Forces.
  2. Premise Data, the pollster, has connections to U.S. military training and operations in various countries.
  3. Other U.S. intelligence contractors, like Two Six Technologies, also use polling as a cover for covert operations.

CNN and NY Times help US gov’t lie about spying on Americans

Geopolitical Economy Report • 318 implied HN points • 04 May 22
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Media Surveillance Censorship Immigration
  1. CNN and the New York Times aided the US government in spreading false information about not monitoring American citizens despite documented evidence of surveillance on journalists and protesters.
  2. Top media outlets like CNN and the New York Times amplified lies from the Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, regarding the creation of a 'Disinformation Governance Board' intended for censoring supposed threats to national security.
  3. Despite factual reports revealing years of surveillance on American citizens by the DHS, major media sources did not challenge the false claims made by DHS officials, contributing to the dissemination of misleading information.

Europe's Financial Crime Hunters

False Positive • 19 implied HN points • 21 Dec 23
💰 Finance Money Laundering Financial Markets Regulations Surveillance
  1. ACER, an EU agency, functions as supranational detectives to monitor energy markets in all member states and detect international manipulation.
  2. Energy market liberalization created opportunities for financial crimes like manipulation through financial contracts rather than actual energy trading.
  3. The EU is establishing AMLA to combat cross-border money laundering, introducing a supranational monitoring system to address weaknesses in the current national-level approach.

Pentagon is Combining Corporate Records and Social Media Surveillance to Guide Hacking and Influence Operations

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 100 implied HN points • 27 Apr 23
🌍 World Politics Military Intelligence Surveillance Cyber Operations Information Warfare
  1. Pentagon is combining corporate records and social media surveillance for hacking and influence operations.
  2. Corporate surveillance firms were discussing providing bulk surveillance data for purposes like protecting the NATO brand.
  3. U.S. military and intelligence agencies are developing offensive information warfare industry using social media surveillance, corporate records analysis, and cellphone location-tracking.

CIA Had Foreign Allies Spy On Trump Team, Triggering Russia Collusion Hoax, Sources Say

Michael Shellenberger • 7 HN points • 13 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Investigation Intelligence Scandal Surveillance
  1. The United States Intelligence Community, including the CIA, used foreign spy agencies to target Trump advisors before the alleged collusion with Russia.
  2. The FBI should not have begun its investigation into Trump and Russia collusion in 2016, according to a special prosecutor for the Department of Justice.
  3. The Five Eyes intelligence alliance was used to surveil Trump's associates, with 26 of them specifically targeted for contact and manipulation.

Former Google CEO promotes integration of Google and Anduril tech for use by Pentagon

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 80 implied HN points • 10 May 23
🕹 Technology Tech Integration AI Surveillance
  1. Former Google CEO is promoting the integration of Google and Anduril technologies for use by the Pentagon.
  2. The event highlighted the importance of surveillance technologies like Fitbits and GPS watches in military strategy.
  3. Concerns were raised about conflicts of interest and private industry's involvement in military and intelligence events.

The Construction of a Dictatorship in the United States

Christopher Falcon • 78 implied HN points • 09 Apr 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Surveillance Civil Liberties Constitutional Rights
  1. Technocratic totalitarianism is a government system where tech experts, not elected officials, make decisions for the population.
  2. The FISA courts, created by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, have been criticized for lack of transparency and potential constitutional rights breaches.
  3. The NDAA signed by Obama in 2012 allowed for indefinite detention of American citizens without trial, raising concerns about erosion of civil liberties.

Threat Model

Reboot • 21 implied HN points • 18 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Privacy Security Internet Surveillance Digital ethics
  1. In the age of the internet, it's challenging to disappear in America due to the digital footprint left by basic needs like addresses, bank cards, and online accounts.
  2. There is a small community of tech-savvy individuals focused on extreme privacy, using specialized tools like privacy-focused operating systems, encrypted communication, and anonymous browsing.
  3. Extreme privacy can be isolating and exhausting, leading to a constant balance between the desire for privacy and the inherent risks and limitations of disappearing from the public eye.

Surveillance firm proposes "Border GPT"

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 60 implied HN points • 21 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Surveillance Data Analysis Artificial Intelligence Privacy Concerns
  1. Surveillance firm proposes 'Border GPT' for border agents to use language models on traveler data.
  2. Different panel members have varying opinions on the integration of AI and surveillance tech in border enforcement.
  3. Importance of engaging tech companies with border enforcement agencies for efficient use of resources.

Thiel-backed startup began contracting on "off-grid" facial recognition with U.S. Air Force

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 40 implied HN points • 21 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Facial Recognition Startups Privacy Surveillance
  1. The Thiel-backed startup goTenna is working with the U.S. Air Force on off-grid facial recognition.
  2. Clearview AI also had similar contracts with the Air Force for facial recognition technology.
  3. goTenna's expansion into military facial recognition is attracting more attention and scrutiny.

Open Agency model can solve the AI regulation dilemma

Engineering Ideas • 19 implied HN points • 08 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI Regulation Models Antitrust Surveillance
  1. Concerns about AI regulation revolve around AI monopolization and concentration of power.
  2. The Open Agency model proposes approved specialized AI services and glue AIs to prevent concentration of power.
  3. This model aims to address core concerns of anti-AI regulation individuals regarding power concentration and freedom of political and ethical views.

Dems Blast "Threat" Of "So-Called Journalists" As Taibbi, Shellenberger Expose "State-Sponsored Thought-Policing"

Global Community Weekly (GloCom) • 39 implied HN points • 10 Mar 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Journalism Civil Rights Surveillance
  1. Dems are criticizing 'so-called journalists' like Taibbi and Shellenberger for exposing state-sponsored thought-policing
  2. The United States is being likened to Nazi Germany, with various secret police agencies demanding total obedience
  3. Access to full post archives requires a 7-day free trial subscription to Global Community Weekly

Devour Me, Mummy

Reactionary Feminist • 25 implied HN points • 07 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Youth Surveillance Digital Culture Online behavior
  1. Thirty percent of zoomers support surveillance cameras in homes, linking to a decline in democratic norms and a rise in authoritarian control.
  2. The shift towards supporting surveillance may be influenced by factors like early childcare experiences and internet citizenship norms.
  3. Younger generations, accustomed to digital surveillance and online authority, are transitioning towards post-liberal subjects.

Cellphone location-tracking firm follows in Palantir's footsteps with Large Language Model

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 20 implied HN points • 20 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Surveillance Artificial Intelligence Data Analysis Government Contracts
  1. Babel Street announced the launch of its "Insights GPT" large language model.
  2. Babel Street aims to transition from a cellphone location-tracking firm to an artificial intelligence company.
  3. The Insights GPT platform may have significant government surveillance use cases, such as summarizing data on the Chinese Communist Party.

Head of CIA OSINT emphasizes centrality of Twitter and Telegram surveillance

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 4 HN points • 28 Sep 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Intelligence Surveillance Data Analysis National Security Congress
  1. The head of CIA OSINT highlights the importance of surveillance on Twitter and Telegram for gathering open source intelligence.
  2. CIA's focus on AI technology has improved data analysis efficiency for vast amounts of surveillance data.
  3. The CIA incorporates controversial surveillance technologies like facial recognition and cellphone tracking data into their open source intelligence methodology.

Leaked video claims tech companies staffing up with ex-cops and becoming increasingly responsive to wiretap demands

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 3 HN points • 23 May 23
🕹 Technology Surveillance Data Privacy Tech Companies Security
  1. Tech companies are hiring ex-cops and are more responsive to wiretap demands
  2. PenLink representative Scott Tuma revealed details of cooperation between tech companies and law enforcement
  3. Police are obtaining data from tech companies like Google and Snapchat for surveillance purposes

Exclusive: Inside 'Trident Spectre', the yearly tech experimentation program for Navy SEALs

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 1 HN point • 13 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Military Intelligence Surveillance Defense Artificial Intelligence
  1. Trident Spectre is a technology experiment program for Navy SEALs focused on deterrence and experimentation with various capabilities.
  2. The Trident Spectre exercise includes classified sessions, international participation, and testing in a 'high fail' environment at Fort Story.
  3. Trident Spectre encourages teamwork and innovation, seeking unexpected effects similar to the accidental discovery of Viagra.

George Orwell’s Warning for Our Time

Wayne's Earth • 0 implied HN points • 10 Dec 22
📚 Literature Dystopian Totalitarianism Freedom Technology Surveillance
  1. George Orwell's novel "1984" warns about oppressive government control and surveillance, which is still relevant today.
  2. Orwell's story reminds us of the fragility of freedom and the dangers of totalitarianism, especially in the age of technology and government surveillance.
  3. The key lessons from "1984" include the importance of protecting civil liberties, fighting against oppressive regimes, and being mindful of the ethical use of technology.

North Korea Is Ransomware's New Kid on the Block

Seriously Risky Business • 0 implied HN points • 16 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Data Privacy Surveillance Cryptocurrency Social media
  1. North Korea has entered the ransomware business, using different tools and posing potential challenges with their cyber activities.
  2. The US and other countries are implementing coordinated sanctions to disrupt ransomware payment ecosystems and deter cybercriminals.
  3. Biden's emphasis on privacy in the State of the Union address could potentially lead to bipartisan support for comprehensive data privacy laws, focusing on enhancing consumer rights, industry standards, and cybersecurity.

Dealing with the next pandemic

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 19 Feb 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Pandemics Vaccination Surveillance Prevention Disease Control
  1. Understanding the connection between bats and viruses is crucial for preventing future pandemics.
  2. Focusing on early identification of human-to-human transmission is key to mitigating the health and economic impacts of pandemics.
  3. Developing a global surveillance system to monitor antibodies to various viruses can provide real-time information to detect and respond to outbreaks.