The New York Times – “…Ms. Raj, a University of California naturalist and master gardener, is a docent at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center and had been working to build a seed bank there. Altadena residents were familiar with one of the dozen or so wooden structures she had scattered around the neighborhood marked “Altadena Seed Library,” where people could take or leave free seeds…On Monday, Ms. Raj was working with friends from the local nursery Plant Material to get gardening tools and protective gear to people on the ground who needed them as they cleaned up debris, or excavated what was left of their homes. She also put out a call for seed donations, knowing they would soon be essential to restoring the area…”
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Category Archives: Civil Liberties
NSA Warns iPhone And Android Users – Disable Location Tracking
Forbes: “…NSA warns that “mobile devices store and share device geolocation data by design…Location data can be extremely valuable and must be protected. It can reveal details about the number of users in a location, user and supply movements, daily routines (user and organizational), and can expose otherwise unknown associations between users and locations.” EFF:… Continue Reading
Allstate used GasBuddy and other apps to quietly track driving behavior
Ars Technica: “Texas has sued insurance provider Allstate, alleging that the firm and its data broker subsidiary used data from apps like GasBuddy, Routely, and Life360 to quietly track drivers and adjust or cancel their policies. Allstate and Arity, a “mobility data and analytics” firm founded by Allstate in 2016, collected “trillions of miles worth… Continue Reading
Inside the Black Box of Predictive Travel Surveillance
Wired – “Behind the scenes, companies and governments are feeding a trove of data about international travelers into opaque AI tools that aim to predict who’s safe—and who’s a threat… In Europe, at least four technology companies—Idemia, SITA, Travizory, and WCC—offer governments around the world software that uses algorithms on traveler data to profile passengers.… Continue Reading
Strict Scrutiny
“A podcast about the United States Supreme Court and the legal culture that surrounds it. Hosted by three badass constitutional law professors– Leah Litman, Kate Shaw, and Melissa Murray– Strict Scrutiny provides in-depth, accessible, and irreverent analysis of the Supreme Court and its cases, culture, and personalities. Each week, Leah, Kate, and Melissa break down… Continue Reading
Here is a list of every app on your phone selling your location data
Via Austin Corbett @austincorbett.bsky.social– Here is a list of every app on your phone selling your location data to advertisers, interested unknown 3rd parties, and the US government. Thanks to 404 Media and @josephcox.bsky.social There are 12, 373 apps on this Google doc as of today – the apps are used by children and adults… Continue Reading
The State of Democracy, January 2025
Marist Poll: “While more than seven in ten Americans say the issues that divide the country pose a serious threat to the nation’s democracy, there has been a steep decline in the proportion of Americans who have this view. In fact, many Americans think most of the key components to the U.S. democracy are working… Continue Reading
On The Fragility of Our Knowledge Base
JSTOR Daily: “Historian Glenn D. Tieffert shows how state interests in the People’s Republic of China can be protected by editing online databases and collections. Digital databases are vulnerable to authoritarian regimes. In fact, argues historian Glenn D. Tiffert, “no corner of the knowledge economy lies beyond their reach.” “Digital platforms offer [censors] dynamic, fine-grained… Continue Reading
Four Key Instruments of Russian Propaganda
United 24 Media: “Russia’s propaganda machine uses a calculated strategy—dismiss, distort, distract, and dismay—to manipulate perceptions and erode trust in truth worldwide. The world is only now confronting information warfare, but Russian propaganda has been refining it for decades. The term “disinformation” itself is a product of propaganda, deliberately crafted by Joseph Stalin to sound… Continue Reading
2025: Keep democracy alive. Our New Year’s resolution
FrameLab – Advice for defeating the authoritarian threat – “It is hard to compete with Woody Guthrie’s timeless list of New Year resolutions from 1943, which includes these ever-relevant goals: Work more and better. Read lots of good books. Keep hoping machine running. Help win war – beat fascism. Wake up and fight. But here’s… Continue Reading
Some Justice Department Lawyers Look for Protection and the Exits
WSJ via MSN – “Justice Department lawyers who have angered President-elect Donald Trump and his allies are facing tough decisions about whether to stay in government—and how to best protect themselves from threats of retribution after Inauguration Day. Dozens of prosecutors and agents have worked on cases that potentially make them vulnerable, such as special counsel … Continue Reading
CCRI Safety Center
CCRI – Cyber Civil Rights – “If you are a victim or survivor of image-based sexual abuse, you may want some help deciding what to do next. We know that every individual has a unique set of circumstances, so the resources below are designed to meet a range of needs. First, immediately below you’ll find… Continue Reading
