AI wants more data and fewer limits
ChatGPT contractors are reading users’ prompts, incl. sensitive personal information. OpenAI also disclosed that its research agents posted 53 user images online, from training data it calls anonymized.
Yet EU governments are considering special treatment for AI under privacy law. Civil society groups are opposing weaker GDPR rules. The changes are still proposals, so there is time to push back.
Privacy for me, surveillance for thee
Flock’s CEO asks us to give up privacy for safety, but blurs his home on street view for privacy. As reporters film their installations, they cry harassment while profiting off tracking everyone else. The rest of us get unwarranted police searches for “lols” and are being used in sales demos under fake accounts. DeFlock helps map number-plate cameras and campaign against them in their communities.
Meanwhile, someone flooded a Flock camera with fake number plates. Surveillance can have a bad day too.
More ID checks. More data to lose.
The proposed EU KIDS Act would restrict children’s access to social media, but its intrusive age checks affect users of all ages. Not only is it a complete loss of privacy and weak protection against the actual harm, the repeated KYC checks create massive honeypots of sensitive data. IDScan confirmed a breach linked to a reported 153 million driving licences. Revolut handed over passports, selfies, and transaction records to fraudsters using a real government account.
Mandatory identity checks (KYC) should go, but SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce proposes an alternative that collects less data. Zero-knowledge proofs can confirm facts such as age without revealing your name, date of birth or other personal details.
How can we use private information together without exposing it?
The Interfold is a network for confidential coordination, enabling competing companies or complete strangers to compute together on sensitive data: private inputs, verifiable outcomes, no trusted hardware.
News
Meta sued over private AI glasses recordings - The case targets footage sent to human reviewers and used for AI training.
Claude used to build surveillance systems - Claude build systems to monitor dissidents while at the same time using it to track its own critics.
GrapheneOS plans support for Motorola Signature 27 - The project is expanding beyond Google’s Pixel phones, giving users more choice of hardware.
Dutch intelligence bill expands spying and cuts oversight - Spies could hack systems without prior approval, keep unrelated data, and use AI to analyse data on people who are not suspects.
Apple Watch adds daily conversation summaries - Conversation transcripts are sent to Apple’s servers and stored as daily summaries on your phone.
LG TVs record audio with screens off - These TVs store voice recordings and scan nearby devices in standby. Disconnect them from the internet.
Sony sells games it says you do not own - Its terms let it revoke access. Players are challenging purchase labels that suggest ownership.
Wins
Chat Control held back again - Public pressure helped Parliament hold back private-chat scanning again. Talks continue in October, with another round expected in November, so keep the pressure on.
Credit agency CRIF loses over marketing data - Austria’s Supreme Court ruled that address data cannot be reused for credit scores. The decision strengthens noyb’s class action.
Google fined €403 million over location data - Consumer complaints helped trigger the inquiry. Ireland’s regulator gave Google six months to change how it processes location data.
Dutch government tests an open Linux workplace - An open Linux desktop reduces dependence on outside suppliers. Public money is public code.
Nitter continues after legal advice - Development resumed after legal advice on X’s takedown demand. XCancel is back online.
US court protects links and embeds - A news publisher tried to make an aggregator liable for linking to its articles. The court rejected that claim.
DOJ drops wiretapping appeal against Tim Burke - Seven dismissed wiretapping counts stay dismissed. Other charges against the reporter remain.
Tools
Paperweight V1 is here - Our open-source app scans your full email history locally. Find old accounts, clean up, and send deletion requests.
FluffyChat tests encrypted calls - Calls work with Element and Cinny, so people can talk across Matrix apps.
Wisp offers AI with local data storage - Chats stay on your device, while AI models run in protected server hardware.
Signal tests signups without a phone number - Android beta registration costs $2.99 through Google Play. Existing accounts still need their phone numbers.
Tor VPN beta protects Android app traffic - Separate Tor routes for each app reduce links between activities. Bridges help you reach services where Tor is blocked.
Resources
The Politics of Privacy and digital autonomy - From our friends at Web3Privacy Now, a beautiful collection on how human agency, democracy, and freedom can flourish in the algorithmic age.
Do we need more phone or less? - Bigger screens and AI recaps demand more of our attention. This piece makes the case for devices that leave us alone.
Why cloud AI changes private messaging - Protected server hardware cannot remove every risk. Using cloud AI adds another system that must protect your private messages.
Identity checks without handing over your data - This 2025 report explains how to prove facts about yourself without exposing your full identity.
Events
02 Oct 2026 - DARK Prague 2026 (Prague, Czech Republic)
13 Oct 2026 - Brussels Privacy Symposium 2026 (Brussels, Belgium)
13 Oct 2026 - Privacy Camp (Brussels, Belgium and online)
20 Oct 2026 - The Matrix Conference (Malmö, Sweden)
28 Oct 2026 - Mozilla Festival (Barcelona, Spain)
02 Nov 2026 - Web3Privacy Congress (c26mum) (Mumbai, India)
07 Dec 2026 - Workshop on Privacy-Preserving Technologies (Hong Kong)
27 Dec 2026 - Chaos Communication Congress 40C3 (Hamburg, Germany)