Hi all,

First off: Can't switch to Linux, Windows is a work requirement. Please spare me.

With that out of the way, here's my problem:

Since 2-3 days I've been seeing ads disguised as a minimized video player popup on my Windows 10 Login Screen .

Initially I thought I might have been watching something on youtube and forgot to close the tab and it autoplayed in the background until reaching this stuff by chance; but that turned out not to be the case (I'm also using Firefox exclusively, which I thought wouldn't integrate with Windows, but I wasn't 100% sure on that end).

I tried to research this a bit, but the only similar case I found was in an old reddit thread saying that some Windows update installed the LinkedIn App for them, which is not the case here.

Antivirus (Bit Defender) and Malwarebytes both give me a clean report.

So I did some more digging and right click that thing with my firewall set to deny all to figure out where this is taking me, and surprise...

There's a total of 100 connection attempts from Windows Search to around 10 different IP addresses, all of which belong to Microsoft.

I have not installed any updates in the last 14 days, no new software, and have not changed any system settings.

What did change is that I am currently not in China, where I normally live, but am on a business trip to Malaysia, where a bunch of services that are blocked in China might be accessible, and are now splicing in those (somewhat disguised) ads.

Does this happen to anyone else, and if so, do you have an idea how to get rid of it?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Every other day I see the the world turning into a cyberpunk hellscape with no privacy. I am starting to feel what's the point of trying to claw back privavy.

However I am not givong up as the need for privacy is more important than ever.

It the spirit of continuing the fight how should what should I Improve next?

Currently running Fedora 40 and use only open source apps. When browsing I try and use Mullvad browser and use my regular logins on a hardened Firefox with arkenfox. I have proton unlimtes for mail, passwords, drive and a VPN which is always on. I have filen as a back for redundancy and my most import files are encrypted with Crypomator and uploaded to both clouds.

On my mobile I use a pixel 4, I tried Graphene OS but my banking failed so back to stock Android. The only I have replaces most android apps with Fossify apps and use Obtanium, Aurura and F-Droid for apps. I use ente Auth for authentication except for my work as I have to use Microsoft Authenticator. The only proprietary apps I use are Facebook messenger, spotify, google maps and my bank. I use Facebook messenger and maps through shelter .

For browsing on Android I use Mull and on my android Proton VPN is always on. I visit twitter and twitter ocasionly but always through mull browser.

For keeping in contact with freinds I use Aliucord in Android and Vesktop on my PC

Before anyone asks my bank is App only and it is the only way I have been able to successfully manage my finaces so I have to stay with that for now.

For spending habniys I try to use Google pay as little as possible and use my master card.

My Apologies for my english I am a little stupid when it comes to spelling and grammar.

https://github.com/umutcamliyurt/Anon-File-Upload

I did the tests on fingerprint.com/demo/ and https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/ and they both said I have a unique fingerprint, even when I enabled privacy.resistFingerprinting to True.

https://themarkup.org/blacklight, I put in a few sites, including a full Reddit post URL and it reported 0 trackers. Does this site work well, are there other sites for seeing trackers on websites that work well?

Context: https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2024/04/24/is-telepathy-possible-perhaps-due-to-new-technology/

Edit: maybe at some point, the police will be able to read our thoughts to know if we are innocent or guilty with a non-invasive device.

Let me know if this isn't relevant to privacy-minded people but it seems on topic considering the org AND not getting caught up in honeypots for your own security.

Do background checks to verify potential employees rely on profiles data brokers have compiled on them? Or do background checks rely on more direct means?

The most common argument used in defense of mass surveillance is ‘If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear’. Try saying that to women in the US states where abortion has suddenly become illegal. Say it to investigative journalists in authoritarian countries. Saying ‘I have nothing to hide’ means you stop caring about anyone fighting for their freedom. And one day, you might be one of them.

Session messenger android client currently feels unpolished while simplex seems to require it to run in the background for instant notifications. Is there an alternative that is better than those 2?

In recent weeks, I’ve noticed a rise in censorship regarding SMS communication that’s not being discussed. At all. I’m concerned that it may become a slippery slope that eventually effects us all. I don’t have any dramatic, prose-ridden introduction this week. Just some news, facts, and observations I wanted to share. So this week, follow me down the rabbit hole as I explore an existing but rising threat to our free speech and what we can do about it.

Our garage flooded last night (not the first time) and so I want to install some water sensors in the garage and basement. There's dumb ones that look similar to a smoke detector, but all they do is make noise, which I'm willing to bet I won't hear since I can barely hear the smoke detector in the kitchen when I'm upstairs. thats why I want a smart system so it rings an alarm on my phone as well, though if there was something with like a repeater I could install upstairs that would work too. thanks all

A friend of mine is helping me with setting up a Linux-based homebrew security system set up. He's currently using Wyze cameras, but they are faulty and have ads on them, so I'd like to find something more open-source/closed system that I can control completely. Any recommendations or pointers in the right direction would be great.

I wanna know if MATRIX recipients know my IP, and more globally what the recipients know about me (how the matrix protocol works). THX

Hi there,

I'm currently going through some significant changes in my life. I'll be making a professional transition soon by leaving Paris for a more rural area, but I won't bore you with all the details.

My issue is that I really value my privacy and dislike big tech companies like gafam. To protect myself, I use Pihole and only allow an old phone to have access to meta products.

I recently caved in and reactivated my old Facebook and Instagram accounts to help with advertising, along with using a platform similar to Hootsuite to streamline things. When responding to private messages on Instagram, I use Aeroinsta to block ads and telemetry.

I'm managing okay so far, but I've seen the success some people have on TikTok and feel tempted to create an account. The thought of it turns my stomach, though.

If you're in a similar situation where online communication is vital, how do you navigate it? Have you found any alternative apps for TikTok like Aerosinsta ?

I'd really appreciate hearing from you and getting some insights. Thank you for your input.

Is the Google Services Framework ID (GSF ID) visible and accessible to all apps downloaded on mobile device running on Android 10 or higher? Or is the GSF ID only visible and accessible to privileged apps on the device?

I don't know if this is the correct community to post this. I have a Smart TV from a Greek manufacturer named TurboX. Not Android TV, Smart TV. This means that it has Internet access, has some pre-installed apps, but I can't install any other apps on it. The menus thankfully don't have any ads. However, the Youtube app has. I highly doubt there is any way to remove those, but if you guys know or found any, can you let me know?

Thanks.

I was watching Eric Murphy's video on "Privacy faigue" and it certainly provided some food for thought. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab6ryHD_ahQ)

I like how he conceptualizes privacy as multilevelled, with no one-size-fits-all solution, which should be tailored based on the individual's threat model.

So, with that in mind: what would y'all consider your threat model?

As far as I'm concerned I suppose my main goal is to avoid advertisements, particularly targeted advertisement. Additionally I would obviously like to avoid getting hacked, but I know I'm not being targeted particularly (and wouldn't be a worthwhile target anyway). Curious to see if I have any obvious blindspots that could be remedied based on everyone else's answers.

Idk if anyone had a similar problem before, but I live in EU by the countryside, at first there were only a few but now it happens more and more often to see drones passing over my house, I am sure they are civilian drones because law enforcement has no reason to use them since the area is quiet (and honestly I doubt they would be able to do so), however it bothers me enough to know that there are people who get over the fence and enter my property going to look at what they want, does anyone have any advice on what to do?

Developers (two dudes) are super responsive and would likely release an IP customization feature upon request. Is there any service that would tolerate this [D]DOS-y kind of behavior that would feel more privacy friendly than Cloudflare?

IsThereNet [for macOS] watches for internet connection status changes and draws a colored line at the top of the screen to indicate the status.

Edit: Thanks everybody!

(1) ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) Echo Requests hardly constitute a burden on a server.
(2) There is little privacy concern simply exposing your IP to Cloudflare.
(3) Uptime-Kuma can be self hosted to accomplish this task with more bells and whistles.
(4) There is an appetite for daydreaming of DDOSing bad Alphabetic actors ;) You civilly digidisobedient rascals!