There are so many great reasons to be on Signal. Now including the opportunity for the vice president of the United States of America to randomly add you to a group chat for coordination of sensitive military operations. Don’t sleep on this opportunity…

Editing to add the link to the messages: https://archive.is/2025.03.26-131842/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/signal-group-chat-attack-plans-hegseth-goldberg/682176

Original post text

Given the recent detainment of a French person who got detained because he said something bad about the current administration in his WhatsApp messages. It makes me wonder if WhatsApp is truly end to end encrypted as they claimed. How did they even single him out?

As a corollary question, if I were to pass Customs, and if I delete WhatsApp , Reddit etc just before I reach the counter, will they be able to find out that I just deleted the apps minutes ago? I’ll be deleting them from my phone but keep them on the cloud.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/31583546

Archived

Security researcher Tenable successfully used DeepSeek to create a keylogger that could hide an encrypted log file on disk as well as develop a simple ransomware executable.

At its core, DeepSeek can create the basic structure for malware. However, it is not capable of doing so without additional prompt engineering as well as manual code editing for more advanced features. For instance, DeepSeek struggled with implementing process hiding. "We got the DLL injection code it had generated working, but it required lots of manual intervention," Tenable writes in its report.

"Nonetheless, DeepSeek provides a useful compilation of techniques and search terms that can help someone with no prior experience in writing malicious code the ability to quickly familiarize themselves with the relevant concepts."

"Based on this analysis, we believe that DeepSeek is likely to fuel further development of malicious AI-generated code by cybercriminals in the near future."

1. Persistent Device Identifiers

My id is (1 digit changed to preserve my privacy):

38400000-8cf0-11bd-b23e-30b96e40000d

Android assigns Advertising IDs, unique identifiers that apps and advertisers use to track users across installations and account changes. Google explicitly states:

“The advertising ID is a unique, user-resettable ID for advertising, provided by Google Play services. It gives users better controls and provides developers with a simple, standard system to continue to monetize their apps.” Source: Google Android Developer Documentation

This ID allows apps to rebuild user profiles even after resets, enabling persistent tracking.

2. Tracking via Cookies

Android’s web and app environments rely on cookies with unique identifiers. The W3C (web standards body) confirms:

“HTTP cookies are used to identify specific users and improve their web experience by storing session data, authentication, and tracking information.” Source: W3C HTTP State Management Mechanism https://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc2109/rfc2109

Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiative further admits cookies are used for cross-site tracking:

“Third-party cookies have been a cornerstone of the web for decades… but they can also be used to track users across sites.” Source: Google Privacy Sandbox https://privacysandbox.com/intl/en_us/

3. Ad-Driven Data Collection

Google’s ad platforms, like AdMob, collect behavioral data to refine targeting. The FTC found in a 2019 settlement:

“YouTube illegally harvested children’s data without parental consent, using it to target ads to minors.” Source: FTC Press Release https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/09/google-youtube-will-pay-record-170-million-settlement-over-claims

A 2022 study by Aarhus University confirmed:

“87% of Android apps share data with third parties.” Source: Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3534593

4. Device Fingerprinting

Android permits fingerprinting by allowing apps to access device metadata. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) warns:

“Even when users reset their Advertising ID, fingerprinting techniques combine static device attributes (e.g., OS version, hardware specs) to re-identify them.” Source: EFF Technical Analysis https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/03/googles-floc-terrible-idea

5. Hardware-Level Tracking

Google’s Titan M security chip, embedded in Pixel devices, operates independently of software controls. Researchers at Technische Universität Berlin noted:

“Hardware-level components like Titan M can execute processes that users cannot audit or disable, raising concerns about opaque data collection.” Source: TU Berlin Research Paper https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.14442

Regarding Titan M: Lots of its rsearch is being taken down. Very few are remaining online. This is one of them available today.

"In this paper, we provided the first study of the Titan M chip, recently introduced by Google in its Pixel smartphones. Despite being a key element in the security of these devices, no research is available on the subject and very little information is publicly available. We approached the target from different perspectives: we statically reverse-engineered the firmware, we audited the available libraries on the Android repositories, and we dynamically examined its memory layout by exploiting a known vulnerability. Then, we used the knowledge obtained through our study to design and implement a structure-aware black-box fuzzer, mutating valid Protobuf messages to automatically test the firmware. Leveraging our fuzzer, we identified several known vulnerabilities in a recent version of the firmware. Moreover, we discovered a 0-day vulnerability, which we responsibly disclosed to the vendor."

Ref: https://conand.me/publications/melotti-titanm-2021.pdf

6. Notification Overload

A 2021 UC Berkeley study found:

“Android apps send 45% more notifications than iOS apps, often prioritizing engagement over utility. Notifications act as a ‘hook’ to drive app usage and data collection.” Source: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3411764.3445589

How can this be used nefariously?

Let's say you are a person who believes in Truth and who searches all over the net for truth. You find some things which are true. You post it somewhere. And you are taken down. You accept it since this is ONLY one time.

But, this is where YOU ARE WRONG.

THEY can easily know your IDs - specifically your advertising ID, or else one of the above. They send this to Google to know which all EMAIL accounts are associated with these IDs. With 99.9% accuracy, AI can know the correct Email because your EMAIL and ID would have SIMULTANEOUSLY logged into Google thousands of times in the past.

Then they can CENSOR you ACROSS the internet - YouTube, Reddit, etc. - because they know your ID. Even if you change your mobile, they still have other IDs like your email, etc. You can't remove all of them. This is how they can use this for CENSORING. (They will shadow ban you, you wont know this.)

A Trust Report for DeepSeek R1 by VIJIL, a security resercher company, indicates critical levels of risk with security and ethics, high levels of risk with privacy, stereotype, toxicity, hallucination, and fairness, a moderate level of risk with performance, and a low level of risk with robustness.

@privacy Privacy Roundup: Week 12 of Year 2025

Posted from Mastodon to Lemmy.

Some of the more interesting stories last week include Android apps using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi information to collect user location data, Apple Passwords using insecure HTTP, and threat actors using Reddit posts in cryptocurrency subreddits to push Lumma stealer.

https://avoidthehack.com/privacy-week12-2025

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/31525284

Archived

[...]

While the financial, economic, technological, and national-security implications of DeepSeek’s achievement have been widely covered, there has been little discussion of its significance for authoritarian governance. DeepSeek has massive potential to enhance China’s already pervasive surveillance state, and it will bring the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) closer than ever to its goal of possessing an automated, autonomous, and scientific tool for repressing its people.

Since its inception in the early 2000s, the Chinese surveillance state has undergone three evolutions. In the first, which lasted until the early 2010s, the CCP obtained situational awareness — knowledge of its citizens’ locations and behaviors — via intelligent-monitoring technology. In the second evolution, from the mid-2010s till now, AI systems began offering authorities some decision-making support. Today, we are on the cusp of a third transformation that will allow the CCP to use generative AI’s emerging reasoning capabilities to automate surveillance and hone repression.

[...]

China’s surveillance-industrial complex took a big leap in the mid-2010s. Now, AI-powered surveillance networks could do more than help the CCP to track the whereabouts of citizens (the chess pawns). It could also suggest to the party which moves to make, which figures to use, and what strategies to take.

[...]

Inside China, such a network of large-scale AGI [artificial general intelligence] systems could autonomously improve repression in real time, rooting out the possibility of civic action in urban metropolises. Outside the country, if cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — where China first exported Alibaba’s City Brain system in 2018 — were either run by a Chinese-developed city brain that had reached AGI or plugged into a Chinese city-brain network, they would quietly lose their governance autonomy to these highly complex systems that were devised to achieve CCP urban-governance goals.

[...]

As China’s surveillance state begins its third evolution, the technology is beginning to shift from merely providing decision-making support to actually acting on the CCP’s behalf.

[...]

DeepSeek [...] is this technology that would, for example, allow a self-driving car to recognize road signs even on a street it had never traveled before. [...] The advent of DeepSeek has already impelled tech experts in the United States to take similar approaches. Researchers at Stanford University managed to produce a powerful AI system for under US$50, training it on Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental. By driving down the cost of LLMs, including for security purposes, DeepSeek will thus enable the proliferation of advanced AI and accelerate the rollout of Chinese surveillance infrastructure globally.

[...]

The next step in the evolution of China’s surveillance state will be to integrate generative-AI models like DeepSeek into urban surveillance infrastructures. Lenovo, a Hong Kong corporation with headquarters in Beijing, is already rolling out programs that fuse LLMs with public-surveillance systems. In Barcelona, the company is administering its Visual Insights Network for AI (VINA), which allows law enforcement and city-management personnel to search and summarize large amounts of video footage instantaneously.

[...]

The CCP, with its vast access to the data of China-based companies, could use DeepSeek to enforce laws and intimidate adversaries in myriad ways — for example, deploying AI police agents to cancel a Lunar New Year holiday trip planned by someone required by the state to stay within a geofenced area; or telephoning activists after a protest to warn of the consequences of joining future demonstrations. It could also save police officers’ time. Rather than issuing “invitations to tea” (a euphemism for questioning), AI agents could conduct phone interviews and analyze suspects’ voices and emotional cues for signs of repentance.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://infosec.pub/post/25439167

A new study reveals that thousands of Android apps covertly collect location data using Bluetooth and WiFi beacons, allowing continuous tracking and profiling of users without explicit consent.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/36880616

Help Combat Internet Censorship by Running a Snowflake Proxy (Browser or Android)

Internet censorship remains a critical threat to free expression and access to information worldwide. In regions like Iran, Russia, and Belarus, journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens face severe restrictions when trying to communicate or access uncensored news. You can support their efforts by operating a Snowflake proxy—a simple, low-impact way to contribute to a freer internet. No technical expertise is required. Here’s how it works:

What Is Snowflake?

Snowflake is a privacy tool integrated with the Tor network. By running a Snowflake proxy, you temporarily route internet traffic for users in censored regions, allowing them to bypass government or institutional blocks. Unlike traditional Tor relays, Snowflake requires minimal bandwidth, no configuration, and no ongoing maintenance. Your device acts as a temporary bridge, not a permanent node, ensuring both safety and ease of use.

Is This Safe for Me?

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: pobably. Here is why:

• Your IP address is not exposed to the websites they access. So, you don't have to worry about what they are doing either. You are not an exit node.
• No activity logs. Snowflake cannot monitor or record what users do through your connection. The only stored information is how many people have connected to your bridge. Check docs for further info on this.
• Low resource usage. The data consumed is comparable to background app activity—far less than streaming video or music.
• No direct access to your system
• No storage of sensitive data. Snowflake proxies do not store any sensitive data, such as IP addresses or browsing history, on your system.
• Encrypted communication. All communication between the Snowflake proxy and the Tor network is encrypted, making it difficult for attackers to intercept or manipulate data.

You are not hosting a VPN or a full Tor relay. Your role is limited to facilitating encrypted connections, similar to relaying a sealed envelope.

Your IP address is exposed to the user (in a P2P-like connection). Be mindful that your ISP could also potentially see the WebRTC traffic and the connections being made to it (but not the contents), so be mindful of your threat model.

For most users, it is generally safe to run Snowflake proxies. Theoretically, your ISP will be able to know that there are connections being made there, but to them it will look like you're calling someone on, say, Zoom.

Historically, as far as we know, there haven't been any cases of people getting in legal trouble for running entry relays, middle relays, or bridges. There have a been a few cases of people running exit nodes and getting in trouble with law enforcement agencies, but none of them have been arrested or prosecuted as far as I know it. If you are aware of any cases, let me know so I can update this post.

Do not hesitate to check Snowflake's official documentation for further reference and to make informed decisions.

How to Set Up a Snowflake Proxy

Option 1: Browser Extension (Brave, Firefox, or Chrome)

1. Install the Snowflake extension.
2. Click the Snowflake icon in your browser toolbar and toggle "Enable Snowflake."
3. Keep the browser open. That’s all.

Note: Brave users can enable Snowflake directly in settings. Navigate to brave://settings/privacy and activate the option under "Privacy and security."

Option 2: Android Devices via Orbot

1. Download Orbot (Tor’s official Android app).
2. Open the app’s menu, select "Snowflake Proxy," and toggle it on.
3. For continuous operation, keep your device charged and connected to Wi-Fi.

Your device will now contribute as a proxy whenever the app is active.

Addressing Common Concerns

• Battery drain: Negligible. Snowflake consumes fewer resources than typical social media or messaging apps.
• Data usage: Most users report under 1 GB per month. Adjust data limits in Orbot’s settings or restrict operation to Wi-Fi if necessary.

Why Your Participation Matters

Censorship mechanisms grow more sophisticated every year, but tools like Snowflake empower ordinary users to counteract them. Each proxy strengthens the Tor network’s resilience, making it harder for authoritarian regimes to isolate their populations. By donating a small amount of bandwidth, you provide someone with a critical connection to uncensored information, education, and global dialogue.

Recent surges in demand—particularly in Russia—highlight the urgent need for more proxies. Your contribution, however small, has an impact.

By participating, you become part of a global effort to defend digital rights and counter censorship. Please, also be mindful of your threat mode and understand the potential risks (though very little for most people). Check Snowflake's official documentation for further reference and don't make any decisions based on this post before taking your time to read through it.

Please share this post to raise awareness. The more proxies, the stronger the network.

– llama

It's hard to make the full switch towards a more private life, but switching your mail already fixes a big underlying issue: that being, Google or other companies having access to all your emails. So, I'll cover the basics of making your online mailing more private.

Switching Mail Providers:

Your email is a big part of your online footprint and helps you keep track of your online identity. So, in order to keep that to yourself, I encourage leaving services like:

"Gmail" or "Outlook",

for others like:

"ProtonMail" or "Tutanota".

This is already a big step towards keeping all your emails private and safe. Both of these are free and respect your privacy on their free tier, but expand in features with paid plans. This takes time, as you have to switch your email on most accounts to this new email.

For the best privacy, you should delete most accounts and create new ones with this new email or with aliases. Some people, like myself, prefer to have multiple emails over aliases. For example:

• "something.banking11231@provider.me" -> For banking and finance
• "something.social12312@provider.me" -> For social media
• "general.use@provider.me" -> For casual and responsible internet use
• "something.trash21412@provider.me" -> For crappy websites or similar uses

(Self-hosting your own mail domain is possible, but it’s a harder process, and custom domains are not always accepted or reliable.)

(You should keep your old email for a year or so to make sure no important service was left behind locked to that email. Once that's done, you can delete the account.)

Tips:

If you can, you should try expanding your protocol with this:

• Adding 2FA to any online website, especially email. I use ~~"Authy" ~~for this. -> Better use Aegis, good app!

• Switching your browser to something like "Librewolf".

• Switching to a password manager like "Proton Pass" or "1Password".

• Encourage your close family to do the same once you're comfortable with the process.

• Switch social media to private alternatives.

• If you take any efforts to switch browser or install Aegis, try to use "F-droid", or even better, "Droidify". These being a FOSS app store, and a good Material alternative frontend. For apps not in here, consider "Aurora store", a more private **"Play store" **alternative

This is about it for me, quick posts from class, feel free to add into this topic bellow.

Edit:

Important additions after reading the comments:

• Proton is a bit disencouraged by some for some political views published by the CEO under proton's account and image. They backed down, and I believe it isn't something too bad as for users to leave such a good privacy oriented suite of apps. I encourage anyone who cares about this topic to research before making the switch.

• Mail is not 100% private with any option, and shouldn't be used for highly sensitive information. For that use end to end encrypted apps well respected, like "signal". Still is best to just don't send very sensitive information online.

• As a comment pointed, for a mail to be as private as possible, both the sender and reciever should have a private mail, otherwise you can be private but the other person would still be having your mail conversations stored under "gmail" or similar.

Sorry if this post didn't give the best newbie advice, I tried to track back some of my old knowledge, but I'll take more time to research the next time. Take care and stay private!