20 results for “BenjaminHCCarr”
RE: https://hachyderm.io/@BenjaminHCCarr/117452679479402627
He has a great video about Flock generally and the obscene unauthorized US nation wide data sharing on civilian surveillance by Flock, and some of the abuse by people with access and violations of individuals’ privacy. This abuse now extends within Canada as well.
#Flock #ALPR #Privacy #PrivacyLaw #SurveillanceState #SurveillanceCapitalism #Canada
#Seabirds, #forests, and #coral could help save sinking #islands
New paper shows restoring #atoll ecosystems reinforces their growth. Seabirds ferry nutrients from the open #ocean and deposit them on the atolls as guano that nurtures land plants, marine life and coral growth. This provides more material for reef building, as parrotfish and other reef feeders turn dead coral into sand to maintain beaches, while native plants with extensive root networks stabilize sediment.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/10/seabirds-forests-and-coral-could-help-save-sinking-islands/
Canadian Man Creates DIY #Flock-Style Cameras That Only Scan #Police Plates And For Some Reason The Cops Are Annoyed By This
It's funny how the moment the cameras are turned on them, police are suddenly worried about their their own movements being tracked, and how such data could enable "bad apples" to stalk them. You know, just like police have been caught doing to innocent civilians time and time again.
https://www.jalopnik.com/2288078/man-diy-flock-cameras-police-dont-like-it/
#surveillance #privacy
#LibreOffice Rescues #Microsoft Users With Abandoned PUB Files
#MSPublisher users joined the millions of users who have been abandoned. Microsoft suggests converting PUB files to PDF format for viewing and printing, and to DOCX format for editing. In reality, neither of these represents a solution to the problem.
Document Liberation Project have reverse-engineered it and created the libmspub library, which is used by LibreOffice and #Scribus to import #Publisher files.
https://fossforce.com/2026/10/libreoffice-rescues-microsoft-users-with-abandoned-pub-files/
#Spyware vendors found a way to make targeted #ads even worse
CitizenLab says they've uncovered the first publicly confirmed case of zero-click mercenary spyware attack being delivered through targeted online ads, with devices at Al Jazeera among those infected.
The technique, dubbed "#AdFection," turns #advertising networks into a spyware delivery system. Simply opening a website or app can be enough to trigger the attack, with no suspicious links or downloads involved.
https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/10/15/spyware-vendors-found-a-way-to-make-targeted-ads-even-worse/5303334
#China now has more #solar than #coal to fuel its #electricvehicle boom
State-run media announced country now has 1,288GW installed solar capacity, just edging out 1,285GW of coal capacity for first time
Solar makes up 31.5% of China’s total installed generation capacity, making it largest type of generation capacity in the country, coal is second
In the first half of 2026, wind and solar combined made up 24.6% of China's #electricity generation, while coal made up 49.7%
https://electrek.co/2026/09/02/china-now-has-more-solar-than-coal-to-fuel-its-electric-car-boom/
#RevolutionWind is powering #NewEngland, and Trump is attacking it again
DOI asked court to send project’s approval back to agency for reconsideration. Creates another hurdle for 704MW #windfarm that’s already survived two Trump attempts to stop construction.
But the #DOI’s filing hasn’t stopped the turbines or revoked the #offshorewind farm’s permit. The DOI’s request has to go to court, and Revolution Wind is expected to reach full commercial operation later this year.
https://electrek.co/2026/10/14/revolution-wind-is-powering-new-england-and-trump-is-attacking-it-again/
Things are finally looking up for #NASA's first missions to #Venus in a generation
First: Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI), is scheduled for launch in Dec 2030. DAVINCI will send parachute-assisted probe through Venus atmosphere returning first images of surface since 1982. Second: Venus Emissivity, Radio science, InSAR, Topography, And Spectroscopy (VERITAS) will launch in Nov 2032 to map the Venusian surface by radar.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/10/nasas-embattled-venus-missions-are-back-on-track-after-cancellation-threat/
#CitizenLab says governments are abusing online #ads to hack people with ‘zero-click’ #spyware
‘Nightmare Scenario’: Zero-Click Spyware Is Infecting Phones via Targeted Ads
Researchers at The Citizen Lab have for the first time released technical evidence of sophisticated mercenary spyware being distributed via online #advertising.
https://www.wired.com/story/nightmare-scenario-zero-click-spyware-is-infecting-phones-via-targeted-ads/
https://archive.is/20261015110004/https://www.wired.com/story/nightmare-scenario-zero-click-spyware-is-infecting-phones-via-targeted-ads/
You NEED an #adblocker (or two)!
#Flock CEO defends #surveillance technology amid national backlash: ‘We shouldn’t pause progress’
Langley tended to respond to questions with anecdotes from conversations with police and city leaders across US, and tales of the supposed numerous crimes Flock has solved, rather than offer tangible solutions to people’s concerns.
But pressed about abuse and the invasiveness of his company’s surveillance technology, Langley had no substantive answers.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/14/flock-ceo-defends-surveillance-technology-amid-national-backlash-we-shouldnt-pause-progress/
https://archive.is/20261015145451/https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/14/flock-ceo-defends-surveillance-technology-amid-national-backlash-we-shouldnt-pause-progress/
Inside #Plague Research Labs at Heart of a Russian Mystery
A Russian researcher, died from unknown illness, worked at remote anti-plague facility. Few foreigners have visited these labs, which dot the former Soviet states, and are shrouded in secrecy.
The incident has exposed the international community’s lingering mistrust of #Russia's biomedical research which harks back to Soviet military’s once-robust programs for developing #biologicalweapons.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/15/science/russia-plague-laboratory-mystery.html
https://archive.is/20261015091820/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/15/science/russia-plague-laboratory-mystery.html
How #ChatGPT Targets #Ads To You Based On Your Prompts, Phone Number, and Email
ChatGPT users don’t know they are targeted by by email, phone number, or phone identifier.
“#OpenAI’s advertising products are operating just like most other massive companies which start to monetize their audiences — they are boiling the frog and hoping their users won’t notice the #privacy implications from their new ads” DecryptAds which collects #advertising data
https://www.404media.co/how-chatgpt-targets-ads-to-you-based-on-your-prompts-phone-number-and-email/
https://archive.is/20261015134910/https://www.404media.co/how-chatgpt-targets-ads-to-you-based-on-your-prompts-phone-number-and-email/
#Microsoft will stop finishing your sentences in Word and #Outlook
Change is coming to Word for Windows, the web, iOS, and Android, Outlook for Windows and Outlook for Mac. #PredictiveText will remain available but will no longer be enabled by default.
Introduced several years ago, the feature is the computing equivalent of Microsoft peering over users' shoulders and suggesting what they might type next.
Perhaps a sign that Microsoft is listening to customers on #AI
https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/09/02/microsoft-will-stop-finishing-your-sentences-in-word-and-outlook/5293860
#JusticeDepartment says #NorthKorea has infiltrated dozens of #US companies
According to #DOJ, federal authorities seized over 180 computers they believe American companies shipped out to newly hired employees, not realizing they were sanctioned North Korean #spies using stolen identities of U.S. citizens to gain employment. The DOJ said that it raided over 40 laptop farms across Texas, the largest disclosed number of homes and residences used
https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/13/justice-department-says-north-koreans-have-infiltrated-dozens-of-u-s-companies/
https://archive.is/20261014081820/https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/13/justice-department-says-north-koreans-have-infiltrated-dozens-of-u-s-companies/
#AI sector wipeout risks global financial contagion, #IMF report warns — 14 deals drove $1.4 trillion in circular orders on $650B in loans
Report explores how AI financing could harm the global #economy if the industry fails to deliver
In the IMF's view, the #globaleconomy is becoming increasingly dependent on capital flows to the AI world, and a crash could result in harm to global #GDP, investment, and consumption by 2028.
https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/big-tech/the-imf-highlights-how-a-financial-wipeout-in-the-ai-sector-could-become-a-global-contagion-agency-report-shines-light-on-circular-economics-and-leveraged-loans
They war-gamed dimming the #Sun. It went even worse than you think.
#SolarGeoengineering simulation shows what happens when #geopolitics takes over.
#Climate researcher took part in war games. Goal: to prevent uncontrolled global race to develop a technology aimed at cooling the planet but that comes with vast unknown risks that could reshape life on #Earth.
World is going to have to make decisions about how to govern this technology much sooner than policymakers imagine.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/10/they-war-gamed-dimming-the-sun-it-went-even-worse-than-you-think/
With an Eye on #Europe, #Mozilla Launches #FirefoxEnterprise With Self-Hosted Browser Management
Idea is simple. If staff uses a browser for work, organizations should be able to control its settings, protect company data, and decide where its management system runs.
Because a lot of work happens in a browser. That's where common security issues occur. Securing is both a priority and a challenge for organizations. That's where this 'on-prem' version of #Firefox comes in.
https://itsfoss.com/news/firefox-enterprise/
Researchers use #AI to design #proteins that cut up other proteins
Researchers have basically short-circuited the diversification process, using AI-based protein design tools to take the catalytic core of two types of #protease and replace the entire rest of the protein. The resulting #enzymes could be tuned to cut specific proteins in half, and the researchers demonstrated their effectiveness by using them to cut proteins associated with neurological diseases.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/10/researchers-use-ai-to-design-proteins-that-cut-up-other-proteins/
An #Arkansas Mom Obtained #PublicRecords About a New #DataCenter. Then She Got Sued
Cases in Arkansas and #California show how desperately we need a deral law against lawsuits intended to chill #freespeech
#SupremeCourt #precedent couldn’t be clearer it’s not #journalists’ problem if gov accidentally shares info it’s not supposed to disclose.
That doesn't stop #lawsuits. Only California #SLAPP victim had any recourse against the censorial bully who wanted to shut him up
https://theintercept.com/2026/10/13/google-data-center-slapp-lawsuit/
#Voyager1 is nearly one light-day from Earth. What’s out there?
The #spacecraft is finding the sun’s reach extends farther than expected
Nov 18 at 5:16:07 a.m. Eastern, it will become the first spacecraft to reach one light-day from Earth. That’s a journey of 25.9 billion km, or more than four times the distance from the sun to Pluto. At that point, signals from Earth will take a full day to reach Voyager 1; it will take another day to hear back.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/voyager-1-light-day-exploration
https://archive.ph/y19iH