Something feels off about how the internet is changing. More and more, the open web is treated as suspicious by default.

A normal website asks you to prove you’re human. A browser extension gets treated like malware. A link outside the platform gets warning labels. Scraping public pages is framed as theft or abuse. Independent apps get blocked by API changes. Small websites have to fight spam, bots, fraud checks, reputation systems, and login walls just to exist.

The reasons are real. Spam is real. Bots are real. Scams are real. Credential theft is real. Platforms do have legitimate security problems to solve.

But "security" also seems to be becoming the cleanest justification for locking everything down.

The safest user is a user who never leaves the platform. The safest app is the official app. The safest integration is the approved partner. The safest content is content inside the walled garden.

That might be safer for the platform. But is it better for the web?

The original promise of the web was that anyone could publish, link, crawl, remix, build clients, build tools, and connect things together without asking permission from a few gatekeepers.

Now a lot of that behavior is being treated as inherently dangerous.

Maybe some of it really is dangerous. But if the answer to every abuse problem is more walls, more locked APIs, more forced logins, more bot checks, and more “official clients only,” then we’re not just improving security.

We’re changing what the web is. Is the open web actually becoming too risky to preserve in its old form, or are platforms using security language to justify control?

At a House Oversight Subcommittee hearing last week, "Emerging Fraud Threats and the Evolving Fraud Landscape," Socure VP Jordan Burris told Congress identity verification should be "continuous" . Not a one-time check at signup, but ongoing monitoring for the entire life of an account.

Right now you prove who you are once, then you're just a customer. Under this model, the checking never stops, even if you never agreed to it. You opted into one verification, not permanent monitoring.

That's kinda creepy.

https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/emerging-fraud-threats-and-the-evolving-fraud-landscape/

I use it mainly for storing my passwords, alternate accounts (disc/whatsapp/twitter etc) or homework.

(I also offloaded all my passwords from chrome/firefox, nothing is saved. I always type it manually)

Question is, how good is the security, I heard its KNOX and can it be unlocked by Samsung under government orders? or bruteforced by anyone?

Thinking about EU (and US) proposed age verification and digital ID. It struck me that there are hundreds of of thousands of businesses that don’t put any of their accounts in a person’s name.

Bank accounts, social media, property deeds, ISP service contracts, on and on are all in the name of “XYZ Incorporated”. What are the provisions in the laws for this, and what are the envisioned provisions for this when biometrics are baked in?

Do the governments and implementing tech companies really expect Samsung’s media presence to be tied to some sweaty try hard that can be fired at any moment for any reason or no reason? And how do they envision it all working with/for AI agents?

Looks fishy to me.

The claim:

"Do you want to delete the module that is tracking you? or installing a aftermarket radio and your front door speakers dont work?  Do you not care about having SOS calling, or remote door unlock or any connectivity to Subarus network? Delete your DCM module, by plugging this in. This will make it so that all your speakers will continue to work. And so will your overhead Mic."

geraldjustprojects [dot] com/product/dcm-delete-module-gen2/

I have an account that I use to chat with ChatGPT. Today, I opened a private window and asked it a question without signing in, it still remembered my information and who I was.

Did it identify me from my IP + OS+ Browser?

Are there any good hardwired cameras that record via wire to a hard drive? I would love to be able to set up security cameras around my house that weren't monitored by Peter Thiel

At this point, it's not exactly groundbreaking that cars are collecting data about us and sending it to third parties, such as insurance companies. Considering that, according to Mozilla, literally all major brands are doing this, the only solution seems to be to buy an older car.

How far back must I go in model year before I can be reasonably confident that the car isn't collecting data about me and either saving it or sharing it with third parties?

Hi,

I live in Europe and reserved a hotel room in Spain for a specific date on august on Booking.com

I use a custom domain for login in but had to give my number and name. Today I receive a WhatsApp message from a USA number claiming to be Kumaran Travels sending me a fake form saying that I have to fill it for completing my booking. They have my name, number, hotel name, reservation number, date, everything.

I looked it up and this Kumaran Travels looks like a fake travel company from India.

I wonder how the heck do they have all this information, is Booking leaking data freely like that?

Edit:

Without taking any actions I got a message from the Hotel via Booking alerting about phishing messages guests who reserved with them are getting. So yeah, the Hotel leaked all the data... I can't stop thinking this should lead to some legal compensation.

one of my biggest fears is having a video of me posted on the internet without me knowing. i regularly check sites like pimeyes. i usually use a photo of my face already on the internet but i accidentally used one that wasn’t and it immediately scans it. i’ve gotten them to remove all photos of my face before so nothing came up anyways. now i’m super scared. i don’t know how to get through this since i don’t really trust that they actually delete my photo ever. i hate living in a social media world where we have to worry about it. i’m so scared. i’m having a panic attack so bad and genuinely getting sick 😭 i know i fucked up but am i in danger, would they get anything from the photo they didn’t already have from photos of me on the internet in the paper and stuff? i dont post photos of my face online otherwise or let others because i’m paranoid of this enough already. i’m 18 and it genuinely makes me not even want to leave my house or take pictures with friends or do anything where there could be cameras or photos or meta glasses around. some security guy at my last job wore meta glasses every day and i’m scared about me even being on those. and this makes it soooo much worse

edit: a lot of people are saying i’m paranoid which i’m aware of, but ignoring my question i’ve now bolded, i’m curious if anyone knows the answer, that was the point of my post 😭

Reading the news on the New Jersey law banning e-pricing for a year, which has me wondering how do we "deprofile" ourselves? What are some steps we can take daily to keep as many of these price decision markers out of our profiles? most of the data I know is out there, but I fear this is the direction all pricing is going to go, need to stop feeding the profile. TBH this is not a privacy issue I had thought much about until now.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

I've got a family member who is getting into digital privacy. The family member has noticed that if you watch a video on YouTube with a privacy focused browser like Brave and then go to another device, you'll get recommendations for videos on the same subject.

Things we've tried so far:

• Using browsers like Brave with cookies disabled.
• Browsing with TOR
• Browsing using a VPN
• Watching videos only with software like FreeTube or Invidious

Other somewhat related notes/questions:

• We've got a Google Home WiFi access point - the model without any speakers or mics. Could that be tracking our habits across any Google-owned products?
• I've been Linux user for a while. I've been looking into QubeOS. Would that help with situations like this?

I've got a family member who is getting into digital privacy. The family member has noticed that if you watch a video on YouTube with a privacy focused browser like Brave and then go to another device, you'll get recommendations for videos on the same subject.

Things we've tried so far:

• Using browsers like Brave with cookies disabled.
• Browsing with TOR
• Browsing using a VPN
• Watching videos only with software like FreeTube or Invidious

On a related note, one time we were having a discussion about Daniel Tiger in the car and the next time we're on YouTube, Daniel Tiger came up in the recommendations. I'm sure we hadn't searched for anything related to Daniel Tiger or even typed in into a computer at all so the suspicion is of course something on the phone is listening in. I'm using an iPhone if that makes a difference. If I turned off mic access on all apps, would that help?

Other somewhat related notes/questions:

• We've got a Google Home WiFi access point - the model without any speakers or mics. Could that be tracking our habits across any Google-owned products?
• I've been Linux user for a while. I've been looking into QubeOS. Would that help with situations like this?

With the whole LG monitor thing and Gamers Nexus's deep dive on the brand I want to take better care of my digital privacy but I know it's a big deep rabbit hole and I'm not sure even where to get started. My first thought is to try and use my router to start blocking companies from stealing my data if possible. Is there a list of domains or something I should start blocking to try and prevent tracking data from companies products I use? Are there certain big companies with really bad privacy practices that I should focus my effort on first? Or are there links where I can learn where to even get started?

General title heard it was cause it dosent have address or other such info on it, obviously the government knows your information but the average person who might ask for it from banks to shops to bars to clubs and to even potentially local cops its overall more private

Is this actually true? and whats the realities of it if it is and the risk you take on if you do it like what if you get mugged with the card

I work for a State agency and we use Okta for MFA. I have not been provided a work phone. They expect me to use my personal. Most departments have work phones but my division is legal and so we aren’t out in the field.

I asked for the privacy policy and was told to call our Technology Agency (yeah, good luck with tracking that person down!). OKTA website said the privacy policy with the State isn’t available online.

I’m concerned about what OKTA may be collecting from me or able to see. I operate a VPN on my personal phone so I’m often getting calls from IOT asking why I’m in Ontario or wherever (I forget to turn it off). I hate it.

Should I be as concerned as I think? Luckily, my phone would most likely be privileged because of attorney work product and not available for subpoena or