patrick.net

Yes, forget about the zero day exploits they could install in all our Chinese HW, it's TickTok that's the problem!

WhatsApp was completely exposed as insecure, and spyware years ago. Are people really still not aware?

https://babylonbee.com/news/new-productivity-app-just-turns-your-phone-off

https://www.frontpagemag.com/if-amazon-thinks-youre-a-racist-it-will-shut-down-your-smart-home/

If Amazon Thinks You’re a Racist, It Will Shut Down Your Smart Home
You no longer control your home. Amazon does.
June 13, 2023

... A package was delivered to my house on Wednesday, May 24, and everything seemed fine. The following day, however, I found that my Echo Show had signed out, and I was unable to interact with my smart home devices…

The representative told me I should have received an email, which I indeed found in my inbox. It was from an executive at Amazon. As I dialed the number provided in the email, I half-wondered if Amazon was experiencing some issues and I was unwittingly falling into a scam.

When I connected with the executive, they asked if I knew why my account had been locked. When I answered I was unsure, their tone turned somewhat accusatory. I was told that the driver who had delivered my package reported receiving racist remarks from my “Ring doorbell”

Brandon Jackson, a Microsoft software engineer, who is writing this is actually black.

I reviewed the footage and confirmed that no such comments had been made. Instead, the Eufy doorbell had issued an automated response: “Excuse me, can I help you?” The driver, who was walking away and wearing headphones, must have misinterpreted the message. Nevertheless, by the following day, my Amazon account was locked, and all my Echo devices were logged out.

Since everything is centralized, losing your Amazon account also kills the smart home setup meaning that everything from thermostats to lights to vacuums might not work anymore.

https://merylnass.substack.com/p/federal-agencies-routinely-spy-on

Federal Agencies Routinely Spy on Phone Calls, Texts, Emails of American Citizens, Experts Say
Congress debates renewing FISA Section 702 amid reports of 'persistent' abuse

Patrick says

https://merylnass.substack.com/p/federal-agencies-routinely-spy-on

Federal Agencies Routinely Spy on Phone Calls, Texts, Emails of American Citizens, Experts Say
Congress debates renewing FISA Section 702 amid reports of 'persistent' abuse

The telephone network can NEVER be secured. Your only chance is end to end encryption on an application, that is point to point.

The telephone system has been tapped since WWII. And I'm NOT KIDDING. Supposedly it wasn't tapped within the United States, but anything overseas was.

Today, the amount of information that can be exchanged on telephone calls is SO TRIVIAL, that it's almost certain that every voice call in the United States is recorded and archived for later use. Everything you say or hear in a year will EASILY fit on an $11 SD Card, in mp3 format - that's if you talk and listen 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. That would just about fill up an SD Card in good audio fidelity. So, for about $1 of storage, probably everything you say and hear in a year can be stored.

I'm positive it's done. The question isn't "why would they do this?" it's "why wouldn't they do this?" The cost for the entire country would be less than 300 million dollars.

It's not that hard to protect yourself though, and the most important practices are not software related. Starting with don't give out any personal information. Buy your phone used for cash. Don't install or run any apps on it. Don't save a list of contacts. And most importantly, just like any encryption, both parties doing the communication need to follow the steps. Yes, a record of the call can still be saved, but how relevant will it be...

Patrick says

There's like 3 paths to your SD Card on an Android phone, and whenever I finally figure out which path is writable, I immediately forget it, and I think it changes with the phone anyhow.

I understand the Linux file system hierarchy - why did they change it on Android? There's literally no reason not to have a /home/user directory.

The_Deplorable says

This seriously happens. If you have an Alexa or a Google Home, or possibly even Siri - fake a discussion about a pet you'd never own with your family, and see what ads you start getting.

They are 24/7 listening devices. This is a simple test. I've gotten a FEW people to try it, but not with Siri. It's the 1984's telescreen. I'm giving you a test so you can verify it's true, if you don't do the test, whatever. We've been trying to warn you for years.

@Patrick


original link

Phones are about 20 minutes in.

https://abovephone.com/

Oh great, now your cheese can spy on you.

https://notthebee.com/article/makers-of-parmigiano-reggiano-are-putting-edible-microchips-the-size-of-a-grain-of-sand-into-their-cheese-wheels-in-order-to-combat-counterfeiters

The Journal reported the chips cannot be read remotely or used to track someone should they ingest it.

richwicks says

They are 24/7 listening devices. This is a simple test. I've gotten a FEW people to try it, but not with Siri. It's the 1984's telescreen. I'm giving you a test so you can verify it's true, if you don't do the test, whatever. We've been trying to warn you for years.

I knew this years ago, when I was talking about my cat, Artemis.

Immediately I started getting ads for that Sci-Fi book which had been released around the time.

richwicks says

Phones are about 20 minutes in.

Thanks, also see https://takebackourtech.org/tag/mobile/

https://tritorch.substack.com/p/elon-musks-x-app-is-the-one-ring

Damn, the second video on this page is really good.

Old comic format showing cellphone dystopia.

Patrick says

https://tritorch.substack.com/p/elon-musks-x-app-is-the-one-ring

Damn, the second video on this page is really good.

Old comic format showing cellphone dystopia.

The song is what they made for Donnie Darko. IF you still like films, I'd recommend that film, NOT the director's cut either, but the theatrical cut. Richard Kelley was a one hit wonder director, all his other films are terrible - I strongly do not recommend them.

He's like Neill Blomkamp that did District 9, but 10 times worse. I don't know how he managed to make Donnie Darko, but that's his only good film.

But he is right, wechat is the best app out there in terms of functionality. No doubt about it, you can do a lot with it. Not coding such an app just because of the potential for abuse doesn't make any sense

richwicks says

Patrick says

https://tritorch.substack.com/p/elon-musks-x-app-is-the-one-ring

Damn, the second video on this page is really good.

Old comic format showing cellphone dystopia.

The song is what they made for Donnie Darko. IF you still like films, I'd recommend that film, NOT the director's cut either, but the theatrical cut. Richard Kelley was a one hit wonder director, all his other films are terrible - I strongly do not recommend them.

He's like Neill Blomkamp that did District 9, but 10 times worse. I don't know how he managed to make Donnie Darko, but that's his only good film.

It's a decent movie but these movies repeat every decade, adjusted for the new (tech) villains and problems of our times. Momo is a really oldschool German one

richwicks says

This seriously happens. If you have an Alexa or a Google Home, or possibly even Siri - fake a discussion about a pet you'd never own with your family, and see what ads you start getting.

They are 24/7 listening devices. This is a simple test. I've gotten a FEW people to try it, but not with Siri. It's the 1984's telescreen. I'm giving you a test so you can verify it's true, if you don't do the test, whatever. We've been trying to warn you for years.

This is 100% true. I can't stand it, but the tech makes life easier. I don't do anything illegal and have the resources to fight anything that infringes on me in a way I don't like. Most don't.

Fact is we don't have the time to go through all our food weekly with 3 pre-teen boys. They add what they need to the grocery list via alexa. And I know that bitch is always listening. Is what it is. Saves us hours per week easily. I'll dump it when it's time when the kids are out of the house. Until then I'll bite the bullet and have big brother listen in on our bull shit conversations. Nothing good to hear besides bad jokes and bull shitting with kids. No money laundering or murder going on here.

It's not so much that Siri or Alexa is listening for your drug transactions, it's that it's recording information that can be used to construct a LLM simulacrum that can have you say anything "they" want you to say - a deep fake for every man, woman, and child in this world.

Patrick says

Damn, the second video on this page is really good.

Overweight belligerent redneck on the train drinking a Trump beer sort of ruined it for me.

stereotomy says

It's not so much that Siri or Alexa is listening for your drug transactions, it's that it's recording information that can be used to construct a LLM simulacrum that can have you say anything "they" want you to say - a deep fake for every man, woman, and child in this world.

I've noticed a lot of customer service systems ask for voice prompts now days. For the exact reason you stated, I only use the keypad.

just_passing_through says

Overweight belligerent redneck on the train drinking a Trump beer sort of ruined it for me.

True, that artist has a severe case of TDS. I've seen it in his other drawings. No thought as to why people would vote for Trump, just raw hate for those he sees as beneath himself.

Patrick says

I bet you $100 you're incorrect about this, and I will come to your place to deliver the bill, along with a pizza, if you're correct.

Hopefully the "Pizza" isn't code for anything because Patrick's got this one right.

They test every year, it's plastered all over government sites. If you want info on why to avoid, see my thread.

Misc says

Hopefully the "Pizza" isn't code for anything because Patrick's got this one right.

@Misc I didn't get any notification.

I didn't want to spend $100 and have to hand deliver a pizza anyhow but I would have.

And no, I despise pedophiles, you cannot imagine how much I hate them. Victimizing a child, it's as bad as murder. I oppose my government in part because they allowed this with Epstein. Our government is invalid because it's immoral. We should overthrow it.

Anyhow I actually like pizza, and there's a decent place near Patrick. It's kind of a heart attack in a box, but once a month, that's fine.

NuttBoxer says

They test every year, it's plastered all over government sites. If you want info on why to avoid, see my thread.

@NuttBoxer - I received no notification.

@richwicks The test is suppose to happen at about 2:20pm East Coast time.

Glad to hear the place has good food Patrick will enjoy it.