hatemail tech newsletter 2023-08-29
Our DEFCON at home watchlist; The world of internet cafes; AI porn proliferation; and more in the week's ethical tech news

Slowly but surely we have been digesting all that we consumed during the week of August 6th to 12th when BSides Las Vegas, BlackHat USA, DEF CON (#DC31), The Diana Initiative, and more take over Las Vegas, NV. All of the goons might already have those sketchy flash drives full of the recorded talks, but we’ve been getting by off the vapors of what gets posted to different channels. (FYI: You can find an index of channels that host talks at conferences like these at hackroost.net)
DEF CON 31 - Infinite Money Glitch - Hacking Transit Cards - Bertocchi, Campbell, Gibson
As the Wired article details… Teens Hacked Boston Subway Cards to Get Infinite Free Rides—and This Time, Nobody Got Sued. In 2008, Boston’s transit authority sued to stop MIT hackers from presenting at the DEF CON hacker conference on how to get free subway rides. Today, four teens picked up where they left off. This is their talk at #DC31. [Youtube]
DEF CON 31 Recon Village - Sally - Nosy Cops Exposing the Hidden Potential of Police Radio
At DC31’s Recon Village, Sally, Who Makes Yachts shares multiple demos and stories from over three years of 24/7 coverage in the Atlanta metro area that illuminate how real-world applications of this data and these techniques can help uncover corruption and keep people safe when public safety officials overstep their bounds. [Youtube]

The World’s Last Internet Cafes
For a quarter century, internet cafes connected the world. Now they’re vanishing into history. [Rest of World]
Why Nothing on Your Phone Is Safe From Ads
Tech companies are just hoping you’ll put up with it. [New York Magazine]
The Internet Is Turning Into a Data Black Box. An ‘Inspectability API’ Could Crack It Open
Unlike web browsers, mobile apps increasingly make it difficult or impossible to see what companies are really doing with your data. The answer? An inspectability API. [Wired]
Hell freezes over as Apple supports right-to-repair bill
As California legislation nears finish line, Apple suddenly switches sides. [ArsTechnica]
The Scourge of Commercial Spyware—and How to Stop It
Enforceable regulation of commercial spyware requires human rights, transparency, oversight & accountability, & exclusion of private industry. [Lawfare]
Following Elon Musk’s lead, Big Tech is surrendering to disinformation
Social media companies are receding from their role as watchdogs against conspiracy theories ahead of the 2024 presidential election. [Washington Post]
Rachel Thomas on Twitter
Friends with no previous interest in AI ethics have been asking me about it recently, so I want to share several underlying concepts about AI & power that are important to understand. [Twitter]
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The Secret Weapon Hackers Can Use to Dox Nearly Anyone in America for $15
Most Americans have very little choice but to provide their personal information to credit bureaus. Hackers have found a way into that data supply chain, and are advertising access in group chats used by violent criminals who rob, assault, and shoot targets. [404media]
Ukraine hacks thousands of Russian security cameras to broadcast anti-Russian message
Ukraine has hacked thousands of Russian security cameras which have speakers and used those speakers to play a sarcastic message about how “great” Russia is. Some of the Russians looked pretty confused by what was happening. [Twitter]
pwn.college
pwn.college is an education platform for students (and other interested parties) to learn about, and practice, core cybersecurity concepts in a hands-on fashion. In martial arts terms, it is designed to take a “white belt” in cybersecurity to becoming a “blue belt”, able to approach (simple) CTFs and wargames. The philosophy of pwn.college is “practice makes perfect”. [pwn college]

April C Wright on Twitter
if you or someone you know struggle with online harassment or threats, i urge you to watch / share my recent #OPSEC talk i got a meaningful message today from someone who tldr is sending these tips for anti- #stalking to their friend i’m open for QA! [Twitter]
Inside the AI Porn Marketplace Where Everything and Everyone Is for Sale
Generative AI tools have empowered amateurs and entrepreneurs to build mind-boggling amounts of non-consensual porn. [404media]
Google and Microsoft Are Supercharging AI Deepfake Porn
To stay up and running, deepfake creators rely on products and services from Google, Apple, Amazon, CloudFlare and Microsoft. [Bloomberg]

Elon Musk’s Shadow Rule
How the U.S. government came to rely on the tech billionaire—and is now struggling to rein him in. [New Yorker] [Bloomberg]
Huawei Is Building a Secret Network for Chips, Trade Group Warns
The leading association of global chip companies is warning that Huawei Technologies Co. is building a collection of secret semiconductor-fabrication facilities across China, a shadow manufacturing network that would let the blacklisted company skirt US sanctions and further the nation’s technology ambitions. [Bloomberg]
China’s blueprint for an alternative world order
Beijing is using its economic muscle to rally developing countries and reduce the west’s influence over the UN [Financial Times]
In Wuhan, doctors knew the truth. They were told to keep quiet.
China's leaders covered up the pandemic at first — as described by doctors and other health-care professionals on the front lines. [Washington Post]
Newly declassified US intel claims Russia is laundering propaganda through unwitting Westerners
Russian intelligence is operating a systematic program to launder pro-Kremlin propaganda through private relationships between Russian operatives and unwitting US and western targets, according to newly declassified US intelligence. [CNN]
Know Your Adversary: Unmasking the Attacker and Decoding Threat Actor Patterns
Building a robust understanding of threat actors' patterns is critical to proactive defense strategies and preventing risk holistically. [Flashpoint]

Man Who Shot Store Owner for Flying Pride Flag Was a Far-Right Conspiracist
He posted anti-gay and antisemitic conspiracy theories, and followed and reposted Jordan Peterson and Matt Walsh. [Vice]
Jacksonville Dollar General shooter targeted Black people, sheriff says
Three people are dead after a racially-motivated shooting in Jacksonville, Florida. It happened at a Dollar General. police say the shooter left three different manifestos detailing his hate toward Black people. Reports say the gunman barricaded himself inside the store and killed three victims before turning one of his guns on himself. [CNN]

Naomi Wu and the Silence That Speaks Volumes
When China's prodigious tech influencer, Naomi Wu, found herself silenced, it wasn't just the machinery of a surveillance state at play. [Hacking But Legal]
Saudi Arabia: Mass Killings of Migrants at Yemen Border
Saudi border guards have used explosive weapons to kill 100s Ethiopian migrants trying to cross the Yemen-Saudi border, in a widespread & systematic pattern of attacks. Systematic abuses of Ethiopians may amount to crimes against humanity. [Human Rights Watch]
Moira Donegan on Twitter
Federal courts are pulling on the thread of Dobbs to unravel sex discrimination as a cognizable legal harm. Protection from discrimination on the basis of sex—a category that protects women, gay people, and trans people—is on increasingly shaky legal footing. [Twitter]
SpaceX Working with Cloudflare to Speed Up Starlink Service
Space Exploration Technologies, Elon Musk’s rocket company, is working with Cloudflare to boost the performance of SpaceX’s satellite internet service Starlink, according to a person with direct knowledge of the project. [The Information]
Investors Can Jam With Toast Point of Sale
The restaurant payments and software provider is adding a lot of new locations and has upsell potential. [Wall Street Journal]
Big-Ass-Data-Broker-Opt-Out-List
Big list of data brokers that everyone should send opt-out notices to. [@yaelwrites on GitHub]
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