Zach Campbell

UK Plans AI Experiment on Children Seeking Asylum The United Kingdom’s announcement on July 22 that it would use AI face-scanning technology to evaluate whether an asylum seeker is under age 18 threatens to harm children seeking refuge.

The UK gov plans to experiment with facial age estimation tech on vulnerable young people. But refugee children need care, not algorithms. This tech isn't the solution - instead, it creates new potentially life-changing risks, as @techchildrights.bsky.social and I write. www.hrw.org/news/2025/07...

What’s a technology that you think is overhyped? I’m going to give a sideways answer to this, which is that the venture capital business model needs to be understood as requiring hype. You can go back to the Netscape IPO, and that was the proof point that made venture capital the financial lifeblood of the tech industry. Venture capital looks at valuations and growth, not necessarily at profit or revenue. So you don’t actually have to invest in technology that works, or that even makes a profit, you simply have to have a narrative that is compelling enough to float those valuations. So you see this repetitive and exhausting hype cycle as a feature in this industry. A couple of years ago, you would have been asking me about the metaverse, then last year, you would have asked me about Web3 and crypto, and for each of these inflection points there’s an Andreessen Horowitz manifesto. It’s not simply that one piece of technology is overhyped, it’s that hype is a necessary ingredient of the current business ecosystem of the tech industry. We should examine how often the financial incentive for hype is rewarded without any real social returns, without any meaningful progress in technology, without these tools and services and worlds ever actually manifesting. That’s key to understanding the growing chasm between the narrative of techno-optimists and the reality of our tech-encumbered world.

Stand by this: www.politico.com/newsletters/...

Can an ‘ethical’ spyware maker justify providing its tech to ICE? | TechCrunch Analysis: In calling itself an ethical spyware vendor, Paragon has opened itself up to scrutiny of its government customers.

NEW: Spyware maker Paragon says its $2M contract with ICE is still inactive, so the company hasn’t provided its surveillance tech to the agency.

If the U.S. govt approves it, Paragon will face the dilemma of whether to work with an agency that’s very different from 2024, when contract was signed.

Frontex unlawfully shared thousands of people's personal data with Europol Under the banner of fighting migrant smuggling, Frontex has collected, and unlawfully siphoned to Europol, personal data for years—quietly drawing thousands of migrants, as well as EU citizens aiding ...

Here is how #Frontex unlawfully shared thousands of people’s personal data with #Europol

Investigation conducted by Solomon, the French newspaper Le Monde, the Spanish newspaper El País, and the German outlet Netzpolitik.

wearesolomon.com/mag/format/i...

Flock Removes States From National Lookup Tool After ICE and Abortion Searches Revealed Following 404 Media’s reporting and in light of new legislation, automatic license plate reader (ALPR) company Flock has stopped agencies reaching into cameras in California, Illinois, and Virginia.

The CEO of Flock wrote a blog about our "recent clickbait-driven reporting and social media rumors that mischaracterize Flock’s LPR devices" then proceeded to explain how our reporting directly resulted in extensive changes to how police are allowed to use Flock

www.404media.co/flock-remove...

A must-read report form @dmehro.bsky.social that @wired.com made free to read because it is based on government documents (it's their policy to make FOIA-based reporting free as well). Thank you for making important journalism based on public records available to all.

ICE Taps into Nationwide AI-Enabled Camera Network, Data Shows Flock's automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras are in more than 5,000 communities around the U.S. Local police are doing lookups in the nationwide system for ICE.

New from 404 Media: ICE is tapping into a nationwide AI camera network, data we got shows. Flock's automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) in thousands of communities. Data shows "ICE", "immigration" as reasons for use. Local cops doing lookups for ICE, no warrant www.404media.co/ice-taps-int...

This week, news emerged that UK police have been issued guidance on investigating unexpected pregnancy loss that includes seizing digital devices, checking internet searches and health apps, such as menstrual cycle and fertility trackers.

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

TeleMessage customers include DC Police, Andreesen Horowitz, JP Morgan, and hundreds more I've been digging through the 410 GB of Java heap dumps from TeleMessage's archive server, provided by DDoSecrets. Here's a description of the dataset, some of my initial findings, details about an up...

My latest on the clean OPSEC saga: TeleMessage customers include DC Police, Andreesen Horowitz, JP Morgan, and hundreds more micahflee.com/telemessage-...

Probe Found Security Lapses Led to US Contractor’s Data Breach Failures in cybersecurity practices at a software company that helps federal agencies manage investigations and FOIA requests allowed two convicted hackers to delete databases, according to internal d...

SCOOP: In Feb, federal agencies "lost" many #FOIA requests but you probably had no idea. It turns out that the FOIAs disappeared due to an "insider threat attack" by 2 employees at a software company who were previously convicted of hacking into the State Dept

🧵

🎁 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

US: Trump’s First 100 Days an Assault on Rights The Trump administration’s first 100 days in office have been a relentless barrage of actions that violate, threaten, or undermine the human rights of people in the United States and abroad.

The Trump administration’s first 100 days in office have been a relentless barrage of actions that violate, threaten, or undermine human rights.

To illustrate the breadth and depth of damage, HRW has compiled 100 harmful actions during these 100 days ⤵️

DOGE's Growing Reach into Personal Data: What it Means for Human Rights Congress should update the Privacy Act to prevent DOGE from violating U.S. international rights obligations by creating a massive database.

My latest for @justsecurity.org on what Trump's call to eliminate “information silos” within government means for human rights. This dangerous and dystopian move underscores the desperate need for comprehensive privacy and data protection laws in the US @hrw.org
www.justsecurity.org/110133/what-...

UK Encryption order threaten privacy rights The United Kingdom government’s order to Apple to allow security authorities access to encrypted cloud data severely harms the privacy rights of users in the UK and worldwide.

www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ne...

UK Encryption Order Threatens Global Privacy Rights The United Kingdom government’s order to Apple to allow access to encrypted cloud data harms the privacy rights of users in the UK and worldwide.

The UK should drop its order to Apple demanding access to encrypted user data. Strong encryption should be the norm, and this order threatens the rights of users worldwide

www.hrw.org/news/2025/02...

Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; „… without #encryption tools, lives may be endangered. In the worst cases, a Government’s ability to break into its citizens’ phones may lead to the persecution of individuals who are simply exercising their fundamental human rights.” t.co/AWG89rXGkD

UN Censors Criticism of Saudi Arabia at Internet Conference United Nations officials removed criticisms of the Saudi government from the official record of a UN-organized internet governance conference in Riyadh in December 2024, and retaliated against civil s...

Last year my @hrw.org colleague @joeyshea.bsky.social & I attended the #UN Internet Governance Forum in Riyadh. We organized a session w/the Saudi human rights org ALQST. @linaalhathloul.bsky.social spoke remotely.

The UN censored the session & retaliated against us 👇

www.hrw.org/news/2025/02...

Google announced significant changes to its artificial intelligence policy this week.

This pivot from refusing to build AI for weapons to stating an intent to create AI that supports national security ventures is stark, and it sparks serious human rights concerns.

Read more: bit.ly/4gwYBeL

Paragon spyware used to target citizens across Europe, says Italian government WhatsApp said users in several European countries were targeted with Paragon spyware, according to the Italian government. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Paragon spyware used to target citizens across Europe, says Italian government

Italy’s security bill threatens fundamental rights

It criminalizes peaceful protest, with harsh penalties for activists, detainees, and migrants

Human rights bodies warn of serious risks - the Senate should listen

❌Repression is not security❌
hrw.org/news/2025/02...

Google has amended its responsible AI guidelines, including removing the red line in its AI Principles that the company won't design or deploy AI for "[w]eapons or other technologies whose principal purpose or implementation is to cause or directly facilitate injury to people."

Come work on tech research @hrw.org! Vacancy for a senior researcher, working with me, @deblbrown.bsky.social, @notzachcampbell.bsky.social. Scope to shape the role - expertise in platforms, internet infrastructure, data exploitation a bonus. Closes 5 Jan. job-boards.greenhouse.io/humanrightsw...

FTC Bans Location Data Company That Powers the Surveillance Ecosystem Venntel is a primary provider of location data to the government or other companies that sell to U.S. agencies. The FTC is banning Venntel from selling data related to health clinics, refugee shelters...

New from 404 Media: this is huge. FTC to ban Venntel from selling sensitive location data. Sensitive locations include health facilities (think abortion); places of worship; schools; refugee shelters. Crucial because Venntel sold its data to ICE, CBP etc www.404media.co/ftc-bans-loc...

Greek Surveillance Lawsuit Aims to Silence Journalism On December 5, a court in Athens will hear a defamation lawsuit against journalists who exposed state surveillance by Greek authorities. The case fits into the category of cases referred to as “strate...

On December 5, a court in Athens will hear a defamation case against journalists who exposed state surveillance in Greece. This case, brought by an ex-official linked to the scandal, is a clear attempt to silence critical reporting. #MediaFreedom

www.hrw.org/news/2024/12...

well this is nice