evacide

Director of Cybersecurity
@EFF
/ Co-founder of
@stopstalkerware
/ These are my opinions, not my employers’ / I did a TED talk once

Public Key

npub18wn0jd3p7n6u3y7mc46p0hpx3cmtv9k3mu82rc0lhkg3rdyf590s3wshpx

NIP-05 Address

evacide_at_hachyderm.io@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsrhfhexcslfawgj0du2aqhmsngud4kzmga7r4pu8lmmyg3kjy6zhcpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuurjd9kkzmpwdejhgqgcwaehxw309aex2mrp0yhxummnwa5x2un99e3k7mgjdzkkq

Publishing to

relay.primal.net

relay.noswhere.com

relay.damus.io

Author Public Key

npub18wn0jd3p7n6u3y7mc46p0hpx3cmtv9k3mu82rc0lhkg3rdyf590s3wshpx

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Last Notes

2024-09-04 20:26:47

If you hear a scream across the internet right now, it is the sound I am making while reading the Internet Archive v. Hachette Books appeal, which IA has lost: https://www.wired.com/story/internet-archive-loses-hachette-books-case-appeal/

2024-09-02 19:18:21

I am waiting on analysis from Brazilian lawyers before I weigh in on how legal Brazilian court's decision to block X is, but I can safely say that the fines for individual users accessing the site over a VPN are crazypants.

2024-08-14 01:48:19

Stalkerware maker mSpy has sent a legal takedown request to @npub1uqv…5rrf for hosting leaked data. I'm just going to sit back and pop some popcorn.
https://blog.flokinet.is/2024/08/12/spyware-company-seeks-legal-takedown/

2024-07-19 19:08:23

The overlap between the people whose job involves dealing with the fallout of the Crowdstrike update and people who have time to shitpost about the fallout of the Crowdstrike update is very narrow.

2024-06-10 22:58:58

letthemfight.gif
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-10/elon-musk-to-ban-apple-devices-if-openai-is-integrated-into-os

2024-06-09 19:58:05

Summer is here, which means that people are having Discourse about what weight women are allowed to reach before they should not be allowed to wear revealing clothing instead of just letting people wear clothes and shutting the hell up.

2024-06-09 02:14:44

Let there be no doubt that NSO Group is using the courts to harass the security researchers who have done the most to shed light on their years of misdeeds and lies.
https://theintercept.com/2024/05/06/pegasus-nso-group-israeli-spyware-citizen-lab/

2024-06-09 01:24:38

Yeah yeah, I know "no cops at Pride." All I'm saying is that "no cops at Folsom St. Fair" is going to be a little trickier...

2024-06-09 00:26:50

I went to see "Innocence" at the opera last night and I was perfectly fine until the survivor of a school shooting said it made her decide to become a doctor. It turns out that trauma survivors becoming the people who would have saved themselves stabs me directly in the feelings.

2024-06-07 20:23:18

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@npub17lg…9uux This absolutely would not have happened without you.

2024-06-07 17:27:14

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Are Microsoft's changes going to be enough? We will check when they roll them out. But the important lesson here is that public security research made a difference here.

2024-06-07 17:25:17

Microsoft says they are making a bunch of changes to Recall to mitigate the many, many security and privacy problems that researchers have found over the last week:
https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/7/24173499/microsoft-windows-recall-response-security-concerns

2024-06-07 00:22:29

I am going to have to write a blog post version of my talk on physical trackers because I am not going to go through all of these arguments again with people who only just now discovered that AirTags get used for stalking.

2024-06-06 23:51:29

When AirTags first came out and I warned that they were Apple's gift to stalkers, so many Apple fanboys told me that I was overreacting.
https://www.404media.co/email/ce4cec4d-51c3-4101-b2b4-2c9a64aee5e8

2024-06-06 04:01:04

I try to be gracious and good rather than petty and mean, but sometimes bad things happen to bad people and I pop some popcorn, as a little treat.

2024-06-01 01:44:04

There are so many reasons you shouldn't use stalkerware and @npub1lt9…f6eq lays them all out for you right here: https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/31/hacked-leaked-exposed-why-you-should-stop-using-stalkerware-apps/

2024-05-31 19:05:49

Who are the "supersharers" of fake news on Twitter? Republican Middle-aged white women living in Arizona, Florida, and Texas.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl4435

2024-05-30 21:37:23

Yes, I know that guy still stands a good chance of winning the election in November, but this is your regular reminder that you can't fight a long fight without stopping to enjoy your victories or you will burn out to a cinder.

2024-05-29 17:59:21

"I cannot be phased by being condescended to by old white men in legislative meetings. I have worked many years in infosec and I am dead inside" is an actual thing I said in an all-hands meeting yesterday.

2024-05-28 22:02:20

If you, a white person, feel the need to disguise yourself as a black person for any goddamn reason, how about you just don't?

2024-05-26 21:22:50

There is nothing more American than bragging that you know a bunch of languages because you can stumble your way through a restaurant menu and nothing more European than fluently speaking 3+ languages while apologizing for your accent.

2024-05-23 17:23:00

As a person who enjoys live music, this is the kind of action I love to see.
“It is time to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/23/24163083/live-nation-ticketmaster-doj-monopoly-lawsuit-break-up

2024-05-22 17:55:02

I keep writing "privacy for cats" instead of "privacy for cars" in my work calendar, which leads to a very different mental image of what my job looks like.

2024-05-22 06:18:55

One day I will do a massive thread of just the worst digital privacy and security advice that people have given in my mentions.

2024-05-22 06:15:42

A lot of people who are not experts in domestic abuse think they're making a clever point by informing me that if an abuser has physical access & login credentials, the game's already over.
I am very tired and do not have the energy to explain why making spying easier for abusers is bad, actually.

2024-05-22 00:52:13

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@npub1d5z…h82y This feature is being implemented because there were zero survivors of domestic abuse involved the high-level decision-making.

2024-05-22 00:24:59

"...a would-be hacker would need to gain physical access to your device, unlock it and sign in before they could access saved screenshots."
I've got some news for Microsoft about how domestic abuse works.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwwqp6nx14o

2024-05-20 03:02:58

"I'm not listening to any more Dune takes from a guy who can't tell CHOAM from the Landsraad!" is a perfectly normal thing to yell while making brunch.

2024-05-16 21:28:38

Threat models matter.
When a platform/service/app tells you they are “private” or “secure” always ask “from whom?”
Criminals, domestic abusers, law enforcement, data brokers, and intelligence agencies are all different attackers with very different capabilities.

2024-05-16 19:42:51

When I talk about digital privacy, there is always some smug genius who shrugs and tells me, "Who cares? We all know we don't have any privacy anyway." Nothing could be more wrong. Convincing you that the fight is already over to the way people in power get you to stop resisting.

2024-05-16 00:15:45

Ted Baker is the latest I-need-something-to-wear-while-giving-a-talk brand to messily implode. This is a personal attack on my conference wardrobe.

2024-05-14 23:46:13

If you own a Tesla, your car is covered in cameras that take images reviewed by Tesla employees, who share them with each other, joke about them, and make them into memes.
https://www.reuters.com/technology/tesla-workers-shared-sensitive-images-recorded-by-customer-cars-2023-04-06/

2024-05-14 19:42:16

I see that everything is going fine over at the Hellsite.
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/441/143/269/589/043/original/90ef70fec1df7738.png

2024-05-14 18:47:52

I have spent this week declining work requests that are unreasonable in scope or that make me uncomfortable and I would like a goddamn medal.

2024-05-13 18:01:37

I'm just a security researcher, standing in front of a journalist, asking them not to delete the file with the malicious attachment before calling me.

2024-05-10 18:25:28

Why yes, I am absolutely wearing this cut-off tshirt with an image of Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith Beheading Holofrenes that says “Girl Dinner” to the talk I am giving this afternoon about tech-enabled abuse.

2024-05-09 18:01:33

Everything about Durov's statement is so profoundly dishonest that I feel like engaging in a point-by-point debunking is a waste of time. If most of the messages on your platform are not end-to-end encrypted AT ALL, it is less private and secure than platforms whose messages are all e2e by default.
https://t.me/durov/274

2024-05-08 17:39:43

This is your regular reminder that most communications on Telegram are not end-to-end encrypted. Channels and groups are never end-to-end encrypted and 1-on-1 messages are only end-to-end when explicitly enabled.

2024-05-07 23:12:37

I see that today on the internet people are discovering who Meir Kahane was.

2024-05-07 18:25:40

Buying a new car in 2024 is a goddamn privacy nightmare, part 3591 of an endless series: https://sherwood.news/tech/how-to-opt-out-of-the-privacy-nightmare-that-comes-factory-installed-in-new/

2024-05-07 18:13:27

I will be at the Computer History Museum on May 16th, talking about digital privacy, security, and Big Data with the folks from PBS' NOVA.
https://computerhistory.org/events/nova-secrets-in-your-data

2024-05-07 00:21:04

Do not stare into the abyss, lest you be invited to keynote the abyss.

2024-05-06 19:07:46

"You are absolutely not going to like what I have to say about this thing you have invited me to keynote about" is my whole vibe.

2024-05-06 17:51:33

A journalist sent me a bunch of questions about Baby Reindeer, so I watched it this weekend, and not only did I not answer the questions, but now I really need to watch something that is not about stalking and sexual assault.

2024-05-06 17:14:59

Grifters gonna grift: https://www.wheresyoured.at/rabbit-holed/

2024-05-06 01:02:58

The saddest thing about meeting other high-profile women and enbys in infosec is the part where you compare your lists of stalkers and chronic harassers.

2024-05-05 18:59:11

Important fashion update: my silver bias-cut "space royalty" gown and silver star Hedy Lamarr headdress were a great success. On theme. Would wear again.

2024-05-05 06:32:48

Welp. It was definitely a good week to talk to a bunch of college CISOs about campus surveillance.

2024-05-02 15:15:54

I cannot overstate how dangerous to free speech and a healthy democracy it is to redefine all anti-Zionism and criticism of the state of Israel as antisemitism. You know who's loudly critical of Zionism and the Israeli govt? Jews. A lot of Jews.
https://forward.com/fast-forward/608308/gop-democrats-antisemitism-campus-israel/

2024-05-01 00:49:58

There is always a point, when I am writing a new talk, that I look over my slides and need to resist the urge to make it positively unhinged.

2024-04-27 04:02:54

It is now the time after my company-wide retreat when I come home and mentally review every single thing I said to my co-workers that was awkward or weird.

2024-04-21 21:00:48

Grappling with the realization that I might be done going to DEFCON.

2024-04-20 17:11:37

4/20 is the single worst day in San Francisco to try to do anything near Golden Gate Park, which is unfortunate because I have things to do near Golden Gate Park.

2024-04-19 18:57:27

We are living in the worst possible timeline.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/disturbing-recordings-crying-infants-played-israeli-quadcopters-lure-gaza-residents-shooting

2024-04-17 01:24:29

You guys, I am going to a "space pirate royalty" themed wedding and I don't have an astonishing outfit. Please send help in the form of links.

2024-04-15 20:21:56

If you're the person who stole the package from my foyer, I hope you're enjoying Police and the Empire City: Race and the Origins of Modern Policing in New York.

2024-04-14 22:37:16

The flea markets at Saint Ouen in Paris are the most intense shopping experience known to man. I walked up some stairs in Marche Dauphine and told my friends, “I regret to inform you that this entire floor is vintage clothing. We may never leave this place.”

2024-04-10 14:30:14

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@npub1hyk…3p33 You are bad and you should feel bad. Also, I have to go see the Minotaur in Toulouse now.

2024-04-09 22:20:24

When you are tired of giant flying French robot birds, you are tired of life.
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/112/243/577/721/762/128/original/277b3ddf880bcb5b.jpeg

2024-04-04 03:00:49

I got a notification at the Bad Place informing me that they have reviewed my account and generously granted me Premium for free, along with a blue check.
I also haven't been able to log into the website on Firefox for about a month. So that's how things are going over there.

2024-04-02 23:32:11

Odd Salon DECEPTION begins in just three hours!
If you can't make it to Public Works, check out the livestream here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UOFKurdYi4

2024-04-01 20:50:30

I have ended 1/3rd of all today's meetings by shouting "We're doomed!" and making jazz hands.

2024-03-31 21:41:37

This is your regular reminder that "I did this thing 20 years ago" is not the same thing as "I have 20 years of experience." It's not even an indicator that you have any idea of how things are done now.

2024-03-31 03:19:25

My co-worker has proposed an AI chatbot that answers every legal question with a long sigh and "it depends..."
This chatbot could also be used for digital privacy and security advice.

2024-03-30 04:11:06

I was on the beach and my friend said "I want to have your abs but I don't want to have to do your gym routine" and it is the realest compliment I have ever received.

2024-03-29 15:55:58

The Canadian government clutches its pearls over the Flipper Zero and EFF is not impressed. With bonus toilet-hacking from @npub1np6…vtnz: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/restricting-flipper-zero-accountability-approach-security-canadian-government

2024-03-29 04:31:57

It is on days like these, when bad people are sentenced to extensive prison time, that I remember the wise words of anarchist warrior poet @npub13wh…4444 : "When we liberate the prisons, we will free that one last."

2024-03-21 00:12:11

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@npub143w…pykj Hi. It's me. I care a lot.

2024-03-21 00:11:46

"I was very busy at work and did not have time to catch up on the latest 'Is this dick sick?' news" is an actual sentence that I said today.

2024-03-20 01:19:01

Listen, I understand that people believe I exist in an endless state of incandescent rage, but they are going to have to invent new words for how angry I am about Glassdoor adding real names without users' consent.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/03/glassdoor-adding-users-real-names-job-info-to-profiles-without-consent/

2024-03-19 22:52:58

Please enjoy Carey Lening's breakdown of the "is this dick sick? AI will tell you!" app:
https://insights.priva.cat/p/privacy-clusterfucks-a-depressingly

2024-03-19 18:39:24

This website says you should send it a photo of your partner's penis and they will tell you if they have an STD, using the power of AI.
This is so misleading, inaccurate, dangerous, YIKES, that I assume it is an elaborate joke.
https://www.calmara.ai

2024-03-18 15:49:26

Of course @npub1ynl…873s read this report and immediately noticed that it only covers US/Israel and ignores attacks against Palestine, even though Israel has extremely sophisticated capabilities in that regard.
People sometimes ask me how I choose what to research. This is a perfect example of the kind of signal that I use to guide my work. Pay attention to what DOESN'T get covered. This is where you can have the most impact.
https://blog.google/technology/safety-security/tool-of-first-resort-israel-hamas-war-in-cyber/

2024-03-16 20:37:58

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@npub178r…qekt I resisted it for a long time, but then I saw men getting paid a lot of money for what I do for free.

2024-03-16 18:52:53

Tech and policy people who do public speaking: do you use a speakers' bureau and do you have one that you would recommend?
What are the pros and cons of going with a bureau or an agent?

2024-03-16 16:07:20

Someone has (accidentally, I think) sent about $1000-worth of wine to my house. I guess I'm drinking a lot of pinot noir this year.

2024-03-15 18:39:35

EFF's Surveillance Self Defense has launched a section on Bluetooth-enabled Physical Trackers. Check it out!
https://ssd.eff.org/module/how-to-detect-bluetooth-trackers

2024-03-13 15:19:34

I see that we are in for another round of "the US govt banning TikTok is good because I don't like TikTok" discourse, so it's a good time for me to be on vacation.

2024-03-07 20:04:23

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@npub178r…qekt I suspect these people are also not good at sex, a pastime that requires interest in and attention to another person's desires.

2024-03-07 20:00:04

Articles in which people with bad opinions complain at length that their bad opinions make it difficult for them to get laid demonstrate that at least something is still functioning properly in this dystopian hellscape.

2024-03-01 03:51:55

From an interview earlier today:
"God, I hate that guy."
"I promise I won't quote you."
"Go ahead. He knows."

2024-02-29 18:34:09

If you make a commercial product that allows someone to remotely access video, audio, or location data from a device, I am begging you to threat model for domestic abuse BEFORE YOU SHIP YOUR GODDAMN PRODUCT.

2024-02-27 04:34:44

Me: I am in great shape. I do extremely difficult strength and flexibility training several feet up in the air five days a week.
Also me: I pulled a muscle in my back casually moving a chair.

2024-02-24 04:39:40

Rajat Khare wants you to know that "he did not engage in conspiracy to or complicity in murder." Ooooookay.
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/02/23/maybe-your-lawyers-shouldnt-tell-reporters-you-did-not-engage-in-conspiracy-to-or-complicity-in-murder-when-no-one-was-claiming-otherwise/

2024-02-23 23:18:46

An additional and unexpected downside of having a DJ move in next door is that he is apparently quite deaf and communicates with his partner largely by yelling at the top of his lungs across the apartment.

2024-02-22 19:51:42

Did I mention that the data broker industry must be destroyed? Because yeah.

2024-02-22 19:48:34

Avast told customers its products would prevent online tracking, then they sold their browsing data to data brokers. Now the FTC is making them pay $16.5 million.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/22/ftc-bans-avast-selling-customers-sensitive-browsing-data/

2024-02-20 19:26:56

Signal has finally introduced usernames so you can use it without giving out your phone number. This is the number one feature I have seen prevent people from using Signal for many years and I’m happy it’s here!
https://signal.org/blog/phone-number-privacy-usernames/

2024-02-20 05:25:39

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This is an actual screenshot from their website, with a feed of people whose dating profiles have been found as a result of this service.
https://media.hachyderm.io/media_attachments/files/111/962/139/023/906/307/original/9040d4d87e67c111.png

2024-02-20 05:15:27

I'm just going to leave this right here and have you imagine the reality-rending shriek that has just left my body:
https://www.biometricupdate.com/202402/facial-recognition-service-says-it-is-for-suspicious-lovers-not-stalking

2024-02-14 23:13:51

In infosec, probably the only thing worse than being completely incompetent is learning that your incompetence has come to the attention of @npub1wf4…94wn.

2024-02-14 19:58:48

This is some of the most staggering incompetence I have ever seen.
U.S. Internet Corp business unit Securence promises filtered, secure email to businesses, schools, and govt agencies, but actually leaves all mail unencrypted on the open web for a completely unknown amount of time.
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/02/u-s-internet-leaked-years-of-internal-customer-emails/

2024-02-13 21:50:54

It turns out that the most debilitating words in the English language are "Please write a brief summary of your achievements."

2024-02-12 01:14:03

One of the things that made Twitter bearable for all of those years was turning off notifications for anyone I didn't follow. I think that in order to achieve the equivalent level of mental Zen on Mastodon, I will need to find a way to make sure I don't see replies from people I don't follow unless I go deep into a menu somewhere.

2024-02-12 00:23:52

This "premiere AI" conference has 29 speakers on their speaker page, one of which is a woman. I thought there might be two women speaking, but it turns out that one of them is a robot.
https://www.superai.com/speakers

2024-02-09 00:51:17

EFF Helps News Organizations Push Back Against Legal Bullying from Cyber Mercenary Group: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/eff-helps-news-organizations-resist-legal-bullying-cyber-mercenary-group

2024-02-08 18:31:39

I don't understand why brick and mortal clothing stores are dying. Am I the only person who wants to try things on before I buy them? Sizing for women's clothing is crafted entirely from lies. I just bought a size 8 top from a brand, which fit perfectly, and had to return a pair of size 2 pants from them because they were too big.

2024-02-06 19:34:58

Google's new report on the commercial surveillance industry calls out some shady companies that usually manage to fly under the radar, such as Negg Group and Variston: https://storage.googleapis.com/gweb-uniblog-publish-prod/documents/Buying_Spying_-_Insights_into_Commercial_Surveillance_Vendors_-_TAG_report.pdf

2023-11-08 21:24:47

You may be wondering why I'm salty about data privacy in cars all of the sudden:
https://therecord.media/class-action-lawsuit-cars-text-messages-privacy

2023-10-09 21:27:07

For those of you looking for a non-paywalled version of the Haaretz op-ed about how much Netanyahu is at fault here, which is A LOT.
https://archive.ph/20231009201713/https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/2023-10-08/ty-article-opinion/netanyahu-bears-responsibility/0000018b-0b9d-d8fc-adff-6bfd1c880000