Podcast
Surveillance Report: Weekly News For Digital Freedom
Hosted by Techlore · EN
Weekly news for digital freedom. Surveillance Report covers privacy, security, surveillance technology, and digital rights news to keep you safer online from the latest threats.
Hosted by Henry Fisher, founder of Techlore, a leading digital rights media organization for over 10 years. Each episode cuts through the noise with carefully selected stories, context, historical perspective, and analysis - empowering you to defend your rights with actionable steps.
Topics include: data breaches, government and corporate surveillance, Big Tech privacy policies, encryption standards, digital rights legislation, privacy tool updates and vulnerabilities, and accountability journalism.
Whether you're new to digital privacy or a seasoned expert tracking the ecosystem, Surveillance Report is the weekly news brief that keeps you informed. New episodes every Wednesday. Learn more about Techlore at techlore.tech.
27episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
A Rare Age Verification Win, AI Cameras On School Buses, And A License Plate Tracking Ban
1w ago00:32:41Tap to summarizeA rare and genuine win against age verification with California following Colorado in exempting Linux and other open source operating systems from its Digital Age Assurance Act, directly because of community pressure. Plus AI cameras on tens of thousands of school buses being quietly repurposed for police access, a bipartisan amendment that could end nationwide automatic license plate reader programs, the open source supply chain under unprecedented attack, and a Trump Mobile data leak.In this episode:Highlight: Age verification laws are coming for everyone except open sourceBusPatrol AI school bus cameras now angling for police accessBipartisan amendment to end nationwide police license plate trackingDefense Bulletin: data breaches at Trump Mobile, 7-Eleven, Charter, plus a major GitHub/TanStack supply chain compromiseThreats: open source code poisoned at unprecedented scale, AI agents imperiled by critical vulnerability, Defender zero-days, Apex One zero-day, Linux kernel privilege escalation, Mullvad on exit-IP fingerprinting, Texas AG sues Meta over WhatsApp encryptionFOSS+ Updates: Tails 7.8, Firefox's new design, Tuta improvements, AltStore on-device sideloading, Vivaldi 8.0, Linux Mint / Rhino Linux / MX Linux / AlmaLinux updates🧡 SUPPORT TECHLOREBecome a Techlorian and keep this show growing: ★ Support this podcast ★ 🔗 SOURCES & LINKSView all sources here: https://techlore.tech/california-exempts-open-source-from-age-verification-plus-school-bus-surveillance-getting-out-of-control/⏱️ TIMESTAMPS(00:00) - WELCOME TO SURVEILLANCE REPORT (00:52) - HIGHLIGHT: CALIFORNIA & COLORADO EXEMPT LINUX (06:02) - THINK OF THE CHILDREN BUS SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM (10:22) - SUPPORT THE PODCAST (11:22) - LEFT AND RIGHT UNITE AGAINST ALPR (14:34) - DEFENSE BULLETIN: DATA BREACHES (18:34) - DEFENSE BULLETIN: THREATS (26:52) - DEFENSE BULLETIN: FOSS+ 🎥 VIDEOWatch on YouTube 📰 ABOUT SURVEILLANCE REPORTYour essential weekly tech news podcast covering the latest threats to security, privacy, and digital freedom. Hosted by Henry Fisher from Techlore.
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A Brutal Week for Microsoft Security, Signal Threatens to Leave Canada, And Bitwarden Quietly Shifts
2w ago00:41:57Tap to summarizeA brutal week for Microsoft with seven vulnerability stories, an actively exploited Exchange zero-day, the MiniPlasma exploit (rooted in a six-year-old Project Zero report Microsoft sat on), and Pwn2Own Berlin zero-days. Plus the Shai-Hulud npm supply chain attack hitting 600+ packages, Signal threatening to pull out of Canada over Bill C-22, Meta rolling out AI-powered age detection, and some quiet changes at Bitwarden that have long-time users uneasy.🔎 EasyOptOuts is the easy, affordable, and effective way to automatically remove your data from people search sites: https://easyoptouts.comThanks to the EasyOptOuts team for sponsoring Surveillance Report!This episode also covers: data breaches at NYC Health + Hospitals, 7-Eleven, West Pharmaceutical, Grafana Labs, CISA, and more. WordPress plugin exploits, Cemu emulator Linux compromise, NGINX RCE, macOS sandbox escape. And open source news like FSFE vs Apple, Tor Browser 15.0.14, Firefox 151, Discord E2EE for calls, Azure Linux 4.0, Rocky Linux new security repo, and Organic Maps updates!🧡 SUPPORT TECHLOREBecome a Techlorian and keep this show growing: ★ Support this podcast ★ 🔗 SOURCES & LINKSView all sources here: https://techlore.tech/a-brutal-week-for-microsoft-security-signal-threatens-to-leave-canada-and-bitwarden-quietly-shifts-policies/⏱️ TIMESTAMPS(00:00) - WELCOME TO SURVEILLANCE REPORT (00:54) - HIGHLIGHT: A BAD WEEK FOR MICROSOFT (10:46) - OPEN SOURCE SUPPLY CHAIN ATTACK (14:40) - SIGNAL THREATENS TO LEAVE CANADA (19:33) - OUR SPONSOR: EASYOPTOUTS! (20:48) - META USING AI FOR UNDERAGE USERS (24:38) - BITWARDEN CONCERNS (27:28) - DEFENSE BULLETIN: DATA BREACHES (31:04) - DEFENSE BULLETIN: THREATS (35:22) - DEFENSE BULLETIN: FOSS+ 🎥 VIDEOWatch on YouTube 📰 ABOUT SURVEILLANCE REPORTYour essential weekly tech news podcast covering the latest threats to security, privacy, and digital freedom. Hosted by Henry Fisher from Techlore.
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Linux's Rough Run, ICE's 20M Palantir Database & Android Good/Bad News
3w ago00:37:07Tap to summarizeLinux gets hit with a third major vulnerability in as many weeks, a Palantir-built database of 20 million people, and Android delivers both bad news (a new VPN leak Google has refused to patch) and good news (intrusion logging for high-risk users). Plus encrypted RCS finally arrives in iOS 26.5, Instagram quietly kills its end-to-end encrypted DMs, and the usual roundup of data breaches, threats, and FOSS+ updates in your weekly Surveillance Report.🧡 SUPPORT TECHLOREBecome a Techlorian and keep this show growing: ★ Support this podcast ★ 🔗 SOURCES & LINKSView all sources here: https://techlore.tech/three-linux-exploits-palantir-20m-person-database-and-androids-good-bad-week-surveimay-13/⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 INTRO TO SURVEILLANCE REPORT00:34 A THIRD LINUX VULNERABILITY STRIKES!05:16 PALENTIR KNOWS ALL07:20 SOME QUICK ANNOUNCEMENTS10:32 ANDROID: GOOD AND BAD NEWS15:48 DEFENSE BULLETIN: DATA BREACHES20:54 DEFENSE BULLETIN: THREATS27:12 DEFENSE BULLETIN: FOSS+🎥 VIDEOWatch on YouTube 📰 ABOUT SURVEILLANCE REPORTYour essential weekly tech news podcast covering the latest threats to security, privacy, and digital freedom. Hosted by Henry Fisher from Techlore.
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CopyFail Explained, Utah's New VPN Law, and Microsoft Edge Keeping Passwords in Plaintext
4w ago00:32:31Tap to summarizeThis week's Surveillance Report covers the most severe Linux threat in years sending researchers and admins scrambling, Apple patching the bug police were using to extract deleted Signal messages from iPhones, Utah's new law regulating VPNs taking effect, and Microsoft Edge inexplicably storing your passwords in plaintext memory.🧡 SUPPORT TECHLOREBecome a Techlorian and keep this show growing: ★ Support this podcast ★ 🔗 SOURCES & LINKSView all sources here: https://techlore.tech/copyfail-explained-utahs-new-vpn-law-and-microsoft-edge-keeping-passwords-in-plaintext/⏱️ TIMESTAMPS(00:00) - INTRO TO SURVEILLANCE REPORT (01:10) - HIGHLIGHT: LINUX VULNERABILITY COPYFAIL (06:55) - APPLE FIXES NOTIFICATION BUG (08:46) - UTAH TRIES TO TARGET VPNS (14:16) - MICROSOFT EDGE STORING PASSWORDS IN MEMORY (20:10) - DEFENSE BULLETIN 🎥 VIDEOWatch on YouTube 📰 ABOUT SURVEILLANCE REPORTYour essential weekly tech news podcast covering the latest threats to security, privacy, and digital freedom. Hosted by Henry Fisher from Techlore.
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VPNs Could Make You an NSA Target, North Korea's Supply Chain Hijack & the EU Kills Chat Control
Apr 1000:54:35Tap to summarizeThe government told you to use a VPN, but are you actually making yourself a target for NSA surveillance in the process? This week's highlight story digs into a letter from six US lawmakers pressing intelligence officials to answer whether Americans using commercial VPNs risk losing their legal protections and being treated as foreign nationals under Section 702 of FISA.Also this week: North Korea's methodical, weeks-long social engineering attack that briefly hijacked the Axios open-source JavaScript library; Android malware called NoVoice that infected 2.3 million devices through the Google Play Store that survives a factory reset; Apple's device-level age verification expanding to the UK, Singapore, and South Korea; and the EU Parliament's dramatic vote to kill Chat Control, plus Patrick Brayer's five-point action plan for genuine child protection that doesn't require mass surveillance. The Defense Bulletin is packed: VeraCrypt's developer locked out by Microsoft, a rare Apple iOS 18 backport patch, Meta losing a child exploitation lawsuit, Apple Maps ads incoming, and more.🧡 SUPPORT TECHLOREBecome a Techlorian and keep this show growing: ★ Support this podcast ★ 🔗 SOURCES & LINKSView all sources here: https://techlore.tech/vpns-could-expose-you-to-nsa-spying-north-koreas-open-source-hijack-android-malware-hits-2-3-million-devices-via-google-play-and-the-eu-ending-chat-control/⏱️ TIMESTAMPS(00:00) - WELCOME TO SURVEILLANCE REPORT (01:18) - HIGHLIGHT STORY: NSA VPN SPYING (08:24) - NORTH KOREA HACKS OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE (10:30) - GOOGLE HOSTING MALWARE ON PLAY STORE (15:00) - AGE VERIFICATION ADVANCES EVERYWHERE (26:12) - END OF CHAT CONTROL & WHAT'S NEXT! (31:00) - DEFENSE BULLETIN 🎥 VIDEOWatch on YouTube 📰 ABOUT SURVEILLANCE REPORTYour essential weekly tech news podcast covering the latest threats to security, privacy, and digital freedom. Hosted by Henry Fisher from Techlore.
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Two iOS Exploits, Google's Android Lockdown & Instagram Drops Encryption
Mar 3100:49:06Tap to summarizeThis week's Surveillance Report covers two sophisticated zero-click iOS exploit frameworks: Coruna and DarkSword hit hundreds of millions of iPhones in the span of a single week. Google finally revealed their controversial Android sideloading "advanced flow," and it involves a 24-hour wait, developer mode unlock, and a wall of warning screens just to install an APK. Meanwhile, Instagram has quietly killed end-to-end encryption in DMs, Colorado is pushing OS-level age verification that would even drag Linux into compliance, and the EU's chat control battle took a wild turn.🧡 SUPPORT TECHLOREBecome a Techlorian and keep this show growing: https://techlore.tech/support🔗 SOURCES & LINKSView all sources here: https://techlore.tech/coruna-and-darksword-ios-exploits-explained-what-iphone-users-need-to-do-right-now/⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 INTRO TO SURVEILLANCE REPORT01:30 HIGHLIGHT STORY: IOS EXPLOITS08:02 GOOGLE SIDELOADING ADVANCED FLOW19:26 INSTAGRAM REMOVING E2EE22:26 OS AGE VERIFICATION28:44 EU CHAT CONTROL31:00 DEFENSE BULLETIN📰 ABOUT SURVEILLANCE REPORTYour essential weekly tech news podcast covering the latest threats to security, privacy, and digital freedom. Hosted by Henry Fisher from Techlore, delivering deep analysis to help you reclaim control and defend your rights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ★ Support this podcast ★
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Password Manager Vaults Aren't Private, Google Threatens Open Android, & Apple's Global Age Verification
Mar 200:40:23Tap to summarizePassword managers CAN see your vault (new research reveals attack vectors), Google threatens the open Android ecosystem, Apple rolls out age verification globally, 147 million installs of Android mental health apps with security flaws, Samsung's innovative privacy display, and a massive week of breaches and updates.NO SR NEXT WEEK - Back in two weeks!🧡 SUPPORT TECHLOREBecome a Techlorian and keep this show growing: https://techlore.tech/support🔗 SOURCES & LINKSView all sources here: https://techlore.tech/password-manager-vaults-arent-private-google-threatens-open-android-apples-global-age-verification-sr257⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 INTRO00:55 PASSWORD MANAGER VAULT SECURITY12:51 ANDROID DEVELOPER VERIFICATION16:36 APPLE AGE VERIFICATION21:06 ANDROID MENTAL HEALTH APPS25:17 DEFENSE BULLETIN📰 ABOUT SURVEILLANCE REPORTYour essential weekly tech news podcast covering the latest threats to security, privacy, and digital freedom. Hosted by Henry Fisher from Techlore, delivering deep analysis to help you reclaim control and defend your rights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ★ Support this podcast ★
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3 Mac Attacks Explained, Discord Age Verification Goes Global & Hidden Hotel Cameras
Feb 2000:49:57Tap to summarizeNo operating system is safe, and this week, Mac users got hit from three directions at once. We cover the attacks, Discord's messy age verification expansion, hidden hotel cameras in China, and everything else threatening your digital rights.🧡 SUPPORT TECHLOREBecome a Techlorian and keep this show growing: https://techlore.tech/support🔗 SOURCES & LINKSView all sources here: https://techlore.tech/mac-hit-by-3-simultaneous-attacks-discords-age-verification-fails-googles-deleted-footage-returns-sr256/⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 INTRO01:00 MACOS ATTACKS13:12 DISCORD AGE VERIFICATION23:34 MORE AGE VERIFICATION26:08 GOOGLE NEST FOOTAGE MYSTERY30:56 DEFENSE BULLETIN📰 ABOUT SURVEILLANCE REPORTYour essential weekly tech news podcast covering the latest threats to security, privacy, and digital freedom. Hosted by Henry Fisher from Techlore, delivering deep analysis to help you reclaim control and defend your rights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ★ Support this podcast ★
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FBI Can't Crack iPhone Lockdown Mode, Age Verification Hits 3 Countries, And Chat Control 1.0 Extended
Feb 700:33:29Tap to summarizeThe FBI couldn't crack a journalist's iPhone because of one security feature, and we'll break down exactly how Lockdown Mode stopped them. Meanwhile, Austria, Spain, and Greece all announced age verification mandates in the same week, Chat Control 1.0 just got an extension, and Microsoft is finally backing away from Recall as AI fatigue reaches a breaking point. 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLOREBecome a Techlorian and keep this show growing: https://techlore.tech/support🔗 SOURCES & LINKSView all sources here: https://techlore.tech/fbi-admits-defeat-iphone-security-actually-works-and-a-new-ios-cellular-security-feature/⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 INTRO00:40 HIGHLIGHT STORY: APPLE LOCKDOWN MODE08:05 AGE VERIFICATION EXPANDING TO 3 COUNTRIES12:38 CHAT CONTROL 1.0 EXTENSION17:54 MICROSOFT ADMITS THEIR AI IS BAD22:56 THE DEFENSE BULLETIN📰 ABOUT SURVEILLANCE REPORTYour essential weekly tech news podcast covering the latest threats to security, privacy, and digital freedom. Hosted by Henry Fisher from Techlore, delivering deep analysis to help you reclaim control and defend your rights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ★ Support this podcast ★
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Microsoft Gave FBI Your Encryption Keys
Jan 3000:49:14Tap to summarizeThis week's Surveillance Report covers Microsoft handing BitLocker encryption keys to the FBI, meaning your "encrypted" Windows data isn't as secure as you thought. This two-week Surveillance Report covers age verification laws spreading across three continents, 840,000 malicious browser extension installs, WhatsApp's encryption challenged in court, a trusted Android launcher turned spyware, and how social media platforms engineer addiction by design. Plus major breaches, and essential security updates you need to know about.🧡 SUPPORT TECHLOREBecome a Techlorian and keep this show growing: https://techlore.tech/support🔗 SOURCES & LINKSView all sources here: https://techlore.tech/microsoft-gave-fbi-your-encryption-keys/⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 SURVEILLANCE REPORT INTRO00:53 HIGHLIGHT STORY: BITLOCKER ENCRYPTION09:36 MORE GLOBAL AGE VERIFICATION 14:24 DANGEROUS BROWSER EXTENSIONS19:44 WHATSAPP ACCUSED OF NO ENCRYPTION26:20 PROMO SEGMENT!28:10 NOVA LAUNCHER SELLS OUT31:50 SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS CAUGHT BEING ADDICTIVE37:38 THE DEFENSE BULLETIN📰 ABOUT SURVEILLANCE REPORTYour essential weekly tech news podcast covering the latest threats to security, privacy, and digital freedom. Hosted by Henry Fisher from Techlore, delivering deep analysis to help you reclaim control and defend your rights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ★ Support this podcast ★
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