Deep Dive. Pushback. The AI, Privacy, and Security Weekly Update EP 313

In this deep dive: A college in Illinois covering Flock surveillance cameras to prevent immigration agents from tracking students Flock’s attempt to remove the coverings and the standoff until the contract expired Over 15,000 Americans discovering they were recruited into a money-laundering scheme and reporting it The scheme’s mastermind pleading guilty and facing up to 50 years in prison A French supermarket chain hacked, with freezers altered and products destroyed The supermarket’s use of AI to restore its network and expose attacker infrastructure A Texas city charging $2.3 million for public records related to its Flock surveillance system Criticism of the fee as “surveillance by secrecy” and public pushback FBI contractors withholding critical security patches, leaving federal systems exposed The FBI removing those contractors and making patching mandatory Widespread vehicle tracking through Flock cameras and location databases Advice to identify local Flock camera use and alter routes to reduce tracking Ledger hardware wallets sold through a Southeast Asian reseller containing spy chips Crypto wallet theft and the need to buy through official channels and verify authenticity Drone attacks on Yandex data centers in Russia and customer loss of file access The risk of relying on a single provider or location as a point of failure Chinese government-linked hacking operations targeting global critical infrastructure Theft of files, passwords, and sensitive data from organizations with unpatched software A broader theme of public and organizational pushback against surveillance, negligence, and state-sponsored hacking Lastly...We've released an "Updated Family Identity Theft Protection Guide" that walks you through the practical steps to take after a data breach, how to freeze credit for yourself and your children, how to set up strong authentication, and how to create a recovery plan if identity theft does happen. The guide covers: • Updating and securing your everyday devices (phone, computer, TV, router, smartwatch, car) • Temporarily disabling AI agents on your computer (Muse, OpenClaw, Hermes) until you've verified your system is clean • Freezing credit for adults and minors at all four bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, Innovis) • Getting an IRS Identity Protection PIN to prevent fraudulent tax refunds • Setting up a family password manager and multi-factor authentication • Photocopying and securing important documents • Establishing a family security word to verify identity during emergencies • Following the official FTC protocol if identity theft does occur Find it here.