Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Jessica Shurson

Lighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · 13h

🧵What’s the biggest lie the surveillance industry tells? That they only sell to legal clients. That there are red lines. But what do these companies say when they think nobody is watching? We went undercover to find out

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Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 14h

It is laughable to think that you can neuter the far right with minor tweaks like this.

How many Conservative or Reform supporters even know that immigrants have to pass a language test? They object to immigration on emotional grounds, not because they have dry objections to eligibility criteria.

To ensure graduates contribute effectively to the economy, the maximum post-study stay will be reduced to 18 months from the current 2 years for most from 1 January 2027. It comes after data clearly showed that many holders had not transitioned into graduate-level employment as intended.
Finance requirements for student visas will also be increased for the 2025 to 2026 academic year, meaning foreign students will have to demonstrate they have sufficient funds to support themselves.

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 1d

To be frank, this kind of research—straightforward with profound global privacy and surveillance implications—is rare. There is usually some caveat that makes it niche or insubstantial. This one is not that.

Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 1d

NEW: A stunning new study finds that satellite transmissions—from calls and texts on T-Mobile to US and Mexico military communications—were sent unencrypted for any snoop to grab. @agreenberg.bsky.social and @mattburgess1.bsky.social have the scoop: www.wired.com/story/satell...

Satellites Are Leaking the World’s Secrets: Calls, Texts, Military and Corporate Data

With just $800 in basic equipment, researchers found a stunning variety of data—including thousands of T-Mobile users’ calls and texts and even US military communications—sent by satellites unencrypte...

www.wired.com

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Jessica Shurson @jessicashurson.bsky.social · 2d

This event looks incredible. Really sad I can’t make it to London that evening. Congrats @nniloideain.bsky.social on the book-it’s next in my to read pile!

Nora Ni Loideain @nniloideain.bsky.social · 2d

Very excited for all the debate and discussion on the right to privacy in an era of AI, surveillance, data retention with this stellar panel:

Prof David Feldman (University of Cambridge)
Prof Orla Lynskey (UCL)
James Baker (Harvard)
Robert Spano (Former President of ECtHR)

Hope you can join us!

InfoLawCentre@IALS @infolawcentre.bsky.social · 2d

Only 2 days to go!

Join us on Wednesday for a timely discussion on the themes and findings of the book - EU Data Privacy Law and Serious Crime.

@ials.bsky.social @nniloideain.bsky.social

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Jessica Shurson @jessicashurson.bsky.social · 2d

Also this is how Routledge recruit (and their emails are tandf (Taylor & Francis)

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Jessica Shurson @jessicashurson.bsky.social · 2d

I can’t DM here because I refuse to do age verification here in the UK but Nicola is my editor at Routledge and is on mat leave so this looks legit. If you want to email me I can confirm the name of her cover… ☺️

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QM_UCU @qmucu.bsky.social · 4d

*FIFTEEN THOUSAND JOBS LOST*.
If this were in a sector in which the PM could go and do a photoshoot looking like One Of The People, we’d have had a government intervention by now.

LopaLeach @lopa.bsky.social · 5d

Cuts equivalent to 15,000 jobs planned at UK universities – UCU www.timeshighereducation.com/news/cuts-eq...

Cuts equivalent to 15,000 jobs planned at UK universities – UCU

Proposed job losses almost triple since March as unions prepare to vote on nationwide industrial action

www.timeshighereducation.com

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Jessica Shurson @jessicashurson.bsky.social · 4d

Excellent choices

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Jonathan Healey @jonathanhealey.bsky.social · 5d

It was two OUP books.

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Kevin Collier @kevincollier.bsky.social · 5d

Here's the concern: It's technically possible for a committed amateur to make chem or bioweapons (variants of smallpox, polio, anthrax). The information's out there on the internet. It's just obscure and incredibly hard to learn. But now we're building "PhD level custom tutors" for everyone.

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Kate Leader @leader-kate.bsky.social · 5d

🚨BOOK LAUNCH🚨 at the Criminal Justice Centre QM @qmul.bsky.social @crimjusticecentre.bsky.social

Alan Norrie, Rethinking Criminal Justice: Punishment, Abolition and Moral Psychology

📅 Wednesday 19th November 6pm - 7.30
📍QMUL Mile End, Room 313
Tix: FREE at tinyurl.com/2s4bf3py

Please share!

Book Launch - Alan Norrie, Rethinking Criminal Justice Punishment...

Book Launch - Alan Norrie, Rethinking Criminal Justice Punishment, Abolition and Moral Psychology

tinyurl.com

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Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 6d

"Digital rights activists and online speech experts have long warned about this exact scenario: the privacy risks involved in handing over one’s ID to a platform—specifically taking companies at their word that they’re capable of safeguarding users’ data—outweigh any supposed benefits they promise"

The Discord Hack is Every Users’ Worst Nightmare

A hack impacting Discord’s age verification process shows in stark terms the risk of tech companies collecting users’ ID documents. Now the hackers are posting peoples’ IDs and other sensitive informa...

www.404media.co

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Pat Walshe - Privacy Matters @privacymatters.bsky.social · 7d

Germany. Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection opposes the EU #ChatControl proposal for the indiscriminate scanning of all private messaging to combat CSAM.

“Private communication should never be under general suspicion.”

www.bmjv.de/SharedDocs/Z...

Zitat

Anlasslose Chatkontrolle muss in einem Rechtsstaat tabu sein. Private Kommunikation darf nie unter Generalverdacht stehen.“

www.bmjv.de

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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 7d

A bubble so large you can see it from space and it's going to fuck all of us.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 7d

NVIDIA and OpenAi:

Concerns that their “increasingly complex and interconnected web of business transactions is artificially propping up the trillion-dollar AI boom.“

@bloomberg.com $NVDA 👀
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

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Maria Farrell @mariafarrell.bsky.social · 8d

The Pirate Party is calling it. Germany has stayed solid on blocking an EU Council majority for "Chat control"?! Fantastic news if so!

H/T @privacymatters.bsky.social

Citizen Protest Halts Chat Control; Breyer Celebrates Major Victory for Digital Privacy

In a major breakthrough for the digital rights movement, the German government has refused to back the EU's controversial Chat Control regulation today after facing massive public pressure. This block...

www.patrick-breyer.de

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Jessica Shurson @jessicashurson.bsky.social · 8d

Definitely not a you problem

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Pwnallthethings @pwnallthethings.bsky.social · 8d

Tragic news from Canada where the Canadian Supreme Court has gone from the official dress on the left to the one on the right

Canadian Supreme court. Everyone is dressed in bright red wooly gowns, with a beige trim. It looks sort of like a Santa robe

The Canadian Supreme court. Everyone is dressed in black gowns with a bright white kravat, and two thin red vertical lines on the side of the robe

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BILETA @bileta.bsky.social · 9d

We are now accepting abstracts for our Annual Conference at @aberuni.bsky.social 15-17 Apr. 2026. Join us for critical talks on law, tech & education (and generally a good time!) The theme is: 'Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.' More info: www.bileta.org.uk/news/bileta-...

BILETA conference 2026 – call for papers – BILETA

www.bileta.org.uk

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Graham Smith @cyberleagle.bsky.social · 9d

Quite amusing that the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 is listed in the Appendix to the Wolfson Report as a domestic statute covering human rights ground. It wouldn't exist at all but for a series of Strasbourg judgments and the ECHR.

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Meredith Whittaker @meredithmeredith.bsky.social · 9d

📣 Germany's close to reversing its opposition to mass surveillance & private message scanning, & backing the Chat Control bill. This could end private comms-& Signal-in the EU.

Time's short and they're counting on obscurity: please let German politicians know how horrifying their reversal would be.

Signal @signal.org · 12d

We are alarmed by reports that Germany is on the verge of a catastrophic about-face, reversing its longstanding and principled opposition to the EU’s Chat Control proposal which, if passed, could spell the end of the right to privacy in Europe. signal.org/blog/pdfs/ge...

signal.org

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Kate Leader @leader-kate.bsky.social · 10d

Might try an experiment in criminal law this year where for my public order offences lecture I just read through all the current and proposed protest offences and the students can place bets over whether I can cover them all in 2 hours or if I run out of time.

Kate Leader @leader-kate.bsky.social · 10d

The Home Secretary is now planning to find a way to criminalise the "cumulative effect" of protest.

Police to get new powers to crack down on repeated protests, says Home Office

Move follows arrest of almost 500 people at latest pro-Palestinian demonstration in London on Saturday

www.theguardian.com

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Signal @signal.org · 12d

We are alarmed by reports that Germany is on the verge of a catastrophic about-face, reversing its longstanding and principled opposition to the EU’s Chat Control proposal which, if passed, could spell the end of the right to privacy in Europe. signal.org/blog/pdfs/ge...

signal.org

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Jessica Shurson @jessicashurson.bsky.social · 14d

Best guess is that UK wants Apple to enable access to all data held in iCloud including this and to prevent them from reinstating ADP. Big questions I have are (1) who is a British user and (2) how is Apple supposed to enable access just for this accounts?

Matthew Green @matthewdgreen.bsky.social · 14d

As to question (1), the article isn’t super clear. But it’s worth pointing out that Apple doesn’t just provide end-to-end encryption for backups through their ADP feature. They also provide end-to-end encrypted backup for health data, web history and passwords, even without ADP.

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Matthew Green @matthewdgreen.bsky.social · 14d

What’s worrying here is that the UK government seems absolutely determined to access user private data, no matter the bad press and the consequences. And they’re now willing to do it overtly. Between this and recent moves against encryption in the EU, we’re going to a bad place.

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Matthew Green @matthewdgreen.bsky.social · 14d

The UK is demanding another backdoor in Apple’s encryption. www.ft.com/content/d101...

UK makes new attempt to access Apple cloud data

Order issued in September comes after Trump administration said London had backed down in fight over encryption

www.ft.com

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