Brian Hofer
brianhofer.bsky.social
Brian Hofer
@brianhofer.bsky.social
Executive Director, Secure Justice (@securejustice.bsky.social) https://secure-justice.org/ fmr. Chair, City of Oakland Privacy Advisory Commission (2016-2025)
Reposted by Brian Hofer
A Sunday morning read: I wrote a deeply personal essay on what it was like to see a fellow Chicagoan taken by ICE, how it connects to Latin-America's long history of desaparecidos, and how we can mobilize theory, particularly faith, into action.

in @truthout.org
truthout.org/articles/ice...
ICE Kidnapped My Neighbor in Broad Daylight. The Aftermath Left Me Reeling.
Watching disappearances in our community leaves psychological trauma, but we can counter it with our solidarity.
truthout.org
October 26, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Reposted by Brian Hofer
Secure Justice newsletter

A mixed bag for privacy eepurl.com/jqqNVQ
A mixed bag for privacy
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eepurl.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Can’t see how this might be abused
New incredible detail here: ICE says a match in its facial recognition app Mobile Fortify is a "definitive" determination of a person's status, and that this overrides birth certificates. This is an app ICE is using in the field to scan people

www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
October 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by Brian Hofer
We have never needed fearlessly pro-democracy media more than we do right now. The 21 person team at Democracy Docket works around the clock to keep you informed. No corporate overlords. No compromises. Never bows down.

Support its mission by signing up now. hubs.ly/Q03jcjqP0
October 24, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Reposted by Brian Hofer
Woods Ervin of Critical Resistance notes the Legislative Analyst’s Office found California could close five more prisons—saving $1.5B a year. That money could fund Medi-Cal, food aid, housing, and other vital programs.

Check out my latest @therealnews.com

therealnews.com/prisons-clos...
‘We've got four public prisons and one private prison closed’: CA abolitionist coalition takes on the prison-industrial complex
“We are pushing for the state to not only close prisons permanently and not reopen or sell them, but then to try and transform the conditions of the prison… detoxify the land, give it back to the loca...
therealnews.com
September 22, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Reposted by Brian Hofer
Scoop: DHS is trying to unmask Instagram accounts that named and shamed federal agents. One activist just filed a motion to quash the subpoena which was sent to Meta in early Sept. theintercept.com/2025/09/18/d...
The Feds Want to Unmask Instagram Accounts That Identified Immigration Agents
StopICE.net filed a motion to quash a subpoena about an Instagram video that identified a Border Patrol agent.
theintercept.com
September 18, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Reposted by Brian Hofer
If human and Humanities work is not worthwhile, why steal it...? (Ugh, a search for my name yielded *73* entries...)
Just a reminder to check for your name in this list of books that OpenAI trained from. If your name is there, they probably owe you several thousand dollars.

OpenAI cried that if everyone eligible author files, the company will go bankrupt, so I'm alerting every author I have ever spoken to.
Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI
Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.
www.theatlantic.com
September 6, 2025 at 11:03 PM
CPPA is seeking a part-time Student Assistant to support our Enforcement Division. You’ll help track consumer complaints, manage emails, compile reports, & support investigations. Great opportunity for students interested in public service. Apply secure10.saashr.com/ta/6158859.c...
August 29, 2025 at 8:02 PM
August 25, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Reposted by Brian Hofer
"Twenty-three Democratic attorneys general now gather on near-daily Zoom calls at 8 AM Pacific, which means the East Coast officials are already on their third coffee. They divide responsibilities and share templates for lawsuits they’ve been drafting since last spring."
It’s Time for Americans to Start Talking About “Soft Secession”
Blue states are finally learning what red states have known all along: you don’t need federal permission to govern.
cmarmitage.substack.com
August 23, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Reposted by Brian Hofer
Good turnout, strong vibes #PurgePalantir
San Francisco joined the fight against Peter Thiel and Palantir!

Protest today at Thiel’s venture capital firm, Founders Fund.

#PurgePalantir
#PeopleOverBillionaires

@planetoverprofit.org
@purgepalantir.bsky.social
@bayresistance.bsky.social
August 22, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Reposted by Brian Hofer
Amazon pulled an application for a 7.2 million sqft data center in Virginia after massive local opposition.

“We’re letting or even entertaining the idea of a billion dollar corporation coming around and messing with our drinking water. I think it’s pretty humiliating,” Brittany Carroll said.
Amazon pulls Louisa County data center proposal after strong resistance • Virginia Mercury
Members of the Louisa community railed against a now-halted fourth proposed data center but concerns remain over the three to come
virginiamercury.com
July 29, 2025 at 4:49 PM