Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
@lorenzofb.bsky.social
Real-time historian of the late cyber capitalist era @TechCrunch, writing about the intersection of hackers, human rights, and spies.
🍕, ⚽️, 🎸, 🎮 by night.
☎️ Signal: +1 917 257 1382
Past lives: VICE Motherboard, Mashable, WIRED.
🍕, ⚽️, 🎸, 🎮 by night.
☎️ Signal: +1 917 257 1382
Past lives: VICE Motherboard, Mashable, WIRED.
In terms of the number of targets argument, see this spreadsheet I posted here from the Hacking Team leak.
bsky.app/profile/lore...
bsky.app/profile/lore...
This is a very good point. And the answer lies in the licenses that spyware makers give their customers. In this case, "licenses" means the number of concurrent targets customers could use.
For example, these were the no. of targets Hacking Team gave its customers (note Morocco):
For example, these were the no. of targets Hacking Team gave its customers (note Morocco):
November 10, 2025 at 7:32 PM
In terms of the number of targets argument, see this spreadsheet I posted here from the Hacking Team leak.
bsky.app/profile/lore...
bsky.app/profile/lore...
Also, I actually think these are not called "licenses," apologies about that. I will have a blog expanding on this.
November 6, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Also, I actually think these are not called "licenses," apologies about that. I will have a blog expanding on this.
Cuidado, esto es Hacking Team, no NSO.
November 6, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Cuidado, esto es Hacking Team, no NSO.
To be clear: these numebers DO NOT mean that the customer had for ex 100 targets per year, but 100 concurrent targets at any point. So the customer could easily spy on hundreds of people a year if it wanted to.
Also it's quite telling that Morocco, UAE, and Saudi had the highest numeber of targets.
Also it's quite telling that Morocco, UAE, and Saudi had the highest numeber of targets.
November 6, 2025 at 5:58 PM
To be clear: these numebers DO NOT mean that the customer had for ex 100 targets per year, but 100 concurrent targets at any point. So the customer could easily spy on hundreds of people a year if it wanted to.
Also it's quite telling that Morocco, UAE, and Saudi had the highest numeber of targets.
Also it's quite telling that Morocco, UAE, and Saudi had the highest numeber of targets.
I should have kept reading 😂
October 30, 2025 at 8:36 PM
I should have kept reading 😂
This timeline doesn’t match Gibson’s story. He was fired in February and got the Apple notification in March
October 30, 2025 at 6:36 PM
This timeline doesn’t match Gibson’s story. He was fired in February and got the Apple notification in March
Reposted by Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
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-...
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
October 29, 2025 at 3:03 PM
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-...
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
Where’s the talk going to be?
October 27, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Where’s the talk going to be?
You're comfortable making your life worse, I guess I have to accept that.
October 24, 2025 at 7:02 PM
You're comfortable making your life worse, I guess I have to accept that.