Victoria McIntosh
@vmcntosh.bsky.social
Freelance information & #privacy professional in Halifax, NS. Geek, history & caffeine enthusiast. MLIS, CIPT. I work hard so my pets live the good life. @vmcntosh on the old bird site. Skeets on a little bit of everything.
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
New from me: on the staggering hypocrisy of media outlets offering guides to privacy, countersurveillance, and safe protest, in articles which are teeming with adtech and location data trackers: data which the fascist surveillance apparatus is buying up in bulk.
heatherburns.tech/2026/01/10/r...
heatherburns.tech/2026/01/10/r...
Resistance honeypots – Hi, I'm Heather Burns
heatherburns.tech
January 10, 2026 at 7:39 AM
New from me: on the staggering hypocrisy of media outlets offering guides to privacy, countersurveillance, and safe protest, in articles which are teeming with adtech and location data trackers: data which the fascist surveillance apparatus is buying up in bulk.
heatherburns.tech/2026/01/10/r...
heatherburns.tech/2026/01/10/r...
You laugh, but a rabid groundhogs almost took down a journalist in Nova Scotia.
- Not saying “sorry”
- Weaponized smugness
- Weaponized beavers
- Weaponized smugness
- Weaponized beavers
Future Canadian Resistance Tactics
“We need to prepare for the possibility that the U.S. uses military coercion against Canada.” — Headline from op-ed in The Globe and Mail. - - -Jam...
buff.ly
January 10, 2026 at 3:03 AM
You laugh, but a rabid groundhogs almost took down a journalist in Nova Scotia.
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
nothing says you’re kicking ass at Buddhism quite like having an insatiable desire for something
November 12, 2025 at 10:16 PM
nothing says you’re kicking ass at Buddhism quite like having an insatiable desire for something
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
This seems very bad.
January 10, 2026 at 1:56 AM
This seems very bad.
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
Being in a beguine house was your best life as a medieval woman like at least eighty percent of the time.
The great exception to communes blowing up in funny ways is women's communes actually tend to go really well, like Umoja Village.
January 10, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Being in a beguine house was your best life as a medieval woman like at least eighty percent of the time.
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
That’s… quite a list.
Actually surprised by some apps I can’t find, given industry history (ex. Pokémon Go). Solitaire lovers though, you’re shit outta luck.
Actually surprised by some apps I can’t find, given industry history (ex. Pokémon Go). Solitaire lovers though, you’re shit outta luck.
Here is a (likely incomplete) list of apps that are enabling ICE to track your smartphone's location.
Download, mirror, and reshare.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Download, mirror, and reshare.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Gravy-Venntel_apps
docs.google.com
January 10, 2026 at 12:12 AM
That’s… quite a list.
Actually surprised by some apps I can’t find, given industry history (ex. Pokémon Go). Solitaire lovers though, you’re shit outta luck.
Actually surprised by some apps I can’t find, given industry history (ex. Pokémon Go). Solitaire lovers though, you’re shit outta luck.
Friday night final boss fights. #videogames
January 9, 2026 at 11:53 PM
Friday night final boss fights. #videogames
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
Here’s a fun update: The reveal for my forthcoming book Design for Privacy. Available from @rosenfeldmedia.com in November!
🔗More info here - rosenfeldmedia.com/books/design...
🔗More info here - rosenfeldmedia.com/books/design...
August 12, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Here’s a fun update: The reveal for my forthcoming book Design for Privacy. Available from @rosenfeldmedia.com in November!
🔗More info here - rosenfeldmedia.com/books/design...
🔗More info here - rosenfeldmedia.com/books/design...
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
"There was no plan. I don’t have a plan. You have plans. But out there, you can’t. I don’t choose to do the things I have to do. They just keep happening."
A great line for Maximus, but also one that resonates with any RPG player who returns to a game months later and forgets what they were doing.
A great line for Maximus, but also one that resonates with any RPG player who returns to a game months later and forgets what they were doing.
January 9, 2026 at 9:53 PM
"There was no plan. I don’t have a plan. You have plans. But out there, you can’t. I don’t choose to do the things I have to do. They just keep happening."
A great line for Maximus, but also one that resonates with any RPG player who returns to a game months later and forgets what they were doing.
A great line for Maximus, but also one that resonates with any RPG player who returns to a game months later and forgets what they were doing.
This makes me question the U.S. ability to take over Greenland or Canada.
This morning in Minneapolis, an ICE vehicle got stuck on an icy hill in a residential neighborhood. Agents had to push the vehicles out, some almost slipping in the ice themselves.
January 9, 2026 at 4:34 PM
This makes me question the U.S. ability to take over Greenland or Canada.
Not sure I agree with this assessment by the MEI: #AI
Canada should not adopt a European-style “regulate first, innovate later” approach to artificial intelligence, says the MEI | Montreal Economic Institute
The pitfalls of overregulating AI could pre-emptively restrict the significant economic gains that would benefit Canadians, according to a new MEI publication released this morning.
www.iedm.org
January 9, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Not sure I agree with this assessment by the MEI: #AI
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
ChatGPT Health lets you connect medical records to an AI that makes things up arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/c...
ChatGPT Health lets you connect medical records to an AI that makes things up
New feature will allow users to link medical and wellness records to AI chatbot.
arstechnica.com
January 9, 2026 at 9:42 AM
ChatGPT Health lets you connect medical records to an AI that makes things up arstechnica.com/ai/2026/01/c...
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
Alternative headline: humiliating and abusing women on X by digitally undressing them is now a privilege reserved to paying users.
Grok turns off image generator for most users after outcry over sexualised AI imagery
X to limit editing function to paying subscribers after platform threatened with fines and regulatory action
www.theguardian.com
January 9, 2026 at 8:22 AM
Alternative headline: humiliating and abusing women on X by digitally undressing them is now a privilege reserved to paying users.
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
OpenAI just launched ChatGPT Health + is encouraging users to connect their electronic medical records + wellness app data to the chatbot. Data shared w/ ChatGPT isn't HIPAA protected. Privacy advocates see risks for consumers, esp. in the absence of a fed privacy law
therecord.media/chatgpt-heal...
therecord.media/chatgpt-heal...
ChatGPT Health feature draws concern from privacy critics over sensitive medical data
The artificial intelligence juggernaut in a blog post encouraged its hundreds of millions of users to connect medical records and wellness app data to the new health-focused chatbot feature, adding th...
therecord.media
January 8, 2026 at 6:48 PM
OpenAI just launched ChatGPT Health + is encouraging users to connect their electronic medical records + wellness app data to the chatbot. Data shared w/ ChatGPT isn't HIPAA protected. Privacy advocates see risks for consumers, esp. in the absence of a fed privacy law
therecord.media/chatgpt-heal...
therecord.media/chatgpt-heal...
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
Resharing for #NationalSnuggleAChickenDay
🐓🐔
🐓🐔
For #NationalSnuggleAChickenDay, I present Kabuki actors performing with roosters:
Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769–1825)
Sawamura Gennosuke I as Yoshiie, 1802
collections.mfa.org/objects/176280
Kuniyasu Utagawa (1794-1832)
Iwai Kumesaburo as Shosho, c.1820s-30s
ukiyo-e.org/image/arteli...
🐓
#JapaneseArt
Utagawa Toyokuni I (1769–1825)
Sawamura Gennosuke I as Yoshiie, 1802
collections.mfa.org/objects/176280
Kuniyasu Utagawa (1794-1832)
Iwai Kumesaburo as Shosho, c.1820s-30s
ukiyo-e.org/image/arteli...
🐓
#JapaneseArt
January 9, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Resharing for #NationalSnuggleAChickenDay
🐓🐔
🐓🐔
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
I am a big fan of AI pins. Watching these companies fail, one after the other, because their product is so stupid is endlessly entertaining.
This Company Is Reimagining the AI Pin at CES 2026
Memories.ai is pivoting its LUCI AI pin from being a consumer device to being a developer platform.
www.cnet.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:40 AM
I am a big fan of AI pins. Watching these companies fail, one after the other, because their product is so stupid is endlessly entertaining.
You always had to remember to label these.
January 9, 2026 at 1:39 AM
You always had to remember to label these.
2025: “What a year, huh?”
2026: “Hold the goddamn beer.”
2026: “Hold the goddamn beer.”
January 8, 2026 at 11:34 PM
2025: “What a year, huh?”
2026: “Hold the goddamn beer.”
2026: “Hold the goddamn beer.”
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
It can be hard to imagine how to defend oneself against an overwhelming force like ICE. But a few enterprising hackers have started projects to do counter-surveillance against ICE, and hopefully protect their communities through clever use of technology. www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
How Hackers Are Fighting Back Against ICE
A few enterprising hackers have started projects to do counter surveillance against ICE, and hopefully protect their communities through clever use of technology.
www.eff.org
January 8, 2026 at 11:14 PM
It can be hard to imagine how to defend oneself against an overwhelming force like ICE. But a few enterprising hackers have started projects to do counter-surveillance against ICE, and hopefully protect their communities through clever use of technology. www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
ClickFix attacks are on the rise, increasingly dangerous and devious, and can get you hacked in a flash.
In this long-read for this.weekinsecurity.com, I explain what you should know about how ClickFix hacks work (+ examples!), why they're so dangerous, and what you can do to avoid these attacks.
In this long-read for this.weekinsecurity.com, I explain what you should know about how ClickFix hacks work (+ examples!), why they're so dangerous, and what you can do to avoid these attacks.
ClickFix attacks are increasingly devious, dangerous, and can get you hacked in an instant
These attacks spoof Windows errors, CAPTCHAs, and real login pages to trick victims into hacking themselves with malware that skirts common cyber defenses.
this.weekinsecurity.com
January 8, 2026 at 11:05 PM
ClickFix attacks are on the rise, increasingly dangerous and devious, and can get you hacked in a flash.
In this long-read for this.weekinsecurity.com, I explain what you should know about how ClickFix hacks work (+ examples!), why they're so dangerous, and what you can do to avoid these attacks.
In this long-read for this.weekinsecurity.com, I explain what you should know about how ClickFix hacks work (+ examples!), why they're so dangerous, and what you can do to avoid these attacks.
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
Literally the most useful thing I have found to get people to avoid AI is Chuck Wendig's blog post about all the fake shit about himself he could find with AI searches.
tip for parent management: my parents were asking me about chatGPT, and have some friends who love it, and none of my attempts to caution them were as successful as just sending them the Wikipedia page for AI hallucinations
January 8, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Literally the most useful thing I have found to get people to avoid AI is Chuck Wendig's blog post about all the fake shit about himself he could find with AI searches.
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
I teach bystander intervention for a living and have taught de-escalation to law enforcement.
Trust me when I say that bottle girls, gas station clerks, strippers, front desk employees at hotels and airports, baristas, etc. have better de-escalation skills than any cop I've ever seen.
Trust me when I say that bottle girls, gas station clerks, strippers, front desk employees at hotels and airports, baristas, etc. have better de-escalation skills than any cop I've ever seen.
January 8, 2026 at 8:44 PM
I teach bystander intervention for a living and have taught de-escalation to law enforcement.
Trust me when I say that bottle girls, gas station clerks, strippers, front desk employees at hotels and airports, baristas, etc. have better de-escalation skills than any cop I've ever seen.
Trust me when I say that bottle girls, gas station clerks, strippers, front desk employees at hotels and airports, baristas, etc. have better de-escalation skills than any cop I've ever seen.
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
This is the way
Bose is open-sourcing its old smart speakers instead of bricking them
Bose speakers un-bricked
www.theverge.com
January 8, 2026 at 9:15 PM
This is the way
Reposted by Victoria McIntosh
All I hear when people say "if you're not constantly furious at the news, you don't care" is "if you're not overwhelming your nervous system to the point of exhaustion, you're doing it wrong".
It's ok to be working for change in a terrible context & take care of yourself so you can be functional.
It's ok to be working for change in a terrible context & take care of yourself so you can be functional.
January 8, 2026 at 5:01 PM
All I hear when people say "if you're not constantly furious at the news, you don't care" is "if you're not overwhelming your nervous system to the point of exhaustion, you're doing it wrong".
It's ok to be working for change in a terrible context & take care of yourself so you can be functional.
It's ok to be working for change in a terrible context & take care of yourself so you can be functional.