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
Cops around the country searched Flock Safety ALPR databases related to the No Kings protests.
It's no secret that 2025 has given Americans plenty to protest about. But as news cameras showed protesters filling streets of cities across the country, cops were watching those streets through different lenses: Flock Safety license plate readers that tracked every car. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
How Cops Are Using Flock Safety's ALPR Network to Surveil Protesters
Through an analysis of 10 months of nationwide searches on Flock Safety's servers, we discovered that more than 50 federal, state, and local agencies ran hundreds of searches through Flock's national
www.eff.org
November 21, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Cops around the country searched Flock Safety ALPR databases related to the No Kings protests.
Reposted by Brian Hofer
The comment period for this proposed rule closes in 7 days: www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
Collection of Biometric Data From Aliens Upon Entry to and Departure From the United States
This final rule amends Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations to provide that DHS may require all aliens to be photographed when entering or exiting the United States, and may require non-e...
www.federalregister.gov
November 20, 2025 at 12:01 AM
The comment period for this proposed rule closes in 7 days: www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
Reposted by Brian Hofer
NEW: US airlines (Delta, United, American, etc) will shut down a program in which it sold hundreds of millions of your flight records to government agencies, including ICE, FBI, ATF, more. Comes after intense lawmaker-pressure and 404 Media's months-long reporting
www.404media.co/airlines-wil...
www.404media.co/airlines-wil...
Airlines Will Shut Down Program That Sold Your Flights Records to Government
The move comes after intense pressure from lawmakers and 404 Media’s months-long reporting about the airline industry's data selling practices.
www.404media.co
November 18, 2025 at 6:45 PM
NEW: US airlines (Delta, United, American, etc) will shut down a program in which it sold hundreds of millions of your flight records to government agencies, including ICE, FBI, ATF, more. Comes after intense lawmaker-pressure and 404 Media's months-long reporting
www.404media.co/airlines-wil...
www.404media.co/airlines-wil...
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...
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
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...
in @truthout.org
truthout.org/articles/ice...
Reposted by Brian Hofer
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-...
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
October 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Can’t see how this might be abused
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
Support its mission by signing up now. hubs.ly/Q03jcjqP0
October 24, 2025 at 11:38 PM
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
Support its mission by signing up now. hubs.ly/Q03jcjqP0
Denounce the betrayal of academic freedom by UC President Milliken
rootsaction.org/remove-uc-pr...
rootsaction.org/remove-uc-pr...
Remove UC’s President from Office. Stop the Violation of Academic Freedom and Free Speech Principles.
We urge the University of California Board of Regents to remove the current UC president and replace him with a leader willing to defend academic freedom instead of betraying it.
rootsaction.org
September 24, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Denounce the betrayal of academic freedom by UC President Milliken
rootsaction.org/remove-uc-pr...
rootsaction.org/remove-uc-pr...
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...
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
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...
Check out my latest @therealnews.com
therealnews.com/prisons-clos...
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
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...
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.
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
If human and Humanities work is not worthwhile, why steal it...? (Ugh, a search for my name yielded *73* entries...)
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
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
"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."