Thom
@thomkaye.bsky.social
Helping defend digital rights as Chief Security Officer w/ @accessnow & @rightscon | Prev protecting activists w/ @anticorruption | former aid worker safety| Berlin/UK | posts personal
Reposted by Thom
New: Videos show ICE/CBP agents are scanning peoples' faces on the street to verify citizenship. ICE has tool to instantly look up unprecedented number of databases with just a photo
“I’m an American citizen so leave me alone”
“Alright, we just got to verify that”
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
“I’m an American citizen so leave me alone”
“Alright, we just got to verify that”
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
ICE and CBP Agents Are Scanning Peoples’ Faces on the Street To Verify Citizenship
Videos on social media show officers from ICE and CBP using facial recognition technology on people in the field. One expert described the practice as “pure dystopian creep.”
www.404media.co
October 29, 2025 at 2:42 PM
New: Videos show ICE/CBP agents are scanning peoples' faces on the street to verify citizenship. ICE has tool to instantly look up unprecedented number of databases with just a photo
“I’m an American citizen so leave me alone”
“Alright, we just got to verify that”
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
“I’m an American citizen so leave me alone”
“Alright, we just got to verify that”
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
Reposted by Thom
It might be a good time to remind you that we provide training in what we do here at Bellingcat...
Check out our upcoming workshops below 👇
Check out our upcoming workshops below 👇
Want to learn first-hand tried and tested techniques of digital investigation? We have some upcoming workshops which may be of interest to you... 🧵
July 9, 2025 at 3:35 PM
It might be a good time to remind you that we provide training in what we do here at Bellingcat...
Check out our upcoming workshops below 👇
Check out our upcoming workshops below 👇
Reposted by Thom
Peaceful protest is a fundamental human right. But preparing for encounters with common crowd-control weapons used by law enforcement, like teargas & other chemical irritants, can help protect you and others from the health impacts of these weapons.
June 8, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Peaceful protest is a fundamental human right. But preparing for encounters with common crowd-control weapons used by law enforcement, like teargas & other chemical irritants, can help protect you and others from the health impacts of these weapons.
Reposted by Thom
“More than 100 Parliamentarians have signed a letter calling for the PM to take urgent action to secure the release of a British man who has been a political prisoner in Egypt for a decade.” www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
Supporters of British-Egyptian activist jailed in Cairo hit out at PM
Alaa Abd el Fattah, 43, has been imprisoned in Wadi El Natrun prison in Cairo after being arrested for his activist work in support of democracy and human rights in the country.
www.dailymail.co.uk
May 25, 2025 at 1:52 PM
“More than 100 Parliamentarians have signed a letter calling for the PM to take urgent action to secure the release of a British man who has been a political prisoner in Egypt for a decade.” www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Thom
BREAKING: jury awards massive $167 million in punitive damages against spyware company NSO Group.
Precedent-setting win against notorious #Pegasus spyware maker.
Very consequential for victims to see this.
Congratulations to #WhatsApp on sticking this case through since 2019. Some thoughts 1/
Precedent-setting win against notorious #Pegasus spyware maker.
Very consequential for victims to see this.
Congratulations to #WhatsApp on sticking this case through since 2019. Some thoughts 1/
May 6, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Reposted by Thom
Here is how the system works. Essentially a clone of Signal with an archiving feature added. It is not encrypted in the same way that normal Signal is. The messages are copied and retrievable from elsewhere later. Good for accountability/law; still security questions www.404media.co/mike-waltz-a...
May 1, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Here is how the system works. Essentially a clone of Signal with an archiving feature added. It is not encrypted in the same way that normal Signal is. The messages are copied and retrievable from elsewhere later. Good for accountability/law; still security questions www.404media.co/mike-waltz-a...
Reposted by Thom
Before you get your account verified by BlueSky, consider whether or not you might benefit from some plausible deniability of the posts made on a platform that is public, accessible by everyone, and does not have locked/private mode for accounts.
April 21, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Before you get your account verified by BlueSky, consider whether or not you might benefit from some plausible deniability of the posts made on a platform that is public, accessible by everyone, and does not have locked/private mode for accounts.
Reposted by Thom
Hulio brought key people from Pegasus’ maker NSO Group over to Dream. I trawled 118 Linkedin profiles of Dream’s staff, and counted at least 12 people who worked at NSO or other Israeli spyware firms (Paragon, Candiru or Cellebrite). Plus 11 ex-Israeli intelligence.
April 8, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Hulio brought key people from Pegasus’ maker NSO Group over to Dream. I trawled 118 Linkedin profiles of Dream’s staff, and counted at least 12 people who worked at NSO or other Israeli spyware firms (Paragon, Candiru or Cellebrite). Plus 11 ex-Israeli intelligence.
Reposted by Thom
Reposted by Thom
Resharing EFF’s surveillance self-defense guide for attending a protest! Keep those digital devices and data safe!
ssd.eff.org/module/atten...
ssd.eff.org/module/atten...
Attending a Protest
For quick reference, we've created a handy guide designed to be printed, folded, and carried in your pocket (PDF download).
Now, more than ever, citizens must be able to hold those in power accountab...
ssd.eff.org
April 5, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Resharing EFF’s surveillance self-defense guide for attending a protest! Keep those digital devices and data safe!
ssd.eff.org/module/atten...
ssd.eff.org/module/atten...
Reposted by Thom
Follow @disappearedtracker.bsky.social to track the shocking deportations of people the Trump Administration illegally arrests and deports ↘️
Why a USA Disappeared Tracker already on March 9, 2025 when the only reliable report of a politically disappeared person is Mahmoud Khalil?
Because they never stop at one.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Because they never stop at one.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Ice arrests Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia protests, lawyer says
Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest comes as Trump vows to deport foreign students involved in protests against Israel’s war
www.theguardian.com
March 30, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Follow @disappearedtracker.bsky.social to track the shocking deportations of people the Trump Administration illegally arrests and deports ↘️
Reposted by Thom
It's never a bad time to take a look at your online accounts and see if you spot a weird device or login.
We have a comprehensive guide on how to check if your Gmail, Apple ID, Facebook, IG, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, etc have been hacked.
techcrunch.com/2025/03/25/h...
We have a comprehensive guide on how to check if your Gmail, Apple ID, Facebook, IG, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, etc have been hacked.
techcrunch.com/2025/03/25/h...
How to tell if your online accounts have been hacked | TechCrunch
This is a guide on how to check whether someone compromised your online accounts.
techcrunch.com
March 25, 2025 at 9:25 PM
It's never a bad time to take a look at your online accounts and see if you spot a weird device or login.
We have a comprehensive guide on how to check if your Gmail, Apple ID, Facebook, IG, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, etc have been hacked.
techcrunch.com/2025/03/25/h...
We have a comprehensive guide on how to check if your Gmail, Apple ID, Facebook, IG, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, etc have been hacked.
techcrunch.com/2025/03/25/h...
Reposted by Thom
KEY TIP!
"you realize you don’t actually know anyone’s phone number anymore."
Lose access to your phone and all phone numbers while in custody.
MEMORIZE A COUPLE OF PHONE NUMBERS!
"you realize you don’t actually know anyone’s phone number anymore."
Lose access to your phone and all phone numbers while in custody.
MEMORIZE A COUPLE OF PHONE NUMBERS!
"'You are being detained.'
A woman asked me for the name of someone they could contact on my behalf.
In moments like this, you realize you don’t actually know anyone’s phone number anymore."
A woman asked me for the name of someone they could contact on my behalf.
In moments like this, you realize you don’t actually know anyone’s phone number anymore."
I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped
I was stuck in a freezing cell without explanation despite eventually having lawyers and media attention. Yet, compared with others, I was lucky
www.theguardian.com
March 19, 2025 at 4:42 PM
KEY TIP!
"you realize you don’t actually know anyone’s phone number anymore."
Lose access to your phone and all phone numbers while in custody.
MEMORIZE A COUPLE OF PHONE NUMBERS!
"you realize you don’t actually know anyone’s phone number anymore."
Lose access to your phone and all phone numbers while in custody.
MEMORIZE A COUPLE OF PHONE NUMBERS!
Reposted by Thom
NEW @citizenlab.ca report:
Virtue or Vice? A First Look at Paragon’s Proliferating Spyware Operations
citizenlab.ca/2025/03/a-fi...
Virtue or Vice? A First Look at Paragon’s Proliferating Spyware Operations
citizenlab.ca/2025/03/a-fi...
Virtue or Vice? A First Look at Paragon’s Proliferating Spyware Operations - The Citizen Lab
In our first investigation into Israel-based spyware company, Paragon Solutions, we begin to untangle multiple threads connected to the proliferation of Paragon's mercenary spyware operations across t...
citizenlab.ca
March 19, 2025 at 11:59 AM
NEW @citizenlab.ca report:
Virtue or Vice? A First Look at Paragon’s Proliferating Spyware Operations
citizenlab.ca/2025/03/a-fi...
Virtue or Vice? A First Look at Paragon’s Proliferating Spyware Operations
citizenlab.ca/2025/03/a-fi...
Reposted by Thom
The defence and protection of the environment continues to come at a high cost for activists. 🌱💚
We surveyed climate activists created a guide to limit social media monitoring.
We surveyed climate activists created a guide to limit social media monitoring.
How to avoid social media monitoring: A Guide for Climate Activists
The defense and protection of the environment continues to come at a high cost for activists and human rights defenders.
privacyinternational.org
March 18, 2025 at 5:01 PM
The defence and protection of the environment continues to come at a high cost for activists. 🌱💚
We surveyed climate activists created a guide to limit social media monitoring.
We surveyed climate activists created a guide to limit social media monitoring.
Reposted by Thom
🚨 Alongside Liberty and Leigh Day, we've filed a complaint against the UK Government's use of ‘Technical Capability Notices’ (TCN) - a power that gives the government the right to issue secret orders to companies, undermining our privacy and security.
pvcy.org/TCNchallenge
pvcy.org/TCNchallenge
privacyinternational.org
March 13, 2025 at 8:59 PM
🚨 Alongside Liberty and Leigh Day, we've filed a complaint against the UK Government's use of ‘Technical Capability Notices’ (TCN) - a power that gives the government the right to issue secret orders to companies, undermining our privacy and security.
pvcy.org/TCNchallenge
pvcy.org/TCNchallenge
Deeply concerning.
A useful write up from Privacy International on TCN’s and their implications here: privacyinternational.org/explainer/55...
A useful write up from Privacy International on TCN’s and their implications here: privacyinternational.org/explainer/55...
March 13, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Deeply concerning.
A useful write up from Privacy International on TCN’s and their implications here: privacyinternational.org/explainer/55...
A useful write up from Privacy International on TCN’s and their implications here: privacyinternational.org/explainer/55...
Reposted by Thom
NEW: Lockdown Mode has become a must-use for dissidents, activists, and journalists.
But its notifications are baffling, and nobody understands what they are trying to say, or what is Lockdown Mode actually doing.
Apple refused to provide explanations. For the love of god, Apple, please fix them.
But its notifications are baffling, and nobody understands what they are trying to say, or what is Lockdown Mode actually doing.
Apple refused to provide explanations. For the love of god, Apple, please fix them.
Apple’s Lockdown Mode is good for security — but its notifications are baffling | TechCrunch
Lockdown Mode is an "extreme protection" feature that's good for at-risk users, but its notifications are increasingly confusing.
techcrunch.com
March 13, 2025 at 4:53 PM
NEW: Lockdown Mode has become a must-use for dissidents, activists, and journalists.
But its notifications are baffling, and nobody understands what they are trying to say, or what is Lockdown Mode actually doing.
Apple refused to provide explanations. For the love of god, Apple, please fix them.
But its notifications are baffling, and nobody understands what they are trying to say, or what is Lockdown Mode actually doing.
Apple refused to provide explanations. For the love of god, Apple, please fix them.
Reposted by Thom
We just updated atlasofsurveillance.org with more than 200 new law enforcement agencies that maintain registries of private surveillance cameras. Search to see what tech your local cops are using.
Atlas of Surveillance
Documenting Police Tech in Our Communities with Open Source Research
atlasofsurveillance.org
March 7, 2025 at 9:25 PM
We just updated atlasofsurveillance.org with more than 200 new law enforcement agencies that maintain registries of private surveillance cameras. Search to see what tech your local cops are using.
Reposted by Thom
“Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads” - a very interesting hands-on blog post about contemporary location data flows and sales timsh.org/tracking-mys...
Everyone knows your location
How I tracked myself down using leaked location data in the in-app ads, and what I found along the way.
timsh.org
February 2, 2025 at 6:12 PM
“Everyone knows your location: tracking myself down through in-app ads” - a very interesting hands-on blog post about contemporary location data flows and sales timsh.org/tracking-mys...