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Australian Police seize control of network of encrypted phones
12 days ago
- Police seized control of an encrypted phone network used by alleged gangsters for drug deals, kidnappings, and murders.
- The VIP Network sold custom-encrypted devices for $2000 each, generating around $2 million annually, targeting Sydney's underworld.
- Three brothers were arrested and charged with crimes related to the encrypted devices, which were linked to violent gang feuds.
- Over 3000 devices have been identified, and police warned users via a broadcast message on the network.
- The crackdown has disrupted organized crime, with gang members arrested, killed, or forced to flee, including senior leaders hiding abroad.
Exit Chat Control
12 days ago
- EU Prüm II regulation allows facial image exchange across police forces, raising mass surveillance concerns.
- eIDAS 2.0 mandates European digital identity wallets by 2026 and forces browsers to trust state certificates.
- High-Level Group proposes 'lawful access by design' for police access to data, criticized as mass surveillance.
- Romanian election annulled due to TikTok campaign; DSA proceedings opened against platform.
- Vietnam requires identity verification for online posting, linking speech to verified identity.
- UK demands iCloud backdoor; Apple removes encryption for UK users rather than comply.
- France rejects 'ghost participant' mechanism in encrypted messengers after cross-party opposition.
- EU's ProtectEU strategy includes roadmap for accessing encrypted communications and boosting Europol.
- ICE purchases Palantir's 'ImmigrationOS' for targeted surveillance of immigration populations.
- Switzerland's surveillance ordinance proposal stalls after opposition from companies like Proton.
- US requires student visa applicants to make social media public for ideological screening.
- EU schedules state decryption capabilities by 2030, including AI analysis of seized data.
- EU pilots age-verification apps, integrating into digital identity wallets by late 2026.
- France enforces age verification for adult sites, blocking access for non-compliance.
- China introduces centralized 'cyberspace ID' with face recognition, eroding online anonymity.
- EMFA bans spyware against journalists but includes exceptions for national security.
- Russia mandates pre-installed state-controlled messenger MAX on smartphones, with tracking capabilities.
- Russia penalizes searching for 'extremist' content online, including via VPNs.
- Over 500 scientists sign open letter against client-side scanning, citing technical infeasibility.
- UK plans mandatory digital ID for right-to-work checks, sparking public opposition.
- EU pulls mandatory scanning proposal after backlash, but it returns as 'voluntary'.
- EU Entry/Exit System collects biometrics for non-EU travelers, centralizing border control.
- UN Cybercrime Convention adopted, enabling cross-border surveillance with broad definitions.
- ECB advances digital euro development while legal safeguards remain undecided.
- Australia bans under-16s from social platforms, requiring age estimation and deactivating millions of accounts.
- France extends algorithmic CCTV 'experiment' to 2030, expanding surveillance scope.
- Former Polish minister granted asylum in Hungary amid Pegasus spyware scandal.
- Russia blocks WhatsApp after platform refuses data-sharing demands.
- Greek court convicts spyware vendors in Predator case, but buyers remain untraceable.
- France proposes expanding 'black boxes' to include full URL tracking for metadata analysis.
- German and French intelligence switch from Palantir to ChapsVision for AI-driven police analysis.
- US FISA Section 702 lapses but surveillance continues under existing certifications.
- EU Parliament advances digital euro with conditional payment features, despite non-programmability claims.
- Europol budget proposal increases to €3 billion with expanded mandate on encryption and AI.
- Pegasus spyware found on MEP in committee overseeing spyware, highlighting oversight failures.
- Decentralized social networks like Mastodon, Nostr, and Matrix offer alternatives to corporate platforms, emphasizing user control and privacy.
Show HN: Hidetext.sh – encrypted pastebin where the server never sees the key
10 days ago
- Share text privately without accounts or tracking
- End-to-end encrypted for secure sharing
- Features text formatting options like bold, italic, and color
- Includes 'Burn after read' functionality for self-destructing content
Show HN: Ekko – post-quantum E2EE layer for Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram Web
14 hours ago
- Claim a universal handle to link socials and share public keys; private keys stay device-local.
- Post-quantum encryption (X25519, ML-KEM-768, XChaCha20-Poly1305) secures messages across existing apps.
- Two usage modes: handle-based (auto key discovery) or anonymous (manual invite trading).
- Ekko operates as a layer on top of messengers like Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram; no new app required.
- Private key never leaves the device; only public keys are published via Ekko.
- Start using in browser, with keyboard integration planned next.
- Open source code ensures basic functionality remains free forever.
My USB Drive Has a Hidden Encrypted Vault
a day ago
- Phantomdrive is an open-source USB drive that appears as an 8 GB drive but hides a second encrypted partition activated by editing a plaintext file with 'password:YOURPASSWORD'.
- It uses the CH569 chip, an SD card for storage, and AES-256 encryption, with firmware and hardware designs fully open source.
- The key derivation function (KDF) uses 100,000 rounds of SHA-256 with a device-specific salt from the serial number, taking about 3 seconds to unlock.
- Two AES modes are available: AES-CTR (faster, ~9 MB/s write, 20 MB/s read) and AES-XTS (more secure, ~6 MB/s write, 10 MB/s read).
- The firmware snoops writes to detect the password string and prevents it from being written to disk, avoiding accidental exposure.
- The device is designed to help bypass authorities who may force decryption, but does not protect against being compelled to reveal the password.

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#encryption

Australian Police seize control of network of encrypted phones

Exit Chat Control

Show HN: Hidetext.sh – encrypted pastebin where the server never sees the key

Show HN: Ekko – post-quantum E2EE layer for Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram Web

My USB Drive Has a Hidden Encrypted Vault