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Whitney Merrill

@wbm312.bsky.social

12K followers 370 following 1.4K posts

I nudge people to care about privacy and security. CPO/DPO. Privacy/infosec lawyer. Hacker. Fighting for privacy, digital civil liberties & the users. Ex @EA @FTC |my views are my own. I used to post on Twitter at @wbm312.

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · Aug 2

Inspiration hit. All the new stickers arrived today!

thegarbagefile.etsy.com

Image depicts a variety of stickers: a malort bottle, 404 democracy not found, a blue box, a tarot card, a bird with a camera for its head, the Clipper chip, and a spicy pillow.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 3d

Flock is preparing to roll out a new feature: Its gunshot detection devices will begin listening for voices in “distress.” www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Flock’s Gunshot Detection Microphones Will Start Listening for Human

Flock Safety, the police technology company most notable for their extensive network of automated license plate readers spread throughout the United States, is rolling out a new and troubling product

www.eff.org

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 3d

A sheriff told the media that his team searched a license plate reader database because they were worried about a woman's safety. Records show it was an abortion investigation. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Flock Safety and Texas Sheriff Claimed License Plate Search Was for a

New documents and court records obtained by EFF show that Texas deputies queried Flock Safety's surveillance data in an abortion investigation, contradicting the narrative promoted by the company and

www.eff.org

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 2d

WOOOOOWWW! I love this! nice work

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 2d

Is there ever any good news anymore?

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 3d

New from 404 Media: the Discord hack is every users' worst nightmare. Yesterday the hackers started posting Discord users' selfies, identity documents, email addresses, phone numbers, more. I watched in real time. This is risk of tech storing ID for age verification
www.404media.co/the-discord-...

The Discord Hack is Every Users’ Worst Nightmare

A hack impacting Discord’s age verification process shows in stark terms the risk of tech companies collecting users’ ID documents. Now the hackers are posting peoples’ IDs and other sensitive informa...

www.404media.co

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 3d

That and many others. The most recent is a kid in PA who does cybersecurity for the city of Pittsburgh selling 150 designs that aren’t his.

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 3d

Which of my IP attorney friends is bored and wants to help some hackers take down someone stealing their sticker designs?

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 3d

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

nyti.ms

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 3d

They just filed a counter notice with a bunch of of fake info and a fake website. So it will be back up in a few days.

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 3d

They just filed a counter notice with a bunch of of fake info and a fake website. So it will be back up in a few days.

Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Will Quinn @willquinnart.bsky.social · 4d

Daily bunny no.3101 flying by night

A bunny catches a flight by holding both legs of a bat, who is flying across a starry night sky. Another bat follows closely behind them, and they are currently going over a small body of water.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 5d

If you want to start taking steps to enhance your digital security, it can be hard to know where to start. Here are some simple concepts and tips. ssd.eff.org/en/playlist...

Want a security starter pack?

Start from the beginning with a selection of simple steps. Surveillance impacts all of us, no matter where we live or what we do. While some of us might be directly affected, others may simply want to know what measures they can take to protect their communications and data from...

ssd.eff.org

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 5d

If you want to buy the originals, you can do so here:

www.etsy.com/shop/TheGarb...

www.etsy.com

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 4d

Below that is an @eff.org sticker (the ATT Spying sticker). They've ripped everyone off.

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 5d

<3 thank you!

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 5d

If you want to buy the originals, you can do so here:

www.etsy.com/shop/TheGarb...

www.etsy.com

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 5d

Oh look someone has ripped off most of my designs. They have also copied dozens of other sticker makers in the hacker community. I've reported them, but if they've stolen from you, you may want to report them too:

www.etsy.com/listing/4357...

www.etsy.com

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 6d

Flock is preparing to roll out a new feature: Its gunshot detection devices will begin listening for voices in “distress.” www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Flock’s Gunshot Detection Microphones Will Start Listening for Human

Flock Safety, the police technology company most notable for their extensive network of automated license plate readers spread throughout the United States, is rolling out a new and troubling product

www.eff.org

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 5d

Name and shame!

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 5d

When the tech nihilism sets in, it’s time for bed.

Just a reminder, you can build tech for good and to do good.

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 5d

a white cat wrapped in a pink fish tail

ALT: a white cat wrapped in a pink fish tail

media.tenor.com

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 5d

I’ve been thinking… I think the concept of “notifications” might be one of the worst things to happen in technology.

It’s overused by every piece of tech and software. Incessant engagement bait with so much noise and so little signal.

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 6d

Me: Dear privacy team at large multinational corporation. Your current practices violate federal consumer protection law.

Them: No. Look our privacy policy says its OK.

Me: Here's a recent FTC case with your exact fact scenario.

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Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 6d

You know what I want companies to care about? Good UX/UI design for security and privacy.

Some of it is just so so bad.

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Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Cathy Gellis @cathygellis.bsky.social · 7d

I must have missed the "collateral" exception in the Fourth Amendment.

Andrew Weinstein @andrewjweinstein.com · 7d

ICE admits that up to 50% of arrests in its Chicago raids are "collateral.” These aren't statistics. They are parents taken from their children, neighbors taken from our communities. When does a "collateral" U.S. citizen child's trauma matter? This isn't law enforcement; it's a campaign of terror.

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