Whitney Merrill
@wbm312.bsky.social
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.
Pinned
Reposted by Whitney Merrill
Police can’t spy on the private electricity data of thousands of people with zero suspicion. Not in Sacramento. Not anywhere. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Victory! Court Ends Dragnet Electricity Surveillance Program in
For more than a decade, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District coordinated with police to sift through the granular smart meter data of residents without suspicion to find evidence of cannabis
www.eff.org
November 23, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Police can’t spy on the private electricity data of thousands of people with zero suspicion. Not in Sacramento. Not anywhere. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Reposted by Whitney Merrill
I really want to know the full story behind this epic hack, and yet I also hope it is never solved.
It's my favorite day! It's the 38th anniversary of the Max Headroom signal broadcast intrusion!
1st incident lasted 25s during the 9PM news on WGN-TV in Chicago; The 2nd, 2hrs later, lasted ~90s on PBS affiliate WTTW during Dr. Who.
You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqge...
1st incident lasted 25s during the 9PM news on WGN-TV in Chicago; The 2nd, 2hrs later, lasted ~90s on PBS affiliate WTTW during Dr. Who.
You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqge...
Max Headroom 1987 Broadcast Signal Intrusion Incident
YouTube video by andrew867
www.youtube.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:50 PM
I really want to know the full story behind this epic hack, and yet I also hope it is never solved.
Reposted by Whitney Merrill
Reposted by Whitney Merrill
Reposted by Whitney Merrill
Happy Max Headroom Broadcast Signal Intrusion Day to all who celebrate!
Today is the 37th anniversary of the Max Headroom signal broadcast intrusion!
1st incident lasted 25s during the sportscast on the 9PM news on WGN-TV in Chicago; The 2nd, 2hrs later, lasted ~90s on PBS affiliate WTTW during Dr. Who.
You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqge...
1st incident lasted 25s during the sportscast on the 9PM news on WGN-TV in Chicago; The 2nd, 2hrs later, lasted ~90s on PBS affiliate WTTW during Dr. Who.
You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqge...
Max Headroom 1987 Broadcast Signal Intrusion Incident
YouTube video by andrew867
www.youtube.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Happy Max Headroom Broadcast Signal Intrusion Day to all who celebrate!
Reposted by Whitney Merrill
I just left a giant masterpiece for all the World's Greatest Newspaper nerds!
Today is the 37th anniversary of the Max Headroom signal broadcast intrusion!
1st incident lasted 25s during the sportscast on the 9PM news on WGN-TV in Chicago; The 2nd, 2hrs later, lasted ~90s on PBS affiliate WTTW during Dr. Who.
You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqge...
1st incident lasted 25s during the sportscast on the 9PM news on WGN-TV in Chicago; The 2nd, 2hrs later, lasted ~90s on PBS affiliate WTTW during Dr. Who.
You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqge...
Max Headroom 1987 Broadcast Signal Intrusion Incident
YouTube video by andrew867
www.youtube.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:19 PM
I just left a giant masterpiece for all the World's Greatest Newspaper nerds!
It's my favorite day! It's the 38th anniversary of the Max Headroom signal broadcast intrusion!
1st incident lasted 25s during the 9PM news on WGN-TV in Chicago; The 2nd, 2hrs later, lasted ~90s on PBS affiliate WTTW during Dr. Who.
You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqge...
1st incident lasted 25s during the 9PM news on WGN-TV in Chicago; The 2nd, 2hrs later, lasted ~90s on PBS affiliate WTTW during Dr. Who.
You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqge...
Max Headroom 1987 Broadcast Signal Intrusion Incident
YouTube video by andrew867
www.youtube.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:37 PM
It's my favorite day! It's the 38th anniversary of the Max Headroom signal broadcast intrusion!
1st incident lasted 25s during the 9PM news on WGN-TV in Chicago; The 2nd, 2hrs later, lasted ~90s on PBS affiliate WTTW during Dr. Who.
You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqge...
1st incident lasted 25s during the 9PM news on WGN-TV in Chicago; The 2nd, 2hrs later, lasted ~90s on PBS affiliate WTTW during Dr. Who.
You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqge...
Reposted by Whitney Merrill
The long sought-after solution to the fourth passage of “Kryptos,” artist Jim Sanborn’s secret-code-bearing sculpture at CIA headquarters, sold at an auction for a final price of $962,500, blowing past its $300,000 to $500,0000 estimate.
Long-sought solution to ‘Kryptos’ sculpture sells for almost $1 million
The sale is an unexpected success for artist Jim Sanborn, who feared it might not happen after researchers discovered the plain-text solution at an archive.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:30 PM
The long sought-after solution to the fourth passage of “Kryptos,” artist Jim Sanborn’s secret-code-bearing sculpture at CIA headquarters, sold at an auction for a final price of $962,500, blowing past its $300,000 to $500,0000 estimate.
Reposted by Whitney Merrill
Hackers Off Planet Earth
HOPE CONFERENCE BANNED BY ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY | 2600
www.2600.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Hackers Off Planet Earth
Reposted by Whitney Merrill
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 Whitney Merrill
When Ohio voters protected the rights "to make reproductive decisions and travel for healthcare, they didn’t intend for their state to subsidize the very surveillance tools that can criminalize those choices,” EFF’s @tsnvaa.bsky.social told @clevelandscene.bsky.social.
Ohio State Highway Patrol Has Contract With Flock, Firm That Tracked Abortion Patient - Cleveland Scene
Flock Safety has received criticism for tracking a Texan who drove to Illinois to flee the state's forced-birth laws. Despite 2023's Ohio Issue 1 decision, Ohio's state highway patrol gave the firm te...
www.clevescene.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:51 PM
When Ohio voters protected the rights "to make reproductive decisions and travel for healthcare, they didn’t intend for their state to subsidize the very surveillance tools that can criminalize those choices,” EFF’s @tsnvaa.bsky.social told @clevelandscene.bsky.social.
I’ve decided there are too many ways to reach me. Too many platforms that allow people to send messages.
November 13, 2025 at 6:42 AM
I’ve decided there are too many ways to reach me. Too many platforms that allow people to send messages.
Reposted by Whitney Merrill
Tucked away deep in the Settings app on Android are all sorts of privacy and security features you may have never seen. It’s time to get to know those settings. ssd.eff.org/module/how-...
How to: Get to Know Android Privacy and Security Settings
Open up your Android phone’s Settings app and you’ll find dozens of different options with little guidance on what those options do. Some of these settings have a serious impact on your privacy and security, altering what data gets shared automatically with apps, data brokers, and Google itself.
What sorts...
ssd.eff.org
November 12, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Tucked away deep in the Settings app on Android are all sorts of privacy and security features you may have never seen. It’s time to get to know those settings. ssd.eff.org/module/how-...
They decided to stop making the penny?!
November 13, 2025 at 6:30 AM
They decided to stop making the penny?!
Reposted by Whitney Merrill
This is a damn shame to see. @brianhofer.bsky.social has been such a driving force not just in keeping this city on track and protecting its citizens' privacy, but in creating a standard for the rest of the country. Thanks for all you've done, Brian.
oaklandside.org/2025/11/12/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/11/12/o...
2 Oakland privacy commissioners resign: ‘I felt like nothing I was doing mattered’
Brian Hofer and Sean Everhart don’t think the city is doing enough to ensure residents’ privacy rights and protect itself from lawsuits.
oaklandside.org
November 13, 2025 at 5:27 AM
This is a damn shame to see. @brianhofer.bsky.social has been such a driving force not just in keeping this city on track and protecting its citizens' privacy, but in creating a standard for the rest of the country. Thanks for all you've done, Brian.
oaklandside.org/2025/11/12/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/11/12/o...
The password to the Louvre’s video surveillance system was “Louvre,” according to a museum employee
Password to Louvre’s video surveillance system was 'Louvre', according to employee
According to an employee with knowledge of the system, the password to the Louvre's video surveillance system was simply "Louvre" at the time of the robbery last month.
abcnews.go.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Appreciate the cynical responses… and don’t disagree.
No consequences, no compliance.
No consequences, no compliance.
Do large retailers just not care about PCI compliance anymore? I am shocked at how many big and established retailers collect credit card details via a credit card authorization form over email.
October 31, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Appreciate the cynical responses… and don’t disagree.
No consequences, no compliance.
No consequences, no compliance.
Do large retailers just not care about PCI compliance anymore? I am shocked at how many big and established retailers collect credit card details via a credit card authorization form over email.
October 30, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Do large retailers just not care about PCI compliance anymore? I am shocked at how many big and established retailers collect credit card details via a credit card authorization form over email.
Reposted by Whitney Merrill
“We should have banned government use of face recognition when we had the chance because it is dangerous, invasive, and an inherent threat to civil liberties,” EFF’s @MGuariglia.bsky.social told @404Media.co. 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 8:03 PM
“We should have banned government use of face recognition when we had the chance because it is dangerous, invasive, and an inherent threat to civil liberties,” EFF’s @MGuariglia.bsky.social told @404Media.co. www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp...
No? Just me?
Anyone else getting non stop “Invesco QQQ” spam calls? Maybe 5-6 a day at this point.
October 29, 2025 at 1:41 AM
No? Just me?
Anyone else getting non stop “Invesco QQQ” spam calls? Maybe 5-6 a day at this point.
October 29, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Anyone else getting non stop “Invesco QQQ” spam calls? Maybe 5-6 a day at this point.
This is why I always, always opt out of the use of these when asked by a nurse or doctor.
October 26, 2025 at 5:48 AM
This is why I always, always opt out of the use of these when asked by a nurse or doctor.
Reposted by Whitney Merrill
@wbm312.bsky.social gave me this payphone pin @shmoocon.bsky.social one time and it’s the coolest pin I’ve ever seen, and I kept thinking I needed to save it for special occasions but it’s too cool not to display, so it’s on the bag now next to the pirate jelly (that I made).
October 25, 2025 at 1:57 AM
@wbm312.bsky.social gave me this payphone pin @shmoocon.bsky.social one time and it’s the coolest pin I’ve ever seen, and I kept thinking I needed to save it for special occasions but it’s too cool not to display, so it’s on the bag now next to the pirate jelly (that I made).
Ok it’s Friday! Tell me about all the good things that happened this week.
October 24, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Ok it’s Friday! Tell me about all the good things that happened this week.
Reposted by Whitney Merrill
The New York Times publishes a handy guide to which federal forces are terrorizing us at any moment. This is America, 2025.
October 24, 2025 at 11:51 AM
The New York Times publishes a handy guide to which federal forces are terrorizing us at any moment. This is America, 2025.