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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.

Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 14h

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

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 17m

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 · 17m

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 · 1d

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.

Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 1d

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...

Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 1d

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

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

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 1d

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

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 1d

<3 thank you!

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 1d

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

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

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 1d

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...

Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 2d

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

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 2d

Name and shame!

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 2d

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

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

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 2d

a white cat wrapped in a pink fish tail

ALT: a white cat wrapped in a pink fish tail

media.tenor.com

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 2d

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.

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 3d

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.

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 3d

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.

Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Cathy Gellis @cathygellis.bsky.social · 3d

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

Andrew Weinstein @andrewjweinstein.com · 3d

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.

Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 4d

A San Francisco Supervisor wants to amend a landmark surveillance law so it is harder to sue police when they spy on you illegally. Police are not above the law and this policy change will result in one thing: more illegal surveillance. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Hey, San Francisco, There Should be Consequences When Police Spy

A San Francisco supervisor has proposed that police and other city agencies should have no financial consequences for breaking a landmark surveillance oversight law. In 2019, organizations from

Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 4d

Alongside @404media.co, we sued DHS demanding they hand over a copy of an agreement that shares the personal data of nearly 80 million Medicaid patients with ICE.

We believe it’s important for the public to see this unprecedented data sharing agreement.

404 Media and Freedom of the Press Foundation Sue DHS

Both organizations are seeking a copy of a data sharing agreement that is giving the personal data of nearly 80 million Medicaid patients to ICE.

www.404media.co

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 3d

a man in a suit and tie is giving a thank you sign .

ALT: a man in a suit and tie is giving a thank you sign .

media.tenor.com

Reposted by Whitney Merrill

JHunt🛡️ @jhuntinfosec.com · 4d

@wbm312.bsky.social
Best package I received in a while 😊 🫶

Hacker stickers.

Reposted by Whitney Merrill

Rianamator 🦇🎃👻 @riana.bsky.social · 4d

If you've been following my six-month quest to unseal the search warrants for XiaoFeng Wang's homes, huge news:

I won.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

storage.courtlistener.com

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 9d

I hate this timeline.

techcrunch.com/2025/09/24/n...

Neon, the No. 2 social app on the Apple App Store, pays users to record their phone calls and sells data to AI firms | TechCrunch

A new call recording app is gaining traction for offering to pay users for voice data from calls, which is sold to AI companies.

Whitney Merrill @wbm312.bsky.social · 10d

You know what? Let’s not.

The billionaires have lost their minds.

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 11d

Larry Ellison envisions a surveillance state in which techbros rule. '“Citizens will be on their best behavior, because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on,” Ellison said in an hour-long Q&A during Oracle’s Financial Analyst Meeting last week.'

Larry Ellison predicts rise of the modern surveillance state where ‘citizens will be on their best behavior’ | Fortune

Oracle's Larry Ellison believes citizens and police alike will be under constant surveillance of each other.