Our friends at Flote showing off their new live streaming features on the latest development update and giving Above Phone a shout out!!

Alex from Flote gives his own experience using the Above Phone! No SIM card and an anonymous setup. Super awesome to hear another tech activist show off his setup.

https://flote.app/post/52bdb582-5356-4d75-a782-31966deaf20b

50,000 BTC Seized from SilkRoad Hacker
@takebackourtech | SOURCE

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Tyler Hatcher, the Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office (“IRS-CI”), announced today that JAMES ZHONG pled guilty to committing wire fraud in September 2012 when he unlawfully obtained over 50,000 Bitcoin from the Silk Road dark web internet marketplace. ZHONG pled guilty on Friday, November 4, 2022, before United States District Judge Paul G. Gardephe.

...

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “James Zhong committed wire fraud over a decade ago when he stole approximately 50,000 Bitcoin from Silk Road. For almost ten years, the whereabouts of this massive chunk of missing Bitcoin had ballooned into an over $3.3 billion mystery. Thanks to state-of-the-art cryptocurrency tracing and good old-fashioned police work, law enforcement located and recovered this impressive cache of crime proceeds. This case shows that we won’t stop following the money, no matter how expertly hidden, even to a circuit board in the bottom of a popcorn tin.”

...

While executing the September 2012 fraud, ZHONG did not list any item or service for sale on Silk Road, nor did he buy any item or service on Silk Road. ZHONG registered the accounts by providing the bare minimum of information required by Silk Road to create the account; the Fraud Accounts were merely a conduit for ZHONG to defraud Silk Road of Bitcoin.

ZHONG funded the Fraud Accounts with an initial deposit of between 200 and 2,000 Bitcoin. After the initial deposit, ZHONG then quickly executed a series of withdrawals. Through his scheme to defraud, ZHONG was able to withdraw many times more Bitcoin out of Silk Road than he had deposited in the first instance. As an example, on September 19, 2012, ZHONG deposited 500 Bitcoin into a Silk Road wallet. Less than five seconds after making the initial deposit, ZHONG executed five withdrawals of 500 Bitcoin in rapid succession — i.e., within the same second — resulting in a net gain of 2,000 Bitcoin.

https://web.archive.org/web/20221107201050/https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/us-attorney-announces-historic-336-billion-cryptocurrency-seizure-and-conviction
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Think You Can Spot A Deepfake?
@takebackourtech | SOURCE

A deepfake production made back in 2019, based on an alternate "reality" where the Apollo 11 mission fails and Nixon gives a speech.

When they ask you to point out the deepfake, were they talking about the moon landing too? 😂

https://moondisaster.org/

I wonder if there are deepfakes already in the wild today that are so good we can't tell the difference. Either way, I quite enjoy them for comedy purposes - check out ForkFaced.

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The Struggle
@takebackourtech

Hey peeps,

Recently I've been struggling to put out regular content, articles, and videos. I have massive respect for anyone who does this full time and consistently puts out good original content, as I aspire to do.

Part of the reason is because I've been focusing on Above Phone and have been switching computers like mad over the past 3 months. (just switched back to Arch Linux yesterday...)

I want to let you know that I'm not giving up and I have more important research to publish. I'm currently setting up workflows so you can expect fresh original content on a regular basis, along with articles & videos.

We're about to enter an tumultuous time period where we will be tested mentally, physically, and spiritually. The struggle is real, but we must believe in ourselves and each other. I for one am ready to uncover the truth, take action, and help in any way I can.

Are you feeling the struggle? How are you dealing with it, and what is your hope for the future?

- Ramiro

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PREVIEW: They're not stopping at 5G
@takebackourtech | ORIGINAL

As part of my latest investigation I will be uncovering the push towards 6G and the disturbing trends that will come along with it.

The 6G vision is aligned with the United Nation's SDGs and seeks to support them directly. Activities will include embedding sensors in everything whether it be living or dead, tracking SDG indicators, and making AI-driven decisions on the fly, close to where the data is being collected.

Although 6G is framed as beneficial for underserved populations with things like health monitoring, access to digital money, and mobile learning, it also opens the door to a level of data capture never before imagined.

If you want to learn more about this, show us some love by following our channel and sharing.

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/ You are only young once, but you can    \
\ stay immature indefinitely.             /
 -----------------------------------------
   \
    \
        .--.
       |o_o |
       |:_/ |
      //   \ \
     (|     | )
    /'\_   _/`\
    \___)=(___/

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Hey folks,

I've just setup a self hosted live streaming server need some help testing it this week.

If you're curious this is the software I used:

https://owncast.online/

Who's down to try and overload the server this Thursday at 10 AM CST (UTC-6)?

I will be live talking about latest tech developments, and might throw in a freestyle rap or two.

You will be able to tune in at https://takebackourtech.org/live

Check out the free webinar (Nov 17 @ 12pm Central) on how the DE-GOOGLED Above Phone completely changes our reliance on big tech solutions information, apps, and communications. https://abovephone.com/above-the-rules/

Apple Tracks Every Tap On Its App Store
@takebackourtech | SOURCE

iOS developers & privacy researchers at Mysk have recently found that the Apple App Store sends every tap you make to Apple.

https://nitter.takebackourtech.org/mysk_co/status/1588308341780262912

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Chris Larcombe is joining The Greater Reset 4: Co-Creation in Mexico!

Chris is upgrading the Web for digital sovereignty and planetary sense-making with the Holoweb project!

The Greater Reset 4: Co-Creation
January 18- 22, 2023
Live in Central Texas and Morelia, Mexico
Streaming free at TheGreaterReset.org

In-App Browsers Can Be a Privacy Risk, Here's How To Turn Them Off In Telegram
@takebackourtech | SOURCE

You may have heard that mobile apps on iOS like Instagram, Facebook are injecting code into their in-app browsers, allowing them to monitor what you do in that browser. Originally investigated by Felix Krause, this story was picked up and shared by major news network. A second report found that TikTok was subscribing to every keystroke in their in-app browser.

Today, I turned off the in-app browser in Telegram. I encourage you to go into your settings and turn it off!

https://krausefx.com/blog/ios-privacy-instagram-and-facebook-can-track-anything-you-do-on-any-website-in-their-in-app-browser

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Help Test Out A Self-Hosted Live Stream Monday at Noon
@takebackourtech

I've decided I am going to test out my live stream Monday next week at 1 PM CST, please join me - we'll have a built in chat so we can hang out and you can ask me anything!

I'm hoping to get a few dozen people to see how it performs before the bigger webinar on Wednesday!

You will be able to tune in at https://takebackourtech.org/live

Critical Android Pixel Bug, Update Your Phones
@takebackourtech | ADVISORY

This morning a bug report was made public by David Schutz, who found a critical vulnerability affecting all Android Pixel devices back in Jun.

This includes traditional Android devices and degoogled phones (since they are based on the Android Open Source Platform).

This bug allows an attacker with physical access to unlock the phone (the phone must have already been unlocked once, it can't be from a cold boot)

The attacker would need to have physical access, and replace the phone's SIM card with one of their own, and then unlock that SIM card using its PUK code to get past the lock screen.

Although this bug has been patched for all devices receiving updates, there are some devices that will permanently be effected and are 'insecure' to this vulnerability.

This means Pixel 3, 3a, 3aXL will be impacted by this bug. We have confirmed this by testing the exploit ourselves.

We've found that the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4XL appear to be patched by GrapheneOS's latest extended support release.

The Pixel 3a seems to only be patched by CalyxOS and shouldn't face this vulnerability.

If you have a Pixel phone - update your phone immediately!

If your phone is out of the update period, we recommend you try to upgrade to a phone that receives updates immediately. However, if you can't, we recommend you take the following security precautions:

0. If you have a Pixel phone and use a degoogled operating system, update your phone immediately.

1. Set your phone to reboot automatically (Settings > Auto reboot - and set a low time period). When the phone reboots there are no encryption keys in memory and this bug cannot be exploited.

2. This is obvious, but keep your phone on your person at all times.

3. Do not store any sensitive information unsecured on your device, for instance putting passwords in notes.

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We take this issue very seriously and we'll work with the Above Phone customers who have the Pixel 3a to get them upgraded onto newer devices.

Sayer Ji is joining The Greater Reset 4: Co-Creation virtually!

Sayer Ji is a widely recognized researcher, author, lecturer, activist and educator on natural health modalities. "Among his many roles, he is the is the founder of Greenmedinfo.com, the world’s most widely referenced, evidence-based natural health resource of its kind. He founded the platform in 2008 to provide an open access, evidence-based resource supporting natural and integrative modalities. He is also the founder of www.Unite.live, a censorship-free, multi-media content creation platform, and the co-founder of Stand for Health Freedom, a 501c4 dedicated to protecting parental rights, informed consent, and medical freedom.

Follow Sayer's work:

Unite.Live

The Greater Reset 4: Co-Creation
January 18- 22, 2023
Live in Central Texas and Morelia, Mexico
Streaming free at TheGreaterReset.org

Live Stream Test: MOVED to 7 PM Today
@takebackourtech

Hey peeps,

I've had some important personal things to attend to today so I'll be moving the live stream test to 7 PM CST. This is all in preparation for the Above Phone webinar taking place this Thursday Nov 17th at 12 PM!

If you haven't signed up for the webinar, you can sign up here:
https://abovephone.com/above-the-rules/

Riccardo Spagni is joining The Greater Reset 4: Co-Creation virtually!

Riccardo Spagni is a cryptocurrency pioneer, activist, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his work as the lead maintainer of Monero, a privacy focused decentralized cryptocurrency with a market value of over $1.5B. More recently he has launched Tari, an open-source blockchain protocol for digital assets, and Tari Labs – a university to train blockchain developers.

Follow Riccardo's work:

Monero

The Greater Reset 4: Co-Creation
January 18- 22, 2023
Live in Central Texas and Morelia, Mexico
Streaming free at TheGreaterReset.org

This weekend was a blast, our friends John and Rebecca Bush are now happily married. 🤵👰

Thankful to take part in their wedding day and am wishing them a happily ever after! ❣

Apple Hit With a Class Action Lawsuit over iPhone Analytics
@takebackourtech | SOURCE

Last Thursday, a class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court based on findings of security researchers.

The problem was spotted by two independent researchers at the software company Mysk, who found that the Apple App Store sends the company exhaustive information about nearly everything a user does in the app, despite a privacy setting, iPhone Analytics, which claims to “disable the sharing of Device Analytics altogether” when switched off. Gizmodo asked the researchers to run additional tests on other iPhone apps, including Apple Music, Apple TV, Books, and Stocks. The researchers found that the problem persists across most of Apple’s suite of built-in iPhone apps.

The lawsuit accuses Apple of violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act. “Privacy is one of the main issues that Apple uses to set its products apart from competitors,” the plaintiff, Elliot Libman, said in the suit, which can be read on Bloomberg Law. “But Apple’s privacy guarantees are completely illusory.” The company has plastered billboards across the country with the slogan “Privacy. That’s iPhone.”

Privacy? That's bullshit.

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The Assange Story Documentary
@takebackourtech | MEDIA

Have you seen this documentary about Julian Assange?

He single-handedly exposed the war crimes behind media narratives and transformed the face of independent media. This documentary gets up close and personal with his background, family members, and close associates. You get a real feel for who he was. Julian may soon be extradited to the US after an extradition order was approved earlier this year.

Watch it here: https://odysee.com/@RTDocumentary:4/The-Assange-story_Site_OK:3

More info: https://www.assangecampaign.org.au/facts/

"Courage is contagious" - Julian Assange

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LIVE STREAM TEST: Help me break our live stream server!
@takebackourtech

Alright I'm going live and will be hanging out for 45 minutes or so, sharing some lessons, and reading the news, and hopefully chatting with you awesome peeps ❤️

Come join the stream.

https://stream.takebackourtech.org/