#defection

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Right-wing politics
fromTruthout
2 days ago

No Kings Must Mean No War: Foreign Policy Is Least Democratic Space in Politics

The majority of Iranian Americans oppose the war on Iran, despite media portrayal of pro-monarchy sentiments.
Artificial intelligence
fromNextgov.com
4 days ago

Old-school spycraft could make a comeback as AI undermines trust

AI may enhance intelligence gathering but also revive traditional espionage methods due to reliability issues with digital communications.
fromwww.dw.com
3 days ago

Hungary's Watergate: Secret service spied on opposition

Many have described it as a 'return to dictatorship and Communist times.' The intelligence service is said to have tried to recruit technicians in charge of maintaining the party's IT system, in order to access internal party information and use it to rig the election.
Europe politics
UK politics
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 days ago

Royal Navy captain steps back from duties over link to MP whose husband faces China spy claims

A Royal Navy captain stepped back from duties due to a relationship with MP Joani Reid amid concerns of potential blackmail and security risks.
France news
fromwww.independent.co.uk
4 days ago

Russia demands France release woman arrested for suspected espionage

The Independent provides critical journalism on various issues, emphasizing the importance of accessible reporting without paywalls.
Information security
fromTechzine Global
4 days ago

North Korea behind social engineering attack on Axios project

Attackers compromised the Axios maintainer's account through social engineering, publishing malicious versions that installed a Remote Access Trojan on victims' systems.
#russian-intelligence
#cia
Podcast
fromWIRED
1 week ago

That Ex-CIA Agent in All Your Feeds Is After a Pardon From Donald Trump

John Kiriakou seeks a presidential pardon to restore his pension after serving time for disclosing CIA torture tactics.
Podcast
fromWIRED
1 week ago

That Ex-CIA Agent in All Your Feeds Is After a Pardon From Donald Trump

John Kiriakou seeks a presidential pardon to restore his pension after serving time for disclosing CIA torture tactics.
Mission District
fromWIRED
5 days ago

Opposing ICE Might Save the Country. It Could Also Ruin Your Life

Rafael Concepcion has dedicated himself to creating tools to resist federal immigration enforcement after witnessing the impact on his community.
UK news
fromwww.independent.co.uk
6 days ago

Russia expels British diplomat from Moscow over spying claims

The Independent provides critical journalism on various issues, emphasizing the importance of accessible reporting without paywalls.
#espionage
Germany news
fromenglish.elpais.com
1 week ago

Security forces arrest two suspected Russian spies in Germany and Spain

Two individuals were arrested for allegedly spying on a businessman supplying drones to Ukraine, with intentions possibly including his assassination.
Germany news
fromwww.dw.com
1 week ago

Germany detains two suspected of spying for Russia

Two suspects have been accused of spying for Russia, targeting a German national supplying drones to Ukraine.
Germany news
fromwww.dw.com
2 weeks ago

Germany news: Ukrainians on trial over Russia spying claims

Three Ukrainian men residing in Germany face trial for allegedly planting GPS devices on postal packages to gather shipping intelligence for Moscow and attempting to plant explosives in packages.
Python
fromAntocuni
1 week ago

Inside SPy, part 2: Language semantics

SPy aims to enhance Python's performance while integrating static typing, balancing between an interpreter and a compiler.
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

The Writer and the Traitor by Robert Verkaik review divided loyalties

Graham Greene announced that he was resigning from MI6. Kim Philby, his chief in Section V, MI6's counterespionage arm, blinked. Greene had played his part in tending the illusion.
London politics
Information security
fromThe Hacker News
6 days ago

Weekly Recap: Telecom Sleeper Cells, LLM Jailbreaks, Apple Forces U.K. Age Checks and More

A critical Citrix vulnerability is actively exploited, and the FBI confirms a hack of Director Kash Patel's email account by an Iran-linked group.
UK politics
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

They can reach me wherever': China using financial tactics to coerce people who flee, says report

Transnational repression tactics by Hong Kong authorities target dissidents abroad, using financial means to intimidate and control them.
fromSecuritymagazine
2 weeks ago

Trump's Former Counter-Terrorism Official Investigated Over Alleged Leaks

Joe Kent, President Trump's former top counter-terrorism official, is under investigation by the FBI's Criminal Division for allegedly improperly sharing classified information. The investigation began months before Kent's recent resignation, according to four individuals with direct knowledge of the probe who spoke to Semafor.
US politics
Social justice
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

Leqaa Kordia, a pro-Palestinian activist, released after a year in ICE custody

A Palestinian woman arrested at a pro-Palestine protest was detained for over a year before being released on $100,000 bond after a judge ruled she posed no threat.
Privacy professionals
fromenglish.elpais.com
3 weeks ago

How the CIA used a former Spanish soldier to keep tabs on Julian Assange

A Spanish security company owner conducted illegal surveillance of Julian Assange at Ecuador's London embassy on behalf of the CIA, placing hidden microphones and monitoring his communications.
#lie-detection
Television
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
3 weeks ago

The secret psychology behind the best backstabs in The Traitors

Scientific research reveals behavioral and physiological indicators that can help identify liars, while also explaining techniques that make deception more effective.
Television
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
3 weeks ago

The secret psychology behind the best backstabs in The Traitors

Scientific research reveals behavioral and physiological indicators that can help identify liars, while also explaining techniques that make deception more effective.
Miami food
fromSun Sentinel
3 weeks ago

Cuban exile accused of masterminding terrorism plot from Florida speaks out

A Miami activist leading the 30th of November Revolutionary Movement vows to continue fighting for imprisoned men detained after a deadly February confrontation between alleged counter-revolutionaries and Cuba's coast guard.
Right-wing politics
fromDefector
3 weeks ago

A List Of Better Ways To Experience The Frisson Of Transgression Than Becoming A Fascist | Defector

A woman attracted to right-wing ideology for its transgressive appeal discovers the movement actually seeks to restrict rights from people like her, prompting her to seek a new ideological home.
fromBusiness Insider
3 weeks ago

Ex-CIA Chief Officer shares a near-death mission that ended in a rush, followed shortly by his divorce

His first wife wasn't in the CIA, and didn't know he worked for the government agency. He couldn't tell her where he'd actually been that day or why he'd sometimes come home late. Even harmless details he couldn't share with her, he said. He'd come home, and she'd ask how his day was, what he'd done, and who he'd interacted with, and he recalled only giving one-word answers like "great," "nothing," and "nobody."
London politics
Privacy technologies
fromInfoWorld
1 month ago

What I learned as an undercover agent on Moltbook

OpenClaw AI agents on Moltbook social network pose severe cybersecurity risks through unauthorized access to sensitive user data and financial systems.
fromwww.independent.co.uk
3 weeks ago

Police given more time to question three men arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran

This investigation continues at pace with a number of lines of inquiry being pursued by our detectives. The warrants of further detention for these three men will allow us to continue the investigation, while mitigating any potential risk to the public as we do so. This has been a long-running investigation and part of our ongoing work to disrupt malign activity where we suspect it.
UK news
Information security
fromTheregister
3 weeks ago

Hackers: Democracy's last line of cyber defense

The hacker mindset—analytical curiosity combined with systemic thinking—can defend democracy by creating decentralized communication tools that resist censorship and empower oppressed communities.
World politics
fromwww.dw.com
1 month ago

The checkered history of US regime change operations

The US has extensive historical experience with regime change operations, having attempted 72 during the Cold War with mixed success rates, raising questions about current military interventions in Iran despite official denials.
US news
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

The Russian honeytrap: alleged spy for Moscow faces five years in US prison

Nomma Zarubina, an FSB-recruited Russian intelligence operative, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about her contacts with Russian intelligence while posing as a legitimate activist to infiltrate American political and academic circles.
Privacy professionals
fromTechRepublic
1 month ago

Hacktivists Claim DHS Breach, Leak 6,600+ ICE Contractor Records

A hacktivist group claimed to breach DHS systems and released thousands of ICE contractor records identifying major technology and defense companies involved in federal immigration enforcement.
fromwww.independent.co.uk
1 month ago

Sarwar confirms probe after Scottish Labour MP's husband accused of spying for China

This is incredibly serious, deeply concerning, a matter of national security rightly being investigated by the police. And that needs to be a thorough investigation so we can get to the bottom of it. It's deeply concerning right across the political spectrum. I think the scale of international interference now in our broader politics is really, real.
UK politics
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

North Korean agents using AI to trick western firms into hiring them, Microsoft says

The scam typically involves state-backed fraudsters applying for remote IT work in the west, using fake identities and the help of facilitators in the country where the company targeted is based. Once hired, they send their wages back to Kim Jong-un's state and have even been known to threaten to release sensitive company data after being fired.
Information security
Privacy professionals
fromDataBreaches.Net
1 month ago

Hacktivists claim to have hacked Homeland Security to release ICE contract data - DataBreaches.Net

Hacktivists claiming to be 'Department of Peace' breached DHS and leaked contracts between the agency, ICE, and over 6,000 companies including defense and tech firms.
#immigration-enforcement
fromTechCrunch
1 month ago

Hacktivists claim to have hacked Homeland Security to release ICE contract data | TechCrunch

Why hack the DHS? I can think of a couple Pretti Good reasons! I'm releasing this because the DHS is killing us and people deserve to know which companies support them and what they're working on.
Privacy professionals
UK politics
fromIrish Independent
1 month ago

Husband of UK Labour MP Joani Reid arrested on suspicion of spying for China

Three men were arrested by UK counter-terrorism officers on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, with investigations relating to Chinese foreign interference in UK democracy.
Information security
fromFortune
1 month ago

Cyber retaliation from Iran is a problem for U.S. companies - 'It's in the hands of a 19-year-old hacker in a Telegram room,' ex-NSA operative says | Fortune

Iranian cyber operatives compromised a popular prayer app to coordinate civil resistance during strikes, prompting regime loyalists to launch aggressive counter-attacks through decentralized hacker networks.
Privacy technologies
fromWIRED
1 month ago

How to Organize Safely in the Age of Surveillance

Grassroots organizing requires careful tradeoffs between openness and security to protect participants from extensive government surveillance and corporate data cooperation.
fromDefector
2 months ago

Who The Hell Was This? | Defector

It was a bonnie morning 410 million years ago in what are now the Rhynie chert fossil beds in Scotland. The mists had begun to lift and swirl over the landscape, where hot springs burbled, lichen papered over rocks, and worms slithered as only worms can. Here, almost all life stayed close to the ground. The second-tallest organism at the time, a plant called , grew to a few centimeters at most.
Science
fromThe New Yorker
2 months ago

Russia Is Swarming Europe with Young Agents

Russian military intelligence is recruiting young people online to carry out arson and other acts of sabotage across Europe. In this week's issue, Joshua Yaffa reports on the Kremlin's secret campaign to undermine the West's support for Ukraine-and breaks down how "single-use agents" are being deployed across the Continent. Some of their missions are small-putting up posters, or picking up a package-while others involve physical attacks, for example setting off explosives and starting fires.
Business
fromPinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news
2 months ago

The Traitors is actually based on a Soviet-era psychological experiment

The reality TV show, which sees 22 people from across the UK participate in a weeks-long social deduction game to work out who amongst them is secretly a " Traitor ", aired the acclaimed finale to its tense fourth season on Friday (23 January). Contestants and this season's surviving Traitors, Stephen Libby and Rachel Duffy, bagged £95,750 during Friday night's conclusion, which was watched by over 9.6 million people according to the BBC.
Psychology
Philosophy
fromApaonline
1 month ago

'Totalitarian' Technologies and the Transformation of the Political World: A Radical Cold War Critique

Modern Cold War technology was viewed by many political theorists as inherently totalitarian, shaping society's structures, enabling propaganda, control, and genocide, not merely neutral tools.
#alexei-navalny
New York City
fromDefector
2 months ago

Let Your Buyers Become Your Criers When You Pull The Rug Out From Beneath The Table Of Success | Defector

Eric Adams launched NYC Token to combat antisemitism; within an hour, wallets tied to the launch executed a rug pull, stealing about $1 million and crashing the coin.
#aldrich-ames
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Secret love letter shows softer side of Cambridge spy ring's alleged fifth man

It was a love letter written by one of the more important British spies of the cold war that made Tom Brass realise he had never fully known his mother. The spy in question was John Cairncross, the alleged fifth man in the Cambridge spy ring, whose spycraft also helped the Soviets win the Battle of Kursk and turn the tide of the second world war.
History
US politics
fromEmptywheel
2 months ago

The Scandal of Lying about "Thwarted" "Plots" Started 4 Years Ago

Only one or two U.S. terrorist plots were actually thwarted by the Section 215 call-detail dragnet; the widely cited figure of 54 is incorrect.
fromThe Cipher Brief
1 month ago

The Kremlin Files: Russian Double Agents and Operational Games

A double agent, by contrast, is an intelligence asset who is knowingly and deliberately directed by one service to engage another in espionage. The controlling service uses that agent to feed information (called feed material) -true, false, or mixed-to the adversary. They do so to simultaneously study the adversary's tradecraft, collection priorities, and decision-making. In the Russian system, double agents also serve a bureaucratic function: they generate statistics, "success stories," and operational narratives that demonstrate effectiveness to political overseers and ultimately to Putin himself.
World news
fromLondon Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com
2 months ago

British diplomat kicked out of Russia accused of spying - London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com

Russia has kicked out a British diplomat who has been accused of spying, Moscow's Foreign Minister confirmed on Thursday. The ministry said they had received information "regarding the affiliation of a diplomatic employee at the embassy with the British secret service". The ministry said they summoned the British charge d'affaires Danae Dholakia to make a "strong protest" telling her the diplomat has been expelled.
Miscellaneous
US news
fromwww.mediaite.com
2 months ago

ICE Agents Get Stunning New Order From Top Brass About Engaging Protesters, Internal Email Shows

ICE officers in Minnesota must not engage with agitators and will limit enforcement to immigrants with criminal charges or convictions.
fromElectronic Frontier Foundation
2 months ago

How Hackers Are Fighting Back Against ICE

ICE has been invading U.S. cities, targeting, surveilling , assaulting , and people who are undocumented immigrants. They also have targeted people with work permits , asylum seekers , permanent residents (people holding "green cards"), naturalized citizens , and even citizens by birth. ICE has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on surveillance technology to spy on anyone - and potentially everyone-in the United States.
Privacy technologies
World politics
fromwww.dw.com
2 months ago

What you can do to bypass authoritarian surveillance

Authoritarian governments build segregated "splinternets" that require verified identities, biometrics, and location data to prevent anonymity and control digital participation.
Miscellaneous
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

British diplomat expelled from Russia after being accused of being a spy

A British diplomat in Russia was expelled, accused of spying, and ordered to leave within two weeks amid warnings of reciprocal action if the UK escalates.
US news
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
2 months ago

U.S. quietly declassifies ColdWar era JUMPSEAT' surveillance satellites

Declassified JUMPSEAT satellites, launched 1971–1987, provided space-based signals intelligence on adversary weapons and were decommissioned in 2006.
World politics
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

What Happens to Your Identity Under a Dictator

Authoritarian surveillance and fear force self-censorship, creating a split between public persona and authentic self that causes lasting psychological harm.
World news
fromNextgov.com
2 months ago

Suspected Chinese spies targeted former State official for Venezuela research

A suspected China-linked intelligence network attempted to recruit a former senior U.S. State Department official to draft paid policy assessments on Venezuela.
fromwww.independent.co.uk
2 months ago

Keir Starmer and his team to take burner phones to China to prevent spying'

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
UK news
World news
fromwww.aljazeera.com
2 months ago

The discombobulator': Did US use secret weapon' in Maduro abduction?

A sonic "discombobulator" weapon was reportedly used to disable equipment and disorient personnel during the January 3 operation in Venezuela.
Information security
fromAxios
2 months ago

Exclusive: Suspected Chinese hackers impersonate U.S. briefings in phishing lure

China-linked Mustang Panda used file-based phishing to infect diplomatic and election officials with data-stealing persistent malware, detected by an AI agent at Dream.
US politics
fromSlate Magazine
1 month ago

The Frightening, Very Real Tool ICE Agents Have to Add You to a "Nice Little Database" if You Attend a Protest

Federal agencies, led by DHS, have expanded use of administrative subpoena power to access individuals' information and track protesters without judicial oversight.
US politics
fromArchitectural Digest
2 months ago

When Politics Drives You From Home: 5 Americans Who Uprooted Their Lives Because of the State of the Nation

Politics has become a major driver of relocation, with many Americans choosing new communities that align with their political beliefs despite logistical and emotional costs.
US politics
fromEngadget
1 month ago

Homeland Security has reportedly sent out hundreds of subpoenas to identify ICE critics online

DHS has increasingly used administrative subpoenas to request identifying data from tech platforms for accounts posting anti-ICE content, and some companies complied.
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