Richard Satran at US News has a scary little piece out about how The Internal Revenue Service collects more than your taxes: "It's also acquiring a huge volume of personal information on taxpayers' digital activities, from eBay auctions to Facebook posts and, for the first time ever, credit card and e-payment transaction records, as it expands its search for tax cheats to places it's never gone before."
The IRS is in your internets, watching your financial transactions
Eyecam is a blinking, flitting webcam that looks back at you
This webcam, housed in an animatronic sculpture of a grossly disembodied human eye, was created by Marc Teyssier, Marion Koelle, Paul Strohmeier, Bruno Fruchard and Jürgen Steimle. [Human Computer Interaction Lab via The Verge] They call it the Eyecam and I lovehate it. Webcams that are in front of us, looking at us, constantly. What… READ THE REST
Evan Greer's "Surveillance Capitalism" is the internet's new official protest song
Evan Greer is trans-femme indie punk songwriter as well as an activist and the Deputy Director for the digital rights group Fight For The Future. Also, her new album — out this Friday 4/9, and delightfully titled Spotify is Surveillance — totally fucking rips. ("Emma Goldman Would Beat Your Ass," which I previously shared here… READ THE REST
Ikea France snooped on staff and customers for a decade, say prosecutors
Ikea set up a sprawling surveillance regime employing private detectives and corrupt cops to spy on its own staff and even customers, say prosecutors in France. The company's French subsidiary is going on trial this week along with former CEO Stefan Vanoverbeke, several former store managers and a number of police officers accused of handing… READ THE REST
Save over 15% on this fruit infusion water bottle that keeps drinks chill all day long
You might think that drinking water from a reusable bottle instead of constantly throwing away those plastic water bottles is your good deed to help the environment. While that's absolutely true, there are ways to do even more to not only help strike a blow for a more ecologically sound world but a safer one… READ THE REST
AdGuard is offering five years of VPN protection for just $8 a year
Summer is usually a time for bear cubs in kiddie pools, cats in hammocks, and decapitated swan pool floaties. You know, the fun stuff. We get that staring into the teeth of a blistering summer swelter isn't always the best time for tackling something like shoring up your overall web security approach. But the reality… READ THE REST
This smart sleep mask detects and gently stops your snoring
Whether you want to admit it or not, there's a good chance you're a snorer. As it turns out, 45 percent of the population snores, with about 25 percent in the category of regular snorers. That's almost 37 million people in the U.S. alone. If you're snoring, you're generating noise that probably averages around 50… READ THE REST
