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Article URL: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/samsung-turns-to-china-to-boost-its-ailing-semiconductor-division/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43569647

Points: 1

# Comments: 1

Article URL: https://twitter.com/IterIntellectus/status/1906995641202479231

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43569644

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

Article URL: https://snyder.substack.com/p/decapitation-strike

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43569636

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

Article URL: https://www.fastcompany.com/91310237/the-tumblr-revival-is-real-and-gen-z-is-leading-the-charge

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43569626

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

Article URL: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/video-games/2025/04/02/switch-2-4k-hardware-nintendo-direct/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43569616

Points: 1

# Comments: 2

Article URL: https://relocateme.substack.com/p/job-seeker-visas-a-path-to-relocate

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43569610

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

Article URL: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-dTS-NFN434pNDHRVpSMTTosMz1_3oBZ9nwvH7Sn72Y/edit?tab=t.0

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43569598

Points: 1

# Comments: 1

Article URL: https://images.gatesnotes.com/12514eb8-7b51-008e-41a9-512542cf683b/34d561c8-cf5c-4e69-af47-3782ea11482e/Original-Microsoft-Source-Code.pdf

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43569593

Points: 3

# Comments: 0

Article URL: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/04/ai-bots-strain-wikimedia-as-bandwidth-surges-50/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43569570

Points: 2

# Comments: 1

Article URL: https://lesgoddams.substack.com/p/not-white-enough

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43569551

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

Article URL: https://celerbuild.com/blog/celerbuild-vs-jenkins-modern-deployment

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43569540

Points: 1

# Comments: 1

Article URL: https://linisnil.com/posts/docker-caches/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43569528

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

I am currently working remotely from EU against US and I wonder how the ongoing and escalating trade wars will affect us.

Anyone already being affected? What are your plans for the future?

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43569524

Points: 7

# Comments: 0

Not one but several worried parents that tracked their children by using T-Mobile tracking devices suddenly found that they were looking at the location of random other children. And could not locate their own.

T-Mobile sells a small GPS tracker called SyncUP, which can be used to track, among others, the locations of young children who don’t have cell phones yet. SyncUP uses a combination of GPS technology, Wi-Fi, and T-Mobile’s LTE nationwide network to locate registered devices and comes in the form of a small tag, a car tracker or a kids watch.

According to our friends at 404 Media, several users reported receiving information that came from another tracker, not their own. And from some of the statements it’s very clear that the disclosed locations belonged to other children because of the names and pictures associated with the accounts.

One woman who spoke to 404 Media could see the location address where the random children were, as well as their name and the last time the location was updated. In many cases, the time said “just now” or “one minute ago.”

“I was probably shown more than eight children. I would log in and I couldn’t see my children but I could see a kid in California. I refreshed and then I had no trackers, and then I refreshed again and would see a different child.” 

Car owners using SyncUP Drive, the car tracking device, reported similar problems.

Here are some of the potential issues that this mix up could bring up:

• A big concern about tracking devices is their vulnerability to hacking, potentially exposing personal data. No hacking was needed here. Every time some of the users tried they would get the location of a different tracker.
• Without consent, tracking devices can infringe on individuals’ privacy rights. While you may say this is mainly about tracking without consent, nobody consented to strangers tracking their children.
• GPS tracking must comply with privacy laws like the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) to prevent unauthorized surveillance. Did T-Mobile fail to comply, even if only for a short time?
• Inaccurate tracking, or not being able to track, can compromise personal safety if devices are used for emergency services or monitoring vulnerable individuals.
• Repeated problems can erode the trust in the underlying GPS tracking technology.

This raises the question for parents to ask themselves: What’s worse, not knowing where your child is exactly or running the risk of exposing their location to other people?

Privacy concerns surrounding tracking devices are multifaceted. On one hand, these devices are designed to give users a sense of safety and security by providing accurate location information. However, they also pose risks if not properly secured.

We have reported multiple times about stalkerware users getting exposed by security flaws in the apps they used. While SyncUP may be more secure than some of the stalkerware apps we wrote about, this incident shows it’s not watertight either.

T-Mobile did not disclose the exact problem, but told 404 Media the incident is now resolved:

“Yesterday we fully resolved a temporary system issue with our SyncUP products that resulted from a planned technology update. We are in the process of understanding potential impacts to a small number of customers and will reach out to any as needed. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

We don’t just report on phone security—we provide it

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your mobile devices by downloading Malwarebytes for iOS, and Malwarebytes for Android today.

Technologists play a huge role in building alternative tools and resources when our right to privacy and security are undermined by governments and major corporations. This direct resistance ensures that even in the face of powerful adversaries, communities can find some safety and autonomy through community-built tools.

One of the most renowned names in this work is the Calyx Institute, a New York based 501(c)3 nonprofit founded by Nicholas Merrill, after a successful and influential constitutional challenge to the National Security Letter (NSL) statute in the USA Patriot Act. Today Calyx’s mission is to defend digital privacy, advance connectivity, and strive for a future where everyone has access to the resources and tools they need to remain securely connected. Their work is made possible thanks to the generous donations of their over 12,000 grassroots members.

More recently, Calyx joined EFF’s network of grassroots organizations across the US, the Electronic Frontier Alliance (EFA). Members of the alliance are not-for-profit local organizations dedicated to EFA’s five guiding principles: privacy, free expression, access to knowledge, creativity, and security. Calyx has since been an exceptional ally, lifting up and collaborating with fellow members.

If you’re inspired by Calyx to start making a difference in your community, you can get started with our organizer toolkits. Once you’re ready, we hope you consider applying to join the alliance.

JOIN EFA

Defend Digital Rights Locally

We corresponded with Calyx over email to discuss the group's ambitious work, and what the future holds for Calyx. Here are excerpts from our conversation:

Thanks for chatting with us, to get started could you tell us a bit about Calyx’s current work?

Calyx focuses on three areas: (1) developing a privacy-respecting software ecosystem, (2) bridging the digital divide with affordable internet access, and (3) sustaining our community through grants, and research, and educational initiatives.

We build and maintain a digital ecosystem of free and open-source software (FOSS) centering on CalyxOS, an Android operating system that encrypts communications, combats invasive metadata collection, and protects users from geolocation tracking. The Calyx Internet Membership Program offers mobile hotspots so people have a way to stay connected despite limited resources or a lack of viable alternatives. Finally, Calyx actively engages with diverse stakeholder groups to build a shared understanding of privacy and expand digital-security literacy and provide grants to directly support aligned organizations. By partnering with our peers, funders, and service providers, we hope to drive collective action toward a privacy-and-rights-respecting future of technology.

Calyx projects work with a wide range of technologies. What are some barriers Calyx runs into in this work?

Our biggest challenge is one shared by many tech communities, particularly FOSS advocates: it is difficult to balance privacy and security with usability in tool development. On the one hand, the current data-mining business model of the tech sector makes it extremely hard to provide FOSS solutions to proprietary tech while keeping the tool intuitive and easy to use. On the other, there is a general lack of momentum for funding and growing an alternative digital ecosystem.

As a result, many digital rights enthusiasts are left with scarce resources and a narrow space within which to work on technical solutions. We need more people to work together and collectively advocate for a privacy-respecting tech ecosystem that cares about all communities and does not marginalize anyone.

Take CalyxOS, for example. Before it became a tangible project, our founder Nick spent years thinking about an alternative mobile operating system that put privacy first. Back in 2012, Nick spoke to Moxie Marlinspike, the creator of the Signal messaging app, about his idea. Moxie shared several valid concerns that almost led Nick to stop working on it. Fortunately, these warnings, which came from Moxie’s experience and success with Signal, made Nick even more determined, and he recruited an expert global team to help realize his idea.

What do you see as the role of technologists in defending civil liberties with local communities?

Technologists are enablers—they build tools and technical infrastructures, fundamental parts of the digital ecosystem within which people exercise their rights and enjoy their lives. A healthy digital ecosystem consists of technologies that liberate people. It is an arena where people willingly and actively connect and share their expertise, confident in the shared protocols that protect everyone’s rights and dignity. That is why Calyx builds and advocates for people-centered, privacy-focused FOSS tools.

How has Calyx supported folks in NYC? What have you learned from it?

It’s a real privilege to be part of the NYC tech community, which has such a wealth of technologists, policy experts, human rights watchdogs, and grassroots activists. In recent years, we joined efforts led by multiple networks and organizations to mobilize against unjustifiable mass surveillance and other digital threats faced by millions of people of color, immigrants, and other underrepresented groups.

We’re particularly proud of the support we provided to another EFA member, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, on the Ban the Scan campaign to ban facial recognition in NYC, and CryptoHarlem to sustain their work bringing digital privacy and cybersecurity education to communities in Harlem and beyond. Most recently, we funded Sunset Spark—a small nonprofit offering free education in science and technology in the heart of Brooklyn—to develop a multipurpose curriculum focused on privacy, internet infrastructure, and the roles of the public and private sectors in our digital world.

These experiences deeply inspired us to shape a funding philosophy that centers the needs of organizations and groups with limited resources, helps local communities break barriers and build capacity, and grows reciprocal relationships between each member of the community.

You mentioned a grantmaking program, which is a really unique project for an EFA member. Could you tell us a bit about your theory of change for the program?

Since 2020, the Calyx Institute has been funding the development of digital privacy and security tools, research on mass surveillance systems, and training efforts to equip people with the knowledge and tools they need to protect their right to privacy and connectivity. In 2022, Calyx launched the Fusion Center Research Fund to aid investigations into law enforcement harvesting of personal data through intelligence-sharing centers. This effort, with nearly $200,000 disbursed to grantees, helped reveal the deleterious impact of surveillance technology on privacy and freedom of expression.

These efforts have led to the Sepal Fund, Calyx’s pilot program to offer small groups unrestricted and holistic grants. This program will provide five organizations, collectives, or projects a yearly grant of up to $50,000 for a total of three years. In addition, we will provide our grantees opportunities for professional development, as well as other resources. Through this program, we hope to sustain and elevate research, tool development, and education that will support digital privacy and defend internet freedom.

Could you tell us a bit about how people can get involved?

All our projects are, at their core, community projects, and we welcome insights and involvement from anyone to whom our work is relevant. CalyxOS offers a variety of ways to connect, including a CalyxOS Matrix room and GitLab repository where users and programmers interact in real time to troubleshoot and discuss improvements. Part of making CalyxOS accessible is ensuring that it’s as widely available as possible, so anyone who would like to be part of that translation and localization effort should visit our weblate site.

What does the future look like for Calyx?

We are hoping that the future holds big things for us, like CalyxOS builds on more affordable and globally available mobile devices so that people in different locations with varied resources can equally enjoy the right to privacy. We are also looking forward to updating our visual communication—we have been “substance over style” for so long that it will be exciting to see how a refreshed look will help us reach new audiences.

Finally, what’s your “moonshot”? What’s the ideal future Calyx wants to build?

The Calyx dream is accessible digital privacy, security, and connectivity for all, regardless of budget or tech background, centering communities that are most in need.

We want a future where everyone has access to the resources and tools they need to remain securely connected. To get there, we’ll need to work on building a lot of capacity, both technological and informational. Great tools can only fulfill their purpose if people know why and how to use them. Creating those tools and spreading the word about them requires collaboration, and we are proud to be working toward that goal alongside all the organizations that make up the EFA.

Our thanks to the Calyx Institute for their continued efforts to build private and secure tools for targeted groups, in New York City and across the globe. You can find and support other Electronic Frontier Alliance affiliated groups near you by visiting eff.org/fight.

This limited-time offer on my go-to travel card has me already considering the possibilities.

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The post Hunters International Ransomware Gang Rebranding, Shifting Focus appeared first on SecurityWeek.

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