privacy – Alasdair Watson

Bookmarks for March 30, 2026

I Decompiled the White House's New App
I really hope that the fact that this has been publically shared will get someone to make some massive and rapid changes to this app, because wow, this is bad on so many levels.

Tags: privacy, app, government
Scientists uncovered the nutrients bees were missing — Colonies surged 15-fold | ScienceDaily
It's easy to feel like everything's doomed, so I've been trying to keep an eye out for good news stories, and this is absolutely superb news. Bees are vital, and if we can reverse the damage we've done fairly easily, that's great.

Tags: agriculture, bees

Quick note: Friday wins and a case study in ritual design | Kellan Elliott-McCrea
"Culture is what you celebrate. Rituals are the tools you use to shape culture." Smart work, needs serious thinking about.

Tags: culture, management
The New Wilderness (Idle Words)
Required reading.

Tags: politics, facebook, privacy, google

A Few Simple Steps to Vastly Increase Your Privacy Online
This is a really good guide – there are a few things in here I didn't know about, and will start doing.

Tags: internet, security, privacy, firefox

Laravel Translation via Google Spreadsheet – SkyshiDigital – Medium
An interesting way to set up translations within Laravel – make it easy to give non-techical users access to edit a site's translations.

Tags: laravel, translation
Kolide
Device/security management system that's got a free tier that might actually be worth install in my own devices to give me a central place to manage them and keep an eye out for security issues.

Tags: security, mac
Laravel API Documentation Generator
Might be useful at work. Or for myself another time.

Tags: laravel, api
20 Laravel Eloquent Tips and Tricks – Laravel News
I knew about half of these, and want to remember the others for later.

Tags: laravel, php
1.1.1.1 — the Internet’s Fastest, Privacy-First DNS Resolver
This is really nice, and from a company with a pretty good track record. I'll be setting it up at home myself later, and I encourage others to do the same.

Tags: internet, security, privacy, dns
PolaPi-Zero | Hackaday.io
I would like to go a few steps past this project, but in order to do that, I need to build this project.

Get your loved ones off Facebook. – Salim Virani
I've spent time in the last year agonising about whether or not to rejoin Facebook. Then I read this, and not only am I sure I've done the right thing, but seriously, folks, read this, and really think hard about whether or not you're OK with Facebook doing all this.

Tags: facebook, privacy

Why the FBI's request to Apple will affect civil rights for a generation | Macworld
If you care about electronic security or privacy, this case is one to watch closely, and with a certain amount of creeping dread. This case isn't about one phone, it's about the precedent.

Tags: apple, privacy, encryption
Apple can comply with the FBI court order – Trail of Bits Blog
Apple can easily comply with the order, without placing (all) their customers at risk, because they literally couldn't comply with the order on their newer phones. But what the order would establish is that the US govt can ask private business to work to circumvent their own security features.

Tags: security, apple, privacy, ios, encryption

The ethics of modern web ad-blocking – Marco.org
This is pretty much my position. I don't mind (ell, I do, but I'll live with it) being show a few adds in exchange for content. I *do* mind being tracked by 15 different sources, none of whom I have given informed consent to be tracked by, and none of whom are ever made clear. So I block ads and trackers, and encourage others to do the same.

Tags: privacy, advertising

Smart Toys and the Endangered Solitude of Childhood by Alana Massey | Model View Culture
I don't know whether I agree with this or not, but I think it's an interesting piece that provides food for thought.

Tags: privacy, children, toys

Just how much information can be squeezed from one week of your metadata? | Naked Security
This is a) proper interesting and b) proper scary. I encourage the reading of it. And then the purchasing of tinfoil hats and faraday-lined cases for phones and tablets. Because I think we're at the point where nothing else will keep us private.

Tags: security, privacy

The Sex Myth: How To Blog Anonymously (and how not to)
Good set of practical tips – useful to people who wish to blog anonymously, but also just to people who wish to minimise their identifiable digital footprint.

Tags: privacy, blogging
25 modern and creative product/industrial designs | From up North
Someone please buy me, well, most of these.

Tags: design, objects
Simperium
The sync service that powers Simplenote, my favourite quick text editing tools, is now available as an API for use in other apps. This is very exciting news for someone like me.

Tags: app, data, mobile