#technology

The data throws new light on the department’s surveillance ambitions in the wake of the agency’s unprecedented $165bn funding boost in last year’s tax and spending bill, and controversies over agents’ apparent gathering of visual and biometric data on protesters in Minneapolis.

I work on a device management product, and we recently put together a practical guide on how website blocking works on Android and iPhone for managed devices. The article covers the basic approaches, where browser-level blocking falls short, and when centralized device management makes more sense for teams or schools. Posting it here because I think the technical trade-offs are more interesting than the product side. I’m also curious how others here handle web restrictions across mixed mobile fleets, especially when you need something reliable beyond browser settings. Feedback is welcome, especially from people managing Android/iPhone devices at scale.

Firefox is adding a free, built-in browser VPN (starting in version 149) for users in the US, UK, France, and Germany, with 50GB of monthly data. It only protects traffic inside Firefox—not other apps so it’s useful for casual privacy but not a full system-wide VPN replacement.

1. Firefox is adding a free, built-in VPN to the browser starting with version 149, initially for users in the US, UK, France, and Germany, with over 50GB of data per month.

2. This VPN works only inside Firefox, protecting just browser traffic not other apps, other browsers, or system-wide network activity so it’s not a full replacement for a stand-alone VPN.

3. Free VPNs can be risky, but Mozilla says its service follows its privacy and data principles; its VPN tech has been independently audited and uses the secure WireGuard protocol.

4. Experts warn the limited scope might give non-technical users a false sense of full protection, even though it only covers web browsing in Firefox.

5. Security expert Jacob Kalvo says it’s good for casual use and the 50GB limit is generous, but he doesn’t recommend it for sensitive data, competitive intelligence, or large-scale operations.

#news #Firefox #VPN #security #technology #tech

Your smart home can be easily hacked. New safety standards will help, but stay vigilant https://theconversation.com/your-smart-home-can-be-easily-hacked-new-safety-standards-will-help-but-stay-vigilant-278881 #technology #science #STEM

A lightweight, open Bitcoin market dashboard built with Astro SSG. Features real-time BTC price tracking, next halving countdown, and market analytics. No sign-up required. Interesting tech stack for anyone building crypto data tools.

Hacker News. A landmark international study across five Central European countries has found hazardous chemicals in every single pair of headphones analysed, from premium models to cheap imports. Authors say the results reveal a systemic failure in consumer safety regulation across the electronics industry. The investigation, conducted as part of the EU-funded ToxFree LIFE for All project, analysed 180 samples of hard and soft plastic components from 81 headphone products marketed to children, teenagers, and adults in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Austria.

Hacker News.

United States customs officers conducted a record number of searches of electronic devices last year of people travelling to the U.S., and a recent update to its directives adds new devices such as smart watches, SIM cards and flash drives to the list of things subject to search. Officers searched 55,318 computers, cellphones and other devices in 2025, up 17.6 per cent from the 47,047 devices searched in 2024 and up 32.4 per cent from the 41,767 devices searched in 2023, according to statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

HP’s long-running use of firmware updates that block third-party ink and toner cartridges is drawing scrutiny again – this time under a new global sustainability standard that explicitly forbids the practice. The International Imaging Technology Council (Int’l ITC), a trade group for cartridge remanufacturers, says HP’s latest printer firmware rollout conflicts with the requirements of the General Electronics Council’s (GEC) updated Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, or EPEAT 2.0.

To help train AI models, Meta and other tech companies have downloaded and shared pirated books via BitTorrent from Anna’s Archive and other shadow libraries. In an ongoing lawsuit, Meta now argues that uploading pirated books to strangers via BitTorrent qualifies as fair use. The company also stresses that the data helped establish U.S. global leadership in AI.

Ho appena acquistato una chiave di Windows 11 Pro da Digitlogs. com per 13 dollari e si è attivata correttamente. Mi aspettavo un po’ di ritardo, ma la chiave è stata recapitata immediatamente via email. Per ora sembra tutto a posto. Se hai acquistato da Digitlogs, fammi sapere la tua esperienza!