Li'l bit of local resistance to the surveillance state. Yours truly is quoted.

https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2026/01/uw-faculty-local-activists-criticize-campus-flock-safety-cameras-cite-privacy-concerns

We knew this was coming, but now the clock is running. From Privacy International:

"Yesterday the Trump Administration announced a proposed change in policy for travellers to the U.S. It applies to the powers of data collection by the Customs and Border Police (CBP)."

"If the proposed changes are adopted after the 60-day consultation, then millions of travellers to the U.S. will be forced to use a U.S. government mobile phone app, submit their social media from the last five years and email addresses used in the last ten years, including of family members. They’re also proposing the collection of DNA."

PI linked to and summarized a Federal Register entry describing the proposed requirements:

-All visitors must submit ‘their social media from the last 5 years’

-ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) applications will include ‘high value data fields’, ‘when feasible’
‘telephone numbers used in the last five years’
-‘email addresses used in the last ten years’
-‘family number telephone numbers (sic) used in the last five years’
-biometrics – face, fingerprint, DNA, and iris
-business telephone numbers used in the last five years
-business email addresses used in the last ten years.

https://www.privacyinternational.org/news-analysis/5713/trump-administration-wants-your-dna-and-social-media

The Federal Register entry says comments are encouraged and
must be submitted (no later than February 9, 2026) to be assured of consideration.

Federal Register entry: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-12-10/pdf/2025-22461.pdf

@QasimRashid@mastodon.social @qasimrashid@threads.net

#FuckICE #AbolishICE #ImpeachTrump #Project2025 #MidTerm #ICEmurder #TrumpEpsteinFiles #EpsteinFiles #ReleaseTheEpsteinFiles

#crafting #fuckice

How to set up a "ghost phone":
#cybersecurity #opsec #privacy #grapheneos #android #data #resist

@calyxinstitute

UPDATE: Calyx SIMs are internet-only... Oops. My fault for presuming they were default unlimited talk/text/data. (Update: I wouldn't trust Cape.) See the replies for a Jabber-based solution to a phone number. Much more affordable, too.

Find yourself a friend willing to receive packages in their name on your behalf, preferably someone not at risk of being monitored, themselves.

Order a SIM card from the Calyx Institute (https://www.calyx.org/):
• use crypto currency, prepaid gift card bought with cash, or money order.
• use a fake name to register the SIM.
• have it shipped to your friend's address.

Buy a pre-owned Google Pixel:
• buy with cash at physical location
• or online with a prepaid gift card that was bought with cash; use a brand new shopping account.
• or with crypto on DNM.
• have shipped to your friend's address.

Install GrapheneOS using your preferred method (browser is easier; local is more 1337):
• follow the guide at https://www.graphineos.org
• the guide says you need an internet connection to enable OEM unlocking, but I found this to be untrue and did not connect to internet.

When first connecting to internet, it is safer to wait until you have your SIM card than to connect to WiFi to finish setting up your phone.

If you do connect to WiFi, first, you should connect to a router with active VPN capabilities to avoid associating your device with your home IP. I was impatient and connected through my PC which runs a 24/7 VPN over WiFi and shares its connection over LAN to a GL.iNet router. I connected to the GL.iNet router which would feed my phone's connection through PC's VPN connection. GL.iNet routers have great support for VPNs on-device, too. Use a fresh VPN connection that you have not done any personal internet activity on.

Alternatively, you could connect to a public WiFi not terribly near your home to initially set up your phone and VPN connection.

Your next step should be to set up your VPN connection on your phone. Mullvad and Proton have clients available on F-Droid, so you'd have to install F-Droid first. NordVPN requires you to use the Play Store, so you'll have to set up the Play Store if you use Nord (or want any apps only available on the Play Store).

GrapheneOS uses a container for the Play Store so it can't access personal data on your device. Create a new Google account; do NOT use your primary google account. If you must to use a phone number for verification (optional), use the phone number associated with your new SIM, not your primary number. Don't forget to memorize or save your password.

If you want to add payment to your new google account, use a prepaid gift card.

You can also manually set up your VPN in the Networking section of the Settings app. I won't hold your hand for this and assume you know what you're doing if you go this route.

Use a kill switch, if available with your VPN. If not, be very careful about making sure your VPN is connected.

It may not be terribly necessary to use a VPN if you never connect to WiFi and only use your 5G connection. Although your IP will reveal your general location.

Disable location services for best security. it is actually very difficult for LEA to triangulate 5G devices with cell towers. You should be practically safe from triangulation attacks.

(GrapheneOS also has a built-in network and location proxies if you need location services.)

Pay attention that your connection doesn't downgrade to 4G or especially 3G to avoid triangulation. LEA will use a device called a "Stingray" to downgrade cellular connections in an area so they can triangulate devices. You can use a Verizon Orbic 5G hotspot with custom firmware called "Rayhunter" to determine if a Stingray is active in your area. You do not need a SIM and subscription for the Orbis. (https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/03/meet-rayhunter-new-open-source-tool-eff-detect-cellular-spying)

If a stingray is active, shut down your phone, ASAP.

That's it. Stay sharp and pay attention and your phone should be untraceable back to you. Use unique accounts on your ghost phone to best hide your identity. Or at least accounts that are already hidden from your primary identity.

Alternatively, you can use a Calyx Institute hotspot and avoid using a SIM altogether. (https://odysee.com/@NaomiBrockwell:4/Calyx:7)

Bonus Benn Jordan video with a segment about The Rayhunter: https://anarchy.tube/w/9ZU893XKY6xVNf9GnFNTAS

https://www.advocate.com/politics/bree-fram-congressional-run “That vision is so important, having a positive future to look toward, not this fear and hatred that’s so pervasive right now.” #Virginia #VAPol #hope #USPolitics #TransRightsAreHumanRights #LGBTQIA

Behind every number, there is a story,
and behind every tent, a human being suffering in silence.
Your support today means warmth, medicine, and renewed hope
Please don’t pass us by… donate even a little.
https://gofund.me/d0cc0587
#settlerColonialism #StopTheGenocide #FreePalestine @aral
#settlerColonialism #stopthegenocide #FreePalestine
#GazaVerified #settlerColonialism #stopthegenocide #FreePalestine
@Luminex
@kathimmel
@RFancio
@tasuke005
@BrianSmith950
@SteveJB
@regendans@todon.e
@fuckfetish

Oh look.
Also, a Target toolkit: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bit.ly/TargetT0olkit&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1768975237227778&usg=AOvVaw1PUY-QCXWszXfkAP2FtVtV
#iceout #fuckice

#iceout #fuckice

Stand with Minnesota: a compilation of testimonies and places to donate to help out.

#MN #ICE #DHS #MutualAid #Donate #StandWithMinnesota

https://www.standwithminnesota.com/

#wisconsin #fuckice

Repost from a friend of a friend:
“Friends outside of MN please read. Im sharing a post written by a personal friend and medical doctor:
Friends outside MN, you need to know what is happening here. Everyone knows that ICE shot and killed a woman here on Wednesday. But that’s not the only thing that’s going on:
- ICE agents are cruising areas with immigrant-owned businesses, and kidnapping patrons and employees alike. Yesterday they abducted two US citizen employees at a suburban Target, one who was begging them to allow him to go get his passport to show them.
- ICE is going door to door in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods, asking residents where their immigrant neighbors live. Read that again. If it sounds like something out of your high school history textbook, that’s because it is.
- ICE is targeting schools and school buses. They pepper sprayed teenagers and abducted two school staff members at the high school up the street from me on Weds. Police are literally escorting school buses to ensure children can get to school and home safely. The Minneapolis Public Schools have moved to virtual learning for the next 4 weeks because it’s unsafe for children or teachers to physically come to school.
- They are targeting hospitals and clinics. Patients are scared and are canceling their appointments or just not showing up. Kids are missing their checkups and vaccines, folks aren’t getting their cancer care, etc.
- They are smashing windows in cars and homes.
- ICE is increasingly picking up Native Americans—again, targeting folks based on skin color alone.
- They are arresting and beating legal observers. A friend of a friend had her arm broken yesterday. Folks are showing up at local hospitals, brought in in ICE custody, with severe injuries that are absolutely inconsistent with mechanism of injury reported by ICE. (Think: patient appears to have been beaten unconscious, while ICE agent says he slipped and fell.)
I can’t emphasize enough that these ICE agents do not have warrants. There are 2,000+ agents here and they are simply hunting for anyone that’s not white. It doesn’t matter if you’re a citizen or a green card holder, they will kidnap you first and ask questions later.
But the community is fighting back.
- Protests are happening every day.
- Community groups have been leading know-your-rights sessions for months, often to packed venues.
- Whistles are being distributed by the thousands, carried on keychains and worn on coat zippers, always at the ready to be blown in warning if ICE is spotted.
- Drivers are following ICE vehicles, blaring their horns in warning.
- Businesses are locking their doors even while open to keep employees and customers safe. As I type this, I’m standing guard at the locked door of our neighborhood burrito joint while I wait for my takeout order, so the employees can focus on their jobs. The place is packed with neighbors supporting this small business.
- Anti-ICE signs are posted everywhere. The community is making it crystal clear that ICE is not welcome here.
- Parents and neighbors are standing guard outside schools, organizing carpools, and escorting kids to and from school on foot.
- Parents of kids in Spanish-immersion daycare (there are a LOT of these daycares here!) are keeping their kids home so the teachers don’t have to take the risk of coming to work.
- Churches and community groups are holding fundraisers to buy and deliver groceries to families who don’t feel safe leaving home.
- Mutual aid money is going out to folks who can’t make rent because they can’t work or because a breadwinner was abducted, or who need a warm place to stay after their home’s windows were smashed.
THAT is what is happening here. This fight is ongoing and it’s horrifying to watch. But we are not backing down. To my friends in other cities and states, don’t think for a minute that this won’t happen in your town. It will. Be ready. Learn from us, as we have learned from Portland and Chicago and New York. Fight back. Don’t let us get to the last line of Martin Niemoller’s poem.”
-Grant Boulanger

#Minneapolis #ICE #MN

Another report from MN from a friend of a friend, a US Citizen:

I am a US citizen from Minneapolis. Yesterday, while doing legal observation, ICE stopped their cars to harass my friend and me. They sprayed pepper spray into the vent of our vehicle. We held our hands in the air and told them we were not obstructing, that the car was in park and they were free to drive forward and away. There was no active immigration raid. They returned to their cars, and drove forward a bit, then decided to stop again. They surrounded us, smashed the windows of our car, opened the doors (they were unlocked), ripped my friend and I out of the car and arrested us on charges of obstruction.
I was put in an unmarked SUV, separated from my friend. As I was put in the back seat an ICE agent tore the whistle off my neck and said “I’ll be taking this, I might need it later.” My phone was knocked out of my hand while being arrested. As we drove away I asked the driver and the passenger if they wouldn’t mind buckling my seatbelt, as they were driving erratically. I was ignored. I asked them if I could have the handcuffs loosened, as I was losing circulation, and was told no. At one point the passenger realized his own driver's license was in the backseat next to mine, and tried to surreptitiously grab it without me seeing it.
We were taken to the Whipple federal building, where I saw dozens of brown people being processed in an unheated garage. I was frisked, told of my charges, and saw buses and vans being prepped. I later learned that these were being filled with detainees and driven to the airport for deportation. As we were led in, I noticed that the building was very busy. I got the impression that one of the 2 agents bringing me around was being trained. At multiple points throughout my stay, government agents were unable to open doors, not sure where they were meant to be going, and overall confused and overwhelmed. They couldn’t figure out how to use the building phones, or complained about a lack of cell service preventing them from checking the internet or making calls.
The people in the cells were extremely scared. We heard people screaming "let me out!", crying, wailing and terrified screams. There were cells with as many as 8 people. I have no way of knowing how long they have been there, if they were allowed any contact with the outside world, or if they were being brought food or water. Most people were staring at the ground with almost no energy. I was not allowed to talk to anyone imprisoned. I distinctly remember seeing a desperate woman. She was staring at the ground with her head in her hands crying, hopeless, while her friend or family member sat on a bathroom seat observed by 3 men.
My friend and I were put in an area for "USCs," which we eventually learned meant US citizens, separated by gender. We were imprisoned for 8 hours, during which my friend was never allowed a phone call. I was allowed to call my wife and tell her where I was. During my interview with Special Agent William and Special Agent Garcia, they asked me to empty my pockets. When I pulled out gloves, Agent William said those were meant to be taken when I was processed, and complained about having to fill out the form again. He frisked me once more, where he found glass in my pocket from when our car window was shattered. He filled out the form listing my personal items again, but put the wrong date. I was read my rights, I pleaded the fifth and was led back to my cell.
Food, water, and bathroom breaks were extremely difficult to acquire. I would ask over the intercom provided in the cell for a bathroom break, be told someone was on their way, then ask again 20 minutes later, be told someone was on their way, wait another 20 minutes, etc. Eventually they either turned off the intercom or it stopped working, because no one would respond. I could get water and bathroom breaks by pounding on the glass when someone happened to walk by and beg them directly. Hours would go by without anyone checking on us. I am vegan and the only food they offered were turkey sandwiches, fruit snacks with gelatin, and granola bars with honey. I eventually ate a granola bar out of hunger.
I was in the cell alone for between 1 and 2 hours, then another man was put into my cell, whose shirt was ripped open from his arrest, and an injured toe, who was carried aggressively into an unmarked car during his arrest. After about 4-5 hours, another man was brought in who had a cut on his head from his arrest. He told me he was tackled by 4 or 5 agents during his arrest. At no point was he offered medical assistance.
Later I was told that a lawyer was here to see me, and I was able to speak with him in a visitation room. The special agent told me that the door could not be closed all the way, so it was cracked during my interaction with my lawyer. I got the impression that they were not used to having lawyers present, and were trying to follow procedure as best they could. I asked an agent if the other detainees were allowed lawyers and was not answered.
At one point, 3 men from the department of Homeland Security Investigations brought me into a cell. They insinuated that they could help me out. After inquiring several times what exactly they meant they finally told me that they could offer undocumented family members of mine legal protection if I have any (I don’t), or money, in exchange for giving them the names of protest organizers, or undocumented persons. I was shocked, and told them no.
Finally, after hours of detention, I was told to follow an agent. At no point was I told whether or not I was being charged, or where I was going, but I was led out of the building. I asked if I could use a phone to call my wife to pick me up, and was told I could not. After pleading for several minutes eventually Special Agent William let me use his phone to call my wife. As I was escorted off the property by government agents, I was told to turn right. I was escorted to the protest area, where 5 minutes later, tear gas was deployed and I was struck by a paint ball gun. I was not protesting, I was simply being released without charges after an 8 hour detention. I was on the other side of the street, as instructed by the agents that released me and the agents shouting orders over a bullhorn. A passerby who was tear gassed was panicking and having an asthma attack, so I helped her find a medic to get her an inhaler. I used a stranger's phone to co-ordinate pickup, and was picked up by my wife.
During my detention I knew that I was being released. I knew that as a citizen of the United States I have legal protection. The hundred or so other people being detained had no such protection. At this time I don’t need your help, it is the families that are being separated, abused, terrorized, harassed and killed that need your help. If this is happening to me, an American citizen born in the United States, then what is happening to the people in here that have no one calling lawyers on their behalf? That have no constitutional rights to due process? What is happening to the people that they will never be released to see their families, go to their jobs, or walk through their city ever again?

Please take care of yourselves, your family, and your community. I am safe and healthy, if you feel compelled to help, please offer your help to the Immigrant Defense Network at https://immigrantdefensenetwork.org/. If you know someone detained by ICE, call or text CAIR-MN at 612-206-3360 for 24/7 legal intake.”

#MN #ICE

#GazaSoupKitchen Update

January 8, 2026 by #HaniAlmadhoun, Organizer

"Dear friends, allies, and partners in good,

In the last two days of 2025, the #Gaza Soup Kitchen opened its 14th location. Since then, it has been running strong. And yet, every time I think about expanding kitchens in Gaza, I don’t feel a sense of achievement. It feels like a setback for humanity.

Every meal we serve matters—but the growth of these kitchens is a painful measure of how far things have fallen. No amount of coordination, care, or sacrifice can change the truth: this is emergency survival, not dignity.

I keep coming back to the real goal we’ve always had: not to add kitchens, but to close them. Success, to me, looks like people back in their homes, cooking for their children, rather than standing in line for a meal.

What worries me most is the next generation. Children growing up in aid lines instead of classrooms, learning to ration far too early. I think of the Nakba generation, who built lives and institutions out of ruins. That same #Palestinian spirit is here—but under enormous strain. Resilience isn’t endless, and it shouldn’t be romanticized. People were never meant to live like this.

And yet, that spirit persists—in neighbors sharing crumbs, teachers refusing to stop teaching, people showing up for each other when almost nothing remains. That matters. I feel it deeply.

But care alone is not enough. Soup kitchens are a bridge, not a future. The true measure of progress isn’t how well we manage hunger, but how soon we make it unnecessary.

Our Impact Today

We are serving communities across the #GazaStrip—from #KhanYounes in the south to #BeitLahia in the north. Our kitchens serve real, edible meals—not factory food lacking taste or flavor.

We now scale to serve up to 15,000 families per week.

This week, distributions included winter clothing, baby milk and diapers, food parcels, and hygiene and cleaning supplies.

Our most effective team is in #GazaCity.

The middle-area team in #DeirElBalah is facing space challenges and newer staff, but they are accelerating their distributions and solving logistical issues.

In addition to serving families who register online:

30% of our work happens outside the registration system, with teams dispatched daily to reach disconnected communities.

Water trucks continue to roll daily—about ten per day.

The medical point in Mashrou’ Beit Lahia sees 60–80 patients a day.

The classroom in Khan Younes is teaching 30 children daily, and we are preparing to launch an orphan learning center in Gaza City within two weeks.

Looking Forward

Ramadan is just weeks away, and we’re concerned that #Israel may limit the number of trucks again, as announced yesterday. This would affect #FoodAccess and increase costs—but for now, we are holding off from buying everything in the market prematurely.

What helps us most is sharing our videos, stories, and updates—engaging, commenting, and spreading awareness. If you can, consider becoming a monthly donor.

To give context:

Our daily operational costs have risen from $15,000/day to $30,000/day.

This page used to average $5,000/day in donations, now it’s under $2,000/day.

I hate asking for money, but as our team’s response grows, donations are not keeping pace. Your support is critical, and I hope you can help us think creatively about the future.

Thank you for being here. For every crumb shared, every child fed, and every story told, your partnership matters.

With deep gratitude,
Hani
Gaza Soup Kitchen

P. S. In other news, Israel hit two schools today where we run kitchens, there has been injuries and at least one fatality which is tragic, our staff are unharmed as they had just washed up and left for the day."

Donate:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/Hot-meals-in-gaza-daily

#NorthGaza #GazaAid #GazaFundraisers #FreePalestine #Fundraisers #FoodIsLife #WaterIsLife #GoFundMe #BeitLahiya #BaitLahiya #KhanYounes #Palestine #Genocide #Starvation #IsraeliWarCrimes #NorthernGaza
Remember #ChefMahmoud
#HumanRightsAreNeverWrong #IsraeliWarCrimes #BibiIsAWarCriminal

Saw this and wanted to pass along. Remember to take precautions against getting/spreading the flu 😷 #madisonwi #madison #fuckice

US Border agents just shot two people in Portland, Oregon today.

It's almost as if they are intentionally trying to desensitize us to their violence, to make us accept that they will kill whoever they want, whenever they want.

But if we do that, things will only get worse.

All around the country, we must flood the streets to show that we will not be intimidated. We have to build the capacity to defend our communities from the murderers and kidnappers in ICE. How we rise to this challenge will determine the future for all of us.

Smash ICE.

http://crimethinc.com/opsec

If Trans Athletes Lose at the Supreme Court, What Comes Next www.transvitae.com/i... #transgender #trans #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA

If Trans Athletes Lose at the ...

Saw this posted and wanted to pass on, FAQs tonight and hearings tomorrow, plus a link to submit testimony. #lgbtq #transrights #transhealthcare #madisonwi #fairwisconsin #wisconsin

My daughter is fading before my eyes 💔
She is suffering greatly and urgently needs medical tests, and today she can’t even cry from the pain.
This agony is unbearable.
Please do not ignore us—write about us, share, and support us 🙏
You are our only hope in this darkness we are living in Gaza.
Only $60 remain… please stand by us.
https://chuffed.org/project/omsham
#settlerColonialism #StopTheGenocide #FreePalestine @aral
#settlerColonialism #stopthegenocide #FreePalestine #fediAid
#GazaVerified