Enjoyed our time this week at Domain pulse 2026, discussing a variety of topics, including the need for more collaboration and mutual support amongst the European infrastructure community in light of the barrage of legal action in recent years which threaten #internetintegrity & #internetfreedom.

In the absence of that, the alternatives are not palatable.

We've written much about this. Let us know what you think - or more importantly, how you can help!

https://quad9.net/news/blog/when-enforcing-copyright-starts-breaking-the-internets-plumbing/

#infosec

🎤 Speaker Spotlight: We’re thrilled to welcome Cory Doctorow @pluralistic to FediMTL 2026! Bestselling author and a leading voice on #DigitalRights, #InternetFreedom, and the fight against #Enshittification of the web.
🎟️ In-person and streaming tickets: https://fedimtl.ca/

#FediMTL #Fediverse #DigitalSovereignty #SocialWeb

Tor Browser 15.0.5 released to fix Vietnamese text vandalism from malicious contributor 🛡️
No security impact, but prompts review of translation safeguards to protect open contributions 🔒
Updates Tor to 0.4.8.22, NoScript, and OpenSSL for better privacy and stability 💻

@torproject

🔗 https://blog.torproject.org/new-release-tor-browser-1505/

#TechNews #Privacy #Tor #OpenSource #Security #Cybersecurity #DigitalRights #Encryption #UserFreedom #Anonymity #FOSS #InternetFreedom #Browser #Mozilla #Firefox #Brave

Sharing this Proton article with their 2026 internet predictions 📱

🔍 EU eyes permanent "voluntary" message scanning
🪪 Global age verification laws risk ID breaches
⚠️ VPN blocks expand in democracies as rogue AI agents loom

@protonprivacy

🔗 https://proton.me/blog/2026-internet-predictions

#TechNews #Privacy #VPN #AI #Surveillance #Encryption #Regulation #Data #Security #DigitalRights #Cybersecurity #UserRights #BigTech #InternetFreedom #AgeVerification #Proton #ProtonMail #EU #Europe #ChatControl #VPN #ID

📌 Iran Internet Status Update

Monitoring data indicates significant disruptions to Iran’s international internet connectivity.

📉 Connectivity levels have dropped sharply, with access remaining limited, unstable, and intermittently restored. Mobile networks, messaging apps, and international services are widely affected.

⚠️ These disruptions continue to impact communication, access to information, and daily digital activity across the country.
#NetBlocks #Iran #InternetShutdown #InternetFreedom

Always be wary of new legislation pushed to "protect the children" when that same government body does not, in fact, protect the children... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAvtRZoXBfQ

#VPN #InternetFreedom #Law #UKPol #OnlineSafety #IdentityCheck

Among all the other horrors, now's a great time to tell the U.S. Sentencing Commission just how bad the unintended consequences & potential overreach of the #TakeItDownAct would be, and recommend against any sentencing guidelines at this time.

The USSC is seeking public comment on its proposal to amend the Sentencing Guidelines in light of the new TAKE IT DOWN Act. Comment period ends Feb. 10.

https://www.ussc.gov/guidelines/amendments/proposed-2026-amendments-federal-sentencing-guidelines-published-december-2025

#censorship #internetcensorship #internetfreedom

The UK's Online Safety Act is making waves: Pornhub is pulling out for new users due to age verification. The company's take? It just pushes traffic to unmoderated sites. Is this genuinely about online safety, or is it a fast track to the digital wild west?

What's your assessment of these sweeping internet regulations?

#DigitalRights #Privacy #TechPolicy #UK #InternetFreedom https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/pornhub-will-become-unavailable-for-many-uk-users-as-of-february-2-194622124.html?src=rss

WhatsApp Clone... But Decentralized and P2P Encrypted Without Install or Signup.

By leveraging WebRTC for direct browser-to-browser communication, it eliminates the middleman entirely. Users simply share a unique URL to establish an encrypted, private channel. This approach effectively bypasses corporate data harvesting and provides a lightweight, disposable communication method for those prioritizing digital sovereignty.

Features include:
* P2P
* End to end encryption
* forward secrecy
* Multimedia
* Open source
* No registration
* No installation
* Encrypted storage
* TURN server

The project is far from finished and presented for testing, feedback and demo purposes (USE RESPONSIBLY!).

Technical breakdown: https://www.reddit.com/r/CorpFree/comments/1qnouh8/whatsapp_clone_but_peertopeer_no_install_or_signup

Demo: https://p2p.positive-intentions.com/iframe.html?globals=&id=demo-p2p-messaging--p-2-p-messaging&viewMode=story

#Privacy #OpenSource #P2P #WebRTC #Decentralization #DigitalSovereignty #CyberSecurity #FOSS #SelfHosted #NoCloud #AntiCorp #Encryption #WebDev #TechLiberty #PrivateMessaging #Networking #DataPrivacy #InternetFreedom #LocalFirst #SoftwareEngineering #WebApps #ZeroKnowledge #PrivacyTech #IndieDev #NoSignup #NoInstall #DecentralizedWeb #SecureMessaging #BrowserApp #TechEthics

NetBlocks reports show how completely the Islamic regime shuts down access to the open internet. When **no** sites are reachable, the right to information is erased — and every internet‑based business is instantly paralyzed. Such total blackouts are not technical failures. They are deliberate tools to hide violence, repression, and state crimes from the world.
https://netblocks.org/reports

#NetBlocks #InternetFreedom #HumanRights #Iran #iranprotests

Europe is moving fast to help Iranians regain open internet access. France is considering sending Eutelsat/OneWeb satellite terminals after Tehran imposed a near‑total blackout during the country’s most violent unrest in years united24medi.... With Iran pushing a China‑style censored intranet, satellite links could offer a crucial lifeline for uncensored communication.

#Iran #InternetFreedom #Eutelsat #OneWeb #EU #KeepItOn #iranprotests

Das iranische Regime schlägt brutal zu. Doch du kannst helfen, ohne Kosten oder technisches Know‑how: Installiere die Snowflake‑Erweiterung (Tor‑Projekt) in deinem Browser. Sie leitet anonym ein Stück deiner Bandbreite weiter, sodass Menschen im Iran gesperrte Webseiten und Messenger erreichen können. Einfach installieren, Browser offen lassen – schon leistest du digitale Nachbarschaftshilfe.
Mehr Infos & Download: https://snowflake.torproject.org/ #Iran #InternetFreedom #Snowflake #TorProject

French Court Orders Popular VPNs to Block More Pirate Sites, Despite Opposition

https://torrentfreak.com/french-court-orders-popular-vpns-to-block-more-pirate-sites-despite-opposition/

#HackerNews #FrenchCourt #VPNs #PirateSites #InternetFreedom #DigitalRights #PrivacyConcerns

😒 Ah, the thrill of encountering an age gate: the modern equivalent of being carded for a juice box. 🥤 Now, revel in the EFF's endless crusade for digital justice, sprinkled with more donation pleas than a PBS telethon. 📺💸
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/01/so-youve-hit-age-gate-what-now #digitaljustice #agegate #EFF #donationpleas #technews #internetfreedom #HackerNews #ngated

@mattburgess

Welcome Matt!

Remember on Mastodon there is no algorithm. But users do follow hashtags. If you want your posts to show up in people's feeds, add appropriate hashtags like I have below. Also, boosting helps get posts in the 'trending' feed

Please don't take this as criticism, but as information on how to get your posts read by others!

#cybercrime #privacy #surveillance #internetFreedom #WIRED

If you want to help the people in #Iran to access the internet you could use #snowflake to help enter the #tornetwork
My opinion is the easiest way to do so is to open this Website:
https://embed-snowflake.torproject.org and activate the little slide on the left and poof people can use your Internet. Pretty easy no Installation or running an App, plain and simple Website.
Do it now! And keep the site open as long as you want!

#helpingothers #IranRevolution2026 #internetfreedom #internetforpeople #torbrowser

https://proton.me/blog/2025-lifetime-fundraiser-results

Proton's 2025 Lifetime Account Charity Fundraiser generated over $1.27 million to directly support organizations defending privacy, free expression, and a freer internet.

#InternetFreedom #Proton #Charity #Privacy #FreeSpeech

EU's new "Open source strategy" needs feedback and input

https://piefed.europe.pub/c/opensource/p/148417/eu-s-new-open-source-strategy-needs-feedback-and-input

Pakistan is blocking major VPN services under a new licensing framework.

Unlicensed VPNs are restricted, while approved providers must support legal interception.

https://www.technadu.com/pakistan-blocks-major-vpn-services-under-new-licensing-rules/617822/

#VPN #Privacy #InternetFreedom #CyberSecurity

EU's new "Open source strategy" needs feedback and input

The following is a copypaste from a Mastodon post by @frida@camp.smolnet.org that I’ve linked above.

The EU is working on what is in essence a new Open Source strategy for Europe, and the call for evidence is now open. This is our cue to provide feedback and input to the strategy!

If you are involved in the Open Source community in any way, if you benefit (or could benefit) in any way from Open Source, or if you’re simply interested in questions about digital sovereignty, please visit https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/16213-European-Open-Digital-Ecosystems_en for details on how to contribute.