You don't need a data breach to lose control of your address. Sometimes, all it takes is paying your utility bill. Every account you open, electric, water, internet, quietly feeds a network that trades in proof of where you live.
That system was never built for your protection; it was built for verification, sales, and surveillance.
What starts as a simple "report outage" form or automated phone line can double as an open window into your private life.
Beneath the surface is a marketplace that connects your name, phone number, and street to data brokers, investigators, and anyone who can pay.
The companies you trust to keep the lights on may also be lighting the way to your front door.
We explore this today.
|  | Rumble, the video-sharing and cloud services platform, has reopened access to its site for users in France following a decisive legal development.
A court ruled that a French official's demand for content removal, delivered via email, held no legal authority.
In response, Rumble has restored full access to its platform across the country.
The dispute dates back to 2022, when a French government representative attempted to pressure the platform into censoring certain videos.
Rather than complying with the demand to erase content under threat of legal consequences, Rumble took the bold step of withdrawing service from France entirely.
That stand against political interference has now been vindicated by the court's finding that the email in question could not be treated as an enforceable action.
Chris Pavlovski, founder and CEO of Rumble, responded to the ruling with optimism and a clear message about the platform's values:
"Freedom wins out again, and we are thrilled that the French people will once again have access to the Rumble public square, where the free exchange of ideas happens around the clock. France has a rich history of fighting for individual freedoms, which aligns seamlessly with Rumble, as we are a freedom-first platform in everything we do. We look forward to turning the page in France and beginning a new chapter."
Rumble has long positioned itself as a defender of free expression in the face of growing state-led pressure to control online narratives.
Its legal filing in France challenged demands from authorities who wanted content removed, including coverage from Russian news outlets.
"Recently, the French Government demanded that we remove certain Russian news sources from Rumble. As part of our mission to restore a free and open internet, we have committed not to move the goalposts on our content policies," the company stated at the time.
Although the platform acknowledged that France made up a small portion of its user base, less than one percent, Rumble emphasized that it was the principle of the matter that drove its decision.
It noted that French users would "lose access to a wide range of Rumble content because of these government demands," calling out the broader implications of censorship for internet freedom.
The European Union and the United States have imposed broad sanctions on Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine, including bans on state-run broadcasters such as RT and Sputnik.
These efforts have caused controversy around the balance between national security concerns and the suppression of information.
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Governments around the world are increasingly pressuring American-based tech platforms to censor content beyond their borders.
The United Kingdom, for instance, has targeted 4chan using its censorship law, the Online Safety Act, demanding that the platform restrict content even though 4chan is incorporated in the US and has no physical presence in the UK. Lawyers for the platform have pushed back, arguing that foreign bureaucrats cannot dictate speech rules to American businesses.
This extraterritorial reach is part of a growing trend where foreign governments attempt to use their domestic laws to control global speech.
Brazil has taken an even more aggressive stance. Its Supreme Court has repeatedly ordered platforms like X and Rumble to remove content or suspend accounts, often under threat of daily fines or outright bans.
Rumble was blocked in Brazil for refusing to remove a user account, and X has faced court orders demanding compliance with Brazilian content takedown requests.
As more governments adopt these tactics, platforms are forced to choose between resisting foreign overreach or surrendering control over what users can see and say online.
However, this court ruling in France in favor of Rumble marks a victory for platforms that choose to resist censorship rather than surrender to political pressure.
Rumble has proven that platforms don't have to roll over when foreign authorities attempt to dictate what speech is acceptable. |
You read Reclaim The Net because you believe in something deeper than headlines; you believe in the enduring values of free speech, individual liberty, and the right to privacy.
Every issue we publish is part of a larger fight: preserving the principles that built this country and protecting them from erosion in the digital age.
With your help, we can do more than simply hold the line: we can push back. We can shine a light on censorship, expose growing surveillance overreach, and give a voice to those being silenced.
Your support helps us expand our reach, educate more people, and continue this work.
Thank you for your support. |  | California has approved a package of new laws that expand government oversight of digital platforms and impose requirements on technology companies, particularly those operating in the fields of social media and artificial intelligence.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed several bills into law, each framed as part of an effort to protect children online, though the measures raise significant concerns about surveillance, censorship, and compelled data collection.
One of the newly enacted laws, Assembly Bill 56, compels social media platforms to issue repetitive warning messages to users.
These black box-style alerts, similar to those found on cigarette packaging, must appear when users first open a platform, once they've used it for three hours in total, and again every hour after that.
The result will be a government-mandated content label on digital communication tools.
Another piece of legislation, Senate Bill 243, targets so-called "companion chatbots."
Under this law, companies that develop or operate chatbots capable of human-like conversation will be required to monitor and surveil users in order to find signs of suicidal ideation or expressions of self-harm.
The law mandates that these companies report aggregate statistics each year to the Office of Suicide Prevention, including how often such ideation is detected and how often the chatbot itself raises related topics.
To comply, developers will likely need to surveil conversations between users and chatbots in real-time, resulting in a framework that could normalize the monitoring of private exchanges under the pretext of mental health intervention.
Also included in the package is AB 1043, which forces operating system providers to verify the age or birth date of users.
App developers, in turn, will be expected to request and act on these so-called "age signals" when their apps are downloaded or launched.
Though touted as a measure to restrict minors' access to inappropriate material, this mechanism would introduce a new layer of persistent digital tracking and monitoring tied directly to operating system-level identity data. Governor Newsom framed the legislation as a necessary step to rein in the dangers of new technologies.
"Emerging technology like chatbots and social media can inspire, educate, and connect – but without real guardrails, technology can also exploit, mislead, and endanger our kids. We've seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won't stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability. We can continue to lead in AI and technology, but we must do it responsibly — protecting our children every step of the way. Our children's safety is not for sale."
California officials have promoted these new rules as part of a broader strategy to regulate technology companies, especially those seen as failing to shield children from harmful digital content.
But the legislation moves far beyond standard child protection measures. Among the policies now on the books: Platforms operating AI-driven companion chatbots must build and disclose crisis protocols, issue reminders to minors to take breaks, restrict the display of sexual imagery, and avoid presenting bots as licensed mental health professionals. Age verification will become a standard requirement for operating systems and app stores, tying age-based restrictions to the very core of device functionality. Social media companies are now legally obligated to display government-mandated warnings about the effects of screen time, no matter the user's age or intent. A significant expansion of civil liability around deepfake pornography permits victims to sue third parties who knowingly facilitate its distribution, with damages potentially reaching $250,000 per incident. The California Department of Education is tasked with creating a statewide "cyberbullying" policy by mid-2026, which school districts must adopt or modify locally. Developers of AI systems will no longer be able to claim exemption from legal responsibility by arguing that their software acted independently.
While these bills are being celebrated by state officials as a step forward in digital safety, the practical impact may be increased scrutiny of online interactions, reduced privacy in AI-driven tools, and a broader normalization of government influence over personal technology use.
Despite signing bills that would harm online privacy, Newsom did back off from the most pro-censorship bill California had pushed in recent times, deciding not to sign it.
With a veto that will be welcomed by digital rights advocates and free expression defenders, Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 771, a proposal that sought to hold platforms legally responsible if their algorithms relayed content deemed to violate the state's civil rights laws.
The bill, as written, raised serious concerns about its potential to chill online speech.
By tying civil liability to algorithmic distribution, it would have created strong incentives for platforms to over-police user content, likely leading to preemptive censorship and the suppression of lawful expression. | Getting merchandise for yourself or as a gift helps support the mission to defend free speech and digital privacy.
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|  | Tech giants Apple and Google have confirmed they will comply with Texas's newly passed age verification law, but both companies warn that doing so will come at the cost of user privacy.
The legislation, known as SB2420, is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.
Under this law, app marketplaces and developers will be required to implement strict age assurance mechanisms that, according to Apple, will force the collection of personal data even for basic app downloads.
"Beginning January 1, 2026, a new state law in Texas—SB2420—introduces age assurance requirements for app marketplaces and developers," Apple stated in a developer update.
"While we share the goal of strengthening kids' online safety, we are concerned that SB2420 impacts the privacy of users by requiring the collection of sensitive, personally identifiable information to download any app, even if a user simply wants to check the weather or sports scores."
The Texas App Store Accountability Act sets out mandatory age checks and specific restrictions on users under 18. Developers will be expected to make structural changes to how their apps function and handle user data to comply with the mandate.
To help developers adjust, Apple plans to update its existing Declared Age Range API and introduce additional tools to allow apps to handle required consent procedures more easily.
These changes are meant to align with the law while trying to reduce exposure of sensitive user data, Apple said. More technical information is expected to be released this fall.
Google is taking a similar approach and has already launched a beta version of its Play Age Signals API. Through this system, apps will be able to receive information about users' age ranges, supervision status, and other relevant signals, but only in the states affected.
In an earlier blog post, Google voiced concern over how the Utah law, which takes effect May 7, 2026, compels data-sharing. "The bill requires app stores to share if a user is a kid or teenager with all app developers (effectively millions of individual companies) without parental consent or rules on how the information is used," the company warned. "That raises real privacy and safety risks, like the potential for bad actors to sell the data or use it for other nefarious purposes."
Google emphasized that apps like weather services shouldn't need access to a user's age data.
Apple and Google both mentioned that developers in Utah and Louisiana will face similar legal demands next year.
Louisiana's rules are scheduled for July 1, 2026. All three state laws require that apps accommodate age-specific experiences and integrate parental controls where necessary.
Although currently limited to a few states, momentum is building at the federal level.
Lawmakers, including Rep. John James (R-Mich.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) have introduced a proposal to apply similar rules nationwide. Lee argued that oversight is necessary because "Big Tech has profited from app stores through which children in America and across the world access violent and sexual material while risking contact from online predators."
Both Apple and Google already offer optional parental tools. The new mandates, however, would impose those controls by default and require age verification before any app use, even for content with no relevance to age.
Privacy advocates warn that by forcing companies to gather and distribute identifying data, these state laws not only expand surveillance but also hand tech companies an obligation that could backfire if the information is misused or exposed. |  | Hong Kong is preparing for a major expansion of its public surveillance network, aiming to install approximately 60,000 CCTV cameras by 2028. This marks a dramatic increase from the fewer than 4,000 currently in operation under the police-led SmartView program.
According to legislative filings, the rollout will be phased over three years, with deployment focused on locations with higher foot traffic and crime levels.
Police officials told lawmakers the upgraded network would integrate artificial intelligence tools already in use for license plate reading and crowd analysis.
They described suspect tracking across the network as a function that could "naturally" follow once the infrastructure is in place.
This expansion represents one of the largest surveillance undertakings in the city since the passage of the "National Security Law."
The scale mirrors similar initiatives that have already become common across cities in mainland China, where AI-powered monitoring is widely used.
Authorities have acknowledged that the new cameras will be equipped for facial recognition and other forms of automated image processing.
However, the actual deployment of such functions is subject to existing legal constraints under the Personal Data Ordinance.
Current regulations from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data require that a privacy impact assessment be carried out before any biometric technologies are activated.
These assessments must demonstrate necessity and proportionality.
SmartView planning materials also reference requirements for public notification and limits on how long footage is retained, pointing to an attempt to establish formal privacy boundaries.
This latest plan builds on earlier steps to bring artificial intelligence into Hong Kong's surveillance systems.
A prior initiative aimed to enable facial recognition in more than 3,000 cameras by the end of 2025.
The new timeline converts that limited upgrade into a citywide infrastructure project, with cameras feeding into centralized platforms capable of real-time identification and video scanning.
Legislative summaries estimate that around 20,000 new cameras will be added each year, supported by cloud-based analytics for threat detection and video searches.
Hong Kong's trajectory places it among the most surveilled urban centers in Asia. | | Thanks for reading,
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