Cybersecurity firm Koi Security revealed that FreeVPN.One, a Chrome VPN extension with over 100,000 users, has been secretly capturing and transmitting screenshots of users' browsing activity to remote servers[^1][^2].

The spyware functionality was introduced in July 2025 after earlier updates expanded the extension's permissions. According to researcher Lotan Sery from Koi Security, "FreeVPN.One shows how a privacy branding can be flipped into a trap"[^3].

When confronted, the developer claimed screenshots were only taken of suspicious sites and were encrypted, but researchers found evidence of capture on trusted sites like Google Photos[^5]. The extension's "AI Threat Detection" feature discloses taking screenshots, but Koi Security found most surveillance occurred silently in the background[^8].

The case highlights growing risks with free VPN services, particularly as demand increases due to new online safety regulations in the UK requiring age verification[^3].

[^1]: GIGAZINE - Chrome VPN Extension Accused of Secretly Capturing User Screenshots

[^2]: It's FOSS - Google Verified FreeVPN Caught Red-handed Spying on its Users

[^3]: VARINDIA - Chrome VPN Extension Accused of Secretly Capturing User Screenshots

[^5]: It's FOSS - Google Verified FreeVPN Caught Red-handed Spying on its Users

[^8]: Instagram - Dhaka Chronicles post about FreeVPN.One spying

Danish source: https://www.computerworld.dk/art/292063/saadan-vil-regeringen-bekaempe-deepfake-du-faar-ophavsret-til-dit-eget-udseende

The Artificial Intelligence Unit will be made up of police officers and agents from other security forces. Its tasks will include “patrolling open social platforms, applications and websites,” where it will seek to “detect potential threats, identify movements of criminal groups or anticipate disturbances.” It will also be dedicated to “analyzing images from security cameras in real time in order to detect suspicious activities or identify wanted persons using facial recognition.” The resolution also awards it powers worthy of science fiction: “Using machine learning algorithms to analyze historical crime data and thus predict future crimes.” Another purpose will be to discover “suspicious financial transactions or anomalous behavior that could indicate illegal activities.”

The new unit will not only deal with virtual spaces. It will be able to “patrol large areas using drones, provide aerial surveillance and respond to emergencies,” as well as perform “dangerous tasks, such as defusing explosives, using robots.”

A digital policy specialist says, the initiative essentially means “illegal intelligence disguised as the use of ‘modern’ technologies.” Among the implicit risks, that there will be little control and many different security forces with access to the information that’s collected.

A Russian state-backed messenger application called Max, a rival to WhatsApp that critics say could be used to track users, must be pre-installed on all mobile phones and tablets bought in the country starting next month, the Russian government said on Thursday.

The decision to promote Max comes as Moscow, locked in a standoff with the west over Ukraine, is seeking greater control over the internet. The Kremlin said in a statement that Max, which will be integrated with government services, would be on a list of mandatory pre-installed apps on all “gadgets”, including mobile phones and tablets, sold in Russia from 1 September.

Saw this and figured others would like to know that this exists. Its basically a wiki that details the consumer rights goods and bass of different companies and products. Its still a work in progress, so if you have anything to contribute, feel free!

According to Geopol, digital sovereignty refers to a country’s ability to control and govern its own digital infrastructure, data and technologies in alignment with national laws, values and interests. “In simple terms, it’s about who owns, controls and protects data and digital systems within a given territory,” it says.

This has been present for many years, with China’s tactic to inspect web traffic passing through its networks well documented. An article on the Comparitech web site claims China “will first demand that a western tech company comply with its surveillance or censorship demands in order to continue operating in the country. This constant surveillance leads to what it calls “an atmosphere of distrust, and has a chilling effect on freedoms of speech, expression, movement and assembly.”

In the past few months, though, especially since the second US presidency of Donald Trump, there has been increased searches of electronic devices at ports of entry, while Greg Nojeim, director of the Security and Surveillance Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology, told Reuters there was an increased concern by Europeans about the US government accessing their data, whether stored on devices or in the cloud.

“Not only does US law permit the government to search devices of anyone entering the country, it can compel disclosure of data that Europeans outside the US store or transmit through US communications service providers,” said Nojeim.

cross-posted from: https://lemmybefree.net/post/1243814

Hi! I'm looking for a privacy respecting Android tablet.

I ruled out the google tablet due to it being too expensive with an LCD screen

I would prefer a nice OLED screen if possible (or similar), and preferably cheap. Must be able to stream HEVC encoded videos (not 10 years old hardware), and preferably more (VP9, AV1, for future proofing)

The main use will be to watch content (movies, series, videos) from YouTube and Jellyfin, and sometimes some other apps if they're not enforcing the Play Integrity API

So far I've searched some OS and I'm considering LineageOS or /e/OS, with /e/OS looking better in terms of privacy. Don't want google to track everywhere I go and everything I do.

Any recommendations for good cheap hardware with bootloader unlocking, and recommendations for a good Android ROM?

United States Custom and Border Protection officials have sweeping powers to search anyone’s phone when they are entering the country—including US citizens. Newly released figures show that over the past three months, CBP officials have been searching more phones and other devices than ever before.

From April through June this year, CBP searched 14,899 devices carried by international travelers, according to stats published on the agency's website. While the figures aren’t broken down by device type, the CBP has the ability to search phones, computers, cameras, and other electronics. The April-June spike tops the previous highest quarterly figure of at least 12,766 devices, which were searched by CBP officials from January through March 2022, by 16.7 percent.

The increase in phone and device searches at the border comes as the second Trump administration takes aggressive actions on migration, with a vast increase in budget for the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement and thousands of arrests taking place. Since the start of the year, people traveling to the US have reported long detentions, intrusive phone searches and allegedly being denied entry due to content on their devices. In recent months, some European travelers have canceled trips to the US, while the number of Canadian visitors to the US has dropped for seven consecutive months.

Archive : https://archive.ph/cx5HQ