The Privacy Wars are Just Beginning
Learn the basics and get off zero
Hey there, you good?
It’s not just banks and credit cards.
Every company, government agency, and free online guide wants your data.
Maximum Freedom
Back in the good old days of 2000-2015, companies harvested data, and we were none the wiser.
Documentaries such as The Great Hack (about Cambridge Analytica’s investigative work) and The Social Dilemma (about Facebook and Big Tech’s behavioural manipulation) made normies more aware.
And by now, the consequences of decreasing privacy are being felt, not just reported:
The Data Use and Access Act 2025 (UK): law enforcement agencies can make decisions based solely on automated processing with legal effects on individuals. This has led to UK police making over 30 arrests per day for 'offensive' online communications.
The era of precrime is here. Sam Altman admitted that OpenAI is Scanning Users' ChatGPT conversations and reporting content to the police.
After the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov, the company changed its policy on sharing the IP addresses of any account engaging in "criminal activities that violate the Terms of Service”. Before this, Telegram only reported the addresses of accounts suspected of terrorism.
After the expansion of the UK's Online Safety Act (July 2025), the need for "highly effective age assurance" means British citizens must upload their identity documents to any sites deemed as having adult content. This triggered VPN usage in the UK to surge by 6000% in the last few weeks.
Google will block sideloading of unverified Android apps starting in 2026. This limits user freedom and access to apps outside the official Play Store, hindering independent developers and the open-source community.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is just the beginning…
We will see more and more restrictions, so we must build censorship-resistant digital architecture that helps us preserve our privacy.
How you can learn more and earn your privacy:
Follow cypherpunks and industry experts
Learn through courses, books, and events
Get off zero and try out tools like Nostr and Bitchat
Discover how to unplug from walled gardens and big tech
Make better choices with essential software and hardware
This week’s Maximum Freedom Resource is a site that displays alternatives to common tools like Google G-suite or Meta’s WhatsApp to guide you towards better privacy choices.
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If you buy an eBook, all you need to do is pay a Lightning invoice and use a fresh email address. Voila, private reading.
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Minimum Bullshit
Tap into the mind of of a bitcoin legend in Anil Patel’s new collection of wisdom, The Treasury of Michael Saylor. Buy the book with bitcoin.
Stacker News Fiction Month (sponsored by 21 Futures) was won by Sagas of Licoln County War by Patrick Leifson. Read the story on the 21 Futures blog.
Listen to KNW editor Philip Charter discussing all things privacy on a recent episode of Basecamp for Men.
Snag the Cypherpunk bundle: Four legendary self-sovereignty books at a hefty 21% discount.
Worth a Follow: Bitsaga
Rob Segers is a bitcoin security and privacy expert. Follow his advice, become self-sovereign, and sleep safe and sound.
That’s all for this time.
Keep livin’ free.