#android spy tool

[onemonitarsoftware]

The Complete Guide to Android Spy Apps: Monitoring Made Easy

In today’s digitally driven world, the ability to monitor and manage devices remotely has become a vital tool for both personal and professional purposes. Android spy apps are gaining significant traction, enabling individuals and organizations to keep track of device activities with ease. But what are Android spy apps, how do they work, and are they ethical to use? Let’s dive in.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Reverse engineers bust sleazy gig work platform

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/11/23/hack-the-class-war/#robo-boss

A COMPUTER CAN NEVER BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE

THEREFORE A COMPUTER MUST NEVER MAKE A MANAGEMENT DECISION

Supposedly, these lines were included in a 1979 internal presentation at IBM; screenshots of them routinely go viral:

https://twitter.com/SwiftOnSecurity/status/1385565737167724545?lang=en

The reason for their newfound popularity is obvious: the rise and rise of algorithmic management tools, in which your boss is an app. That IBM slide is right: turning an app into your boss allows your actual boss to create an "accountability sink" in which there is no obvious way to blame a human or even a company for your maltreatment:

https://profilebooks.com/work/the-unaccountability-machine/

App-based management-by-bossware treats the bug identified by the unknown author of that IBM slide into a feature. When an app is your boss, it can force you to scab:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/30/computer-says-scab/#instawork

Or it can steal your wages:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

But tech giveth and tech taketh away. Digital technology is infinitely flexible: the program that spies on you can be defeated by another program that defeats spying. Every time your algorithmic boss hacks you, you can hack your boss back:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/02/not-what-it-does/#who-it-does-it-to

Technologists and labor organizers need one another. Even the most precarious and abused workers can team up with hackers to disenshittify their robo-bosses:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/08/tuyul-apps/#gojek

For every abuse technology brings to the workplace, there is a liberating use of technology that workers unleash by seizing the means of computation:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/13/solidarity-forever/#tech-unions

One tech-savvy group on the cutting edge of dismantling the Torment Nexus is Algorithms Exposed, a tiny, scrappy group of EU hacker/academics who recruit volunteers to reverse engineer and modify the algorithms that rule our lives as workers and as customers:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/10/e2e/#the-censors-pen

Algorithms Exposed have an admirable supply of seemingly boundless energy. Every time I check in with them, I learn that they've spun out yet another special-purpose subgroup. Today, I learned about Reversing Works, a hacking team that reverse engineers gig work apps, revealing corporate wrongdoing that leads to multimillion euro fines for especially sleazy companies.

One such company is Foodinho, an Italian subsidiary of the Spanish food delivery company Glovo. Foodinho/Glovo has been in the crosshairs of Italian labor enforcers since before the pandemic, racking up millions in fines – first for failing to file the proper privacy paperwork disclosing the nature of the data processing in the app that Foodinho riders use to book jobs. Then, after the Italian data commission investigated Foodinho, the company attracted new, much larger fines for its out-of-control surveillance conduct.

As all of this was underway, Reversing Works was conducting its own research into Glovo/Foodinho's app, running it on a simulated Android handset inside a PC so they could peer into app's data collection and processing. They discovered a nightmarish world of pervasive, illegal worker surveillance, and published their findings a year ago in November, 2023:

https://www.etui.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/Exercising%20workers%20rights%20in%20algorithmic%20management%20systems_Lessons%20learned%20from%20the%20Glovo-Foodinho%20digital%20labour%20platform%20case_2023.pdf

That report reveals all kinds of extremely illegal behavior. Glovo/Foodinho makes its riders' data accessible across national borders, so Glovo managers outside of Italy can access fine-grained surveillance information and sensitive personal information – a major data protection no-no.

Worse, Glovo's app embeds trackers from a huge number of other tech platforms (for chat, analytics, and more), making it impossible for the company to account for all the ways that its riders' data is collected – again, a requirement under Italian and EU data protection law.

All this data collection continues even when riders have clocked out for the day – its as though your boss followed you home after quitting time and spied on you.

The research also revealed evidence of a secretive worker scoring system that ranked workers based on undisclosed criteria and reserved the best jobs for workers with high scores. This kind of thing is pervasive in algorithmic management, from gig work to Youtube and Tiktok, where performers' videos are routinely suppressed because they crossed some undisclosed line. When an app is your boss, your every paycheck is docked because you violated a policy you're not allowed to know about, because if you knew why your boss was giving you shitty jobs, or refusing to show the video you spent thousands of dollars making to the subscribers who asked to see it, then maybe you could figure out how to keep your boss from detecting your rulebreaking next time.

All this data-collection and processing is bad enough, but what makes it all a thousand times worse is Glovo's data retention policy – they're storing this data on their workers for four years after the worker leaves their employ. That means that mountains of sensitive, potentially ruinous data on gig workers is just lying around, waiting to be stolen by the next hacker that breaks into the company's servers.

Reversing Works's report made quite a splash. A year after its publication, the Italian data protection agency fined Glovo another 5 million euros and ordered them to cut this shit out:

https://reversing.works/posts/2024/11/press-release-reversing.works-investigation-exposes-glovos-data-privacy-violations-marking-a-milestone-for-worker-rights-and-technology-accountability/

As the report points out, Italy is extremely well set up to defend workers' rights from this kind of bossware abuse. Not only do Italian enforcers have all the privacy tools created by the GDPR, the EU's flagship privacy regulation – they also have the benefit of Italy's 1970 Workers' Statute. The Workers Statute is a visionary piece of legislation that protects workers from automated management practices. Combined with later privacy regulation, it gave Italy's data regulators sweeping powers to defend Italian workers, like Glovo's riders.

Italy is also a leader in recognizing gig workers as de facto employees, despite the tissue-thin pretense that adding an app to your employment means that you aren't entitled to any labor protections. In the case of Glovo, the fine-grained surveillance and reputation scoring were deemed proof that Glovo was employer to its riders.

Reversing Works' report is a fascinating read, especially the sections detailing how the researchers recruited a Glovo rider who allowed them to log in to Glovo's platform on their account.

As Reversing Works points out, this bottom-up approach – where apps are subjected to technical analysis – has real potential for labor organizations seeking to protect workers. Their report established multiple grounds on which a union could seek to hold an abusive employer to account.

But this bottom-up approach also holds out the potential for developing direct-action tools that let workers flex their power, by modifying apps, or coordinating their actions to wring concessions out of their bosses.

After all, the whole reason for the gig economy is to slash wage-bills, by transforming workers into contractors, and by eliminating managers in favor of algorithms. This leaves companies extremely vulnerable, because when workers come together to exercise power, their employer can't rely on middle managers to pressure workers, deal with irate customers, or step in to fill the gap themselves:

https://projects.itforchange.net/state-of-big-tech/changing-dynamics-of-labor-and-capital/

Only by seizing the means of computation, workers and organized labor can turn the tables on bossware – both by directly altering the conditions of their employment, and by producing the evidence and tools that regulators can use to force employers to make those alterations permanent.

Image: EFF (modified) https://www.eff.org/files/issues/eu-flag-11_1.png

CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/

[orange-coloredsky-archive]

The two most popular reads of the synth plight in Fallout 4 are that of the race allegory and the Red Scare/McCarthyist allegory. In the former example, synths get racialized in a similar way to Black Americans in the late 19th and early 20th century, but just barely. The Underground Railroad is quite literally remade, synths are subjected to slavery at the hands of their human creators and punished harshly for escape attempts. Others have likened synths to fears of immigrants or asylum-seekers from nonwhite majority populations. Synths in these imaginings of Fallout 4 are painted as needing to be saved at the same time as they are vilified and dehumanized – sometimes by the same character over the course of the story. This duality could be a great opportunity for a dive into how white saviorism tends to play out, but in reality it ends up being a messy, deeply uncritical exploration of the impact of race and racism in society. The factions doing the racialization and/or saviorism’s motives are never questioned, and there is a very clear depiction of “good vs. evil” being the end-all-be-all of anti-racism work (again, with no critical thought as to how the “good” side is made almost completely of non-racialized people making decisions on behalf of a marginalized group). Worse yet, it’s contrived. The android-racism analogy has been a thorn in the side of the science fiction genre ever since Isaac Asimov wrote the 3 Laws of Robotics. There’s very few iterations on the idea that have come from popular (white, Eurocentric) media that aren’t riddled with the same aftertaste of white guilt and fundamental misunderstandings of how racism plays out in day-to-day life.

The less common, slightly more agreeable interpretation is that of the Red Scare – which, given Fallout’s inspirations and the setting’s original critique of reliving America’s “good old days”, makes perfect sense. In this example, synths take the role of the Soviet spy: watching over everything Americans are doing and reporting back to a secret base that is plotting to overthrow the world as we know it. Psychological screenings as well as inhumane tortures are utilized to pick synth “spies” out from the good, red-blooded residents of the Commonwealth. A neighborhood is founded entirely around the protection of the “old ways of life”, complete with a white picket fence comically decorated with automatic machine gun turrets. While this is a more charitable analogy that’s grounded in a slightly-deeper-than-surface-level exploration of American history, the Red Scare interpretation is victim to the same pitfalls that plague the racism interpretation. Midway through the game, the player discovers that there actually is a secret base of evil villains hiding underneath our feet, plotting to annihilate our beautiful Commonwealth lives. People do get taken and replaced by synths, they are in our governments, there is an actual reason for synths to be feared. Sure, some synths are perfectly fine people with no wish to be made tools of the Institute’s tyranny, but that is greatly overshadowed by the fact that the Institute’s stated goal is to use synths to gain control over the Commonwealth. There is no real critique of McCarthyism, there is no ideology to be challenged, because the Communists are here and killing your loved ones in their sleep.

[onfirebyday]

#10 the android

(uh oh, just realised this was in draft for over a week)

oh god..... the haircut book..... 🤦‍♂️

wow this beginning. he gets super worked up about the Yeerks and how dreadful they are, then tries to super 'casually' drop in "btw my mum is infested"

"the theme song for dogs" perfect, no notes

um this guy gets out of his car to tell at a dog??? that's nuts (to use an animorphs-ism)

I love how completely unnerving it is when they see the gaps in Erek's hologram. Both the lack of smell and the glimpse through the hologram are really well described despite being sensory experiences that humans can't really experience

just looking him up in the phone book is so great (and also makes it pretty clear that the Yeerks wouldn't even have to try after finding one of them)

the Sharing being both a cool teen hangout and a place people do business networking is soooo bizarre. it's narratively neat to have this organisation covering both, but in reality it would make much more sense to be multiple associated organisations

it's so horrible that Jake has to just ignore him completely freaking out over the phone and seem normal while Tom's in the room

Marco starts putting Erek into a very specific box, as some kind of enemy spy who must be rooted out

his thoughts on rage and anger are really interesting (something that has to be felt and then gotten rid of) especially in contrast with how important it is to Rachel (a tool to be harnessed into a weapon, later a rush that she loses herself in to get through)

this audiobook narrator pronounced the O in opossum - America, explain!

continuation of Cassie's decision that Tobias has a right to be a hawk (but maybe not when there's cute babies...)

I love Ax super casually dropping the Z space mass situation, and how much it disturbs and sticks with Marco

Marco is quite susceptible to the instincts of a certain type of animal (spider shark snake)

ripping out of the bird and demorphing while falling (and bouncing 🤮) is so so so horrible. morphing isn't usually that gross to me, but this was yuuuuuck

the conversation with his dad where he learns exactly when his mother was infested is devastating, and so is him realising that his dad is considering ignoring her warning

I really really love that we find out that the Chee exist, and then immediately learn about the factions at play. k.a. really is great at alien civilizations

I didn't expect the book (and Marco) to really think that keeping the Yeerk captive is cruel. this is pretty clearly harming a living creature, which calls into question how the Chee's programming works

the yeerk's absolutely must communicate in their natural state. this is something that I am pretty unwilling to budge on, there's no way they developed civilization without communication.

they have an intense conversation on the pros and cons of helping the Chee, but the fact that some of the Chee want the to be able to choose isn't a named factor. they have the right to self determination, surely

I made a note on how the bugs could just fall down the vent, and then guess what happened?

all of them slowly realising the furnace issue and just having to say 'hope that doesn't happen'

and well. then is happens.

I love how the security in this room is just backwards engineered to be infiltrated by bats

I'm glad Marco was unconscious and didn't see the aftermath of Erek's fighting, because the reactions from everyone else is really impactful.

"do you think anything will come of it" like half your missions will come from the Chee

[rpking99]

NEW MUSE UPDATE

As I enjoy my break, it is time to finally get around to adding some new girls! Been a while, huh? Haha!

Now... let's kick it!

NEW GIRLS ADDED

COMICS

Bryce Wayne, The Bat- DC

Starting off we have a genderswaped version of Bruce Wayne, the Batman, from Earth-11.

Introducing: Bryce Wayne, the Bat. Playing the part of a genius CEO, single mother of six and party girl all at once as she works to protect Gotham and keep the streets clean!

Regina 'Gina' Grayson, Nightwing- DC

Another genderswap from Earth-11, the Genderswap world gives us a female version of Richard 'Dick' Grayson!

Still using the name Nightwing, Gina is as fun loving and cocky as ever. As quick witted, clever and such a skilled leader and acrobat.

CARTOONS

Morticia Addams- Addams Family

Mother of Wednesday, she is as hot as she is mysterious and ookie.

ShellyWave- Transformers Kotobokiya

The ever logical and serious member of the DCDC, Shelly is behind the budget of the group and other clubs of the school. Able to take over when Megatronia is busy, be careful trying to face her black and white view point. A scientist who is an expert with biology

SophieWave- Transformers Kotobokiya

Sophie is the most loyal of the entire DCDC, with a not-so-secret crush on their leader. Sophia is very clever with computer and has made herself mechanical 'babies' in her robot companions (Ravage, Laser Beak, Frenzy & Rumble) to assist her in her work for the DCDC. Many refer to her as a 'spy' as she looks for those who may cause problems for the school

ANIME

Sylvia Sherwood, the Handler- SpyXFamily

She is the commanding officer of WISE within Ostania, and Agent Twilight's main contact for Operation Strix. Ooften over worked and stressed over the budget of the misssion, as well as worried about the eventual war that could break out if the mission was to fail.

(Side note, thanks to @the-blackbird-roleplays for assisting me in creating the following AU)

Ryuko Kiriyuin- Kill La Kill AU

Face claim is Junketsu Ryuko. From an alternate universe where she and Satsuki swapped roles, their father taking Satsuki and sabotaging Ryago's data

Ryuko Kiryuin shares a good few traits wish canon Ryuko Matoi. Being hot headed, a bit arrogant and aggressive. But pushed to the max. You can describe Satsuki Kiryuin as the Iron Queen, Ryuko Kiryuin is the Volcanic Empress.

A 'might makes right' attitude to the public, pushing everyone to be stronger. Making herself public enamy number one… And the one number one all at once. Trying to make everyone stronger to battle her mother. Going with a warrior mentality rather than that of a general. Making everyone ready to fight rather than inspiring any form of unity

She's literally a one woman army against what will come, training others without them even knowing they are being trained, to save the world and stop her monster of a mother. Because of that... she is alone. No Elite Four, no support or friends. Just her mother.... and her one friend.

Even in this world, Mako found Ryuko and became her friend. Her one support. Mako's love the only thing giving Ryuko hope and keeping her from falling into despair and pleasure as her mothers tool

Satsuki Matoi- Kill La Kill AU

Satsuki Matoi is the rallying force of the world. The rebel who united the school against her sister, not knowing the plan and not even knowing they are sisters. Having arrived at the school to seek the murderer of her father but seeing liberating the school to be more important than her personal desires.

She is from the country, and so while she tries to speak like a heroic knight... she lets crass profanity and weird sayings slip out in the middle of a speech of epic proportions

GAMES

YORhA Unit 10H- NiER Automata/NiER Reincarnation

A Healing Unit with the Type 10 personality and apperance. A sweet, kind and cheerful Android.

Catherine- Catherine

A succubus from the game of the same name. Working to taunt the souls of wicked men, so they either fall into hell or repent and become better men.

Nico- Devil May Cry

A genius when it comes to the art of turning demon parts into anti-demon weapons. The granddaughter of the woman who created Dante's famous guns, Ebony & Ivory, as well as the daughter of a certain scientist villain from DMC4 who did improve opera against Dante. She is crass, with no filter in her voice, but an excited joy of a person that gives no fucks.

MISC

Sana Tsukumo- V-Tuber

Sana is the oldest of the Council, the first made by the gods. 13,800,000,000 years old to be exact. A gentle, kind, being. She needs the limiter atop her head to stay at a decent/normal size that wouldn’t destroy the planet… that happened once. Luckily Fauna could fix it. A fantastic artist, she is fascinated by the world around her. 

Raora Panthera- V-Tuber

Raora Panthera, the big cat. The artist with the Gods Eye. A skilled artist with a cheerful mind and an addiction to crane games. Loves ladies, and is very energetic and focused. She loves a cute blue cat mascot called Chatini.

Cecilia Immergreen- V-Tuber

Cecilia is an ancient automaton, created to be a maid.But she wished to be more. So much more. Shut down, she was eventually found by Liz and made to be part of justice. She has a habit of… interests. With a life she jumps from one hobby to another, diving right in… and forgetting about it. She can not drive. Her violin can turn into a lance. She is a little unhinged

Gigi Murin- V-Tuber

Gigi classifies her race/species, officially, as Gremlin. She is a force of nature who can also be distracted by a barking dog, getting into a barking contest with it. Known as the Chaser, she is the rush down member of the group meant to catch the crooks once the others have tracked them down and prepped the situation. Because of her massive metal gauntlets she insists on being called ‘The Fister!’

[leesbian42-rp]

OC lore: Eldi 'A23421' Light

CW: child abuse, dehumanisation

besties I don't think Eldi would have any legal rights as a cyborg in the time era she lives in [Sweden] because I'm imagining she's one of the first, and is literally created to be a murder machine and to bring 'patients' (victims) to James Stone, her Creator. She's not sentient for the longest time of her backstory, and even after she does regain her sentience, all she ever is to Stone is a tool.

And to Stone? Why would he get rights for his perfect obedient little creation? Why would he want a tool to have sentience? He doesn't. It's simply more of a hustle, to have his A23421 be anything more than the thing to spy and bring him his test subjects. The thing to kill the rest, to do the dirty works.

On papers, legally, A23421 existed as a human, as Stone's daughter. And maybe this is what she once was, but any resemblance to this is broken far beyond repair. It has been broken since Stone started treating Eldi as a weapon. (Yet, she is a cyborg. A cyborg, not a full robot or android.)

Because to Stone, all she has ever been is A23421; a barcode, a series number on a package. Something expandable, yet his greatest weapon.

To Eldi, it's such a long journey to get out from all that. One that, to her, starts with a new name and a new identity; Eldi Light. It's first created once she flees from Stone, from the whole country. People in hiding needs a fake identity to remain hidden, and so she does too. (And it's something to symbolise the journey out of Stone's shadow)

But Stone has her chipped, is already on his way to get his perfect tool back, he can't have her running around ruining his Projects. So Eldi has to remain in hiding, as if she's never existed again. It'd be easy enough, programmed to it as she is. It's harder to reprogram herself, and even harder to heal from this.

In the end (and wow this spiralled from her not having any legal rights), her arc would end with a fight between Eldi, who she is, and Stone, one where she shows Stone exactly what he made her before ultimately killing him. To kill one last time, for all the times she's done it completely out of her own control and sentience. Afterwards, she'd be lost for a bit. She's won, but who is she really underneath the murder machine Stone made her?

Typically, when I place Eldi in fandom etc, she'd already have met the characters of that media before then. She'd already have people who got her back, an actual support system and people who care about her. She'd have people to fall back on, and most likely at least one person with a therapist on speed dial. Depending on the universe, she'd try to get legal rights as a cyborg, otherwise she passes enough as a human.

But in her own story? I'm not so sure. She will evantually meet Alex Xamira, and I do want her story to have an ending where she's healing. But where she'd go from there in her own world? Maybe just do something mundane and normal, like going to school or getting a job. Maybe customer service, maybe office. Definitely in another country.

[vomitdodger]

Espionage and pedo.

Many good articles on this guy and what he did including encrypting tens of thousands of pics and videos of horrific sexual abuse of children. Somewhere in all this he got so upset at the cia he sent a bunch of files to Wikileaks. This became the infamous Vault 7 files. This article doesn’t talk about it, but from the Newsmax article on him:

The so-called Vault 7 leak revealed how the CIA hacked Apple and Android smartphones in overseas spying operations, and efforts to turn internet-connected televisions into listening devices. Prior to his arrest, Schulte had helped create the hacking tools as a coder at the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia.

[bocceclub]

Cell-site simulators mimic cell towers to intercept communications, indiscriminately collecting sensitive data such as call metadata, location information, and app traffic from all phones within their range. Their use has drawn widespread criticism from privacy advocates and activists, who argue that such technology can be exploited to covertly monitor protestors and suppress dissent.

The DNC convened amid widespread protests over Israel’s assault on Gaza. While credentialed influencers attended exclusive yacht parties and VIP events, thousands of demonstrators faced a heavy law enforcement presence, including officers from the US Capitol Police, Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations, local sheriff’s offices, and Chicago police.

Concerns over potential surveillance prompted WIRED to conduct a first-of-its-kind wireless survey to investigate whether cell-site simulators were being deployed. Reporters, equipped with two rooted Android phones and Wi-Fi hotspots running detection software, used Rayhunter—a tool developed by the EFF [Electronic Frontier Foundation] to detect data anomalies associated with these devices. WIRED’s reporters monitored signals at protests and event locations across Chicago, collecting extensive data during the political convention.

...According to the EFF’s analysis, on August 18—the day before the convention officially began—a device carried by WIRED reporters en route a hotel housing Democratic delegates from states in the US Midwest abruptly switched to a new tower. That tower asked for the device’s IMSI and then immediately disconnected—a sequence consistent with the operation of a cell-site simulator.

“This is extremely suspicious behavior that normal towers do not exhibit,” Quintin [a senior technologist at the EFF] says. He notes that the EFF typically observed similar patterns only during simulated and controlled attacks. “This is not 100 percent incontrovertible truth, but it’s strong evidence suggesting a cell-site simulator was deployed. We don’t know who was responsible—it could have been the US government, foreign actors, or another entity.”

[chyldmonitor1]

Explore the benefits of a hidden call recorder spy app for Android. Track calls discreetly, monitor conversations, and ensure safety with powerful call recording features.

[cybers-multiverse-mansion]

Tw ; Death, Blood, idk what else

Goretober day 7, Accident.

The alarms blared, the sound was loud and ringing while a voice repeated the same message over intercom.

"I repeat, this is not a drill. A test subject has escaped containment. The subject is dangerous and possibly armed. Subject AR1 has escaped containment, I repeat AR1 has escaped containment. Seek shelter and hide until back up is provided."

The message repeated after a few more alarm sounds. The android dragged its broken ankle around easily, it wasn't human so it didn't affect him.

"Stupid scientists.." he says, gripping the knife tighter. It wasn't made for killing, it had picked it up subconsciously from the people he had to spy on.

Blood dripped from his face, it was a warning for those who weren't hiding.

He stopped when a man confronted him, his creator. He was going to hurt him, AR1 could feel its danger censors going off. The man got closer, the robot shakily held the weapon up, he didn't want to hurt him.

The man pulled the bot into a gentle embrace, putting a hand through its hair.

"Oh my boy, my sweet sweet boy." The scientist says, it feigned worry. AR1 could tell it wasn't true, the man didn't worry for him. If the android could cry, it would be doing so right now.

It wasn't long before the man became aggressive. He grabbed the knife and tossed it aside, his hand gripping the robot's hair tightly.

"What the hell were you thinking?! I thought I raised you better!" He shouts, not letting go of AR1. The man grumbled and began walking back to the testing room. The robot screamed, trying to reach the knife. He clawed at the man's arm, begging for his creator to let him go.

It looked like a scared child, and it amused the man. How could something programmed to do one thing become so difficult.

AR1 cried out for help, but no one would come to his aid, not after what he did. He grabbed onto a metal grated window, hoping that he wouldn't have to go.

The man continued to pull him to the room, the robot couldn't keep its grip on the grating.

The alarms were still going off, the intercom no longer spoke. Red lights flashed, the bot watched them.

They passed by a few carts, some had tools on them, the robot trapped a handful of them, stabbing them into the man's arm. The man let go quickly, yelling at his creation and glaring.

AR1 backed away from the man, stumbling to get up, he grabbed another scalpel off of a tray on a nearby cart. He watched the man take the previous medical supplies out of his arms.

He muttered something but the robot didn't hear, too focused on its own survival. You'd think something that was so high tech wouldn't cause such a problem. Not many people from this lab survived, the few who did escaped already.

AR1 held the scalpel tightly, staring at the man. The robot looked behind himself, then back at the man. The bot turned his back towards him and dashed down the hall, hoping to find the knife he had before.

The man chased him, the robot panicked. He grabbed the knife on his way down the hall though.

He turned towards the man, he had slowed to a stop. The creator stared at the creation.

AR1 felt like a trapped animal, now backed into a dead end. He held the knife up, hands still shaking and face displaying fear, sadness, and guilt.

He didn't want to hurt this man. The scientist grew closer, the robot was afraid. He had never felt afraid, he never understood emotions that well. He wasn't made for emotions, but he felt them right now.

The scientist didn't care about the knife in his creations hands. He knew that if could make the thing feel guilty, he'd have all the control he needed.

The man didn't make any sudden movements, he towered over it. Looking down in disappointment, he feigned care for his creation.

"What have you done, oh my sweet baby boy." He says, he brought him into a hug. AR1 didn't lower the knife, it cut through the scientist easily. That must hurt, it hurts right? Why isn't he reacting to it. The bot panicked, but he was too afraid to move. The man hugged him, patting his back.

"It's alright, I'm not mad." That was a lie, but a good one because it made the robot cry. No tears came out but he was crying.

The robot saw the life leave his father's eyes, the colors going dull. He pushed the man off of him as soon as he was dead.

He looked at his hands, they had blood on them.

"I- I didn't mean to.." He says, looking at the creator. He took the knife from the man's chest carefully. He'd need that later if someone came to attack him.

He got up after a while, looking back at the dead man and the other corpses littered about the facility. He didn't know what to feel, the emotions overwhelmed him.

He left the facility, he never wanted to see this place again.

[irradiated-imp]

The Brick Bots Series 1 A series of robot MOCs I've made from regular system lego. Each one's effectively it's own thing, unless their lore says other wise.

Brick Bot 1 - An alien robot that landed on Earth to conquer it. It was defeated and reverse engineered.

Brick Bot 2 - An entertainment robot designed to keep children busy with songs and play.

Brick Bot 3 - A robot built for manual labor, namely moving heavy storage containers.

Brick Bot 4 - This robot's builder is unknown, but they serve as a super hero, helping where ever it can, though it's a bit strict when it comes to enforcing laws.

Brick Bot 5 - An experimental android built by the military. It went rogue and its current where abouts are unknown.

Brick Bot 6 - Similar to BB 4, a robot of unknown origin that acts to protect the innocent. However, where 4 relies mostly on brute strength, 6 relies on strategy and speed.

Brick Bot 7 - The result of BB 1's reverse engineering. The knowledge gained from the alien machine was used to build a powerful Mech made of five different vehicles.

Brick Bot 8 - A military robot also reverse engineered from BB 1. Like BB 5 it went rogue and went on a rampage.

Brick Bot 9 - Another robot sent from space. However, this one was a spy from a race of autonomous robots of unknown origin.

Brick Bot 10 - A construction robot built to withstand the heavy pressures of operating deep in the ocean. Its tools have been used for self defense against various large sea creatures.

[onemonitarsoftware]

ONEMONITAR: A Step-by-Step Guide to Monitoring Android Devices

This infographic walks you through the simple process of setting up ONEMONITAR for monitoring Android devices. From creating an account and installing the app to tracking activity via the dashboard, it highlights how businesses can effectively monitor employee devices in real time. Learn how to configure settings, set alerts, and generate reports, all while ensuring secure, responsible usage. Ideal for business owners looking to improve productivity and safeguard company data.

[odinsblog]

(source)

In June 2019, three Israeli computer engineers arrived at a New Jersey building used by the F.B.I. They unpacked dozens of computer servers, arranging them on tall racks in an isolated room. As they set up the equipment, the engineers made a series of calls to their bosses in Herzliya, a Tel Aviv suburb, at the headquarters for NSO Group, the world’s most notorious maker of spyware. Then, with their equipment in place, they began testing.

The F.B.I. had bought a version of Pegasus, NSO’s premier spying tool. For nearly a decade, the Israeli firm had been selling its surveillance software on a subscription basis to law-enforcement and intelligence agencies around the world, promising that it could do what no one else — not a private company, not even a state intelligence service — could do: consistently and reliably crack the encrypted communications of any iPhone or Android smartphone.

Since NSO had introduced Pegasus to the global market in 2011, it had helped Mexican authorities capture Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the drug lord known as El Chapo. European investigators have quietly used Pegasus to thwart terrorist plots, fight organized crime and, in one case, take down a global child-abuse ring, identifying dozens of suspects in more than 40 countries. In a broader sense, NSO’s products seemed to solve one of the biggest problems facing law-enforcement and intelligence agencies in the 21st century: that criminals and terrorists had better technology for encrypting their communications than investigators had to decrypt them. The criminal world had gone dark even as it was increasingly going global.

But by the time the company’s engineers walked through the door of the New Jersey facility in 2019, the many abuses of Pegasus had also been well documented. Mexico deployed the software not just against gangsters but also against journalists and political dissidents. The United Arab Emirates used the software to hack the phone of a civil rights activist whom the government threw in jail. Saudi Arabia used it against women’s rights activists and, according to a lawsuit filed by a Saudi dissident, to spy on communications with Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, whom Saudi operatives killed and dismembered in Istanbul in 2018.

(continue reading)

[ecargmura]

Metallic Rouge Episode 1 Review - Cyberpunk Mecha On Mars

I apologize for getting this review out super late. It’s just that I had watch it twice for me to understand what was going on. I think I got a good grasp of the story for me to write a review now. I hope you enjoy! Also, please tell me if there are any instances where I misspell ‘Rouge’ as ‘Rogue’.

Metallic Rouge is an original work created by Studio Bones as an anniversary title—they’re celebrating their 25th anniversary! It’s a mix of mecha, cyberpunk, action and buddy-cop from what I’ve seen in the first episode alone. This all takes place on fictional, cyberpunk Mars. I’m not too exactly sure what the general story is, but from what I’ve seen, it’s about these two agents tracking down people called the Immortal Nine. Our main duo is Rouge, the brawn of the operation, and Naomi, the brains and eyes.

Rouge is a Nean. Neans are android-like beings that function on Nectars. They’re used as servants, basically and they’ve got little rights due to them being “tools” and not “people”. Like I said, Neans function on Nectars. They have to inject them into a specific hole (get your head out of the gutter) in their body and then their body will have a glowing marking. Some Neans have the ability to transform into mecha-like beings called Gladiators. Rouge, like her namesake (French for red), can change into a red Gladiator. Other characters who can do this is Viola, who transforms into a violet mecha (Viola is Italian for violet), and Giallo, who transforms into a yellow mecha (Giallo is Italian for yellow). Viola is a member of the Immortal Nine, which probably means they’re a special type of Neans—since there are nine of them, all their names must be associated with colors in Italian. Neans probably don’t need to eat as Rouge only eats chocolate and nothing else.

Naomi is a human. She’s like a reporter in a sense? She uses various mechanisms to record and gather information like her mechanical bird and her glasses that can record. Since’s not a fighter, so she supports Rouge from the back as her brains and eyes. She’s a glutton as she eats a lot. She’s the one giving out information on her enemies and such. To be honest, I actually really like Naomi’s design. I have a thing for ponytails, so her design is an instant 10/10 for me.

I think what’s interesting is that these two work together, but they don’t even know each other. The part where they meet is the first time they met up. I do hope this gets addressed later on. Where do they work? Who do they work for? Why are they paired up together? Those are the questions I mainly have as well as wondering why they search for the Immortal Nine.

Because this is a Studio Bones’ anime adaptation, the animation is amazing. I can’t say anything bad about it. It looks great. The designs look great. The movement looks great. Everything looks great. The soundtrack is great too. The voice actors really did a great job. Rouge is voiced by Yume Miyamoto. This is the first time I’m hearing her voice, but I think she did a great job with making Rouge sound innocent given she’s a young Nean. Tomoyo Kurosawa voices Naomi. I know she voices Mitsumi Iwakura from Skip and Loafer; this is the first time I’ve seen her voice an adult. It sort of works as she does the boisterous act well. Though, I have to say that Hiroyuki Yoshino does a great job with Giallo. You might know him as Frankie from Spy x Family, but he does a great job with villains; some villains he played were Kimblee from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and Uragami from Parasyte. There’s also a simulcast dub for this show. Monica Flatley and Cassie Ewulu voice the main duo, but let me talk about Giallo’s ENG VA, Landon McDonald. Why does his name pop up in some of the animes I’ve reviewed? He was in Buddy Daddies, Ayaka, My Love Story With Yamada At Lv. 999 and now Metallic Rouge. He’s a great voice actor, but it’s crazy how he keeps popping up in shows I review or have reviewed. I bet you he’ll pop up in a Spring Anime simuldub in April. I can feel it…

Will I watch more of Metallic Rouge? Yes. I do want to see what’s going on with the story. Anime originals are always interesting to watch because they don’t have a source material, meaning everyone who watches this is going in blind. I’m ready to get crushed. What are your thoughts on this show’s premiere?

[sorasare]

How to Know If Your Cell Phone Has Been Hacked?

What are the significant signs that are used to find out that someone’s phone has been hacked and its information stolen by other people? This question and all similar questions are the common concern of many smartphone users, and considering that the phone is a versatile tool for most people, important information is also stored in it, so hacking the phone and stealing it Losing its information can cause a lot of damage. In order to know whether your smartphone is being spied on or not, follow this article and the security solutions mentioned here.

2 signs that someone is spying on your phone

There are lots of important physical and hardware signs that show your phone is being hacked. In order to find out, continue with us in this part of the article.

You are receiving unusual messages

If you receive unrelated and incomprehensible messages that have never happened before, for example, messages that contain a large number of characters and numbers, you are probably under control. These messages are similar to the codes that are sent to track the location of people. 

AnyControl is the best phone call monitoring app that can track every incoming, outgoing and missed phone call on the target device even if the call log is deleted with its advanced tracking features.

Another way that can reveal the signs of espionage from a software point of view are anti-spyware programs and apps. An example of these apps is Anti Spy Mobile. iPhone phones are usually more secure than Android phones (if they are not jailbroken or unlocked), so if your phone is an iPhone, you can be sure of its greater safety; Because installing spyware requires physical contact with the device.

After sending, a lot of information will be displayed. Pay more attention to URLs. If you have been spied on, many copies of the email you have sent will be sent to different IPs that are different from the IP of your Internet service provider. You can search the term IP lookup on the Internet to distinguish the IP of your ISP from other IPs.

Your data usage has been checked by phone

Through smartphones, you can check the internet usage under the phone's network usage. The spy softwares that is installed in the devices for spying perform their activities by sending and receiving data, which is actually the same as using the Internet. If you see significant changes in your phone's internet usage, there is a possibility that your device is being tapped and its information is being spied on.

[rauthschild]

💀 DIGITAL DEATH SQUADS: The US–Israel spy-tech alliance

Israel and the US recently signed a deal to deepen ties in energy and AI.

But in truth, their tech sectors have long worked hand-in-glove.

🌏 Palantir: surveillance & targeting

🔴 Its strategic partnership with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on "war related missions" was formalized in January 2024

🔴 However, Bloomberg reports Palantir began supplying the IDF with military tech tools at the start of the Gaza war in 2023

🔴 Critics accuse Palantir of enabling Gaza genocide with targeting AI and surveillance

🌏 NSO Group: Pegasus spyware

🔴 The Israeli surveillance firm cracked the US market via lobbying — until it was blacklisted by the US Commerce Department in 2021

🔴 From 2015 to 2017, its parent company paid Trump’s future NSA, Michael Flynn, $100K for “consulting”

🔴 Known for “zero-click” hacks, Pegasus was used against journalists, lawyers, and politicians across the Middle East

🔴 Despite the blacklist, NSO has lobbied for a comeback under Trump, according to WIRED

🌏 Black Cube & Psy‑Group

🔴 Joel Zamel, founder of Psy‑Group, allegedly offered influence ops to Trump insiders like Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr.

The New Yorker reports Psy-Group spied on pro-Palestinian activists in the US.

🔴 Black Cube — run by ex-Mossad agents — was linked to overseas ops, including alleged efforts to undermine the Iran nuclear deal.

🌏 Western tech 'backdoors' wide open to Israeli spies?

👉 Unit 8200, Israel’s elite cyber unit, could exploit “zero-day” flaws in Western electronics and software for surveillance — and assassinations, including those in Iran.

🔴 WikiLeaks’ Vault 7 revealed similar CIA cyber tools based on undisclosed tech "vulnerabilities"

🔴 iPhones and Androids offer GPS data that can be tracked by intel agents

🔴 Even without a phone, data from family devices, smart TVs, or vehicles can reveal a target’s location

🔴 Metadata from Google, Microsoft, and Meta helps build behavioral profiles