#not even a profile photo on whatsapp

[keepingupwiththehoneybadger]

help a bestie out with dating issues

[sayruq]

In February, Adham, a 20-year-old Palestinian, was visiting his family’s home in the West Bank. One night while scrolling through Grindr, the gay messaging app, he received a message from an anonymous user “hey,” the user wrote, before “tapping,” the platform’s function for expressing interest. The user, like Adham’s, had a blank profile that included only minimal information about his interests and whereabouts, specifying only where he lived. (Drop Site News has changed his name to protect him from retaliation.) They hit it off and were chatting for a few hours before Adham shared that he was a university student in the West Bank. That prompted the user to share his thoughts on several professors at the university who had recently drawn attention for voicing pro-Palestine views. “He wanted me to be disgusted by them,” Adham told Drop Site. “Why are you trying to convince me that this doctor is a bad person just because he's against the occupation? It feels weird at first. Just bizarre.” Adham chalked it up to a difference of opinion and the two continued to chat. Eventually Adham sent the user his number so they could message on WhatsApp. Once the conversation moved off-platform, the user revealed his identity to Adham. “That’s when he said he worked with Israeli intelligence,” he said. Using Adham’s number, the user had identified him and began sending him messages with the names and photos of his family members he had found on their Facebook profiles. Adham hadn’t even shared his name with the user, much less anything that could point him to his family members—he’s not out to his family. “I started crying and I didn't know what to do,” Adham said. Adham blocked the profile on Grindr, but soon began receiving SMS messages repeating the same threats. “It was a whole night from 12 to the sunrise,” Adham said. “He kept threatening me, saying he will expose me.” The user told Adham he sought intelligence on Adham’s cousins who, at the time, were in an Israeli prison, awaiting trial on suspicion of their involvement with the al-Qassam brigades, Hamas’s military wing. “He told me that I should go to their homes, search and question their parents and get as much information about them as possible,” Adham recalled. “He said that you can't run away from us. We, you know where you live,” Adham said. “So I just get the SMS card, I throw it, I turned off my phone.” In the morning, he checked his mother’s phone continuously to make sure she hadn’t received any messages. One of his friends had his Grindr chats and images sent to his friends and family after receiving similarly threatening messages from a user who claimed to be an Israeli intelligence official. Drop Site could not verify the messages to Adham came from an intelligence official. But a former official with Unit 8200, Israel’s signals-intelligence agency, confirmed the involvement of Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency. The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment.

[legoflowers]

why is this guy literally inescapable its actually so annoying

[kryptznnn]

♡- Your Favorite Ex

➸ INTERESTS; - slightly aged up human!neteyam (17-18) x fem!human reader (17)

➸ BACKGROUND; - Just a quick drabble of Neteyam being your ex boyfriend and how things would play out between your relationship. This takes place in a normal setting (present time and place on earth everyone’s human bla bla).

➸ WARNINGS; - wc. 1k or under. fluff, tension, romantic tensions, ex-lovers, close friendship, unknown relationship. ex lovers to lovers.

➸a.i; - neteyam blurb as THAT kind of ex, yk we all have that one ex we literally cannot hate and slide back in their life w that hbd text and a “how you been” yea. this is that.

☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam who… constantly keeps in contact with you, especially when he’s in an uncomfortable setting, you being his comfort.

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam that… still has your birthday saved in his phone as his passcode and about everything else (and sending you money on your special day)

You ex boyfriend Neteyam who.. constantly asks about your current romance life and when you question him he says he’s asking “as a friend”.

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam that… never fails to swoon you over again with his frequent “what’ve you been up to?” texts.

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam who… loves to announce in public you two are together, his defense is “protecting you from the creeps” even when there are none.

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam who… constantly complains to kiri as if you two are still together.

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam that.. has always been your first call or text whenever you’re feeling down or anxious, loving the way he makes you feel.

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam who… likes every single one of your Instagram stories, and never fails to swipe up on your self-highlights with a flirtatious comment or a heart, the same for whenever you post, always making you kick your feet. (Of course he has his notifications turned on for every time you post.)

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam that… never seizes to push past your notifications on imessage, always making the “I missed talking to you” excuse.

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam that… constantly asks if you miss him, or if you still love him. Of course quickly smirking after hearing your answer, being exactly what he wanted to hear.

Your crazy ex boyfriend Neteyam who… never stopped sharing his location with you, and you of course hadn’t stopped sharing with him. (Because the first time you did you got messages and requests for it + keeps tabs on you through any other social media platform you guys share; Tik-tok, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Whatsapp, Locket.)

Your loving ex boyfriend Neteyam who… contacts your siblings whenever he hasn’t heard from you in a while, and of course asks Kiri, since she’s your best friend.

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam who… can’t go seconds without some form of physical contact when he’s with you, even if your hands brush against each other it’s enough for him.

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam that… never seizes to parent you, and when you remind him you aren’t together he’s “just showing how much he cares”.

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam that… you somehow ended up going to prom with, all eyes on you two as rumors and pictures spread like wild fire. (but of course enjoying every moment)

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam that… never fails to remind you how much he misses and loves you, especially after seeing you still wear the jewelry he’s gotten for you.

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam who… still has your highlights on instagram on his profile, just archiving it. (that and all other photos of you in his phone)

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam who… you’ve kissed several times, everytime he reminds you it’s “just as friends.”

Your ex boyfriend Neteyam that… pays for your storage plan, apple music, and Apple Tv. (and also being your second personal alarm for school when all of your other ones fail.)

Neteyam Sully, your first love that’s ruined all other love for you, all other relationships you’ve attempted not even making it past 3 months. You and him constantly being on and off and yet still as close as ever, and for the record is your favorite ex.

✴🕷 please do not copy, plagiarize, edit, or translate any works submitted by me. all works are originated and all other pictures used within those works are online images. thank you!! @kryptznnn

[russelliv]

gewis [semi-public sex, frottage, daddy kink, age gap-ish]

just usual horny men doing horny things or alternatively: what happens when qualifying is moved and gewis flirted with each other earlier in their fanzone

(obviously inspired by brazil gp '24)

When qualifying gets postponed by the FIA for the 900th time, Lewis eventually gives up and heads back to his driver's room to rest more comfortably.

He knows that someone will come get him if Brazil's chaotic, dark pouring clouds will ease up enough for the cars to drive safely.

Lewis removes his Airpods as soon as he gets inside, the noise of the paddock and rain suddenly muting.

Sighing, he sits down on the couch and grabs his pink-cased phone to post on Instagram.

Lewis goes through the pictures sent by the social media team in the Whatsapp group chat and stumbles upon a picture of the fanzone, when George called him "daddy".

A zip of arousal, heat simmering in his belly, passes through him as the moment plays in his head. He certainly didn't expect it, knows that the Brazilian fans were simultaneously praising and teasing him, but hearing daddy come out of George's mouth—directed at him—was just a bit too much.

Lewis blinks quickly, trying to get the thoughts of George out. He saves the pictures of him with the fans, signing their merch, and goes to Instagram to post it on his stories.

As he finishes reposting the Mercedes IG story asking for the video of the rain he recorded earlier and the pictures of the fanzone, his muscle memory kicks in and his hands move on their own as it searches for George's account.

When George's profile loads, his thumb immediately presses on the L'Officiel square post, George in a tank top filling his phone screen.

Lewis inhales loudly, raking his eyes on George's breathtaking face and on George's obscenely hard nipples, peeking through the fabric.

Closing his eyes, Lewis exhales and leans his head against the wall. Look, he's already gone to George's account more times than he's done for the past two years since the L'Officiel post and yet he can't get past it. He had even let it slipped earlier in the fanzone that he wants George in a tank top again, for fuck's sake.

But Lewis just cannot remove the vision of George, seemingly innocent, exposing himself like that for perverted, greedy eyes to take in.

Lewis inwardly chuckles, I'm one of the fucking greedy eyes, get a hold of yourself.

Lewis' hand, the one resting on his thigh and free of his phone, moves on its own and presses against his half-hard cock.

Keeping pressure on his length, Lewis opens his eyes and lifts his other hand, phone in direct level to his eyes where George is still flashed on-screen.

His cock spurts out precum, staining the insides of his fireproofs' bottom. Lewis groans and quickly lifts his hips up to lower his race suit's sleeves and bottom to expose his leaking cock.

He settles back down, spits down on his hand and immediately strokes himself while staring back at the black-and-white picture that has haunted him for 2 weeks now.

As Lewis gets lost in his pleasure, the knocking on the door and a familiar voice goes right over his head.

"Hey, mate. Just checking if you wanted-"

Lewis' eyes flies open as he registers George's voice and the door to his room sliding closed behind him.

George's cheeks flushes a pretty red, as his eyes darts from Lewis' hard cock, his face, back down on his cock, and then to the phone that Lewis unknowingly dropped next to him, a picture of his photoshoot staring right back at him.

Lewis quickly grabs his phone and locks it, keeping his phone in his dry hand, and pulls his bottom up while he's at it.

Clears his throat and says, "What did you need, George?"

George, who's kept his eyes frozen on the couch where Lewis' phone was, looks directly at Lewis and asks, "Was...was that my photo?"

Lewis' strained cock throbs at the reminder while his head shakes at George's rightful accusation, denying.

George's eyebrows furrow, taking hesitant steps towards where Lewis sits.

"That was my photo, Lewis. I saw it, I'm not blind."

George stops right in front of Lewis, his neck slightly lowered to gaze at Lewis' frazzled, caught state.

Lewis swallows, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have —know that it isn't right—fuck, George, I'm so sorry."

Lewis pauses to take a breath in when George lifts a leg up to kneel on either side of Lewis, receiving a lapful of George Russell a millisecond later.

Lewis stares at George, dumbfoundedly for the first time ever.

George rests his hands on Lewis' neck, his hand covering the God Is Love tattoo.

The hips resting above him moves forward deliberately, pushing against his desperate cock. A low moan punches out of Lewis' throat while George watches his expressions raptly.

Lewis lets go of his phone and tentatively moves his hands on George's lithe waist, squeezing as he thrusts his hips back up to George.

They keep up with their little frotting game, breaths turning into panting, staring into each other's eyes, daring one another to take it further.

Lewis breaks as one particular thrust rubs perfectly against both of their fireproof-clothed cocks, pressing George against his chest to finally kiss him.

Moans break out as their lips meet. George's lips are soft against Lewis', their tongues wetly gliding into a teasing dance as nectar fills Lewis' mouth. Fuck, he tastes so good, so good for me.

George pulls away first, "Lewis, please," keening into the space between them and rutting against Lewis' hard cock.

"Yeah, baby? Does it feel good?" Lewis drags a hand up, tangling his fingers in George's curls. He couldn't help himself but tighten his hold, making George cry out.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes —fuck, more, more, please—Lewis!" Whimpers tumble out of his younger teammate, without care if anyone can hear him. Lewis takes his free hand and fumbles with their fireproof bottoms until both stiff, weeping cocks are exposed.

"Shit, sweetheart. Look at you," Lewis holds their lengths together, stroking over their wet tips. "Think you can come like this for daddy, hm? Think daddy can finish you just like this?"

George's breath hitch as he recognizes now where Lewis' arousal came from.

He giggles, "Seriously, mate? Did that get you a stiffy, over me calling you daddy?"

Lewis tightens his hold on their arousal, "You're laughing as if your cock didn't just twitch, Georgie."

George groans, shifting to try and get Lewis' hand to move again but Lewis stays firmly still.

"Call my name again, George."

George adamantly ignores Lewis' demand and continues to rock his hips, despite failing to get any pleasure.

Lewis tugs on George's curls once again, finally getting their eyes to meet again.

"Say it, kid," Lewis whispers, ghosting over George's lips.

"Daddy."

God, George is going to be the death of him.

Lewis slams his lips against George, messily intertwining their tongues as Lewis finally goes back to stroking them to completion.

"God, please, let me come, Lew-daddy��need i-it," George stutters through his breaths, tongue swiping over his bruised lips.

Lewis groans as his cock spills over hot, creamy white, covering both of their erections.

George moans at the warm feeling and desperately rocks into Lewis' soaking, wet hand. "Please, daddy."

Lewis slides his dry hand from George's hair to his neglected ass and clutches hard, "Come on, Georgie. You can come for daddy, right? So so good for me, daddy's got you, come on."

George nods, losing his mind in his daddy's lap, clinging his hands hard on strong shoulders, "P-put it in me, just one is enough—fuck—daddy..."

Definitely going to be the fucking death of him.

George moans his loudest, chest arching with eyes squeezed tightly, cock finally spurting out its sweet release.

Lewis widens his eyes as the words process in his brain. His wet hand continues its torture over George's cock as his dry thumb presses into his kid's furl.

Lewis watches the beautiful vision in front of him, cock pathetically twitching, as he realizes the mess they've made. George—fucking—Russell, shit.

"Do a favor for me, kid?"

George hums.

Lewis lifts his cum-covered hand —a very physical presentation of both their debauchery, aside from...everything else— in front of George's mouth.

George huffs amusedly, bringing his hand to grab Lewis' wrist to his mouth, "Just make sure to lock your door next time, daddy."

[miredball]

no you guys by the series finale years and years probably decades down the line after the hubbub and awards and stars and success of the bear and their own respective careers syd and carmy are gonna return to their sheridan catering and beef of chicagoland roots. there’s gonna be a hole in the wall spot (as much as two superstar chefs can have a hole in the wall spot) in some other corner of chicago serving unique and tasteful and good yet simple food. people food. family food buddies food lunch break food tired summer heat hunger food. carmys vintage denim is framed up on the wall. family photos. sydney embroiders names of their regulars on a tapestry. people come down in groves every single day with lines looping around blocks. sometimes it’s quiet and it’s nice too because their daughter does her homework at one of the tables and looks over at them every so often to ask for a refill on her peach iced tea and a pat on the head from her dad. marcus visits from copenhagen as much as he can but it’s always on random days and on short notice but his desserts are coveted so the restaurant has to make a group chat with all the guests who wish to be notified. it’s like on whatsapp or something because not everyone has an iPhone. tina and ebra eventually retire from the bear and they each have a grandchild who come in during summer break and learn under the renowned adamu-berzatto duo (with pay). richie is in love with the bear and the upscale and rigorous and intentional pace of service but syd and carmys hole in the wall sells tshirts ala the beef and richie buys like fifteen “one for each day of the week” “I don’t think that adds up” “well I might get mayo or some shit on it” “you’re gonna get mayo on it EIGHT times?” sugar and her little family come for dinner every week and they all get the exact same thing every single time even their kids it’s almost annoying because like pick something else!this one gets three Michelin stars its first year. reviewers rave articles and more profiles get written. a netflix show features them for an episode. more and more awards for the restaurant and both chefs. its nice and syd and carmy are grateful for all of it. but theres this group of old ladies who come in after bingo on wednesdays who pull them out of the kitchen and pass on their own secret family recipes always handwritten on some kind of ripped paper or a napkin in swirly old timey cursive that syd and carmy can barely read. in these moments the blood red michelin star plaque by the door almost pales in comparison. almoooost.

[thedeviltohisangel]

For A Fortnight There We Were: What About Your Quiet Treason?

a/n: some more early days of ev/cal. featuring a little vacation for them with her friends, some miscommunication and some feelings being brought to light. also once again features evelyn's friendship with the tellers because i am obsessed with them and think the four of them could get into so much trouble together. as always, i continue to insert her into the modern day whenever something pops up but please feel free to send blurb requests for them as well! so much of their future and the angst i have kept a secret and i am so proud of myself. love you all!

She knew looking in her DMs or Twitter mentions was never going to end well. They were a sordid place of opinions and accusations and no matter how much positivity was sprinkled in, it was so hard to see. After pictures of her lounging on the deck of a yacht in the Amalfi Coast with a lanky man with brown curls kissing her neck were publicized a few days ago, she hadn’t been able to look away.

They were flooded with screenshots of Callum’s Raya profile, allegedly still active, and more private DMs of WhatsApp conversations that showed the cell phone number Evelyn had saved in her own contact for him. Her melancholia was threatening to swallow her whole as she curled up on her side on the boat’s salon.

“Hey! You were taking awhile so I-” Kelleigh paused as a barely repressed sob shook Evelyn’s shoulders. “Babe, oh no, what’s wrong? What happened?” Kelleigh dropped next to her on the couch and hugged her as best she could, her cheek resting on her arm.

“It’s easier if I just show you.” Ev sat up and handed Kelleigh her phone, her knees drawn into her chest as her friend’s eyes skimmed the screen.

“All this could be old, Ev. It might not mean anything.”

“The messages are dated from a few weeks ago while I was in Toronto.” The words of them seemed innocuous. Pleasantries and laughing emojis and memes. It was irrational but it felt like something special about their blossoming relationship was being taken away. Like him sending photos of Golo or his morning tea to these girls meant they meant as much or as little to him as Evelyn. “I’m so fucking stupid for falling for it.” Her forehead hit her kneecaps as she tried to hide her shame.

“We don’t know what exactly we are looking at yet,” her friend cooed, “this could all be one big misunderstanding.” 

“It’s my fault. I should have never let myself get attached. I should have known better to wait until everything with Logan was finalized.” The universe was punishing her for being happy. For falling in love with someone else while she was still married. 

“Cal is fucking crazy about you. Your heart and your gut know that and know how you feel.”

“He hasn’t even asked if we are exclusive. Doesn’t call me his girlfriend.” Kelleigh sighed and reached to grab Evelyn’s hand. She knew Callum was confused and conflicted. Last night, after their group dinner and hours of dancing, Evelyn and a few others tucked themselves into bed but Cal had stayed up for one last cigarette. Kelleigh had stayed up with him to pick the brain of the man one of her best friends was falling in love with.

“Evelyn is like a sister to me and Miles,” Kelleigh started, “I watched the way her marriage ate her away. And somehow her divorce feels even worse. If you aren’t going to be there for her for the long haul, you should go now before it’s too late.” It was obvious with the way Evelyn looked at him. The way she blushed and giggled at his every word and every touch. The way she had held his hand like a vice at the club and fed him bites of her dessert at dinner. All of the friends who knew her before Logan saw that version of her finally seeping back into her bones. Callum was most certainly the cause of it but if he was going to fly her high and leave her to crash to earth on her own, she needed to know now.

“I am living the happiest days of my life with her. Being with her like this makes me feel like I am exactly where I’m meant to be.” God, he straight up fucking loved her. But that was too complicated to introduce. “But I don’t know how to navigate shit with her and her ex.” None of it was normal, all of it was new. Were they dating? Were they supposed to start calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend?

“She’s just as confused as you, I promise. Do you want something real with her? Something with labels and commitment? Even if it means putting up with Logan and his bullshit?” Kelleigh felt like she was hyping up the man in front of her. Trying to spark that passion in his chest to fight for Evelyn tooth and nail the way she deserved. 

“I do. I want that. But not at the expense of her peace and stability.” Logan was incensed with every blurry photo or DailyMail tabloid story that came out about them and Ev took the brunt of it. If his presence in her life was adding fuel to that fire, maybe his departure was as necessary as it was tragic.

Kelleigh scoffed, “Just another fucking way he’s trying to control her.” Callum snuffed out his cigarette and moved to stand in front of her.

“You know her best. If I just straight up ask her to dive in with me, ask her to commit to this feeling between us and put a label on it and run off into the sunset with me, will she do it or am I just scaring her away?” 

She had told him that Evelyn would in a heartbeat. Wanted to tell him she thinks her friend really loved him. Was maybe getting some semblance of hope back for her future. But now, looking at the screenshots her friend was showing on her phone, maybe she shouldn’t have been so encouraging. 

“Ev? Evvie?” The deep, British voice belonging to the male in question reached their ears, Callum standing on the deck of the boat toweling off as he looked around for her. “Hey, there you are.” All their friends that had been splashing around the Mediterranean waters were climbing back onto the yacht to get ready for dinner. The last thing Evelyn wanted was to cause a scene or have her personal emotions on such public display. 

“Here I am.” She stood in the hopes she could run off in the name of getting ready to avoid him but he was over to her side in two steps and bending down to kiss her. Both her hands on his chest served to stop him but the way she turned her face so his lips barely kissed the side of her head served to freeze his heart. “Gonna go get changed for dinner.” Her back was to him in an instant and he stayed exactly where he was as she disappeared down the spiral staircase to the cabin they were sharing. The same cabin where they had fallen asleep in each other’s arms every night and woken each other up with kisses and caresses. The same cabin where he had made love to her over and over again with the softest and gentlest of touches. A tenderness only a lover could possess. 

“Did I miss something?” he heard the first whisper. 

“I thought they were good.” Went the second whisper. 

“If you could even call them a they,” was the final straw before he was following after her. He tried the doorknob to the room but it was locked and his heart started pounding in his chest. 

“Ev? Please let me in.” His forehead dropped to the door and he swears he heard the sounds of a sob. Her sob. The sobbing of the woman he loved. “Whatever I did, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please let me in so I can fix it.” Clearly he had upset her. Clearly something had happened in between waking up naked and twined together and playing with each other’s fingers and now, refusing his kisses and locking a door between them. Her feet padded closer and he stood up straighter. There was sniffling. She was definitely crying. 

“There’s nothing for you to fix, Callum. I expected too much from you. I’m used to being let down by my own expectations and I should have known better.” His brows furrowed together and panic began to set in. 

“No, you…you deserve the world, Evelyn. You’re right. I haven’t been doing my best in giving that to you. Haven’t been as open and honest with you as I should have.” She wanted to laugh. Of course even now he was saying the right thing. Promising her he would change if she would just give him another chance. Promising he could and would do better at being the partner she deserved in this life.

“You’re seeing other girls.” It was unfair and she knew it. Nothing between them was defined and she had only asked that he not sleep with anyone else if he was going to sleep with her. There had been no conversation about dating other girls. Evelyn had been afraid to make it so real.

“What?” He didn’t try to stop the incredulity from seeping into his voice. “What…Where…Who is saying that?” She finally opened the door and he was greeted with ruddy cheeks and damp eyes.

“All day I’ve been getting screenshots of you on dating apps and of conversations you’re having with them and I’m sick to my stomach thinking about it.” Evelyn felt used. Felt dirty. Felt like every accusation she had defended him against was for nothing. That maybe she should have heeded their warnings. 

“I didn’t delete the profile because it felt like signing you up for something you weren’t ready for. Like if I took this too seriously then I’d be pushing you away.” There was no use in lying about it. The profile was his but he hadn’t been using it. To be honest, he thought she’d be more freaked out by him deleting it because that would signal his view of their relationship as serious.. A conversation they hadn’t had yet and he was hesitant to bring up. “And yes. A couple of them I gave my number to. Texted and flirted and whatever else it is people are sending you. I’m not going to pretend it didn’t happen, Ev.” She turned and walked deeper into the cabin, Callum following and closing the door behind him for privacy. She landed in the chair of her vanity with a heavy sigh and looked at him like she could see his soul. 

“Are you sleeping with other girls?” His face contorted in disgust. 

“No. Absolutely not.” The one aspect of their relationship that they had defined. That under no circumstances would they have sex with someone else while they were having sex with each other. As if either of them had even looked at someone since their night in Chelsea months ago. He ran his hand through his hair with frustration. “Fuck, Evelyn, I’m trapped between wanting to dive head first into this thing with you and acting like it’s just some casual fun between friends.” He was at such a loss. Keep his options open so he looked like he didn’t care and could put the pieces together if she dropped him. Worship her on his knees until she offered him some kind of idea of the future. 

“Well,” her voice sounded hoarse to her own ears, “I’ve come to a decision about that this afternoon.” Callum braced himself for the impact. Figured she had been in here working on ways to let him down easy. Break his heart in two rather than millions. 

“You don’t got to say it, Ev. I’ll pack my bag while you’re at dinner. Be out of your hair before you get back.” The towel was tossed into the corner of the room with a hint of anger as he felt tears well behind his eyes. The woman he loved, slipping from his grasp. He had agonized over every word and action to try and prevent this from happening. Had accepted the complications that came from being with her while she was still legally married. Still going through her divorce in the public eye. Even though it was ending, it had all been worth it for these months they had shared together. He just wished it could have been forever. 

“That is the last thing I would ever want.” She stood and walked towards him, her forehead resting between his shoulder blades. “I never want to be without you, Callum, that’s what I decided this afternoon. That it all hurt so bad because of that fact.” Her arms wrapped around his torso and he tangled their fingers together, bringing the back of her hand to his lips. 

“I don’t ever want to be without you either,” he whispered. He twisted in her embrace so they were chest to chest. Her eyes captured his own, strong and sure in their conviction that she was doing the right thing. 

“I’m falling in love with you,” she revealed. “I need you to know I’m not scared. I’m ready for this to be a real relationship. I’m ready for the labels and the commitment. Ready to be with you in every way that I possibly can.” The thought of him being someone else’s, in any capacity, had scared her to her core. She had never felt so possessive over someone or something. Never felt like she owed it to herself to try so much. 

“Say that again,” he hummed against her lips. He urged her backwards until the back of her knees hit the bed.

“Which part?” she asked breathlessly as her back hit the mattress and he landed on top of her. 

“The part about falling in love with me,” kisses draped across her jawline, “or maybe how you are ready to commit to me,” down her throat, “actually, I also liked the part where you want to be with me in every way possible.” So badly did he want to lose himself in kisses along her chest and throat and all the inches of her skin that were exposed by her skimpy bathing suit. But this moment felt like he should look her in the eyes. Memorize how they looked back at him and held someone on the precipice of falling in love.

“I’m falling in love with you,” she smiled and traced her thumb along the lines of the smile that was spreading across his face. “I’m ready for commitment with you. I want to be with you in every way possible.” Callum laughed, a full throated and powerful laugh, ducking his face into the crook of her neck. Evelyn’s own pure happiness bubbled out of her in a laugh as she hooked her legs around him and held him against her tightly. 

“Am I supposed to call you my girlfriend now?” he asked as he lifted his head. 

“And you can be my boyfriend, just as if we are back in school.” His nose knocked against hers twice before his lips landed on hers. 

“I know it wasn’t easy for you to say those things, Ev. I want you to know they mean everything to me. Being with you means everything to me.” He knew that the road ahead of them wasn’t going to be easy either. That it was marred with traps hiding in the shadows, maybe some even in plain sight, but at the end of it was something so golden and pristine it would have to be worth it. 

“No more pretending,” she whispered. No more walking separately into a restaurant. No more distancing themselves at night clubs. No more solo trips to the grocery store or posting photos without him in it or hiding the evidence he had spent the night with her. 

“God, I’m going to kiss you so fucking much at dinner tonight.”

And he did.

And she felt loved.

She was.

[stargatesg-1obsessed]

So my mum and I have been watching Stargate SG1 season 9 recently, and we keep saying "Hallowed are the Ori" in the same voice they do for fun. Now, my mum has this crab jelly cat she got when we were on holiday. She loves this crab, she called it Colin.

This evening, she picked up this crab and went, "HALLOWED IS THE COLIN!"

At the time it was rather amusing and I made this photo

It's now her WhatsApp profile picture 😭

[fluffyhellspawn]

LMFAOOOO double posting but it's so funny when I get a DM like "Hey are your commissions open?" And I get so excited because I think I'm about to draw an oc or something and its

"can you draw my Son's pet for me?"

Hi!!! This is a common scam!!! Don't fall for it lmao. What they usually do, is:

>ask if commissions are open

>if given "yes" they will then ask: "Can you draw my son's pet for me?"

>if you agree, they'll offer an absurd amount of money. And a really basic image of a dog. Usually a golden Lab from what I've seen. May be different. Can't tell if they're AI or a genuine photo.

>if you accept it, they'll ask you to move platforms like WhatsApp or telegram. They'll even occasionally ask where you're from??? (No idea why??)

>then they will either:

A, send the money to you and then file a cashback/refund. (Boo 👎)

B, not send it at all .

How to check for scams:

Look at their account. Do they follow you? Do they follow anyone ? do they have a profile image? Any posts, reblogs?

If the answer is no, then congratulations!! You found one of the most lazy scams known to man. Though, I suppose this is more of an "aw. They found me" sort of moment.

How to handle them? My favourite button I don't really use: ✨ Report as spam and Block ✨.

This is the fourth time I've gotten this message in my time of being on Tumblr.

[kenyatta]

NOT LONG AFTER she started, Uber deactivated Barbosa’s account out of the blue. So she switched to renting one on Lyft from the same guy. Now she drove as “Shakira.” When the Lyft app prompted Barbosa to confirm her identity by scanning her license, she texted the guy she was renting from: What now? He sent back a photo of Shakira’s ID. Oh. She was real. He paid Shakira a fee each week. Driving without a license, under the table on a tourist visa, loaded Barbosa with stress. One night, Barbosa picked up a passenger at 2 am and he tried to kiss her. She had to fight him off and left him one star on the app; she didn’t want to risk calling the cops. Another time, she was pulled over for having her lights off. Barbosa froze as the officer strode up to her window, worried she might get her car towed and end up in jail, or even—who knows?—deported. She showed the cop her Brazilian driver’s license, and said she’d left her American one at home. He let her go. In WhatsApp groups, and while waiting for riders at Logan Airport, Barbosa chatted up other Brazilian drivers also renting accounts. They traded tips about driving without papers, the nuances of the fuzzy don’t-ask-don’t-tell status quo in a country that hasn’t passed comprehensive immigration reforms in more than three decades. Far from an ICE officer on every corner, she heard, if you kept your head down, didn’t drink and drive or pick fights, you could manage. [...] One of her customers left their wallet in her car. She followed the woman’s convoluted instructions to return it, driving to two far-flung locations over two hours. Miffed, at one point Barbosa opened the wallet. She looked at the woman’s license, blonde with blue eyes. Barbosa snapped a picture. She thought the woman might tip her or at least say “thank you” for having wasted two hours, unpaid, to do her a favor. Instead, the woman was rude and short, giving Barbosa the push she’d been looking for. “I said, yeah, now I’m going to use this.” Over the next few weeks, she would click through the driver onboarding process on both Uber and Lyft, reading over the steps to create her own account, mulling the risk. Finally, lying in bed on Christmas night, the first one she’d spent without her family, it was time: She opened her phone and scrolled to the blonde woman’s license. Barbosa uploaded the license to the Uber app. She used the woman’s name but her own insurance and registration. She entered her own iCloud email and phone number and set her own picture—brown hair, brown eyes—on the driver profile. She made up a Social Security number, submitted the application, and went to sleep. The next day, Uber approved the account. Like that, Barbosa was in business for herself.

[madphantom]

I can't even imagine what a clusterfuck it must be to be new in my friend group at the current time. Recently a new guy came along and me and another guy went to the store real quick but other guy only came along because he has a crush on me and wanted to spend time with me and so he didn't buy anything and when we returned new guy was like "what did you buy?" "Nothing" "you hauled your ass down and up the hill again to buy nothing?!"

Then later we were talking about my new phone and my crush (who is aware of being my crush) commented that my new phone doesn't have the photo of us I used to have as a phone background, and I said "well, at least there's still three photos of you in my WhatsApp profile photo" (I have a collage of happy moments from this summer as my profile photo) and new guy was like "you have him in your WhatsApp profile photo THRICE?!" and my crush was like "yeah she's completely obsessed with me" and new guy looked at the clusterfuck of a dynamic us three have going on and let out the deepest sigh of confusion and despair I've ever heard

[freedompanda]

For my American Friends

I feel now is a good time to spread this news. Much like how the internet came together to help share information with the Ukrainians for resisting Russia, I’m here delivering help of a similar nature to those that could be impacted by this latest election in the US. There are ways to communicate relatively securely, outside of Big Brother's social media. I bring this up so that we can minimize the amount of gatherable information that could be used to hurt you, or others you know, in the coming years as changes are made. I'm not going to tell you how or why to use them, I'm just going to provide you with the information.

WhatsApp – While not my personal favorite, since Facebook/Meta is the parent company, WhatsApp is free, globally popular, and widely-used, featuring the ability to lock chats with passwords, disappearing messages, photos and videos that are deleted after being opened, profile photo privacy, the ability to lock the app itself so that only your biometrics can unlock it, encrypted backups, the ability to set custom permissions for who can see you online or when you last used the app, and of course End-to-End Encryption for all conversations EXCEPT those with business accounts. WhatsApp is a good option for those who are not really technically savvy, but still value privacy – if one trusts Facebook/Meta to adequately protect their privacy. It does require a phone number to sign up, however.

Signal - Signal is an end-to-end encrypted messaging software. meaning that the contents of your conversation is secure. The protocol they use (which they created) is seen as the best known protocol for asynchronous messaging by cybersecurity researchers. It's so good that it has been implemented in WhatsApp and in Messenger's secret chats. This app has even been mentioned in the Right-wing author Jack Carr's Political Thriller about a Navy SEAL named James Reece, as being a preferred method of secure communication on the civilian side for operators. (Jack Carr is a former US Navy SEAL.) It's run by a Non-Profit organization called Signal Foundation, and it's mission is to "protect free expression and enable secure global communication through open source privacy technology." It allows secure messaging, voice calls, and video calls. The only downside is that app links to your phone number, so while your conversations and content are secure, who you are talking to is not. Signal is available on Windows, Mac, Andriod, Linus, and iOS.

Session - Session is an end-to-end encrypted messenger that minimises sensitive metadata, designed and built for people who want absolute privacy and freedom from any form of surveillance. Session is an open-source, public-key-based secure messaging application which uses a set of decentralized storage servers and an onion routing protocol to send end-to-end encrypted messages with minimal exposure of user metadata. This means no phone numbers, no metadata for digital footprints, and censorship resistance. It features group chats, the ability to send documents, files, and images securely, and has added voice messages, though these can be spotty. It’s slow, but effective, and be downloaded on Android, F-Droid, iPhone, Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Briar - If you have an Android phone, Briar is another option you have. It features a decentralized network (it’s peer-to-peer encrypted, rather than relying on a central server), meaning messages are synced directly between user devices. It also means that even if the internet is down, it can sync via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or even memory cards, meaning information can continue to flow even during a crisis. In the event the internet is functioning, it can sync via the Tor network, protecting users and their relationships from surveillance. Other features: - Screenshots and screen recording are disabled by default - Each user’s contact list is encrypted and stored on her own device. - Briar’s end-to-end encryption prevents keyword filtering, and because of its decentralized design there are no servers to block. - Every user who subscribes to a forum keeps a copy of its content, so there’s no single point where a post can be deleted. - Briar’s forums have no central server to attack, and every subscriber has access to the content even if they’re offline. - Doesn’t require any user data like name and phone number. The downside is that it is text-only and limited to Android Devices, but they do offer Briar Mailbox to deliver messages securely to those who are online at different times. Briar’s goal is “to enable people in any country to create safe spaces where they can debate any topic, plan events, and organize social movements”

Protonmail - A free end-to-end encrypted AND zero-access encryption email service based out of Switzerland, you can safely email with peace of mind that your content is secure. Unlike Google, Outlook, Yahoo, and others, Proton's zero-access encryption means they can't even view the contents of your emails or attachments. As a Swiss-owned company they are not allowed to share information with foreign law enforcement under criminal penalty and they are politically neutral, meaning they won't be pressured by foreign governments. Furthermore, Switzerland has a constitutional right to privacy and strict data protection laws. Unlike companies in other countries, Proton cannot be compelled by foreign or Swiss authorities to engage in bulk surveillance.

Additional Information, from Proton’s Website: Switzerland has strong legal protections for individual rights, and in fact the Swiss Federal Constitution(new window) explicitly establishes a constitutional right to privacy. (In the US, this right is merely implied.) Specifically, Article 13 safeguards privacy in personal or family life and within one’s home, and the Swiss Civil Code(new window) translates this right into statutory law in Article 28.

In the US and EU, authorities can issue gag orders to prevent an individual from knowing they are being investigated or under surveillance. While this type of order also exists in Switzerland, the prosecutors have an obligation to notify the target of surveillance, and the target has an opportunity to appeal in court. In Switzerland, there are no such things as national security letters(new window), and all surveillance requests must go through the courts. Warrantless surveillance, like that practiced in the US where the FBI conducts 3.4 million searches per year(new window) with little oversight, is illegal and not permitted in Switzerland.

Switzerland also benefits from a unique legal provision with Article 271 of the Swiss Criminal Code(new window), which forbids any Swiss company from assisting foreign law enforcement, under threat of criminal penalty. While Switzerland is party to certain international legal assistance agreements, all requests under such agreements must hold up under Swiss law, which has much stricter privacy provisions. All foreign requests are assessed by the Swiss government, which generally does not assist requests from countries with poor rule of law or lack an independent judiciary.

Swiss law has several more unique points. First, it preserves end-to-end encryption, and unlike in the US, UK, or EU, there is no legislation that has been introduced or considered to limit the right to encryption. Second, Swiss law protects no-logs VPN(new window) meaning that Proton VPN does not have logging obligations. While numerous VPNs claim no-logs, these claims generally do not stand up legally because in most jurisdictions, governments can request that the VPN in question starts logging. So the VPN is only no-logs until the government asks. However, in Switzerland, the law does not allow the government to compel Proton VPN to start logging.

We’ve also fought to ensure that Switzerland remains a legal jurisdiction that respects and protects privacy.

Nearly every country in the world has laws governing lawful interception of electronic communications for law enforcement purposes. In Switzerland, these regulations are set out in the Swiss Federal Act on the Surveillance of Post and Telecommunications (SPTA), which was last revised on March 18, 2018. In May 2020, we challenged a decision of the Swiss government over what we believed was an improper attempt to use telecommunications laws to undermine privacy.

In October 2021, The Swiss Federal Administrative Court ultimately agreed with us and ruled that email companies cannot be considered telecommunication providers. This means Proton isn’t required to follow any of the SPTA’s mandatory data retention rules, nor are we bound by a full obligation to identify Proton Mail users. Moreover, as a Swiss company, Proton Mail cannot be compelled to engage in bulk surveillance on behalf of US or Swiss intelligence agencies. (Links can be found at: proton.me/blog/switzerland)

[mariacallous]

Most scammers and cybercriminals operate in the digital shadows and don’t want you to know how they make money. But that’s not the case for the Yahoo Boys, a loose collective of young men in West Africa who are some of the web’s most prolific—and increasingly dangerous—scammers.

Thousands of people are members of dozens of Yahoo Boy groups operating across Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram, a WIRED analysis has found. The scammers, who deal in types of fraud that total hundreds of millions of dollars each year, also have dozens of accounts on TikTok, YouTube, and the document-sharing service Scribd that are getting thousands of views.

Inside the groups, there’s a hive of fraudulent activity with the cybercriminals often showing their faces and sharing ways to scam people with other members. They openly distribute scripts detailing how to blackmail people and how to run sextortion scams—that have driven people to take their own lives—sell albums with hundreds of photographs, and advertise fake social media accounts. Among the scams, they’re also using AI to create fake “nude” images of people and real-time deepfake video calls.

The Yahoo Boys don’t disguise their activity. Many groups use “Yahoo Boys” in their name as well as other related terms. WIRED’s analysis found 16 Yahoo Boys Facebook groups with almost 200,000 total members, a dozen WhatsApp channels, around 10 Telegram channels, 20 TikTok accounts, a dozen YouTube accounts, and more than 80 scripts on Scribd. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Broadly, the companies do not allow content on their platforms that encourages or promotes criminal behavior. The majority of the Yahoo Boys accounts and groups WIRED identified were removed after we contacted the companies about the groups’ overt existence. Despite these removals, dozens more Yahoo Boys groups and accounts remain online.

“They’re not hiding under different names,” says Kathy Waters, the cofounder and executive director of the nonprofit Advocating Against Romance Scammers, which has tracked the Yahoo Boys for years. Waters says the social media companies are essentially providing the Yahoo Boys with “free office space” to organize and conduct their activities. “They’re selling scripts, selling photos, identifications of people, all online, all on the social media platforms,” she says. “Why these accounts still remain is beyond me.”

The Yahoo Boys aren’t a single, organized group. Instead, they’re a collection of thousands of scammers who work individually or in clusters. Often based in Nigeria, their name comes from formerly targeting users of Yahoo services, with links back to the Nigerian Prince email scams of old. Groups in West Africa can be often organized in various confraternities, which are cultish gangs.

“Yahoo is a set of knowledge that allows you to conduct scams,” says Gary Warner, the director of intelligence at DarkTower and director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Computer Forensics Research Laboratory. While there are different levels of sophistication of Yahoo Boys, Warner says, many simply operate from their phones. “Most of these threat actors are only using one device,” he says.

The Yahoo Boys run dozens of scams—from romance fraud to business email compromise. When making contact with potential victims, they’ll often “bomb” people by sending hundreds of messages to dating app accounts or Facebook profiles. “They will say anything they can in order to get the next dime in their pocket,” Waters says.

Searching for the Yahoo Boys on Facebook brings up two warnings: Both say the results may be linked to fraudulent activity, which isn’t allowed on the website. Clicking through the warnings reveals Yahoo Boy groups with thousands of members—one had more than 70,000.

Within the groups—alongside posts selling SIM cards and albums with hundreds of pictures—many of the scammers push people toward other messaging platforms such as Meta’s WhatsApp or Telegram. Here, the Yahoo Boys are at their most bold. Some groups and channels on the two platforms receive hundreds of posts per day and are part of their wider web of operations.

After WIRED asked Facebook about the 16 groups we identified, the company removed them, and some WhatsApp groups were deactivated. “Scammers use every platform available to them to defraud people and constantly adapt to avoid getting caught,” says Al Tolan, a Meta spokesperson. They did not directly address the accounts that were removed or that they were easy to find. “Purposefully exploiting others for money is against our policies, and we take action when we become aware of it,” Tolan says. “We continue to invest in technology and cooperate with law enforcement so they can prosecute scammers. We also actively share tips on how people can protect themselves, their accounts, and avoid scams.”

Groups on Telegram were removed after WIRED messaged the company’s press office; however, the platform did not respond about why it had removed them.

Across all types of social media, Yahoo Boys scammers share “scripts” that they use to socially manipulate people—these can run to thousands of words long and can be copied and pasted to different victims. Many have been online for years. “I’ve seen some scripts that are 30 and 60 layers deep, before the scammer actually would have to go and think of something else to say,” says Ronnie Tokazowski, the chief fraud fighter at Intelligence for Good, which works with cybercrime victims. “It’s 100 percent how they'll manipulate the people,” Tokazowski says.

Among the many scams, they pretend to be military officers, people offering “hookups,” the FBI, doctors, and people looking for love. One “good morning” script includes around a dozen messages the scammers can send to their targets. “In a world full of deceit and lies, I feel lucky when see the love in your eyes. Good morning,” one says. But things get much darker.

The Yahoo Boys have been behind a recent wave of sextortion across the United States and elsewhere, says Paul Raffile, an intelligence analyst at the Network Contagion Research Institute who is closely tracking the criminals. Broadly speaking, during sextortion, a scammer will use intimate or explicit images to try to get someone to pay them money. “The Yahoo Boys are the principal threat actor behind the surge of sextortion that we’re seeing over the past 18 months,” Raffile says. “They are responsible for forcing dozens of teens to suicide.”

In a series of posts in one Telegram channel, highlighted by Warner, who is also involved in Intelligence for Good, one cybercriminal can be seen walking others through how to run a sextortion scam. They say they tricked people into sharing nude images—posting screenshots of the conversation—and explained ways other people can replicate it. “Hey I am posting your naked pictures on social media and Facebook,” says a sample message cybercriminals could use. “Am not just posting it am sending copies of it to your area,” the message says, before demanding $700.

While the scripts like these are shared on all social media channels, WIRED found at least 80 on the document-sharing service Scribd. The company removed them after WIRED got in touch, with a spokesperson saying there are limits on what people can upload and that the company has automated and manual reviews to remove content. “We’re actively building out new capabilities to broaden the scope of content moderation coverage to include a wider range of concerning text and image violations,” the spokesperson says. Some of the scripts had been online since 2020, and on pages where they were removed a “reading suggestions” section recommended other scam scripts.

Raffile says the Yahoo Boys have been able to “thrive” online “due to lack of moderation around all the illicit material” that they’re sharing. “They’re acting with impunity because they feel they will never get caught,” Raffile says.

Beyond the messaging platforms, the Yahoo Boys have a presence on TikTok and YouTube. “We design our app to be inhospitable to those who seek to exploit our community and we’ve removed this content for violating our policies,” a TikTok spokesperson says.

“Our policies prohibit spam, scams, or other deceptive practices that take advantage of the YouTube community,” a YouTube spokesperson says. “We also prohibit videos that encourage illegal or dangerous activities. As such, we have terminated the flagged channels for violating our policies and our terms of service.” They add that the company removed accounts for breaching policies about harmful content, spam, and generally violating its terms of service.

The accounts posted tutorials about how to scam people, link to groups on messaging apps, and promote technology for fake video calls. On TikTok, multiple accounts include carousels of images that the scammers can use in their efforts to create believable personas. Some of these include posts of elderly women for scammers who are in “need of grandma pictures for proof” of their fake identities and others for scammers who “need kids pics” for their victims.

As well as being a threat to thousands of people around the world, the Yahoo Boys can be quick to adopt new technologies. David Maimon, a professor at Georgia State University and the head of fraud insights at the identity-verification firm SentiLink, has monitored Yahoo Boys for years and says their techniques have evolved alongside new technologies.

“To build rapport with victims, the fraudsters first used text messages, then started sending recorded audio messages, to now using deepfake tools to communicate with victims live,” Maimon says. “On some of the markets we now also see the use of cloned voices. It is now accompanied with sending physical items to victims such as presents, food deliveries, and flowers.” Within some groups, they use “nudification” tools to turn photos of people clothed into nude photos, and deepfake video calls.

While the Yahoo Boys have been active for years, all the experts spoken to for this piece say they should be treated more seriously by social media companies and law enforcement. “It’s time that we start looking at Yahoo Boys as a dangerous organization, transnational organized crime, and start giving it some of those labels,” Raffile says.

[aminocamino]

Day 14 - 23 April Santo Domingo de Calzada to Belorado 21.7 km and 356m

Yesterday evening we joined Carol who has lived in America for 20 years but hails from Stafford prior to that. We had a meal in the hotel she was staying at El Molino Florin. It was a mill before being a hotel and is an ancient building. For a smart hotel I did think the cost would be higher but no - three courses including a beautiful white Rioja for 18€! My only gripe was that the rabbit stew I had was extremely bony. On our way back to our hotel we passed amazing Paradour hotel - the bar seems to be set in cloisters. Amazing place.

Left early for day 14 walk - think we were out by 7.30 to start the walk. We did a very short detour to Granon away from the very busy N120 Highway. Lovely village…even lovelier cafe! Other than that highlight it was a trudge trudge trudge day. The path ran very close to the motorway.

You see the shell signs everywhere. Our favourite was in a church along the way. We passed some very old villages - Viloria de la Rioja, Vilamayor del Rio (very pretty) and a beautiful albergue in Castildelagado.

There seems to be a huge amount of road building works going on. Carrie suggested it might be to divert the motorway away from some of the ancient villages.

For days we have been walking towards a hill (mountain? we are high up) we have named the nipple. Today we finally passed it. We both wondered if it was a hillfort at the top but on passing at close quarters I doubt it.

At Vilamayor del Rio we got to a cafe and were desperate for a pick me up of coffee and cake. Weirdly there was a ‘dance floor’ laid out in the cafe with a pole! This is Jenny who ‘striked a pose’.

I did tell her she should use the photo as her profile. We did meet up with her again the following day in Atapuerca - in the only bar in the village.

My face is suffering from the sun (a few days ago), the wind today, pollen, salt and God knows so I covered as much as I could. It made Carrie laugh anyway. And yes it did calm my face down.

One of the amazing churches on route - so many you get lost in them. This is Iglesia Santa Maria Belgrado.

Our Albergue in Belgrado was fabulous. We had a 6 bed dorm with its OWN BATHROOM. Unheard of! The Albergue also had a heated pool but as neither of us had brought cozies and because it was stupid cold we didn’t bother. We actually went to a bar to warm up. Carrie was upset at seeing a dog badly tethered to a post. His lead was too short and the dog looked malnourished. His owner had obviously been drinking in the bar for a while. Carrie took some bread out to him - almost took her fingers off - he was obviously hungry. It wasn’t pleasant seeing it.

The Albergue was one of the nicest we have stayed at other than the cold. It had so many facilities. And the food was really good. We made more friends in our dorm. Our Camino family is growing!

And yes I am a day late posting… especially as we have again rejigged our timetable. Tomorrow we head for Atapuerca…over 18 miles so our backpacks will be transported. Carrie sorted that out and booked us an apartment 😄😄 in Burgos while I fired a few WhatsApp’s etc to try and get accommodation. Its getting more difficult so in Burgos we will have to book the rest of the trip.

Some of the amazing wall art along the way.

[aringoyblog]

Lego Bricks of Data and Personal Information: Facebook

One of the tech giants in the modern world was explicitly tackled during a discussion, Facebook. It was all about how the company collects data, and how they earn their revenue even though the services they offer are free. It was a take me back trip to the phrase "If it is free, then you are the product". Facebook is a company that revolves around data. The data they collect from their users will be used for personalized ads from third-parties such as partners and service providers. Meaning, they share our data towards companies who may benefit it. However, they insist that they never sell it. Still, the term "third parties" is broad and can range from pharmaceutical brands to even political figures. There are different categories on how Facebook collects your data; first we have explicit data, these are data which the user themselves voluntarily gave to Facebook. Next are metadata, also known as behind the scenes data like time, date, IP address, and device information. Then we have off-Facebook activity, wherein data are collected from plugins like Facebook pixel or Instagram and WhatsApp. Lastly, are third-party data, which are collected through other sources outside of Facebook and its partners which relates with you. In an objective perspective, the way on how they can track you easily is scary. One small tweak and Facebook could become the greatest threat on a national scale. With all that risks out in the open, what can I do to be safe? Just stop using Facebook? I cannot do that since it is the tool I am using to stay in touch with society and its current events. Is there any other way? Of course there is, that is limiting on how much you expose. Always remember that Facebook is getting profit from your data, and they may claim that your data is safe, but there is never a 100% security in this world. To conclude, Facebook is an amalgamation of data and it has the potential to become a pandora's box. So, in the case that it really becomes that, even on a small scale, let us protect our own data through these ways: 1. The Facebook app can collect more data about you than just using it on the browser. Delete and uninstall it. 2. Use a Facebook container extension when browsing Facebook on a browser like Brave or Firefox. 3. Manage your off-Facebook activity in ways like clearing history to break connections 4. Be mindful of what your profile exposes in the public, be private and limit what personal information you provide publicly. 5. Always and always think twice before posting something, especially photos. 6. In general, be stingy on the information or data that you provide. This is not only applicable on Facebook but, to all cyber activities you participate in. It is a sad fact that Facebook is profiting on so many people that do not know they are the product. I will spread the awareness of data privacy in my own way. It may be small, but every drop will count. "Privacy only comes to those who work for" - All Things Secured, 2022

[catdotjpeg]

The top executive for San Jose’s police union imported synthetic opioids over an eight-year period to orchestrate a national drug ring that disguised packages of pills as wedding gifts, makeup and chocolate, federal officials said Wednesday.

Joanne Marian Segovia, the 64-year-old executive director of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association, used her home computer and police union equipment to facilitate the mailing of the synthetic opioids, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The drug smuggling allegedly took place from October 2015 to January 2023, with Segovia facilitating more than 60 shipments from Hong Kong, Hungary, India and Singapore.

In a three-and-a-half-year period ending in January, officials allegedly intercepted five shipments to Segovia that contained thousands of pills, including synthetic opioids Tramadol and Tapentadol... 

Segovia allegedly used the encrypted messenger WhatsApp to handle logistics, exchanging hundreds of messages with someone using a phone with an India country code. The messages—containing shipping and payment details, pictures and receipts—continued into this month even after federal investigators interviewed Segovia in February, prosecutors said.

On March 13, federal agents in Kentucky seized a package that contained valeryl fentanyl and was addressed to Segovia, officials said. The package originated from China and the contents were listed as a “clock.”

Segovia was charged with attempting to unlawfully import valeryl fentanyl, according to a complaint that was unsealed Tuesday. The complaint alleges Segovia was apprehended as part of an ongoing Homeland Security investigation into controlled substances being shipped into the Bay Area from abroad.

Will Edelman, an attorney listed for Segovia in court records, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Edelman previously worked as a federal prosecutor in the same U.S. Attorney’s Office that charged Segovia, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The complaint against Segovia said that she told federal investigators she had nothing to do with the drug smuggling and blamed the shipments of pills on a woman she identified “as a family friend and housekeeper.”

Segovia allegedly told investigators that after their February meeting, she realized “like a light bulb” that it must be this unnamed woman who smuggled the drugs.

However, the complaint casts doubt on Segovia’s statements and includes photos that she allegedly sent to a collaborator. One image shows a computer with police union work materials in view and another shows her signature on a packing slip sent from the police union address. 

Tom Saggau, a spokesperson for the San Jose Police Officers' Association, said the union became aware of the alleged crimes on Friday and has been cooperating with federal authorities. He added that Segovia had no role in handling financials for the organization and was not involved in decisions about the organization’s stance on police issues.

“No one at the POA is involved or had prior knowledge of the alleged acts,” Saggau said. “The POA immediately placed the civilian employee on leave and as is standard procedure cut off all access to the POA. The board of directors is saddened and disappointed at hearing this news, and we have pledged to provide our full support to the investigative authorities.”

-- “SJ Police Union Exec Accused of Smuggling Drugs as Wedding Gifts, Chocolate” by Josh Koehn for The San Francisco Standard, 29 Mar 2023

[Image ID: A person wears a San Jose police jacket during a press conference outside of the San Jose Police Department. End ID.]