#store files securely online

[buyoldgmailaccounts456]

Buy Old Gmail Accounts

[yourlocalbreadenthusiast]

Kindly take a break from scrolling to read this, it's important.

Take your time to grieve and come to terms with the election results, but once you've done that, it's time to get to work. We have two months. And a lot to do in that time. We have to prepare, to be ready.

Be careful about what you post or say online. Anything potentially incriminating should be avoided. Threatening language, even if clearly a joke, can be used against you.

Know someone who's trans? Someone who's had an abortion? Someone who's LGBTQIA+? Someone who's an immigrant? Someone who attends protests? Someone who's disabled? Someone who might in any way be at risk due to laws being put into place? No you don't.

Move away from social media platforms and browsers that require you to use your real identity or input a large amount of personal information. Now's a good time to find alternate means of communicating online. Tails, Element, Tor, Mastodon, Firefox, and Lemmy are all decent options.

Find a community. Someone you can talk to, either online or in real life, that you'll have reliable contact with. We need to try and create a network, but one that's as anonymous as possible.

Start scrubbing your trail as much as possible. Get rid of old accounts that can still be traced to you but are no longer used, delete personal data off the internet. There are websites out there that will freely remove your data from the internet, but be careful about which one you use, make sure it's safe and legitimate first.

Change any usernames that you can that contain any personal information. Names, birthdays, anything.

Plan B has a four year shelf life. Stock up, but don't take more than you you'll need. We don't want a COVID repeat where everyone buys an excessive amount of things and leaves none for everybody else.

There are doctors that will sterilize you, if that's the way you want to go.

Stop using online period trackers right now. Delete all data from it if possible first, then delete the app itself. If you must, write it down, but in a subtle manner and on something you keep at home. Don't label it, just put the dates. If you're really worried, discard older records and only keep the most recent few, and label the dates as other random events, like "go to mall" or "chicken salad for dinner this night"

Get your vaccines now.

Save money.

Archive. We have to start collecting records, media, data, books, and articles now. On racism, on fascism, on homophobia, on gender, on self-reliance, on survival, on safe travels routes, on equality, on justice, on anything that may be useful and/or censored soon. We can't let them erase it.

Collect those online resources. Bookmark them, copy files into your storage, Screenshot pages. Create a decentralized library where everyone is working to be part of a whole, storing what they can individually and sharing it between one another. Again, be careful about doing this.

Second-hand bookstores are your best friend. Books are usually very cheap in them, and they often have a decent stock. See what you can find.

When buying ANYTHING I have mentioned above, or anything else that maybe put you in danger, try to use cash to reduce your spending trail.

Check your car information online, many newer models can be remotely tracked.

Turn your phone completely off if you may be at risk due to your location and current activities. Turning off your GPS also helps.

Take note of where you are. Who are your friends? Who's a safe person? Where can you go besides your own home that you know you'll be safe? Establish these connections now.

Who around you is not safe? Who and where do you need to avoid? Do you need to move? If you cannot afford moving but need to, there are fundraisers that can help you. If even that is not an option, at least try to make sure your home is secure. Have someone who can help you. Have a fallback safe place.

And finally, I want anyone with resources to put them in the replies. Flood it with useful links, information, tips, anything. We're in this together. Do not panic. Organize.

EDIT: Please be civil in the replies.

[andmaybegayer]

can you actually talk about bitwarden / password managers, or direct me to a post about them? Idk my (completely uneducated) instinct says that trusting one application with all your passwords is about as bad as having the same password for everything, but clearly that isn’t the case.

So it is true that online password managers present a big juicy target, and if you have very stringent security requirements you'd be better off with an offline password manager that is not exposed to attack.

However, for most people the alternative is "reusing the same password/closely related password patterns for everything", the risk that one random site gets compromised is much higher than the risk that a highly security focussed password provider gets compromised.

Which is not to say it can't happen, LastPass gets hacked alarmingly often, but most online password managers do their due diligence. I am more willing to stash my passwords with 1Password or Bitwarden or Dashlane than I am to go through the rigamarole of self-managing an array of unique passwords across multiple devices.

Bitwarden and other password managers try to store only an encrypted copy of your password vault, and they take steps to ensure you never ever send them your decryption key. When you want a password, you ask them for your vault, you decrypt it with your key, and now you have a local decrypted copy without ever sending your key to anyone. If you make changes, you make them locally and send back an encrypted updated vault.

As a result, someone who hacks Bitwarden should in the absolute worst case get a pile of encrypted vaults, but without each individuals' decryption key those vaults are useless. They'd still have to go around decrypting each vault one by one. Combining a good encryption algorithm, robust salting, and a decent key, you can easily get a vault to "taking the full lifetime of the universe" levels on security against modern cryptographic attacks.

Now there can be issues with this. Auto-fill can be attacked if you go onto a malicious website, poorly coded managers can leak information or accidentally include logging of passwords when they shouldn't, and obviously you don't know that 1Password isn't backdoored by the CIA/Mossad/Vatican. If these are concerns then you shouldn't trust online password managers, and you should use something where you remain in control of your vault and only ever manually handle your password.

Bitwarden is open source and fairly regularly audited, so you can be somewhat assured that they're not compromised. If you are worried about that, you can use something like KeePassXC/GNU Pass/Himitsu/ (which all hand you the vault file and it's your job to keep track of it and keep it safe) or use clever cryptographic methods (like instead of storing a password you use a secret key to encrypt and hash a reproducible code and use that as your password, e.g. my netflix password could be hash(crypt("netflixkalium", MySecretKey)), I know a few people who use that method.

Now with any luck because Apple is pushing for passkeys (which is just a nice name for a family of cryptographic verification systems that includes FIDO2/Webauthn) we can slowly move away from the nightmare that is passwords altogether with some kind of user friendly public key based verification, but it'll be a few years before that takes off. Seriously the real issue with a password is that with normal implementations every time you want to use it you have to send your ultra secret password over the internet to the verifying party.

[lydskisses]

💕 PROXY / PO - Love and Deepspace 恋与深空 x Sweets Paradise Collaboration 💕

I’m heading down to the Collab on Oct 26 (First Week of Sendai Opening) with a few friends. Some important things to note:

➡️ If items go out of stock in-stores, I will automatically purchase them from the online PO instead.

➡️ There are 2 prices - one for instock, one for PO. PO price is higher due to added shipping fees being accounted for. For convenience, all payments will be based on PO price. Any excess payments (if instock is secured) will go to shipping fee (from me to you) or refunded.

➡️ There will be no in-store purchase bonuses. These will be put up for purchase on my shop at a later time.

➡️ All prices are in Singapore dollar. Mailing to you will be calculated separately when the items arrive. PayPal and Wise are accepted for international buyers.

✅ DM to Order:

ETA: Late Nov 2024 (For instocks), TBC (For preorders)

Payment Deadline: 24 October 2024

🌟 (INSTOCK PRICE / PREORDER PRICE)🌟

🌟 Non-Random Merch

- Individual Acrylic Stand (SGD$21.90 / SGD$23.90)

- Individual Hairclip (SGD$14 / SGD$16.30)

- Individual Clear File (SGD$8 / SGD$11)

🌟 Random Merch

➡️ All blind packs, unless you request otherwise, will be opened to facilitate distributing.

➡️ Characters are not guaranteed for random merch. For this event only, I will refund if your character is not avail. Orders are FCFS.

➡️ To avoid too many of the same characters on my order list, I will balance the numbers in my order. Hence, may limit /reopen orders for various characters.

➡️ For badges, I will sell them as a 2-pc character set only. If only one of the badges is available (standard/chibi), I will refund for the other.

- Random Polaroid (SGD$6 / SGD$7)

Sylus ❌❌❌✅ (pause)

Raf ❌✅✅✅

Zayne ❌✅✅✅

Xavier ✅✅✅✅

- Random 2-pc Can Badge Set (SGD$18.50 / SGD$20.70)

Sylus ❌❌✅✅ (pause)

Raf ❌❌✅✅

Zayne ❌❌❌✅ (pause)

Xavier ❌❌✅✅

- Random Acrylic Keyholder (SGD$11 / SGD$12.10)

Sylus ❌✅✅✅

Raf ❌✅✅✅

Zayne ❌❌✅✅

Xavier ❌❌❌✅ (pause)

- Random Coaster (Random! Non-Refundable)

SGD$10/ea (based on drink price. All paper items will go to you)

#loveanddeepspace #ladsmerch #sylus #rafayel #恋与深空 #黎深 #秦彻 #祁煜 #沈星回 #zayne #otome #otomemerch

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The Body Shop Canada will close nearly a third of its stores and end online sales as it seeks creditor protection, the Canadian subsidiary of the U.K. beauty and cosmetics shop announced Friday.

A court filing showed the company owes more than $3.3 million to unsecured creditors and about $16,400 to secured creditors.

The company did not say how many workers would lose their jobs as a result of the store closures in cities including Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon and Saint John.

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[stellophiliac]

you should make a website!

"my favorite social media site is shutting down!"

"the CEO of the site i use just committed another atrocity!"

"i want a webspace that's all my own!"

if any of these sound like you (and if you're on tumblr, i know at least one applies) you should make your own website!

why make a website?

incredibly customizable

you can put whatever you want on it

it's, well, your own! like a house you build with your own hands

things you'll need

a computer. you can maybe get away with doing this on a mobile device, but i have zero experience there

a code editor. i like VScodium, which is a de-microsoft-ed version of VScode.

a will to learn ;)

site hosting

neocities. everyone knows neocities. at this point i do feel like it's become a bit too centralized, but it's a good option nonetheless. do note that there are filetype restrictions for free users, but that shouldn't be a huge issue for most. what may be an issue, though, is that there's a content security policy that prevents sites made after jan 1st, 2024 to use outside scripts. also, you have to pay to use your own domain

nekoweb. similar to neocities, but there's no filetype restrictions or a content security policy. some differences are outlined in the FAQ (thinking about moving here... i am a traitor...) i'm not sure if domain support is free or paid.

github pages or codeberg pages. you'll need an understanding of git for this

pages.gay: run by besties.house, uses git

teacake: free hosting is currently closed, but paid hosting starts at 2 bucks a month.

leprd.space: i know next to nothing about this.

a web server. don't recommend this if you don't know computer stuff but it is an option (you'll likely have to provide your own domain though)

gripes & solutions (?)

i'm not comfortable maintaining pages in pure HTML / templating with JS sucks!

with a static site generator, you can write pages in markdown and they'll be converted into HTML and (if you'd like) be put into a template of your choosing. my personal choice is 11ty but there are tons of options!

static site generators can be a bit of a learning curve (and you will have to write some html for templating) but if you're making a lot of pages or blogging regularly it's something to consider

there are starters for 11ty online but i might make a more beginner-proofed starter and/or guide in the future? don't count on it

i don't want to write/maintain CSS

simpleCSS is a tiny CSS file you can use to make semantic HTML ("naked" HTML) look nice. it's got decent customization options too. it's not particularly fancy or opinionated, but it's a good starting point if you need something

i don't know what to put on my website!

small list of ideas:

weblog

art/writing/music gallery

movie/show/book tracker

place to store bookmarks/links

scary! i'm scared!

my askbox/messages/e-mail inbox/etc. are open to anyone who'd like to ask for help!

[estradasphere]

PSP time :D

Initial thoughts:

First of all, absolutely beautiful. Glossy shell. My red one looks kinda pinkish in natural light. Charmingly retro UI.

Not the most comfortable to hold, but it's not bad. I think my hands are either too big or too small for it (probably the latter). Buttons are fine. Clicky. Analog nub is in a weird spot that kinda hurts my thumb to use?

May just be an issue with my unit but the headphone jack fits VERY tightly, not going anywhere while plugged in but also kinda hard to take out

Music and video players are pretty good! A lot more features than the 3DS equivalents (video player has fast forward/reverse, frame advance, screen fit...) Music does not seem to keep playing in sleep mode, which is unfortunate, but it does have some fun visualizers. Photo viewer is just a photo viewer, it's whatever.

Custom theme support is siiiiiiiiick, can't believe that's a built-in feature wow. You can also set a photo on your memory stick as ur wallpaper, overriding a theme's bg while keeping its custom icons n stuff (that's what I did up there).

In general it's worth noting how more *open* this thing feels compared to the 3DS - no region lock! (well except for UMD movies but whatever). Also supports a lot more languages than I expected, this is a Japanese PSP but also has system language options for English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Dutch... no CFW region change needed

As expected, internet browser is super outdated. Apparently had Adobe Flash support tho which is cool. And I was able to use Discross on it. Typing without a touchscreen suuucks though.

A lot of unusable dead shortcuts in the menu that when launched try to download from some defunct server - stuff like 1Seg, a comic reader, x-Radar Portable, SensMe™ (whatever that is), Internet Radio(?), RSS reader, none of those seem to work anymore. The Playstation Network / Store stuff is obviously dead too. I'm not making a Skype account just to see if that still works.

Speaking of Internet, it doesn't support modern WiFi security, so I have to use an unprotected hotspot from my phone in order to get online with this thing.

Installing CFW is dead simple, like, possibly the easiest setup ever, just put the files on the stick and launch the thing and then launch the other thing aaaand you're done. The whole plugin system is weird though (you have to manually add a line like "ms0:/seplugins/npdrm_free.prx 1" to a txt file or two every time you install one)

Since my PSP is Japanese, it uses O for confirm and X for cancel. Which, hot take maybe, is HOW IT SHOULD BE? FOR EVERYONE? WHY WOULD X EVER MEAN CONFIRM? WHY ARE NON-JAPANESE CONSOLES LIKE THAT?

The only game I've tried so far is Bejeweled 2. It plays fine. You really can't fuck up Bejeweled, though. I don't have any discs (hence why I CFW'd the thing, cough), but I have to say that a handheld that uses optical media is extremely cool.

...It's a charming little thing! I like it a lot!

[whiskeydickclaws]

I have nothing, I repeat, NOTHING, against stealing from large big box companies, but I do have three main complaints about all the positivity and encouragement I'm seeing circulated all the time.

Please remember that you can always get caught. No one is perfect, and being caught will result in actual, criminal charges. These charges can ruin your fucking life. Colleges can expel you, jobs can fire you without notice, and it can keep you from getting future jobs. You can even be denied for loans or credit cards. And don't forget, if you're a POC, they WILL throw the book at you. The "justice" system always comes down harder on non-white people, queer people, and non-xtians. You will face high fines, probation under unfair and expensive restrictions and conditions. And you may even face heavy jail time. Be aware of these dangers. Not only that, but as someone who's worked with and in asset protection, a lot of stores do know you're stealing. They're keeping a tally. Stores like WalMart purposely wait until they have proof you stole over a certain monetary limit so that they can press higher charges over you. From misdemeanor to burglary charges in my home state, often. This allows them to then sue you for damages and not only get their money back, but more, including court costs and the cost of the hours/employee wages that were used to follow and document your crimes. Never assume you've gotten away scott-free just because you got out of the store. Don't make a habit of stealing from the exact same location regularly. Small, infrequent hits.

Mom and Pop stores are NOT big box stores. They are often barely making ends meet in this current economy. Don't steal from small businesses, period. Don't file charge-backs on artists, don't fuck over sex workers, don't fuck with that small convenience store run by a single family. Shoplifting is moral and good- against large corporations and evil ass megabrands.

DO NOT POST YOUR SCORES ONLINE. JFC. I have seen so many posts of "theft hauls" and "look what I stole" posts. These can literally and will be used against you in court. It is not unheard of for police to track social media posts back to their owners and proceed with charges from there. In fact, it's even used by the IRS to audit families that flash a lot of cash or goods they aren't claiming in their taxes. If you're committing a crime, shut the fuck up. Don't state things outright online. Don't take pics of your stolen goods. Don't brag about the security holes in the stores you're robbing.

[tinkertechy]

I need to Scream about ChromeOS

It's been a long week and this is something I can rant about without doxxing myself too much.

So I teach kids about computers. And before anyone says 'But they're the technology generation, they know all about it!' remember that you didn't know how to drive a car before you were 16, and cars have been around for over a century. But I digress.

You know why Kids don't know anything about computers? Because we've set them up with the *worst possible computer* to learn about computers on: Chromebooks. Yeah, yeah pandemic and learning form home and all that, but this started well before the pandemic; Shutdowns just exacerbated it.

Chromebooks are designed to be simple. But they're *designed to be simple*. I want to teach kids how to read a file system? Google Drive is all they got. Want to teach kids how to check computer specs and how well their computer is currently running? Nope-you *might* be able to check the RAM if you're lucky. Diagnose how much space is left on your storage? Good luck; Drive doesn't even show how much space they have left. Compare and Contrast different applications for a particular use? It's the Chrome Store or nothing. The entire environment is designed to be a glorified web browser. You never leave the Chrome environment.

There's no native apps on the Chromebooks because they have all the memory and internal storage of a 6 year old with ADHD. Everything has to be through a web browser, and since most of my students are elementary age they can't really make accounts for most stuff without their native school account which, guess what? is through Google. The whole system is designed to be as simple to use with as few buttons as possible. Which, as a teacher managing hundreds of kids, is helpful to a point. But it holds the kids back just as much. When something goes wrong, it's so simple that you feel like an idiot for not being able to figure out what went wrong. There's no room for troubleshooting or critical thinking here.

Oh, and by the way the entire OS is designed at a basic level to be readable by kids who *know how to read*. Teaching the lowest levels how to log in, click on a link for TypingClub or read basic instructions can be grueling. Google Classroom is optimal for middle school and maybe 9th grade and that's about it. They use touchscreens for everything, so it's hard to get them to learn to use a mouse in the first place. (It's also aesthetically ugly, but that's my personal opinion)

There also seems to be fewer resources or standards for teaching about computers; my state's standards are very comprehensive from a programming or analysis standpoint, less so from a 'they should be able to type X words per minute' or 'be able to format a report' or 'write an email with neutral tone' or 'be able to move a file from Google Drive to a flash drive,' stuff that Every student should know how to do. Stuff that most adults take for granted because they were either taught or grew up in an age where everyone had to figure it out for themselves because there were no teachers yet.

And, while this is a more niche one because I don't know how most schools operate, Chromebooks just add to the student's load. They haul them back and forth to EVERY class and were 'supposed to replace textbooks', yet somehow they still have a mountain of textbooks they haul around in a wheeled backpack because *there's so many books they can't use a normal one*. I helped a student lift their bag the other day and it must have weighed 20 lbs! (Definitely more than the car battery I had to haul home from the store, but that's another story.)

I have accounts for kids that can't even spell their own last name yet, let alone know how to type. It's hard to teach about computer security when half the school needs to have a sticker with the username and passwords for up to 4(!!!) different online accounts for various programs. And kids will share that information anyway because they don't think anything major of it yet, and half the time it's not hard to figure out.

(This isn't even getting into side tools and peripherals to teach kids about computers. Anything you want/find is niche and will be extremely expensive)

So how would I fix this? (Because I don't like to rant about something when I can't offer a solution.)

Get them on actual computers and not glorified web browsers.

Assess whether or not Chromebooks are helping students in the classroom or just creating more work. Their primary use should be in the event of a shutdown or virtual school day to allow all students to work from home regardless of personal computers.

Build an Operating System/UI that's designed to grow with the student: Kindergarten and 1st grade are primarily picture based, larger cursor, as little clicking as possible to get to activities. More options and standardized UI appear as the student grows until high school where it's a normal system.

Actual Standards. Not just 'this is a monitor' (Most of my students didn't know this) and 'Here's how to program a thing' (Which is fun, but can be advanced) but 'How to save my work' 'How to write an e-mail' and 'what is a file type?' A minimum typing speed should also be required.

Keyboards designed to teach how to type. Colored keys, letters in a font that match the typing program, maybe a bit bigger than a normal keyboard. And to wrap it up, some fun quotes from my students: "That's not a Computer, that's a PC!"

"That's a TV!" (It's a monitor)

"You're doing a writing challenge? Why don't you just use AI?"

"Ms. Teacher, (That's exactly what they call me) I found a weird thing!" (It was their Drive.)

"Why did you paint all those?" (I pass a hard drive around so kids can see it. They all sniff the yellow paint I sprayed it with last week.)

"I wanna play the ice cream game." (There is no Ice Cream game. They just want to play random internet games)

(Students sign out by turning off the computer)

(A student looks up a minecraft video on YT because he wasn't paying attention when I gave out instructions and thought I wouldn't notice.)

Next rant: The double standards of 'forbidding the use of AI' for students while using it behind the scenes for teachers.

[notetaeker]

found out today that google is full of sh!t PLS PROTECT YOURSELVES

my account got hacked, the hacker changed all my recovery details and now has access to my google drive files, my emails, any photos in google photos, and also the login info to so many websites that use google and there is NO way to get anything back or at least delete the acct.

You would think that google, as a company offering to store and handle so much info and FILES in particular and also passwords and login infos for other websites would have some kind of support for this but no they don't even have a single customer service phone number or any way of recovering anything. I searched around online for solutions but the internet is FILLED with THOUSANDS of ppl with the same concern for YEARS who lost their files, lost their connected youtube accts with thousands of subscribers. I lost access to my yahoo acct too but they had a customer service phone number (paid) but at least they verified my identity and helped me to get access back and secured my account. PSA: DO NOT RELY ON GOOGLE TO SAVE ANYTHING FOR YOU. BACK UP YOUR OWN STUFF ELSEWHERE. If anything goes wrong there is literally 0 recourse - google offers absolutely 0 support:

My only wish now is to be able to at least delete the account so they don't have access to all my info anymore but there is literally no place to go for that so I just have to be okay knowing some evil people indefinitely have 10+ years worth of my private info (emails, files, photos)

PLS learn from my mistake and use this opportunity unentangle yourself from google. They literally. have no recourse if anything goes wrong. It's not like it's impossible: Yahoo literally asked me for my state ID and location to give me access back to my account.

[fictional-seviper]

For those who haven't been paying attention to the Switch modding scene lately, I wanted to point out the existence of two new products:

MIG Switch cart: Stores Switch ROMs on its micro SD card to play on official hardware

MIG Switch dumper: Backs up physical Switch cartridges to a computer in a file format useable with the MIG Switch cart

What's the problem?

It's important to know about these new items for a couple reasons. First, they might be of interest to anyone with a large, physical Switch collection to back up games without installing custom firmware to a Switch. Second, they have the potential to make buying used Switch games a lot riskier.

With the MIG Switch being the first reproduction Switch cartridge with a ton of public attention, there's a good likelihood someone will reuse the tech to develop similar cartridges for single games. If that happens, the used Switch game market is likely to become similar to the used DS game market, where listings have to be read carefully to avoid knockoffs and low prices could be a bad sign.

Even if reproduction carts never get made, there's also the issue of how the MIG Switch cart works. To function with official hardware, the cartridge requires an extra key from a dumped cartridge to bypass the security of card slot. Each key is unique to an individual cartridge. If one console goes online with the MIG Switch using that key while another console goes online with the original game, there's a good chance the accounts on both consoles will get banned. Unfortunately, this means that if someone bought a game, dumped it with the dumper, and resold it. They're only one simultaneous internet connection away from getting their buyer banned.

We still have some time before we find out if either of these potential problems will take place. However, I've been on more than a few message boards and seen more than a few people claiming that they at least intend to buy, dump, and resell games.

What can you do?

All of this is fairly problematic, and (truthfully) now that both the cartridge and dumper are in folks' hands, it's a matter of when someone will experience an issue not if.

That's why knowledge is import in this situation. If you're someone looking for official cartridges or to avoid potential resells, you have three options at the moment:

Buy new. New games from reputable stores won't have had the chance to be messed with and will undoubtedly be the real deal.

Read listings closely. If a price online from a secondhand retailer seems too good to be true, you'll want to triple check the listing's details and provided images.

Scrutinize the cartridges. Official Switch cartridges have a very specific look, feel, taste, and quality to them. If you buy a cartridge that looks even slightly "off," there's no harm in returning it.

Ultimately, it comes down to all of us being attentive shoppers and pointing out any listings or resellers that might be problematic.

[pissingonmonarchy]

Creating an exit plan to become an expatriate (expat) from the United States involves a series of steps, from researching destinations to managing financial and legal obligations. Here’s a general outline to help guide you through the process:

1. Research Destination Countries

• Identify your criteria: Think about climate, cost of living, healthcare, quality of life, tax implications, and visa requirements. Consider how you want to spend your time abroad, like working, retiring, or starting a business.

• Narrow down options: Research countries that align with your criteria. For many Americans, countries in Europe, Central and South America, and parts of Asia are popular because of their expat-friendly environments.

2. Visit Potential Countries

• Plan exploratory trips: Spend a few weeks in each potential destination to experience the local lifestyle, cost of living, and culture firsthand. This can help confirm that a location fits your needs.

• Connect with local expats: Attend events or join expat communities to get insights into life in each country.

3. Understand Visa and Residency Requirements

• Research visa options: Each country has its own set of visa options, like work visas, retirement visas, digital nomad visas, and investment visas. Determine which one aligns with your goals.

• Plan for long-term residency: Many countries offer paths to permanent residency or citizenship. Find out the requirements and start the application process if your target country allows.

4. Prepare Financially

• Create a budget: Factor in moving costs, cost of living, healthcare, taxes, and emergency savings. Make sure your finances will support your lifestyle abroad.

• Understand tax obligations: U.S. citizens must file taxes regardless of where they live. Research your obligations and consider consulting an accountant with experience in expat tax law.

• Set up local bank accounts: Find out if you’ll need a local bank account and research how to transfer money internationally efficiently.

5. Secure Healthcare Coverage

• Look into healthcare options: Some countries offer affordable healthcare, while others may require private insurance. Explore local healthcare systems and check if your target country offers expat health insurance.

• Assess your U.S. healthcare: If you need continued U.S.-based healthcare coverage (like Medicare, which generally doesn’t cover you abroad), consider how you’ll handle medical needs.

6. Tie Up Loose Ends in the U.S.

• Handle legal and financial matters: Consider creating a will, assigning a power of attorney, and updating your legal documents.

• Manage property and assets: Decide whether you’ll rent out, sell, or keep your home and other properties.

• Notify institutions: Inform banks, creditors, insurance companies, and other relevant institutions about your move to avoid complications.

7. Learn the Language and Culture

• Study the local language: Even a basic understanding of the language will help with daily interactions, especially in less expat-heavy areas.

• Understand cultural norms: Adjusting to new customs and social norms will make integration smoother and more enjoyable.

8. Build a Support Network

• Join online communities: Many social media groups exist for expats in various countries. Being part of these groups can ease the transition.

• Stay connected to home: Plan regular calls with family and friends to help with homesickness and maintain relationships.

9. Make the Move

• Arrange for the physical move: Plan your relocation, including moving your belongings, storing items you’re leaving behind, and booking flights.

• Settle into your new home: Take time to get acquainted with your surroundings, set up essential services, and register with local authorities if required.

10. Maintain Flexibility

• Give yourself an adjustment period: The initial months can be a mix of excitement and culture shock. Allow time for adaptation.

• Have an exit strategy: Keep a backup plan in case you decide to return to the U.S. or move to another country in the future.

By planning each step carefully, you’ll create a smooth transition from the U.S. to your new country. Let me know if you’d like specific country recommendations or further details on any step!

[mariacallous]

A doctors’ organization at the center of the ongoing legal fight over the abortion drug mifepristone has suffered a significant data breach. A link to an unsecured Google Drive published on the group’s website pointed users last week to a large cache of sensitive documents, including financial and tax records, membership rolls, and email exchanges spanning over a decade. The more than 10,000 documents lay bare the outsize influence of a small conservative organization working to lend a veneer of medical science to evangelical beliefs on parenting, sex, procreation, and gender.

The American College of Pediatricians, which has fought to deprive gay couples of their parental rights and encouraged public schools to treat LGBTQ youth as if they were mentally ill, is one of a handful of conservative think tanks leading the charge against abortion in the United States. A federal lawsuit filed by the College and its partners against the US Food and Drug Administration seeks to limit nationwide access to what is now the most common form of abortion. The case is now on a trajectory for the US Supreme Court, which not even a year ago declared abortion the purview of America’s elected state representatives. 

The leaked records, first reported by WIRED, offer an unprecedented look at the groups and personnel central to that campaign. They also describe an organization that has benefited greatly by exaggerating its own power, even as it has struggled quietly for two decades to grow in size and gain respect. The records show how the College, which the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) describes as a hate group, managed to introduce fringe beliefs into the mainstream simply by being, as the founder of Fox News once put it, “the loudest voice in the room.” 

The Leak

A WIRED review of the exposed data found that the unsecured Google Drive stored nearly 10,000 files, some of which are compressed zip files containing additional documents. These records detail highly sensitive internal information about the College’s donors and taxes, social security numbers of board members, staff resignation letters, budgetary and fundraising concerns, and the usernames and passwords of more than 100 online accounts. The files include Powerpoint presentations, Quickbooks accounting documents, and at least 388 spreadsheets. 

One spreadsheet appears to be an export of an internal database containing information on 1,200 past and current members. It contains intimate personal information about each member, including various contact details, as well as where they were educated, how they heard of the group, and when membership dues were paid. The records show past and current members are mostly male and, on average, over 50 years old. As of spring 2022, the College counted slightly more than 700 members, according to another document reviewed by WIRED. 

The breach exposes some material dating back to the group’s origin. It includes mailing lists gathered by the group of thousands of “conservative physicians” across the country. (One document outlining recruitment efforts states in bold, red letters: “TARGET CHRISTIAN MDs.”) The ongoing recruitment of doctors and medical school students seen as holding Christian views has long been its top priority. The leaked records indicate that more than 10,000 mailers were sent to physicians between 2013 and 2017 alone. 

While the group’s membership rolls are not public, the leak has outed most if not all of its members. A cursory review of the member lists surfaced one name of note: a recent commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, who after joining in 2019 asked that his membership with the group remain a secret. (WIRED was unable to reach the official for comment in time for publication.)

The SPLC’s “hate group” designation, which the College forcefully disputes, haunted its fundraising efforts, records reveal. A barrage of emails in 2014 show that the label cost the group the chance to benefit from an Amazon program that would eventually distribute $450 million to charities across the globe. Amazon would deny the College’s application, stating that it relied on the SPLC to determine which charities fall into certain ineligible categories.

A strategy document would later refer to a “unified plan” among the College and its allies to “continue discrediting the SPLC,” which included a campaign aimed at lowering its rating at Charity Navigator, one of the web’s most influential nonprofit evaluators. One of the group’s admins noted that despite SPLC’s label, another charity monitor, GuideStar, listed the College as being in “good standing.”

The College’s GuideStar page no longer says this and appears to have been defaced. It now reads, “AMERICAN COLLEGE OF doodoo fartheads,” with a mission statement saying: “we are evil and hate gays :(((”

The Google Drive containing the documents was taken offline soon after WIRED contacted the American College of Pediatricians. The College did not respond to a request for comment.

The Talk

Leaked communications between members of the group and minutes taken at board meetings over the course of several years speak loudly about the challenges the group faced in pursuing its deeply unpopular agenda: returning America to a time when the laws and social mores around family squared neatly with evangelical Christian beliefs.

Many of the College’s most radical views target transgender people, and in particular, transgender youth. The leak, which had been indexed by Google, includes volumes of literature crafted specifically to influence relationships between practicing pediatricians, parents, and their children. It includes reams of marketing material the College aims to distribute widely among public school officials. This includes pushing schools to adopt junk science painting transgender youth as carriers of a pathological disorder, one that’s capable of spontaneously causing others–à la the dancing plague–to adopt similar thoughts and behaviors.

This is one of the group’s most dubious claims. While unsupported by medical science, it is routinely and incuriously propagated through literature targeted at schools and medical offices around the US. The primary source for this claim is a research paper drafted in 2017 by Lisa Littman, a Brown University scholar who, while a medical doctor, had not specialized in mental health. The goal of the paper was to introduce, conceptually, “rapid onset gender dysphoria”—a hypothetical disorder, as was later clarified by the journal that published it. Littman would also clarify personally that her research “does not validate the phenomenon” she’d hypothesized, since no clinicians, nor individuals identifying as trans, had participated in the study.  

The paper explains that its subjects were instead all parents who had been recruited from a handful of websites known for opposing gender-affirmative care and “telling parents not to believe their child is transgender.” A review of one of the sites from the period shows parents congregating to foster paranoia about whether there’s a “conspiracy of silence” around “anime culture” that was brainwashing boys into behaving like girls; insights plucked in some cases straight from another, more notorious forum (widely known for reveling in the suicides of the people it has bullied).

A 2021 prospectus describing the group’s focus, ideology, and lobbying efforts encapsulates a wide range of “educational resources” destined for the inboxes of physicians and medical school students. The materials include links to a website instructing doctors on how to speak to children in a variety of scenarios about a multitude of topics surrounding sex, including in the absence of their parents. Practice scripts of conversations between doctors and patients advise, among other things, ways to elicit a child’s thoughts on sex with the help of an imaginative metaphor. 

While the material is not expressly religious, it is clearly aimed at painting same-sex marriage as aberrant and immoral behavior. Physicians lobbied by the group are also told to urge patients to purchase Christian-based parenting guides, including one designed to help parents broach the topic of sex with their 11- and 12-year-old kids. The College suggests telling parents to plan a “special overnight trip,” a pretext for instilling in their children sexual norms in line with evangelical practice. The group suggests telling parents to buy a tool called a “getaway kit,” a series of workbooks that run around $54 online. The workbooks methodically walk the parents through the process of springing the topic, but only after a day-long charade of impromptu gift-giving and play. 

These books are full of games and puzzles for the parent and child to cooperatively take on. Throughout the process, the child slowly digests a concept of “sexual purity,” lessons aided by oversimplified scripture and well-trodden Bible school parables. 

Another document the group shared with its members contains a script for appointments with pregnant minors. Its purpose is made evidently clear: The advice is engineered specifically to reduce the odds of minors coming into contact with medical professionals not strictly opposed to abortion. A practice script recommends the doctor inform the minor that they “strongly recommend against” abortion, adding “the procedure not only kills the infant you carry, but is also a danger to you.” (Medically, the term “fetus” and “infant” are not interchangeable, the latter referring to a newborn baby less than one year old.)

The doctors are urged to recommend that the minor visit a website that, like the aforementioned website, is not expressly religious but will only direct visitors to Catholic-run “crisis pregnancy centers,” which strictly reject abortion. The same site is widely promoted by anti-abortion groups such as National Right to Life, which last year held that it should be illegal to terminate the pregnancy of a 10-year-old rape victim.

The Professionals

The effort to ban mifepristone, legislation the Supreme Court paused last month pending further review, faces significant legal hurdles but could ultimately benefit from the appellate court’s disproportionately conservative makeup. Most of the legal power in the fight was supplied by a much older and better funded group, the Alliance Defending Freedom, which has established ties with some of the country’s most elite political figures—former vice president Mike Pence and Supreme Court justice Amy Coney Barrett among them.

A contract in the leaked documents dated April 2021 shows the ADF agreeing to legally represent the College free of charge. It stipulates that ADF’s ability to subsidize expenses incurred during lawsuits would be limited by ethical guidelines; however, it could still forgive any lingering costs simply by declaring the College “indigent.”

In contrast to the College’s some 700 members, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)–the organization from which the College’s founders split 20 years ago–has roughly 67,000. The rupture between the two groups was a direct result of a statement issued by the AAP in 2002. Modern research, the AAP said, had conclusively shown that the sexual orientation of parents had an imperceptible impact on the well-being of children, so long as they were raised in caring, supportive families.

The College would gain notoriety early on by assailing the positions of the AAP. In 2005, a Boston Globe reporter noted how common it had become for the American College of Pediatricians “to be quoted as a counterpoint” to anything said by the AAP. The institution, he wrote, had a rather “august-sounding name” for being run by a “single employee.” 

Internal documents show that the group’s directors quickly encountered hurdles operating on the fringe of accepted science. Some claimed to be oppressed. Most of the College’s research had been “written by one person,” according to minutes from a 2006 meeting, which were included in the leak. The College was failing to make a splash. In the future, one director suggested, papers rejected by medical journals “should be published on the web.” The vote to do so was unanimous (though the board decided the term “not published” was nicer than “rejected”). 

A second director put forth a motion to create a separate “scientific section” on the group’s website, strictly for linking to articles published in medical journals. The motion was quashed after it dawned on the board that they didn’t “have enough articles” to make the page “look professional.” 

The College struggled to identify the root cause of its runtedness. “To get enough clout,” one director said, “it would take substantial numbers, maybe 10,000.” (The College’s recruitment efforts would yield fewer than 7 percent of this goal in the following 17 years.) Yet another said the marketing department advised that “the College needs to pick a fight with the AAP and get on Larry King Live.” Another, the notes say, felt the organization was too busy trying to “walk the fence” by neglecting to acknowledge that “we are conservative and religious.” 

[head-post]

How Pélicot case exposed rape culture in France

50 people stood trial, accused of raping the motionless body of Gisèle Pélicot while her husband recorded their actions for his video library. The unprecedented mass rape case revealed the actual image of a rapist, according to AP News.

A trial in France shows how pornography, sex chat rooms and men’s disdain for consent are fuelling rape culture. French society was disturbed not by the fact that her husband Dominique Pélicot orchestrated the mass rape, but that he had no difficulty finding dozens of men who agreed to engage in unlawful sexual acts.

One of the rapists, a married plumber with three children and five grandchildren, said he was not particularly bothered that the woman was not moving when he visited the Pélicot family home in the town of Mazan in 2019. He stated that it reminded him of adult videos, featuring women “pretending to be asleep and don’t react,” he watched.

Many of the other defendants told the court that they could not have imagined Dominique Pélicot drugging his wife and that they were told she was a willing participant acting out a perverted fantasy. However, the husband denied the accusation, claiming that his co-defendants was aware of the situation.

Pornography flourishing

Céline Piques, a spokesperson of the feminist group Osez le Féminisme!, or Dare Feminism! stated that many of the men under investigation were perverted by pornography. Although some websites started fighting search terms such as “unconscious,” hundreds of such videos could still be found online, Piques stressed.

Last year, French authorities registered 114,000 victims of sexual violence, including more than 25,000 reported rapes. However, experts argue that most rape cases go unreported due to a lack of tangible evidence. Many women do not press charges, with most dropping cases before investigations start.

The Pélicot case was unique in the French judicial system. After a shop security guard caught Dominique Pélicot making videos of unsuspecting women’s skirts in 2020, police searched his home and found thousands of pornographic photos and videos. The main defendant later revealed that he had recorded and stored the sexual encounters of each of his guests and organised them neatly in separate files.

France thrilled world community

Gisèle Pélicot, who is in her early 70s, did not know she had been raped. She chose to stay in the courtroom while the videos were shown. Unable to watch, she closed her eyes, stared at the floor or buried her face in her hands.

Sexual assault experts say the unwillingness or inability of the accused to confess to rape reveals the taboos and stereotypes that persist in French society. Magali Lafourcade, a judge and general secretary of the National Consultative Commission of Human Rights, did not attend the trial but said popular culture had given people a wrong idea of what rapists looked like and how they acted.

It’s the idea of a hooded man with a knife whom you don’t know and is waiting for you in a place that is not a private place.

Two-thirds of rapes occurred in private homes, with the vast majority of victims knowing their rapists, Lafourcade emphasised. She drew attention to the frightening reality that the Pélicot case “makes us realise that in fact rapists could be anyone.”

For once, they’re not monsters – they’re not serial killers on the margin of society. They are men who resemble those we love. In this sense, there is something revolutionary.

Read more HERE

[jeraldnepoleon]

Switching to G-Health from Grapes IDMR: Discover New Advanced Features

In the ever-evolving world of healthcare technology, Grapes IDMR has taken a bold step forward by reintroducing G-Health, an advanced mobile app that revolutionizes the way patients manage and access their medical records. From keeping track of lab results to booking appointments with top doctors, G-Health is designed to offer a seamless, user-friendly experience for patients and their families. Whether you’re managing a single person’s healthcare needs or organizing health records for your entire family, G-Health brings convenience, security, and functionality right to your mobile device.

Let’s explore the new and improved features of G-Health, and how this app can transform the way you handle medical information.

What is G-Health?

G-Health is the newly rebranded version of Grapes IDMR’s healthcare management app, designed to give patients a simple, intuitive way to manage their medical records. This app is your one-stop solution for accessing vital healthcare information, making appointments, and ensuring that all your important medical data is stored securely. With a focus on efficiency and ease of use, G-Health empowers users to stay on top of their health without the hassle of paperwork, phone calls, or endless hospital visits.

Key Features of G-Health: What’s New and Improved

1. Effortless Appointment Booking

Booking an appointment with a top doctor near you is now easier than ever with G-Health’s streamlined booking system. Say goodbye to long phone calls and endless waiting times. With just a few clicks, you can schedule an appointment with leading healthcare professionals in your area.

The app provides detailed information about available doctors, including their qualifications, areas of expertise, and patient reviews. You can select the doctor that best fits your healthcare needs and choose a time that works for you. This feature is a game-changer for patients who need to see specialists but struggle with finding the right time or location for their appointments.

2. Seamless Access to Lab Results and Discharge Summaries

One of the standout features of G-Health is the instant access to lab results, discharge summaries, and prescriptions. There’s no longer a need to wait for a doctor’s office to call you back or to sift through piles of paper. As soon as your results are ready, they are automatically uploaded to your G-Health account.

Patients can review their lab results at their convenience and get a detailed breakdown of their health status. This is especially useful for patients who are managing chronic illnesses or those who require regular check-ups. Having access to these documents allows you to make informed decisions about your health, without unnecessary delays.

3. Centralized Family Health Records

Managing the health records of an entire family can be overwhelming, especially when it involves tracking medical files for different family members. G-Health simplifies this by offering a centralized platform where you can view and manage the medical records of your entire family in one place. Whether it’s your children’s vaccination records, your spouse’s prescription history, or your lab test results, everything is accessible with just a few taps on your mobile device.

This new feature is particularly helpful for parents who need to stay updated on their children’s health, allowing for easy access to pediatric records. It’s a single app that caters to the entire family, removing the need to juggle multiple healthcare platforms.

4. Secure Payment and Avoiding Hospital Queues

Hospital visits often come with long lines and waiting times, but G-Health has eliminated this issue by offering online payment options. You can pay for your consultations and treatments directly through the app, bypassing the need to wait at the hospital. This feature not only saves time but also ensures a more efficient and stress-free experience.

Additionally, the cashless payment system helps avoid unnecessary contact, a key benefit in the post-pandemic world. You can view past payments, receive payment reminders, and keep track of all transactions for insurance and tax purposes.

5. Timely Medication and Appointment Reminders

Missing an important medication dose or forgetting about a doctor’s appointment can lead to serious health consequences. With G-Health, this is no longer a concern. The app offers customized reminders for both medication schedules and upcoming appointments Like chemotherapy and Radiotherapy many more, ensuring you never miss a dose or an important healthcare event.

This feature is particularly beneficial for individuals managing chronic conditions or elderly patients who need regular medication. The app will send you push notifications or reminders based on your personalized settings, helping you stay consistent with your treatment.

Why Switch to G-Health from Grapes IDMR?

Switching to G-Health from Grapes IDMR brings several advanced benefits that make managing healthcare easier, faster, and more secure. Here’s why G-Health is the best choice for managing your family’s healthcare:

1. Simplified User Interface

The newly designed interface of G-Health is clean, easy to navigate, and designed for users of all ages. From tech-savvy individuals to those who are less familiar with mobile apps, the user-friendly layout ensures that anyone can quickly access their medical data without confusion. The app’s design is optimized to make sure every feature is just a few clicks away.

2. Comprehensive Medical Data at Your Fingertips

Unlike other healthcare apps that offer limited access to medical data, G-Health provides comprehensive access to all your essential health information. From lab results to discharge summaries and ongoing treatments, everything is available in one place. This level of access can greatly enhance communication between patients and their healthcare providers, improving the overall quality of care.

3. Enhanced Data Security

In today’s digital world, data security is paramount. G-Health ensures that all your medical data is stored with end-to-end encryption, protecting your personal information from unauthorized access. The app adheres to the highest standards of medical data privacy, giving you peace of mind when managing your family’s health records.

4. Consistent Updates and Support

As healthcare technology advances, so does G-Health. The app is consistently updated with the latest features and improvements, ensuring that users always have access to the most cutting-edge tools for managing their health. Additionally, the app’s customer support is responsive and available to help with any issues you may encounter.

Testimonials and User Feedback

Users who have switched to G-Helath have reported high levels of satisfaction with the app’s performance and features. Here are some testimonials from satisfied users:

Nidhin, IT Professional: “G-health has provided us with valuable insights into our family’s health. Its robust reporting and analytics capabilities have helped us make informed decisions and optimize our healthcare management.”

Robin Yohannan, IT Manager: “G-health is a comprehensive solution for our healthcare needs. It provides end-to-end capabilities to address multiple aspects of health management, making it an indispensable tool for our family.”

Conclusion: Why G-Health is the Future of Healthcare Management

Switching to G-Health from Grapes IDMR is more than just an upgrade; it’s a complete transformation in the way you manage your health. With features like centralized family records, instant access to lab results, easy appointment bookings, and secure online payments, G-Health offers everything you need in a modern healthcare app.

As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, having a reliable, user-friendly platform to manage your health is essential. G-Health delivers on all fronts, making it the perfect solution for individuals and families looking to take control of their healthcare journey.

"Want to boost your productivity by 50%? Unlock the power of “G-Health Hospital Management Software” — click the link below and see it in action!" 👇👇👇

Stay on top of your health and make medical management smarter with Grapes IDMR.

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Email: 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐬@𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦 / sales@grapeshms.com

Visit: 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐬.𝐜𝐨𝐦

[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)