Super Bowl Ad TRICKING You Into Welcoming Surveillance State!

During the Super Bowl, you may have seen a commercial for #Amazon’s #Ring “Search Party” feature, which uses an emotional lost-dog story to encourage adoption of participation in what amounts to a widespread neighborhood #surveillance net. Jimmy points out that the ad masks #privacy risks tied to AI-driven #cameras, data sharing, and Amazon’s broader surveillance ecosystem, including concerns about opt-out defaults and government access.

He and Americans’ Comedian Kurt Metzger expand the discussion into a broader critique of social media and smart devices as tools of self-surveillance, suggesting public safety and convenience are being used to justify constant monitoring. Ultimately, it frames the commercial as emblematic of a growing surveillance state presented as benevolent technology.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AJtRDjoXN4

#why

What are your favorite #foss #alternatives to #ring #doorbell #cameras or #video #security systems?

#how

AppManager

GTK/Libadwaita developed desktop utility in Vala that makes installing and uninstalling #AppImages on #Linux desktop painless. It supports both SquashFS and DwarFS AppImage formats, features a seamless background auto-update process, and leverages zsync delta updates for efficient bandwidth usage. Double-click any .AppImage to open a macOS-style drag-and-drop window, just drag to install and AppManager will move the app, wire up desktop entries, and copy icons.

Features
Drag-and-drop installer: Mimics the familiar macOS Applications install flow.
Smart install modes: Can choose between portable (move the AppImage) and extracted (unpack to ~/Applications/.installed/AppRun) while letting you override it.
Desktop integration: Extracts the bundled .desktop file via 7z or dwarfs, rewrites Exec and Icon, and stores it in ~/.local/share/applications.
Simple uninstall: Right click in app drawer and choose Move to Trash, can uninstall in AppManager or simply delete from ~/Applications folder.
Install registry + preferences: Main window lists installed apps, default mode, and cleanup behaviors, all stored with GSettings.
Background app updates: Optional automatic update checks with configurable interval (daily, weekly, monthly) and notifications when updates are found.

Your Linux AppImages don't need to be disorganized. 
https://itsfoss.com/appmanager/

https://github.com/kem-a/AppManager/releases

anx-reader

Anx Reader is an advanced e-reader designed for book lovers, providing intelligent and focused reading.

It supports various #ebook formats, including EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, FB2, TXT, and PDF, and offers powerful AI features such as shelf organization by progress and tone, mind map generation for deep understanding, a built-in dictionary and translator, perspective analysis, and summary generation. #TTS

The program offers cross-platform syncing across Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows devices, allowing you to sync books, notes, and reading progress via WebDAV.

Additional features include customizable reading settings (font size and style, line spacing, themes), a workspace for notes with export options, and reading stats tracking with habit visualization.

Lang: Dart
https://github.com/Anxcye/anx-reader

Via @open_source_friend

visor - low vision magnifier

Visor is a low vision magnifier app for Android, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch that turns your smartphone and tablet into a fully featured magnifier for visually impaired people.

‣ 2x to 8x magnification
‣ 5 different color contrast modes:
full color, black on white, white on black, yellow on blue & blue on yellow with enhanced contrasts
‣ LED camera light (if supported by device)
‣ Manual focus on tap
‣ Auto focus on tap and hold
‣ Visor supports Miracast for Android and AirPlay for iOS for streaming your magnified content to your TV and VoiceOver.

Download

Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.visorapp.visor

Not updated, it won't work on latest Android versions: https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/apk/de.visorapp.visor

Apple
https://apps.apple.com/app/id944215829

Our website: https://visorapp.de

Older code?
https://github.com/kloener/visor-android

I Built a Safer #OpenClaw Alternative Using #Claude #AI Code

OpenClaw is the fastest-growing open-source AI project in recent memory - 185,000 GitHub stars already! A legitimately impressive personal AI assistant that can manage your life and you can talk to it anywhere. But it has serious security issues - the docs literally say "there is no perfectly secure setup."

So I took the core genius ideas from OpenClaw - the memory system, the proactive heartbeat, the multi-platform adapters, the extensibility through skills - and I built my own version using just Claude Code. It took me two days.

The result is simpler, more secure, and tailored exactly to what I need. I'll introduce you to how I did this now and more content on this coming soon!

https://youtu.be/XmweZ4fLkcI

#assistant #agent

Stop Trusting #Messaging Apps! Build Your Own Global #Meshtastic #MQTT Network - Explained Simply

Most messaging apps promise privacy, but very few let you control the infrastructure behind your conversations.

https://rumble.com/v75rxrg

#im #mesh #p2p

You can now run Fedora Atomic OS on your Android Smartphone and Tablet

A GitHub project called Pocketblue is providing Fedora Atomic images for mobile devices. Pocketblue is an atomic system that relies on OCI, OSTree and Bootc technologies. System images are based on upstream atomic #Fedora images (Silverblue/Kinoite) and are built and distributed as OCI containers.

NOTE: This is a work-in-progress project. During the installation process all data on your device will be wiped. Use at your own risk.

However, the only supported devices are the Xiaomi Pad 5, the Xiaomi Pad 6, and the OnePlus 6/6T. So if you have one of those just lying around, you can give this a try.

@TechLeaksZone
#FedoraAtomicOS #Android

Alt-sendme — send files and folders to anywhere in the world without storing them in the cloud — any size, any format, without accounts and restrictions.

A free file transfer tool with open source code, using the capabilities of an advanced peer-to-peer network, allowing you to transfer files directly without storing them on cloud servers.

@github
#P2P #FileTransfer #share #send #transfer

There's a newcomer to the Mesh world

In this video we introduce #Meshcore, a powerful open-source, text-based encrypted mesh-radio system built on #LoRa hardware—perfect for off-grid communications on your homestead or preparedness setup. #Meshtastic fans will find Meshcore instantly familiar — a low-cost, open-source way to stay connected when the internet and cell service aren’t available. But Meshcore takes a few different paths, and we’ll break it down in plain English.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaFltojJrAc

Edit: not fully foss ⚠️
MeshCore is not entirely open source, which seems odd for an off-grid decentralized communications framework. Some parts are open, but the official clients (the mobile apps, web app, and T-Deck firmware) are not
https://hackaday.com/2025/12/06/lessons-learned-after-trying-meshcore-for-off-grid-text-messaging/

#mesh #p2p #im

This is Probably the Best Video Downloader App (And it is Free and Open Source) | itsFOSS

VidBee allows you to download videos from YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram, etc. In fact, it supports over 1,800 websites.

It is built on top of popular command line tools like yt-dlp and #ffmpeg. For the interface, it uses the Electron framework. I understand that some people dislike Electron framework as it runs a web browser underneath, but the 'advantage' of this framework is that you get the same interface in all the operating systems. At least, it's an advantage for the developers as they don't have to build the interface separately for #Linux, #Windows and #macOS.

The source code for VidBee is available on its GitHub repository.

#VidBee - Free Open Source Video Downloader
https://vidbee.org/

Keep Android Open

https://keepandroidopen.org

https://f-droid.org/2026/02/20/twif.html

During out talks with F-Droid users at FOSDEM26 we were baffled to learn most were relieved that #Google has canceled their plans to lock-down #Android.

Why baffled? Because no such thing actually happened, the plans announced last August are still scheduled to take place. We see a battle of PR campaigns and whomever has the last post out remains in the media memory as the truth, and having journalists just copy/paste Google posts serves no one.

But Google said… Said what? That there’s a magical “advanced flow”? Did you see it? Did anyone experience it? When is it scheduled to be released? Was it part of Android 16 QPR2 in December? Of 16 QPR3 Beta 2.1 last week? Of Android 17 Beta 1? No? That’s the issue… As time marches on people were left with the impression that everything was done, fixed, Google “wasn’t evil” after all, this time, yay!

While we all have bad memories of “banners” as the dreaded ad delivery medium of the Internet, after FOSDEM we decided that we have to raise the issue back and have everyone, who cares about Android as an open platform, informed that we are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices.

Hence, the website and starting today our clients, with the updates of F-Droid and F-Droid Basic, feature a banner that reminds everyone how little time we have and how to voice their concerns to whatever local authority is able to understand the dangers of this path Android is led to.

We are not alone in our fight, IzzyOnDroid added a banner too, more #FDroid clients will add the warning banner soon and other app downloaders, like Obtainium, already have an in-app warning dialogue.

#why

The Internet, Reinvented.


In this video, I build a #Reticulum #RNode and prove that completely different radios — #LoRa and Wi-Fi — can communicate through a hardware-agnostic networking stack. Reticulum routes traffic above the radio layer, automatically bridging dissimilar frequencies, interfaces, and modulation types. I then run it over Wi-Fi HaLow Haven nodes to create a long-range, encrypted IP #mesh with no traditional infrastructure.

Finally, I push it further by running #ATAK across the network, demonstrating a fully open-source, decentralized communication stack in action.

Checkout https://rmap.world/

You can install rnode software on your esp32/nrf52 based meshtastic/meshcore hardware

https://keepandroidopen.org/open-letter/

Re: Mandatory Developer Registration for #Android App Distribution

Date: February 24, 2026
To: Sundar Pichai, Chief Executive Officer, #Google
To: Sergey Brin, Founder and Board Member, Google
To: Larry Page, Founder and Board Member, Google
To: Vijaya Kaza, General Manager for App & Ecosystem Trust, Google
CC: Regulatory authorities, policymakers, and the Android developer community

We, the undersigned organizations representing civil society, nonprofit institutions, and technology companies, write to express our strong opposition to Google’s announced policy requiring all Android app developers to register centrally with Google themselves in order to distribute applications outside of the Google Play Store, set to take effect worldwide in the coming months.

While we do recognize the importance of platform security and user safety, the Android platform already includes multiple security mechanisms that do not require central registration. Forcibly injecting an alien security model that runs counter to Android’s historic open nature threatens innovation, competition, privacy, and user freedom. We urge Google to withdraw this policy and work with the open-source and security communities on less restrictive alternatives.

Our Concerns
1. Gatekeeping Beyond Google’s Own Store

Android has historically been characterized as an open platform where users and developers can operate independently of Google’s services. The proposed developer registration policy fundamentally alters that relationship by requiring developers who wish to distribute apps through alternative channels — their own websites, third-party app stores, enterprise distribution systems, or direct transfers — to first seek permission from Google through a mandatory verification process, which involves the agreement to Google’s terms and conditions, the payment of a fee, and the uploading of government-issued identification.

This extends Google’s gatekeeping authority beyond its own marketplace into distribution channels where it has no legitimate operational role. Developers who choose not to use Google’s services should not be forced to register with, and submit to the judgement of, Google. Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide also gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants to, for any reason, for the entire Android ecosystem.

2. Barriers to Entry and Innovation

Mandatory registration creates friction and barriers to entry, particularly for:

Individual developers and small teams with limited resources
Open-source projects that rely on volunteer contributors
Developers in regions with limited access to Google’s registration infrastructure
Privacy-focused developers who avoid surveillance ecosystems
Emergency response and humanitarian organizations requiring rapid deployment
Activists working on internet freedom in countries that unjustly criminalize that work
Developers in countries or regions where Google cannot allow them to sign up due to sanctions
Researchers and academics developing experimental applications
Internal enterprise and government applications never intended for broad public distribution
Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in the hands of large established players who can more easily absorb such compliance costs.

3. Privacy and Surveillance Concerns

Requiring registration with Google creates a comprehensive database of all Android developers, regardless of whether or not they use Google’s services. This raises serious questions about:

What personal information developers must provide
How this information will be stored, secured, and used
Whether this data could be subject to government requests or legal processes

To what extent developer activity is tracked across the ecosystem
What this means for developers working on privacy-preserving or politically sensitive applications
Developers should have the right to create and distribute software without submitting to unnecessary surveillance or scrutiny.

4. Arbitrary Enforcement and Account Termination Risks

Google’s existing app review processes have been criticized for opaque decision-making, inconsistent enforcement, and limited appeal mechanisms. Extending this system to all Android certified devices creates risks of:

Arbitrary rejection or suspension without clear justification
Automated systems making consequential decisions with insufficient human oversight
Developers losing their ability to distribute apps across all channels due to a single un-reviewable corporate decision
Political or competitive considerations influencing registration approvals
Disproportionate impact on marginalized communities and controversial but legal applications
A single point of failure controlled by one corporation is antithetical to a healthy, competitive software ecosystem.

5. Anticompetitive Implications

This requirement allows Google to collect intelligence on all Android development activity, including:

Which apps are being developed and by whom
Alternative distribution strategies and business models
Competitive threats to Google’s own services
Market trends and user preferences outside of Google’s ecosystem
This information asymmetry provides Google with significant competitive advantages, allows it to preempt, copy, and undermine competing products and services, and may open many questions about antitrust.

6. Regulatory concerns

Regulatory authorities worldwide, including the European Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, and competition authorities in multiple jurisdictions, have increasingly scrutinized dominant platforms’ ability to preference their own services and restrict competition, demanding more openness and interoperability. We additionally note growing concerns around regulatory intervention increasing mass surveillance, impeding software freedom, open internet and device neutrality.

We urge Google to find alternative ways to comply with regulatory obligations by promoting models that respect Android’s open nature without increasing gatekeeper control over the platform.

Existing Measures Are Sufficient
The Android platform already includes multiple security mechanisms that do not require central registration:

Operating system-level security features, application sandboxing, and permission systems
User warnings for applications that are directly installed (or “sideloaded”)
Google Play Protect (which users can choose to enable or disable)
Developer signing certificates that establish software provenance
No evidence has been presented that these safeguards are insufficient to continue to protect Android users as they have for the entire seventeen years of Android’s existence. If Google’s concern is genuinely about security rather than control, it should invest in improving these existing mechanisms rather than creating new bottlenecks and centralizing control.

Our Petition
We call upon Google to:

Immediately rescind the mandatory developer registration requirement for third-party distribution.
Engage in transparent dialogue with civil society, developers, and regulators about Android security improvements that respect openness and competition.
Commit to platform neutrality by ensuring that Android remains a genuinely open platform where Google’s role as platform provider does not conflict with its commercial interests.
Over the years, Android has evolved into a critical piece of technological infrastructure that serves hundreds of governments, millions of businesses, and billions of citizens around the world.

Unilaterally consolidating and centralizing the power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is antithetical to the principles of free speech, an affront to free software, an insurmountable barrier to competition, and a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere.

We implore Google to reverse course, end the developer verification program, and to begin working collaboratively with the broader community to advance security objectives without sacrificing the open principles upon which Android was built. The strength of the Android ecosystem has historically been its openness, and Google must work towards restoring its role as a faithful steward of that trust.

#Droidify #Fdroid client
Added SHA256 for signature verification (Long press on Sync icon to refresh index)
https://github.com/Droid-ify/client/releases

Many more android app stores at
https://t.iss.one/Libreware/1132 and #apk@LibreWare

Tell us your favorite or any missing ones

❌ #Fdroid security problems

⁨https://privsec.dev/posts/android/f-droid-security-issues⁩⁩

⁨⁨https://xcancel.com/GrapheneOS/status/1883895255142932816

https://xcancel.com/GrapheneOS/status/1497272529223917575

⁨⁨https://gitlab.com/ironfox-oss/IronFox/-/issues/7⁩⁩

⁨⁨https://github.com/obfusk/fdroid-fakesigner-poc⁩⁩

⁨⁨https://github.com/CatimaLoyalty/Android/issues/2608⁩⁩

⁨⁨https://gitlab.com/fdroid/admin/-/issues/593⁩⁩

⁨⁨https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/15490-f-droid-or-obtainium⁩⁩

⁨⁨https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IzpVI4zaso0⁩⁩

⁨⁨https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lAbgeJau3eE⁩⁩

⁨⁨https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FFz57zNR_M0⁩⁩

⁨⁨https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IAoCfrqx⁩⁩

#fd

#Motorola's new partnership with #GrapheneOS

https://motorolanews.com/motorola-three-new-b2b-solutions-at-mwc-2026/