SNEAK PREVIEW - FOSS War Room @ Parallel Society 2026

Wondering what the f*** we should do about tyrannical tech lockdowns?

This weekend in Portugal I asked that very question to some of the world’s most qualified minds at Parallel Society  2026. In my FOSS War Room talk I laid out five pressing tech challenges we are facing, and the audience jumped in with solutions 🌟

Thanks to Logos for the invitation—honored to share the stage with trailblazers like Jarrad Hope (Logos), Amir Taaki (DarkFi), among other talented people.

If you don't know about Logos, they produced the event and are authoring a comprehensive technology stack for storage, messaging, and more; the primitives we need for free software of the future.

Check out important tech:
https://logos.co/
https://dark.fi/

FULL VIDEO RELEASED THIS WEEK, STAY TUNED.

🫶 @takebackourtech
📩 WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER | 🎥 VIDEOS| XMPP | SUBSTACK

#TBOT 22: Age Verification Computers, War & AI, Data Centers Drained by AI, GrapheneOS & Motorola

Here are this week’s stories:

Age Verification Comes to Your Computer:
A new Colorado bill is attempting to get Apple and Microsoft to enforce age checks on their new operating systems. If you thought digital ID was going to stay on your phone, think again.

Anthropic, OpenAI, and the War State:
Anthropic pushed back against mass domestic surveillance demands from the Department of War, while OpenAI continues embracing major partnerships with Microsoft, Amazon, and the war machine.

AI Data Centers Are Draining the Grid:
People are finally starting to pay attention to the electricity crunch caused by AI data centers.

Motorola Could Be GrapheneOS’s Next Big Move:
GrapheneOS and Motorola may be opening the door to privacy-focused hardware beyond the Pixel line.

👀 Watch the full show on Substack

📲The Pixel 10 is now at Above if you’re ready for a a more intentional phone setup

Here's some frequencies for your Chakras this morning, quite pleasant to have in the background while you're being.

https://chakradio.app/

How Citizen Lab Helps Expose Threats

In the webinar, Hidden Signs Your Phone is Compromised, I shared how orgs like Citizen Lab and Amnesty uncover spyware targeting activists and journalists. These groups study exploits, publish reports, and then big vendors like Apple patch the vulnerabilities. Without them, many threats would go unseen.

🪧 Watch the full webinar
📲 Grab your privacy gear and take back control

—
🫶 @takebackourtech
📩 WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER | 🎥 VIDEOS| XMPP | SUBSTACK

How Accurate Is Cell Tower Tracking?

We explore how call detail records can only give rough estimates of location. With overlapping cell tower signals and manual analysis, it’s far from precise. No wonder investigators prefer big tech location data over these complex plots.

👉 Watch the full webinar
📱 Get your privacy gear here

—
🫶 @takebackourtech
📩 WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER | 🎥 VIDEOS| XMPP | SUBSTACK

The History and Evolution of GPS

From the early radar innovations of the 1930s and 40s to the launch of GPS satellites, geolocation has come a long way. Discover how GPS works and how it’s evolved into the global navigation system we rely on today.

👉 Watch the full webinar
🛰 Explore open-source GPS tools here

—
🫶 @takebackourtech
📩 WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER | 🎥 VIDEOS| XMPP | SUBSTACK

InnerTune: Free Your Music

With InnerTune, you get all the music from YouTube Music but no ads, no account needed, and you can download tracks directly. Control your files, play them offline, and finally enjoy your music on your terms.

👉 Watch the full webinar
📱 Learn more about Above’s privacy ecosystem

—
🫶 @takebackourtech
📩 WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER | 🎥 VIDEOS| XMPP | SUBSTACK

If you're trying to follow along about my latest InnerTune post, the app may have gone defunct after some time without updates. My bad!

Try these apps instead:
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.gokadzev.musify.fdroid/
https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.dd3boh.outertune/

And we comply with downloading their ticketing apps?

‘These People Are So Stupid’: Live Nation Ticketing Directors Bragged About Charging High Fees in Slack Messages

In a statement, Live Nation says this language "absolutely doesn't reflect our values or how we operate."

Live Nation has settled with the Department of Justice to end federal antitrust claims — but the company is still under the microscope of public court proceedings.

This scrutiny was on full display after a trove of embarrassing Slack messages was unsealed on the court docket on Thursday (March 11). These internal messages were sent in 2022 between Ben Baker and Jeff Weinhold, who at the time were both regional ticketing directors at Live Nation, responsible for the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre and Jiffy Lube Live amphitheater, respectively.

In the messages, the men boasted about charging high parking fees. At one point, Baker sent a screenshot showing that Live Nation had grossed more than $666,000 on premier parking in 2021 and then wrote, “Robbing them blind baby. That’s how we do.” Weinhold replied, “lol.”

At another point, Baker wrote, “these people are so stupid,” and Weinhold replied, “I have VIP parking up to $250 lol.” Baker then said, “I almost feel bad taking advantage of them. BAHAHAHAHA.”

https://www.billboard.com/pro/live-nation-employees-slack-messages-unsealed-lawsuit/

📂 Want alternative news? Check out these channels 📢

#TBOT is now part of GeopoliticsLive, a collection of channels covering geopolitics, politics, global news, economy, and more. All English speaking! Stay informed.

Whether you're seeking in-depth analysis, breaking news, or expert insights, our catalog has got you covered.

👉 ADD CHANNELS

Master Your Security with Open-Source Tools

Discover the power of KeePass and Aegis Authenticator! Learn how to securely manage your passwords with one strong master password and protect your accounts with open-source two-factor authentication. Say goodbye to proprietary solutions and keep your data safe!

👉 Watch the full webinar
🔐 Explore Above

—
🫶 @takebackourtech
📩 WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER | 🎥 VIDEOS| XMPP | SUBSTACK

Telegram and the World Economic Forum: Unpacking the Connection

Explore the intriguing link between Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, and the World Economic Forum. Delve into how his past nomination as a Young Global Leader sparks questions about privacy, freedom, and the platform’s future.

👉 Watch the full webinar
📱 Take back control of your data

—
🫶 @takebackourtech
📩 WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER | 🎥 VIDEOS| XMPP | SUBSTACK

Cloud AI is not “in the cloud.” It lives in massive data centers that burn power, consume water, and turn your prompts into someone else’s asset.

Ethical AI is the alternative: run AI locally on your own device, keep data on-device, and define what the model can see. You can even train it on your own library so you’re not outsourcing your thinking to a black box.

Start small: use AI to save time on repetitive tasks, but keep research, judgment, and sensitive info off commercial tools.

🔗 Read the full blog post

📱 Above Phone is privacy by design, learn more here

⚡️How Pegasus Spyware Was Uncovered

Pegasus was first caught in the wild back in 2016. Citizen Lab and Amnesty International exposed it used at a massive scale, targeting thousands of people across dozens of countries. Even though Pegasus is stealthy, it can be detected. These digital mercenaries aren’t invincible! Let’s stay informed and vigilant.

🪧 Watch the full webinar
📲 Build your privacy stack with Above. Start here.

—
🫶 @takebackourtech
📩 WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER | 🎥 VIDEOS| XMPP | SUBSTACK

Ageless Linux

Halfway a joke, Ageless Linux is willing to become your operating system provider and claim responsibility for non-compliance:

The Ageless Device ships an IRC client. It lets you chat with strangers on the internet. This is the one feature on the device that poses a genuine, non-hypothetical risk to a child.

Here is what the child sees when they launch it:

This app lets you chat with people on the internet. If you're a kid: ask an adult before chatting online.

That's not a legal requirement. It's just good advice.

That is what actual child safety looks like. It is a sentence of honest advice from a human being.
It costs nothing. It requires no API, no D-Bus interface, no age bracket signal,
no operating system to provide compliance infrastructure.

It is the thing a parent says. It is the thing a teacher says. It is the thing the law does not say, because the law is not about protecting children. It is about building compliance infrastructure.

https://agelesslinux.org/index.html

Mexican journalist Ignacio Gómez Villaseñor says less than 10% of Mexicans have registered their phone lines with the biometric CURP (similar to social security) as required by laws passed in 2025. Signs of resistance are growing.

"I insist: don't register. We're beating the government."

" PREOCUPA AL GOBIERNO FRACASO DEL REGISTRO DE CELULARES

La información que advertí sobre la exposición masiva de datos en TelCel al arrancar el periodo del registro obligatorio de líneas ocasionó demasiada desconfianza en los mexicanos.

El porcentaje de líneas registradas es mínimo (ni 10%) y, pese a todo pronóstico, la voz de los mexicanos se está haciendo presente: es totalmente inviable que las compañías cancelen los números no asociados con CURP.

¡Se quedarían sin clientes!

El tema ha escalado hasta el punto en el que analizan campañas para tratar de deslegitimar la preocupación real de especialistas en la materia que han insistido en que la medida no sirve de absolutamente nada (y hay evidencia de sobra)."

E911: How Emergency Calls Pinpoint You

Enhanced 911 uses cell towers or GPS to locate you during an emergency. It activates only when you call 911, helping responders find you, even in large buildings or remote areas. Keep privacy in mind, but know how it works.

👉 Watch the full webinar
📱 If you're done with big tech defaults, go Above.

—
🫶 @takebackourtech
📩 WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER | 🎥 VIDEOS| XMPP | SUBSTACK

📂 Want alternative news? Check out these channels 📢

#TBOT is now part of GeopoliticsLive, a collection of channels covering geopolitics, politics, global news, economy, and more. All English speaking! Stay informed.

Whether you're seeking in-depth analysis, breaking news, or expert insights, our catalog has got you covered.

👉 ADD CHANNELS

🗺️ Understanding GPS Trilateralization

GPS locates you by receiving signals from at least three satellites, pinpointing your position through time differences. Learn how this complex system works and how privacy-focused solutions, like Above Phone , keep your data safe.

👉 Watch the full webinar
🛰 Discover more about Above

—
🫶 @takebackourtech
📩 WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER | 🎥 VIDEOS| XMPP | SUBSTACK

I would really like to promote the above piece on my large-ish Twitter/X account, but unfortunately the company has decided to block me from logging despite repeated attempts to have it unblocked through support. It seems my username was DDOSed to prevent me from using it.

If you are a X user, would you remind retweeting Mark's tweet to support in an attempt to get my account restored? I would really appreciate it. Thanks, Whitney

https://x.com/markgoodw_in/status/2036125465396596811