Trump’s AI National Policy Framework: An Attack on States’ Rights?
At least 11 states and many cities across the U.S. have temporarily banned or placed restrictions on the development of AI data centers.
Category: Tech
Atlanta Activist’s Arrest Underscores Search, Surveillance Powers of Border Agencies
Atlanta locals say that Tunick’s detainment at the border and subsequent arrest is part of an ongoing repression against political dissidents and activists of the Stop Cop City movement.
New Federal Task Forces Under 287(g) Could Form ‘ICE Army’ From National Guard, State, Local & College Police
The Trump Administration has dramatically ramped up arrests and sweeps of people residing in the U.S., with new highly visible incidents and court cases unfolding every week and reaching new heights by mid-May. A new development could spell much larger scales of activity on American…
SignalGate Meets WordPress: Outgoing National Security Adviser’s Phone Dumps Messages via Israeli App
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz had a rough Thursday. While he made it in that job longer than Mike Flynn, he’s out after just over 100 days. Unfortunately for him, Reuters press photographer Evelyn Hockstein caught him using a Signal-like interface to view chats on…
Predictive Policing and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Security vs. Freedom
As Paris prepares to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games from July 26 to August 11, 2024, the French government is implementing unprecedented surveillance measures to ensure safety. However, these measures have sparked fierce debate over the potential erosion of civil liberties, with opposition…
Cobwebs Spy Software Locks Onto Protesters: Israeli Social Media Mining Contract with Homeland Security Revealed
An Israeli spy software tech firm licenses web surveillance tools to law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The software contract shows new details about this sensitive technology DHS has used to spy on activists during the last several years.
Tech Workers Rise Up: Organizing Google’s Worldwide Worker Walkout
Cambridge, MA — At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on December 11, 2018 an open forum titled, “#MeToo and Workers’ Power: Building Solidarity at Google and Beyond,” covered the inner workings of the global Google walkout of 20,000 employees and contractors in 2018.
Hosted by…
Google Employees Sit-In to Protest ‘Project Nimbus’ AI Tech Contract With the Israeli Military
Manhattan, NY — Google employees organized a sit-in at the tech company’s Chelsea office in New York City and occupied the office of Google Cloud’s CEO Thomas Kurian in California on April 16, 2024. The demonstration aimed to expose the internal unrest surrounding Google’s involvement…
Philly Workers March for Palestine Protests Against Israel, Militarized Robots
Philadelphia, PA — On Saturday, April 13, local groups protested Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed 33,000 Palestinians according to the latest figures. The march gathered in Clark Park.
Organizers say that workers and unions are sending the message today. The Philly Palestine Coalition…
‘xz utils’ Software Backdoor Uncovered in Years-Long Hacking Plot
A fascinating but ominous software story dropped on Friday: a widely used file compression software package called “xz utils” has a cleverly embedded system for backdooring shell login connections, and it’s unclear how far this dangerous package got into countless internet-enabled devices. It appears the…
Black History Smashfest Brings Together Black Gamers
A small but unprecedented event occurred on the last weekend of 2024's Black History Month when nearly 20 Black gamers converged together in Minneapolis for the state's first ever Black-only gaming session centered on Super Smash Bros.
Keep Unicorn Riot Growing Through 2025
With wars and polarization on the rise, independent media continues to meet a critical need. Since 2015, Unicorn Riot has reported underrepresented stories and shed light on alternative perspectives and systems, while providing an accessible platform for diverse stories, communities, and media makers through free,…
Aimed at Protests, Surveillance Contractor’s New Owners Expand Spy Tech Portfolio
In 2020, while protests raged in nearly every city in the United States, a privately owned Israeli spyware firm helped the Department of Homeland Security monitor the online presences of Americans—including protesters and journalists. That company is now set to join forces with competitors, creating…
Helicopter Footage From Mass Arrest Reveals State Trooper Surveillance Capabilities, Tactics, and Communications
Minneapolis, MN – High-tech surveillance video and audio communication from a Minnesota State Patrol helicopter, obtained and first published by Unicorn Riot, reveals some of the planning and tactics behind the largest mass arrest in recent Minnesota history. On Nov. 4, 2020, a multi-agency law…
Unicorn Riot X Means TV
Unicorn Riot is joining the world’s first worker-owned streaming service, Means TV. As of July 10, you can stream Unicorn Riot’s groundbreaking reporting covering a variety of topics on their platform.
To start, there will be 150+ videos across 10 curated collections showcasing our in-depth…
Exclusive Interview with French Media Collective Cerveaux non Disponibles
As media organizations continue to consolidate and the need for independent media grows, Cerveaux non Disponibles (CND) is filling an important role in France. Cerveaux non Disponibles — “Unavailable Brains” — is a radical independent media collective based in France.
CND’s popularity soared as the…
FBI Informant ‘Microchip’ Surfaces in White Supremacist Election Interference Trial
Brooklyn, NY — Federal prosecutors have put internet troll Douglass Mackey on trial for allegedly attempting to trick voters into trying to vote by SMS message in the 2016 election, in a case that has attracted national attention. Mackey, aka ‘Ricky Vaughn,’ was the one…
Triple Bank Collapse hits Silicon Valley & NY amid Economic Downturn
Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapsed on Friday, March 10, after a wave of bad news rattled investors and depositors. While SVB was not “systemically important” to the U.S. economy, it was roughly the 16th-largest bank in America, by deposits, and was at the heart of…
‘Like the Doors of Hell Were Open’: East Palestine Train Disaster Casts Toxic Cloud Over Future of OH/PA Region
Vinyl Chloride & Byproducts like Phosgene Risk Damaging Wide Area
‘Task Force Butler’ Veterans Share Skills to Track Far-Right Groups
Unicorn Riot chatted with Kristofer Goldsmith, the founder of a nonprofit called the “Task Force Butler Institute” which is recruiting U.S. military veterans to monitor fascists and far-right hardliner movements around the country. Last year he and the group worked on tracking Patriot Front neo-nazis…
Criminal Intel Files Show Facial Recognition, Warrantless Surveillance in Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN – Documents obtained via a series of public records requests from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) provide rare insight into police intelligence gathering. The documents include case numbers in which facial recognition was used, details about systems that gain access to vehicle…
The Far-Right’s Fascination with the U.S. Electric Grid
Over the past two years, government agencies have been warning that white supremacists and far-right extremists are the most significant domestic threat to American security.
Moore County, NC experienced a blackout in early December 2022 that affected more than 45,000 residents after two local substations…