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- Issue 27 - Has your toothbrush been hacked?
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Welcome to issue 27! We had a bit of a set back this week due to a rather unfortunate farm accident, but all is good, and we’ve got the usual knowledge and intel as part of our latest gazette.
Although a quick note on our next issue, it will feature some reviews of the AI platforms and tools we’ve been experimenting with. If there’s one in particular that you’d like us to look at, send us an email by replying to this one.
Oh, and this issue is sponsored. You know, just to prove a point that it can be done. Thoughts?
Table of Contents
Upcoming Event
The Future of Food - Wednesday Feb 14th at 7pm EST
We had to postpone this event a week due to an injury, but we’re on again for next week.
Join us for a salon on the future of food, where we'll begin by exploring the origins of our food, delving into the journey from farm to table, and the intricate web of processes in between. But that's just the appetizer. The main course of our discussion will focus on the future: where will our food come from in the years to come?
As we stand at the crossroads of tradition and innovation, the future of food is ripe for discussion. From vertical farming and lab-grown meats to the resurgence of local food systems and regenerative practices, the possibilities are as diverse as they are fascinating. This salon is not just a conversation; it's an exercise in literacy and empowerment. By understanding not only what we eat but where it might come from tomorrow, we can make informed choices that impact our health, our planet, and our communities.
This is your invitation to join a community of curious minds and passionate souls as we navigate the complexities of our food systems. Together, we'll explore not just the future of food, but how we can shape it to be sustainable, ethical, and nourishing for all. Join us for an evening of thought-provoking discussion, where your voice will help sow the seeds for a better food future.
Weaponizing Big Data: China in Tibet
If you’ve been paying attention to surveillance tech over the last couple of decades then you know that Tibet has been a perpetual pilot project for China’s ongoing operational capabilities. What they develop in Tibet, for the purposes of social control, they then export to the world.
Long time friend of the Eco Punks Greg Walton sent us a note about this recent report that he was involved with:
Our new report with @TibetWatch@meta_lab gives new evidence of #China’s deepening digital intrusion into #Tibetan lives through mandatory installation of an app at police checkpoints turquoiseroof.org
— Kate Saunders BlueSky @turquoiseroof.org (@turquoiseroof)
3:49 PM • Feb 7, 2024
This report uncovers the Chinese government’s escalated digital surveillance in Tibet, marked by the compulsory installation of the ‘National Anti-Fraud Centre’ app on smartphones. Initially presented as a fraud prevention tool, the app is in fact a crucial element of a larger surveillance network. This report, developed in collaboration with Tibet Watch, London, is based on accounts from a Tibetan refugee in Golog in eastern Tibet1 (present day Qinghai province).
Our investigation conducted a dynamic analysis of the Android and Windows Desktop versions of this app, finding that data collected could extend beyond internet fraud detection, feeding into broader control mechanisms. This includes integration with databases managed by the Criminal Investigation Bureau, reflecting wider strategies of surveillance and oversight in the region.
The report also investigates the ‘Tibet Underworld Criminal Integrated Intelligence Application Platform’, a sophisticated big data policing platform. Analysis of government procurement notices revealed that this system amalgamates data from various existing Public Security Bureau systems in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) into a central Oracle database. This database system, developed on top of U.S. technology, is instrumental in a campaign that criminalises even moderate cultural, religious expressions, language rights advocacy, and social work in Tibet.
Notable Punk: Keith Lee
A growing power in the US restaurant industry, the “Keith Lee” effect can either make or break a food business. If this is the first you’ve heard of him, this video is a good representation of what he does. It currently has 51 million views, and his videos tend to average over a million views or more.
@keith_lee125 Frankensons Pizzeria Taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic
A former MMA fighter, Keith Lee started making social videos in late 2020, and started restaurant reviews in 2021. His initial focus was on family run restaurants off the beaten path in Las Vegas. These were generally places that had good food, but bad marketing, and were struggling. He quickly gained a reputation as someone who was fair, but also focusing on places that deserved the attention.
As his popularity rose, Keith Lee has maintained his integrity and focus. His reviews tend to maintain the same format, and the same ethic, of wanting to help out largely black owned family restaurants. While he’s not transparent about his own business as a social media creator, he is definitely making the kind of money that allows him to travel with his family eating food and posting videos.
He’s not currently in Las Vegas, but travelling the US, looking for places to review. There was quite a bit of drama recently in Dallas and a food truck named Sweetly Seasoned. After Lee visited the food truck, he left a $4,000 tip and requested that half of it be given to the food truck and the other half to a barber and a hair braiding business that was servicing customers nearby. However, the owner of the food truck allegedly kept the entire tip for herself and did not share the money as requested. This led to backlash from Keith Lee's fans, who left one-star reviews and sent angry voicemails and emails to the food truck. The whole episode escalated when the woman who owns the food truck defending keeping the $4,000.
A fascinating case study in both the power of influencers, as well as the court of public opinion that surrounds them.
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The Taste Project: A PWYC Restaurant model!?
It was thanks to Keith Lee that we learned of the Taste Project, a nonprofit organization that operates Taste Community Restaurant, a pay-what-you-can restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas. Their business model involves serving healthy, quality meals made from fresh ingredients with no set prices. Instead, guests are asked to pay what they can afford, what they would typically pay, or what they would typically pay plus a little extra to help a neighbour.
Given that this is coming from Texas, it should come as no surprise that a big motivator for the folks involved is faith:
Faith groups providing free meals to the general public is not a new phenomenon, as just about any city or community has at least a free weekly meal provided by a church or gurdwara. Yet what is interesting about this is the business/restaurant model, that could be replicated by organizations who are not necessarily faith based.
The restaurant's menu is flexible and changes with the seasons, focusing on local and seasonal ingredients to keep food costs low. The organization has served over 100,000 meals at Taste Community Restaurant in Fort Worth, and are expanding to Arlington.
This is an excellent model to emulate in an era where food insecurity is increasing, and will continue to do so as climate change challenges our ability to adapt and provide affordable food for all.
Fostering Participatory Events
Is Your Toothbrush A Bot?
Another entry in the Internet of Shit department: the toothbrush your dentist sold you that can connect to Bluetooth and display your dental data, no surprise that it can be hacked.
Smart toothbrushes have been engaging in DDoS attacks after being infected with malware, turning them into a botnet. The malware exploited vulnerabilities in the Java programming language used by some smart toothbrushes, allowing cybercriminals to remotely control and direct their requests to a targeted server. This resulted in a massive DDoS attack involving millions of toothbrushes, causing servers to collapse and websites to become unavailable. The lack of security updates for smart gadgets, including toothbrushes, has been highlighted as a contributing factor to such attacks. While some experts have expressed doubts about the validity of these incidents, the potential for future technological advancements to make such scenarios plausible has been acknowledged.
What is a smart toothbrush? They tend to have the following capabilities:
Real-time Feedback: Smart toothbrushes have sensors that can detect areas in the mouth that need more attention and provide real-time feedback to ensure thorough brushing.
Bluetooth Connectivity: Many smart toothbrushes are equipped with Bluetooth technology, allowing them to connect to smartphone apps to display brushing data and provide personalized coaching.
Sensors and Data Collection: Built-in sensors in the toothbrush head analyze brush head pressure, coverage, and brushing duration in real-time, providing valuable data to improve brushing habits.
Pressure Sensors: Some smart toothbrushes are designed with pressure sensors to alert users if they are brushing too hard, promoting healthy gums.
Entertainment Features: Certain models have built-in speakers to play music or provide audible cues to make brushing more enjoyable and effective.
One of the reasons criminals target these devices is because many of them do not have the ability to be patched or have their software upgraded. Consider it a another negative consequence of planned obsolescence.
The solution? Don’t connect these devices to your network, and if you do, employ a second network, distinct from your devices, and restricted when it comes to connecting with the outside world.
Although that assumes you manage your network and connectivity. Sadly the vast majority of users do not. Taking their link to the world for granted. 😂
Better Dog Training with Sensory Cues
Harriet unravels the mysteries of how dogs communicate and perceive the world. It's all about the hierarchy of senses: nose, eyes, and ears.
Speaking of which:
@jessehirsh Where is the squirrel?
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