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#privacy

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Make a FOIA Request & Learn What DOGE Knows About You!

U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin is encouraging all U.S. citizens to join him this week in filing formal demands for access to their personal data obtained by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has issued an injunction commanding DOGE to comply with citizen requests under the Freedom of Information Act. This law encompasses the Federal Privacy Act of 1974, which entitles any citizen to access personal information held in any U.S. government records system.

The link has more info about this, and form FOIA form to fill out.

mobilize.us/indivisible/event/

MobilizeMAKE A FOIA REQUEST & LEARN WHAT DOGE KNOWS ABOUT YOU · IndivisibleU.S. Representative Jamie Raskin is encouraging all U.S. citizens to join him this week in filing formal demands for access to their personal data obtained by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has issued an injunction commanding DOGE to comply with citizen requests under the Freedom of Information Act. This law encompasses the Federal Privacy Act of 1974, which entitles any citizen to access personal information held in any U.S. government records system. Please find a fillable Privacy Act request form [HERE](chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/ak-raskin/images/Raskin_DOGE_Privacy_Request.pdf). Let's flood them with FOIA requests this week! If they don't comply within 20 days, we have grounds for a lawsuit. Citizens need only fill out the form and mail it via USPS to DOGE (the address is on the form). This newly recognized federal agency, which has been systematically accessing government computer data systems, now has an obligation to respond to specific information demands from any of the 340 million U.S. citizens who exercise their legal right to defend their privacy and establish the security of their private information. Once you have mailed a Privacy Act Request to DOGE, please fill out the form HERE and we will stay in touch with additional details and updates as they become available. WATCH: Rep. Raskin talk about this action at the [Shut Down the Coup Rally on March 10](https://www.youtube.com/live/fIx2XkpiHJQ?si=Lgv3ZowR0bIkmgAV&t=2642)

With just a few week's notice, Amazon is telling folks with Echo devices that the setting that lets smart speakers & displays process Alexa requests locally is disappearing. Starting March 28 all requests will be recorded and sent to Amazon's cloud servers, whether you're using Alexa+ or just plain old Alexa. #Amazon #AmazonEcho #Alexa #privacy arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/0

In this photo illustration, Echo Dot smart speaker with working Alexa with blue light ring seen displayed.
Ars Technica · Everything you say to your Echo will be sent to Amazon starting on March 28By Scharon Harding
Replied in thread

@pluralistic

#Privacy #SurveillanceCapitalism #Amazon's #Alexa

(2/n)

... for a copyrighted work:

pluralistic.net/2024/05/24/rec

That means that once Amazon reaches over the air to stir up the guts of your Echo, no one is allowed to give you a tool that will let you get inside your Echo and change the software back. Sure, it's your property, but exercising sole and despotic dominion over it requires breaking the digital lock that controls access to the firmware, and that's a...

pluralistic.netPluralistic: They brick you because they can (24 May 2024) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
Replied in thread

@pluralistic

#Privacy #SurveillanceCapitalism #Amazon's #Alexa

(1/3)

👉Amazon annihilates Alexa privacy settings, turns on continuous, nonconsensual audio uploading👈

Is this globally?

How e. g. in the EU.
US laws don't apply there.

"If the #Echo is your property, how come Amazon gets to break it? Because we passed a law that lets them. Section 1201 of 1998's #DigitalMillenniumCopyrightAct makes it a felony to "bypass an access control"...

pluralistic.net/2025/03/15/alt

pluralistic.netPluralistic: Amazon annihilates Alexa privacy settings, turns on continuous, nonconsensual audio uploading (15 Mar 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

New Privacy Guides video 📺✨
by @jw

If you've wondered about
the difference between:

Privacy,
Security,
and Anonymity :neocat_foxmask:

And why some privacy-focused
services are worth using even when they don't provide perfect anonymity, watch this!

It's truly an amazing short video!
Everyone should watch it 👇

privacyguides.org/videos/2025/

In an email sent to customers today, Amazon said that Echo users will no longer be able to set their devices to process Alexa requests locally and, therefore, avoid sending voice recordings to Amazon’s cloud.

#amazon #echo #alexa #cloud #privacy
arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/0

In this photo illustration, Echo Dot smart speaker with working Alexa with blue light ring seen displayed.
Ars Technica · Everything you say to your Echo will be sent to Amazon starting on March 28By Scharon Harding

From March 28th, Amazon will send everything you say - all audio utterances - to the cloud, removing support for "processing on device". Billed as necessary to support Voice ID + Alexa+ features, there are significant implications for #privacy #VoiceAssistant

Nuanced and informed reporting by #ScharonHarden for @arstechnica

arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/0

In this photo illustration, Echo Dot smart speaker with working Alexa with blue light ring seen displayed.
Ars Technica · Everything you say to your Echo will be sent to Amazon starting on March 28By Scharon Harding

We're talking about the company controlled by a guy who sent money to Trump, changed the Washington Post into Republican propaganda.

You sure you want him to record what you say in private?

"Starting on March 28, recordings of everything spoken to the Alexa living in Echo speakers and smart displays will automatically be sent to Amazon and processed in the cloud."

arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/0

In this photo illustration, Echo Dot smart speaker with working Alexa with blue light ring seen displayed.
Ars Technica · Everything you say to your Echo will be sent to Amazon starting on March 28By Scharon Harding

Amazon is going to be disabling the privacy feature that processes voice commands locally on Echo devices at the end of this month. Instead, all voice commands will be sent to Amazon's cloud for processing.

I have already followed my own steps to remediate this:

1. Unplug Echo Device
2. Throw Echo Device in Trash
3. Done