Here are this week’s stories:

Dating an Undercover? SpyCops Victim Tells All: Environmental activist Kate Wilson fell in love with an undercover cop who was investigating her during their two years together. Almost a decade later, she’s breaking her anonymity to discuss her win against the Met UK police.

US & UK’s AI Plan: With US President Trump’s visit to the UK, the Tech Prosperity deal was hurried through. New data centers, a supercomputer, and I think they just copied China’s plan. Find out why.

Crypto Privacy Makes You Suspect: Hakeem reviews new FinCEN rules which may make basic crypto privacy suspicious, and the upcoming CLARITY Act which forces any mixing services or exchanges to register with the government.

The New Freenet: Freenet is a fully decentralized peer-to-peer network that allows for distributed computing. It attempts to tackle the reputation problem with ghost keys. But there’s one big problem.

Share this post with your crew. 🚢

🪄 We aim for our show to be well-researched, well-informed, and focused on the most impactful stories while being concise.

We’ll be publishing full posts and clips of each of these stories soon.

Digital ID is more than just identification. It’s a whole verification ecosystem that could fracture the internet. Learn about how it works in this report preview. Be the first to get your eyes on the report—sign up for the waitlist!

Break the limits of big tech with Above Phone. You’ll unlock features and freedom you didn’t even know existed.

* Works with any cell service—and over WiFi with an internet phone number.

* Download the apps you love from private app stores with open-source solutions and the appls you’re used to!

* Have complete control over your app permissions.

In our new #TBOT show interview series, we sit down with James Corbett of The Corbett Report. James is a documentary filmmaker and author. His first book, Reportage: Essays of the New World Order, is now available for order in hardcover, softcover, and e-book.

The first segment of the interview is available to all #TBOT subscribers. Become a paid member to watch the second half, where we discuss self discipline, raising children, and eco-villages.

James shares the vision behind Reportage and Open Source Journalism, and how it takes a dedication to truth to understand the hidden forces behind world events. We discuss the subtle difference between being a conspiracy theorist and being a conspiracy realist—more importantly, what does it mean to be “Open Source News”—and the effects of technology on people’s ability to truly understand a subject deeply.

Resources & Links:

* Open Source Education

* World War One Conspiracy (3-part documentary, 2018)

* Wallabag

Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Here are this week’s stories:

China’s AI+ Plan Goes All In: China outlined its 10-year plan to integrate the entire country with AI across all sectors. I read their report to find out what’s planned for the second most populous country in the world.

MIT AlterEgo Reads Your Lips: New MIT Media Lab startup attempts to let you communicate without speaking with their Silent Sense tech. How does it work? Find out.

Insider Look at WhatsApp’s Security: WhatsApp’s head of security sues Meta for alleged retaliation after he called out WhatsApp for not knowing how much data it collected and who had access to it.

StackWallet—Private and Easy Multi-coin Wallet: I recently talked with the founder of StackWallet, and now I’m convinced it’s the best wallet out there. Find out why.

Share this post with your crew. 🚢

🪄 We aim for our show to be well-researched, well-informed, and focused on the most impactful stories while being concise.

We’ll be publishing full posts and clips of each of these stories soon.

Break the limits of big tech with Above Phone. You’ll unlock features and freedom you didn’t even know existed.

* Works with any cell service—and over WiFi with an internet phone number.

* Download the apps you love from private app stores with open-source solutions and the appls you’re used to!

* Have complete control over your app permissions.

The internet is changing fast. Stay on top of it:

The Future of the Internet: It’s more than just a digital ID. It’s a whole verification ecosystem that could fracture the internet. Learn about how it works in this report preview. Be the first to get your eyes on the report—sign up for the waitlist!

Google’s Antitrust Decision: Google bullied other big tech companies into complying with their monopoly. Then they were sued and threatened with selling Android and Chrome browser. The judge has now has ruled on the case. So, what’s changed?

Well I’ll Be Dammed: A scientist in the southwest used piles of rocks and logs to restore some of the dryest regions to green wetlands. Learn about her 20 year study and how we can restore our environment.

How to Overthrow Google Maps: It seems big tech maps have a monopoly on locating points of interest. StreetComplete is an app that crowdsources locations for use on open source maps.

Share this post with your crew. 🚢

A new episode of Source Insights is coming out this week. Source Insights includes my personal take on philosophy, spirituality, energetic technology, and more. This week on Source Insights, I reveal the one health decision I made that turned my life around as well as my take on some energetic technologies. Source Insights is only available to paid subscribers. Don’t miss out on Source Insights—level up your subscription to Take Back Our Tech today!

🪄 We aim for our show to be well-researched, well-informed and focused on the most impactful stories while being concise.

⭐ PLUS - Each story comes with recommendations, and there’s one cool tech trick or open-source solution every week.

We’ll be publishing full posts and clips of each of these stories soon.

Today’s AI-driven operating systems send your personal media to big tech companies for analysis, leading to your photos being searchable. And the photo and video editing apps available in big tech app stores silently harvest your data, send your media off to third parties, and sell them to the highest bidder.

Most people don’t even know all this is happening when they snap a photo or edit a video.

Join us for a FREE Webinar: Media Mastery: Open-Source Photo & Video Editing📅 Monday, September 29, at 12 pm CDT

LEARN HOW TO:✅ Take high-definition photos and videos with Above Phone✅ Use special photo modes like panorama and HDR✅ Organize and protect sensitive photos in a vault✅ Perform basic photo and video editing on Above Phone

BONUS: Exclusive Above Phone discount for attendees!

We’ll also review how Android and iOS users can adjust their settings to increase the privacy and security of the media on their devices.

Break the limits of big tech with Above Phone. You’ll unlock features and freedom you didn’t even know existed.

* Works with any cell service—and over WiFi with an internet phone number.

* Download the apps you love from private app stores with open-source solutions and the appls you’re used to!

* Have complete control over your app permissions.

Here are the stories for the week:

No Anonymous Apps: It’s the biggest Android news this year. Google decides to wall off Android from anonymous developers and have complete control over apps on Android. This is the fracturing of the tech movement, and it starts in 2027.

FCC Shuts Down 1,000 VoIP Providers: Use a VoIP service? A thousand US VoIP companies will be forced by the FCC to stop service August 28th for not following RoboCall guidelines. Learn how this works and check if yours is on the list.

US Attorney Generals Warn AI Companies: On the heels of Meta’s Internal AI leak, 44 US attorneys general wrote a strongly worded letter to major AI companies.

Solutions: Uncensored AI - Enoch AI: A new AI project by Brighteon has trained its AI on sources of natural health information, and you can start using it today.

Share this post with your crew. 🚢

🪄 We aim for our show to be well-researched, well-informed and focused on the most impactful stories while being concise

⭐ PLUS - Each story comes with recommendations and there’s one cool tech trick or open-source solution every week.

We’ll be publishing full posts and clips of each of these stories soon.

Today’s AI-driven operating systems send your personal media to big tech companies for analysis, leading to your photos being searchable. And the photo and video editing apps available in big tech app stores silently harvest your data, send your media off to third parties, and sell them to the highest bidder.

Most people don’t even know all this is happening when they snap a photo or edit a video.

Join us for a FREE Webinar: Media Mastery: Open-Source Photo & Video Editing📅 Monday, September 29, at 12 pm CDT

LEARN HOW TO:✅ Take high-definition photos and videos with Above Phone✅ Use special photo modes like panorama and HDR✅ Organize and protect sensitive photos in a vault✅ Perform basic photo and video editing on Above Phone

BONUS: Exclusive Above Phone discount for attendees!

We’ll also review how Android and iOS users can adjust their settings to increase the privacy and security of the media on their devices.

Any unlocked phone that supports eSIM can use the Above DataSIM!

Above DataSIM is data-only, so network traffic can be encrypted using a VPN. This prevents cell service providers and internet providers from seeing and exploiting your activity. Zero personal information is shared with the carrier, ensuring identities remain private!

Avoid big telecom, travel overseas, and keep on hand for an emergency backup! Set up takes only a few minutes.

Here are our stories for the week:

AI Companions Worse Than Porn: People are turning to artificial intelligence for companionship, seeking emotional connection. AI companies are more than happy to supply this new drug, realizing personalized AI brings the most user engagement. A new Meta leak shows companies adopting a more personal strategy that enables subtle romances with users—including children.

Why Your Word Doc Never Looks Right: Shots fired as LibreOffice, a popular open-source office suite, calls out Microsoft for their proprietary document format. We look at the history of OOXML versus ODF and see how MS strong-armed standardization. But in 2025, does LibreOffice smell blood in the water as governments in Finland and Germany shift to Linux and open source?

Deep Sea Desalination: Water shortages are leading companies to start pumping water from the deep sea. But is this safe? What’s the environmental impact? We take a look as the largest subsea desalination plant prepares to go live off the coast of Norway in 2026.

Solutions: Find your perfect XMPP server! I love XMPP—but finding a server isn’t the easiest task. That’s changing with providers.xmpp.net, a project by XMPP community members that lets you sort and find high-quality servers.

Share this post with your crew. 🚢

🪄 We aim for our show to be well-researched, well-informed, and focused on the most impactful stories—all in 20 minutes (ain’t nobody got more time than that)!

⭐ PLUS - Each story comes with recommendations, and there’s one cool tech trick or open-source solution every week.

We’ll be publishing full posts and clips of each of these stories soon.

✅ XMPP + Above Phone is an excellent communication solution!

Are you ready for a phone that respects you? Enjoy private app stores, secure web browsing and communication, download videos to your phone, navigate with open-source maps, and so much more.

🔥 And best of all, there are zero connections to big tech!

This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Here’s the stories for the week:

Meta’s Content AI Abused by Governments: An anonymous group has released the first part of their data leak analysis from Meta’s Integrity Labs. They allege that Meta’s reporting system was abused to minimize discussion around Palestine in the wake of October 7th. These initial reports were then used to train Meta’s Content AI, creating a global information blackout.

Your Favorite Stores Surveil for the Police: A recent records request indicated that “Flock” license plate cameras have been installed at 171 Lowe’s and Home Depot hardware stores across the US. We’ll cover where the stores are and what these cameras can do.

Build Your Own Pay Phone: Electrical engineer Patrick Schlott installed three free pay phones for anyone who wants to use them in his town. It’s more private than a cell phone and they’re free to use. I looked into a number of free phone projects in the US and also looked at how one could build their own.

Solutions: Want a private FOSS keyboard? We take a look at Heliboard and some upgrades like voice typing, swipe, and more.

Share this post with your crew. 🚢

🪄 We aim for our show to be well-researched, well-informed and focused on the most impactful stories all in 20 minutes (ain’t nobody got more time than that)

⭐ PLUS - Each story comes with recommendations and there’s one cool tech trick or open-source solution every week.

We’ll be publishing full posts and clips of each of these stories soon.

Break the limits of big tech with Above Phone.

You’ll unlock features and freedom you didn’t even know existed.

* Works with any cell service (and even over WiFi with an internet phone)

* Download the apps you love (private app stores)

* Have complete control over your app permissions

Find an Above Phone that’s right for you!

Here’s the stories for the week:

Monero Attack Update: We passed the date of the attack and I think it surprised everyone involved. Now we’re in uncharted territory—a war of attrition. Learn what’s going on.

EU Age Verification Forces Google On Its Citizens: The EU just released an open-source age verification app that’s supposed to be private. There’s only one problem—it forces use of Google services. Developers are pissed. This could impact the future of degoogled phones. Tune in!

AGPL Is Not FOSS: The AGPL license is commonly used in open-source projects, but it imposes a requirement on its users. Is it actually FOSS?

Inventor of Plastoline Missing: 21-year-old inventor Julian Brown turned plastic into gasoline, in his backyard. Now he may be in danger. We’ll look into his work and whether we can turn plastic into fuel.

Solution: Mine Monero on Your Computer in 3 Minutes with Gupax.

Thanks for watching the TBOT Show! This post is public so share it with your crew. 🚢

🪄 We aim for our show to be well-researched, well-informed, and focused on the most impactful stories all in 20 minutes (ain’t nobody got more time than that)

⭐ PLUS each story comes with recommendations and there’s one cool tech trick or open-source solution every week.

We’ll be publishing full posts and clips of each of these stories next week!

This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to unlock Source Insights.

Finally, a laptop that respects your privacy and your freedom of choice.

✅ Modern reliable hardware.

✅ A cutting-edge Linux OS that's actually easy to use.

✅ Access to more software than ever before.

❌ And best of all, no big tech tracking!

#TBOT show 8 and feeling great. Raising the alarm on an important story.

Here’s the stories for the week:

Monero Attacked by a Centralized AI Crypto: A new cryptocurrency focused on training AI has devoted its network resources to Mining Monero, openly announcing its intention for a 51% attack. What’s the scoop on this crypto and do they have a chance at killing Monero? We investigate.

Australian Social Media & Search Engines Require Age Verification: Australia’s ban of under 16’s from social media goes into effect in December. Online services like social media and search engines will be required to perform age checks under threat of fines. What’s your exposure risk, and is there a way to get around these checks?

Microsoft Certificate Keys Expiring, Threaten Alternative OS’: Do you use an older computer and want to install Linux? Well, better disable secure boot! Microsoft’s shim keys are expiring on September 11th, which means you won’t be able to install an alternative OS past that point.

New LED Tech Could Transform Indoor Food Production: A new patented narrow-band lighting technology could hit plants just right for massive gains in nutrition.

Solution: Mine Monero on Your Computer in 3 Minutes with Gupax.

Thanks for watching the TBOT Show! This post is public so share it with your crew. 🚢

🪄 We aim for our show to be well-researched, well-informed, and focused on the most impactful stories all in 20 minutes (ain’t nobody got more time than that)

⭐ PLUS each story comes with recommendations and there’s one cool tech trick or open-source solution every week.

We’ll be publishing full posts and clips of each of these stories next week!

This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to unlock Source Insights.

Finally, a laptop that respects your privacy and your freedom of choice.

✅ Modern reliable hardware.

✅ A cutting-edge Linux OS that's actually easy to use.

✅ Access to more software than ever before.

❌ And best of all, no big tech tracking!

Took a week off and now I’m back. 😎 (with a new addition to the show?!) (also, big sorry for the show being 40 minutes)

Here’s the stories for the week:

Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat - The Real Story: The tech mogul Jack Dorsey released a censorship proof messaging app in late June - named Bitchat. It runs a bluetooth mesh network, end to end encryption, and rolling IDs and is picking up traction. I share my thoughts on the app, and concerns I have - but that’s not even the real story. I think Jack has a bigger message than just the app.

World’s First eSIM Hack: A security lab out of Poland just demonstrated a hack on one of the largest SIM providers for IoT devices. We’ll get techy in our understanding and ask the question, could this impact our phones?

Digital ID, Coming Soon To Mexico: The Mexican government has signed a new Biometric ID law, known as the CURP. How is this enforced and what does it mean for Mexican residents? Find out today.

Decentralized Video Conferencing: Recently I’ve been relying more on video conferences instead of calling people, especially while traveling. Good thing I’ve got the Jitsi app, I’ll show you my setup!

New Show, “Source Insights”: You follow #TBOT to stay informed on tech freedom. Now go deeper with a new weekly show “Source Insights”, where Hakeem shares his tools, lifestyle and productivity tips, entrepreneurial advice, wisdom from guides, and personal experiences.

Go deeper, join me as a Source Seeker. Unlock access with a paid subscription.

UNLOCK ACCESS

Thanks for watching the TBOT Show! This post is public so share it with your crew.

🪄 We aim for our show to be well-researched, well-informed and focused on the most impactful stories

⭐ PLUS each story comes with recommendations and there’s one cool tech trick or open-source solution every week.

We’ll be publishing full posts and clips of each of these stories next week!

Take Back Our Tech is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Are you ready for a phone that respects you?

Enjoy private app stores, secure web browsing and communication, download videos to your phone, navigate with open-source maps, and so much more.

🔥 And best of all, there’s zero connections to big tech!