Monthly Mosh Pit - May 26
Big Tech news is horrifying, but don't be angry about it every day. Instead focus your rage in the mosh pit once a month 🤘🏼 with our news roundup, then get back to your life!
Summary (click to expand)
May 2026 was another generous month of the surveillance machine opening its kimono. From therapy apps selling data to Big Tech, to cars brazenly harvesting and selling vast amounts of data, to Meta tracking its own employees’ every keystroke and selling ever-more cameras disguised as sunglasses, the attention economy revealed its true face: not convenience, but control. Even the US military found itself hoisted by its own petard, as the location-data free-for-all it helped encourage (the RTA system) was turned against its personnel proving that when personal data becomes a commodity and is abused, everyone is ultimately for sale.
If mass surveillance is the disease, AI hype is the fever. Chatbots are leaking secrets, inducing psychosis, and silently installing themselves on your machines without consent, while the bubble’s architects quietly offload data-centre debt before the pop.
Palantir’s 'crisis-to-lock-in' playbook met rare resistance in the UK, and Meta’s legal thuggery reached new lows silencing whistleblowers, censoring journalists, and pouring billions into age verification laws that serve its bottom line, not children’s safety.
Yet May also showed that the machine has weaknesses. The EU is demanding billions in taxes and fines, communities are fighting data-centre sprawl, and Linux developers just dodged Colorado’s absurd OS-level age checks. Big Tech’s chokehold is tightening, but so is the backlash - read on to get yourself up to date.
Mosh pit in the Big Tech cesspit of horrors
Last month was a doozy for big tech horrors, so let's open up this pit, people!
General
https://pluralistic.net/2026/05/25/lying-spies/ An excellent article from Cory Doctorow explaining what we've been saying all along: the targeted ads (attention economy) business model is a corrupt cancer at the heart of the internet and any hardware it touches.
"Everyone in the ad-tech sector is lying to everyone else in the ad-tech sector... It's your basic hive of scum and villainy"
https://sinceyouarrived.world/taken this website might come as a bit of a shock - it shows what data is instantly volunteered to websites you visit, and how that data is used to track you. If you browser sells you out then check out our list of better ones and always use a VPN
https://mashable.com/article/meta-employee-surveillance-ai-training Meta continue their anti-human manifesto by tracking their employees' movements on screen so they can replace them with AI.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj37z8357e5o Meta's creepy ray-ban surveillance glasses are selling well, despite the obvious and well documented harms. Is society becoming 'surveillance comfortable'? Is this the next step for those who think having a Ring doorbell, and tracking their partner's smartphone location, is normal?
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/05/new-mexico-meta-court-fine Update on the Meta court case in New Mexico: (5th May) the attorney general is now looking to impose a bigger fine (in the billions) and force large changes to Meta's products. Unfortunately they ask for age verification (but also request immediate deletion of ID data).
https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/as-new-mexico-trial-nears-finish-meta-casts-doubt-on-harms-of-teen-social-media/article_757283bd-190f-4d61-9c37-22c2c956b9cf.html Update on the Meta New Mexico case: (21st May) Meta hit back with the bullshit argument that social media is actually not harmful at all. Riiiiiiiiight..... we refer you to our social media page for a reminder to the contrary.
https://rebalance-now.de/en/von-der-leyen-halts-billions-dollar-fine-against-google-criticism-from-parliament-and-civil-society/ the EU appears to have caved to the US and halted a fine that should have been imposed on Google (in the $billions)
https://www.ft.com/content/4c3aad70-e0cb-46a2-95d5-15d11b6bf818?accessToken=zwAAAZ4ZBG5Nkc9MOq1w4MtGotOV1RXRG2v4GA.MEUCIGwjmnATJl_BcoaQFMTCqNC5cutUkUuJFQJ_hnA8243TAiEA0_UKjGs0XxwdFapvKKabWHw1KSlJRDm0FbIo2Q0oC74&sharetype=gift&token=d068446f-2b39-4e10-8996-983bbd3ab08e&syn-25a6b1a6=1 the Financial Times map out what would happen if the US tech companies hit the kill switch. All the more reason to take part in the Big Tech Walkout!
Start your Big Tech Walkout now, it's fun and easy, and can be done at your own pace:
Video from Proton about how creepy Google is
https://youtu.be/WJ8clVdaRKA 👆🏼 Proton have made this great video showing how much Google spies on you. It's only 10 minutes long but really covers a lot of ground. The back door they mention at the end is something we've been warning about: the RTB system.
https://edri.org/our-work/ireland-investigates-meta-for-breaching-the-dsa-a-year-on-from-our-complaint/ Meta breaching the DSA (Digital Services Act). Of course they are...
https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2026/meta-faces-court-over-android-tracking-claims.html Meta in court for illegal tracking in Android. Of course.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-plans-fine-google-high-triple-digit-million-euro-sum-handelsblatt-reports-2026-05-25/ EU planning to fine Google "a high triple-digit million euro amount" for breaching the DMA. This is from a contravention in 2025 for favouring their own services in search results.
https://youtu.be/VnUxRahoBJU 👆🏼 Do not use therapy apps! They are selling your most sensitive information for advertising dollars. Meta, Google, Snap, TikTok are the buyers 🤢 And don't use AI chatbots for anything personal (especially therapy) because they sell your data too (and keep it for their own profile of you).
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/pentagon-says-us-military-personnel-are-reportedly-being-targeted-using-location-2026-05-28/ US military personnel targeted using (advertising) location data. Leopards ate their face? Yes. We've warned from the start about the massive data breach that is the RTB system, but it's ironic to see the US military complaining about it, when they actively encourage the data free-for-all. Especially amazing to see that they want to follow Phase 1 of our Big Tech Walkout programme 😂:
"Calls for disabling ad IDs, restricting location sharing, and moving away from Chrome on devices"
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/zuckerbergs-superyacht-arrives-in-seattle-the-same-day-meta-laid-off-1400-local-employees/ Never to be outdone for callous uncaring attitude, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg berths his super yacht in Seattle to coincide with announcing local layoffs at Meta. Cringe, and ripped to shreds in this funny article about fed-up orcas 😂
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/31/meta-legal-action-forces-facebook-whistleblower-to-stay-silent-at-hay-festival Talking of callous and uncaring - Sarah Wynn-Williams, author of Careless People, the excellent expose of Meta - was forced to sit in silence at a festival chat panel, due to the ongoing legal action Meta are taking against her. She was unable even to nod or shake her head 😬
Palantir
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2l2j1lxdk5o the UK gov ditches a Palantir IT system that was a rip-off. This shows their method of coming in during a crisis, offering a service for free (or very cheap) and then cranking the cost shortly after. They did the same with the NHS during lockdown.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyp1e11px0o The Palantir contract for the MET police has been blocked, for now. The deputy mayor cited ethics, vendor lock-in and lack of a tendering process.
https://stoppalantir.org/ this UK organisation has sprung up to oppose Palantir. Sign their petition and learn about why Palantir are dangerous.
Death tech, smart spies and facial recognition
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/03/guilty-until-proven-innocent-shoppers-falsely-identified-by-facial-recognition-struggle-to-clear-their-name Facial recognition software gets it wrong in shops, with no accountability. If you're falsely flagged as a shoplifter - too bad.
https://tuta.com/blog/meta-ai-analyses-pictures-detect-underage-users Meta AI is scanning your images and claiming that's not facial recognition tech. And why would they lie? Remember that Meta have embedded their AI in WhatsApp.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260513-your-car-is-spying-on-you-its-about-to-get-worse Cars are now smart devices, and you know what that means: data harvesting. This BBC articles sounds the alarm. Any car made later than 2021 is suspect.
Start your Big Tech Walkout now, it's fun and easy, and can be done at your own pace:
Age verification & Digital ID
https://web.archive.org/web/20260429000153/https://tboteproject.com/ We're mentioning this research project again as it reveals that Meta has poured billions of dollars into trying to get age verification laws passed. Think about why that is... The site appears to have been shut down, so that is an archive page. No doubt Meta's lawyers got to them.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/may/26/wes-streeting-keir-starmer-social-media-ban-labour-uk-politics-live Prime Minister hopeful Wes Streeting comes out in favour of a social media ban, on the eve of the UK consultation. This guy is tight with big tech leaders. See our article for why a ban is the wrong solution.
https://www.freezenet.ca/age-verification-yoti-gets-wrapped-up-in-massive-privacy-scandal/ Age verification company Yoti caught in a data scandal: over-harvesting and selling it. A big reason why age gating is the wrong approach.
Big Tech vs democracy
https://democracyforsale.substack.com/p/dominic-cummings-moonshot-agency-aria-big-tech-52m-google-open-ai learn about ARIA, the UK government's secretive unaccountable 'tech investment vehicle', and how it funds dodgy US tech.
https://apnews.com/article/stock-trading-trump-nvidia-apple-defense-1bd6e661929430892ae8f1eced3e0df8 Trump insider trading and shameless corruption - more than 3600 trades on big tech sticks in first quarter of 2026. Incompatible with democracy - especially when mainstream media is complicit.
https://www.thenewsminute.com/andhra-pradesh/video-on-people-displaced-for-vizag-google-data-centre-blocked-by-meta-after-govt-notice Meta colluding with Google to get one of their data centers built: banning an investigative article. Very anti-democratic, very big tech.
https://www.wired.com/story/us-law-enforcement-warns-of-anti-tech-extremism/ 'Anti-tech extremism' now being highlighted by US law enforcement as a domestic terrorism threat. Violence is never the answer, but neither is condemning peaceful protest.
In the AI bubble
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c242pzr1zp2o Two cases of serious AI psychosis. A reminder to never put any personal information about yourself into a big tech AI chatbot - doesn't matter which one. See our article on using AI privately.
https://www.404media.co/nature-retracts-paper-on-the-benefits-of-chatgpt-in-education/ Research that said ChatGPT was good for education has been retracted. Bad research was aggregated using bad methods. Served the hype machine well though, didn't it!
https://www.thatprivacyguy.com/blog/chrome-silent-nano-install/ Another reason not to use Chrome: Google are using it to install a small version of Google Gemini AI onto your machine without permission! wtf 😱
https://www.404media.co/literacy-in-future-technologies-artificial-intelligence-act-adam-schiff-mike-rounds/ USians' education system getting further shafted - first funding cuts, now AI literacy 🤦♂️
https://www.ted.com/talks/anil_seth_why_ai_is_unlikely_to_become_conscious 👆🏼 a good TED Talk about why AI will never be conscious, from expert Anil Seth (not a booster!)
https://reclaimchildhoodmedia.substack.com/p/the-cost-of-no-friction not a May news story, but an amazing article that teaches parents that children are wired differently, and if social media doesn't damage them, using LLMs definitely will. They reduce the ability to "individuate" - form the self and develop self trust. It's a long article but there is so much there - recommended.
https://www.ft.com/content/08aba5e4-5834-4e79-a48d-989a2c5bad0f (Archive link) Bubble pop alert! FT article showing that banks are offloading their data centre debt to try to avoid getting fleeced. That's a sure sign the needle is approaching the bubble. Even hyper scalers (the mega Big Tech companies) can't fund these data centres out of cash anymore, and are turning to loans. But the banks are getting spooked.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sekoul_turns-out-your-favorite-chatbot-is-maybe-activity-7459585868501090304-X9iF 👆🏼 AI chatbots intentionally sell your personal data! (See image above) this shows how your AI chatbot data is intentionally leaked.
https://leakylm.github.io/ and here's further proof - at the technical level. Do not put personal data into chatbots! If you must use AI, do it privately: see our blog post on that topic.
https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/5767/big-oil-big-algorithm-public-money-private-models long form article from Privacy International discussing the black box nature of AI models, and who is really in control, particularly when it comes to deployment in government.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ai-boom-propping-up-economy-as-some-guardrails-coming-off-andrew-ross-sorkin-60-minutes-transcript/ an investor journalist view on the bubble - comparing it to 1929 😬
If you take part in The Big Tech Walkout then the issues in these newsletters will not affect you so badly. Start now, it's fun and easy, and can be done at your own pace:
It's not all bad!
https://www.heise.de/en/news/Digital-tax-in-sight-EU-Parliament-demands-billions-from-Big-Tech-11279461.html The EU is planning to tax big tech companies. But will they enforce it?
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/opinion/meta-facebook-zuckerberg.html?unlocked_article_code=1.m1A.B12H.cWsnEmgnnlpX&smid=em-share (gift article) NYT opinion piece gives mainstream media space to trashing Meta - showing that it's in decline. Some good quotes:
This is the company that profited from trafficking in lies, that tuned its algorithms to boost hatred and division, that stole our data and used it against us, that created the culture of toxic memes that are now central to our degraded public discourse.
Meta’s properties, which are already riddled with fraud and scams, are likely to get even worse, given that the company has been slashing its work force in key areas focused on A.I. safety and identifying dangerous and illegal content. That means its apps are likely to grow even more polluted with everything from A.I. deep fakes to child sexual abuse material.
https://www.dw.com/en/data-centers-ai-tech-infrastructure-digital-growth-cybersecurity-geopolitical-risk/a-77106191 some context about the extent of data centre deployment to date, even before AI, and the push back that's happening from local communities.
https://blazetrends.com/how-linux-developers-defeated-the-new-os-age-verification-laws/ Linux is exempted from Colorado's daft OS-level age verification law 🥳
If the bad news all seems too much, then side step it by starting The Big Tech Walkout. Start now, it's fun and easy, and can be done at your own pace:
Tech tip of the month
Aegis - 2FA 'authenticator' app. An alternative to Google Authenticator, this open source app works better and does not feed the dependence on Google's app ecosystem that most people struggle to escape from. An easy swap, and you can migrate your apps and services that use 2FA over to it at your own pace, one by one.
Book recommendation
Weapons of Math Destruction, by Cathy O'Neil. A fascinating look at the pervasive nature of algorithms in society. This was written in 2016 and is very much relevant today. The problem is worse now, so even more reason to learn about the problem from this easy-to-read book.
Blog recommendation
Open Rights Group - thing of ORG as the UK version of EFF. Their blog is great to keep up to date with their campaigns and the issues they think are important.
Film recommendation
Ghost in the Machine - organise a screening (online) with your friends - totally worth the (minimal) effort so you can have a synchronised, intentional watch of this extraordinary film about the truth behind AI development.
Rebel Tech Alliance is a non-profit dedicated to getting as many people off big tech products as possible. Why? Because that reduces screen addiction and the surveillance economy, which in turn reduces the surveillance state. And that's just good news all round.
