Meta’s Latest Attack on Privacy

I've long had an interest in online privacy. I use Brave browser on my Android which blocks a lot by default, disable location except when I need it, and log out of Facebook everywhere. I've used Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)'s Privacy Badger and a number of other Chrome extensions on my desktop Chrome for years. I still use Firefox/Developer for development work. This setup works OK, but its always irritated me that Android Chrome doesn't allow extensions, which is why I have it installed but rarely use it.

Last week I took my daughter to the Gold Coast for a few days, to celebrate completing her undergrad studies. We spent a day hitting the shops at Pacific Fair. An hour after we got back to our hotel, I started getting ads on Instagram & Facebook for a shop I'd WALKED INTO earlier that day. I was in there less than 3 minutes, didn't try anything on, neither of us have ever bought anything from this store, we don't follow it on social media, and neither of us have ever had ads for this store before. My daughter didn't even go in, and I didn't use my phone while I was in there.

This type of surveillance literally makes me see red. It is intrusive and inappropriate and unwelcome, and it shouldn't be allowed. I understand that cameras are there to prevent shoplifting, and I get that marketing is a thriving industry, and I even help small business with their digital marketing efforts. But this has become waaay too much. 😡 Whenever it happens it always reminds me of that scene in "Minority Report" when Tom is on the run and gets bombarded with customised holographic ads - which is funny until you remember that movie is from 2002 and it seemed ridiculous at the time. 

This morning I read that Meta has been doing some incredibly dodgy stuff with Meta Pixel, which is now embedded in about 20% of the world's busiest websites. According to EFF:

"Meta’s tracking pixel was secretly communicating with Meta’s apps on Android devices. This violates a fundamental security feature (“sandboxing”) of mobile operating systems that prevents apps from communicating with each other."

There's more technical detail in the article. I'd like to say I don't understand it but after 30+ years on the internet I understand it perfectly. As long as we have these old non-technical political types running the show who don't have any idea what they're doing technology-wise, and techlords who only care about $$$ so they keep building stuff to make more $$$, and they are allowed to give the $$$ to the old non-technical political types to keep them compliant and not creating laws to contain them, it will continue. This is not the internet I envisaged and was so excited about back in the 1990's. 😢 

Read the article, all we can do is keep trying.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/06/protect-yourself-metas-latest-attack-privacy

This article was first published on LinkedIn

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Google is looking for someone with "10 years of experience as a pre-sales or engineering manager in relation to AI." 🤦‍♀️ 😂

 

Google is looking for someone with "10 years of experience as a pre-sales or engineering manager in relation to AI." 10 years? Good luck with that one fellas 🤦‍♀️ 😂 

Lately I'm seeing a lot of job ads (clearly written by AI), wanting "AI experience". To do what?

I love a good analogy so here's one. It's like saying you want someone "experienced with cars". To do what? To drive? Design? New strategy? Product development? Manufacture? Build electronics? Service? Paint? To achieve what end? What kind of car? What brand? Existing technology or new? 

The devil is in the detail, and ads that articulate the What and Why are far more interesting than these generic "AI experience" ones. Right now, few businesses are truly profiting from AI implementations and many are losing, so specifying exactly what AI skills an individual needs to have, and how long they need to have had them for, is vaguely ridiculous to those of us who have been utilising and innovating with often new technology to solve business problems for decades.

Technology is the tool, not the solution. It’s the means, not the end. That includes AI and whatever the next shiny buzzword will be.

I wrote an article about practical applications of innovating with AI.

Happy weekend!

This article was first published on LinkedIn

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Ivanhoe Station Petition Victory!

Today we've "declared victory" (change.org's language to close a petition) on our petition to have TGSI installed at Ivanhoe Station. If you signed the petition you may receive the following email, reproduced below:

Victory! Ivanhoe Station Now Has TGSI Installed!

In January 2025, we launched this petition calling for Tactile Ground Surface Indicators (TGSI) to be installed at Ivanhoe Station, ensuring safe, independent access for blind and low-vision commuters. Over the past five months, 10,470 people signed, shared and advocated for this essential upgrade, proving the power of community-driven action.

On 1 June 2025, our campaign succeeded - TGSI have now been installed on both platforms at Ivanhoe Station!

The photo accompanying this update reflects the journey: Lilly, once standing on an inaccessible platform in summer, now stands confidently on newly installed TGSI in winter. This transformation represents more than infrastructure change - it’s a victory for accessibility, advocacy and inclusion.

This campaign gained momentum thanks to every single person who signed, shared and supported our efforts. A special thank you to the individuals, organisations and media who helped amplify this message. Without you, this would not have happened.

Although we’re closing this petition, The Future Is Accessible continues. We are committed to ensuring accessibility is never an afterthought, advocating for further improvements across Melbourne’s transport network.

Thank you for being part of this journey - this victory is yours too.

🔗 We've launched a website - https://thefutureisaccessible.au/

This article was first published on Facebook

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Victory! TGSI Installed at Ivanhoe Station

After months of tireless advocacy, Tactile Ground Surface Indicators (TGSI) have now been installed at Ivanhoe Station – a huge win for accessibility and inclusion in our community.

This campaign began with a simple but urgent question: why was Ivanhoe Station one of the few remaining train stations in Melbourne without TGSI? These raised dots on the ground serve an essential purpose – helping visually impaired individuals navigate safely and independently. Despite ongoing advocacy from Lilly’s family and orientation & mobility specialists, Ivanhoe Station remained overlooked for years.

That changed with a determined grassroots campaign, backed by over 10,000 petition signatures and widespread community support. And now, we’ve achieved the result we fought for – both platforms at Ivanhoe Station have TGSI installed!

A Collective Effort

A campaign like this doesn’t succeed without the incredible support of individuals, advocacy groups, and community leaders. Huge thanks to everyone who signed, shared, and supported our petition. Special recognition goes to:

• Gabrielle Williams MP and her team, Nick McGowan MP, Anthony Carbines MP, Cr Alida McKern – Banyule Council, Chelsworth Ward, Jy Sandford
• Confident Steps, Vision 2020 Australia, Vision Australia, Guide Dogs Australia
• ABC Melbourne, ABC News, Herald Sun, The Melbourne Snap
• Public Transport Victoria, Metro Trains Melbourne
• Ivanhoe & Ivanhoe East traders
• and every one of the 10,000+ petition signatories

Your voices, combined with persistent advocacy, made this happen.

Lessons in Purpose-Driven Action

For many involved in this campaign, this was their first time advocating for an accessibility initiative. This campaign was proof that combining knowledge with purpose-driven action can create real-world change. Over five months, we learned, adapted, and worked together to achieve a tangible result.

This is what advocacy is about – the intersection of strategy, digital, and community impact.

What’s Next?

Accessibility doesn’t stop here. While this milestone is worth celebrating, there’s always more to do. The Future Is Accessible, and we’re just getting started.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. Stay connected for the next step! 😉

🔗 Join the conversation on Facebook

This article was first published on TheFutureIsAccessible.au

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