CODA: Musk Might Be Gone, But Watchdogs Warn Trump/DOGE Carnage Will Continue
EFF: “Cover Your Tracks is two things: a tool for users to understand how unique and identifiable their browser makes them online, and a research project to uncover the tools and techniques of online trackers and test the efficacy of privacy add-ons.
Running tests on Cover Your Tracks gives you information about your own browser’s privacy protections, and also helps EFF use statistical methods to evaluate the capabilities of third-party trackers and the best forms of protection against them. In 2010, EFF launched this project as “Panopticlick,” a research project to investigate how unique each browser is.
We gathered information about the configuration and version information from your operating system, your browser, and your plugins, and compared it to our database of many other Internet users’ configurations. Then, we generated a uniqueness score letting you see how easily identifiable you might be as you surf the web. A paper reporting the early statistical results of this 2010 experiment was published in the Proceedings of the Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (PETS). In 2015, we upgraded the project with a new feature: tracker blocker testing.
Millions of Internet users are using privacy add-ons and other tools to block trackers, including tools like AdBlock, Ghostery, and Disconnect. But how well do these add-ons actually protect users from invasive tracking? Our new version of the project, rebranded and launched in 2020 as Cover Your Tracks, researches both how unique your browser is and how effective tracker blockers are.
We analyze how well you are protected against online tracking by checking the privacy protections you have in place. The test simulates loading of various types of trackers, and determines your level of protection based on if the trackers load or not. Even if your privacy add-ons are working well, you may still be vulnerable if your browser fingerprint is unique.
So we also analyze the uniqueness of your browser and let you know how it stacks up to other visitors we’ve observed recently. We generate a report about your tracker protections and browser fingerprint for your own use, and we’ll use anonymous results from your test when generating uniqueness results for others when they take the test…”
Judge Chutkan Lets Case Against Trump’s Shadow Government Proceed
LegalAF By Michael Popok: “A blockbuster ruling out of federal court just put the brakes on Donald Trump’s alleged attempt to bypass Congress and install a shadow government headed—at least in part—by none other than Elon Musk. Federal District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan has ruled that a lawsuit brought by 14 states challenging the legality of Trump’s so-called “Doge” agency will not be dismissed.
The lawsuit alleges that Elon Musk—through his de facto control of the Doge agency—has been exercising power over at least 17 federal departments and agencies, wielding sweeping executive authority without Senate confirmation, without proper legal appointment, and in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution.
