Reddit Wi-Fi Rental, 4Chan vs UK, and Meta’s Wiretap Scandal.

So, the internet has outdone itself again. A Reddit post went viral this month, and let me tell you: privacy advocates are crying into their Signal chats, while law enforcement officers are slamming their foreheads into their desks hard enough to reboot Windows 95.

Here’s the setup: some Redditor casually admits they’re being paid $250 a month by a “residential IP network provider” (read: dodgy-as-hell proxy company) to host devices in their home. And no, that’s not a typo, they’re literally renting out their internet connection to strangers.

They even bragged that the company pays their DSL bill. How generous! Nothing screams “definitely not shady” like free broadband from a company that slid into your DMs on social media. The poor soul seems dimly aware this is a bad idea (“It is stupid for me to do this” - no arguments there, champ), but still… the money was too good to pass up. Meanwhile, God only knows what’s being piped through their IP address. Could be Netflix. Could be ransomware. Could be both. Either way, if SWAT shows up at 3am, $250 a month suddenly feels like pocket change.

Meanwhile, over in the UK, OFCOM decided to pick a fight with 4Chan, yes, that 4Chan. The message-board that’s been proudly powered by chaos and spite since its inception. OFCOM wants them to comply with Britain’s shiny new Online Safety Act, and in response, 4Chan basically said: “LOL, no.”

And honestly, what did the British government expect? 4Chan is built on a foundation of flipping the bird to authority. Asking them nicely to follow the rules is like asking raccoons to politely leave your bins alone.

They’ve now lawyered up, claiming OFCOM is waging an “illegal campaign of harassment.” OFCOM, of course, is threatening fines of £20,000 plus daily penalties. But here’s the thing: 4Chan’s lawyers clapped back with “American businesses don’t lose their First Amendment rights because some British bureaucrat sends a strongly worded email.” Translation: “Pipe down, Westminster.”

And this all comes just weeks after Keir Starmer said the UK wouldn’t be interfering with US companies. That aged about as well as milk in the sun.

Finally, let’s talk about Meta, because what’s a month in tech without Zuck’s empire getting caught with its hand in someone else’s cookie jar?

A federal judge just ruled that Meta violated California’s wiretap law by harvesting private data from Flo Health, a period-tracker app. That’s right, the app people used to log something deeply personal was quietly piping that data to Meta and Google for targeted advertising.

Because obviously nothing says “respecting user privacy” like turning intimate health details into ad campaigns for scented candles and pregnancy vitamins.

The lawsuit dates back to 2021, and it’s finally been confirmed: Meta was eavesdropping, California law says that’s illegal, and now the fallout begins. Privacy advocates are furious. Meta, on the other hand, will probably just write a cheque with more zeros than most of us will ever see and move on. After all, if you’re going to break privacy laws, may as well do it at scale.

Final Thoughts...

So, to recap this month:
- A Redditor rented out their Wi-Fi to criminals for beer money.
- OFCOM tried to slap 4Chan, and 4Chan slapped back harder.
- And Meta was caught listening in on people’s reproductive cycles like a nosy neighbour with a stethoscope.

Honestly, if privacy were a play, this month would be a full-blown farce.

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This months cyber spotlight, vulnerability chat & privacy headlines.

Amazon Q gets punked, whilst the UK tries to ID-check the entire internet.
https://breachaware.com/research/amazon-q-gets-punked-whilst-the-uk-tries-to-id-check-the-entire-internet
A total of 14 breach events were found and analysed resulting in 7,953,345 exposed accounts containing a total of 36 different data types of personal datum. The breaches found publicly and freely available included MyQuran Edu, ULP 0029, TigerOne EU, Affinitiv and Stealer Log 0538.

UK MPs Get AI Fake IDs, Chaos Ransomware Loses Millions, and Dark Web Forums Eat Themselves.
https://breachaware.com/research/uk-mps-get-ai-fake-ids-chaos-ransomware-loses-millions-and-dark-web-forums-eat-themselves
A total of 31 breach events were found and analysed resulting in 14,232,366 exposed accounts containing a total of 46 different data types of personal datum. The breaches found publicly and freely available included ULP Alien TxT File - Episode 20, Conversion Media Group, BDV, ULP 0030 and College Search.

Dating App Disaster, Forum Chaos, and SwatWiki’s Dumb Demise.
https://breachaware.com/research/dating-app-disaster-forum-chaos-and-swatwikis-dumb-demise
A total of 14 breach events were found and analysed resulting in 30,062,800 exposed accounts containing a total of 32 different data types of personal datum. The breaches found publicly and freely available included Stealer Log 0539, Have I Been Drained Crypto Drainer, ULP Alien TxT File - Episode 21, Indian Business Owners and Le Surfaces.

Hackers Doxed, $82M Bitcoin Heist, and BreachForums’ Final Death.
https://breachaware.com/research/hackers-doxed-82m-bitcoin-heist-and-breachforums-final-death
A total of 21 breach events were found and analysed resulting in 363,354,424 exposed accounts containing a total of 22 different data types of personal datum. The breaches found publicly and freely available included !.1KKK USA, Moscow IT Department, Huntio, O2 - UK and Singapore Eye & Vision.