#TBOT: Take Back Our Tech

⚡️The Best Way to Beat SIM Swaps? Stop Using a Phone Number.

Telecoms can’t protect your number—but you can.

That’s why we created the Above DataSim. No phone number. No physical SIM. And it can’t be reactivated on a hacker’s device.

It’s self-ownership in action—and it works on any modern phone.

Watch the full webinar: SIM Swap Survival Guide
Learn more: abovephone.com/datasim

Want mobile data without surveillance? Try the Above DataSIM.

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🫶 @takebackourtech
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📣 Big Updates: What’s New at Above

Summer is here, and so is your monthly dose of updates from Above. We’ve got new guides, product features, interviews, and more 👇

📱 5 Must-Change Privacy Settings
Still using a Big Tech phone? Or know someone who is?
Download our free guide and share it with friends + fam who need to secure their devices.

🎙️ New Weekly Show: TBOT
Catch Hakeem every Friday as he breaks down the week’s biggest tech news + offers solutions in under 30 min.
Subscribe on Substack

💳 Payment Plans Now Available
Break up your order with Klarna or Afterpay at checkout (U.S. only).
Tried it? Let us know.

💰 Crypto Checkout
Pay with Bitcoin or Monero at checkout — easy and private.

📤 Above Share is Live
Easily transfer files between people or devices—securely and privately.
Learn more

📦 Monthly Above Suite Now Available
Try Above Suite without a yearly commitment—just $15/month.

🛡️ Coming Soon
– Above Care: Device protection plans
– Support Subscriptions: More help for those transitioning from Big Tech

🎥 Webinar Replay: SIM Swap Survival Guide
SIM swapping cost Americans $25M in 2024. Learn how to avoid it.
Watch the replay

📞 July Community Call (Customers Only!)
We’re replacing next month’s webinar with our first-ever customer call.
🗓️ July 31 @ 11 AM CDT — keep an eye on your inbox for an invite.

🌍 Where in the World is Above?
Hakeem hit the podcast circuit. Catch his recent interviews:

– Why Privacy Is Essential (Dr. Trozzi Interview)
– GrapheneOS + Efani = Ultimate Security

🤝 Partner Spotlight: Mike Adams & Enoch AI
Mike’s launching Enoch AI — a free, offline, open-source knowledge model built to bypass censorship and empower individuals.

🎓 Education is Empowerment
We’re actively updating Above University with new tutorials and support resources.

Stay tuned — more to come 🔐

⚡️Leaving Big Tech to Build a Private Future

I joined the Healthier Tech Podcast to share why I walked away from the Big Tech industry to create Above Phone—and what I’ve learned about the deep ties between surveillance, smartphones, and our health.

🎧 Listen to the full episode

We talk about how modern devices are designed to track your every move, why that matters more than ever, and what you can do to take back control.

👩‍💻 Get private phones, laptops, and tablets
🏫 Sign up for our back to school webinar
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🫶 @takebackourtech
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⚡Is It Hard to Switch to Above Phone?
@takebackourtech

Jack Spirko asked me a great question: how hard is it to switch over if you're not super tech-savvy?

The answer: it’s easier than you think. When you get an Above Phone, we walk you through everything. We’ve got step-by-step video tutorials, written guides, and 1-on-1 support to answer your questions. You’re not alone — we’re with you the whole way.

Watch the full interview here.

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#TBOT Show 8: Monero Attacked By a Centralized AI Coin, Linux Users who use PCs - watch out, Australian Age Verification

WATCH ON SUBSTACK

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.

Australian Social Media & Search Engines Require Age Verification: Australia’s ban of under 16s from social media goes into effect in December.

Microsoft Certificate Keys Expiring, Threaten Alternative OS’: Microsoft’s shim keys are expiring in September 11th, which means you won’t be able to install 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.

🔓 Unlock Source Insights, Become a Paid Subscriber
🏫 Back to School Tech Awareness Webinar

#TBOT Show 8: Monero Attacked By a Centralized AI Coin, Linux Users who use PCs - watch out, Australian Age Verification

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

WATCH THE SHOW ON SUBSTACK

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’ll investigate.

Australian Social Media & Search Engines Require Age Verification: Australia’s ban of under 16s 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 in September 11th, which means you won’t be able to install 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.

🪄 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.

Share this post with your crew. 🚢

Follow the show:

https://takebackourtech.org

https://tbot.substack.com

🔓 Unlock Source Insights, Become a Paid Subscriber
🏫 Back to School Tech Awareness Webinar
🐇 Connect at the Living Free Festival
🌍 Get Tickets to The People's Reset

⚡️Best and Worst Tech I Saw in Japan

Japan blew me away with some of its tech — the bullet train is next-level, ordering food is seamless, and conveyor belt sushi? A dream.

But not all of it felt good…

I also saw facial recognition everywhere… and even tech that blasts high-pitched sounds to keep teens out of stores.

🎥 Watch the clip to see what amazed me — and what raised red flags.

—
🫶 @takebackourtech
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VIDEO | Seventeen-year-old Omar Nizar Asfour and nine other Palestinian children were released from Israeli prisons after being abducted weeks ago at a so-called humanitarian aid point (death traps) in Al-Shakhoush, north of Rafah.

The children were seized near the site where Israeli forces had opened fire on starving civilians.

In their testimonies, they described severe abuse, including electric shocks, beatings, sleep deprivation, and even grenades thrown into their cells.

They were starved, denied medical care, blindfolded for days, and treated “like dogs,” with food pushed toward them by foot.

Tickets for The People's Reset: MX 2026 Are Now Available!

Don't miss your chance to join 100's of freedom loving, solutions-focused Activators in Morelia, Mexico from January 28th to February 1st.

Get your tickets to the 5-day Activation for only $144 USD!

Tickets include:
- 5 days of presentations
- Access to 60 workshops
- Access to our Agora market vendors
- Family and kids activites
- ceremonies
- 2 Live Concerts featuring conscious artists
- COMMUNITY!

Tickets go up to $188 USD on September 1st.

Get yours now: https://thepeoplesreset.org/tickets

⚡ Reducing EMF Harm—New Study with Geophilia

We’ve partnered with Geophilia and conducted an exciting new study on reducing EMF harm from your phone. EMF radiation—from WiFi, cellular, and Bluetooth signals—has been linked to anxiety, depression, fertility issues, and even cancer.

Together with Dr. Lydia De Leon and Arturo Ponce de Leon, we explored technologies that reduce the biological effects of EMFs—and the study results are powerful.

📊 Real data. Real solutions.
📱 Find out how your Above Phone is getting even safer.

🎥 Watch the full reveal here.

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🫶 @takebackourtech
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📂 Want alternative news? Check out these channels 📢

#TBOT is now part of GeopoliticsLive, a collection of channels covering geopolitics, politics, global news, economy, and more. All English speaking! Stay informed.

Whether you're seeking in-depth analysis, breaking news, or expert insights, our catalog has got you covered.

👉 ADD CHANNELS

⚡️XMPP Made Simple - Live Setup Demo in Corbett Report

I joined James Corbett on Solutions Watch to talk all things XMPP—one of the oldest, most reliable, and private messaging protocols around. In this segment, I walk through a live demo so you can see just how easy it is to set up and start using XMPP, without relying on invasive messaging platforms.

🛠️ Grab the free guide here: https://takebackourtech.org/xmpp/

📺 Watch the full interview on The Corbett Report.

—
🫶 @takebackourtech
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Palestinians risk Israeli sniper fire, drone strikes, tank fire, and stampedes in hopes of feeding their families.

Bringing home a bag of flour has become a daily battle for survival in the Strip.

Not everyone makes it back alive.

Excited for tonight’s Know Your Rights seminar!
I’ve added powerful new topics we didn’t cover last time — including trespassing laws, AG checkpoints, when to ask for a supervisor, and how to find local laws in your area.

Spots still open — we start at 6 PM PST. LFG!

Sign up now: https://www.jasonbassler.com/book-online

⚡️Mexico’s Biometric ID: Oh Crap, its the Cuerpo

Mexico has long valued privacy—cash is king, and SIM cards can still be bought anonymously. But that’s changing fast. The government just passed the Biometric CURP law—linking your ID number to fingerprints, iris scans, a photo, and an electronic signature.

Read full article on Substack.

The CURP, or Cuerpo, is already used in residency. Now it’s becoming a full Digital ID. Rollout starts in Veracruz, expands to Mexico City, and becomes mandatory nationwide by February 2026.

It will be required for voter ID, school registration, social programs, and likely services like utilities and SIM cards.

Officials who don’t enforce it face million-peso fines. Mexico is ensuring full compliance.

This could be the most terrifying story you hear—or the most hopeful. Some will opt out and build something better.

👩‍💻 Get private phones, laptops, and tablets
🏫 Sign up for our back to school webinar

⚡️Hackers Trick You Into Helping Them

SIM swappers can spoof calls and texts to answer security questions meant for you—like who you called last or who called you.

All they need is one urgent-sounding message to get you on the phone—and closer to stealing your number.

The good news? You can shut this down with better habits and better tools.

Watch the webinar now: SIM Swap Survival Guide

Want real protection? Learn more and shop privacy-first tech.

—
🫶 @takebackourtech
📩 WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER | 🎥 VIDEOS| XMPP | SUBSTACK

⚡️First eSIM Hack Hints at Phone Backdoors

A Polish security lab just hacked the eUICC—the chip that manages SIMs and stores carrier secrets. They targeted IoT devices running Kigen OS, which powers over 2 billion SIMs worldwide. By exploiting insecure Java applets, they gained access to protected memory, cloned SIMs, and exposed sensitive data that was supposed to stay locked away.

Read full article on Substack.

Even worse, Oracle shrugged off responsibility. Vulnerable Java Card setups could exist across major devices—Samsung, Apple, and possibly others.

This is why we built Above DataSIM. It skips phone numbers and SMS entirely, eliminating the usual attack surface. Pair it with Above Phone, which runs GrapheneOS out of the box, and a VPN, and you’ve got layered, resilient protection against emerging threats like this one.

🤖 Follow the show
👩‍💻 Get private phones, laptops, and tablets
📲 Learn more on our webinars
🏫 Sign up for our back to school webinar

How to be a better person:
1. Truly desire to be better
2. Have the courage to be better when the choice presents itself

Is it really that easy?

These cameras are everywhere and most people have no clue what they're doing.

Read More: https://thefreethoughtproject.com/government-surveillance/the-open-source-project-deflock-is-mapping-license-plate-surveillance-cameras-all-over-the-world

Support my work: https://linktr.ee/Jebassler

Telegram: https://t.me/jasonbassler
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JasonBassler1
Minds: https://www.minds.com/jasonbassler
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason.e.bassler

⚡ Why Multiple Profiles Matter
@takebackourtech

In this clip, I explain why creating isolated user profiles on your phone is a must—especially when using invasive apps that harvest your data. These profiles act like separate phones within one device, giving you the power to compartmentalize your life and keep sensitive activity walled off.

When you can’t trust the app, trust the system you build around it.

Learn how to use profiles to reclaim your digital space.

Watch the full webinar now!

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