Hacker News Recap December 21st, 2025 | Flock and Cyble Inc. weaponize “cybercrime” takedowns to silence critics
10 snips
Dec 22, 2025 Flock and Cyble Inc. are under fire for allegedly using cybercrime takedowns to silence their critics. Developers voice their woes about frustrating logging practices that hinder productivity. Concerns arise over the EU's 'Going Dark' initiative that may jeopardize encryption. A user's complaint highlights the hardware restrictions limiting Windows 11 upgrades. Explore a curated list of influential books and check out the Ruby website's redesign for improved navigation. A new tool, Wallet Wallet, offers an easy way to create Apple Wallet passes.
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Legal Takedowns Can Be Misused
- Companies can weaponize cybercrime takedown mechanisms to silence critics rather than just remove illegal content.
- This trend raises ethical and free-speech concerns and calls for transparency and accountability.
Logging Often Adds Noise Not Clarity
- Developers find logging frameworks produce excessive verbosity and make debugging harder instead of easier.
- The community calls for improved logging approaches that balance detail with usability.
Chat Controls Threaten Encryption
- EU proposals to scan private messages risk undermining end-to-end encryption and user privacy.
- Critics fear such measures create vulnerabilities and set dangerous precedents for surveillance.