Nope - aware of juice jackers, so I only used my own cables and adapters (even have a USB condom).
I'm generally pretty security aware, but my only theory of how it landed there is some cellular exploit. Whether it was a crafted MMS, a custom cell site, or something else I don't know.
I did use mobile data for some ubers, but that was off-site.
It was Android :-) WiFi, NFC and BT turned off. It was Android 12 I believe, back in 2022.
Random files appearing in the downloads folder on my phone has only happened once
¯\(ツ)/¯
I've had it for a while myself, but haven't managed to find anyone on the Bluetooth mesh outside of DEF CON. Would be cool to see it more in the streets!
This official response from I4C just adds to the legitimacy of Bitchat's use as a local and decentralized chat.
The way that kids and students learn has changed drastically ever since the start of the world wide web. We no longer need schools or teachers to acquire information or knowledge.
What we need teachers for now is to teach how to interpret the information that we find, to verify its authenticity, and when & how to challenge that information.
With AI (still hate that term) it has become easier than ever to use shortcuts in thinking. Why figure out of the answer when you can just have the answer presented to you? Big Brother loves you!
Teachers are more important than ever, lest we want a society of sheep that can only think as far as the internet and AI let them, which by this point is largely controlled by tech giants and governments. See Information Warfare.
Also worth a read/dive:
State-Sponsored Internet Propaganda
Cognitive Warfare