UK VPN Ban, Substack Data Breach & TV App, Rumble Launches Shorts

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UK VPN Ban, Substack Data Breach & TV App, Rumble Launches Shorts - Indie's Tech Tips LIVE! 02-19-26

Join INN co-founder Indie for a live AMA on the tools and strategies that built multiple media brands to 30k+ followers. A recording from Thursday's livestream, recorded Thursday, February 19, 2026

Indie

Feb 21, 2026

Join INN co-founder Indie for another live AMA on the tools and strategies that helped build multiple media brands to 30k+ followers without spending a dime on paid ads. We’re cracking open the toolbox for creators, streamers, and publishers to show you how we do what we do.

This Week’s Articles/Stories/Videos Referenced:

Prime Minister Keir Starmer looking into banning VPNs in UK? Kit Knightly
- https://off-guardian.org/2026/02/16/starmer-to-add-vpns-to-uks-social-media-ban/
- https://piunikaweb.com/2026/02/16/uk-vpn-age-verification-children-consultation/
Glenn Greenwald returning to Substack, ending his Rumble Show, System Update. He denied it, but it’s still a big statement about Rumble and Locals Glenn Greenwald
- https://greenwald.substack.com/p/welcome-back-to-substack
  Glenn Greenwald
  Welcome Back to Substack!
  As many of you know, Substack is where I found a home for my journalism when I left The Intercept, the media outlet I had co-founded, shortly before the 2020 election. (The censorship saga that caused my resignation has been amply reported and need not be rehashed here.) Although Substack at the time was a relatively unknown platform still in its incipi…
  Read more
  12 days ago · 1297 likes · 32 comments · Glenn Greenwald
- Glenn’s last episode of “System Update”
- https://rumble.com/v75ejo0-system-update-show-999.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp_f
- Glenn also did a livestream with Substack co-founders Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie to reintroduce himself and for maximum splash
- https://substack.com/@cb/note/p-187558663?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=539iu
Substack introduces Substack TV app for video: On Substack
- https://open.substack.com/pub/on/p/introducing-the-substack-tv-app-now?r=539iu&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=post%20viewer
  On Substack
  Introducing the Substack TV app, now in beta
  Today we’re launching the Substack TV app for Apple TV and Google TV. Substack is the home for the best longform—work creators put real care into and subscribers choose to spend time with. Now these thought-provoking videos and livestreams have a natural home on the TV, where subscribers can settle in for the extended viewing that great video deserves…
  Read more
  a month ago · 1613 likes · 806 comments · Zach @ Substack
Substack had a data breach, 700k affected: Daily Dark Web
- https://dailydarkweb.net/substack-data-breach-leads-to-leak-of-nearly-700000-records/
My article on the Book Bots - EXCLUSIVE: Are AI Bots Scraping Substack?
- https://www.indiemediatoday.com/p/exclusive-are-ai-bots-scraping-substack-021426-indies-tech-tips?r=539iu
BlueSky Bots figured out a growth multiplier: Conspirador Norteño Conspirador Norteño
- https://www.conspirator0.com/p/a-strange-set-of-starter-packs?r=539iu
  Conspirador Norteño
  A strange set of starter packs
  Over the last three months, 27 Bluesky accounts belonging to prominent technology reporters and news organizations experienced a rapid uptick in follows from newly-created accounts with little or no content. While it is not unusual for new Bluesky users to follow well-known…
  Read more
  7 days ago · 10 likes · Conspirador Norteño
Jenn Budd wants to leave Substack, but there’s no good alternative. She is mirroring to Ghost and Wordpress was a big fail: Jenn Budd
- https://open.substack.com/pub/jennbudd/p/update-on-borderland-talk-on-substack?r=539iu&utm_medium=ios
  Borderland Talk with Jenn Budd
  Update on Borderland Talk on Substack.
  Lately, I have received multiple accounts of Substack forcing some of my followers to unfollow. I say forcing because these followers have stated to me that in no uncertain terms did they unfollow me. It became clear to me that this is some sort of intentional attack on my work when my wife found she had also somehow suddenly unfollowed me. Additionally…
  Read more
  8 days ago · 105 likes · 19 comments · Jenn Budd
Michael Ginsburg launches service to help people exit Substack for self-hosted Ghost - $500 for complete transfer & setup: Michael Ginsburg
- https://michaelginsburg.thrivecart.com/substack-to-ghost-turnkey-migration/?utm_source=sendfox&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=do-you-have-a-substack-publication-are-not-sure-what-to-do-next
- https://actionabletruth.media
Rumble launches shorts, publicly announces 97% of paid subscription revenue to creators (but they’re burying the subscribe button), Subscriber-only chat.
- https://x.com/chrispavlovski/status/2019105515197063325?s=20
  Chris Pavlovski 🏴‍☠️@chrispavlovski
  The eagle has landed. Rumble Shorts (web) is now live. Rum Pirates -- its showtime, LFG!
  5:47 PM · Feb 4, 2026 · 62.4K Views
  86 Replies · 96 Reposts · 779 Likes
- My 1st Short Uploaded to Rumble (I created it here in Substack for free):
- https://rumble.com/shorts/v75ovq8?e9s=src_v1_ucp_a_s
- Rumble bragging about their passing 97% of monthly channel subscriber revenue for creators, but as I pointed out in a recent article, they’re now only showing the “Subscribe” button when a channel is live at the bottom of the chat box. Rick Racela
- https://x.com/ric_rac/status/2022460776213008601?s=46&t=l_iy3TIb0ynzeH0gjwLxAA
  Rick Racela@ric_rac
  Rumble has a 97/3 split on subs
  Zach Bussey 🇨🇦 @zachbussey
  Twitch has informed creators who were previously under guaranteed legacy 70/30 sub-split contracts that they have been moved to the Plus Program. For now, they retain a 70% split on subs, though it's unclear whether this is in perpetuity.
  11:59 PM · Feb 13, 2026 · 6.86K Views
  20 Replies · 28 Reposts · 118 Likes
- EXCLUSIVE: Rumble Burying Channel Subscriptions? Crypto Wallet LIVE! | Indie’s Tech Tips: Indie, Indie Media Today
- https://www.indiemediatoday.com/p/exclusive-rumble-burying-channel-subscriptions-crypto-wallet-live-indies-tech-tips-12242025?utm_source=publication-search
  EXCLUSIVE: Rumble Burying Channel Subscriptions? Crypto Wallet LIVE! | Indie's Tech Tips
  Indie
  ·
  December 25, 2025
  Read full story
- CEO Chris Pavlovski’s plan for creators to be able survive financially and grow your brand off YouTube, using Rumble’s tools
- https://x.com/chrispavlovski/status/2019116059442426055?s=20
  Chris Pavlovski 🏴‍☠️@chrispavlovski
  Multi-stream with Rumble Studio Earn cash with Rumble Studio sponsorship ads Clip your streams in Rumble Studio Upload them to Rumble Shorts Go viral on Rumble
  6:29 PM · Feb 4, 2026 · 29.4K Views
  82 Replies · 80 Reposts · 474 Likes
- Rumble recently introduced Subscriber-only Chat for livestreams
- https://x.com/GamingOnRumble/status/2020149497964183719?s=20
  Gaming on Rumble 🏴‍☠️@GamingOnRumble
  More control for creators Sub only chat has arrived! 😎
  2:55 PM · Feb 7, 2026 · 9.05K Views
  9 Replies · 29 Reposts · 123 Likes
Cloudflare / AWS / YouTube Went Down, Rumble Gloats, seizes the opportunity to make their pitch to creators.
- https://x.com/NewsBlast17/status/2023930104175366627?s=20
  elENoCHle@NewsBlast17
  YouTube, Google, AWS, and Cloudflare hit with massive outage.
  1:18 AM · Feb 18, 2026 · 42.5K Views
  71 Replies · 337 Reposts · 1.09K Likes
- https://x.com/chrispavlovski/status/2023939038994972874?s=20
  Chris Pavlovski 🏴‍☠️@chrispavlovski
  Rumble is running smoothly. All of big tech is sitting in the same tree and they are all down. Not good. Everyone should be backing up on infrastructure outside of their realm, like Rumble Cloud.
  1:54 AM · Feb 18, 2026 · 80.4K Views
  102 Replies · 211 Reposts · 1.27K Likes
Rumble Goes More in on Crypto - Wallet Allows Tether Stablecoin: Bitcoin News
- https://x.com/bitcoinnews/status/2024260557352669398?s=46&t=l_iy3TIb0ynzeH0gjwLxAA
  Bitcoin.com News@BitcoinNews
  TODAY: 📺💸 Rumble Wallet announces it now supports Tether's US-backed stablecoin USA₮. The integration allows creators on the video platform to receive payments directly in US dollar-backed digital currency. This comes as @rumblevideo previously added $BTC support.
  11:11 PM · Feb 18, 2026 · 7.79K Views
  37 Replies · 26 Reposts · 115 Likes
OpenClaw - is it going to take over the world?
- It’s the most powerful tool I’ve ever used: Alex Finn
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qkqe-uRhQJE
- Please DON’T Install OpenClaw - a Warning: Alberta Tech
- https://youtu.be/11sxky4vTcs?si=UVTY1qRES3GMfOxc

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