October 2016 - cypherpunks - lists.cpunks.org

An opening to stop DRM in Web standards
by Steve Kinney 09 Oct '16

09 Oct '16

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Propaganda worth catapulting, IMO. :o) Tim Berners-Lee just gave us an opening to stop DRM in Web standards Submitted by Zak Rogoff on October 6, 2016 - 12:27pm This week, the chief arbiter of Web standards, Tim Berners-Lee, decided not to exercise his power to extend the development timeline for the Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) Web technology standard. The EME standardization effort, sponsored by streaming giants like Google and Netflix, aims to make it cheaper and more efficient to impose Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) systems on Web users. The streaming companies' representatives within the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) were unable to finish EME within the time allotted by the W3C, and had asked Berners-Lee for an extension through next year. Berners-Lee made his surprising decision on Tuesday, as explained in an email announcement by W3C representative Philippe Le Hégaret. Instead of granting a time extension — as he has already done once — Berners-Lee delegated the decision to the W3C's general decision-making body, the Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee includes diverse entities from universities to companies to nonprofits, and it is divided as to whether EME should be part of Web standards. It is entirely possible that the Advisory Committee will reject the time extension and terminate EME development, marking an important victory for the free Web. https://www.defectivebydesign.org/blog/tim_bernerslee_just_gave_us_openi ng_stop_drm_web_standards =or= https://tinyurl.com/kill-web-DRM -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.22 (GNU/Linux) iQEcBAEBAgAGBQJX+hr5AAoJEECU6c5Xzmuq1hkH+gMhcyGvkkcce/XC60+8E7A4 lUxawuOXIpnsvuArRoYhHdGDzSP2BbJcDkojbmFgbp2kYvL/PTOkODIl9FqnBTmM Bmp0JiQwwoequxwCZ6vXzKnBNnBq6TF4+j6ZCS4Gp0moV/etfAlFFiWN6VQL0D2Y Jy4gI1j5731vUQWariKIjiJBX+aUkqFNdPTLtCOIyOxDlICg94mRzq5M/cByRV0Z MovG8EJ4TJyxS5jTqW/T4PJpJ9j8/yMyzDH8I2qrsSDwiizrL4RY/DecHGtRV6xA a9hBS2mKX7i+Ah3VqE3vO/CfhmhZJuKwWhDkBbse1Ai4z8oWAJ1zocDLNgpjbg0= =3hKG -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

1 0

Freenet and OnionCat
by Mirimir 08 Oct '16

08 Oct '16

It may be old news, and Freenet peers connect well enough via OnionCat <http://mh7mkfvezts5j6yu.onion/>. I've been taking a somewhat different approach. I'm also using OnionCat, but I focused first on anonymously reaching peers via the open Internet. I have a node that hits the Internet through an "anonymous" VPS proxy. The node reaches the proxy via IPv6 OpenVPN via OnionCat. The node binds locally only to tun1, and in the proxy, tun1 forwards to eth0. Anyone interested in playing? Contact me off-list, if you like.

1 0

[NotTheOnion] Want a career with zero chances of going jobless? CyberSecurity.
by Razer 08 Oct '16

08 Oct '16

You know what they say about the market. When everyone is getting in, it's time to bail... WASHINGTON - Want a career with zero chances of going jobless? Try the booming field of cybersecurity. Companies can’t hire fast enough. In the United States, companies report 209,000 cybersecurity jobs that are in need of filling. It’ll only get worse. By 2019, according to the Cybersecurity Jobs Report, the workforce shortfall may reach 1.5 million. Globally, the shortage could hit 6 million, it added. “The internet is growing faster than the growth of people to protect it,” said Michael Kaiser, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Alliance. It is a problem with the full attention of the White House, which in July called for “immediate and broad-sweeping actions to address the growing workforce shortage and establish a pipeline of well-qualified cybersecurity talent.” A dramatic rise in cybercrime has put government in competition with private companies for hiring cybersecurity experts. Private companies recoil at the possibility of hackers stealing their proprietary information, holding their data for ransom or plundering their servers of the personal information of clients. The shortage in job candidates is not an easy or quick problem to address, experts said. “It takes a long time to develop the instincts to be an effective cybersecurity engineer. You can’t just come out of college and know what to do,” said David Foote, a tech industry researcher and co-founder of Foote Partners of Vero Beach, Florida. “The threat landscape changes all the time, and that’s hard to train for,” Kaiser added. Foote said both government and private industry faced shortages: “In the short term, it’s not looking good. There are so many employers who are way behind in staffing.” Efforts to poach cybersecurity experts occur at a blistering pace. Some 46 percent of working cybersecurity professionals said they received solicitations for other jobs “at least once per week,” according to the State of Cyber Security Professional Careers, a survey released last month jointly by the Enterprise Strategy Group and Information Systems Security Association. “Turnover in the cybersecurity ranks could represent an existential risk to organizations in lower-paying industries like academia, health care, the public sector and retail,” the survey said. In the federal government’s push to expand cybersecurity training, it has targeted all levels of education, including $125 million in National Science Foundation grants to primary and secondary schools. It has also designated nearly 200 colleges and universities as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. Many universities are gearing up programs to meet the surge in demand. “We will start teaching the first group of students in two weeks,” said Alan M. Usas, the director of the new executive master’s in cybersecurity program at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. “Interest has been extremely high.” But luring younger students into cybersecurity can be a tough sell. “People who are graduating from college are looking for the next killer app or to create the next startup,” said Katrina Timlin, an associate fellow in the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Cybersecurity has little of the cachet of other areas of information technology, such as machine learning, and cybersecurity experts aren’t even always loved at their own companies. Their departments are not revenue generators. And their constant efforts to penetrate systems can raise hackles. “They have to have that nonconformist edge where they can pick apart a problem. That kind of personality pushes some people’s buttons,” Timlin said. As they look for flaws in existing networks and systems, cybersecurity experts can find themselves at loggerheads with technology engineers who built the systems, she said. Cybersecurity encompasses far more than just technology issues. “Most every company that has an internet presence by definition is a global company,” Usas said. When hacks occur, “there’s forensic work that needs to be done,” he added, but often legal and policy issues come into play, as well as human behavior analysis. “There are a number of straight deep tech jobs, but there are also a number of hybrid jobs,” Foote said, noting that computer hacks can affect accounting and finance divisions, as well as logistics, marketing and legal affairs. Those who are already established in cybersecurity and leading teams at companies are well-compensated. “There is some talk out there, I’ve heard it, that lead software security engineers are making $230,000 and $240,000 a year. It’s crazy,” said Foote. Foote’s consulting firm receives compensation data from 2,914 employers who report on what they pay 255,650 full-time technology professionals. In the most recent quarter, Foote said, the firm found an average salary of $99,000 for a cyber security specialist with three years’ experience in design, deployment and administration of security systems. For a more senior employee with at least five years of experience and strong knowledge of digital controls and protection strategies, the national average salary is $118,000. Cybersecurity jobs in the United States pay an average of $6,500 more than other information technology professions, a premium of 9 percent, according to a July report, Hacking the Skills Shortage, by Intel Security and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. --30-- With (snigger) job leads > http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/national-security/art…

1 0

The Democratization Of Censorship
by grarpamp 07 Oct '16

07 Oct '16

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2016/09/the-democratization-of-censorship/ (Notable irony in the path of layering practices, rules, security, mandates, laws, police... effectively / eventually censorship... to combat censorship.)

2 2

Sim Theory
by grarpamp 07 Oct '16

07 Oct '16

https://science.slashdot.org/story/16/10/06/1352205/tech-billionaires-are-a… http://www.businessinsider.com/tech-billionaires-want-to-break-humans-out-o… http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/sam-altmans-manifest-destiny https://games.slashdot.org/story/16/06/03/0049258/elon-musk-one-in-billions… Tech Billionaires Are Asking Scientists For Help To Break Humans Out of Computer Simulation Many believe that we live in a computer simulation. But it takes a billionaire and his money to ask scientists to help break us out of the simulation. The New Yorker recently did a profile about Y Combinator's Sam Altman. In the story, Altman discusses his theories about being controlled by technology and delves into the simulation theory. From an article on The New Yorker: Many people in Silicon Valley have become obsessed with the simulation hypothesis, the argument that what we experience as reality is in fact fabricated in a computer; two tech billionaires have gone so far as to secretly engage scientists to work on breaking us out of the simulation. Business Insider adds: The piece doesn't give any clue as to who those two billionaires are -- although it's easy to hazard a few guesses at who they might be, like Musk himself or Altman's friend Peter Thiel -- but it's fascinating to see how seriously people are taking this theory. According to Musk, it's the most popular topic of conversation right now.Earlier this year, at Code Conference, Elon Musk said there's "one in billions" chance we're not living in a computer simulation.

8 9

Tox.Chat: A New Kind Of Instant Messaging
by grarpamp 07 Oct '16

07 Oct '16

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12657891 https://tox.chat/ Whether it's corporations or governments, digital surveillance today is widespread. Tox is easy-to-use software that connects you with friends and family without anyone else listening in. While other big-name services require you to pay for features, Tox is completely free and comes without advertising — forever. Instant messaging Chat instantly across the globe with Tox's secure messages. Voice Keep in touch with friends and family using Tox's completely free and encrypted voice calls. Video Catch up face to face, over Tox's secure video calls. Screen sharing Share your desktop with your friends with Tox's screen sharing. File sharing Trade files, with no artificial limits or caps. Groups Chat, call, and share video and files with the whole gang in Tox's group chats. What makes Tox different? Tox is made by the people who use it — people fed up with the existing options that spy on us, track us, censor us, and keep us from innovating. There are no corporate interests, and no hidden agendas. Just the simplicity and functionality that are set free when people truly want to connect. Encrypted Everything you do with Tox is encrypted using open-source libraries. The only people who can see your conversations are the people you're talking with. Distributed Tox has no central servers that can be raided, shut down, or forced to turn over data — the network is made up of its users. Say goodbye to server outages! Free Tox is free software. That's free as in freedom, as well as in price. This means Tox is yours — to use, modify, and share — because Tox is developed by and for the users.

3 2

testing
by Greg Newby 07 Oct '16

07 Oct '16

The list seems quiet... Cpunks List <cypherpunks(a)cpunks.org>

5 7

New York City: Facials Now Compulsory For All Residents Leaving Their Home
by grarpamp 07 Oct '16

07 Oct '16

https://yro.slashdot.org/story/16/10/06/2142257/new-york-to-test-facial-rec… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puWovVz7CfU http://www.vocativ.com/365430/ny-facial-recognition-cameras-bridges-tunnels/ In a 35-minute speech detailing a landmark $100 billion investment into state infrastructure, largely focused on New York City and Long Island, Governor Andrew Cuomo made a number of promises that would thrill New Yorkers, like the promise of a renovated Penn Station, called Penn-Farley, a direct train from there to LaGuardia Airport, and the completion of the long-awaited Second Avenue Line. Oh, and facial recognition cameras around the city, he said: "At each crossing, and at structurally sensitive points on bridges and tunnels, advanced cameras and sensors will be installed to read license plates and test emerging facial recognition software and equipment." "We're going to be using this in Penn-Farley and we also want to be testing it in bridges and crossings system," he added. On the matter of facial recognition cameras, Cuomo was shy on details. It's unclear how many cameras will be deployed, which agencies will have access to them, what defines a crossing, how citizens' photos will be stored, and what photo databases will be used to compare against the faces of the millions of people who drive into the city. In his speech, Cuomo referenced the cameras as necessary for New York to adapt to 21st century security threats. "In this age of terrorist activity and lone wolves, if you look at points of vulnerability you'll go to our tunnels and to our bridges. So really they have to be reimagined for a new reality," he said.

1 0

Wikileaks: Guccifer 2.0 teaser exposes pay-to-play and financial data.
by jim bell 06 Oct '16

06 Oct '16

http://observer.com/2016/10/exclusive-wikileaks-guccifer-2-0-teaser-exposes… Exclusive: WikiLeaks Guccifer 2.0 Teaser Exposes Pay-to-Play and Financial Data Observer obtains a 19-page packet showing the DCCC overtly backed preferred candidates in Democratic congressional primaries By Michael Sainato • 10/05/16 11:45amHours after WikiLeaks held an early morning press conference commemorating their 10th anniversary, hacker Guccifer 2.0 released a trove of documents he claimed were from the Clinton Foundation. WikiLeaks tweeted the 800+MB of files hacked by Guccifer 2.0 shortly after. The documents include several Democratic National Committee (DNC), Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and Virginia Democratic Party documents, though Guccifer 2.0 said he obtained them in a hack from the Clinton Foundation.The Clinton Foundation has denied this. Alleged communication files were leaked from the Clinton Foundation to the Observer upon request through Guccifer 2.0’s Twitter account, but the Clinton Foundation has not yet responded to a request for a statement on those specific documents.The most embarrassing file leaked in the release suggests that several Democratic congressmen received kickbacks from big banks in exchange for the bailout of the financial industry after the 2008 economic recession. An excel spreadsheet released in the leak said big bank TARP recipients donated over $37 million in the 2007-08 campaign cycle, with Democrats receiving 57 percent of those donations.“The Hispanic Constituency team goal is to help establish a ‘positive’ spin in the media that will concentrate around the highlights of President Obama’saccomplishments and his vision for the Hispanic community,” read a document from 2012 with the header, “Hispanic Media Plan.” The plan also advised using “Weekly columns, letters to the editor, op-eds and other print media & Digital media campaign by DNC and surrogates.”In August, Politico reported Democratic Party leaders planned to claim future leaks included fabricated content from the Russians, but the contact information for many of the donors listed in the documents appears to be accurate. Virginia Democratic Party executive director Tom Buneo’s credit card information was leaked under Democratic National Convention files, along with copies of lease agreements for the offices of the Virginia Democratic Party.DCCC finance director Melissa Kurek’s mortgage statement and 2015 W-2 were also released in the leaks (like nearly every DNC and DCCC staff member, Kurek was anavid Clinton supporter throughout the primaries). “The Democratic National Party was aware that its systems were deficient from a security perspective and its records had been compromised in 2015,” noted WikiLeaks in their anniversary press packet. “Yet the DNC lied to donors and said no financial information had been compromised. This lie means that the DNC broke the mandatory US security laws of notification of breach, namely DC Code §28-3853.” A 19-page Red-to-Blue profile packet of Democratic Congressional candidates the DCCC was fundraising for was leaked, showing the DCCC overtly backs preferred candidates in Democratic congressional primaries.A folder titled “pay-to-play” was also included, consisting of opposition research on Republicans in Congress, citing bills they supported while receiving campaign donations from entities who benefit from their stance.WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has hinted that more WikiLeaks and Guccifer 2.0 hacks will be released just in time for the election.

1 0

Wikileaks says Wednesday is the End for Hillary.
by jim bell 06 Oct '16

06 Oct '16

http://nation.foxnews.com/2016/10/02/wednesday-hillary-clinton-done-reports… "Is it the October surprise?MSNBC’s Jesse Rodriguez posted what could be interpreted as an ominous reemark on social media last week regarding Julian Assange.…ominous if you’re with Team Hillary.According to the “Morning Joe” senior producer, the founder of the whistle-blowing platform WikiLeaks will be making an announcement from his balcony next Tues, October 4.Assange appeared on Fox News just a few weeks ago and repeated previous claims that his organization has significant documentation that could be damaging to the Hillary Clinton campaign.He said that WikiLeaks may release some “teasers” from the collection of documents “reasonably soon — as early as next week.”UPDATE: There have been reports that the balcony announcement ( not necessarily the October Surprise itself) has been cancelled due to “security concerns.”Assange’s group leaked nearly 20,000 emails from the Democratic National Committee that showed the party effectively rigged the primary against Clinton rival Bernie Sanders. The revelation resulted in the resignation of DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.Donald Trump pit bull Roger Stone was quick to speculate on a possible end result of Assange’s reported announcement, posting on Twitter that Hillary Clinton is “done” on Wednesday. [end of partial quote] http://www.bizpacreview.com/2016/10/02/wednesday-hillary-clinton-done-repor… -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What I, Jim Bell, can say is: "HURRY UP WIKILEAKS!" Jim Bell

16 105