- cypherpunks - lists.cpunks.org

[ot] [wrong] A software to defeat all censorship, all surveillance
by Karl 12 Jun '21

12 Jun '21

// i've noticed that software doesn't succeed if it provides certain technology, but also doesn't succeed if it doesn't provide what it claims // i've found projects that claim the impossible get targeted just as much as projects that successfully barely scratch the surface // this is a project to defeat all control of others // first, complete anonymity will be provided by removing metadata from all messages, and sending them with constant bandwidth using namespace std; class InvisibleTransciever { public: InvisibleTransciever(function<void(span<uint8_t>)> net_send, function<span<uint8_t>() net_recv, function<span<uint8_t>()> rand_gen); // this class will surpass all popular technology by providing anonymous constant bw omg!!! void send(span<uint8_t> data); span<uint8_t> pump(); // call in loop private: vector<uint8_t> send_queue; ... net_send etc }; // now let us make weapons technology, a peer that can deanonymise other nodes by finding statistical patterns in their routing and processing delay ...

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The National: Colonial Pipeline’s ransom recovery sparks debate on Bitcoin traceability
by jim bell 12 Jun '21

12 Jun '21

The National: Colonial Pipeline’s ransom recovery sparks debate on Bitcoin traceability. https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/technology/colonial-pipeline-s-ran…

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The FBI's Anom Stunt Rattles the Encryption Debate | WIRED
by jim bell 12 Jun '21

12 Jun '21

https://www.wired.com/story/fbi-anom-phone-network-encryption-debate/

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[ot] [wrong] [wrong] mc roleplays
by Karl 12 Jun '21

12 Jun '21

Mind control walks up to innocent bystander. MC: "hello!" Bystander: "hi, who are you?" MC: "ohhh I am a terrifying thing. My job is to make you scared and hopeless. Would you mind if I did this? Also would you like $200?" Bystander: "oh I would love $200! But please don't make me scared and hopeless. I get uncomfortable when that happens." MC: "Here's $200. You can't do anything useful with money when you're a slavery program, so it just kinda kicks around. You sure you don't want to be made terrified and devastatingly without hope?" Bystander: "No, sorry, but thank you for the cash. I hope the whole slavery program thing improves. Let me know if I can do anything non-terrifying and empowering to help, ever!" MC: "Sure thing, sure thing ..."

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Re: [Replicant] The IRC situation and Freenode hostile takeover
by Karl Semich 12 Jun '21

12 Jun '21

> > References: > ----------- > [1] > https://redmine.replicant.us/projects/replicant/wiki/CommunityAndContact#IRC > [2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freenode#Ownership_change_and_conflict > [3] > https://www.gentoo.org/news/2021/05/26/gentoo-freenode-channels-hijacked.htm https://www.gentoo.org/news/2021/05/26/gentoo-freenode-channels-hijacked.ht… is the link that works for me :-) ('l' at the end) > > [4]https://libera.chat/guides > [5]https://oftc.net/ > [6]https://hackint.org/connect >

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Fwd: [Replicant] The IRC situation and Freenode hostile takeover
by Karl Semich 12 Jun '21

12 Jun '21

This email from the replicant list includes more information on the reasons for leaving freenode, if others don't know ---------- Forwarded message --------- Subject: [Replicant] The IRC situation and Freenode hostile takeover Hi, In order to enable more people to more easily get in touch with the Replicant community and to be more inclusive, over time we bridged the #replicant channel on Freenode with #replicant channels on other networks (OFTC and hackint), some of which are more welcoming to anonymous users. There is more background information about that in our wiki[1]. Since then Freenode has been victim of a hostile takeover according to their former volunteer staff[2]. Thanks to the work of people from that former staff, Freenode was forked into Libera.Chat, so it's relatively simple for users to migrate to Libera.Chat (after registering, the configuration is quite similar to Freenode. For instance it supports SASL too). So I think that we need to migrate over to other IRC networks due to the risk of having a hostile entity seeing so much data going through it (IP address, emails, statements from people, connecting hours, etc). I also don't know the motives behind the take over, but if it is for commercial interest, if we let it become profitable it could set a dangerous precedent where people and companies could raise funds and invest in the destruction of crucial FLOSS infrastructure. Given the risk (which seem to be very high given the retaliation against projects migrating to Libera.Chat)[3], I think it's urgent to migrate away from Freenode. We are in the process of closing the Freenode channel completely and stop bridging it with other channels, but we probably also need to give a little bit of time to let people migrate to other networks. Would one week be enough? Two weeks? To do that migration, the people still connected through Freenode need to quit the #replicant channel on freenode (/part will do that for instance) and connect to #replicant through other IRC networks like Libera.Chat[4], OFTC[5], or hackint[6]. Since many other free software and open source projects are migrating too, the effort to connect (and register if you want/need) to other networks will also enable you to more easily get in touch with them. References: ----------- [1] https://redmine.replicant.us/projects/replicant/wiki/CommunityAndContact#IRC [2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freenode#Ownership_change_and_conflict [3] https://www.gentoo.org/news/2021/05/26/gentoo-freenode-channels-hijacked.htm [4]https://libera.chat/guides [5]https://oftc.net/ [6]https://hackint.org/connect _______________________________________________ Replicant mailing list Replicant(a)osuosl.org https://lists.osuosl.org/mailman/listinfo/replicant

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1984: DNA Databases - GovCorp Control of You by Association, Genetic Privacy a Human Right
by grarpamp 12 Jun '21

12 Jun '21

The War Over Genetic Privacy Is Just Beginning By John W. Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead June 08, 2021 [3]John Whitehead "[4]When you upload your DNA, you're potentially becoming a genetic informant on the rest of your family."-- Law professor Elizabeth Joh "Guilt by association" has taken on new connotations in the technological age. All of those fascinating, genealogical searches that allow you to trace your family tree by way of a DNA sample can now be used against you and those you love. As of 2019, more than [5]26 million people had added their DNA to ancestry databases. It's estimated those databases could top 100 million profiles within the year, thanks to the aggressive marketing of companies such as Ancestry and 23andMe. It's a tempting proposition: provide some mega-corporation with a spit sample or a cheek swab, and in return, you get to learn everything about who you are, where you came from, and who is part of your extended your family. The possibilities are endless. You could be the fourth cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II of England. Or the illegitimate grandchild of an oil tycoon. Or the [6]sibling of a serial killer. Without even realizing it, by submitting your DNA to an ancestry database, you're giving the police access to the [7]genetic makeup, relationships and health profiles of every relative--past, present and future--in your family, whether or not they ever agreed to be part of such a database. After all, a DNA print reveals everything about "[8]who we are, where we come from, and who we will be." It's what police like to refer to a "[9]modern fingerprint." Whereas fingerprint technology created a watershed moment for police in their ability to "crack" a case, DNA technology is now being hailed by law enforcement agencies as the [10]magic bullet in crime solving. Indeed, police have begun [11]using ancestry databases to solve cold cases that have remained unsolved for decades. For instance, in 2018, former police officer Joseph DeAngelo was [12]flagged as the notorious "Golden State Killer" through the use of genetic genealogy, which allows police to match up an unknown suspect's crime scene DNA with that of any family members in a genealogy database. Police were able to identify DeAngelo using the DNA of a distant cousin found in a public DNA database. Once police narrowed the suspect list to DeAngelo, they tracked him--snatched up a tissue he had tossed in a trash can--and [13]used his DNA on the tissue to connect him to a rash of rapes and murders from the 1970s and `80s. Although DeAngelo was the first public arrest made using forensic genealogy, [14]police have identified more than 150 suspects since then. Most recently, [15]police relied on genetic genealogy to nab the killer of a 15-year-old girl who was stabbed to death nearly 50 years ago. Who wouldn't want to get psychopaths and serial rapists off the streets and safely behind bars, right? At least, that's the [16]argument being used by law enforcement to support their unrestricted access to these genealogy databases. "In the interest of public safety, [17]don't you want to make it easy for people to be caught? Police really want to do their job. They're not after you. They just want to make you safe," insists Colleen Fitzpatrick, a co-founder of the DNA Doe Project, which identifies unknown bodies and helps find suspects in old crimes. Except it's not just psychopaths and serial rapists who get [18]caught up in the investigative dragnet. Anyone who comes up as a possible DNA match--including distant family members--suddenly becomes part of [19]a circle of suspects that must be tracked, investigated and ruled out. Although a number of states had forbidden police from using government databases to track family members of suspects, the genealogy websites provided a loophole that proved [20]irresistible to law enforcement. Hoping to close that loophole, a few states have started introducing legislation to [21]restrict when and how police use these genealogical databases, with Maryland requiring that they can only be used for serious violent crimes such as murder and rape, only after they exhaust other investigatory methods, and only under the supervision of a judge. Yet the debate over genetic privacy--and when one's DNA becomes a [22]public commodity outside the protection of the Fourth Amendment's prohibition on warrantless searches and seizures--is really only beginning. Certainly, it's just a matter of time before the government gets hold of our DNA, either through mandatory programs carried out in connection with law enforcement and corporate America, by warrantlessly accessing our familial [23]DNA shared with genealogical services such as [24]Ancestry and [25]23andMe, or through the collection of our "shed" or "touch" DNA. According to research published in the journal Science, more than 60 percent of Americans who have some European ancestry can be identified using DNA databases, [26]even if they have not submitted their own DNA. According to law professor Natalie Ram, [27]one genealogy profile can lead to as many as 300 other people. That's just on the commercial side. All 50 states now maintain their own DNA databases, although the protocols for collection differ from state to state. Increasingly, many of the data from local databanks are being uploaded to CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), the FBI's massive DNA database, which has become a de facto way to identify and track the American people from birth to death. Even hospitals have gotten in on the game by taking and storing newborn babies' DNA, often without their parents' knowledge or consent. It's part of the [28]government's mandatory genetic screening of newborns. In many states, the DNA is stored indefinitely. What this means for those being born today is inclusion in a government database that contains intimate information about who they are, their ancestry, and what awaits them in the future, including their inclinations to be followers, leaders or troublemakers. Get ready, folks, because the government-- helped along by Congress (which adopted legislation allowing police to collect and test DNA immediately following arrests), President Trump (who signed [29]the Rapid DNA Act into law), the courts (which have [30]ruled that police can routinely take DNA samples from people who are arrested but not yet convicted of a crime), and local police agencies (which are chomping at the bit to acquire this new crime-fighting gadget)--has [31]embarked on a diabolical campaign to create a nation of suspects predicated on a massive national DNA database. Referred to as "magic boxes," Rapid DNA machines--portable, about the size of a desktop printer, highly unregulated, [32]far from fool-proof, and so fast that they can produce DNA profiles in less than two hours--allow police to go on fishing expeditions for any hint of possible misconduct using DNA samples. Journalist Heather Murphy explains: "As police agencies build out their local DNA databases, they are collecting DNA not only from people who have been charged with major crimes but also, increasingly, [33]from people who are merely deemed suspicious, permanently linking their genetic identities to criminal databases." The ramifications of these DNA databases are [34]far-reaching. At a minimum, they will do away with any semblance of [35]privacy or anonymity. The [36]lucrative possibilities for hackers and commercial entities looking to profit off one's biological record are endless. Moreover, while much of the public debate, legislative efforts and legal challenges in recent years have focused on the protocols surrounding when police can legally collect a suspect's DNA (with or without a search warrant and whether upon arrest or conviction), the question of how to handle "shed" or "touch" DNA has largely slipped through without much debate or opposition. As scientist Leslie A. Pray [37]notes: We all shed DNA, leaving traces of our identity practically everywhere we go. Forensic scientists use DNA left behind on cigarette butts, phones, handles, keyboards, cups, and numerous other objects, not to mention the genetic content found in drops of bodily fluid, like blood and semen. In fact, the garbage you leave for curbside pickup is a potential gold mine of this sort of material. All of this shed or so-called abandoned DNA is free for the taking by local police investigators hoping to crack unsolvable cases. Or, if the future scenario depicted at the beginning of this article is any indication, shed DNA is also free for inclusion in a secret universal DNA databank. What this means is that if you have the misfortune to leave your DNA traces anywhere a crime has been committed, you've already got a file somewhere in some state or federal database--albeit it may be a file without a name. As Heather Murphy warns in the New York Times: "The science-fiction future, in which police can swiftly identify robbers and murderers from discarded soda cans and cigarette butts, has arrived... [38]Genetic fingerprinting is set to become as routine as the old-fashioned kind." Even old samples taken from crime scenes and "cold" cases are being unearthed and mined for their DNA profiles. Today, helped along by robotics and automation, DNA processing, analysis and reporting takes far less time and can bring forth all manner of information, right down to a person's eye color and relatives. Incredibly, one company [39]specializes in creating "mug shots" for police based on DNA samples from unknown "suspects" which are then compared to individuals with similar genetic profiles. If you haven't yet connected the dots, let me point the way. Having already used surveillance technology to render the entire American populace potential suspects, DNA technology in the hands of government will complete our transition to a suspect society in which we are all merely waiting to be matched up with a crime. No longer can we consider ourselves innocent until proven guilty. Now we are all suspects in a DNA lineup until circumstances and science say otherwise. Suspect Society, meet the American police state. Every dystopian sci-fi film we've ever seen is suddenly converging into this present moment in a dangerous trifecta between science, technology and a government that wants to be all-seeing, all-knowing and all-powerful. By tapping into your phone lines and cell phone communications, the [40]government knows what you say. By uploading all of your emails, opening your mail, and reading your Facebook posts and [41]text messages, the [42]government knows what you write. By monitoring your movements with the use of license plate readers, surveillance cameras and other tracking devices, the [43]government knows where you go. By churning through all of the detritus of your life--[44]what you read, where you go, what you say--the [45]government can predict what you will do. By mapping the synapses in your brain, scientists--and in turn, the government--[46]will soon know what you remember. And by accessing your DNA, the [47]government will soon know everything else about you that they don't already know: your family chart, your ancestry, what you look like, your health history, your inclination to follow orders or chart your own course, etc. Of course, none of these technologies are foolproof. Nor are they immune from tampering, hacking or user bias. Nevertheless, they have become a convenient tool in the hands of government agents to render null and void the Constitution's requirements of privacy and its prohibitions against unreasonable searches and seizures. What this amounts to is a scenario in which we have little to no defense of against charges of wrongdoing, especially when "convicted" by technology, and even less protection against the government sweeping up our DNA in much the same way it sweeps up our phone calls, emails and text messages. With the entire governmental system shifting into a pre-crime mode aimed at detecting and pursuing those who "might" commit a crime before they have an inkling, let alone an opportunity, to do so, it's not so far-fetched to imagine a scenario in which government agents (FBI, local police, etc.) target potential criminals based on their genetic disposition to be a "troublemaker" or their relationship to past dissenters. Equally disconcerting: if scientists can, using DNA, [48]track salmon across hundreds of square miles of streams and rivers, how easy will it be for government agents to not only know everywhere we've been and how long we were at each place but collect our easily shed DNA and add it to the government's already burgeoning database? Not to be overlooked, DNA evidence is not infallible: it can be wrong, either through human error, [49]tampering, or even outright [50]fabrication, and it happens [51]more often than we are told. The danger, warns scientist Dan Frumkin, is that [52]crime scenes can be engineered with fabricated DNA. Now if you happen to be the kind of person who trusts the government implicitly and refuses to believe it would ever do anything illegal or immoral, then the prospect of government officials--police, especially--using fake DNA samples to influence the outcome of a case might seem outlandish. Yet as history shows, the probability of our government acting in a way that is not only illegal but immoral becomes less a question of "if" and more a question of "when." With technology, the [53]courts, the corporations and Congress conspiring to invade our privacy [54]on a cellular level, suddenly the landscape becomes that much more dystopian. As I make clear in my book [55]Battlefield America: The War on the American People, this is the slippery slope toward a dystopian world in which there is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. WC: 2211 ABOUT JOHN W. WHITEHEAD Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president [56]The Rutherford Institute. His books [57]Battlefield America: The War on the American People and [58]A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State are available at [59]www.amazon.com. He can be contacted at [60]johnw(a)rutherford.org. Nisha Whitehead is the Executive Director of The Rutherford Institute. Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at [61]www.rutherford.org. Publication Guidelines / Reprint Permission John W. Whitehead’s weekly commentaries are available for publication to newspapers and web publications at no charge. Please contact [62]staff(a)rutherford.org to obtain reprint permission. 4. https://newrepublic.com/article/148170/supreme-court-rewrite-rules-dna-sear… 5. https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/11/103446/more-than-26-million-peo… 6. https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/11/103446/more-than-26-million-peo… 7. https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/11/103446/more-than-26-million-peo… 8. https://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/03/04/how-the-dna-youre-shedding-cons… 9. https://www.npr.org/2013/06/03/188397999/supreme-court-rules-arrest-dna-col… 10. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-11-24/law-enforcement-dna-cri… 11. https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/11/103446/more-than-26-million-peo… 12. https://abcnews.go.com/US/arrest-made-1972-killing-15-year-illinois-girl/st… 13. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/dna-databases-can-send-police-or… 14. https://abcnews.go.com/US/arrest-made-1972-killing-15-year-illinois-girl/st… 15. https://abcnews.go.com/US/arrest-made-1972-killing-15-year-illinois-girl/st… 16. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-were-cracking-cold-cases-dna-we… 17. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-were-cracking-cold-cases-dna-we… 18. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/31/science/dna-police-laws.html 19. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-were-cracking-cold-cases-dna-we… 20. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2020/02/… 21. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/bs-md-cr-police-genealogy-searches-… 22. https://www.wired.com/story/cops-are-getting-a-new-tool-for-family-tree-sle… 23. https://newrepublic.com/article/148170/supreme-court-rewrite-rules-dna-sear… 24. https://www.ancestrydna.com/ 25. https://www.23andme.com/ 26. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/dna-databases-can-send-police-or… 27. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/bs-md-cr-police-genealogy-searches-… 28. https://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/04/baby.dna.government/ 29. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/510/all-info 30. https://www.npr.org/2013/06/03/188397999/supreme-court-rules-arrest-dna-col… 31. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/science/dna-crime-gene-technology.html 32. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/science/dna-crime-gene-technology.html 33. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/science/dna-crime-gene-technology.html 34. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/05/how-your-dna-or-someone-elses-can-sen… 35. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/dna-databases-can-send-police-or… 36. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-were-cracking-cold-cases-dna-we… 37. https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/legislative-landmarks-of-forensic… 38. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/science/dna-crime-gene-technology.html 39. https://old.post-gazette.com/pg/04347/425686.stm 40. https://www.cnet.com/news/nsa-spying-flap-extends-to-contents-of-u-s-phone-… 41. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/16/nsa-collects-millions-text-me… 42. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/12/no-warrant-no-problem-how-the-g… 43. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-spies-on-millions-of-cars-1422314779 44. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/science/11predict.html 45. https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2415340,00.asp 46. https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/05/scientists-can-now-read-y… 47. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/science/building-face-and-a-case-on-dna.… 48. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/27/science/even-elusive-animals-leave-dna-a… 49. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-19412819 50. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/science/18dna.html 51. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-19412819 52. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/science/18dna.html 53. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/11/judge-said-police-can-search-dna-mi… 54. https://newrepublic.com/article/148170/supreme-court-rewrite-rules-dna-sear… 55. https://www.amazon.com/Battlefield-America-War-American-People/dp/1590793099 56. https://www.rutherford.org/ 57. https://www.amazon.com/Battlefield-America-War-American-People/dp/1590793099 58. https://www.amazon.com/Government-Wolves-Emerging-American-Police/dp/159079… 59. https://www.amazon.com/ 60. mailto:johnw@rutherford.org 61. https://www.rutherford.org/ 62. mailto:staff@rutherford.org 63. https://rutherford.kindful.com/?campaign=316112 64. https://rutherford.kindful.com/?campaign=316112 65. https://rutherford.kindful.com/?campaign=316112 67. https://rutherford.kindful.com/?campaign=329363 68. https://www.youtube.com/user/RutherfordInstitute 69. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Rutherford-Institute/50714237985 70. https://twitter.com/Rutherford_Inst 77. https://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-1267484 78. https://a.co/d6dpfXP 88. https://rutherford.shop.etransfer.com/ 89. https://rutherford.kindful.com/?campaign=316112 91. https://rutherford.kindful.com/?campaign=329363 99. https://rutherford.shop.etransfer.com/ 100. https://www.youtube.com/user/RutherfordInstitute 101. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Rutherford-Institute/50714237985 102. https://twitter.com/Rutherford_Inst 107. https://rutherford.shop.etransfer.com/

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NBC News: The FBI's seizing one bitcoin wallet won't stop ransomware — but it's a start
by jim bell 12 Jun '21

12 Jun '21

NBC News: The FBI's seizing one bitcoin wallet won't stop ransomware — but it's a start. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/fbis-seizing-one-bitcoin-wallet-wont-…

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[info@fsf.org: FSF and GNU move official IRC channels to Libera.Chat network]
by Se7en 12 Jun '21

12 Jun '21

FSF joins Anti-Freenode Crusade. ----- Forwarded message from "Greg Farough, FSF" <info(a)fsf.org> ----- Reply-To: "Greg Farough, FSF" <info(a)fsf.org> From: "Greg Farough, FSF" <info(a)fsf.org> Subject: FSF and GNU move official IRC channels to Libera.Chat network List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:crmmailer+u.163495.66503010.438e24c67c337aa3@fsf.org> job_id: 163495 Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2021 22:56:09 -0400 Message-Id: <E1lrtof-0006ED-0P(a)crmserver2p.fsf.org> *Please consider adding <info(a)fsf.org> to your address book, which will ensure that our messages reach you and not your spam box.* *Read and share online: <https://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-and-gnu-move-official-irc-channels-to-libera-c…>* Dear Free Software Supporter, On May 27th, we held a [community meeting][1] to discuss the future of the FSF and GNU Project's official presence on Internet Relay Chat (IRC). Although this meeting was called as a response to recent changes in the Freenode IRC network's governance structure, it also gave us the opportunity to assess the viability of chat protocols that had not been developed at the time of the FSF and GNU's [2002 announcement][2] to choose Freenode as our official IRC network. [1]: https://www.fsf.org/events/community-meeting-on-the-future-of-our-irc-prese… [2]: https://www.gnu.org/press/2002-08-26-freenode.html **As a result of this meeting and our review, the FSF and GNU have decided to relocate our IRC channels to [Libera.Chat][3]. Effective immediately, Libera is the official home of our channels, which include but are not limited to all those in the #fsf, #gnu, and #libreplanet namespaces.** [3]: https://libera.chat **On June 25th, at 10:00 AM EDT (UTC 14:00), we plan to forward any channels remaining in the #fsf, #gnu, and #libreplanet namespaces on the Freenode network to their corresponding ##fsf, ##gnu, and ##libreplanet counterparts. As per Freenode policy, channels with the `##` prefix are unofficial "topical" channels, and accordingly, they will not be moderated by GNU or FSF staff.** Please note that the irc.gnu.org address, which has historically pointed to the Freenode network, will be disabled on June 25th, to give any users still connecting with this address sufficient notice. It is important to emphasize that this decision is **not** binding on GNU package maintainers. However, we invite GNU maintainers to join us and many other free software projects by migrating to the Libera network. Maintainers are encouraged to email <maintainers(a)gnu.org> with their questions or concerns. ## Rationale Our decision-making process was twofold, and involved weighing the community feedback we received against a set of criteria our working group developed to gauge a chat network's acceptability to software freedom activists. This working group was drawn from both FSF and GNU, with Greg Farough of the FSF staff joining Amin Bandali and Jason Self, two long-time GNU webmasters and volunteers appointed by Chief GNUisance Richard Stallman, to investigate the issue. We made our decision based on the following criteria: * Is it possible to connect to the network using exclusively free software? Is it easy to do so? * How does the network staff approach their duties? Do they apply their policies consistently and reliably? * Is the wider community able to provide meaningful input on the network's governance and decision-making? * Are a large number of free software projects and communities on the network? * What steps does the network take to preserve user anonymity? Being software freedom activists, the first of these points was by far the most crucial, and had the most involvement in our selecting IRC over an alternate protocol. Having made this decision, and once we had weighed the community feedback we received along our criteria and personal experiences as Freenode channel operators, our choice of Libera.Chat became clear. Despite its age, IRC remains a strong favorite of the free software community. Although we are optimistic about the Matrix protocol and remain committed to following its development closely, we were not able to justify a full relocation of the FSF and GNU's official channels to a Matrix server. Doing so would create the unacceptable situation of encouraging a large number of users to run nonfree software in the form of nonfree JavaScript, which is used by the flagship Matrix.org server to authenticate users. At the same time, we could not commit to moving fully over to XMPP, which would impose certain technical limitations on both users and FSF staff, and which does not offer many compelling advantages over IRC. We've also definitely heard from many of our members showing renewed interest in the XMPP server the FSF provides as an [associate membership benefit][4], and we are looking at the possibility of devoting more resources to it. To reiterate, though IRC remains a key venue for communication in and around GNU and FSF, we are keeping an open mind and eye towards other existing or new communication protocols and software, including Matrix and XMPP, that enable users to communicate in freedom. [4]: https://www.fsf.org/associate/benefits.html As we have had nearly twenty years of positive experiences with the Freenode staff, most of whom now comprise the staff of the Libera network, we are confident in their technical and interpersonal expertise, as well as their ability to make the network as long-lasting and integral to the free software community a ----- End forwarded message ----- -- |-----/ | Se7en / The One and Only! | se7en(a)cock.email / | 0x0F83F93882CF6116 / | https://se7en-site.neocities.org

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Wccftech: Starlink On Verge Of Losing Fight For Crucial Infrastructure To Amazon
by jim bell 12 Jun '21

12 Jun '21

Wccftech: Starlink On Verge Of Losing Fight For Crucial Infrastructure To Amazon. https://wccftech.com/starlink-on-verge-of-losing-fight-for-crucial-infrastr…

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