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gitgeist - git backed distributed social media 1st version "yes it can work" PoC
by Zenaan Harkness 06 Mar '19

06 Mar '19

If you don't control it, you don't own it, and it shall be used against you - witness Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Fully distributed "everything I've viewed or read, follow, and who follows me, is stored locally" social media is the first step to "social" media sanity. gitgeist is one (first, rough) attempt which seems to prove that a git backend implementation (for local storage and peer sync) makes technical sense. Nice to see tech folk finally starting to get irritated, that's for sure :D gitgeist: a git-based social network proof of concept https://www.karimyaghmour.com/blog/2019/02/gitgeist-a-git-based-social-netw… https://github.com/opersys/gitgeist-poc

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The NSA Has Apparently Stopped the Domestic Surveillance Program Snowden Exposed - Hit & Run : Reason.com
by jim bell 06 Mar '19

06 Mar '19

https://reason.com/blog/2019/03/05/the-nsa-has-apparently-stopped-the-domes

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Dropgangs, or the future of darknet markets
by Mirimir 06 Mar '19

06 Mar '19

Dropgangs, or the future of dark markets | Instead of using websites on the darknet, merchants are now | operating invite-only channels on widely available mobile | messaging systems like Telegram. | ... | The other major change is the use of “dead drops” instead | of the postal system which has proven vulnerable to tracking | and interception. | ... | Furthermore this method does not require for the customer | to give any personally identifiable information to the | merchant, which in turn doesn’t have to safeguard it | anymore. Less data means less risk for everyone. | ... | Instead of the flat hierarchies witnessed with darknet | markets, merchants today employ hierarchical structures | again. These consist of procurement layer, sales layer, | and distribution layer. The people constituting each layer | usually do not know the identity of the higher layers nor | are ever in personal contact with them. All interaction | is digital - messaging systems and cryptocurrencies again, | product moves only through dead drops. | ... | This concept of using messaging, cryptocurrency and dead | drops even within the merchant structure allows for the | members within each layer being completely isolated from | each other, and not knowing anything about higher layers | at all. There is no trace to follow if a distribution | layer member is captured while servicing a dead drop. | He will often not even be distinguishable from a regular | customer. This makes these structures extremely secure | against infiltration, takeover and capture. They are | inherently resilient. | ... | If members of such a structure are captured they usually | have no critical information to share, no information about | persons, places, times of meeting. No interaction that | would make this information necessary ever takes place. https://opaque.link/post/dropgang/ Nice. It's cool to see serious tradecraft applied to this stuff. Especially compartmentalization. And yes, using traditional shipping systems is a serious problem for old-school dark markets. I've thought off and on for several years about the potential for using dead drops with accurate GPS. I mean, geocaching. Many years ago, when I was dealing LSD, it was pretty common to use dead drops. But then, they were typically rental lockers in bus and train stations. I agree that ubiquitous surveillance is a problem. However, it's ~clueless customers and low-level distributors who'll most likely get pwned. And they won't know anything importnt about the operation overall. Anyway, time will tell.

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Vermont Dumps Brokers List, Volvo Thinks Of Police State
by grarpamp 05 Mar '19

05 Mar '19

https://www.fastcompany.com/90302036/over-120-data-brokers-inch-out-of-the-… https://www.fastcompany.com/90310803/here-are-the-data-brokers-quietly-buyi… The Vermont law only covers third-party data firms which collect their own enormous piles of detailed personal data. It doesn't require data brokers to disclose who's in their databases, what data they collect, or who buys it. Nor does it require brokers to give consumers access to their own data or opt out of data collection. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/mar/04/volvo-speed-limit-cars-2020 Police vehicles will be exempt. It's worth doing if we can even save one life. We want to start a conversation about whether carmakers have the right or maybe even an obligation to install technology in cars that changes their driver's behavior.

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EFF Prefers Critique China Surveillance State vs Its Own In USA
by grarpamp 05 Mar '19

05 Mar '19

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/03/massive-database-leak-gives-us-window… Although relatively little news gets out of Xinjiang to the rest of the world, we've known for over a year that China has been testing facial-recognition tracking and alert systems across Xinjiang and mandating the collection of biometric data -- including DNA samples, voice samples, fingerprints, and iris scans -- from all residents between the ages of 12 and 65... Earlier this month, security researcher Victor Gevers found and disclosed an exposed database live-tracking the locations of about 2.6 million residents of Xinjiang, China, offering a window into what a digital surveillance state looks like in the 21st century... Over a period of 24 hours, 6.7 million individual GPS coordinates were streamed to and collected by the database, linking individuals to various public camera streams and identification checkpoints associated with location tags such as "hotel," "mosque," and "police station." The GPS coordinates were all located within Xinjiang. This database is owned by the company SenseNets, a private AI company advertising facial recognition and crowd analysis technologies. A couple of days later, Gevers reported a second open database tracking the movement of millions of cars and pedestrians. Violations like jaywalking, speeding, and going through a red-light are detected, trigger the camera to take a photo, and ping a WeChat API, presumably to try and tie the event to an identity. China may have a working surveillance program in Xinjiang, but it's a shockingly insecure security state. Anyone with an Internet connection had access to this massive honeypot of information... Even poorly-executed surveillance is massively expensive, and Beijing is no doubt telling the people of Xinjiang that these investments are being made in the name of their own security. But the truth, revealed only through security failures and careful security research, tells a different story: China's leaders seem to care little for the privacy, or the freedom, of millions of its citizens. EFF also reports that a Chinese cybersecurity firm also recently discovered 468 exposed MongoDB servers on the internet, including databases containing detailed information about remote access consoles owned by China General Nuclear Power Group. Meanwhile, ZDNet suggests that SenseNets may actually be "a government contractor, helping authorities track the Muslim minority, rather than a private company selling its product to another private entity. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain how SenseNets has access to ID card information and camera feeds from police stations and other government buildings."

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As the web turns 30, is it an 'out-of-control monster'?
by jim bell 05 Mar '19

05 Mar '19

As the web turns 30, is it an 'out-of-control monster'?. https://tiny.iavian.net/rln4

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Optical clocks.
by jim bell 04 Mar '19

04 Mar '19

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190304105442.htm

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WIRED: Quantum Physics Could Protect the Grid From Hackers—Maybe
by jim bell 04 Mar '19

04 Mar '19

WIRED: Quantum Physics Could Protect the Grid From Hackers—Maybe. https://www.wired.com/story/quantum-physics-protect-grid

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Re: Tommy Robinson's documentary, still on 'tube but banned elsewhere - [MINISTRY] [PEACE]
by Zenaan Harkness 04 Mar '19

04 Mar '19

Take 3 due to the filters ... Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2019 22:30:18 +1100 Subject: [zen(a)freedbms.net: Tommy Robinson's documentary, still on 'tube but banned elsewhere - [MINISTRY] [PEACE]] Just for the Attention starved Attention Deficit crowd (hint hint, nudge nudge), there is absolutely NO take down of the BBC's Panorama in Tommy's docco. Nope, nothing to see here folks, move along already. You have been warned :( ----- Forwarded message from Zenaan Harkness <zen(a)freedbms.net> ----- From: Zenaan Harkness <zen(a)freedbms.net> To: CypherPunks <cypherpunks(a)lists.cpunks.org> Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2019 21:20:49 +1100 Subject: Tommy Robinson's documentary, still on 'tube but banned elsewhere - [MINISTRY] [PEACE] Without freedom of speech, we lose it all folks. If nothing else, Tommy is taking a grand stand, and has some awesome support - ~30,000 turned out in support of his unlawful detention, over 600,000 signed the petition to release him from his unlawful detention, and still the ENTIRE "main" stream media reported the blunt lie that Tommy Robinson (Stephen Yaxley-Lennon), had plead 'guilty', which he never did, and not one "lame stream media" organisation checked the transcript (during or after the Judge's reporting restriction was in place/ lifted) before loudly screaming this lie from their front pages and top o' the news talking points! "Power" is in melt down folks - we all know that things ain't stable and power don't know what to do about it other than suppress and oppress, "shut it down" as the men in hats who bite baby dicks would say. Say what you will about Robinson (he's ironically smeared as "far-right" despite his mixed up beliefs), he is standing for our right to free speech, our right to peaceful political protest. And he is suffering the consequences of so standing. For his stand he deserves our support. Perhaps it's time for the Gilets Jaunes, UK chapter? Good luck, God speed and as always, create your world, Labour Party Demands Tommy Robinson’s YouTube Channel be Gassed https://dailystormer.name/labour-party-demands-tommy-robinsons-youtube-chan… … #Panodrama - An Exposé of the Fake News BBC! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNd2b [ Tommy's docco, ~300MiB with -fwebm ] [ Grab it before he is removed from 'tube, as he's currently been banned from Facebook, Twitter etc ] ----- End forwarded message ----- ----- End forwarded message -----

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Polly fans rejoice - our favourite Russian does it again as she flips ... - [PEACE]
by Zenaan Harkness 04 Mar '19

04 Mar '19

... a coin. That's right, we've blamed this Russian amongst many others for interfering with our ... democracy, so she better bloody well stop doing it! Try explaining -that- to India and Pakistan :D Decision time folks, in our dichomatic world of CIA sponsored (dominated ackshually, but who's really counting) "main" stream media, there simply MUST be a good guy, and a bad guy and absolutely no gray areas in between the legs of the issue… <ahem> And polly is here to tell us which is which, since simply -everyone- needs a good opinion to adopt these days: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HtfEkqlC8w #ICYMI - Crisis in Kashmir - Can someone just explain who the bad guys are India or Pakistan I for one welcome our new Russian "queen of disinformation" :)

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