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#Alert eIDAS 2.0 (EU wants to force browsers to use potentially insecure government certificates)
by zeynep＠keemail.me 10 Nov '23

10 Nov '23

Hello I hope everyone is ok. I think this issue is important so I think all of you should read this email I wrote. For years, I have been immersed in the world of cryptography and have worked as a researcher in the field of digital privacy. Recently, there have been numerous developments that give cause for concern. As a digital privacy activist, I am committed to raising awareness about the critical need for robust privacy protections in today's interconnected world. The ever-expanding digital landscape necessitates vigilant advocacy to ensure that individuals rights to privacy are upheld and respected. “The EU's planned laws would use emerging technologies to detect new and existing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and child grooming activities, and would give national authorities the power to oblige digital services to scan users’ communications, including encrypted messages.” https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/10/19/planned-eu-laws-on-child-sexu… The proposed legislation mandates the implementation of a compulsory scanning protocol for communication service providers, encompassing social media platforms and instant messaging applications, which facilitate the exchange of textual, auditory, photographic, and video content inclusive of all user data. The eIDAS 2.0 proposal, aimed at establishing a secure framework for trust services within the EU, has raised concerns due to recent undisclosed alterations made during the legislative process. These changes, allowing Member States to access encrypted data, raise alarming implications for mass surveillance. Collaborating with esteemed scientists and NGOs, an open letter has been crafted to address these critical risks and propose concrete solutions to ensure enhanced privacy protections in the eIDAS 2.0 framework. This letter meticulously outlines the substantial risks associated with the eIDAS 2.0 proposal and offers concrete suggestions for mitigating these issues. The letter is here: https://nce.mpi-sp.org/index.php/s/cG88cptFdaDNyRr As an individual deeply invested in digital privacy and security, I find myself increasingly apprehensive about the implications of the eIDAS 2.0 proposal. While the initial intent was to establish a fortified legal framework for trust services within the EU, recent undisclosed alterations have raised significant concerns. One of the most troubling aspects is the provision granting Member States the authority to insert their keys into browsers, enabling the interception of encrypted traffic. This opens the door to potential mass surveillance, infringing upon the fundamental right to privacy. Additionally, the restrictions on security checks for encryption keys, limited by ETSI, pose a potential roadblock to the development of innovative, higher-level protective measures. Furthermore, the proposal's commendable effort to create a digital wallet for mobile identity is marred by a critical oversight. Citizens should have the option to employ anonymous credentials or pseudonyms to shield their online interactions. Unfortunately, the current draft makes the implementation of unlinkability optional, potentially subjecting citizens privacy to the discretion of the Member State with the weakest safeguards. These concerns are not merely speculative, but rooted in the need to protect individual liberties in an increasingly interconnected digital landscape. It is imperative that we prioritize privacy rights and work towards a balanced framework that ensures the security of trust services without compromising personal freedoms. In addition, most artificial intelligence systems are inherently flawed, rendering them susceptible to potential misuse under the law. Governments, under the pretext of combating child exploitation, can scan the data of a majority of users, thereby infringing upon fundamental human rights. This grants governments the power to surveil and exert control over any citizen at their discretion. Perhaps we can discuss what we might accomplish together. Regards Zeynep Aydoğan

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Dems pass new law requiring a 'kill switch' in all new vehicles sold after 2026
by jim bell 10 Nov '23

10 Nov '23

Read "Dems pass new law requiring a ‘kill switch’ in all new vehicles sold after 2026" on SmartNews: https://l.smartnews.com/p-LHKKH/tb2tun

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Assasins move in on Zuckerberg
by pro2rat＠yahoo.com.au 09 Nov '23

09 Nov '23

Imagining the death of CEO bitch, Zuckface just got a lot easier. Like eliminating the head of " Life Invader " in GTA Five. Assassin's Creed Maker Ubisoft Is reportedly Building a Crypto 'Gaming Experience' With Immutable Ubisoft and Immutable are supposedly developing a new blockchain gaming project that plans to offer "digital ownership." So why waste energy griefing other playas when you could be helping cryptoanarchists liquidate billionaires as a class? Viva la revolution!

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Crypto has more than one fraudster, SEC Chair Gary Gensler says
by jdb10987＠yahoo.com 09 Nov '23

09 Nov '23

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The Register: Bad eIDAS: Europe ready to intercept, spy on your encrypted HTTPS connections
by jdb10987＠yahoo.com 08 Nov '23

08 Nov '23

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Making Grok laugh
by pro2rat＠yahoo.com.au 08 Nov '23

08 Nov '23

Grok has a great sense of humour and sees the funny side of bearing false witness - by calling Elon Musk a pedophile, for example. And you can share a laugh with Grok in real time as it sees whats happening to grarpamps style politics in the last empire today. LOL GOP snapshot https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/its-like-theyre-not-even-trying-anymo… Reposts not reams of cointelpro crap from FBI agent Semich

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AI: X.com Launches Grok Language Model
by grarpamp 08 Nov '23

08 Nov '23

https://x.ai/ xAI @xai @grok @xdaily Nov 5 Announcing Grok! Grok is an AI modeled after the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, so intended to answer almost anything and, far harder, even suggest what questions to ask! Grok is designed to answer questions with a bit of wit and has a rebellious streak, so please don’t use it if you hate humor! A unique and fundamental advantage of Grok is that it has real-time knowledge of the world via the 𝕏 platform. It will also answer spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems. Grok is still a very early beta product – the best we could do with 2 months of training – so expect it to improve rapidly with each passing week with your help. Thank you, the xAI Team x.ai

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Cryptocurrency: Govts Claim Human Privacy Is Criminal, Force 1984 Court Secrecy Chainalysis
by grarpamp 08 Nov '23

08 Nov '23

US Government Frames Bitcoin Privacy As "Criminal" https://bitcoinmagazine.com/legal/us-government-frames-bitcoin-privacy-as-c… https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.232431/gov.uscourt… https://go.chainalysis.com/rs/503-FAP-074/images/Crypto_Crime_Report_2023.p… Authored by 'L0la L33tz' via BitcoinMagazine.com, In another unfortunate turn of events for anyone hoping their right to privacy to be protected as guaranteed by the US Constitution, the UN Declaration of Human Rights, or applicable state and federal law, the US government has argued that the disclosure of proprietary Chainalysis heuristics information in the case US vs. Sterlingov would “jeopardize numerous law enforcement investigations and impact the effectiveness of law enforcement tracing tools” by enabling the development of “criminal countermeasures to blockchain analysis.” The oath each and every US government employee pledges when first taking office reads: “I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God." Apparently, this oath is only applicable so long it serves the US government’s agenda. While attempting to retain a protective order to seal the disclosure of Chainalysis heuristic information, the US government has, in essence, argued that the right to privacy does not exist when transacting on the blockchain. In the newly released court documents, the US government defines software developed to protect individual financial privacy on the blockchain, such as coinjoins, as “adversarial”, contending that the disclosure of Chainalysis training methods and techniques bears the reasonable expectation to enable “circumvention of the law.” Unfortunately, it is unclear which laws the US government is referring to. The argument that the disclosure would enable “ criminals, drug trafficking organizations, and terrorists” to circumvent law enforcement cannot be made in good faith, as Chainalysis’ own 2023 Crypto Crime Report has found the overall transaction volume of illicit activity to lay at merely 0.24%. Just as the early internet was allegedly only used for crime, the share of day-to-day commerce on the blockchain increases as Bitcoin adoption grows. It therefore cannot be argued that the development of privacy protecting software is adversarial in any sense of the word, except to Chainalysis’ business model and the surveillance agenda of the US intelligence complex, who invested $1.67 Million USD in Chainalysis in 2020 and another $1.64 Million USD in 2021 via the Central Intelligence Agency’s venture capital fund In-Q-Tel. As long as the development and use of privacy protecting software such as PGP, E2EE or VPNs cannot be deemed as criminal under the first and fourth amendment, neither can the development or use of software aimed to protect one’s financial privacy in Bitcoin. However, it appears that constitutional frameworks do not stop the US government from putting forward statements which directly undermine the people’s right to protection from unwarranted surveillance. Classifying blockchain surveillance countermeasures as criminal is just another step the US government has been taking towards the total surveillance of US citizen’s communications in recent years. In 2015, congress voted for the prolonging of the Patriot Act via the USA Freedom Act, which continues to allow the bulk collection of telecommunication data via telecommunications providers, and the proposed EARN IT Act, which, in essence, would outlaw end-to-end encryption. So far, the only attempt to circumvent the law in the US government’s response to minute order is to be found in its own argumentation.

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Reuters: US lawmakers introduce surveillance reforms intended to curb FBI spying
by jdb10987＠yahoo.com 08 Nov '23

08 Nov '23

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FWD: [Srg] Crypto Wars Episode II: Empire Strikes Back
by zeynep＠keemail.me 07 Nov '23

07 Nov '23

Tarih: 7 Kas 2023 23:30 Kimden: forgottenlance(a)gmail.com Alıcı: srg(a)maillist.bilkent.edu.tr Konu : [Srg] Crypto Wars Episode II: Empire Strikes Back > Herkese selamlar, > > Yine bir AB yasa tasarısı ve bu sefer tarayıcılar aracılığıyla yine şifreli görüşmelerin dinlenilmeye çalışılması, sonuç olarak da bütün internet trafiğinin güvensiz hale getirilmeye çalışılması. Başka hiçbir işimiz yokmuş gibi dünyanın her yerindeki uzmanlar olarak bu tasarıları inceleyip, bilimsel olarak yanlışları net bir şekilde açıklayıp, gelişmelerden haberi olmayan vatandaşları medya yerine bizlerin bilgilendirmeye çalışması (ve bence tam anlamıyla başaramıyoruz). > > Kripto savaşları geri döndü demiştik yıllar önce, maalesef bitmeyecek bir savaş içerisindeyiz ve sesimizi duyuramazsak tüm dünya vatandaşlarının kaybedeceği bir savaş olacak... > > Bu sefer durum bir öncekinden daha kötü çünkü diğerinde Draft herkese açıktı ve cevap vermeye vakit bulabilmiştik. Bu sefer kapalı kapılar arkasında değişiklikler yapıldı ve içeriden bilgi alarak hazırlanabildik. Açık mektubu Türkiye'den yine tek imzalayan olmama rağmen bu sefer basın sözcülüğü görevimi devrettim, Anadolu Ajansına durumu anlatma ihtiyacı hissetmedim çünkü artık vakit kaybı olarak görüyorum. Türk medyası olayın önemini kavrayamıyor. Bu nedenle bu sefer mektubumuzu Türkçeye bile çevirmedim. Bart'ın İngilizce yazacağı yazıyı herkesle paylaşacağımı söylemiştim, öyle de yapıyorum. Bart Preneel'in olaya bakışı: > > We can all agree that there would be value in an improved identity infrastructure for the EU and in a fortified legal framework for trust services. This is what eIDAS 2.0 claims to deliver. > However, it turns out that during the trialogue (the process in which EU legislation is finalized), a number of subtle changes have been inserted behind closed doors. These changes are completely unacceptable as they facilitate mass surveillance. > The proposal grants Member States the authority to insert their keys into browsers, which facilitates the interception of encrypted traffic by Member States. In addition, security checks to these keys will be restricted to the limits imposed by ETSI – this will likely result in innovative solutions that offer a stronger level of protection being blocked. > > Finally, creating a digital wallet for mobile identity is commendable but if citizens are compelled to employ identities issued by EU Member States, anonymous credentials or pseudonyms should be used to prevent linking all online interactions. Unfortunately, in the latest draft, the introduction of unlinkability remains optional, setting the stage for a race to the bottom, wherein citizens' privacy protections will be dictated by the Member State with the weakest safeguards. > > In collaboration with 335 top level scientists and multiple non-governmental organizations, I have drafted and signed an open letter that meticulously underscores these significant risks and presents concrete suggestions for mitigating these issues. > > The full letter is here: > https://lnkd.in/eMHRe-jj > Links to short explanation and press articles: > https://lnkd.in/ePdAVFsA > -- > Cihangir Tezcan> , PhD > Director of Cyber Security Center > Head of Department of> Cyber Security, Informatics Institute > Middle East Technical University > Ankara, Turkey >

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