Bonum Certa Men Certa

Guest Post: The Linux Foundation (LF) is “Putting the CON in Conference!” (Part 2)

Back to "Con in Conference"... (part 1 here)

BIT Life Sciences
Reference: BIT Life Sciences



Summary: Calls for papers (CfP) and who gets to assess what's presented or what's not presented is a lesser-explored aspect, especially in this age when large corporate sponsors get to indirectly run entire 'community' events

THE Linux Foundation will occupy a growing amount of our time, space and attention. Readers contact us with pointers and information, which we are slow to process, analyse, and then verify. Our goal is to better understand what goes on behind the scenes, both commercially and bureaucratically. Personal relationships, as we have come to discover, play a considerable role. Some call it "nepotism", but it's actually a lot more complicated than this.



"Mozilla recently spoke out about the dangers of hiring programmers from Australia because of Australia's new draconian laws, which unequivocally mandate back doors."I recently came to realise that the Foundation, or LF for short (we try to abbreviate without confusing some readers), does not care about freedom, privacy etc. Not at all. Nothing. I saw it surfing the hype wave of listening devices (like Alexa) and participating in mass surveillance projects (disguised using marketing euphemisms such as "cloud", "edge", "bid data", "IoT" and so on). This is no laughing matter and we mentioned it some months ago in passing. For instance, I'm rather disturbed to see the growing role AT&T plays in the LF and I am rather disturbed to see the role Juniper (with NSA back doors and loads of Microsoft veterans at the top of the company) plays in LF and various 'FOSS' communities. These communities should know a danger when they see one. Mozilla recently spoke out about the dangers of hiring programmers from Australia because of Australia's new draconian laws, which unequivocally mandate back doors.

Whose agenda will be served at the LF? Usually, as the old saying goes, "follow the money..."

And that's rather scary.

"Some of my Notes," said the author of the first part, include notes about Juniper staff (we've removed all the names so as to exercise caution):




I noticed [name omitted/redacted] was working the Conference "circuit" as a volunteer at several conferences, responding to inquiries.

I thought - that was strange.

[Name omitted/redacted] was offering a webinar with [another name omitted/redacted] at (I believe) [third person's name omitted/redacted]'s lead for LibrePlanet 2018.

“I noticed [name omitted/redacted] was working the Conference "circuit" as a volunteer at several conferences, responding to inquiries.”
      --Anonymous
Also of note - [name omitted/redacted] wrote a LinuxJournal article several days prior to Libreplanet 2018. [An article saying proprietary software is OK]

I had previously emailed [another name omitted/redacted], regarding [name omitted/redacted] and how it seemed she was reviewing and selecting presentations at several conferences.

What I found disturbing is that [name omitted/redacted] was speaking but also involved in selecting of talks.

“What I found disturbing is that [name omitted/redacted] was speaking but also involved in selecting of talks. ”
      --Anonymous
[Another name omitted/redacted] - the [event] organizer, moved up the ranks and also was volunteering to do CfP.

[Another name omitted/redacted], when approached regarding [name omitted/redacted] and the possibility she was rigging the talks at conferences - told RMS (Richard Stallman) that [name omitted/redacted] was not evaluating talks.

Richard then came back to me about his concerns, I sent him the invitation to a webinar by [name omitted/redacted].

"Over time there seems to be less and less one is "permitted" to say in the so-called 'community'; condemnation of companies that do illegal things, for instance, may already be impermissible or "toxic"."It seems apparent that [another name omitted/redacted] covered up for [name omitted/redacted] and did not notify FSF staff. It wasn't until I approached RMS personally about [name omitted/redacted] that something was done. [name omitted/redacted] is now working for Juniper Networks or something and is not gaming the conference circuit.

I think more research can be done regarding talks and the oddities.




We have done some research over the past week and will report based on it in the coming days (this series takes a great deal of research time to prepare). There's an aspect of free speech to it. Over time there seems to be less and less one is "permitted" to say in the so-called 'community'; condemnation of companies that do illegal things, for instance, may already be impermissible or "toxic".

Recent Techrights' Posts

Twitter as X-Rated Hatred: Criticising Microsoft is Not OK, Calling for Beheadings (With Bounties on People's Heads) is OK
Twitter automation missed 'hit job' advertising
Balancing Activism Against (or With) Basic Necessities and Daniel Cantarín on Our Collective Battle for Software Freedom Around the World
"I'm VERY angry about lots of stuff happening here in Argentina, all of it shielded behind the word "freedom"."
 
Links 16/08/2024: YouTube Bans and Surveillance Expanded
Links for the day
We Were Right All Along and the Collaborators of Microsoft Helped Competition Crimes of Microsoft
Once again vindicated regarding UEFI "secure boot"
[Meme] The New Windows Slogan
stat me up
Addendum: Associate's Notes on Free Software as a Labour Issue and the Connectivity Swindles
these are related issues/causes
Microsofters Infiltrating Roles of Authority and Government Positions to Protect Microsoft and to FUD Microsoft's Competition
friends of Microsofters who bully me and my wife
Links 16/08/2024: UK Skills Deficit and Kim Dotcom to be Extradited to the US (for Doing the Same Stuff GAFAM Does)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 16/08/2024: Overgeneralisation and Games
Links for the day
Russia's Yandex 5 Times Bigger Than Microsoft... in Ukraine
They'd rather rely on the Kremlin than on Microsoft
[Meme] Gemini is Different, So What?
different, not worse
Now It's "Official": Over 4,000 Known Gemini Capsules in Lupa
For the first time ever
Clown Computing
Reprinted with permission from Dr. Andy Farnell
[Meme] What Freedom Means to IBM
Free labou
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, August 15, 2024
IRC logs for Thursday, August 15, 2024
From 99% in 2012 to 27% in 2024: How Microsoft Lost Georgia
What we're seeing is a migration from Windows to other platforms, notably GNU/Linux
To Understand Cisco's Mass Layoffs Look at the Company's Soaring Debt (Same at Microsoft)
Look what's happening to Intel - down almost 60% since the start of the year, 57% to be precise
Windows Flying Low at 25%
It's another all-time low
[Meme] Long Texts You Never Bother Reading (Because Life is Too Short, Unlike Those Texts)
The devil is in the terms of service
Links 15/08/2024: Monkeypox Hysteria and Modern Homesteaders Living Off the Grid
Links for the day
Gemini Links 15/08/2024: Confession of a Convention Game Master and Some Release nostalgia
Links for the day
Congratulations to Romania, Where Windows is Now "Minority Market Share" Platform
Time will tell if GNU/Linux can pass 5% on the desktop/laptop "form factor" there
Why It Matters That 4,000 Gemini Capsules Are Known to Lupa and Why Gemini Protocol Matters to Us
I have no doubt Gemini Protocol will continue to expand because it solves a real problem
Links 15/08/2024: Avast Surveillance Scandal Unsolved and Facebook Still Censors Terror Sympathisers
Links for the day
Daniel Cantarín's Response to Alexandre Oliva's Talk on Achieving Software Freedom in the Age of Platform Decay
Soylent News caught up with the series
4,000 Gemini Capsules
it's basically one capsule short of 4,000
"Microsoft is a Sponsor of The New Stack."
Many articles turn out to be just ads
New Highs for Android in Russia, But It's Reportedly Working on Its Own Linux-Based Operating Systems (GAFAM-Free)
statCounter isn't equipped to properly parse user agents or to keep up
Upcoming Series: Terms of Service (TOS) Under the Microscope, FSF Party, GitHub Scandals, Clowns, and More
Right now we have way more material than we have time to cover. But that's a good thing.
Gemini Links 15/08/2024: Lies of Therapy and Web Applications
Links for the day
Software Freedom in Perspective - Part 5 - When Richard Stallman Came to Argentina
It might seem a bit harsh, but a discussion at the end of this series will tie things together and explain why those things were said
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, August 14, 2024
IRC logs for Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Russia develops an alternative to Android and iOS | News.az
Russia already has several of its own operating systems
Links 14/08/2024: Ecology and War Inside Russia
Links for the day
Daniel Pocock - Use of Technology in European Parliament Election Campaign (Public Talk)
It starts in 4 hours
Android About to Fly Past Windows in Portugal
Perhaps by month's end or next month Portugal will be orange (Android majority)
How OpenAI Will Decrease the Losses
You have no losses when you have no users left
Giving Control to Microsoft is Always a Dire, Huge Mistake
Microsoft is known for buying things and sabotaging things, not for creating things
Founders That Sell Their Company to Microsoft Speak Out
"Microsoft's closure of Arkane Austin in May was one of the more shocking events of the past couple of years"
In Chile, Microsoft's Web Browser (a Chrome Copycat) Fell to 3.6%, About the Same as Firefox and Opera and Less Than Safari, Yandex Browser, Google Chrome
It does not look like Chileans fancy Microsoft's browser. They go out of their way to use something else, even on Windows.
Software Freedom in Perspective - Part 4 - Daniel on Linux-based Mobile Platforms in LATAM (Latin America)
GNU, Linux, and mobile
Almost Nothing of Invidious Left Online (YouTube is Attacking Gateways)
what it looks like at this very moment
Gemini Links 14/08/2024: Funeral for an E-reader and a Mother Wants a Laptop
Links for the day
Links 14/08/2024: 8 Years of GDPR and Ridicule of "Hey Hi" (AI) Hype
Links for the day
This is How You Give Microsoft More Control Over LibreOffice Both as Software and as a Project
Didn't the Document Foundation learn from prior Microsoft Store scandals connected to LibreOffice?
"Heroes of Fedora" Are Just Salaried Employees of IBM (But "Community" is Just Sounding a Lot Nicer)
A real community would not allow IBM a majority
YouTube Has Thrown Free Software Users Into a Crisis
For many Free software users, who rely on Invidious, YouTube is nearly dead already
[Meme] "New Chapter in the FSF."
We expect to have some coverage from this week's event
There is No I in "GAFAM" and Soon There Won't be I At All (Like Novell Vanished, Not Overnight, as It Took Over a Decade)
Intel is going through the biggest crisis in its entire history
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, August 13, 2024
IRC logs for Tuesday, August 13, 2024
It's a "sm0l" World and It Won't Outsource to the Pentagon Anymore
As many people aren't interested in a new PC - or simply cannot afford one - we can expect leaner operating systems to gain further
Software Freedom in Perspective - Part 3 - GNU/Linux in Argentinian Desktops/Laptops
Daniel explains why many years ago many PCs shipped with GNU/Linux and that there was an economic reason for it. At least in Argentina.
Tivoisation and Decommodification in Clown Computing
Some firms or organisations lost sight of what "servers" or "hosting" even mean
The News Vacuum
The problem is worse than just an absence of reporting
x86 Lowered the Standards of Hardware Products
A lot of it is just hacks and cheats that help fake performance