How To Deal With Your Raspberry Spy -- Part I: Acknowledgements

Guest Editorial Team

2021-03-06 00:12:15 UTC
Modified: 2021-03-06 00:15:16 UTC

By Gavin L. Rebeiro

Summary: March 2, 2021 blog post series from a guest author; for some background, see blog posts from Microsoft in the official blog of Raspberry Pi [1, 2] and our response to these

Cover

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● Artist: Cay ● Artist Contact Details: catthecay@gmail.com ● Artist Portfolio: https://thecayart.wixsite.com/artwork/contact

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Copyright

● Author: Gavin L. Rebeiro ● Copyright Holder: Gavin L. Rebeiro, 2021 ● Contact Author: glr@e2eops.io ● Publisher: E2EOPS PRESS LIMITED ● Contact Publisher: contact@e2eops.io

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

For encrypted communications, you can use the OpenPGP Key provided in chapter 6.

Chapter 1

Acknowledgements

Techrights techrights.org (TR) deserves credit for coverage of the Raspberry Spy Foundation’s underhand tactics; a heart-felt thanks to everyone who participated and notified TR about the Raspberry Spy espionage. TR has been robbed of credit they deserved in the early days of news coverage. The following links go over some of the news coverage from TR:

● Raspberry Pi (at Least Raspbian GNU/Linux and/or Raspberry Pi Foundation) Appears to Have Been Infiltrated by Microsoft and There Are Severe Consequences

● Raspberry Pi Foundation is Trying to Cover Up Its Deal With the Devil by Censoring Its Own Customers

● Raspberry Pi Foundation Owes Customers an Apology

● Holding the Raspberry Pi Foundation Accountable by Explaining What Happened (and Providing Evidence)

● Raspberry Pied in the Face — Part I: What is Known About the Relationship Between Microsoft and the Raspberry Pi Foundation

● Raspberry Pi OS Adds Microsoft Repository Without User Permission

● Raspberry Pied in the Face — Part II: Raspberry Pi Foundation in Violation of GNU/Linux Rules (Because of Microsoft)

● Raspberry Pied in the Face — Part III: Eben Upton’s Response and Its Significance

● Raspberry Pied in the Face — Part IV: Poor Crisis Management by the Raspberry Pi Foundation

● Raspberry Pied in the Face — Part V: Raspberry Bye? The Lost of Trust is Pervasive and the (Un)Official Response Unhelpful

● What Microsoft Did to the Raspberry Pi Foundation is Part of a Broader Anti-GNU/Linux Strategy

● More Than a Fortnight After Installing Microsoft Surveillance and Keys on Millions of Computers Without Users’ Consent the Spin Comes From the Raspberry Pi Company (via Microsoft)

● Raspberry Pi Reaffirms Its Commitment to Microsoft (as Trojan Horse Inside Classrooms) and Abandons the Free Software Community

● Microsoft Inside — Part II: Microsoft Has Plans for the Raspberry Pi or Linux SBCs in General (and It Hides Its Role in That)

I tried to keep things in chronological order, but you should just check out the TR site archives from Febuary 2021 onwards for coverage on this treachery from the Raspberry Spy Foundation.

A big thanks also to the founder of Everything Wrong With Free Software (EWWFS); EWWFS did a great piece on the Raspberry Spy that is worth reading:

● maybe-dont-buy-a-raspberry-spy

I originally got the inspiration for this paper from the creator of EWWFS. Much support and encouragement was provided during the research and development of this paper from EWWFS.

I saw the freedom-crushing propaganda machine in full action after the story first broke. Every single forum post that was censored, every single person in chat rooms that had been blocked or called a “basher”, and every single person who boycotts or called for a boycott of the Raspberry Spy, all give us hope that the fight for freedom is still alive.

It is my hope this document helps you advance your freedoms, learn a few new things, and have fun in the process. Let’s get hacking! ⬆

Slopwatch: A Cause for Hope, the Hype is Dying: For about a month we showed that becoming a slopfarm - for several weeks - resulted in utter failure and ruin for BetaNews
The EFF Sided With the Team That Strangles Women and Tells Women to Kill Themselves: They say that apathy and inaction are a form of a "stance"
Exemplary List of Things That Are Not Artificial Intelligence or Even Intelligence: The "age of AI" or "era of AI" or "AI revolution" mostly boils down to rebranding, just like "the cloud"
GitHub Copilot Can Cause the Bankruptcy of GitHub to Come Sooner and GitHub to be Shut Down Just Like Skype: Some publicly available information suggests that even for each paid subscriber for plagiarism (LLM 'coding') GitHub Copilot still loses more money than it makes
Our Lawsuits Against the 'Cancel Mob' (Ringleaders) Helped Reduce Anti-Free Software Online Abuse: That's not to say that lawsuits are the best way to handle terrible people. But that can help.
Microsoft - Like IBM - Does the "Relocation" Tricks (Start Over Elsewhere, Then Get Sacked by Microsoft): It is a "low blow" or a "dick move"
After the Free Software Foundation's Campaign to Raise Money Let's See Campaigns to Finish Off Microsoft (Vista 11, GitHub etc.): Microsoft is in effect collapsing
Your Publications Have No Major Impact Unless or Until You "Get Some Heat": we're on the right track
Links 11/07/2025: Censorship Worsening, 3D Printing Success Stories, UK and France Unite Around Nukes: Links for the day
Gemini Links 11/07/2025: Zorin OS and Scriptonite Updates: Links for the day
Links 11/07/2025: Hardware, Russia, and China: Links for the day
Links 11/07/2025: Intel Collapsing and Microsoft Resorts to Bribery to Push Slop Via Obligatory Education: Links for the day
"Nat [Friedman] and [the Serial Strangler From Microsoft] Were Always Exceptionally Close," Says Former Housemate and Colleague: Now Alex (hiding behind another name when that suits him) not only attacks women but also people who merely report what he did to women
New Letter From the European Patent Office Explains How the Office Plots to Grant Many Illegal Patents, a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of 'Growth': Open letter to Mr Rowan (VP1) and Mr Aledo Lopez (COO)
Abuse of Process: 5RB is employing people who help violent men
What Microsoft's Nat Friedman and Microsoft Lunduke Have in Common: "Get in da car; No time to explain, loser"
Microsoft and IBM Don't Have Much of a Future (They Mostly Pretend at This Point): IBM and Microsoft are in some ways alike but in many ways different
It's Not Just Twitter (or X.com) That's Dying, Microsoft's Equivalent is Dying Also: Unable to find a business model
Wayland is Bad for the Planet: If you use Wayland, it'll take you longer to accomplish tasks and you will consume more energy (or battery life)
Legitimising Those Who Sabotage You: Microsoft is a very malicious company
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, July 10, 2025: IRC logs for Thursday, July 10, 2025
On Microsoft Layoffs: we might be looking at about 60,000 Microsoft layoffs since 2023
EPO Management Already Breaks Its Own Promise (Lie) on "Bringing Teams Together": This gut-punching move happened just 2 days ago
Gemini Links 11/07/2025: Occupation of 2025 and "Old Man Yells At Soundcloud": Links for the day
Tomorrow is the Last Day of the Fund-Raising Campaign of the Free Software Foundation (FSF): They will probably extend the date, as usual
Fixing Patents in Europe, Little by Little (by Transparency and Reporting of Suppressed Facts): Tomorrow and throughout the weekend we shall focus some more on the EPO
The Two Lies Microsoft is Telling in "the News" This Week (to Distract From Layoffs and Decreased Interest in Slop/Chaff): Microsoft is run by liars and frauds who SLAPP critics
Tux Machines Already Destroyed SLAPPs: Attacks on the mere publication of GNU/Linux news won't be tolerated
PCLinuxOS is Available for Download Again: PCLinuxOS is important to us also because its founder, back then the partner of Susan, helped create Tux Machines more than 21 years ago
Links 10/07/2025: Microsoft E-mail 'Services' Collapse Again, "Yet Another Strava Privacy Leak": Links for the day
Gemini Links 10/07/2025: Automating Git Repo Updates and Small Web 'Zine': Links for the day
GNU/Linux Leftovers: mostly Linux stuff
Audiocasts/Shows: Going Linux, FLOSS Weekly, and RHEL Clones: 3 new picks
We Are Already Fighting - With Considerable Success - SLAPPs in the UK: we intend to tell the full story
Bullies With Pens and Papers (or Apple Macs With Templates): Not all barristers are evil, but there are perhaps "rotten apples"
Slopwatch: webpronews.com, linuxsecurity.com, linuxjournal.com: a pile of trash disguised as 'articles'
Links 10/07/2025: Linda Yaccarino Divorces MElonazi Site, Wildfires Hit Syria: Links for the day
The History and the Policy of the EPO's Stance on Breastfeeding (Corporate Monopolies Versus Babies' Health): "The Case for Introducing a Breastfeeding Policy at the EPO"
Gemini Links 10/07/2025: Inventing Chords and "Nightmare Boss": Links for the day
Igor Ljubuncic Once Again Shows That for Technical Reasons Wayland Still Sucks, Performs Considerably Worse Than What Existed for Decades: That is aside from compatibility factors and other crucial factors
Links 10/07/2025: "Apple Vs The Law" and Twitter Became Full Nazi Bar: Links for the day
Unable to Find Anyone to Work as Their Media Lawyer, Brett Wilson LLP Will Continue Losing Female Staff: What sort of sick person would wish to join Brett Wilson LLP to carry this baton?
Microsoft-Sponsored Propaganda Site Has Removed False 'Hit Piece' About Dr. Stallman (With Fake and Misrepresented Imagery) But Only After 4 Years: So they only removed that page some time around 2025, i.e. about 4 years after it had been published
Always Check Your Inputs: Garbage in, garbage out. Or wrong assumptions, wrong corollary.
Dan Neidle Said That Tax Evasion Facilitator Mr Zahawi (Working to Silence Bloggers Through Brett Wilson LLP) Targeted Not Only Him (But The Others Kept Quiet): "Mr Neidle said after repelling Mr Zahawi he was contacted by bloggers and tweeters who had received similar threats. They deleted their work “and in most cases never commented publicly on anything again”."
SLAPP Funding Transparency Urgently Needed in the UK and Elsewhere (in Practice, Not Just in Theory): Writing about crime - including Microsoft crime - is not a crime
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, July 09, 2025: IRC logs for Wednesday, July 09, 2025
Elodie Bergot Still Doing Illegal Things at the EPO, Based on the Local Staff Committee Munich: They keep taking away from the staff while compelling the staff to do illegal things
Gemini Links 09/07/2025: Extreme Testing and Golang Documentation in Geminispace: Links for the day
Vice President of the European Patent Office (EPO) Complains That Techrights Gives Visibility to Legal and Technical Issues at the EPO: "Follow-up on enquiries relating to Dir. 1218 and 1001"
Slopwatch: linuxsecurity.com and Various Slopfarms That Lie About "Linux" and Are Promoted by Google News: Google does not seem interested in tackling this problem
Links 09/07/2025: War Updates and Microsoft Moving to India to Cut Costs: Links for the day
GNU/Linux Was Always a 'Movement' of Inclusion of Tolerance: Even the licences themselves remove access barriers
Links 09/07/2025: "Subprime AI Crisis" and "OpenAI May Be in Major Trouble Financially": Links for the day
Huge Piles of Legal Papers ('Paper DDoS') Do Not Impress Judges and Regulators: they just make judges and regulators even more suspicious of the eagerness to resort to 'paper DDoS'
Brett Wilson LLP Sent Over 5 Kilograms (or Over 12 Pounds) of Legal Papers! Because Writing About Microsoft Abuses is 'Illegal'.: How do you guys sleep at night? On a big pile of Microsoft money?
Extremism as a Weapon Against GNU/Linux (Microsoft Lunduke): He ought to know the Halloween Documents. Wasn't he a Microsoft employee when these came out?
Lunduke Isn't Even Hiding His Anti-Linux Agenda (From "Linux Sucks" to "Linux is Pedophiles"): just trying to make a lot of trouble
Some People Use Computers to Get Actual Work Done: Tolerance and inclusion must extend to acceptance that some people don't agree with you, might never agree with you, and imposing what allegedly works for you on them is unreasonable
Example of "Old" Things That Still Work: The notion that something being "old" implies it must be discarded is typically advanced by those looking to sell more of something
Some Scheduled Maintenance Later Today: Typically the most vulnerable service during short interruptions is IRC
Computers Are Just a Tool: People don't get married because they love weddings, folks don't join the army because they love war, and most drivers don't drive to work because they love cars
Apple Way Past Its Prime: Apple deserves a decline
The FSF's SysOps Team Recovered From Serious Hardware Issue Within Hours: About half a day ago I noticed that all/most GNU/FSF sites were not reachable and thus reached out to a contact for any details
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 08, 2025: IRC logs for Tuesday, July 08, 2025
Slopwatch: Turning Bugs Into FUD About "Linux", Getting Basic Facts Wrong: all the screenshots are of fake articles; we don't want to link to any
Technical Reasons, Not Politics: With Wayland "it feels a lot like Linux from 20-25 years ago, which is horrendously frustrating, because it feels like we wasted one or two decades of progress and stability": Lately, quite a few benchmarks were published to show Wayland compares poorly compared to what we had
PCLinuxOS Recovering From Fire: It looks like a nightmare scenario, where even backups onsite get destroyed
Links 09/07/2025: More Heatwaves, Officials Culled in Russia: Links for the day
Gemini Links 09/07/2025: XScreensaver and Resurrection: Links for the day

How To Deal With Your Raspberry Spy -- Part I: Acknowledgements

Cover

Copyright

Chapter 1

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