Bonum Certa Men Certa

Links 15/05/2022: More Azure Shutdowns and Windows Security Blunders Aplenty



  • GNU/Linux

    • Desktop/Laptop

    • Server

      • The Register UKRackspace considers selling part of business: 'Everything' on the table [Ed: Pentagon-connected companies that steal money from the taxpayers (de facto bailouts) are harming everybody else]

        Rackspace Technology is considering selling off at least part of its business following a strategic review, with CEO Kevin Jones admitting that "everything is on the table."

        The company disclosed it has already received interest from a potential buyer.

        The move was announced during a conference call covering Rackspace's Q1 2022 earnings, where Jones claimed that Rackspace is well positioned as a pure play multi-cloud services company.

    • Graphics Stack

      • OS NewsNVIDIA transitioning to official, open-source Linux GPU kernel driver – OSnews

        NVIDIA is open sourcing all of its kernel driver modules, for both enterprise stuff and desktop hardware, under both the GPL and MIT license, it will available on Github, and NVIDIA welcomes community contributions where they make sense. This isn’t just throwing the open source community a random bone – this looks and feels like the real deal. They’re even aiming to have their open source driver mainlined into the Linux kernel once API/ABI has stabalised.

        This is a massive win for the open source community, and I am incredibly excited about what this will mean for the future of the Linux desktop.

      • Bleeping ComputerNVIDIA has open-sourced its Linux GPU kernel drivers

        NVIDIA has published the source code of its Linux kernel modules for the R515 driver, allowing developers to provide greater integration, stability, and security for Linux distributions.

        The source code has been published to NVIDIA's GitHub repository under a dual licensing model that combines the GPL and MIT licenses, making the modules legally re-distributable.

        The products supported by these drivers include all models built on the Turing and Ampere architecture, released after 2018, including the GeForce 30 and GeForce 20 series, the GTX 1650 and 1660, and data center-grade A series, Tesla, and Quadro RTX.

        According to the GPU maker, this is a step toward improving its products' experience on the Linux platform, simplifying the integration process in Linux distributions, debugging, and boosting contribution activity.

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • H2S MediaHow to install R-base Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy - Linux Shout

        Learn the commands to install R- Base on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Linux Jammy JellyFish, a free programming language for statistical calculations and graphics using the terminal.

        Unlike Python, for example, which also enjoys a high degree of distribution in the field of data science, R is a language specially developed for statistical applications. Its core functions are the statistical evaluation and visualization of data.

      • H2S MediaHow to Install FileZilla FTP Client on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy

        Start transferring your data over FTP (file transfer protocol) by installing the FileZilla client on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy JellyFish Linux using the command terminal.

        FileZilla FTP client is free software available for all popular OS such as Windows, macOS, and Linux. Users can use it to copy files and folders via the Internet or local network from one PC to another computer. The FTP client is easy to handle and offers user interactive GUI with numerous special functions such as the continuation of interrupted transfers or the support of various transfer protocols such as FTP, SFTP, or FTPS.

      • NasdaqHow To Lock And Protect Away Secret Files With GNU Privacy Guard

        Users can take advantage of the cryptographic protection offered by GPG to secure files and data that they want to keep well under wraps.

        In this guide, I will explain the options at your disposal for encrypting files using open-source software on a Linux, Mac, or Windows computer. You can then transport this digital information across distance and time, to yourself or others.

      • Cron Jobs: A Comprehensive Guide - SitePoint

        Learn what cron is and how to use it. This guide covers the basics of cron jobs, as well as some more advanced features.

      • Install Zabbix Agent on Ubuntu 22.04/Debian 11 - kifarunix.com

        In this tutorial, you will learn how to easily install Zabbix agent on Ubuntu 22.04/Debian 11.

      • Install LightDM Display Manager on Ubuntu Linux | Mark Ai Code

        LightDM is a free, open-source, and lightweight X Display Manager for Linux desktops. It may also function as a cross-desktop display manager. It supports a variety of desktop environments, as well as display technologies like Wayland, Mir, and X windowing systems.

        This article will walk you through the process of installing the LightDM display manager on the Ubuntu Desktop system.

      • How to Install phpBB forum on Debian 11 | Mark Ai Code

        phpBB is an open-source forum that is completely expandable and customizable. The program includes an easy-to-use UI and simple administrative settings. It is built using PHP and MySQL.

        phpBB, on the other hand, is a collection of multinational individuals that appreciate working on open-source software. This program was developed in June of 2000. There have been several changes to the licenses as well as the phpBB management team. The designers of phpBB still have the same intentions. They seek to give free Internet forum software.

      • How to Install Wiki.js 2 on Ubuntu 20.04/22.04 | Mark Ai Code

        Wiki.js is open-source wiki software that is robust and adaptable, written in javascript and powered by a node.js engine. It is offered as a self-hosted solution or as a one-click install from the Digital Ocean and AWS marketplaces.

      • How to Install Android Studio on Ubuntu Linux | Mark Ai Code

        The Android operating system is installed on over 2.5 billion smartphones worldwide. The need for Android software developers to create new applications and support current ones is enormous.

        Installing Android Studio on Ubuntu, which includes the Android SDK, Java Development Kit (JDK), and other tools required to begin building native Android apps, is how you can get started with Android app development. Let’s get started!

      • How to Install & Configure SSH on Ubuntu 22.04 | Mark Ai Code

        SSH is a secure shell network protocol that allows two computers connected over the internet to interact securely. The OpenSSH package may be installed using the openssh-server default packages in Ubuntu 22.04. Installing the SSH server on Ubuntu 22.04 is done using the apt package manager.

      • How To Install Docker CE on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | Mark Ai Code

        Docker is a platform as a service product suite that employs OS-level virtualization to distribute applications in containers. Containers are typically separated from one another and have their own software libraries and configuration files, but they may interact over well-defined channels.

        Docker allows multiple applications to run on the same servers while also making it simple to bundle and deploy programs.

      • Add Hosts to Zabbix Server for Monitoring - kifarunix.com

        In this guide, I will demonstrate how to install and Enable Docker CE on Ubuntu LTS. Our Docker-CE is operating as anticipated from here.

  • Distributions and Operating Systems

    • Fedora Family / IBM

      • Silicon AngleRed Hat rollout parade led by Enterprise Linux 9

        Red Hat Inc. is kicking off its Red Hat Summit conference in Boston today with a sweeping set of announcements anchored by version nine of its flagship Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system.

      • Silicon AngleCIQ raises $26M to promote free alternative to Red Hat Linux

        Ctrl IQ Inc., which does business as CIQ, said today it has raised a $26 million early-stage funding round to advance an alternative to Red Hat Inc.’s Enterprise Linux operating system.

        The Series A infusion brings the company’s total financing to $33 million and its valuation to $150 million, according to co-founder Gregory Kurtzer.

        CIQ is the founding sponsor and services partner behind Rocky Linux, an open-source and community-maintained enterprise Linux distribution based on CentOS, which is a fully compatible version of RHEL. CIQ Chief Executive Gregory Kurtzer was a founder of both CentOS and Rocky Linux.

      • Red Hat CEO: Remote Working is 'Just Another Day' to the Open Source World

        Red Hat's CEO/president Paul Cormier assessed the last two years in a speech at this week's Red Hat Summit. "Globally we saw nearly every industry go to 100% remote working overnight."

    • Debian Family

    • Devices/Embedded

    • Open Hardware/Modding

      • Raspberry Pi Pico vs Zero: The Differences
      • Raspberry Pi & Machine Learning: All You Need to Know
      • AppleInsiderThere's a hack to add CarPlay support to a Tesla | AppleInsider

        That video feed is supplied by a collection of hardware carried inside the vehicle, which is used to run Android. The assembly includes a pair of Raspberry Pi units, with one used for Android and the other using Linux and handling video and connectivity duties.

      • Tesla Refuses To Integrate Apple's CarPlay — You Can Do It Anyway | Benzinga

        The solution uses a cheap computer development platform Raspberry Pi with a mobile network modem and a wireless internet access point running an Android-based system, micro-HDMI to HDMI cable, and an Ethernet cable. As shown in his YouTube video, the car connects to the device's network and displays the CarPlay interface on its screen inside the web browser — including applications such as Maps and Apple Music. The solution works while driving and can even be controlled with the media buttons present on the car's steering wheel.

      • LiliputingLilbits: MIPS pivots to RISC-V, Intel staggers desktop Arc graphics release, and Google releases I/O Pinball

        Last year MIPS Technologies announced that it was going to stop designing MIPS processors. That might sound surprising given the company’s name, but maybe it was inevitable when looking at trends in the semiconductor industry.

        So MIPS pivoted to RISC-V architecture. And the company’s first chips based on that open instruction set are set to launch later this year. MIPS is promising best-in-class performance, but we’ll likely have to wait until this fall to find out whether the company can deliver on that promise.

      • The Register UKMIPS says first RISC-V chips coming in Q4 2022 ● The Register

        MIPS is back, but this time the company is bringing processors to market based on the RISC-V open instruction set architecture, rather than the MIPS architecture the chip designer is synonymous with.

        The current incarnation* of MIPS proclaimed its entry to the RISC-V market with a preview of the first products in its new eVocore processor line, which initially comprises two multiprocessor IP cores, the eVocore P8700 and I8500.

        MIPS said that the new processors are designed for high-performance, real-time compute applications such as networking, datacenter, and the automotive industry.

        To deliver on this goal, the eVocore IP cores was developed around scalability. MIPS said it aims to allow customers to specify custom chip configurations that combine coherent clusters of the multi-threaded, multi-core CPUs to match their power and performance requirements.

      • The Register UKRISC-V CEO: Winning over giants like Intel key to growth ● The Register

        The CEO of RISC-V's governing body says she wants to nothing less than "world domination" for the rising open-source processor technology, but to do that, the nonprofit needs buy-in from a variety of organizations, even those steeped in dominant, proprietary architectures, such as x86 giant Intel.

        In an interview this week with The Register, RISC-V International CEO Calista Redmond reckons the buy-in, which comes in the form of paid memberships, is needed to support ongoing development of the royalty-free CPU instruction set architecture to better compete with x86 and Arm ISAs.

  • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

    • The InformantPromote research through free software

      Real, actionable knowledge, free software is a way for a research scientist to promote and disseminate their findings in society. This is the path advocated by Danielle Le Berry, a research professor of computer science.

      Firefox, OpenOffice, VLC, Ubuntu… Like these few famous examples, free software — those whose license allows everyone to use, modify, and redistribute — often play key roles in our digital ecosystems. We find it on our servers, in our TVs, on our phones, on our computers…Good news: This should go on for a long time. Actually, thanks Law of the Digital Republic for 2016 and The second national plan for open scienceSoftware generated by publicly funded research must be distributed by default under a free license.

      It must be said that the academic world and the world of free software are closely related: the GNU operating system project was created by Richard Stallman in 1983, when he was a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Linus Torvald developed the Linux kernel in 1991 when he was a student at the University of Helsinki … It remains a topical topic because many free programs are developed or improved in our laboratories. On February 5, a 1st Prize “Open Science of Free Research Software”, Organized by the Open Science Committee of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, it has provided evidence of this by rewarding ten programs from the French research world, among 129 high-quality applications. Many of these apps were for software developed over 30 years ago!

    • The New StackSOS: Sustainable Open Source [Ed: It's not a Free software problem; Proprietary software has the exact same peril but it's worse because orphaned work cannot be maintained or fixed, not even audited]

      Free and Open Source Software is eating the world, but is at the same time a victim of its own success. Large enterprises rely on libraries maintained by a single individual, or maybe worse yet: a single vendor.

      Individuals or organizations may restrict the use of their technology or EOL versions of their software, posing real challenges to organizations and customers depending on that technology. How can we contribute to the viability and sustainability of open source?

    • SaaS/Back End/Databases

      • PostgreSQLpgAdmin 4 v6.9 Released

        The pgAdmin Development Team is pleased to announce pgAdmin 4 version 6.9. This release of pgAdmin 4 includes 29 bug fixes and new features. For more details please see the release notes.

    • Licensing / Legal

      • The Register UKJudge agrees damages model in Oracle cloud class-action ● The Register

        A US class-action case claiming Oracle falsely inflated its cloud revenue by threatening customers with audits is set to continue after a federal judge approved the damages model proposed by the plaintiffs.

        United States District Judge Beth Labson Freeman has certified an "out of pocket" approach to determining damages incurred by investors as a result of Oracle's alleged false statements about its cloud revenue. Oracle has consistently insisted the case – which dates back to 2018 – has no merit.

        Oracle had argued that the City of Sunrise Firefighters' Pension Fund, which is bringing the case, had failed to meet the requirements to disclose its damages model.

    • Programming/Development

      • Tools that follow the UNIX philosophy

        If a program is mentioned in the "don't use" section, it's strictly speaking from a bloat standpoint, not if the program is secure/good/etc or no. In some instances, for example KeepassXC, the program is remarkable, but it uses a GUI, which I personally dislike. All programs recommended here have CLI interfaces and it's my personal preference only.

      • On Bloat and Ingrates

        While I appreciate a friendly abstract discussion about minimalism and what's an appropriate number of LOCs in an application, let's not get too carried away.

        It is not your job to critique someone who's accomplished something wonderful, based on the size of their sources. If Lagrange is too many SLOCs for you, don't use it, and don't use it quietly, please. Maybe write a post about how your tiny app is better.

      • Golang v1.18 New Features and Released

        Since its first release in 2009, the Go programming language has progressed significantly. Because of its support for generics and other significant enhancements, Go 1.18 was an eagerly anticipated version.

        In March 2022, Go published version 1.18. Here’s an overview of the most noteworthy changes.

      • InfoQReproducible Development with Containers

        Avdi Grimm describes the future of development, which is already here. Get a tour of a devcontainer, and contrast it with a deployment container.

      • InfoWorldIntro to Micronaut: A cloud-native Java framework | InfoWorld

        The Spring framework has long dominated back-end Java development, but several new frameworks challenge that status quo. Micronaut is among the most compelling. Developed by the team that built Grails, Micronaut is made for modern architectures.

      • Python

        • Geometric Mean using Pandas in Python

          Working with the Python programming language simplifies and simplifies everything. Python was created to make the life of a developer simpler, which is why even rookie and beginning python developers fall in love with programming and development. It is a great programming language for data analysis. Furthermore, the Python programming language has libraries for mathematical and statistical computing.

          Geometric means are a Python pandas function that computes the geometric mean of a given collection of integers, list, or DataFrame. This post will show you how to get the geometric mean in Python using pandas.

        • Colorama in Python

          Python has a plethora of built-in modules and packages for printing colorful text in the terminal. Colorama is one of the Python modules that may be used to display text in multiple colors. It is used to improve the readability of the code. This module provides three formatting choices for coloring text. Back, Fore, and Style are the three options. This module allows you to modify the background or foreground color of the text as well as its style. This tutorial explains how to utilize this module in a variety of ways.

        • The Register UKSAS announces support for Python ● The Register

          Analytics industry veteran SAS has announced support for Python in its proprietary analytics studio.

          Founded in 1976, SAS developed its own language which derived from a North Carolina State University project and is deployed across its range of analytics and machine learning environments.

          Bryan Harris, CTO and executive vice president at SAS, told us he wanted to offer users an alternative.

        • ZDNetProgramming languages: Python is slow, but it's about to get faster

          Python 3.11 will bear the fruits of CPython's multi-year effort to make Python a faster programming language.

  • Leftovers

    • What it's like

      My brother and I were two and a half years apart in age. We looked VERY similar to each other. For the first month after he died, I felt like I saw him in the mirror when I looked. When were kids, aged 9 and 11 say, I would get so mad when people thought we were twins.

    • The Disappearence of Sincere Conversations

      How many times do you have a truthful, deep conversation with someone? Probably not that often. I've been observing all around me, how people don't have common interests anymore, and instead resort to small talk about (anti)social media, and general consumerist behaviour, for example clothes and smartphones. You could call them similar passions, but they're more of destructive passions, if they can be named passions. People are being increasingly alienated from their peers, resulting in ephemereal friendships, a degradation in the unity of communities, youth not caring about their parents, and the list can go on. The technological advancements have brought good and bad, but are the overwhelming majority of the advantages working for us or against us?

      [...]

      Since the first smartphones appeared, we changed our lifestyle drastically overnight, didn't even realize it. The internet became fully a monopoly made to capitalise and extract money from our minds. We're not prepared to deal with such a thing, we can only try and prevent, and eventually stop it, by reducing our dependence on proprietary services that work against us and instigate our peers to violence through the so-called news, they make people mutilate themselves for beauty standards, just to be accepted into a niche group. We must fight for technological education, and teach people how they don't use technology, but technology uses them. The educational system has sold out to corporations, almost all universities have contracts with Microsoft.

      Another reason people get into so many vices nowadays, aside from the continous alienation from our environment, is the fact that they want to be accepted into a group, they're desperate for it, due to not having any true connections. This can be seen with vaping in teenagers, social media, and other various distractions of the 21st century.

    • Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

    • Proprietary

      • The Register UKThe end of the iPod – last model available 'while supplies last' [Ed: It was always hype, branding, and perceived "class"; technically speaking, the competition was better and practically superior]
      • The Register UKLinkedIn settles Dept of Labor charges it underpaid women [Ed: While Bill Gates flies on planes of Jeffrey Epstein and visits Epstein in prison Microsoft continues to abuse women. Microsoft loves to publicly brag about protecting women because, just like greenwashing, it makes business (marketing) sense.]

        Microsoft's LinkedIn social network has agreed to settle allegations it systematically underpaid women in engineering, product, and marketing roles.

        The US Department of Labor (DoL) on Tuesday announced the settlement on behalf of 686 female workers in California. The government said an evaluation conducted by DoL's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs found that between March 1, 2015, though March 1, 2017, LinkedIn failed to provide equal pay for women in its San Francisco and Sunnyvale, California, offices.

      • The Register UKWarning: Windows update breaks authentication for some server admins

        Microsoft is warning a security update may cause authentication failures for Windows domain controllers.

        "After installing updates released May 10, 2022 on your domain controllers, you might see authentication failures on the server or client for services such as Network Policy Server (NPS), Routing and Remote access Service (RRAS), Radius, Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP), and Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP)," the IT goliath said in an advisory published Wednesday.

      • The Register UKJeffrey Snover claims Microsoft demoted him for inventing PowerShell [Ed: Microsoft did the same to the Minecraft pioneer]

        PowerShell inventor Jeffrey Snover has aired some grievances about how his indispensable tool once got him demoted.

        The Microsoft Technical Fellow discussed the incident in a weekend Twitter thread that started when controversial investor Peter Thiel discussed the virtues of courage.

        "Courage is a key characteristic of future leaders and previous employees," Snover joked in response to Thiel's musings. He also asserted that "many people focus on getting their boss to pat them on the head rather than address problems."

      • The Register UKMicrosoft to ax Azure Video Analyzer in November [Ed: Microsoft also lays off Azure staff and shuts down some datacentres; it relies a lot on government bailouts (stealing from taxpayers]

        Microsoft's Azure Video Analyzer service is being put out to pasture, with its termination notice arriving less than a year after the preview was unveiled at the company's 2021 Build event.

    • Security

      • The Register UKFresh ransomware samples indicate REvil is back [Ed: Microsoft Windows TCO]

        New ransomware samples analyzed by Secureworks' threat intelligence team are the latest indication that high-profile ransomware operation REvil is once again up and running after months of relative inactivity.

        Secureworks' Counter Threat Unit (CTU) investigated samples that were uploaded to the VirusTotal analysis service and found some showing that the developer of the code has access to REvil's source code, "reinforcing the likelihood that the threat group has reemerged," the researchers wrote in a blog post this week.

      • US-Led Seizure of RaidForums May Defy Lasting Effect on Security | TechNewsWorld

        The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday announced it seized the website and user database for RaidForums, a popular English-language cybercrime forum that sold access to more than 10 billion consumer records stolen in some of the world’s largest data breaches since 2015.

        The DOJ also charged the alleged administrator of RaidForums — 21-year-old Diogo Santos Coelho, of Portugal — with six criminal counts, including conspiracy, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

      • The Register UKMalware goes regional as attackers change tactics [Ed: Microsoft Windows TCO]

        One such trend is that most recent malware attacks came from within the same region as the victim, a marked difference from previous years, according to Netskope, which believes this is a strategic tactic used by attackers to avoid geofencing filters and other prevention measures.

        [...]

        Netskope said that EXE and DLL files account for nearly half of all malware downloads as malicious actors continue to see Microsoft Windows as a prime target for attacks.

      • The Register UKiOS, Android stores host more than 1.5 million 'abandoned' apps [Ed: Orphaned does not mean malicious]
      • Techstrong GroupOpenSSF Adds Open Source Package Analysis Tool Prototype

        The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) has made available a prototype of a package analysis tool that has already identified more than 200 malicious packages uploaded to PyPI and npm software components.

      • Help Net SecurityOpenSSF announces 15 new members to tackle supply chain security challenges

        The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) announced 15 new members from leading software development, cybersecurity, financial services, communications, and academic sectors.

      • The RecordGoogle to create security team for open source projects [Ed: Google works for the NSA. No security professional (a real security person) would take this seriously. Google: we worry about Open Source security! Meanwhile a Google engineer slips backdoored encryption into Linux kernel...]
      • Groundhog Day For Malware - IT Jungle [Ed: "This content is sponsored by iTech Solutions." IT Jungle has rapidly become a puff piece dump of IBM, Intel etc.]

        “The IFS just like a UNIX or Windows file system is susceptible to viruses, the i/OS is NOT.”

        Okay, this comment is pretty much false information. First, the IFS is called the Integrated File System because it’s exactly that. It literally contains ALL TEN IBM i file systems! Here they all are for good measure:

      • IBM Tackles Talent Shortage and Cybersecurity Crisis with New and Expanded Partnerships [Ed: IBM is moaning about talent shortage while laying off some of its most experienced workers]
      • The Register UKSecurity is a pain for American Dental Association: Ransomware infection feared [Ed: The huge cost of using Microsoft Windows]

        The Black Basta crime gang has claimed it infected the American Dental Association with ransomware.

      • The Register UKMicrosoft closes Windows LSA hole under active attack [Ed: While the media obsesses over "Linux" (systemd) bugs that could be exploited, by a local user, Microsoft has these blunders that the media typically shies away from (zero-days, unlike Linux, and far more severe too)]
      • Help Net SecurityMicrosoft patches Windows LSA spoofing zero-day under active attack (CVE-2022-26925) [Ed: With Microsoft, security is not a possibility. Microsoft security advice (that would actually work): turn off the computer until we issue a patch for the zero-day remotely-exploitable hole.]

        May 2022 Patch Tuesday is here, and Microsoft has marked it by releasing fixes for 74 CVE-numbered vulnerabilities, including one zero-day under active attack (CVE-2022-26925) and two publicly known vulnerabilities (CVE-2022-29972 and CVE-2022-22713).

      • The Register UKUS offers $15m reward for information about Conti ransomware gang [Ed: Microsoft Windows is costing the US taxpayers, too]
      • The Register UKUS, Europe formally blame Russia for data wiper attacks against Ukraine, Viasat [Ed: Windows TCO; But the Linux Foundation will carry on badmouth Linux security while taking Microsoft cash, just like Zemlin the wife. The Zemlin family bags more money from Microsoft than the Linux Foundation bags from Microsoft.]

        WhisperGate corrupts an infected Windows system's master boot record, displays a fake ransom note, and irreversibly scrambles documents based on their file extensions, according to the US government's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Ghostwriter, a crew thought to be connected to Russia's GRU military intelligence service, started using this strain of malware against organizations in Ukraine on January 15, we're told.

      • The Register UKCrook jailed for selling stolen credentials on dark web ● The Register

        The prosecution's documents [PDF] detail an unnamed, dark-web marketplace on which usernames and passwords along with personal data, including more than 330,000 dates of birth and social security numbers belonging to US residents, were bought and sold illegally.

      • Privacy/Surveillance

        • Clearview AI banned from selling its facial recognition software to most US companies
        • The Register UKClearview AI promises not to sell face-recognition database to most US businesses

          Clearview AI has promised to stop selling its controversial face-recognizing tech to most private US companies in a settlement proposed this week with the ACLU.

          The New-York-based startup made headlines in 2020 for scraping billions of images from people's public social media pages. These photographs were used to build a facial-recognition database system, allowing the biz to link future snaps of people to their past and current online profiles.

        • The Register UKIndia’s battle with Pegasus tells a bigger tale of tech laws ● The Register

          NSO Group's Pegasus spyware-for-governments keeps returning to the headlines thanks to revelations such as its use against Spain's prime minister and senior British officials.

          But there's one nation where outrage about Pegasus has been constant for nearly a year and shows little sign of abating: India.

          A quick recap: Pegasus was created by Israeli outfit NSO Group, which marketed the product as "preventing crime and terror acts" and promised it would only sell the software to governments it had vetted, and for approved purposes like taking down terrorists or targeting criminals who abuse children.

        • Rest of WorldIndia orders VPN companies to collect user data

          From bypassing censorship to watching porn, Indians’ usage of VPNs has been increasing in recent years. Now, whether VPNs comply with the new rule or exit the country, “it is the user whose privacy will be at stake.”

        • Data breach at California State Bar. Pegasus and India's data privacy laws. VPN user data leaked on Telegram.

          The State Bar of the US state of California has disclosed that over 322,000 confidential attorney discipline records were exposed when the data was erroneously published on public records aggregator Judyrecords as the result of a bug in the State Bar’s case management system. The organization has begun notifying the 1,300 complainants, witnesses, or respondents who were compromised. “The State Bar is committed to transparency, and maintaining the public’s trust in our agency is paramount,” State Bar Executive Director Leah Wilson stated. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the vulnerability has been fixed and access to public State Bar records has been restored.

        • The VergeNew EU rules would require chat apps to scan private messages for child abuse [Ed: Parroting the lies that this is about protecting children]
        • Poynter InstituteShould you worry about data from your period-tracking app being used against you?

          It’s estimated that millions of people in the U.S. use period-tracking apps to plan ahead, track when they are ovulating, and monitor other health effects. The apps can help signal when a period is late.

          After Politico published on May 2 a draft opinion from the Supreme Court indicating that Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that guarantees the constitutional right to an abortion, would be overturned, people turned to social media. They were expressing concerns about the privacy of this information – especially for people who live in states with strict limits on abortion – and how it might be used against them.

        • KFFShould You Worry About Data From Your Period-Tracking App Being Used Against You? [Ed: You should be worried about getting conned into sharing so much personal ]
        • Scientific AmericanYes, Phones Can Reveal if Someone Gets an Abortion [Ed: Yes, you probably ought to stop carrying around a "smart" "phone"; they do lots of bad things, not just like these...]
    • Environment

      • InfoQHow to Fight Climate Change as a Software Engineer

        Software has an impact on climate change and we as software engineers can make a difference. By keeping the created carbon emissions in mind and doing what is possible to reduce carbon emissions caused by software, we can contribute to the fight against climate change.

      • Energy

        • Financial TimesUkraine war puts Japan's clean energy transition at risk

          Until one of the biggest earthquakes on record triggered a tsunami that destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, just over 11 years ago, Japan’s energy supply rarely made front-page news.

          The resource-poor country had 54 nuclear reactors providing about a third of its energy needs. And the nuclear power industry pumped enough money into the political system to ensure its place in the energy mix of the world’s third-largest economy was not questioned. It also provided a useful repository of cushy jobs for retired officials.

          As a result, there was little demand for lawyers to support creative policymaking or become involved in innovative deals bringing sustainable energy to Japan.

          [...]

          The conflict in Ukraine is complicating matters further due to Japan’s considerable imports of cheap Russian gas, produced jointly with Russian energy firms on the island of Sakhalin, north of Hokkaido.

          About 10 per cent of Tokyo’s gas comes from Sakhalin, while Hiroshima relies on the source for half of its supply.

          Japan has kept pace with western nations in imposing sanctions on Russia but its energy projects in the country are not included. “We are not pulling out,” says deputy chief cabinet secretary Seiji Kihara. “Unfortunately, our country’s energy self-sufficiency rate is in the single digits and we are the most vulnerable country in the G7. So, for us, energy is a matter of life and death.”

      • Wildlife/Nature

        • Omicron LimitedNot all is rosy for the pink pigeon, study finds

          The authors of a major study on the once critically endangered pink pigeon say boosting the species' numbers is not enough to save it from extinction in the future.

          Despite the population increase, the team's analysis shows the pink pigeon has a high genetic load of bad mutations, which puts it at considerable risk of extinction in the wild within 100 years without continued conservation actions.

        • Science DailyNot all is rosy for the pink pigeon
    • Finance

    • AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

      • The Register UKUS judge dismisses Republican efforts to block release of Salesforce emails

        A US judge has dismissed efforts by the Republican National Committee (RNC) to block the release of emails created and managed on a Salesforce system as part of an investigation into the January 6, 2021 attacks on the Capitol building.

        In a ruling released this week [PDF], District Judge Timothy Kelly rejected the RNC claim that the House Select Committee's efforts to access the emails could reveal its digital strategy and provide valuable competitive information.

    • Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

    • Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

      • Fast CompanyBig ISPs just gave up on blocking net neutrality law in CA

        Trade groups representing AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and the like decided to withdraw their lawsuit, which had already been coldly received three times in federal courts.

      • 90s internet nostalgia



        It looks like it stopped accepting new sites about a year ago, but it’s worth a look — there are a few gems. I think “90s internet nostalgia” is my biggest guilty pleasure these days.

    • Monopolies

      • The Register UKVirginians sue to block rural Amazon datacenter

        Residents in rural Culpeper County, Virginia, aren't letting Amazon build a datacenter without a fight, so they've sued the county to stop the project.

        Culpeper County's Board of Supervisors voted 4-3 in early April to rezone 230 acres of a 243-acre equestrian center and working horse farm to light industrial use so that AWS could build [PDF] a pair of six-story buildings that cover 445,000 square feet on the site, along with an electrical substation.

        Speaking to the Culpeper Star-Exponent, the six neighboring families that filed the suit largely argue that the datacenter would be an eyesore that would ruin the countryside. Unfortunately, eyesores aren't always legally actionable; zoning laws, however, are.

      • The Register UKFacebook deliberately took down Australian government pages during pay-for-news negotiations: report

        Facebook whistleblowers have alleged that the company deliberately took down the presences of Australian government and emergency services organizations during negotiations on the nation's landmark pay-to-link-to-news laws.

        In early 2021, Australia negotiated with Facebook and Google over the News Media Bargaining Code which required both to pay local news outlets for the right to link to their content. Google opposed the Code and embedded links to documents detailing its objections on its home page. Facebook said the Code was so unworkable that it would be forced to stop sharing news links in Australia – and demonstrated the effect by making it impossible for Australians to post such links.

      • The Register UKApple's return-to-office plan savaged by staff

        Apple's directive requiring staff to return to the office after two years of pandemic-based working from home has elicited opposition from a group of employees.

        In an open letter published last week, a group calling itself Apple Together said the iGiant's work-from-home (WFH) policy is motivated by fear.

      • The Register UKIndian government accuses Uber of jacking up prices for loyal customers [Ed: India will learn the hard way that Uber should be banned. These companies have a very sinister and collectively destructive agenda.]


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