Bonum Certa Men Certa

How Technology Holds Us Back

A threats diagram
An existing chart of (mostly) non-Free software-related aspects is just work in progress



Summary: Ongoing effort to identify and classify the perils or threats; this is meant to guide our future focus

DEALING with a wide range of changes, some of which may constitute emergent threats, isn't easy. Technology changes fast and software changes incredibly (sometimes notoriously) fast. Last month we started mapping certain types of threats with a sort of "silo" that deals with the Internet, without yet including the Libre (free) software issues, internal threats such as entryism, or legal issues such as SLAPP and software patents. In addition we've since then identified media control and infiltration, along with NDAs (for censorship and a lack of portability, to which CFAA contributes) as very potent threats. GeekWire is an example of captured "media" that burns sources, using NDAs as a weapon. It lets companies like Microsoft simply lie, disseminate their lies, and abuse workers while pretending none of that is happening. As the title of the latest batch of Daily Links notes, some companies attack their workers and then blame the workers (victim blaming). It's a widespread strategy and it's very obvious in technology; they claim there is a "Great Resignation" and skills "shortage"; if workers lacks some skill, the employers can train for it, but this isn't what they want. The baseless old canard is just used as a pretext to get "fresh" workers on low-end salaries and non-committal contracts (so even when there are layoffs they can pretend it's merely an end of contact). We think we can identity this as a risk and explain how to counter it (other than correcting the record; there are legal measures one can take).

The reason we are mapping all these threats is that we want to see which ones are high priority and whether to tackle them first (and if so how). A lot of these are closely connected.

Can anyone please report to us more aspects to explore and add? Tell us in IRC... the above chart is just a draft.

GAFAM took over our company; Did they steal all the data? Let me tell you about the cloud

Recent Techrights' Posts

2025 Will be Fought and Fraught With LLM Slop or Fake 'Articles' (Former Media/News Sites Turning to Marketing Spam)
The elephant in the room?
Brittany Day Can Rest and Let Microsoft/Chatbots Write Fake 'Articles' About "Linux" This Christmas
Who said people don't work on Christmas? Chatbots or plagiarism-as-a-service work 24/7, every day of the year except during Microsoft downtimes
 
Microsoft Openwashing Stunts Initiative (OSI) is A Vulture in "Open" Clothing
it's quite telling that the OSI isn't protecting the Open Source Definition
Gemini Links 25/12/2024: Reality Bites and Gopher Thanks
Links for the day
Links 26/12/2024: Japan-China Mitigations and Mozambique Prison Escape (1,500 Prisoners)
Links for the day
Links 26/12/2024: Ukraine's Energy Supplies Bombed on Christmas Day, Energy Lines Cut/Disrupted in the Baltic Sea Again
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/12/2024: Rot Economy, Self-hosted Tinylogs
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, December 25, 2024
IRC logs for Wednesday, December 25, 2024
[Meme] Time to Also Investigate Bill Gaetz
Investigation overdue
IBM Has Almost Obliterated or Killed the Entire Fedora Community (Not IBM Staff)
Remaining Fedora insiders are well aware of this, but bringing this up (an "accusation" against IBM) might be a CoC violation
Links 25/12/2024: Fentanylware (TikTok) Scams and "Zelle Scams Lead to $870M Loss"
Links for the day
Links 25/12/2024: Windows TCO Brought to SSH, Terence Eden 'Retires'
Links for the day
Links 25/12/2024: Latest Report Front Microsoft Splinter Group, War Updates
Links for the day
Links 25/12/2024: Hong Kong Attacks Activists During Holidays, Xerox to Buy Lexmark
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, December 24, 2024
IRC logs for Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Gemini Links 25/12/2024: Open Source Social and No Search
Links for the day
Brittany Day Connects Windows Ransomware to "Linux" Using Microsoft LLMs (FUD Galore, Zero Effort, No Accountability)
FUD and misinformation made by Microsoft LLMs again?
Links 24/12/2024: Labour Strikes and TikTok Scrambling to Prop Up Radical Politicians That Would Protect TikTok
Links for the day
Where the Population is Controlled by Skinnerboxes Inside People's Pockets (or Purses)
A very small fraction of mobile users practise or exercise freedom/control over the skinnerbox
[Meme] Coin-Operated Publishers (Gaming the Message, Buying the Narrative)
Advertise (sponsor) to 'play'
Advertisers and Their Covert Impact on Publications' Output (or Writers' Topics of Choice, as Assigned or Approved by Editors)
It cannot be trivially denied that sponsorship in the form of "advertising" impacts where publishers go (or don't go, won't go)
Terrible Year for Microsoft Windows in Cyprus
down from 86% to 72% since January
[Meme] How to Kill Unions (Staff on Shoestring Budget Cannot Afford Lawyers)
What next for the EPO? "Gig economy"?
The EPO's Staff Union (SUEPO) Takes Legal Action to Rectify the Decrease in Wages (Lessening of Purchasing Power)
here is what the union published
Gemini Links 24/12/2024: Deedum Gemini Client Gets Colour Support, Advent of Code 2024
Links for the day
Microsoft Windows Slides to New Lows in Colombia
Now Windows is at an all-time low
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, December 23, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, December 23, 2024