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Links 24/05/2023: Podman Desktop 1.0, BSDCan 2024, and More



  • GNU/Linux

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • ID RootHow To Install Nmap on Fedora 38

        In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Nmap on Fedora 38. Are you a Fedora 38 user looking to install and use Nmap for networking exploration and security auditing? Look no further as we guide you through the simple installation process and basic usage of Nmap on Fedora 38.

      • Sergio Durigan Junior: Using WireGuard to host services at home

        It’s been a while since I had this idea to leverage the power of WireGuard to self-host stuff at home. Even though I pay for a proper server somewhere in the world, there are some services that I don’t consider critical to put there, or that I consider too critical to host outside my home.

      • University of TorontoSome views on protocols and encryption

        The start of my views is that encrypted NFS with Kerberos is different from IMAPS or encrypted SMTP because both of the latter are instances of '<X> over TLS', while encrypted NFS with Kerberos is its own bespoke, unique cryptographic protocol and implementation. I like '<X> over TLS' (provided that TLS identities are competently handled), because TLS is a well studied, reasonably well understood, and usually well implemented thing (if you use a common implementation, and everyone should). Bespoke cryptography is something I consider dangerous because historically it's had a rather bad track record (both in implementations and in protocols). A lot of effort from many people and hard lessons learned have gone into TLS, far more than into a niche bespoke system (which encrypted NFS with Kerberos definitely is).

      • KlaraOpenZFS For HPC Clusters

        As the age of data growth and sprawl continues to evolve, the demand for high-performance, secure, and scalable data storage solutions has become more critical than ever before. However, despite the rising need, the number of available options for meeting these requirements is dwindling. As a result, businesses and organizations are facing significant challenges in selecting the right solution that fits their specific needs and budget.

        Fortunately, OpenZFS is emerging as a popular and excellent choice for building the storage backbone of any high-performance computing system. OpenZFS is an advanced file system and volume manager that offers robust features such as data compression, deduplication, and checksumming. These capabilities allow organizations to store, manage, and access their data efficiently, securely, and with the highest level of integrity.

      • TecMintLinux: Difference Between /dev/tty, /dev/tty0, and /dev/console

        Linux / UNIX supports device files that are stored in the /dev directory. These aren’t actual files, rather, they are special files or character devices that are representative of hardware devices attached to the system.

        Some of the most commonly misunderstood device files are /dev/console, /dev/tty, and /dev/tty0. In this guide, we will explore the nuances that distinguish these three device files.

      • OSTechNixThe Numfmt Command Tutorial With Examples For Beginners
      • UbuntubuzzSafely Convert Hard Disk to GPT without Data Loss

        We want to share with you a note from our experience in converting a 320GB hard disk drive from MBR to GPT without data loss. We use gdisk, a famous tool by Roderick "Rodsbooks" Smith, and do several steps to finish it in a very quick time. Here's the results.

      • LinuxConfigHow to kill process by ID
      • LinuxConfigHow to echo environment variable on Linux
      • TecAdminHow to Install and Use Cockpit on Ubuntu

        The complexities of managing a server can be daunting, especially if you are new to the field.

      • LinuxConfigHow to convert JPG to PDF
      • Trend OceansHow to Create a Bootable USB Using Rufus for Linux Distributions

        One of the most simple and easy ways to create a bootable USB drive for Linux is with Rufus, which will create a bootable drive in a matter of a few clicks.

      • Trend OceansHow to Install Figma in Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, and RHEL based OS )

        If you can't find Figma for Linux on the official webpage, don't worry. We will show you how to install Figma on Linux distributions. Figma is a well-known web-based tool for digital collaboration and prototyping. UX Designers, developers, and business people use it to create interactive prototypes and share them with others.

      • dwaves.deEarbuds Review LG Tone DFP9 W – How to bluetooth pair koppeln – won’t pair bluetooth – lassen sich nicht verbinden

        unable to pair? before feeling like a fool, because it won't pair: fully charge the device (front led is green) Bluetooth pairing only works if the USB-to-analog mode is off via the switch on the side of the case....

      • Trend OceansHow to Mount LUKS Encrypted Drive Partitions in Linux

        ailed to auto mount an encrypted partition in Linux? Don't worry, there are several ways to manually mount a LUKS encrypted drive partition in Linux.

      • LinuxConfigHow to kill a process by name
      • How to Install eksctl CLI tool on Ubuntu Linux

        eksctl is a command line tool offered by Amazon for creating and managing Kubernetes clusters on Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS). Using eksctl, users can easily deploy and scale containerized applications on AWS without the need for extensive manual configuration.

    • Games

  • Distributions and Operating Systems

    • PCLinuxOS/Mageia/Mandriva/OpenMandriva Family

    • SUSE/OpenSUSE

      • OpenSUSEProject’s Community Conference to Begin Friday

        This year’s openSUSE Conference starts in about 72 hours and open-source enthusiasts, contributors and supporters are making their way to Nuremberg, Germany, for a collaborative community event.

        Talks begin on May 26 at 9:30 a.m. Central European Time and the event will be streamed by c3voc; the stream link will be posted on events.opensuse.org before the event begins. The schedule lists plenty of talks ranging from an introduction to the Geeko Foundation to an introduction of the service-based Linux installer Agama.

    • Fedora Family / IBM

      • Kubernetes BlogBlog: Using OCI artifacts to distribute security profiles for seccomp, SELinux and AppArmor

        The Security Profiles Operator (SPO) makes managing seccomp, SELinux and AppArmor profiles within Kubernetes easier than ever. It allows cluster administrators to define the profiles in a predefined custom resource YAML, which then gets distributed by the SPO into the whole cluster. Modification and removal of the security profiles are managed by the operator in the same way, but that’s a small subset of its capabilities.

        Another core feature of the SPO is being able to stack seccomp profiles. This means that users can define a baseProfileName in the YAML specification, which then gets automatically resolved by the operator and combines the syscall rules. If a base profile has another baseProfileName, then the operator will recursively resolve the profiles up to a certain depth. A common use case is to define base profiles for low level container runtimes (like runc or crun) which then contain syscalls which are required in any case to run the container. Alternatively, application developers can define seccomp base profiles for their standard distribution containers and stack dedicated profiles for the application logic on top. This way developers can focus on maintaining seccomp profiles which are way simpler and scoped to the application logic, without having a need to take the whole infrastructure setup into account.

        But how to maintain those base profiles? For example, the amount of required syscalls for a runtime can change over its release cycle in the same way it can change for the main application. Base profiles have to be available in the same cluster, otherwise the main seccomp profile will fail to deploy. This means that they’re tightly coupled to the main application profiles, which acts against the main idea of base profiles. Distributing and managing them as plain files feels like an additional burden to solve.

      • Red HatA developer’s guide to Red Hat Developer Hub and Janus

        This article introduces the new Red Hat Developer Hub and Janus project to address the challenges IT organizations face in the development process. A developer’s work can be fraught with disparate development systems and distributed teams, and organizations with multiple development teams often struggle with competing priorities, diverse tools and technologies, and establishing best practices.

        These challenges make it difficult to quickly start development and adhere to multiple security and compliance standards. A unified platform that can consolidate these elements of the development process and foster internal collaboration will enable development teams to focus on rapidly enhancing code and functionality to efficiently build high-quality software.

        Simplifying the inner loop for developers
      • LinuxInsiderRed Hat Summit Targets Fixing Open-Source Code Flaws

        A significant portion of the focus for the Red Hat Software Summit held in Boston this week are three core products designed to meet the growing demands for better software security and government regulations requiring enhanced application security across all industries.

      • Security WeekRed Hat Pushes New Tools to Secure Software Supply Chain

        Red Hat rolls out a new suite of tools and services to help mitigate vulnerabilities across every stage of the modern software supply chain.

      • Red Hat Adds Interconnect and Cybersecurity Services for Kubernetes [Ed: This site is funded by Red Hat. It used to be Container Journal, but now it's corporate apparatus.]

        Red Hat today added a Red Hat Service Interconnect to its portfolio that is based on an open source Skupper.io project that enables Layer 7 networking between application components running on different platforms.

      • Red HatPodman Desktop 1.0: Local container development made easy

        As containerization continues to gain popularity in the world of enterprise software development, there is also growing demand for tools and technologies that make container management more accessible and efficient. One such tool is Podman Desktop, which provides a user-friendly interface for managing containers and working with Kubernetes from a local machine (Figure 1).

    • Debian Family

      • Bits from Debian: proxmox Platinum Sponsor of DebConf23

        We are pleased to announce that Proxmox

        Proxmox develops powerful, yet easy-to-use open-source server software. The product portfolio from Proxmox, including server virtualization, backup, and email security, helps companies of any size, sector, or industry to simplify their IT infrastructures. The Proxmox solutions are based on the great Debian platform, and we are happy that we can give back to the community by sponsoring DebConf23.

        With this commitment as Platinum Sponsor, Proxmox is contributing to make Debian and Free Software, helping to strengthen the community that continues to collaborate on Debian projects throughout the rest of the year.

        Thank you very much Proxmox, for your support of DebConf23!

    • Open Hardware/Modding

    • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

  • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

    • SaaS/Back End/Databases

      • 37signals LLCThe luxury of working without metrics

        There are a million metrics you can use to track the health of a subscription software business like ours. Customer life-time value, cost of acquisition, cohort retention, revenue churn, net promoter score, funnel conversion rates, to name but a few. All useful calculations, but I can't tell you what bliss it's been to steer 37signals without them for twenty years.

    • Education

      • EuroBSDCon[EuroBSDCon] 2023 Call for Proposals is Now Open!

        The EuroBSDCon Program Committee is inviting BSD developers and users to submit innovative and original talk proposals not previously presented at other European conferences. Topics of interest to the conference include, but are not limited to applications, architecture, implementation, performance and security of BSD-based operating systems, as well as topics concerning the economic or organizational aspects of BSD use. Presentations are expected to be 45 minutes and are to be delivered in English.

      • MWLBSDCan 2024 Reorganization

        Dan is stepping back from organizing BSDCan. I am taking over coordinating 2024.

        Note I did not say “running.” Running an international conference is a job best accomplished by a team. A large team. Dan set up BSDCan 2023 with himself and Adam Thompson, and ran it with assistance from Dru Lavigne and Warren Block in registration, and Patrick McEvoy and Andrew Fengler in streaming. I am not nearly that tough.

      • Manuel MatuzovicWorkshop: Deep Dive on Accessibility Testing

        Once again I’ve teamed up with my friends at Smashing Magazine 😻 to share with you everything I know about web accessibility testing! In this smashing workshop we’ll talk about automatic and manual testing, screen reader basics, Single Page Applications, Dev Tools, and more.

        Sounds interesting? Great! Here are some more details about the workshop: [...]

    • Openness/Sharing/Collaboration

    • Programming/Development

      • Python

        • RlangWhy learning Python is hard (but important) for Data Scientists that use R

          Even for R users like me that have built successful careers as a Data Scientist, Consultants, and Trainers.

          Even for future data scientists that are just starting out trying to get a leg-up in the job market.

          And even for old dogs that are doing the best to keep up with the ever-changing data science ecosystem (As I approach my 39th birthday, I guess I’d fall into this category now).

          So why am I “all of a sudden” learning and promoting Python?

        • BootlinReleasing Snagboot: a cross-vendor recovery tool for embedded platforms



          Recovering and reflashing a bricked board can be a tedious process. It often involves flashing an SD card to bring your device back up, and it gets worse if the board does not have an SD card slot to begin with. Thankfully, most embedded platforms almost always include some form of recovery via USB or UART, which usually involves sending a boot image to the platform’s ROM code. A few tools exist that leverage this functionality to offer quick recovery and reflashing via USB, such as STM32CubeProgrammer, SAM-BA or UUU. However, these tools are all vendor-specific, which means that developers working on various kinds of platforms have to switch between different tools and learn how to use each one.

          To address this issue, Bootlin is happy to release today a new recovery and reflashing tool, called Snagboot, which intends to be a generic and open-source replacement to the vendor-specific tools mentioned earlier.

        • LWNSnagboot: an embedded-system recovery tool

          Bootlin has released a tool called Snagboot that is intended to help with the recovery of bricked embedded systems.

        • Removing PGP from PyPI

          If you are someone who is currently uploading signatures, your package uploads will continue to succeed, but any PGP signatures will be silently ignored. If you are someone who is currently downloading PGP signatures, existing signatures SHOULD continue to be available 1, but no new signatures will be made available. The related API fields such as has_sig have all been hardcoded to always be False.

          Historically, PyPI has supported uploading PGP signatures alongside the release artifacts in an attempt to provide some level of package signing. However, the approach used had long standing, documented issues which had previously lead us to deemphasize the support for PGP signatures over time by removing them from the PyPI web user interface.

        • LWNPyPI removes PGP-signature support

          The PyPI package archive has removed support for PGP signatures on packages.

      • Rust

        • LWNAudits of Rust crates from Google

          Google has announced the release of the results of internal audits on a number of rust crates.

        • Google Open sourcing our Rust crate audits

          Many open-source projects at Google use Rust, a modern systems language designed for building reliable and efficient software. Google has been investing in the Rust community for a long time; we helped found the Rust Foundation, many Googlers work on upstream Rust as part of their job, and we financially support key Rust projects. Today, we're continuing our commitment to the open-source Rust community by aggregating and publishing audits for Rust crates that we use in open-source Google projects.

  • Leftovers

    • RTERTÉ Publishes Thousands Of Early Radio Recordings Online

      The collection, available at RTÉ Archives | Acetate Disc Collection (rte.ie), includes over 5,300 recordings made for RTÉ Radio between 1927 (see below) and 1970s and gives a fascinating and rare insight into the voices, sounds, topics and processes involved in the creation of early radio broadcasting at RTÉ.

      Over the last three years, RTÉ Archives has been creating digital files from thousands of fragile acetate discs which contained the original recordings.

      The recordings are now preserved for the long term thanks to the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Archiving Scheme, which has now been incorporated into the recently established, Coimisiúin na Meán.

    • Federal News NetworkDo not call: States sue telecom company over billions of robocalls

      Attorneys general across the U.S. joined in a lawsuit Tuesday against a telecommunications company accused of making more than 7.5 billion robocalls to people on the national Do Not Call Registry.

      The 141-page suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Phoenix against Avid Telecom, its owner Michael D. Lansky and company’s vice president Stacey S. Reeves.

    • CBCDNA nails Montreal teen's killer in 1975 cold case

      Ultimately, it was DNA evidence found on a man's shirt used to restrain Sharron that confirmed him as the killer.

      In 1975, the amount of DNA gathered at the scene was insufficient to be tested or used in court but it was kept over the years in the hope that it could someday be used to find a match for a suspect as technology improved.

    • HackadayBike Camper With Retro Flair

      As we’re approaching summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, thoughts naturally turn toward road trips. While most people do this in their car, the [Dangie Bros] built a 500 lb bike camper for their own take on the great American Road Trip.

    • HackadayRemote-Controlled Hypercar Slices Through Air

      Almost all entry-level physics courses, and even some well into a degree program, will have the student make some assumptions in order to avoid some complex topics later on. Most commonly this is something to the effect of “ignore the effects of wind resistance” which can make an otherwise simple question in math several orders of magnitude more difficult. At some point, though, wind resistance can’t be ignored any more like when building this remote-controlled car designed for extremely high speeds.

    • Science

      • HackadaySimulated ET To Phone Home From Mars This Afternoon

        In science fiction movies, communicating with aliens is easy. In real life, though, we think it will be tough. Today, you’ll get your chance to see how tough when a SETI project uses the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter to send a simulated alien message to the Earth. The transmission is scheduled to happen at 1900 UTC and, of course, the signal will take about 16 minutes to arrive here on planet Earth. You can see a video about the project, A Sign in Space,€ below.

    • Education

      • ADFTerrorists Declare War on Education in the Sahel

        Sometimes it starts with a violent threat written in graffiti on a school wall.

        When heavily armed extremists arrive on motorcycles, the terror ensues — teachers are shot, kidnapped, raped. Some are executed in front of the children. School buildings are set on fire. Some are burned beyond repair.

        Violent extremists in the Sahel have declared war on education. Their target is not just teachers and children but the fabric of society.

    • Hardware

      • Marcin JuszkiewiczVersioning of sbsa-ref machine

        QEMU has emulation of several machines. One of them is “sbsa-ref” which stands for SBSA Reference Platform. The Arm server in simpler words.

        In past I worked on it when my help was needed. We have CI jobs which run some tests (SBSA ACS, BSA ACS) and do some checks to see how we are with SBSA compliance.

      • HackadayCommodore 64 Upgrade In Modern Package

        While the Commodore 64 was an immensely popular computer for its time, and still remains a strong favorite within the retrocomputing community, there’s a reason we’re not using modern Commodore-branded computers today. Intense competition, company mismanagement, and advancing beyond 8-bit computers too late in the game all led to the company’s eventual downfall. But if you’re still a Commodore enthusiast and always wished you were able to get an upgraded C64, you might want to take a look at the Commander X16, a modern take on this classic computer.

      • HackadayGyroscope Walks The Tightrope

        Gyroscopes are one of those physics phenomena that are a means to many ends, but can also enjoyed as a fascinating object in their own right. Case and point being [Hyperspace Pirate]’s tightrope-balancing crawler in the video after the break.

      • HackadayHandle Sheet Metal With The Power Of Microwave Oven Electromagnets

        For those of us who don’t do it every day, handling sheet metal can be a nerve-wracking affair. Sheet metal is thin, heavy, and sharp, and one wrong move while handling it can have much the same result as other such objects, like guillotine blades. If only there was a way to lessen the danger.

    • Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

      • New York TimesBoris Johnson Referred to Police Over Potential New Covid Breach

        The former prime minister was fined last year while still the head of government for breaking Covid rules in 2020, one of a series of scandals that eventually led to his resignation.

      • ReasonThe Perils of 'Rule by Indefinite Emergency Edict'

        Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch highlights a vital lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic.

      • New YorkerHow to Find a Missing Person with Dementia

        Searching for people with cognitive disabilities presents special challenges. Can we solve them?

      • YLEStudy: Problematic social media use threatens children's sleep

        The study suggests that worldwide some six percent of social media users have a problem, and about 30 percent of school pupils are intensive users of social media.

      • US Dept Of Health and Human ServicesSurgeon General Issues New Advisory About Effects Social Media Use Has on Youth Mental Health

        Today, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health. While social media may offer some benefits, there are ample indicators that social media can also pose a risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. Social media use by young people is nearly universal, with up to 95% of young people ages 13-17 reporting using a social media platform and more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly.”

        With adolescence and childhood representing a critical stage in brain development that can make young people more vulnerable to harms from social media, the Surgeon General is issuing a call for urgent action by policymakers, technology companies, researchers, families, and young people alike to gain a better understanding of the full impact of social media use, maximize the benefits and minimize the harms of social media platforms, and create safer, healthier online environments to protect children. The Surgeon General’s Advisory is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) ongoing efforts to support President Joe Biden’s whole-of-government strategy to transform mental health care for all Americans.

      • QuartzThe US surgeon general thinks social media poses a "profound risk" to teenagers' mental health

        “We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis—one that we must urgently address,” Murthy says in the report, pointing to the [Internet]’s tendency to isolate young adults.

        The advisory highlights several common scenarios on social media that can harm the adolescent psyche, including exposure to graphic and harmful content and cyberbullying. Social media can also contribute to eating disorders and low self-esteem, especially for teenage girls.

      • Silicon AngleUS Surgeon General warns social media is driving a mental health crisis in the young

        Echoing countless studies on the subject, the U.S. Surgeon General said in a report released today that social media could be playing a significant role in a mental health crisis affecting the youth of America today.

        In a 19-page report, Dr. Vivek Murthy said it’s too early to understand fully just how harmful social media is to the young. Still, he added, “There are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”

      • The Register UKSocial media may harm kids. US Surgeon General says so

        "Much of the evidence we do have indicates that there is enough reason to be deeply concerned about the risk of harm social media poses. For example, adolescents who spend >3 hours per day on social media face double the risk of developing symptoms of depression and anxiety."

      • CS MonitorUS surgeon general urges action to protect children from social media

        “I recognize technology companies have taken steps to try to make their platforms healthier and safer, but it’s simply not enough,” Mr. Murthy told The Associated Press in an interview. “You can just look at the age requirements, where platforms have said 13 is the age at which people can start using their platforms. Yet 40% of kids 8 through 12 are on social media. How does that happen if you’re actually enforcing your policies?”

        To comply with federal regulation, social media companies already ban kids under 13 from signing up to their platforms – but children have been shown to easily get around the bans, both with and without their parents’ consent.

      • El PaísSurgeon General calls for ‘immediate action’ by tech companies to protect kids’ mental health on social media

        So what can parents and young people do now? The surgeon general has some tips.

        “Our children and adolescents don’t have the luxury of waiting years until we know the full extent of social media’s impact,” Murthy said in an advisory released on Tuesday. “Their childhoods and development are happening now.”

      • New York TimesDoes Your Child Have an Unhealthy Relationship to Social Media? Here’s How to Tell.

        The New York Times asked Dr. Small and other experts in adolescent development for a few practical questions that parents should consider when evaluating their children’s social media use.

      • Pro PublicaA CMS Effort to Save Money Enriched Doctors at Patients’ Expense

        In the suburbs of Maryland, Dr. Jeffery Dormu’s presence is hard to miss. He’s a regular on the local TV station, which has featured him and his practice five times over the past five years. And he smiles down from an electronic billboard outside a three-story vascular center he calls The Watcher. “It has a biblical reference, which is to watch over the community,” he said at its 2018 opening. In response to the country’s “tragedy of cardiovascular disease,” the center trademarked the phrase “vascular devastation,” a slogan frequently invoked in its marketing, along with a claim to have “saved over 34,000 lives and limbs.”

        Dormu and his group, the Minimally Invasive Vascular Center, have been a magnet for people with leg pain who worry they have peripheral artery disease, a condition that afflicts more than 6.5 million Americans and happens when fatty deposits narrow the arteries and block blood from flowing to the legs.

    • Proprietary

    • Security

      • LWNSecurity updates for Tuesday [LWN.net]

        Security updates have been issued by Debian (node-nth-check), Mageia (mariadb and python-reportlab), Slackware (c-ares), SUSE (geoipupdate and qt6-svg), and Ubuntu (linux, linux-aws, linux-azure, linux-azure-5.4, linux-gcp, linux-gcp-5.4, linux-gke, linux-gkeop, linux-hwe-5.4, linux-ibm, linux-ibm-5.4, linux-kvm, linux-bluefield, linux-gcp, linux-hwe, linux-raspi2, linux-snapdragon, and linux-gcp, linux-hwe-5.19).

      • Bleeping ComputerIT employee impersonates ransomware gang to extort employer

        A 28-year-old United Kingdom man from Fleetwood, Hertfordshire, has been convicted of unauthorized computer access with criminal intent and blackmailing his employer.

        A press release published yesterday by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) explains that in February 2018, the convicted man, Ashley Liles, worked as an IT Security Analyst at an Oxford-based company that suffered a ransomware attack.

      • Boston GlobeAfter ransomware attack, state’s second-largest health insurer says patient data stolen

        Point32Health says current and former members of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care may have been affected

      • Data BreachesUpdate: NCB Management Services breach affected more than 1 million, but how many more? (1)

        On April 11, DataBreaches reported that a breach involving NCB Management had affected 494,969 Bank of America customers with past-due credit card accounts. At first glance, it appeared that the Pennsylvania collections firm had reported the breach to the Maine Attorney General’s Office, but closer attention revealed that it was Bank of America’s external counsel who had notified Maine. And after reviewing the sample letter to consumers more, DataBreaches began to suspect that Bank of America had written the letter that went out over NCB’s unsigned signature. The more DataBreaches looked at the situation and letter, the more questions it raised about whether the half a million Bank of America customers were only a subset of a much larger pool of breach victims, and whether this had been a hack where NCB paid some ransom to get “assurances.”

      • Data BreachesCO: SECOP II platform affected by “presumed hacking”

        The SECOP II platform is a transactional platform with accounts for state entities and contractors used for submitting, evaluating, and awarding contracts. On May 3, La Agencia Nacional de Contratación Pública – Colombia Compra Eficiente reported a cyberattack on its SECOP II platform.

        [...]

        Clarin reported that a letter the agency sent its employees called it a ransomware attack. “Now, to release the systems, the hackers would be demanding no more and no less than a sum of 2.5 million dollars,” the agency wrote.

      • Insurance Information Bureau Of India Hit by Ransomware Attack: Russian Hackers Demand $250,000 As Ransom

        In a shocking turn of events, the Insurance Information Bureau of India (IIB) fell victim to a ransomware attack on April 2, 2023. The attack left nearly 30 server systems encrypted, rendering the agency’s data inaccessible.

        Initially, IIB officials chose to keep the attack under wraps. However, as the severity of the situation became apparent, they eventually filed a complaint with the Cyberabad police. The investigation conducted by the police has identified the hackers responsible for the attack as a group from Russia.

      • Security WeekRheinmetall Says Military Business Not Impacted by Ransomware Attack

        Rheinmetall confirms being hit by Black Basta ransomware group, but says its military business is not affected.

      • Security WeekGoogle Launches Bug Bounty Program for Mobile Applications

        Google introduces Mobile VRP bug bounty program for vulnerabilities in its mobile applications.

      • Trail Of BitsTrusted publishing: a new benchmark for packaging security

        Read the official announcement on the PyPI blog as well! For the past year, we’ve worked with the Python Package Index to add a new, more secure authentication method called “trusted publishing.”

      • Security WeekMikrotik Belatedly Patches RouterOS Flaw Exploited at Pwn2Own

        MikroTik patches a major security defect in its RouterOS product a full five months after it was exploited at Pwn2Own Toronto.

      • Security WeekThreat Actor Abuses SuperMailer for Large-scale Phishing Campaign

        A credential phishing campaign using the legitimate SuperMailer newsletter distribution app has doubled in size each month since January 2023.

      • Security WeekCutting Through the Noise: What is Zero Trust Security?

        With proactive steps to move toward Zero Trust, technology leaders can leverage an old, yet new, idea that must become the security norm.

      • Security WeekIranian Hackers Using New Windows Kernel Driver in Attacks

        Iranian threat actors use a Windows kernel driver called ‘Wintapix’ in attacks against Middle East targets.

      • Security WeekNew ‘GoldenJackal’ APT Targets Middle East, South Asia Governments

        The newly detailed GoldenJackal APT has been targeting government and diplomatic entities in the Middle East and South Asia since 2019.



    • Defence/Aggression

      • ADFRussia Plays Both Sides in Sudan to Protect its Interests

        ADF STAFF While Sudan’s rival generals fight to become the country’s chief military power, Russia and its proxy, the Wagner Group, have courted both sides of the conflict to remain in the good graces of whoever comes out on top.

      • Democracy Now“After Uvalde”: Maria Hinojosa on Guns, Grief & Community Outrage 1 Year After Texas School Shooting

        Wednesday marks one year since an 18-year-old gunman armed with a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle entered his former elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and shot dead 19 children between the ages of 9 and 11 and two of their teachers, as nearly 400 officers rushed to Robb Elementary School but took 77 minutes to confront the gunman. Investigators later found officers “failed to prioritize saving innocent lives over their own safety.” More than 1,000 incidents involving firearms have shaken America’s schools since 2018 — a dramatic increase over any similar period since at least 1970, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database. We discuss this uniquely American epidemic with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa, the founder of Futuro Media and host of Latino USA. She anchors the upcoming Frontline, Futuro Media and Texas Tribune co-production, After Uvalde: Guns, Grief & Texas.

      • The North Lines INPeace in Kashmir – an anathema to Pakistan’s Camp

        The G20 meeting, which begins in Kashmir on Monday, will highlight the beauty of this legendary land. China is boycotting the meeting in order to tease India, which has been protesting its expansionist hegemony in South Asia. Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia have joined in solidarity with India's adversary and their ally, Pakistan.

        Regardless of their reservations, the remaining sixteen countries and European Union guests are participating well. These detractors' non-participation is insignificant and meaningless, as otherwise they would have preferred firsthand knowledge of Kashmir and have their perspective clarified by participating.

      • New StatesmanImran Khan: “I’m afraid Pakistan is headed towards martial law”

        If the political establishment wanted to calm rising tensions in the country, they chose the wrong person. The new army chief, the effective ruler in Pakistan, was viewed as hostile to Khan. In the weeks leading up to November Khan had accused Munir, along with his allies, of meddling in politics and plotting against the former prime minister. In 2019, for reasons that remain unclear, Khan removed Munir as head of the ISI spy agency after only eight months in the post. I thought in November that were Shehbaz Sharif to select Munir, the prospect for political and social stability was unlikely. Everyone would see it as a statement of open war against Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Khan would have to respond. By December civil war seemed to loom.

      • MeduzaRussian authorities cite ‘exercises’ after Crimean Bridge closed to traffic and area fills with smoke — Meduza

        Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed governor of annexed Crimea, said that traffic was closed on the Kerch Strait Bridge for several hours on Wednesday morning “due to exercises being carried out in the area.”

      • MeduzaBelgorod governor reports ‘large number’ of drone attacks in region overnight — Meduza

        Russia’s Belgorod region came under attack by a “large number” of drones on Tuesday night, according to the region’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov.

      • MeduzaBelgorod governor on attacks on the region: ‘I have more questions than you do’ — Meduza

        Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said during a livestream on Russian social media network VKontakte that he has many questions for Russia’s Defense Ministry regarding yesterday’s armed attack on the border region.

      • MeduzaMan carrying explosives reportedly runs from ‘DNR’ into Russia’s Rostov region before dying in blast — Meduza

        A man carrying explosives tried to enter Russia’s Rostov region from the territory of the Russian-annexed “Donetsk People’s Republic” on Wednesday, according to the Telegram channels Baza, Mash, and Shot.

      • MeduzaKremlin spokesman says Russia does not want Ukraine war to become frozen conflict — Meduza

        Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists Wednesday that Russia shares the West’s view that the war in Ukraine should not become a frozen conflict.

      • MeduzaHuman rights activist Bakhrom Khamroev sentenced to 14 years in prison for ‘justifying terrorism’ — Meduza

        Human rights activist Bakhrom Khamroev has been sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony for “justifying terrorism” and “organizing the activities of a terrorist organization,” reports the human rights organization Memorial.

      • MeduzaRussian State Duma approves amendment allowing passports of conscripts to be confiscated — Meduza

        Russia’s State Duma approved an amendment to a law on the procedure for entering and departing Russia that requires those conscripted into military or alternative civilian service to hand over their passports. According to the amendment, passports must be handed over to the Russian authorities within five days of receiving the conscription notice.

      • The NationA Ukrainian Lullaby
      • The NationThe Outcome of the War in Ukraine Depends on China and India

        Not so long ago, political analysts were speaking of the “G-2”—that is, of a potential working alliance between the United States and China aimed at managing global problems for their mutual benefit. Such a collaborative twosome was seen as potentially even more powerful than the G-7 group of leading Western economies. As former Undersecretary of the Treasury C. Fred Bergsten, who originally imagined such a partnership, wrote in 2008, “The basic idea would be to develop a G-2 between the United States and China to steer the global governance process.”

      • The NationLiberating a Palestinian Novel From Israeli Prison

        When Wisam Rafeedie was imprisoned in Askalan prison, he received a letter from the Palestinian prisoners’ movement leadership in Nafha prison that contained a curriculum for prisoners. Rafeedie was surprised to find his own novel, The Trinity of Fundamentals, listed in that curriculum. The Trinity of Fundamentals is a fictionalized account of his nine years of hiding from the Occupation in Palestine, which ended in his capture in 1991. He wrote it during his imprisonment at Naqab prison in 1993, a few years after he was captured by the Israeli occupation army. Throughout the process of writing his novel, Rafeedie distributed excerpts of it through the clandestine system of circulation established by the prisoners, which moved materials and information across cells; various sections were transferred via pieces of bread dough or pill capsules that were thrown across cells. Eventually, his attempts to smuggle his novel out of the prison through this method was thwarted by the interception of the prison guards who subsequently confiscated it the year it was completed.

      • War in Ukraine

    • Transparency/Investigative Reporting

    • Environment

      • New StatesmanWe must stop investing in our own demise

        Failing to achieve net zero by 2050 would not just be a human and environmental catastrophe. It would be an economic one. Business as usual, leading to warming of 2€°C or 3€°C, would break the foundation of the financial system and risk major economic collapse. The adverse impacts of extreme weather events will undermine the ability of insurance companies to evaluate risk, with hurricanes, bush fires and droughts causing entire business models to fail. The consequence is that insurers would set the price for cover at increasingly unaffordable rates. With assets uninsurable, banks will be unable to offer security for loans such as mortgages, and without insurance or banking functioning as before, the entire financial system that today generates so much capital could fail.

      • AxiosGuam braces for "direct hit"from Typhoon Mawar

        Guam is "expected to take a direct hit" from Typhoon Mawar after strengthening into a dangerous Category 4 storm in the Pacific Tuesday, the National Weather Service office in the U.S. territory warns.

        The latest: The eye of the storm was on track to pass Wednesday evening local time over central or northern Guam, which has a 168,000-strong population and is home to three U.S. military bases. NWS Guam issued a flash flood warning for the entire island through at least Thursday morning due to heavy rainfall.

      • Energy/Transportation

        • MeduzaFinnish energy company Gasum terminates contract with Gazprom — Meduza

          The Finnish company Gasum terminated its contract with Russia’s state-owned gas monopoly Gazprom. According to Kommersant, Finland’s state-owned energy provider is the first European company to have terminated a long-term contract with Gazprom. The contract between Gasum and Gazprom was set to expire in 2031.

        • QuartzFrance has banned short-haul domestic flights to get tougher on emissions

          In a sweeping effort to cut transport emissions, France formally banned short-distance domestic flights where train travel—a greener alternative—is possible. The ban, which took effect on May 23, is part of an environmental effort that’s been in the works for two years.

          In 2021, French lawmakers voted to prohibit domestic flights between cities where passengers can travel by train in two-and-a-half hours or less. But that law required European Union approval before it could go into effect.

        • David RosenthalFractional Reserve Crypto-Banking

          Below the fold I examine how this earliest cryptocurrency story changed.

          Think of Nakamoto's as a world where dollar bills migrated from under one person's mattress to under another person's. Even Nakamoto understood that, in a world where mattresses had cost-free pseudonyms, this wouldn't work. He anticipated part of Amir Kafshdar Goharshady's Irrationality, Extortion, or Trusted Third-parties: Why it is Impossible to Buy and Sell Physical Goods Securely on the Blockchain by writing: [...]

        • Interesting EngineeringSilencing the skies: groundbreaking inner wall treatment quietens jet noise

          But fear not, aviation enthusiasts! Introducing the wavy inner wall (WIW) treatment, a cutting-edge method designed to combat jet noise head-on.

        • DeSmogMajor Tory Donor’s Oil and Gas Firm Granted Government Licences to Explore CO2 Storage in North Sea

          An oil and gas company run by a leading Conservative Party donor has been awarded licences to explore carbon dioxide storage under the North Sea, sparking accusations that the government is putting the interests of “its friends in the oil and gas business” ahead of the public interest.

          On Thursday (18 May), EnQuest announced plans to develop a “low-cost carbon megastore” after winning four out of 20 available carbon capture and storage (CCS) licences, the first of their kind in Europe. The firm already holds dozens of licences for North Sea oil and gas exploration.

      • Wildlife/Nature

    • Finance

    • AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

      • New York TimesNeil Gorsuch Has Given Himself Away

        A justice who frequently struggles to see injustice and cruelty in the present will surely struggle to see injustice and cruelty in the past.

      • Democracy NowFlorida’s “Terrifying” Anti-Immigration Crackdown Sets Stage for Gov. Ron DeSantis’s Presidential Run

        A sweeping anti-immigrant crackdown is underway in Florida by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to enter the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination this week. SB 1718 is set to take effect July 1, but has already led to walkouts by immigrant workers. It bans people who are undocumented from using driver’s licenses issued in other states, and prohibits state ID cards to be issued to them. It also requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to ask about citizenship during intake, and expands requirements for employers to use the federal E-Verify system to check the immigration status of their workers. “SB 1718 has been the harshest immigration bill that we have seen,” says Florida immigration attorney Andrea Reyes. We also speak with historian Geraldo Cadava, who says DeSantis’s policies may not “translate nationally,” given Florida’s unique demographics and gerrymandered political system. Reyes is featured in a new piece for The New Yorker by Cadava, “Florida’s Right Turn on Immigration.”

      • Telex (Hungary)Hungarian ambassador says Austrians not reassured by his explanation about released smugglers

        The Hungarian ambassador in Vienna says that he was not summoned to the Austrian Foreign Ministry, but rather invited for consultations after the Austrians learned that Hungary had released foreign migrant smugglers and urged them to leave the country within 72 hours.

      • Helsinki TimesRussia, cost of living, and taxation seen as barriers to immigration by Finns

        According to a study conducted by the Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA), over half of Finns consider Finland's geographical location, proximity to Russia, cost of living, and taxation as barriers to immigration. The findings were derived from EVA's Values and Attitudes Study, which presented a list of 26 factors that could either attract or hinder immigration to the country.

        From the perspective of policymakers, issues that can be influenced through policy measures are of greater interest than Finland's geographical location and weather conditions.

      • The Straits TimesUS, South Korea issue fresh North Korea sanctions on 'illicit' IT workforce

        North Korea oversees thousands of IT workers globally, primarily located in China and Russia.

      • RFERLArmenia To Consider Extradition Request For Chechen Accused Of Homosexuality

        An Armenian court is to consider on May 24 the extradition of Chechen Salman Mukayev to Russia.

      • AntiWarPrimers on the Durham Report: Antidotes to Silence and Bias of Mainstream Media

        The coverage in the mainstream media of the Durham Report puts another nail in the coffin of the Russiagate Hoax, if another were needed after the total collapse of the Mueller investigation. The response to Durham’s report in much of the mainstream media varied from silence to attempts to discredit the report.

      • AxiosTrump's Mar-a-Lago danger: Special counsel nears end of classified documents probe

        Special counsel Jack Smith is wrapping up his criminal investigation into whether former President Trump mishandled classified documents, having interviewed virtually every employee at his Mar-a-Lago home, the Wall Street Journal reports.

      • NYOB5 Years of the GDPR: National Authorities let down European Legislator. 85% of noyb cases not decided.

        On 25 May 2018, the GDPR came into force. While the contents of EU data protection rules stayed largely the same, the alleged big change was the GDPR's strict enforcement. 5 years later, national authorities and courts largely leave the European legislator in the lurch – despite a budget of more than €330 million in 2022.

        noyb provides the following resources on the 5 year anniversary: [...]

      • The Register UKTikTok to let Oracle view source code, algorithm, and content moderation

        Oracle's association with TikTok stems from efforts under the Trump administration to force owner ByteDance to sell the US stake to an American company. In the twilight of Trump's presidential tenure, the US government lost a legal decision in its efforts to force the video app biz to sell its US interests.

      • Timothy Haugh nominated as next Cyber Command chief

        Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh has been nominated by President Biden as the next leader of U.S. Cyber Command, an Air Force official confirmed to DefenseScoop.

        Haugh, currently the Cyber Command’s deputy commander, would be the first Air Force officer to lead Cybercom, as the first three commanders were Army, Navy and Army. In the dual-hatted role, he would also head the National Security Agency.

      • Michael GeistCRTC Chair Vicky Eatrides Faces Her First Big Test: Is the Commission Serious About Public Participation on Bill C-11?

        Earlier this month, the CRTC issued the first three of what may become at least nine public consultations on Bill C-11. As I lamented in a post on the consultations, “with short timelines, no resources or support mechanisms for new groups and entities interested in participating, and the absence of the policy direction, this is not a serious attempt to fully engage in Canadians.” A wide range of Canadian cultural, consumer, and independent groups have now escalated the issue by formally asking the CRTC to extend its submission period to late July rather than the current June deadlines. The request, which comes from groups that have both supported and criticized Bill C-11, should be a no-brainer given the absurdly short deadlines that severely limit the ability of many groups to effectively participate in the Bill C-11 consultation process.

        The extension request points to three concerns: [...]

      • Jacobin MagazineInflation Is Being Driven By Corporate Price Gouging

        There is mounting evidence that corporate profiteering is playing a key role in the latest wave of inflation, with profit margins soaring while real wages continue to fall. To fight inflation, we have to tackle corporate greed.

      • Digital Music NewsSoundCloud Lays Off 8% of Its Workforce As Execs Look To Achieve Profitability by 2023’s End

        About 10 months after axing roughly one-fifth of its global workforce – and 10 weeks following Eliah Seton’s start as CEO – SoundCloud has announced plans to cut another eight percent of employees.

      • The NationCan the British Labour Party Win Power Without a Left Wing?

        Early last year, I visited a local Labour Party in England’s Midlands. As Covid lockdowns battered the area’s most vulnerable, Labour organizers in Broxtowe, in Nottinghamshire, pulled together to help out. They started a food bank. They worked with a local youth football club to set up a community center. They kept knocking on doors in the most deprived neighborhoods, checking in, showing up, making sure people were OK. It all seemed like the model of a local Labour party: nurturing community and seeding trust among people long abandoned by a remote political class, in this marginal seat held by the ruling Conservative Party since 2010. But this year all that local work was shut down—by the Labour Party.

      • Telex (Hungary)Budapest Airport also briefed EP delegation on Hungarian business environment

        "At the meeting, the delegation was informed about ongoing cases related to the airport, as well as other companies' cases related to the current business environment in Hungary," Budapest Airport told Hvg.hu about the business meeting, where members of the European Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control met with representatives of multinational companies operating in Hungary last week.

      • Telex (Hungary)EP to adopt resolution declaring Hungary unfit to hold EC presidency

        The European Parliament (EP) may adopt a resolution declaring the Orbán-government unfit to hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, Népszava reports.

      • The NationThe Throttling of Tunisian Democracy

        The halting promise of democratic reform in the Arab world is facing new challenges—particularly in Tunisia. The North African country was among the earliest regional powers to help touch off what would become known as the Arab Spring of 2011, when it toppled the nasty dictatorship of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who had been in power for nearly 25 years, in the movement known alternately as the Jasmine Revolution, or the Revolution of Dignity.

      • The NationJohn Fetterman’s Public Battle With Depression Is Shattering Stigma

        The facts of John Fetterman’s hospitalization for depression are well-known. In May 2022, during the Democratic primary for the US Senate in Pennsylvania, the then 52-year-old announced that he had suffered a stroke. Fetterman won the primary, and after a few months recuperating, he returned to the campaign trail and beat out TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz in an ugly, hard-fought race. In January, he was sworn in to the US Senate, and the next month he announced that he was checking into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for “severe” depression. He stayed for 44 days before checking out in March. He returned to the Senate in April.

      • The NationBefore 2024, Look to the States

        Last Tuesday, former city council member Cherelle Parker won the Democratic primary in Philadelphia’s mayoral race—prevailing over a crowded field, including her fellow city council alumna Helen Gym. Gym had received a wave of endorsements from progressive leaders and organizations, like Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the Working Families Party, but ultimately came up short.

      • Gizmodo2023-05-16 [Older] Elon Musk Calls Subpoena in Jeffrey Epstein Case 'Idiotic'
      • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

        • JURISTTikTok sues Montana over app ban

          TikTok sued the state of Montana on Monday over the state’s recently enacted ban, which prohibits TikTok from operating within Montana. The lawsuit alleges Montana’s ban violates the US Constitution’s First Amendment, which protects Americans’ right to free speech.

        • TechdirtNow TikTok Sues To Stop Montana’s TikTok Ban

          To recap: due to unsubstantiated fear-mongering about TikTok, the lack of a real federal privacy law, and a weird obsession with China, Montana passed a blatantly unconstitutional law banning TikTok in the state. Last week, governor Greg Gianforte signed the bill into law and we predicted his doing so would cost Montana taxpayers a ton of money for the lawsuits they would soon have to deal with. The same day that the law was signed, a group of TikTok users sued the state.

        • Hong Kong Free PressHead of Chinese-owned social media app TikTok ‘confident’ of stopping ban by US state Montana

          By Talek Harris TikTok is confident of stopping a ban in the US state of Montana, its CEO said on Tuesday, after the Chinese-owned social media app launched a legal challenge.

        • Digital Music NewsTikTok Is Now Suing Montana Over Its Statewide Ban, Citing First Amendment and Constitutional Violations

          TikTok is now suing Montana over legislation that bans the app across the state. Montana is suddenly facing legal challenges from both TikTok creators and the platform itself. The company filed its lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana on Monday, seeking to have the law reversed.

        • AxiosSurgeon general issues advisory about social media risks for kids

          U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issuing a warning today that social media poses a threat to kids' mental health, escalating calls for new safeguards aimed at minors.

          Why it matters: The advisory adds to scrutiny over the effects of excessive use and harmful content, which has been blamed for consequences ranging from disrupting kids' sleep to promoting suicidal thoughts.

        • France24TikTok files lawsuit to challenge Montana's ban on video-sharing app

          Social media company TikTok Inc. filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to overturn Montana's first-in-the-nation ban on the video sharing app, arguing the law is an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights and is based on “unfounded speculation” that the Chinese government could access users' data.

        • BIA NetErdoÄŸan acknowledges KılıçdaroÄŸlu-PKK video may be fabricated

          President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan has acknowledged that a video he presented during his election rallies about his opponent's alleged collaboration with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) may be "manipulated."

        • Telex (Hungary)The latest from Arte Weekly: Turkish election heads to runoff, while students across Europe struggle to find affordable housing

          Kemal KılıçdaroÄŸlu mounts a serious challenge to ErdoÄŸan’s presidency in Turkey as the election heads to a runoff. Student housing presents a growing problem across Europe. In our culture segment, the French play ‘Daddy’ delves into the seedy world of online grooming.

        • TechdirtFake Images, Spread On Twitter, Fooled Media, Spooked Stock Market Briefly

          Over the last few years, there’s been a lot of fretting among the media, politicians, and others about how “deep fakes” would have a major impact on events, with faked imagery, audio, and video creating havoc on news events and political campaigns. Back in 2019, we had published a story suggesting that people calm down a little. As we noted, similar fears had come about before, including in the early 1990s with the introduction of Photoshop. Similar predictions were made about how disastrous this would be for “truth.”

    • Censorship/Free Speech

      • I'm leaving Odysee

        I don’t want my channel to appear in a platform that thinks it’s OK to let these things stand. Yes, YouTube also has some pretty weird and offensive crap, but they DO remove it when it’s brought up t their attention. They don’t try and defend it.

        So, while I don’t agree with YouTube’s stance on moderation, I also find it way less problematic than Odysee’s. Let’s put it this way: YouTube’s money-driven “morals” don’t have the potential to spread hate.

      • [Old] The Guardian UKVideo platform chief says Nazi posts on white superiority do not merit removal

        The platform, whose owner, LBRY Inc, is currently being sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for trading in unregistered securities, has been increasingly popular with extremists who have been banned from other platforms, and who are attracted by Odysee’s cryptocurrency-based monetization program.

        The emails, sent in error to a user who had been complaining about neo-Nazi content on the platform, suggest that the platform is not doing as much as it can to restrict extremists.

    • Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

    • Civil Rights/Policing

    • Monopolies

      • Trademarks

        • TechdirtTaco Bell Teams Up With LeBron James To Bring ‘Taco Tuesday’ Fight To The Masses

          Well, well, the “Taco Tuesday” battle appears to be heating up quickly. After years of holding and policing its trademark for “Taco Tuesday,” chain Taco John’s has found itself in a battle with Taco Bell, which is petitioning the trademark office to rescind its rival’s mark due to it becoming generic. I noted in that last battle that NBA mega-star LeBron James, himself apparently a huge fan on social media of celebrating taco Tuesdays, attempted to get a trademark for the phrase for himself. When that was denied, part of the reason the USPTO gave was that the term was too generic to be trademarked. Had LeBron wanted to press the issue, he could have used that as a weapon to push the Trademark Office to rescind Taco John’s mark.

      • Copyrights

        • Press GazetteNews execs fear ‘end of our business model’ from AI unless publishers ‘get control’ of their IP [Ed: Do not call copyrights "IP"]

          Le Monde CEO Louis Dreyfus described the arrival of generative AI as an "emergency" for the industry.

          \
        • YLEPoll: Illegal [sic] streaming on the rise in Nordic countries

          An estimated 17 percent of people in Finland aged 15-74 years old said that they download or stream films and TV programmes from unauthorised sources. Content piracy in the Nordic countries has increased in particular amongst the 15-24 year old age group over the past year.

        • EFFWhat the Supreme Court’s Decision in Warhol Means for Fair Use

          These are the basic facts: In 1981, Newsweek commissioned Lynn Goldsmith to take a series of photos of Prince. In 1984, she licensed one of those photos to Conde Nast for artist Andy Warhol to use as a “reference photo” to create his own portrait of the musician. Warhol created a series in various colors and the magazine chose one of these portraits to illustrate a piece on Prince. In 2016, the Andy Warhol Foundation gave Conde Nast a license to use a different portrait in the series (“Orange Prince”) for use in a special tribute magazine dedicated to Prince. Goldsmith demanded compensation. AWF sought a declaration that Warhol’s portraits made fair use of Goldsmith’s photo and, therefore, it had every right to license the resulting work. A district court said yes, the Second Circuit disagreed, and AWF appealed. Along the way most of the claims and questions were dropped, leaving the Supreme Court with one narrow but important question: whether the first fair use factor—the “purpose and character” of the use—weighed in AWF’s favor or Goldsmith’s.

          As a reminder, fair use is the idea that there are certain ways that you can use a piece of copyrighted work regardless of whether you have the rightsholder’s permission, and it's determined by a balancing test that considers four factors—

        • Torrent FreakDutch Police Take Down Massive Pirate IPTV Operation With a Million Users

          Dutch fiscal police have carried out a large-scale raid that appears to have taken down one of Europe's largest IPTV operations servicing more than a million users. No services or companies are being named but according to local anti-piracy outfit BREIN, the targeted organization sold access via third-party resellers. Meanwhile, Dutch data center Globe went completely dark.



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