The Linux Foundation's Certificate Authority (CA) Let's Encrypt Hits New Lows in Geminispace
13 known capsules still use the Linux Foundation's monopoly/authority for "trust" in Gemini Protocol
TODAY we noticed (as we check this every single day, sometimes several times per day) that according to Lupa "2667 (91.3 %) [Gemini] capsules are self-signed, 13 (0.4 %) use the Certificate Authority Let's Encrypt, 241 (8.3 %) are signed by another CA (may be not a trusted one)."
Emphasised above is the part about "Certificate Authority Let's Encrypt".
It was stuck at or around 14 for several months. It never fell below 14. Until this morning (Lupa's statistics page updates at about 4:30 GMT).
This matters because of the aspiration to have access to sites or capsules on the Net (not just the Web) without asking for permission from some CA or CAs. Surveillance companies like GAFAM like to tell us that this is essential for "security", but all they actually tell us is, "trust us! We'll decide for YOU what's safe!!!"
The NSA's leading partner now dominates the Linux Foundation. Do not be misled by the name "Linux Foundation"; it hardly contributes anything towards Linux anymore. It found more profitable activities like whitewashing Bill Gates.
Turmoil around the world (and online) generally means that outsourcing trust to other parties is a practice we ought to minimise. █