Bonum Certa Men Certa

Guest Post: The Linux Foundation (LF) is “Putting the CON in Conference!” (Part 2)

Back to "Con in Conference"... (part 1 here)

BIT Life Sciences
Reference: BIT Life Sciences



Summary: Calls for papers (CfP) and who gets to assess what's presented or what's not presented is a lesser-explored aspect, especially in this age when large corporate sponsors get to indirectly run entire 'community' events

THE Linux Foundation will occupy a growing amount of our time, space and attention. Readers contact us with pointers and information, which we are slow to process, analyse, and then verify. Our goal is to better understand what goes on behind the scenes, both commercially and bureaucratically. Personal relationships, as we have come to discover, play a considerable role. Some call it "nepotism", but it's actually a lot more complicated than this.



"Mozilla recently spoke out about the dangers of hiring programmers from Australia because of Australia's new draconian laws, which unequivocally mandate back doors."I recently came to realise that the Foundation, or LF for short (we try to abbreviate without confusing some readers), does not care about freedom, privacy etc. Not at all. Nothing. I saw it surfing the hype wave of listening devices (like Alexa) and participating in mass surveillance projects (disguised using marketing euphemisms such as "cloud", "edge", "bid data", "IoT" and so on). This is no laughing matter and we mentioned it some months ago in passing. For instance, I'm rather disturbed to see the growing role AT&T plays in the LF and I am rather disturbed to see the role Juniper (with NSA back doors and loads of Microsoft veterans at the top of the company) plays in LF and various 'FOSS' communities. These communities should know a danger when they see one. Mozilla recently spoke out about the dangers of hiring programmers from Australia because of Australia's new draconian laws, which unequivocally mandate back doors.

Whose agenda will be served at the LF? Usually, as the old saying goes, "follow the money..."

And that's rather scary.

"Some of my Notes," said the author of the first part, include notes about Juniper staff (we've removed all the names so as to exercise caution):




I noticed [name omitted/redacted] was working the Conference "circuit" as a volunteer at several conferences, responding to inquiries.

I thought - that was strange.

[Name omitted/redacted] was offering a webinar with [another name omitted/redacted] at (I believe) [third person's name omitted/redacted]'s lead for LibrePlanet 2018.

“I noticed [name omitted/redacted] was working the Conference "circuit" as a volunteer at several conferences, responding to inquiries.”
      --Anonymous
Also of note - [name omitted/redacted] wrote a LinuxJournal article several days prior to Libreplanet 2018. [An article saying proprietary software is OK]

I had previously emailed [another name omitted/redacted], regarding [name omitted/redacted] and how it seemed she was reviewing and selecting presentations at several conferences.

What I found disturbing is that [name omitted/redacted] was speaking but also involved in selecting of talks.

“What I found disturbing is that [name omitted/redacted] was speaking but also involved in selecting of talks. ”
      --Anonymous
[Another name omitted/redacted] - the [event] organizer, moved up the ranks and also was volunteering to do CfP.

[Another name omitted/redacted], when approached regarding [name omitted/redacted] and the possibility she was rigging the talks at conferences - told RMS (Richard Stallman) that [name omitted/redacted] was not evaluating talks.

Richard then came back to me about his concerns, I sent him the invitation to a webinar by [name omitted/redacted].

"Over time there seems to be less and less one is "permitted" to say in the so-called 'community'; condemnation of companies that do illegal things, for instance, may already be impermissible or "toxic"."It seems apparent that [another name omitted/redacted] covered up for [name omitted/redacted] and did not notify FSF staff. It wasn't until I approached RMS personally about [name omitted/redacted] that something was done. [name omitted/redacted] is now working for Juniper Networks or something and is not gaming the conference circuit.

I think more research can be done regarding talks and the oddities.




We have done some research over the past week and will report based on it in the coming days (this series takes a great deal of research time to prepare). There's an aspect of free speech to it. Over time there seems to be less and less one is "permitted" to say in the so-called 'community'; condemnation of companies that do illegal things, for instance, may already be impermissible or "toxic".

Recent Techrights' Posts

So When Will British Politicians, Police, Government Departments Quit Twitter (X.com)?
They sure bring constituents there (by being there)
IBM Red Hat Does Not Compete With Microsoft, It's a Microsoft Reseller
even if employees of Red Hat dislike and distrust Microsoft
Dr. Andy Farnell on Marketing Bad Things Like Slop Using FOMO (Fear of "Being Left Behind")
many of the same themes we often cover here
IBM Stock Compared to Bitcoin, Fake Articles About IBM Promote Myths About IBM
The stock moves based on false marketing
 
Links 13/01/2026: More Mass Layoffs in GAFAM, Catching Up With Political News of Early January
Links for the day
Freedom of Speech in the UK (or Freedom of the Press/Expression) and Protection From Adversaries
undressing people without consent and in very bad taste is not "speech"
Ending the Status Quo at the European Patent Office (EPO) This Year
Things will continue to get worse as long as the "Digital Majority" stays silent and/or passive
Greenland Ought to Move to GNU/Linux, Not Apple
GNU/Linux at 4%
If You Care About Freedom, Don't Follow IBM Red Hat (Like Microsoft Novell 20 Years Ago)
IBM Red Hat and Microsoft don't seem to compete
Red Hat Layoffs, Even of "AI" Staff in India
This is how companies die
LLM Slop Isn't Replacing Online News, It's Just a Pest That's Gradually Going Away as Money for Slop Runs Out
Slop likes to talk about itself (like some kind of 'web-cancer')
Not Journalism: Almost 80% of the 'Articles' We Saw About Torvalds and 'Vibe Coding' Are LLM Slop (Sometimes Slop Images)
The real issue is, Torvalds who created Git as a solution to proprietary prison is entertaining Microsoft's own proprietary prison
EPO People Power - Part XXXIII - Interest From Some European Media, For a Change
Without it, we'll become another Russian Federation
Just Another Reminder That Microsoft Didn't Deny Mass Layoffs
Remember that Microsoft never denied this
GNU/Linux Measured at 6% in Réunion This Year
Population sizes like a million people are nothing to sneeze at
Bluewashing Continues, Red Hat Onboarding Interns in Low-Paid Regions
It's the end of the second Monday of 2026
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, January 12, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, January 12, 2026
Gemini Links 13/01/2026: ScottoRang and Outage
Links for the day
GNU/Linux Exceeding 6% in Cape Verde
Windows is measured as down sharply
When It Comes to Health, Slop is a Flop and It Kills People
Chatbots will mostly die after many people die due to them
2026 Has Begun Well for GNU/Linux Users (and for Us)
A lot of the anti-Linux FUD we got accustomed to seeing some years ago became scarce
Links 12/01/2026: Vista 11 Exodus and Famicom/NES Game
Links for the day
Links 12/01/2026: Twitter (X) Being Blocked in More Countries, PTAB Besieged by Cheeto Appointees (Bad Patents Getting Through)
Links for the day
Links 12/01/2026: Brussels Plotting Exit From GAFAM (US), Carole Cadwalladr Explains "Peter Thiel's New Model Army"
Links for the day
Oligarchs and States Always Attempted to Obstruct Efforts to Expose Their Corruption
We commend the administrator who consistently and adamantly defend the freedom of speech
Scheduled Maintenance Between 15th of January and Days to Follow, Free Software Foundation (FSF) Looking to Add 43 More Members by 16th of January
People who value Software Freedom should consider joining to support the FSF
Bracing for Microsoft Layoffs, Tired of Microsoft Lies, Microsoft Staff Wants Transparency, Not Face-Saving Coverup From Frank Shaw
totally made up stock price
GNU/Linux Estimated at Around 5% in Montserrat
another country where the "share" of GNU/Linux is now measured at 5%
GNU/Linux Exceeding 5% in Guadeloupe According to statCounter
GNU/Linux "share" estimates in Guadeloupe
Dr. Richard Stallman @ Georgia Tech Next Week
More Than One Week From Now
EPO People Power - Part XXXII - Little Hope That European Press Will Attempt to Expose Drug Abuse in Europe's Second-Largest Organisation
What does this tell us about the press in Europe?
Three most controversial Australian authors linked to St Paul's, Coburg
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 11/01/2026: Data Breaches and Recent (Early 2026) Political Developments
Links for the day
Gemini Links 12/01/2026: Insomniacs After School and Boycotting Amazon
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, January 11, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, January 11, 2026
Brett Wilson LLP 'Dropping' the LLP, Is This Rebranding?
It's not a coincidence or a glitch, there was a formal change somewhere in the system
Can IBM Still Control the Narrative?
We'll see what comes out through the grapevine later this week
IBM SkillsBuild as Microsoft Training, Microsoft Vendor Lock-in, Microsoft Surveillance
Microsoft benefits from IBM's "training"
EPO People Power - Part XXXI - Almost No Crime is Possible Without Enablers and Complicit Colleagues
By the middle of January 2026 we'll have taken things up another gear
Aruba's GNU/Linux Adoption Seems to Have Reach All-Time High This Year
ChromeOS rose by a lot too
After the LLM Slop Frenzy...
In every way, slop is no better than spam
Links 11/01/2026: 'Nothing to Lose' in Iran and Kyiv Restores Electricity
Links for the day
Gemini Links 11/01/2026: "Late To The Party" and "Thinking About Software Licences"
Links for the day
Links 11/01/2026: Bob Weir and Stewart Cheifet Perish
Links for the day
Higher Adoption Rates of GNU/Linux in Cyprus in Recent Years
there are some Cypriots who are championing Free software
Microsoft's linkedin.com is Shrinking, Expect LinkedIn Layoffs to Carry on in 2026
Expect the mass layoffs and office closures to carry on there, maybe as early as next week
Gemini Links 11/01/2026: Scott Morgan and 'The Unix Way'
Links for the day
IBM to Be 'Reorganised'
The rich look for ways to 'monetise' what's left IBM
Dr. Andy Farnell Explains Why He'll Stop Sending E-mail to Microsoft and Gmail Users
The article is long and well worth reading
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, January 10, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, January 10, 2026