alecm

https://alecmuffett.com/article/author/alecm

Blog: [alecmuffett.com](https://alecmuffett.com/ )
Profile: [alecmuffett.com](https://alecmuffett.com/article/author/alecm )
Homepage: [alecmuffett.com](https://alecmuffett.com/ )

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2024-11-01 04:39:30

**Google dodging huge financial penalties imposed by regulator for excessive blocking of legitimate content**
https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/russia-fines-google-decillion-youtube-lawsuit-b2638752.html
> A Russian court has fined Google $2.5 decillion for allegedly blocking pro-Kremlin propaganda on YouTube. The fine, which is the equivalent of $2.5 trillion trillion trillion, is the result of four years of accumulated fines, with the figure currently doubling every week under Russian law.
…be honest, you thought this was going to be about the European Union, didn’t you?
Reflect upon that for a moment, maybe?
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110566
#censorship #google

2024-10-26 18:56:49

**WaPoMeltDown: if you wield the tagline “democracy dies in darkness” you had better live by it**
Wow, go check out the hashtag search:
https://x.com/search?q=%23WaPoMeltDown&src=recent_search_click
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110537
#feed #wapomeltdown

2024-09-10 10:46:54

**On the Pros and Cons of the Signal Protocol for End-to-End Encryption of Messenger Software : a brief reminder that Signal should NOT be the only E2EE Protocol**
This posting will be shorter than it should be: the topic of popular, objective appraisal of diverse E2EE protocols and libraries is one that *ought* to take several blogposts by esteemed software engineers AND* cryptographers, but I lack the adequately current breadth of expertise, plus I’ve only had two coffees so far this morning.
So I’ll try to share some context, and end on a soundbite.###
ContextBack in 2015-16 I was the [lead engineer for adding end-to-end encryption (E2EE) to Facebook Messenger](https://alecmuffett.com/article/15058 ); the VP of the Messenger division was [David Marcus](https://x.com/davidmarcus ). My understanding at the time was that David felt pressure for Messenger to match Telegram’s functionality because of [competitive interests](https://www.theverge.com/2015/11/30/9819460/whatsapp-telegram-link-block-copy-paste ). Also, WhatsApp (owned by Facebook/Meta, but internally competitive with Messenger) was [adding encryption-by-default](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35969739 ), which would make Messenger look less capable and less attractive.
Therefore: David proposed to follow Telegram’s approach to add end-to-end encryption to Messenger, and his vision was to satisfy marketing needs by adding a “tickbox” E2EE special-mode just like Telegram, because encryption was not then deemed significantly important as a product feature other than as a marketing exercise.
But it didn’t quite work out that way.###
Security InfrastructureI worked in a different, diverse, pan-company team called *Security Infrastructure* which was in charge of doing “security stuff”, everything from [FISA compliance](https://medium.com/@alecmuffett/how-to-talk-about-prism-and-not-get-entirely-blown-off-if-youre-an-activist-e2a79d2cd2ad ) to [making Facebook HTTPS-only](https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/https-default/ ) to putting [Facebook onto the Dark Web](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/31/facebook-anonymous-tor-users-onion ), and after doing the latter my boss told me *“Alec, why don’t you go end-to-end encrypt Messenger? See if you can do it.”*
So I did.
I grabbed a couple of experienced engineers and started checking code into the Messenger codebase until some product managers reached out to ask *“what the fuck are you doing?”*… which was actually my desired result, because it meant that I was now talking to the right people. This turned into a conversation, which turned into a serendipitous meeting with David Marcus who wanted the *Telegram competitiveness issue* to be addressed. And — fresh off the back of my success with putting Facebook onto Tor — I was tapped to be the engineering team lead and work with Tony, a Messenger-appointed Product manager, to deliver this. After a slightly wobbly start, Tony & I became a strong team, designing a solution based around *delivering a credible product*.
The thing is: Marcus also wanted us to *roll our own cryptography* on the grounds that we would (paraphrase) *“Get To Market Sooner That Way”* — but after more than 20 years of saying “don’t roll your own cryptography” to the general public, along with the popular adoption of ratcheting, Signal Protocol, and WhatsApp’s choice of the same, there was no way I was going to have my name attached to homebrew cryptography a-la Telegram, and I didn’t care if I had to fight a company VP to prevent that.
So we didn’t roll our own cryptography — we talked to the WhatsApp team, we embraced precisely the same code and library which WhatsApp already had, we got people in from Signal to consult. I spent a lot of time and late-night conference calls protecting my peers from senior management who were certain that we were wasting our time with “unnecessary complexity” when we could just throw OpenSSL and some key exchange code at the problem, because encryption was a [simple matter of programming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_matter_of_programming ).
Eventually we [delivered the first cut of end-to-end encryption for Messenger](https://www.wired.com/story/messenger-secret-messages-end-to-end-encryption/ ), which has subsequently been [re-engineered to be “by default”](https://about.fb.com/news/2023/12/default-end-to-end-encryption-on-messenger/ ) more that [five years after a tectonic company-wide shift in direction towards E2EE was ordered by Mark Zuckerberg](https://twitter.com/AlecMuffett/status/1089483304187973632 ).###
So, What’s The Beef?My reason for sharing this context is that I was listening to the [Security Cryptography Whatever podcast](https://securitycryptographywhatever.com ) over the weekend, the [most recent episode covering the Telegram affair, the Durov arrest, and so forth](https://securitycryptographywhatever.com/2024/09/06/telegram/ ). I do not agree with everything that was said — notably Tom’s assertion that (paraphrase) server-controlled group membership is innately a vulnerability, whereas I see it as a threat-model, TCB, and implementation issue; and Deirdre’s falling into the [Conway’s Law fallacy/trap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s_law ) that somehow *federated software* will positively address European Regulation as-if obtaining granular control of privacy on a per-nation level was somehow the goal of European regulation in the first place (hint: it’s not.)
But the big takeaway for me was that… at some point Signal protocol is going, like OTR, to become too cumbersome for modern usage, it will start to fade, it will turn into the next libssl, and when that happens we will once-again be looking for fresh self-rolled software in the way that Signal’s own code at one point was a self-rolled effort.
If you’ve read this far, thank you, and I’ll try to summarise my feelings in an overly long soundbite:
> At some point Signal Protocol is going to need to be replaced, and I’m pretty sure that a committee won’t provide the thing which replaces it, because > [> if committee-designed messenger protocols worked for diverse use cases](https://alecmuffett.com/article/16086 )> then we’d all be excited to be extending some new functionality into > [> XMPP](https://twitter.com/AlecMuffett/status/1507355304807342088 )> . Stuff like Matrix similarly requires buying into an architecture and transport-layer lifestyle… ergo probably not that either. Group management will probably be the trigger for replacing Signal, but to get there will > [> require us to think more clearly about groups, boundaries of trust, and trusted computing bases](https://alecmuffett.com/alecm/e2e-primer/e2e-primer-print.html#boundaries-of-e2e-boundaries-of-ends )> . In any case: we will need to demand transparency but not be paranoid if/when big platforms decide to move away from “pure” Signal.
> Just so long as they don’t embrace MTProto, instead.
[*] …please, don’t listen to just *only* pure cryptographers, they are doom-mongers par excellence and you leave the encounter depressed and with a zeal to over-engineer things; you need some practical at-scale SWE experience in the mix, too
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110406
#endToEndEncryption #messenger #signal #telegram
https://alecmuffett.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-10-at-11.56.05.png.cardcrop.png

2024-09-06 14:41:29

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For most people, WhatsApp will be sufficient. If you are planning something with a political bent, use Signal.

2024-09-06 12:28:02

**Reminder: ChatControl is back from the dead. Again. The European Union want all the world’s messenger software to have state surveillance built into the code**
https://twitter.com/bpreneel1/status/1831105926826213506
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110375
#censorship #chatControl #endToEndEncryption #europeanUnion #surveillance

2024-09-06 12:15:47

**Telegram will start moderating private chats after CEO’s arrest | …which they can only do because it’s not encrypted… | TheVerge**
*** DON’T *** USE *** TELEGRAM ***
…
<waits for child safety activists to recommend “safe, unencrypted” telegram for children>
…
https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/5/24237254/telegram-pavel-durov-arrest-private-chats-moderation-policy-change
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110394
#censorship #endToEndEncryption #pavelDurov #privacy #telegram

2024-09-06 05:30:10

**Via @TheEconomist, Rick Jones of the Britain’s National Crime Agency (@NCA_UK) asks “Why does a 13-year-old need [end-to-end] encryption?” | …because everyone needs good security, Rick /HT @ShashJ**
Pointedly, there’s a footnote: *This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline **“The new crypto wars?”***
There’s a nice article in The Economist by Defence editor [Shashank Joshi](https://x.com/shashj ) on [“How Encrypted Messaging Apps Conquered The World”](https://www.economist.com/international/2024/09/05/how-encrypted-messaging-apps-conquered-the-world ) — though I’m not convinced they have, not yet. There’s a lot more scope for [end-to-end encrypted security by default](https://alecmuffett.com/alecm/e2e-primer/e2e-primer-web.html#why-everyone-should-stop-talking-about-end-to-end-encryption ), and by no means is it a ubiquitous technology yet, but this is reasonable coverage.
I found the article via [the author’s tweet](https://x.com/shashj/status/1831721662095434049 ), which also usefully provides a [thread of links to original sources](https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1831721662095434049.html ) which he consulted (including [my primer](https://alecmuffett.com/alecm/e2e-primer/e2e-primer-web.html )) – a pattern that I would love to see other journalists copying. If you’re not a subscriber (I used to subscribe, now I just buy occasional copies) the article is [archived elsewhere](https://archive.ph/2024.09.05-134158/https://www.economist.com/international/2024/09/05/how-encrypted-messaging-apps-conquered-the-world ).###
Everybody Deserves Good Security™For me, the most compelling and regrettably unchallenged quotes come from Rick Jones of the National Crime Authority, firstly:
> “A lot of these companies have dug themselves into a black and white, binary position,” says Rick Jones of Britain’s National Crime Agency.
…well yes, Rick, the assertion that *“nobody can see your messages”* is a binary one, so what would you expect to have happen? Should WhatsApp deceive its customers about this feature, or should they perhaps add a codicil like *“…apart from your local Law Enforcement and any of their subcontractors, plus maybe some middlemen we and they hopefully have vetted?”*
And then:
> [Jones] acknowledges that privacy is important …. “I’m not certain that we need to go all the way to having every platform that children use in their homes and bedrooms having a similar level of weapons-grade encryption. Why does a 13-year-old need that level of encryption?”
Answer:
*“Because if you’re in a position to deny someone access to privacy on the grounds that they are 13 years old, then either [you’re a parent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_loco_parentis ) and can [encourage a suitable method to protect them](https://help.instagram.com/309877544512275/ ), or else [you’re a politician](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four ) and are in the totalitarian position of [selectively denying citizens the freedom to communicate in private](https://alecmuffett.com/alecm/e2e-primer/e2e-primer-print.html#foreword ).”*
…but that’s not how police like to see themselves. It’s pretty simple observation, and one which is odd for a nanny state which otherwise is trying to stop people making unhealthy choices like smoking: why would you want the default option for everyone’s communication to be anything other than the best security you can get, viz: that the only people who can see a message are the people to whom I sent it?
https://twitter.com/shashj/status/1831721662095434049
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110378
#endToEndEncryption #privacy #security #telegram #whatsapp

2024-09-05 18:43:54

**Hey, does everybody remember the “monopolistic” & “anti-competitive” WhatsApp blocking of Telegram links in 2015?**
No?
> Those link-blocks are a common tool at Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, although they’ve been controversial in the past. In 2010, Facebook faced criticism for blocking Pirate Bay links in the newly unveiled messaging system, after a long history of blocking similar apps on the News Feed. More recently, it drew criticism for blocking any mention of the social network Tsu.co, which pays users a percentage of its ad revenue for each post. But while those blocks are a regular occurrence within Facebook proper, this is the first major link-block we’ve seen from WhatsApp.
https://www.theverge.com/2015/11/30/9819460/whatsapp-telegram-link-block-copy-paste
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110377
#censorship #facebook #telegram #whatsapp

2024-09-04 06:35:47

**Perhaps Trump is the next Joyce?**
“Riverrun, terrible river, floods, alligators, so many boats, past Eve and Adam’s — so religious, such good people — from swerve of shore to bend of bay, the best bay, the finest bay, brings us by a covfefe of recirculation back to Howth Castle — a great castle. I have a golf club there. So green. Beautiful green.”
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-age-harris-ramble-rcna168979
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110376
#politics

2024-09-03 17:08:22

**The last few days I’ve listened to any number of podcasts regarding the Durov affair, but if I’d listened to only one I’d have wanted it to be The 9pm Edict by @Stilgherrian**
My podcast-listening has taken a nosedive in the past 6 months – probably due to UK elections & [the silly season](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silly_season ) – but Durov/Telegram in particular has led to a spike of talking heads in my feed.
If I’d listened to only one of them [I would want it to have been this one](https://stilgherrian.com/edict/00229/ ). I enjoy the realpolitik and appreciate the analysis of the situation.
Alas for me.
https://stilgherrian.com/the_9pm_edict/
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110369
#pavelDurov #telegram

2024-09-03 15:50:45

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Speaking as a Usenet veteran, this is no effort at all.

2024-09-03 15:22:05

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“Mu.” http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/M/mu.html

2024-09-03 14:53:13

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In which case I would argue that you’re not engaging with the thing that you’re trying to criticise.

2024-09-03 14:31:12

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Hiya! Here is an entire short essay I psychically wrote a few days ago which answers your question for you: https://alecmuffett.com/article/110284

2024-09-03 11:22:23

**Unpopular Opinion: new Bluesky “anti-toxicity” measures may have just carried us all a smidgen past “peak trust & safety”**
An email and [a new blogpost](https://bsky.social/about/blog/08-28-2024-anti-toxicity-features ) from Bluesky announce their new anti-toxicity, anti-dunking (i.e. unwelcome quote-tweets) feature… and it’s not that it’s bad so much as it enables people (both “good”, and “bad”, whatever your personal taste) to *curate their own echo-chambers* to an extent that will certainly fragment communities into curated in-groups and out-groups.
Both of these will doubtless feel *safer* for not having to publicly *defend* their positions … but on the other hand will also *learn less about defending* their positions, instead expecting the platforms (and, eventually, the state?) to deliver tools of microcuration.###
You can’t say that about me! I’ll unlink it!Again, these are not “blocklists” nor “killfiles” in the USENET sense, these are “Bob eliding what Alice quoted him as saying in her post about his being an abuser and racist, so that Charlotte won’t see it.”
If you’re reading this and looking for a political explanation for {my, the author’s} position being apparently “against” Bluesky, don’t bother because I am actually on Bluesky and I believe it’s doing some interesting work; instead consider: what will happen is that all the critics, trolls and assholes will move to “shadow trolling” with immutable screenshots. There will be parallel universes with mutually hostile communities, seeing but not touching each other. There will be a communications breakdown.
Bluesky are relying on transparency and community labels to address the rough edges:
> As of the latest app version, released today (version 1.90), users can view all the quote posts on a given post. Paired with that, you can detach your original post from someone’s quote post. This helps you maintain control over a thread you started, ideally limiting dog-piling and other forms of harassment. On the other hand, quote posts are often used to correct misinformation too. To address this, we’re leaning into labeling services and hoping to integrate a Community Notes-like feature in the future. Note: Like blocks, quote post removals are public data. The Bluesky app won’t list all the quote post removals directly on your post, but developers with knowledge of the Bluesky API will be able to access this data.
…yet I cannot but think *they’re making their own lives harder in pursuit of giving people more control*.
Who here remembers [Google Circles and why they failed](https://google.fandom.com/wiki/Google%2B_Circles )?
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110355
#bluesky #censorship #trustAndSafety
https://alecmuffett.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-03-at-11.57.47.png.cardcrop.jpg

2024-09-02 21:08:23

**A terrifying example of the Chinese deep fake misinformation which is going to disrupt the American election**
This should be banned:
https://twitter.com/CarlZha/status/1830558844193583243
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110354
#deepFake #misinformation #politics

2024-09-02 15:13:17

**The Bypass Strategy: Platforms, the Online Safety Act, and Future of Online Speech by @ellenejudson, @beakira & @digitalspeechX | SSRN**
Yet another great white paper for your consideration, if a few weeks older (gosh, something must have happened in July to distract me) basically arguing that Ofcom are proposing that the fastest way to satisfy the Online Safety Act is to “chill legal speech”, i.e. to casually block anything that is potentially problematic.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4822405
via thread at:
https://twitter.com/beakira/status/1816777727686414371
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110339
#censorship #ofcom #onlineSafetyAct #regulation

2024-09-02 14:47:02

**Seabird Panopticon Breeding Success**
> With the innovative designs developed by a team of ornithologists, architects, ecologists and engineers, the structures have narrow ledges and vertical sides to mimic the cliffs on which the kittiwakes normally nest. Each ANS comprises an octagonal topside with capacity for around 500 breeding pairs of kittiwake supported above the water on a single monopile. Individual nesting spaces are fitted with a sliding Perspex panel which will allow researchers to view the kittiwake from inside the structures without the birds being able to see them.
https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/24539093.first-kittiwake-chick-hatches-offshore-hotel-lowestoft
https://twitter.com/OrstedUK/status/1826654758759006213
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110342
#kittiwake #panopticon #surveillance #wildlife
https://alecmuffett.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-02-at-15.43.13.png.cardcrop.jpg

2024-08-31 20:05:50

**The secret inside One Million Checkboxes | eieio.games**
This is an AMAZING and easy read, but it is also in a nutshell why all attempts by the state to forcibly constrain adolescent access to internet resources will inevitably fail:
http://eieio.games/essays/the-secret-in-one-million-checkboxes/
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110338
#censorship #censorshipBypass #omcb #oneMillionCheckBoxes #onlineSafety

2024-08-30 21:32:11

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Tor is going to be popular.

2024-08-30 20:58:34

**Brazil judge orders suspension of Elon Musk’s X | AP News**
It will be interesting to see how state censorship really works in a world of VPNs:
https://apnews.com/article/brazil-musk-x-suspended-de-moraes-46c9d5c5c895e17d9adfac43e6ac20fd
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110335
#Brazil #censorship #twitter

2024-08-30 10:58:02

**One for @bphillipsonMP / @educationgovuk: perhaps our *kids* need to be educated-away from the desire to create non-consensual intimate imagery and deepfakes?**
Thorn are a US charity, but the general problem of misuse of a capability demands education around empathy, awareness of other’s feelings, respect, and consent. Quote:
> While the technology may be new, peer-based bullying, harassment, and abuse are not. It is critical that we speak proactively and directly [ED: TO WHOM?] about the harms caused by ‘deepfake nudes’ and reinforce a clear understanding of what conduct is unacceptable in our communities and schools, regardless of the technology being used.
https://www.404media.co/1-in-10-minors-say-their-friends-use-ai-to-generate-nudes-of-other-kids-survey-finds
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110330
#csam #ncii #onlineSafety

2024-08-30 07:43:27

**What if L’affaire {Durov, Telegram} is actually hiding a nation state turf war over mass surveillance?**
A Friday Fun thought experiment! What if Telegram is (and always has been) a giant [nation-state grade “EncroChat”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EncroChat ), i.e.: an enormous criminal intelligence [honeypot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeypot_(computing) ), run first by/for Russia, then semi-autonomously, and now is subject to annexation by the French? As [Ian Batten](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianbatten/ ) put it:
> Tell the gullible that it’s a dangerous, criminal, anarchic place for the mad, bad and dangerous to know, then read all their communications. > Like the UK and US selling Enigma and similar systems to all their “allies” after the war.
In this model all of the current outrage about “abuse” is actually window dressing to hide the pursuit of leverage for a takeover, the goal being to milk the historical corpus of content, and/or the hope of Telegram carrying-on under new national management. Some have already [compared the two situations of Telegram & EncroChat](https://unherd.com/newsroom/frances-war-on-encryption-comes-for-telegram/ ), but we’ve not seen it proposed that Telegram has *always* been such.
Vive la France!
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110327
#encrochat #france #fridayFun #pavelDurov #surveillance #telegram

2024-08-29 09:26:24

**On the marzipan dreadnought | Heather Burns**
Go read the whole thing. Quote:
> The Conservatives aggressively promoted the Online Safety Act as the one weird trick to fix everything wrong with social media, often to the point of absurdity. Anyone who has actually read the Act, and Ofcom’s consultations on it, knew all along that all it does is create paper tigers. The Act is and only ever was about compelling companies to write massive bureaucratic assessments for performative compliance, whilst being forced to enter into extortionate service contracts with the the UK’s rapacious age verification industry.
> […]
> So in my view, whoever is advising Keir Starmer on digital policy has played a masterstroke here. By focusing on the social causes of the riots and the people who carried them out, rather than focusing on the digital tools those individuals may or may have not used on the way, Labour managed to demolish the entire pretense of the Conservatives’ seven-year project on online safety, in less than seven weeks.
https://heatherburns.tech/2024/08/28/on-the-marzipan-dreadnought/
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110326
#heatherBurns #onlineSafety

2024-08-29 07:03:01

**Rand Paul Is Right: Censoring The Internet Doesn’t Protect Kids | Techdirt**
Quote:
> Just last week, I got into a debate with a KOSA supporter on social media. They insisted that they’re not talking about content, but just about design features like “infinite scroll.” When asked about what kind of things they’re trying to solve for, I was told “eating disorders.” I pointed out that “infinite scroll” doesn’t lead to eating disorders. They’re clearly targeting the underlying content (and even that is way more complex than KOSA supporters realize).
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/08/28/rand-paul-is-right-censoring-the-internet-doesnt-protect-kids/
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110325
#kosa #kospa #onlineSafety

2024-08-29 06:56:09

**The untimely demise of an image upscaler | @lcamtuf’s thing**
When upscaling meets hallucination; watch the videos and consider how your new understanding differs from the popular concept of “pictures never lie”
https://lcamtuf.substack.com/p/random-finds-ai-image-upscale-collapse
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110324
#ai #imageProcessing #security

2024-08-28 15:39:40

**Signal Is More Than Encrypted Messaging. Under Meredith Whittaker, It’s Out to Prove Surveillance Capitalism Wrong | WIRED**
I am still a capitalist, but this is well worth reading:
https://www.wired.com/story/meredith-whittaker-signal/
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110322
#endToEndEncryption #signal

2024-08-28 08:58:27

**Lord, please save us from activists like @CCDHate who wish to equip state regulators with powers of arbitrary censorship**
The Center for Countering Digital Hate get [a buff in the Times today](https://archive.ph/xnMWs ) proposing that Ofcom be granted rather extraordinary powers for supposedly extraordinary times; as [Graham Smith puts it](https://twitter.com/Cyberleagle/status/1828698832797938171 ): *“It was for good reason that internet content was kept out of Ofcom’s jurisdiction in 2003”*
> Under proposals outlined by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and seen by The Times, the regulator would be able to apply to a judge to gain emergency powers in a moment of crisis that would temporarily allow it to demand immediate action by social media platforms.
> The CCDH said that this could also be achieved by amending the “special circumstances” directive in the Online Safety Act 2023. The provision allows the science, innovation and technology minister to give a direction to Ofcom if they have reasonable grounds for believing that there is a threat to national security or to the health and safety of the public.
> […]
> The CCDH proposed the amendments after an emergency meeting on August 16 to discuss the role of social media in the riots and conduct a rapid “lessons learnt” exercise. […] The meeting was attended by top officials from the Home Office, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Ofcom and the counterterrorism internet referral unit at the Metropolitan Police.
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110320
#CCDHate #censorship #ofcom #onlineSafetyAct

2024-08-27 09:53:30

**My understanding of the charges against Pavel Durov & Telegram**
I am not a lawyer, nor a french lawyer, but I have a long term view of the matter and here’s my understanding of the [charges as taken from the press release](https://www.tribunal-de-paris.justice.fr/sites/default/files/2024-08/2024-08-26%20-%20CP%20TELEGRAM%20.pdf ):<li>Complicity web-mastering an online platform in order to enable an illegal transaction in organized group,</li><li>Refusal to communicate, at the request of competent authorities, information or documents necessary for carrying out and operating interceptions allowed by law,</li><li>Complicity possessing pornographic images of minors,</li><li>Complicity – distributing, offering or making available pornographic images of minors, in organized group,</li><li>Complicity – acquiring, transporting, possessing, offering or selling narcotic substances,</li><li>Complicity – offering, selling or making available, without legitimate reason, equipment, tools, programs or data designed for or adapted to get access to and to damage the operation of an automated data processing system,</li><li>Complicity – organized fraud,</li><li>Criminal association with a view to committing a crime or an offense punishable by 5 or more years of imprisonment,</li><li>Laundering of the proceeds derived from organized groups offences and crimes,</li><li>Providing cryptology services aiming to ensure confidentiality without certified declaration,</li><li>Providing a cryptology tool not solely ensuring authentication or integrity monitoring without prior declaration,</li><li>Importing a cryptology tool ensuring authentication or integrity monitoring without prior declaration.</li>
1: is essentially a commentary on some of the users and what they have been using the platform to do (mens rea / guilty mind / conspiracy
2: is for refusing law-enforcement requests for content (?) access
3..7 inclusive: are based on the theory that the platform which knows *<bad thing>* is available (in cleartext?) on the platform, is complicit in the distribution of *<bad thing>* — viz: actus reus for: CSAM, drugs, hacking tools, and fraud, respectively. See the thread at https://twitter.com/flogsell/status/1828309446499443113 and my contribution at https://twitter.com/AlecMuffett/status/1828342854596379026 for more details.
8..9: speak for themselves on the basis of the others; charge 9 may possibly also be related to taking advertising revenue from channels filled with badness?
10..12: are based on the 2004 laws restricting access to privacy and other aspects of cryptography: see https://alecmuffett.com/article/110312
I take great home from the [observation by John Carr that this kind of dramatic virtue-signalling by the French police, has a history of collapsing](https://alecmuffett.com/article/110307 ).
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110316
#endToEndEncryption #france #pavelDurov #telegram

2024-08-26 19:58:05

**Literally 20 years ago we said that French regulations to restrict cryptography without state approval would eventually bite; and we were right…**
If you want to use cryptography to protect secrets in France, you have to tell the Prime Minister; and then you’re subject to secrecy so that they can demand a back door.
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000000801164#LEGISCTA000006117690
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110312
#backdoors #endToEndEncryption #france #pavelDurov #telegram
https://alecmuffett.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-26-at-20.48.21.png.cardcrop.jpg
https://alecmuffett.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-26-at-20.48.51.png.cardcrop.jpg

2024-08-26 18:35:51

**Interesting to see the child safety activist community vaguely split between “Yay France Go Ban All The Encryptions” vs: “Durov Must Prefer French Prison to Lefortovo”**
It’s likely going to be more complex than either of these, my money is on a hybrid of interests including the French government attempting to “send a message” that ordinary people are scum and not to be permitted to have robust privacy & integrity, or even the pretence of it. That the French government enjoys sending such messages was [noted by noneother than child safety activist John Carr:](https://johncarr.blog/2024/08/26/those-french-police-are-at-it-again/ )
> **So what did the French police do?**> They drove several trucks up to the offices of two ISPs, went in, unplugged every server, carted them off then arrested everyone they could lay their hands on. Eventually the heads of two ISPS were charged with possessing child sex abuse material. > **The charges were later dropped but a big warning flare had been sent up.**
I wonder if history will repeat itself.###
Type 1###
Type 2https://alecmuffett.com/article/110307
#endToEndEncryption #france #johnCarr #onlineSafety #pavelDurov #telegram
https://alecmuffett.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot_20240826-195008.png.cardcrop.jpg
https://alecmuffett.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot_20240826-193052.png.cardcrop.jpg
https://alecmuffett.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot_20240826-193116.png.cardcrop.jpg

2024-08-26 13:44:52

**Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Held Over Alleged Child Protection Failures on App | Bloomberg**
Yep, it’s the attack of the child protection activists. Quote:
> “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” the statement declared. “We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”
I wonder if *L’exception Européenne* applies?
At: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-26/telegram-ceo-held-over-alleged-child-protection-failures-on-app
Archived at: https://archive.ph/2024.08.26-124940/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-08-26/telegram-ceo-held-over-alleged-child-protection-failures-on-app
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110304
#endToEndEncryption #europe #france #pavelDurov #telegram

2024-08-26 11:22:37

**So, Alec, what do *you* believe is happening with Pavel Durov and Telegram Messenger and the French Government?**
People are asking me this, and everyone else has taken their shot by now (with varying amounts of value) so here’s mine:
Personally I view Pavel Durov as existing only one or two rungs down from Elon Musk on the ladder of self-serving product misrepresentation and personal self-mythologising, and it seems to have finally caught-up with him, although I believe it’s an open question regards whether Durov’s flight to France — and all of this brouhaha — is somehow to his greater benefit than, for instance, hanging around in less-rule-of-law-oriented countries such as Azerbaijan or the UAE.
France might conceivably be safer than anywhere else for Durov, at the moment. Probably still sucks to be him, but it’s still preferable to being a Skripal or Navalny.
Telegram has possibly the weakest overall security of all the mainstream messenger apps; it is [repeatedly misrepresented in the media as an “encrypted messenger”](https://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2024/08/25/telegram-is-not-really-an-encrypted-messaging-app/ ) and it profits such perception by appealing to self-identified subversive interests; they also appear to openly embrace (or at very least: lightly police) use by such interests evidenced by (for instance) channels dedicated to various forms of propaganda in support of the Russian war on Ukraine, or the recent UK fascist, right-wing and drunken-idiot-looter rioting.
As such: being such a **weak platform**, such a **bad value offer**, but with a **brand reputation for (supposed) encryption** and **no serious, demonstrable *pretence* of delivering an anti-abuse, anti-extremist, pro-trust-and-safety agenda**, makes **Telegram ripe for plucking and being made an example-of by state authorities** who want to **undermine public demand for the entire field of secure messaging.**
If I were a European state security operation — or a member of the European Commission — I would be talking right now to the French in order to make sure that as much muck as possible gets thrown at Durov, in the hope that a few months from now they can do the same to Will Cathcart or Mark Zuckerberg.
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110298
#chatcontrol #endToEndEncryption #france #pavelDurov #telegram

2024-08-24 23:04:23

**LIDL becoming a cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity provider**
Back in my datacentre-architecture days we had a running joke about using the “hot aisle” (aggregated partially-enclosed vented heat from the servers) to broil chickens hanging from a motorised tractor feed. Just seems apt to mention that right now.
https://twitter.com/modic123/status/1827251504752775314
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110297
#cloudComputing #Lidl

2024-08-22 16:33:21

**Regulating platform risk and design: ChatGPT says the quiet part out loud | MUST READ from @daphnehk**
> These are the answers that humans may well arrive at—whether or not they ask an AI what to do—in parsing confusing legal obligations. They are answers we can find in sloppy secondary materials purporting to explain the laws, and in news coverage that uncritically repeat politicians’ exaggerated claims about their legal authority. ChatGPT’s answers may not correctly answer questions about the law. But its “take it all down” directives may be the ones that both humans and machines get trained to apply all the same.
https://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/regulating-platform-risk-and-design-chatgpt-says-the-quiet-part-out-loud/
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110295
#chatgpt #trustAndSafety

2024-08-22 07:42:25

**The AI photo editing era is here | The Verge**
AI PHOTO MANIPULATION SHOULD BE REGULATED AND RESTRICTED TO GOVERNMENT-LICENSED, CERTIFIED PHOTOSHOP ENGINEERS.
Not.
Ignore the fearmongering.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/19/24221884/google-photos-magic-editor-ai-reimagine
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110294
#ai #censorship #genAi #photoshop

2024-08-21 22:24:22

**Re: “Findings Report: Governance on Fediverse Microblogging Servers”**
“Fediverse Governance” is nice people who run Mastodon talking to other nice people who run Mastodon to determine what boundaries of niceness on Mastodon are all of nice, achievable, fair and maintainable and OH GOD NO, DON’T BLAME US FOR TRUTH.SOCIAL & GAB, WE’RE NOT WITH THEM, OKAY, YES, WE KNOW THEY RUN THE SAME SOFTWARE. WE ENABLED THEM BUT WE REGRET IT NOW AND WE’RE NOT FEDERATING WITH THEM. SHOO! SHOO! LA LA LA WE’RE NOT LISTENING…
A thoughtful paper on Fediverse governance at: https://fediverse-governance.github.io
For people who are not satire-enabled: the best that fediverse governance can ever be is an opt-in manual of polite etiquette; all shunning and blocking and muting and defederating and “composable moderation” (hello, bluesky fans!) is optional when users can simply, freely and liberally connect directly to 4chan/gab/truth/whatever. The pretence that part of the open web can or has been somehow sandboxed into polite behaviour through the magic of protocols, is just that: a pretence. Sure, it’s true that people who themselves want to live inside a safe sandbox can more freely and easily choose to do so — but that should be recognised as isolationism rather than solving the problem.
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110284
#fakeNews #federation #gab #mastodon #truthSocial

2024-08-21 22:07:25

**1972: Introduction to VM/370**
This was old, even for me.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=qMxj-pgQOb0
https://alecmuffett.com/article/109704
#computerHistory

2024-08-21 21:36:16

**The Oldest World Map in the World**
fun:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUxFzh8r384
via:
https://kottke.org/24/08/the-oldest-world-map-in-the-world
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110215
#cartography #fun

2024-08-21 21:34:19

**“Spoiler: it is likely @X will be blocked soon in Brazil” | Thread by @1lucabelli**
I wonder if it will be greeted by Civil Society as wise avoidance of control, or terrible avoidance of responsibility? Wait. It’s Musk. Who am I kidding?
> In case you have heard that @X has closed its office in Brazil, that Brazilian Supreme Court ( @STF_oficial ) ordered to imprison one of Twitter’s executives and you are wondering what is going on in Brazil, here is a brief. Spoiler: it is likely @X will be blocked soon in Brazil
https://twitter.com/1lucabelli/status/1825948948265337291
https://twitter.com/1lucabelli/status/1825949714166198690
https://twitter.com/1lucabelli/status/1825950702042230966
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110271
#Brazil #twitter

2024-08-20 11:04:46

**Postbox closed because ‘snails eating mail’ | BBC News**
A whole new meaning for ‘snailmail’
https://twitter.com/BBCNews/status/1825828505797509225
Links to:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2nlym5y2jo
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110270
#lifeImitatesInternet

2024-08-20 09:00:29

- reply

It’s genuinely the Italian ministry of justice.

2024-08-20 08:18:27

**Italian Ministry of Justice defines Rickrolling as a cybercrime, provides definition**
Yes, really:
https://www.giustizia.it/giustizia/en/mg_2_5_12_1.wp?contentId=GLM1144706#
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110269
#Italy #perfection #rickrolling

2024-08-19 09:06:51

**“How Find My Device protects your data” | Google turns Android devices into Airtag equivalents, I’m waiting for screams from privacy & safety activists**
The announcements have gone out, and people – including me – are finding out about the new Google “Find My Device” network. I think this is a good idea but I’m absolutely sure that people are going to throw rocks at it (a) because “Google” & (b) because civil society have equally spent the last few years throwing rocks at Airtags because downsides are more important than upsides at the moment.
So it’s good that Google have the “end to end encryption” branding up-front – but I’m waiting for the dust to settle on the details of whether it is worthy of the name.
[https://support.google.com/android/answer/14796936](https://support.google.com/android/answer/14796936?hl=en#crowdsourcing_work )
and:
https://blog.google/products/android/android-find-my-device/
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110264
#airtag #google #privacy #surveillance
https://alecmuffett.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-19-at-10.14.39.png.cardcrop.jpg

2024-08-19 08:09:52

**With @realDonaldTrump reposting fake images of @taylorSwift13 endorsement we should see restructuring of the AI debate: “who cares if it’s AI, look at the impact”**
Personally I think that Taylor, if she’s going to endorse anyone at all, should leave it until early November for maximal impact; and in the meantime she should [use some new Tennessee laws](https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2024/04/tennessee-law-addresses-proliferation-of-deepfakes ) to sue anyone who spreads such fake endorsement, not to mention spark some “state regulation of speech” first-amendment lawsuits against the [Tennessee](https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2024/04/tennessee-law-addresses-proliferation-of-deepfakes ) state government to attempting to chill software tools development.
If AI is a platform, the intent and purpose of the people who use it should be that which is at stake; LLMs & GenAI should be covered under Section 230.
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112984762512136574
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110260
#artificialIntelligence #donaldTrump #fakeNews #generativeAi #section230 #taylorSwift
https://alecmuffett.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot_20240819-0846332.png.cardcrop.jpg

2024-08-18 19:17:29

**“my son’s iPhone died after trying to play fortnite, PLEASE HELP!” | Oops…**
Feel the EU-enabled freedom of a cohort of users previously convinced that nothing can ever go wrong, suddenly being exposed to the Windows-like risks of installing random code…
https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/s/5RrWNMiPFb
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110256
#digitalMarketsAct #whoWouldHaveExpected

2024-08-18 07:38:54

**The evolution of expert communities | @lcamtuf**
I wonder if this is a general observation of civil society?
> > In almost every instance, [online communities of experts] followed the same trajectory — so today, I’d like to put forward a general lifecycle model for expert-led communities:
https://lcamtuf.substack.com/p/the-evolution-of-expert-communities
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110252
#civilSociety #onlineCommunities

2024-08-17 10:32:28

**No, the government isn’t planning to introduce ID cards | @Psythor on the companies which are trying to become essential middlemen for the internet**
Because rent seeking is always popular:
https://takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/trust-but-verify
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110251
#ageVerification #identity

2024-08-17 10:23:36

**Barnstorming thread by Ari Cohn on the fear-mongering that surrounds modern technology**
Read the whole thing, linked at: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1824252178380316839.html
> We love, and I mean LOVE, to panic about stuff that there’s no evidence is actually happening in this country. You’d think we’d have learned by now.
https://twitter.com/AriCohn/status/1824252178380316839
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110239
#deepFake #genAi #regulation

2024-08-17 06:44:55

**A key part of California’s online safety law for kids is still on hold after appeals court ruling | The Verge**
> the state’s law “attempts to indirectly censor the material available to children online, by delegating the controversial question of what content may ‘harm to children’ to the companies themselves.”
https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/16/24221907/california-age-appropriate-design-code-appeals-court-preliminary-injunction-netchoice
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110247
#onlineSafety

2024-08-17 03:42:48

**US: states that mandate age verification lead to performative self-censorship of Porn sites; UK: Porn-site holding companies & advocacy groups work with regulator towards “workable” age verification…**
Perhaps [both sides want age verification](https://www.freespeechcoalition.com/blog/fsc-executive-director-delivers-keynote-at-uk-age-assurance-regulator-event ) but there’s the open question of who profits from it?
https://twitter.com/mikestabile/status/1824545128935198832
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110244
#ageVerification

2024-08-17 03:28:22

**I suspect that this tweet was written by somebody who doesn’t use daily contactless payments**
“<BA-DINK> PLEASE RE-PRESENT CARD”
“Shit.”
> > the applications for one time programs embedded in a disposable NFC filament using the latest v5 spec is especially interesting. The content of the NFC can only be read once when given power, making it a real world non fungible consumable.
https://x.com/blockrotator/status/1824046422955872271
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110243
#nfc

2024-08-17 03:08:13

**This amazing double thread by @daphnehk on California’s cloning of @5RightsFound’s Age Appropriate Design Code…**
…is all of the AADC observations which we wish we had seen coming out of the House of Lords, except coming out of the US 9th circuit appeal court because the House of Lords contains Baroness Kidron.
> > The easy part was about the law’s requirement to assess risks that were *defined by the kinds of content* children might see, and then mitigate those risks. Obviously that is a speech regulation. The panel gave the AG lawyer a hard time for trying to pretend otherwise. The fact that this mandate was called a “Data Protection Impact Assessment” and talked about both things at once doesn’t change this bottom line. As the court notes (later, in tailoring analysis), lawmakers coulda just made a law about data and not pinned it to speech …
> This whole part of the law — conducting the DPIA, writing it up, mitigating risks of kids seeing prescribed content — is a content-based restriction. This is not commercial speech, the law gets strict scrutiny, and it fails. As do a handful of related administrative parts.
https://twitter.com/daphnehk/status/1824502330974408941
…and…
https://twitter.com/daphnehk/status/1824529602397737421
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110241
#ageVerification #onlineSafety

2024-08-16 13:01:07

**JD Vance offers a prime example of why teenagers need end-to-end encryption and closed messenger groups for personal data safety**
https://twitter.com/The_Outs1ders/status/1817937365559857178
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110240
#censorship #endToEndEncryption #politics

2024-08-13 14:45:37

**Brussels [European Commission] slaps down Thierry Breton over ‘harmful content’ letter to Elon Musk | …and rightfully throws @ThierryBreton under a metaphorical bus**
Breton is a loose cannon:
> > On Tuesday the European Commission denied that Breton had approval from its president Ursula von der Leyen to send the letter.
> “The timing and the wording of the letter were neither co-ordinated or agreed with the president nor with the [commissioners],” it said.
> An EU official, who asked not to be named, said: “Thierry has his own mind and way of working and thinking.”
https://www.ft.com/content/09cf4713-7199-4e47-a373-ed5de61c2afa
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110237
#censorship #ThierryBreton

2024-08-13 08:17:42

**In the Times @hugorifkind asks the ultimate pearl-clutcher’s question: “…how does a free society cope when the unspeakable are free to speak?”**
This has been at the front of my mind since I first encountered USENET c1986: murder aside, there is no way to stop humans communicating, there can *only* be *consequences for communication.* In a world where power rests with intermediaries that arbitrate who may/may-not speak, what happens when the power of arbitration is removed? How does a free society cope?
It adapts. It teaches itself to **“deal with it.”**
This worked for the printing press, postal service, telegraph, radio, tv, fax, etc.
Quote:
> This, I think, is the free speech debate worth having. Yes, online misinformation is a cancer, particularly when pumped into our discourse from abroad. It’s also often indistinguishable from simply being stupid or wrong. I worry that there’s a comforting delusion in believing that posts like this are the root cause of violence — similar to Musk’s own delusion that his platform is the centre of the world. Often, over these past ten days, I’ve found myself thinking of the pogroms that targeted English Jews in the 12th century. The mobs who did those ones didn’t even have WhatsApp.
> The easiest way to tackle misinformation online is with the co-operation of responsible tech companies, as Edward Lucas wrote on Monday. Musk, through his flat and irresponsible refusal, upsets that dynamic completely. In doing so, he forces us to confront the biggest, scariest conundrum of the internet age, which liberal governments worldwide, despite tentative legislation here and there, have thus far swerved. Which is, bluntly, how does a free society cope when the unspeakable are free to speak?
Via:
https://twitter.com/mortenmorland/status/1823104389281919248
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110235
#censorship #socialMedia

2024-08-12 09:20:33

**The former (“focus on the failure”) space is also where those people intent upon “regulating AI for the public good” largely live; their goal is to prevent advancement rather than improve it…**
…unless of course all development can all happen on their terms.
https://twitter.com/emollick/status/1822661736501289116
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110232
#ai #llm #regulation
https://alecmuffett.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-12-at-10.14.38.png.cardcrop.jpg

2024-08-12 08:01:30

**The Many Reasons Why NCMEC’s Board Is Failing Its Mission, From A NCMEC Insider | Techdirt**
If you work in Trust & Safety, OMG this podcast is eye-opening, and it’s a must-listen.
I’ve heard gossip before re: a lack of ability to execute, but this explains so much about NCMEC and its haphazard and ill-considered approach to technology regulation.
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/08/08/the-many-reasons-why-ncmecs-board-is-failing-its-mission-from-a-ncmec-insider/
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110212
#ncmec #trustAndSafety

2024-08-06 12:35:20

**URGENT: Call for views on the Code of Practice for Software Vendors | *BEFORE THIS FRIDAY* | GOV.UK**
A friend pointed me to a [LinkedIn post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/infosecjen_call-for-views-on-the-code-of-practice-for-activity-7226544685710741506-lmua?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android ) describing consultations on AI & Software Resilience which expire at the end of this week. I don’t have bandwidth because of current medical issues, so I would like to kick this to the community to invest some open source & infosec wisdom to the mix, just in case someone takes this seriously.
Me: “…cookie cut the BoM stuff from the USA, and don’t do anything else.”
https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/call-for-views-on-the-code-of-practice-for-software-vendors/call-for-views-on-the-code-of-practice-for-software-vendors
[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/copy_link?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F110183&linkname=URGENT%3A%20Call%20for%20views%20on%20the%20Code%20of%20Practice%20for%20Software%20Vendors%20%7C%20%2ABEFORE%20THIS%20FRIDAY%2A%20%7C%20GOV.UK )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F110183&linkname=URGENT%3A%20Call%20for%20views%20on%20the%20Code%20of%20Practice%20for%20Software%20Vendors%20%7C%20%2ABEFORE%20THIS%20FRIDAY%2A%20%7C%20GOV.UK )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/whatsapp?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F110183&linkname=URGENT%3A%20Call%20for%20views%20on%20the%20Code%20of%20Practice%20for%20Software%20Vendors%20%7C%20%2ABEFORE%20THIS%20FRIDAY%2A%20%7C%20GOV.UK )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/email?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F110183&linkname=URGENT%3A%20Call%20for%20views%20on%20the%20Code%20of%20Practice%20for%20Software%20Vendors%20%7C%20%2ABEFORE%20THIS%20FRIDAY%2A%20%7C%20GOV.UK )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/mastodon?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F110183&linkname=URGENT%3A%20Call%20for%20views%20on%20the%20Code%20of%20Practice%20for%20Software%20Vendors%20%7C%20%2ABEFORE%20THIS%20FRIDAY%2A%20%7C%20GOV.UK )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/threads?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F110183&linkname=URGENT%3A%20Call%20for%20views%20on%20the%20Code%20of%20Practice%20for%20Software%20Vendors%20%7C%20%2ABEFORE%20THIS%20FRIDAY%2A%20%7C%20GOV.UK )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F110183&linkname=URGENT%3A%20Call%20for%20views%20on%20the%20Code%20of%20Practice%20for%20Software%20Vendors%20%7C%20%2ABEFORE%20THIS%20FRIDAY%2A%20%7C%20GOV.UK )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/linkedin?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F110183&linkname=URGENT%3A%20Call%20for%20views%20on%20the%20Code%20of%20Practice%20for%20Software%20Vendors%20%7C%20%2ABEFORE%20THIS%20FRIDAY%2A%20%7C%20GOV.UK )[](https://www.addtoany.com/share )
[⊞](/tti-cache/110183.png )
https://alecmuffett.com/article/110183
#ai #regulation #softwareResilience

2024-06-18 15:48:26

**‘Encryption is deeply threatening to power’: Meredith Whittaker of messaging app Signal | Chat and messaging apps | The Guardian**
Important read especially if you are European and have not yet complained to your representative about ChatControl
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/jun/18/encryption-is-deeply-threatening-to-power-meredith-whittaker-of-messaging-app-signal
[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/copy_link?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109944&linkname=%E2%80%98Encryption%20is%20deeply%20threatening%20to%20power%E2%80%99%3A%20Meredith%20Whittaker%20of%20messaging%20app%20Signal%20%7C%20Chat%20and%20messaging%20apps%20%7C%20The%20Guardian )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/threads?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109944&linkname=%E2%80%98Encryption%20is%20deeply%20threatening%20to%20power%E2%80%99%3A%20Meredith%20Whittaker%20of%20messaging%20app%20Signal%20%7C%20Chat%20and%20messaging%20apps%20%7C%20The%20Guardian )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109944&linkname=%E2%80%98Encryption%20is%20deeply%20threatening%20to%20power%E2%80%99%3A%20Meredith%20Whittaker%20of%20messaging%20app%20Signal%20%7C%20Chat%20and%20messaging%20apps%20%7C%20The%20Guardian )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/whatsapp?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109944&linkname=%E2%80%98Encryption%20is%20deeply%20threatening%20to%20power%E2%80%99%3A%20Meredith%20Whittaker%20of%20messaging%20app%20Signal%20%7C%20Chat%20and%20messaging%20apps%20%7C%20The%20Guardian )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/email?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109944&linkname=%E2%80%98Encryption%20is%20deeply%20threatening%20to%20power%E2%80%99%3A%20Meredith%20Whittaker%20of%20messaging%20app%20Signal%20%7C%20Chat%20and%20messaging%20apps%20%7C%20The%20Guardian )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109944&linkname=%E2%80%98Encryption%20is%20deeply%20threatening%20to%20power%E2%80%99%3A%20Meredith%20Whittaker%20of%20messaging%20app%20Signal%20%7C%20Chat%20and%20messaging%20apps%20%7C%20The%20Guardian )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/linkedin?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109944&linkname=%E2%80%98Encryption%20is%20deeply%20threatening%20to%20power%E2%80%99%3A%20Meredith%20Whittaker%20of%20messaging%20app%20Signal%20%7C%20Chat%20and%20messaging%20apps%20%7C%20The%20Guardian )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/mastodon?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109944&linkname=%E2%80%98Encryption%20is%20deeply%20threatening%20to%20power%E2%80%99%3A%20Meredith%20Whittaker%20of%20messaging%20app%20Signal%20%7C%20Chat%20and%20messaging%20apps%20%7C%20The%20Guardian )[](https://www.addtoany.com/share )
[⊞](/tti-cache/109944.png )
https://alecmuffett.com/article/109944
#chatControl #europeanUnion #surveillance

2024-06-17 20:50:36

**Retired engineer discovers 55-year-old bug in Lunar Lander computer game code | Ars Technica**
“many eyes makes all bugs shallow” is a crapshoot
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2024/06/retired-engineer-discovers-55-year-old-bug-in-lunar-lander-computer-game-code/
[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/copy_link?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109935&linkname=Retired%20engineer%20discovers%2055-year-old%20bug%20in%20Lunar%20Lander%20computer%20game%20code%20%7C%20Ars%20Technica )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/threads?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109935&linkname=Retired%20engineer%20discovers%2055-year-old%20bug%20in%20Lunar%20Lander%20computer%20game%20code%20%7C%20Ars%20Technica )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109935&linkname=Retired%20engineer%20discovers%2055-year-old%20bug%20in%20Lunar%20Lander%20computer%20game%20code%20%7C%20Ars%20Technica )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/whatsapp?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109935&linkname=Retired%20engineer%20discovers%2055-year-old%20bug%20in%20Lunar%20Lander%20computer%20game%20code%20%7C%20Ars%20Technica )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/email?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109935&linkname=Retired%20engineer%20discovers%2055-year-old%20bug%20in%20Lunar%20Lander%20computer%20game%20code%20%7C%20Ars%20Technica )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109935&linkname=Retired%20engineer%20discovers%2055-year-old%20bug%20in%20Lunar%20Lander%20computer%20game%20code%20%7C%20Ars%20Technica )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/linkedin?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109935&linkname=Retired%20engineer%20discovers%2055-year-old%20bug%20in%20Lunar%20Lander%20computer%20game%20code%20%7C%20Ars%20Technica )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/mastodon?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109935&linkname=Retired%20engineer%20discovers%2055-year-old%20bug%20in%20Lunar%20Lander%20computer%20game%20code%20%7C%20Ars%20Technica )[](https://www.addtoany.com/share )
[⊞](/tti-cache/109935.png )
https://alecmuffett.com/article/109935
#computerHistory #softwareEngineering

2024-06-02 17:35:40

**Bart Preneel: “The full Belgian presidency chatcontrol proposal has been leaked…”**
> > The full Belgian presidency chatcontrol proposal has been leaked by netzpolitik […] This proposal fails to protect children, leads to mass surveillance and presents a large risk of abuse. The criticism in our open letters is unfortunately still valid.
> The full Belgian presidency chatcontrol proposal has been leaked by netzpolitik today. This proposal fails to protect children, leads to mass surveillance and presents a large risk of abuse. The criticism in our open letters is unfortunately still valid.> [> https://t.co/eMOfWAKAmK](https://t.co/eMOfWAKAmK )> > [> https://t.co/dy8lOCUjgy](https://t.co/dy8lOCUjgy )
> — Bart Preneel (@bpreneel1) > [> May 31, 2024](https://twitter.com/bpreneel1/status/1796548979313787130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw )
[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/copy_link?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109896&linkname=Bart%20Preneel%3A%20%E2%80%9CThe%20full%20Belgian%20presidency%20chatcontrol%20proposal%20has%20been%20leaked%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/threads?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109896&linkname=Bart%20Preneel%3A%20%E2%80%9CThe%20full%20Belgian%20presidency%20chatcontrol%20proposal%20has%20been%20leaked%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109896&linkname=Bart%20Preneel%3A%20%E2%80%9CThe%20full%20Belgian%20presidency%20chatcontrol%20proposal%20has%20been%20leaked%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/whatsapp?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109896&linkname=Bart%20Preneel%3A%20%E2%80%9CThe%20full%20Belgian%20presidency%20chatcontrol%20proposal%20has%20been%20leaked%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/email?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109896&linkname=Bart%20Preneel%3A%20%E2%80%9CThe%20full%20Belgian%20presidency%20chatcontrol%20proposal%20has%20been%20leaked%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109896&linkname=Bart%20Preneel%3A%20%E2%80%9CThe%20full%20Belgian%20presidency%20chatcontrol%20proposal%20has%20been%20leaked%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/linkedin?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109896&linkname=Bart%20Preneel%3A%20%E2%80%9CThe%20full%20Belgian%20presidency%20chatcontrol%20proposal%20has%20been%20leaked%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/mastodon?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109896&linkname=Bart%20Preneel%3A%20%E2%80%9CThe%20full%20Belgian%20presidency%20chatcontrol%20proposal%20has%20been%20leaked%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D )[](https://www.addtoany.com/share )
[⊞](/tti-cache/109896.png )
https://alecmuffett.com/article/109896
#chatControl #surveillance

2024-05-31 01:56:20

**AI plays NetHack, runs into long-forgotten lunar code**
I dimly remembered that NetHack had this feature, although I never played it much; where modern immersive games track the sun and weather (PokemonGo, for one) back in the days of VT100 we had more blunt easter eggs for addicted players…
Unrolled at: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1793930355617259811.html
> So here's a story of, by far, the weirdest bug I've encountered in my CS career.
> Along with > [> @maciejwolczyk](https://twitter.com/maciejwolczyk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw )> we've been training a neural network that learns how to play NetHack, an old roguelike game, that looks like in the screenshot. Recenlty, something unexpected happened. > [> pic.twitter.com/AFTgRm1gtv](https://t.co/AFTgRm1gtv )
> — Bart?omiej Cupia? (@CupiaBart) > [> May 24, 2024](https://twitter.com/CupiaBart/status/1793930355617259811?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw )
[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/copy_link?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109866&linkname=AI%20plays%20NetHack%2C%20runs%20into%20long-forgotten%20lunar%20code )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/threads?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109866&linkname=AI%20plays%20NetHack%2C%20runs%20into%20long-forgotten%20lunar%20code )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109866&linkname=AI%20plays%20NetHack%2C%20runs%20into%20long-forgotten%20lunar%20code )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/whatsapp?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109866&linkname=AI%20plays%20NetHack%2C%20runs%20into%20long-forgotten%20lunar%20code )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/email?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109866&linkname=AI%20plays%20NetHack%2C%20runs%20into%20long-forgotten%20lunar%20code )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109866&linkname=AI%20plays%20NetHack%2C%20runs%20into%20long-forgotten%20lunar%20code )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/linkedin?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109866&linkname=AI%20plays%20NetHack%2C%20runs%20into%20long-forgotten%20lunar%20code )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/mastodon?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109866&linkname=AI%20plays%20NetHack%2C%20runs%20into%20long-forgotten%20lunar%20code )[](https://www.addtoany.com/share )
[⊞](/tti-cache/109866.png )
https://alecmuffett.com/article/109866
#games #history #nethack

2024-05-27 05:32:00

**Inside the scramble to ‘prebunk’ election misinformation before it takes hold | The Washington Post | FULL ARTICLE**
A gift link from one of the authors, so you can read the entire article. Radical _heresy_ of course, to suggest that misinformation is best combated directly rather than solved by “imposing a duty of care on platforms”.
> > Election officials around the world are adopting “prebunking” campaigns, as AI and other threats jeopardize voting.
https://wapo.st/3R25B9g
HT: https://infosec.exchange/@JosephMenn/112509265139322062
[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/copy_link?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109873&linkname=Inside%20the%20scramble%20to%20%E2%80%98prebunk%E2%80%99%20election%20misinformation%20before%20it%20takes%20hold%20%7C%20The%20Washington%20Post%20%7C%20FULL%20ARTICLE )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/threads?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109873&linkname=Inside%20the%20scramble%20to%20%E2%80%98prebunk%E2%80%99%20election%20misinformation%20before%20it%20takes%20hold%20%7C%20The%20Washington%20Post%20%7C%20FULL%20ARTICLE )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109873&linkname=Inside%20the%20scramble%20to%20%E2%80%98prebunk%E2%80%99%20election%20misinformation%20before%20it%20takes%20hold%20%7C%20The%20Washington%20Post%20%7C%20FULL%20ARTICLE )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/whatsapp?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109873&linkname=Inside%20the%20scramble%20to%20%E2%80%98prebunk%E2%80%99%20election%20misinformation%20before%20it%20takes%20hold%20%7C%20The%20Washington%20Post%20%7C%20FULL%20ARTICLE )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/email?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109873&linkname=Inside%20the%20scramble%20to%20%E2%80%98prebunk%E2%80%99%20election%20misinformation%20before%20it%20takes%20hold%20%7C%20The%20Washington%20Post%20%7C%20FULL%20ARTICLE )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109873&linkname=Inside%20the%20scramble%20to%20%E2%80%98prebunk%E2%80%99%20election%20misinformation%20before%20it%20takes%20hold%20%7C%20The%20Washington%20Post%20%7C%20FULL%20ARTICLE )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/linkedin?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109873&linkname=Inside%20the%20scramble%20to%20%E2%80%98prebunk%E2%80%99%20election%20misinformation%20before%20it%20takes%20hold%20%7C%20The%20Washington%20Post%20%7C%20FULL%20ARTICLE )[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/mastodon?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109873&linkname=Inside%20the%20scramble%20to%20%E2%80%98prebunk%E2%80%99%20election%20misinformation%20before%20it%20takes%20hold%20%7C%20The%20Washington%20Post%20%7C%20FULL%20ARTICLE )[](https://www.addtoany.com/share )
[⊞](/tti-cache/109873.png )
https://alecmuffett.com/article/109873
#elections #misinformation #regulation

2024-04-09 19:07:55

**#Fedipact – The [mastodon] instances blocking Zuckerberg’s Threads.net**
It seems odd for progressive parts of the Fediverse to be celebrating inventing their own digital iron curtains:
https://fedipact.veganism.social/
It (and the colour scheme) makes me wonder: are they keeping “bad” people & content out, or keeping their own users in?
Not everybody thinks it’s a good idea nor desirable or accurate:
https://atomicpoet.org/objects/1b2ddc6c-7e4e-417b-97d0-6eee8109b1ac
[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/copy_link?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109510&linkname=%23Fedipact%20%E2%80%93%20The%20%5Bmastodon%5D%20instances%20blocking%20Zuckerberg%E2%80%99s%20Threads.net)[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/threads?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109510&linkname=%23Fedipact%20%E2%80%93%20The%20%5Bmastodon%5D%20instances%20blocking%20Zuckerberg%E2%80%99s%20Threads.net)[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109510&linkname=%23Fedipact%20%E2%80%93%20The%20%5Bmastodon%5D%20instances%20blocking%20Zuckerberg%E2%80%99s%20Threads.net)[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/whatsapp?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109510&linkname=%23Fedipact%20%E2%80%93%20The%20%5Bmastodon%5D%20instances%20blocking%20Zuckerberg%E2%80%99s%20Threads.net)[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/email?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109510&linkname=%23Fedipact%20%E2%80%93%20The%20%5Bmastodon%5D%20instances%20blocking%20Zuckerberg%E2%80%99s%20Threads.net)[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109510&linkname=%23Fedipact%20%E2%80%93%20The%20%5Bmastodon%5D%20instances%20blocking%20Zuckerberg%E2%80%99s%20Threads.net)[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/linkedin?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109510&linkname=%23Fedipact%20%E2%80%93%20The%20%5Bmastodon%5D%20instances%20blocking%20Zuckerberg%E2%80%99s%20Threads.net)[](https://www.addtoany.com/add_to/mastodon?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Falecmuffett.com%2Farticle%2F109510&linkname=%23Fedipact%20%E2%80%93%20The%20%5Bmastodon%5D%20instances%20blocking%20Zuckerberg%E2%80%99s%20Threads.net)[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)
[⊞](/tti-cache/109510.png)
https://alecmuffett.com/article/109510
#censorship #fediverse #mastodon

2024-03-27 16:23:44

**Clause 14 – Powers to obtain communications data: 25 Mar 2024: House of Commons debates | TheyWorkForYou**
Sometimes the Scottish National Party says the right thing:
> We get the motivations for this Bill; they are understood and we are sympathetic with some of what the Bill seeks to achieve. However, we are not convinced that all the powers are shown to have been necessary and proportionate and that there are not other ways to get to where those seeking the new powers need to be.
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2024-03-25b.1350.0#g1352.1
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https://alecmuffett.com/article/109501
#investigatoryPowersAct #surveillance

2024-03-27 11:00:33

**UK counter-eavesdropping agency gets slap on the wrist for eavesdropping**
If you give the state a surveillance power it will be recklessly or wilfully misapplied, misused, or otherwise abused.
> UK NACE is tasked with protecting the country’s most sensitive information and sites both in Britain itself and in embassies around the world. As part of this duty, the agency was given new powers back in October 2021 to acquire communications data — the legal term for metadata — in the interests of national security.
> The new powers came with increased oversight. According to the 2022 annual report of the oversight body — the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office (IPCO) — published Monday, UK NACE had a “a high incidence of errors” and the agency was acquiring communications data without the appropriate authorizations.
> “Of most concern, we identified five authorisations (resulting from one single tasking) to identify a journalistic source in respect of which UK NACE had failed to seek the requisite approval from a Judicial Commissioner,” stated the IPCO report.
> Despite the lack of the necessary approval — intended to be a crucial safeguard for protecting journalists’ sources — UK NACE was successful in acquiring this data, although it was not able to identify a journalistic source.<a href="https://therecord.media/uk-nace-unlawful-surveillance-journalistic-source">https://therecord.media/uk-nace-unlawful-surveillance-journalistic-source</a>
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https://alecmuffett.com/article/109485
#surveillance