Robert Winter @rw@qoto.org

Long article short... ‘You should quit using these apps and opt for end-to-end encryption instead.’

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2021/02/27/google-android-messages-update-apple-iphone-ipad-imessage-security-versus-sms-rcs-and-whatsapp-encryption/

@basil it is equal parts disgusting, saddening and heart breaking, but now that action is steadily being taken, hopeful.

If we can’t protect our children, we have utterly failed as a society. 😔

@Naughtylus @kev they say society has taken a dark turn when reality is more satirical than satire.

That so many ‘marketing led’ websites have an alarming resemblance to userinyerface suggests we are in dark times indeed...

In this week’s threat spectrum, there are articles about the collection and (ab)use of biometric data.

https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-threat-spectrum-10/

@kev @jamie very much in agreement.

Also the lack of e2EE also troubles me as my preference is hosted solutions to save me the headaches of maintaining my own infrastructure (as in hardware). So to risk the potential of having all and sundry who has access my rack space as an admin also potentially viewing my personal data (health records, legal documents etc.) that I store in a file service keeps me using Tresorit.

@basil gosh! What a production and what a time in the life of our earth...

@freddy this I didn’t know, but very happy cryptee are on to it and implementing a solution:

“Since remote images make connections to remote servers every time you open a document, the remote images' servers (and their owners) can track:
when & how often you open a document with the pasted image,
the location where you open a document using your ip address
the device with which you open a document (phone/laptop etc)

We think that's absurd, unacceptable and a gross violation of your privacy.
Starting with this version, when you copy paste anything into Cryptee, or when you import 3rd party files like html, markdown, or evernote notes into Cryptee, Cryptee will scan for remote images, block them from loading, and ask if you'd like to load them.”

@basil looks idyllic. But I understand why you traded it for the rain and indifference of England. 🙃

If anyone has server expertise... I am flirting with getting my own Mastodon instance running. The build went well (after much trial and error), but I have hit a blocker at the final step with a nginx error. Have read countless documentation pages, but all they can suggest for a solution is ‘it depends.’

A moments guidance would be appreciated.

https://discourse.joinmastodon.org/t/502-bad-gateway/3396?u=rwinter

@freddy of course, in the land down under, right now it feels more like Facebook is deleting Australia rather than vice versa... but reform takes time.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-56109036

A comprehensive presentation by Ben Evans on ‘The Great Unbundling.’

It’s a big deck of slides, but well worth the time to go through the numbers around Covid, digital advertising, China, industry regulation and what changes may be in store for the tech industry as it enters its second 50 year cycle.

https://www.ben-evans.com/presentations

@mike Nice! I have always been interested in Arch, but there is also a limit to my knowledge and desire to tinker. For some things, such as my OS, I like very user friendly. Which is why I opted for Pop_OS! But might give this a whirl when I have some spare time.

Ahh... the arrogance of de Gaulle never ceases to surprise me...

“Who was that transistor salesman.”

Charles de Gaulle after meeting Hayato Ikeda, Prime Minister of Japan in 1962.

@dajbelshaw haha! True that! I love to use my own platform (including managed hosting) than a ‘service,’ but the admin work that goes with it needs to be a simple wizard as I am also getting too long in the tooth to be faffing with server setup.

And yes, take the NAS route when you can. 😉