Christine Hall

Electronic Frontier Foundation

· 2w ago

Boosted by @kcarruthers@infosec.exchange

It will put online services behind age gates, expand the use of intrusive age verification, and undermine the privacy of all users: EU Kids Act Won't Keep the Internet Accountable and Trustworthy https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/09/eu-kids-act-wont-keep-internet-accountable-and-trustworthy

EU Kids Act Won't Keep the Internet Accountable and Trustworthy

The EU Commission draft law to restrict young people’s access to the internet that it presented last week will come at a high cost: it will put online services behind age gates, expand the use of intrusive age verification, and undermine the privacy of all users. The EU Kids Act aims to protect...

· 2w ago

The lightweight distro will ship the XLibre display server in its upcoming Debian and Devuan ISO refreshes, and it says it has no plans to switch to Wayland for the foreseeable future: PeppermintOS Is Moving From Xorg to XLibre to Avoid Wayland https://itsfoss.com/news/peppermintos-xlibre/

PeppermintOS Is Moving From Xorg to XLibre to Avoid Wayland

It's FOSS

PeppermintOS Is Moving From Xorg to XLibre to Avoid Wayland

The lightweight distro will ship the XLibre display server in its upcoming Debian and Devuan ISO refreshes, and it says it has no plans to switch to Wayland for the foreseeable future.

· 2mo ago

The concern is that, as startups and enterprises use AI models from labs like OpenAI and Anthropic, the labs gain ever-increasing access to those companies’ most sensitive business information. The model makers can then use that knowledge for themselves, potentially becoming competitors to their own customers: Satya Nadella has issued a shocking warning to companies using AI | TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/satya-nadella-has-issued-a-shocking-warning-to-companies-using-ai/

TechCrunch

Satya Nadella has issued a shocking warning to companies using AI | TechCrunch

Of all the debates raging about the potential downsides of AI, there is one worry causing the most hand-wringing among AI enthusiasts in Silicon Valley — that the giant AI labs that sell proprietary models are somehow acting like Trojan horses.

· 3w ago

This version includes important security updates to Firefox - New Release: Tor Browser 15.0.23 | Tor Project https://blog.torproject.org/new-release-tor-browser-15023/

blog.torproject.org

New Release: Tor Browser 15.0.23 | Tor Project

Tor Browser 15.0.23 is now available from the Tor Browser download page and also from our distribution directory.

· 2mo ago

The final patent, active in Brazil, expired on July 19, 2026: Siemens AG Was The Last Holdout in MPEG-4 Visual's Road to Being Patent-Free https://itsfoss.com/news/mpeg-4-visual-patent-expiry/

It's FOSS

Siemens AG Was The Last Holdout in MPEG-4 Visual's Road to Being Patent-Free

The final patent, active in Brazil, expired on July 19, 2026.

· 2mo ago

Just published on FOSS Force: At 45-Years-Old, C-Kermit Gets Its First New Release in 15 Years https://fossforce.com/2026/08/at-45-years-old-c-kermit-gets-its-first-new-release-in-15-years/

fossforce.com

· 2mo ago

Just published on FOSS Force: “Oopsies!” FreeBSD Devs Say There’s Still GPL in the Kernel https://fossforce.com/2026/07/oopsies-freebsd-devs-say-theres-still-gpl-in-the-kernel/

fossforce.com

· 2mo ago

GOG built its whole brand around selling DRM-free games and providing offline installers that work without requiring an internet connection or any kind of verification from their side: Good News Gamers! GOG is Officially Coming to Linux https://itsfoss.com/news/gog-galaxy-is-coming-to-linux/

itsfoss.com

· 2mo ago

Well, it looks like investigators better go back to doing actual investigations in the Fifth Circuit, rather than just assuming a little paperwork and a whole lot of assistance from service providers is going to do their work for them: Another Federal Judge Says Cell Tower Dumps Are Unconstitutional https://www.techdirt.com/2026/08/07/another-federal-judge-says-cell-tower-dumps-are-unconstitutional/

· 2mo ago

I've spent about six years of my life in LA, and if your product gives the LAPD of all people concerns about civil liberties and privacy, you've really done something awlful: LAPD lets contract with surveillance giant Flock expire, citing 'serious concerns' over civil liberties and privacy | TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/lapd-lets-contract-with-surveillance-giant-flock-expire-citing-serious-concerns-over-civil-liberties-and-privacy/

TechCrunch

LAPD lets contract with surveillance giant Flock expire, citing 'serious concerns' over civil liberties and privacy | TechCrunch

The LAPD, one of Flock's biggest government customers, is ending its contract with the company citing civil liberties concerns.

· 2mo ago

Current laws (remember those?) prohibit any single local broadcast news company from serving more than 39 percent of all TV households in the US. The original (good) idea was that this helped protect opinion diversity and competition in the local broadcast news space. Republicans don’t like that, because they want to replace all journalism with right-wing and oligarch friendly propaganda: Brendan Carr Is Illegally Dismantling U.S. Media Consolidation Law https://www.techdirt.com/2026/07/20/brendan-carr-is-illegally-dismantling-u-s-media-consolidation-law/

Electronic Frontier Foundation

· 3mo ago

Congress is preparing to vote on the KIDS Act, a sprawling package of legislation that seeks to control Americans’ web browsing and private messaging: The KIDS Act Would Require Age Checks To Get Online https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/06/kids-act-would-require-age-checks-get-online

The KIDS Act Would Require Age Checks To Get Online

Buried inside the KIDS Act are provisions that will push online services to verify all users’ ages, require government-directed moderation policies for online speech, and even create new rules about private and encrypted communications. While supporters continue to claim this bill protects minors online, its requirements come at the expense of privacy, free expression, and the ability of people of all ages to use the internet without revealing sensitive data.

· 2mo ago

Data brokers are a cancer. There's a direct line from the unrestricted collection, retention and processing of our data to a host of evils, from deepfake porn to phishing scams; from racial discrimination in hiring to ICE roundups of migrants; from targeted election interference to identity theft: California’s privacy obstacle course (23 Jul 2026) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow https://pluralistic.net/2026/07/23/drop-a-dime/#privacy-theater

pluralistic.net

· 2mo ago

Humoring the boss all the way into bankruptcy: Why businesses lie about AI (01 Aug 2026) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow https://pluralistic.net/2026/08/01/dare-snot/#i-will-fucking-piledrive-you-if-you-mention-ai-again

pluralistic.net

· 1mo ago

The maintainer of the Common Internet File System / SMB3 code within the Linux kernel. Longtime maintainer, principal Linux CIFS author, and current Microsoft employee Steve French has stepped down due to health reasons: Longtime Linux CIFS/SMB3 Maintainer Passes Away - Phoronix https://www.phoronix.com/news/SMB3-CIFS-Maintainer-Change

phoronix.com

Electronic Frontier Foundation

· 3mo ago

We’re calling on the dating app Grindr to prioritize LGBTQ+ user safety by making privacy the default across its platform. That means no more sharing personal data with advertisers or training AI on private information without users’ opt-in consent: EFF to Grindr: This Pride Month, Put Safety and Privacy Over Profits https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/06/grindr-put-queer-safety-and-privacy-over-profits

EFF to Grindr: This Pride Month, Put Safety and Privacy Over Profits

This Pride month, we’re calling on the dating app Grindr to prioritize LGBTQ+ user safety by making privacy the default across its platform. That means no more sharing personal data with advertisers or training AI on private information without users’ opt-in consent.

· 4mo ago

The courts have all of a sudden started paying attention, it seems: Court Temporarily Freezes Trump’s $1.776 Billion ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Slush Fund To Figure Out WTF Is Going On https://www.techdirt.com/2026/05/29/court-temporarily-freezes-trumps-1-776-billion-anti-weaponization-slush-fund-to-figure-out-wtf-is-going-on/

· 2mo ago

Cerf left Google after 20 years last week, but he’s not done thinking about the digital future. Starting today, he’s advising Innovation Labs, an organization trying to create the open architecture for AI agents to identify themselves: Vint Cerf is working on a plan to unleash AI agents on the open internet | TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/15/vint-cerf-is-working-on-a-plan-to-unleash-ai-agents-on-the-open-internet/

TechCrunch

Vint Cerf is working on a plan to unleash AI agents on the open internet | TechCrunch

The guy behind TCP/IP is working on a standard for identifying AI agents in the wild.

· 3mo ago

Most people assume their cloud files are private. The reality is more complicated, and understanding it is the first step to protecting your data: Your cloud storage can read your files. Here's why that matters. | We Love Open Source • All Things Open https://allthingsopen.org/articles/cloud-storage-end-to-end-encryption-e2ee-open-source

allthingsopen.org

· 2mo ago

This post is going to come with something of a warning label. RFK Jr. went on CNN this past weekend for an interview with Dana Bash. I’m going to post the entirety of that interview immediately below. Before you watch it, get yourself a bib, or some paper towels, or wrap yourself in one of those plastic ponchos they hand out to keep the rain off of you: RFK Jr. Just Embarrassed Himself Publicly On CNN https://www.techdirt.com/2026/08/04/rfk-jr-just-embarrassed-himself-publicly-on-cnn/

· 2mo ago

Given the "onslaught" of kernel patches produced by large language models and the intent for the Linux kernel's staging area to be an area for newcomers to get involved, moving forward, he's now rejecting AI/LLM-generated staging patches. But there is one exception, and that is for genuinely valid security fixes: Linux's Staging Area To Now Reject LLM-Generated Patches, Except For Real Security Fixes - Phoronix https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-Staging-Reject-LLMs

phoronix.com

· 2mo ago

Ideally, I think it makes sense to open up the U.S. market to Chinese goods (AI, EVs, robots), but have functional and well-funded regulators that police all labor, competition, environmental, privacy, and consumer rights abuses. But big companies don’t much like that because it would boost competition and accountability, eroding quarterly revenues: Trump’s Sloppy, Incompetent Chinese Protectionism Expanded To Robot Vacuums, Lawnmowers https://www.techdirt.com/2026/08/03/trumps-sloppy-incompetent-chinese-protectionism-expanded-to-robot-vacuums-lawnmowers/

· 2mo ago

These apps contain software that funnels outsiders’ web traffic through ordinary home and office internet connections, known as residential proxy networks (or “resproxies”), which are increasingly being linked to cybercrime: Samsung bans smart TV apps that share users' internet connections with strangers | TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/03/samsung-bans-smart-tv-apps-that-share-users-internet-connections-with-strangers/

· 3mo ago

This headline is scary, but I know it's happening already in other countries, and probably here as well: Lawmakers Must Act Now to Prevent Armed Police Drones https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/06/lawmakers-must-act-now-prevent-armed-police-drones

eff.org

· 4mo ago

At least two dozen manufacturers are now commercially offering more than 40 quantum processing units (QPUs), which are the processing hardware for a quantum computer. In addition, the "quantum-as-a-service model" is enabling wider access to quantum computing resources: Quantum computing looms, and your security is nowhere near ready https://www.zdnet.com/article/as-quantum-computing-emerges-some-hard-deadlines-loom/

zdnet.com

· 4mo ago

Has noone told them that the so-called Chinese Communist Party has it's eye on Taiwan?: Nvidia crowns Taiwan the epicentre of AI, invest $150 billion a year https://betanews.com/article/nvidia-150-billion-taiwan-ai-investment/

betanews.com

· 3mo ago

It figures they'd bringing in a Trump buddy. A former AI policy official. Another reason to shy away from OpenAI: OpenAI is bringing on some big guns in the lead-up to its IPO | TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/18/openai-is-bringing-on-some-big-guns-in-the-lead-up-to-its-ipo/

· 4mo ago

The golden age of Microsoft’s Github Copilot appears to be at an end for the little guy: 'What a joke': Github Copilot's new token-based billing spurs consternation among devs | TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/30/what-a-joke-github-copilots-new-token-based-billing-spurs-consternation-among-devs/

· 4mo ago

"Backrooms" and "Obsession": This weekend’s two biggest movies were both directed by YouTubers | TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/30/this-weekends-two-biggest-movies-were-both-directed-by-youtubers/

· 4mo ago

Welcome to another update about everything that’s been happening at the GNOME Foundation: GNOME Foundation Update, 2026-05-29 https://ift.tt/COW0gKZ

ift.tt

· 3mo ago

I hate to disagree with Jack, but I'm a Linux Mint user too, and I think it's a best-of-breed distro too, for a lot of reasons, but none of them Cinnamon, which I don't use. For well over a decade I've used it's Xfce edition: Linux Mint vs RefreshOS: I found the best distro for new users https://www.zdnet.com/article/linux-mint-vs-refreshos-best-distro-for-new-users/

zdnet.com

· 2mo ago

Hugging Face blamed the breach on an external AI agent, which executed “many thousands of individual actions across a swarm of short-lived sandboxes, with self-migrating command-and-control staged on public services”: Hugging Face confirms breach affected internal datasets and credentials, urges users to take action | TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/20/hugging-face-confirms-breach-affected-internal-datasets-and-credentials-urges-users-to-take-action/

· 3mo ago

This attempt to make us all more ignorant about the harms and potential negative outcomes from climate change is, of course, completely insane and self-destructive. But if you’re an octogenarian suffering from a textbook case of narcissistic personality disorder, what happens years after you’re going to be worm-food probably doesn’t concern you all that much: NFP Restores All The Content From Climate.gov That Trump Attempted To Disappear https://www.techdirt.com/2026/06/29/nfp-restores-all-the-content-from-climate-gov-that-trump-attempted-to-disappear/

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@Lstn2urmama@mstdn.ca You're being too nice to him.

· 4mo ago

Adds support for Arduino UNO Q (QRB2210), Mekotronics R58S2, NanoPC-T6 LTS Plus, Ariaboard Photonicat 2, and other ARM boards: Armbian 26.5 Released with Linux 7.0, Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Builds, and More - 9to5Linux https://9to5linux.com/armbian-26-5-released-with-linux-7-0-ubuntu-26-04-lts-builds-and-more

9to5linux.com

· 2mo ago

It's far easier to find security holes than to fix them, and leaving it to AI can introduce 9 times as many new vulnerabilities as developers do: AI is finding bugs faster than humans can fix them: How enterprise security teams must adapt https://www.zdnet.com/article/ai-is-finding-bugs-faster-than-humans-can-fix-them-how-enterprise-security-teams-must-adapt/

zdnet.com

· 3mo ago

The authoritarianism has been out in the open pretty much since day one with this presidency: DOJ Using Gang, Terrorist Prosecutors To Ensure People Opposed To Trump Are Treated Like Gang Members, Terrorists https://www.techdirt.com/2026/07/06/doj-using-gang-terrorist-prosecutors-to-ensure-people-opposed-to-trump-are-treated-like-gang-members-terrorists/

· 2mo ago

This isn’t the end of xAI’s lawsuit against the ban; it only means that the law can take effect while the lawsuit proceeds. In the suit, xAI argued that the ban — the first of its kind in the United States — is “overinclusive” and that “there are far less restrictive alternatives that function to achieve the same ends": Judge denies xAI’s request to block Minnesota ban on ‘nudify’ apps | TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/01/judge-denies-xais-request-to-block-minnesota-ban-on-nudify-apps/

· 2mo ago

"I’ve never seen a technology advancing so rapidly [that’s been] so completely rejected by the public. Everybody’s suspicion of it is so extreme, particularly young people": ‘Odyssey’ director Christopher Nolan calls AI an obvious ‘Trojan horse’ | TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/19/odyssey-director-christopher-nolan-calls-ai-an-obvious-trojan-horse/

· 3mo ago

Software that allows a variety of open source large language models to run on a variety of chips — including Nvidia’s, AMD’s, Google’s TPU, Apple Metal, and Intel Arc: Hot French startup ZML releases free product to speed inference across lots of AI chips | TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/08/hot-french-startup-zml-releases-free-product-to-speed-inference-across-lots-of-ai-chips/

· 2mo ago

Cables are tricky to access and repair, much less install. But alternatives aren’t easy to find: Radio transmissions don’t have the bandwidth, which rules out most wireless approaches on the ground or in orbit. But now, maybe lasers could do the job: EON wants to move the data superhighway from ocean fiber to space lasers | TechCrunch https://buff.ly/cD7r6rU

buff.ly

· 2mo ago

The opening story in this article is great -- like a good streaming TV episode. After that, it gets seriously scary: Talking smack about a doctor got him access to private medical files https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/07/23/talking-smack-about-a-doctor-got-him-access-to-private-medical-files/5276604

theregister.com

· 3mo ago

Just for kicks, I took a look at Jersey Mike’s IPO documents to see how far this compulsion may go. Surely a sandwich shop would have no need to mention AI in its S-1. But lo and behold!: Jersey Mike's IPO illustrates how bad the AI hype has become | TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/02/jersey-mikes-ipo-illustrates-how-bad-the-ai-hype-has-become/

· 3mo ago

I just changed the name on this to "AI Glossary" and put it on my browser's bookmark bar: The only AI glossary you'll need this year | TechCrunch https://buff.ly/7zLGASW

buff.ly

· 4mo ago

An Ubuntu-based distribution which makes getting set up and started easy for beginners: Distribution Release - Linux Lite 8.0 (https://DistroWatch.com News) https://distrowatch.com/?newsid=12861

distrowatch.com

· 2mo ago

We use Kanri: 7 Open Source Trello Alternatives For Your Kanban Boards https://itsfoss.com/open-source-trello-alternatives/

itsfoss.com

· 2mo ago

The LVFS is the Linux Vendor Firmware Service: NVIDIA is now supporting the LVFS https://blogs.gnome.org/hughsie/2026/08/04/nvidia-is-now-supporting-the-lvfs/

blogs.gnome.org

· 2mo ago

If you’re visiting or traveling around host cities, then you and your face, behavior, movement and devices are being monitored by governments and private companies: World Cup Propels Surveillance To New Heights https://www.techdirt.com/2026/07/09/world-cup-propels-surveillance-to-new-heights/

· 2mo ago

Aren't you glad you use Flatpaks? Don't you wish that everybody did?: Three New Ubuntu Snap Vulnerabilities Made Public - One Dates Back To Ubuntu 16.04 LTS - Phoronix https://www.phoronix.com/news/Ubuntu-Snap-Three-More-Vulns

phoronix.com

· 3mo ago

The package of cobbled-together bills is a mess, with different age-gating schemes for different services, using different standards. It’s a lot of complexity, and a lot of legal risk. Faced with that, many companies will conclude that the safest option is restrictive age-checking practices across their entire platforms: The KIDS Act Would Require Age Checks To Get Online https://www.techdirt.com/2026/06/26/the-kids-act-would-require-age-checks-to-get-online/