Head to https://squarespace.com/thelinuxexperiment to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code thelinuxexperiment Grab a brand new laptop or desktop running Linux: https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en# 👏 SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: Get access to a weekly podcast, vote on the next topics I cover, and get your name in the credits: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thelinuxexp/join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thelinuxexperiment Liberapay: https://liberapay.com/TheLinuxExperiment/ Or, you can donate whatever you want: https://paypal.me/thelinuxexp 👕 GET TLE MERCH Support the channel AND get cool new gear: https://the-linux-experiment.creator-spring.com/ 🎙️ LINUX AND OPEN SOURCE NEWS PODCAST: Listen to the latest Linux and open source news, with more in depth coverage, and ad-free! https://podcast.thelinuxexp.com 🏆 FOLLOW ME ELSEWHERE: Website: https://thelinuxexp.com Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/web/@thelinuxEXP Pixelfed: https://pixelfed.social/TLENick PeerTube: https://tilvids.com/c/thelinuxexperiment_channel/videos Matrix: https://matrix.to/#/#the-linux-experiment:mozilla.org Discord: https://discord.gg/XMuQrcYd 00:00 Intro 00:35 Sponsor: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website with Squarespace 01:34 France arrested people for being private and using Linux 03:53 Windows 11 is losing users 05:44 System76 announces big updates to their FOSS firmware 07:27 Debian 12 is now out 09:04 BlendOS 3 offers a new spin on immutable distros 10:53 Other news: Thunderbird beta, extensions support donations 13:17 Gaming News: Apple uses Wine and VKD3D, Proton updates 15:03 Sponsor: Get a PC that runs Linux perfectly 16:07 Support the channel #Linux #OpenSource #TechNews France arrested people for being private and using Linux https://www.laquadrature.net/2023/06/05/affaire-du-8-decembre-le-chiffrement-des-communications-assimile-a-un-comportement-terroriste/ Windows 11 is losing users https://www.techradar.com/news/windows-11-lost-users-this-month-should-microsoft-be-worried System76 announces big updates to their FOSS firmware https://blog.system76.com/post/major-updates-for-system76-open-firmware-june-2023 Debian 12 is now out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klfgPmUsirs BlendOS 3 offers a new spin on immutable distros https://blendos.co/blend-os-v3/ Other news: Thunderbird beta, extensions support donations, Ubuntu adds quarter tiling, and staged releases for snaps https://ubuntu.com//blog/release-management-for-snaps-made-simpler https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2023/06/ubuntu-23-10-window-tiling-feature https://linuxiac.com/gnome-extensions-now-supports-donation/ https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/115.0beta/releasenotes/#whatsnew Gaming News: Apple uses Wine and VKD3D, & Proton updates https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2023/06/proton-experimental-fixes-up-halo-mcc-ubisoft-connect-creativerse/ https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/7/23752164/apple-mac-gaming-game-porting-toolkit-windows-games-macos
The list in the first one is hilariously ridiculous that I have to remind myself how grave the accusations are.
– the use of applications such as Signal, WhatsApp, Wire, Silence or ProtonMail to encrypt communications; – the use of tools to protect your privacy on the Internet such as a VPN, Tor or Tails; – protecting ourselves against the exploitation of our personal data by GAFAM via services such as /e/OS, LineageOS, F-Droid; – encryption of digital media; – organization and participation in digital hygiene training sessions; – the mere possession of technical documentation.
I have ticked almost all of these boxes at some point as a privacy conscious software developer. I wonder what I’m plotting?
The reality is, sometimes it’s not even about the state. I’m well aware that they are such an adversary that, if I were specifically targeted for something I would want to hide, I’m in for a really bad time.
Sometimes, it’s about the data advertisers collect and use to sell me more crap. Sometimes, it’s about disagreeing with dragnet surveillance. Sometimes, it’s about refusing to have these very valuable services be associated only with criminal intent.
Journalists, victims of abuse, whistleblowers and every day people just trying to have private lives have a use for some or all of these tools.
Also, WhatsApp and ProtonMail have access to metadata about who you are contacting as well as subject lines and, in the case of WhatsApp, images. They might avoid some ad targeting but both are pretty stupid tools to use if you’re trying to hide something from the government. They both only scratch the surface of what we really need to avoid dragnet surveillance and yet are still better than many alternatives.