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   Security Writer :verified: :donor: (securitywriter@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 01:21:10 JST Security Writer :verified: :donor:

   So does any actually have an explanation as to why the Reddit handle of Proton’s CEO is Andy1011000 that doesn’t end with him trolling us that it’s 88 in binary?

   • Rocketman repeated this.
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     Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide (infoseepage@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 01:21:10 JST Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     in reply to

     @SecurityWriter Just checked that in an ASCII lookup table and you're right.

     For those not in the know, 88 is a common hate symbol used by white supremacists. Basically H is the 8th letter of the alphabet, so 88 is HH. It's a way to insert "Heil Hitler" on the down-low. It and 14 are probably the two most common numberical references used by white supremacists.

     https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbol/14-words

     https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbol/88

     #proton

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     Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide (infoseepage@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 01:24:02 JST Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     in reply to

     @SecurityWriter I really can't see a reason for Proton's CEO to be using this number in particularly than as a veiled way of signalling to white supremacists that whatever else he says, that he is in alignment with their agenda.

     Yeah, I really got to jump on this and get myself and my clients off this service.

     #proton

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     Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide (infoseepage@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 01:38:40 JST Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     in reply to

     @SecurityWriter He also appears to have been lately using a lot of alt-right troll language lately.

     This is some real dog whistling bullshit. Thing is, we're used to it and this guy might as well be blowing a train whistle.

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_whistle_(politics)

     #proton

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     Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide (infoseepage@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 02:34:05 JST Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     in reply to

     @SecurityWriter This guy leads an extremely online life. He is US educated and is extremely articulate. He has a PHD in physics from Harvard and an economics degree from Caltech.

     He appears to have deliberately used alt-right word choices in recent statements (triggered, dems, etc.).

     This is not a guy imo who doesn't understand far right language choices and their meanings.

     He stuck 88 at the end of his username as a dog-whistle. I don't accept anything else.

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     Security Writer :verified: :donor: (securitywriter@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 02:34:06 JST Security Writer :verified: :donor:

     in reply to

     There’s a million other handles he could have chosen, I’ve checked what I’d consider suitable ‘expected’ ones and they’re all available.

     This is bizarro. It’s too damning to go nuts over right now, but given the account was made to respond to criticism over anticipated obedience of an incoming foreign power and fascist fawning, it’s a BAD look.

     MortSinyx likes this.
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     Security Writer :verified: :donor: (securitywriter@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 02:34:06 JST Security Writer :verified: :donor:

     in reply to

     And even if the number were of personal significance to him… he’s a CEO! Checking for hate symbols in public comms is like the first step.

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     Security Writer :verified: :donor: (securitywriter@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 02:34:06 JST Security Writer :verified: :donor:

     in reply to

     Some saying it’s the year of birth.

     So a date a man has lived with for ~36 years and not once has anyone stopped him to say that maybe he shouldn’t stick 88 on everything, especially not in response to allegations of being fascist-aligned on a newly created account… for an internationally renowned CEO and STEM professional.

     I know someone that got hauled into HR for having a Reddit handle of <interest>14 and using it on work devices. Just happened to be their amateur sport shirt number.

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     Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide (infoseepage@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 03:14:20 JST Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     in reply to

     @SecurityWriter I wonder if this guy is deliberately trying to get attention from Trump at this point in order to break up Google and then poach their users. If so, it's incredibly crass and imo something akin to war profiteering.

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     Security Writer :verified: :donor: (securitywriter@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 03:14:21 JST Security Writer :verified: :donor:

     in reply to

     • Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     @Infoseepage this was what I was probing at and you’ve come with more info.

     This is looking more and more like a choice to use the dog whistle after using alt-right vocabulary and being called out on to ‘own the libs’

     Only responded on Reddit, too, despite the debacle getting way more coverage.

     I was leaning towards socially inept until now.

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     Security Writer :verified: :donor: (securitywriter@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 03:58:41 JST Security Writer :verified: :donor:

     in reply to

     Also don’t go fucking dogpiling the guy. Stupid comms and stupid opinions are one thing.

     A response will come in due course.

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     Rocketman (slothrop@chaos.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 03:58:41 JST Rocketman

     in reply to

     @SecurityWriter A CEO using a hate speech symbol while expressing obedience to fascists is a legitimate target for dogpiling if I ever saw one

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     Security Writer :verified: :donor: (securitywriter@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 04:01:00 JST Security Writer :verified: :donor:

     in reply to

     • Rocketman

     @slothrop we can dogpile when we have all the facts, I guess, for what good it’ll do.

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     Rocketman (slothrop@chaos.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 04:01:00 JST Rocketman

     in reply to

     @SecurityWriter Even better, we could just ignore the dude, and pull all our business from Proton.

     Because an encrypted service provider without a suitable political stance is worse than useless.

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     Tim Hergert (cjust@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 04:02:10 JST Tim Hergert

     in reply to

     @SecurityWriter and yet - I am somehow reminded of this little exchange on Reddit

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     Security Writer :verified: :donor: (securitywriter@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 04:03:50 JST Security Writer :verified: :donor:

     in reply to

     • Rocketman

     @slothrop my thoughts exactly. If he fucked up, he fucked up - but he gets paid not to fuck up… other people rely on him.

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     Rocketman (slothrop@chaos.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 04:03:50 JST Rocketman

     in reply to

     @SecurityWriter Dogpiling normal people is a shit move.

     CEOs who can afford a comma team? Fair game.

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     Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide (infoseepage@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 04:10:37 JST Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     in reply to

     • Marc Thomas

     @mthx @SecurityWriter Its extremely associated with neo-nazism. A lot get prominent 14/88 tattoos. Here's from the ADL hate symbols database and Google images.

     A lot of European states have bans on using the numbers in things like license plates as well as in sports uniforms.

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     Marc Thomas (mthx@techhub.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 04:10:38 JST Marc Thomas

     in reply to

     • Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     @Infoseepage @SecurityWriter I wasn't aware of either of those numbers bring associated with hate speech. That's my birth year as well. I guess I'm glad I've never used it in a username before. One of the first things I learned when I was a kid was not to use self identifying words or numbers in usernames or passwords.

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     Kevin Mirsky :donor: (kevinmirsky@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 04:24:59 JST Kevin Mirsky :donor:

     in reply to

     • Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     @Infoseepage @SecurityWriter that awkward moment when 14 is my go-to favorite number 😬

     Goddamn Nazis ruin everything.

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     Daniel Taylor (randomdamage@infosec.exchange)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 04:24:59 JST Daniel Taylor

     in reply to

     • Kevin Mirsky :donor:
     • Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     @kevinmirsky @Infoseepage @SecurityWriter yeah, having Norwegian heritage is another thing they make it rough to celebrate.

     Why couldn't they have decided the Greeks were cool or something?

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     Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide (infoseepage@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 04:24:59 JST Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     in reply to

     • Daniel Taylor
     • Kevin Mirsky :donor:

     @RandomDamage @kevinmirsky @SecurityWriter I'm a blonde haired blue eyed Norwegian-American from Minnesota and I totally get what you mean. Can't get myself a Mjölnir necklace without being taken for a neo-nazi.

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     Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide (infoseepage@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 06:53:42 JST Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     in reply to

     • Len

     @Hyperlynx He's been making statements of Reddit under a new private account (which includes the binary equivalent of 88 in the username) and previously on the Proton official accounts. Some stuff has been delete/revised, but people wisely submitted the urls to internet archive. You have to go back and forth between sites and archives a bit to reconstruct the sequence of events, but doesn't look good. Would be nice if someone created a timeline.

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     Len (hyperlynx@aus.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 06:53:43 JST Len

     in reply to

     • Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     @Infoseepage that's very concerning. I'm a Proton customer, and maybe I ought not to be.

     Do you have a link to an example?

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     Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide (infoseepage@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 06:59:48 JST Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     in reply to

     • Len

     @Hyperlynx

     https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1i2nz9v/on_politics_and_proton_a_message_from_andy/

     https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtonMail/comments/1i1zjgn/so_that_happened/

     https://www.reddit.com/user/andy1011000/

     The threads have links to archive copies showing what he's revised/deleted.

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     Len (hyperlynx@aus.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 06:59:49 JST Len

     in reply to

     • Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     @Infoseepage okay. Link?

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     Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide (infoseepage@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 07:16:20 JST Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     in reply to

     • Len

     @Hyperlynx This page has a pretty solid list of alternatives in Europe.

     https://european-alternatives.eu/category/email-providers

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     Len (hyperlynx@aus.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 07:16:21 JST Len

     in reply to

     • Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     @Infoseepage appreciated! Damn. Time for me to shop for a new provider, then 😞

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     Alexandre Oliva (lxo@gnusocial.jp)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 14:47:01 JST Alexandre Oliva

     in reply to

     • Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide
     holy molly, is that why Elon Musk renamed Twitter to X? capital X is 88 in the ASCII table (and in Unicode)
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     Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide (infoseepage@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 15:04:11 JST Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     in reply to

     • Alexandre Oliva

     @lxo I've heard that theory advanced before. A lot of these sorts of guys engage in edgelord nonsense and make protests of innocence when you call them on their shit.

     Alexandre Oliva likes this.
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     Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide (infoseepage@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 15:04:49 JST Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide

     in reply to

     • Alexandre Oliva

     @lxo Proton CEO Andy Yen just did it with a couple alt-right phrases and tried to claim he didn't realize they were offensive and that he has poor English skills because he doesn't live in the US (he received multiple degrees from prestigious US colleges and in interviews speaks in highly articulate sentences in a completely conversational manner without ever stumbling for words).

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     Alexandre Oliva (lxo@gnusocial.jp)'s status on Saturday, 18-Jan-2025 17:48:44 JST Alexandre Oliva

     in reply to

     • Infoseepage #StopGazaGenocide
     I'd be the last person who could judge anyone for being misunderstood and misidentified as dog-whistling, entirely unawares (happens a lot to me, presumably because of my neurodivergence), but... it does look suspicious, no doubt