Notices by ☮ ♥ ♬ 🧑‍💻 (peterrenshaw@ioc.exchange)

“On Wednesday we shared that we’re introducing a new Terms of Use (TOU) and #PrivacyNotice for #Firefox. Since then, we’ve been listening to some of our community’s concerns with parts of the #TOU, specifically about licensing. Our intent was just to be as clear as possible about how we make Firefox work, but in doing so we also created some confusion and concern. With that in mind, we’re updating the language to more clearly reflect the limited scope of how Mozilla interacts with #UserData.

Here’s what the new language will say:” — Ajit “CockWomble” Varma

“MY REALITY IS JUST DIFFERENT THAN YOURS,”

<https://blog.mozilla.org/en/products/firefox/update-on-terms-of-use>

“On February 27, 2025, #Mozilla changed their #FAQ, removing a statement, that they have never and never will sell their users' #PersonalData. The change in the FAQ followed the introduction of terms of use on February 26th, 2025 granting Mozilla "a #nonexclusive, #RoyaltyFree, worldwide #license" to all #information uploaded or input through Firefox”

🦖🤺

<https://github.com/mozilla/bedrock/commit/d459addab846d8144b61939b7f4310eb80c5470e#diff-a24e74e4595fa85440a2f4e7e5dcfe68aba6e1e593aef05a2d35581a91423847L65> / <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla#Controversies>

“The #nonprofit organization (#Mozilla) that supports the #Firefox web browser said today it is winding down its new partnership with Onerep, an identity protection service recently bundled with Firefox that offers to remove users from hundreds of people-search sites. The move comes just days after a report by #KrebsOnSecurity forced #Onerep’s #CEO to admit that he has founded dozens of people-search networks over the years.” 1)

Where are the #Mozilla “Conflict of Interest Policy Documents” outlined in <https://assets.mofoprod.net/network/documents/Conflict_of_Interest_Policy_2022_May_2022.pdf>?

Reference
[1] <https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/03/mozilla-drops-onerep-after-ceo-admits-to-running-people-search-networks/>

“Principle 4. Individuals’ #security and #privacy on the internet are fundamental and must not be treated as optional.”

“The Mozilla #Manifesto Addendum

Pledge for a Healthy #Internet

The open, global internet is the most powerful communication and collaboration resource we have ever seen. It embodies some of our deepest hopes for human progress. It enables new opportunities for learning, building a sense of shared humanity, and solving the pressing problems facing people everywhere.

Over the last decade we have seen this promise fulfilled in many ways. We have also seen the power of the internet used to magnify divisiveness, incite violence, promote hatred, and intentionally manipulate fact and reality. We have learned that we should more explicitly set out our aspirations for the human experience of the internet. We do so now.”

Lol 🤪 Principles

#mozilla <https://mozilla.org/en-US/about/manifesto/>

#Mozilla has no credibility.

“Conflicts of interest arise when a #Director, #Officer or #KeyEmployee has a personal, professional or business interest that is at odds with the individual's duty of loyalty to the Foundation, described below. Whether actual or perceived, #ConflictsOfInterest (defined below) have the potential to damage the Foundation’s credibility, thereby adversely affecting its ability to fulfill its mission and programmatic goals. If not managed properly, Conflicts of Interest can also undermine the trust and confidence of Mozilla Community members and the Foundation’s donors on whom the Foundation’s success depends.

Conflicts of Interest are not necessarily prohibited or harmful to the Foundation provided (i) they are identified and properly managed, and (ii) the Interested Person (defined below) refrains from acting on behalf of, or attempting to influence, the Foundation as provided herein.

This Policy is designed to assist Directors, Officers and Key Employees in the performance of their duties and to state clear guidelines to be followed in identifying and resolving potential and actual Conflicts of Interest, including self dealing issues, and situations that give rise to the appearance or perception of a Conflict of Interest.”

< https://assets.mofoprod.net/network/documents/Conflict_of_Interest_Policy_2022_May_2022.pdf>

“#Mozilla is made up of several organizations, one of which is the #MozillaCorporation, which develops Firefox and other technologies, and another is its nonprofit and tax-exempt #MozillaFoundation, which oversees Mozilla’s corporate governance structure and sets the browser maker’s policies. Much of Mozilla’s work focused on advocating for #privacy, #inclusion, and #decentralization of #technologies, and “to create #safer, more #transparent online experiences for #everyone,” which ultimately benefit the #browser maker and its #users.

Announcing the layoffs in an email to all employees on October 30, the Mozilla Foundation’s executive director #NabihaSyed confirmed that two of the foundation’s major divisions — #Advocacy and #GlobalPrograms — are “no longer a part of our structure.””

There you go. One side of Mozilla builds the tools of the Internet, the other does… I can’t for the life of me see what. It’s the #MozillaFoundation who cant engineer the tools that are doing “deals” with others to make things safer.

The power to make change for the better of the Internet is being moved from direct impact, ie: basic technology and applied applications TO soft corporate influence through manifestos, papers, jobs and pay for influencers and collaborations with third parties…

I know what is more effective. Basic engineering and applied products because it scales.

#WhiteCollar / #Layoffs / #CorporatePolicy <https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/05/mozilla-foundation-lays-off-30-staff-drops-advocacy-division/>

“#FreeOur Feeds is overseen by these nine: #NabihaSyed, executive director at #Mozilla Foundation; #RobinBerjon, independent technologist; #MarkSurman, president at Mozilla Foundation; #MalloryKnodel, executive director at #SocialWebFoundation; #EliPariser, co-founder of #Avaaz; #PhilBeaudoin, entrepreneur; #MarcFaddoul, co-founder of #AIForensics; #DeeptiDoshi, co-director at #New_ Public; and #SherifElsayedAli, executive director at #FutureofTechnologyInstitute.

And the group arrives with endorsements from a set of celebrities, academics, entrepreneurs, politicians, journalists, and activists, including Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Harvard Business School Professor Emerita Shoshana Zuboff, Incredible Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo, and activist and author Cory Doctorow.”

So this is the kind of grab bag technology Mozilla is backing to “secure the Internet” while slurping user data?

<https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/14/free_our_feeds_decentralized_social_media/>

Since 2022 the companies that profit from the #Internet have been shedding technical staff in the belief of the power of #AI to replace their #workforce. What are they replacing or redirecting this capacity with?

“Mozilla is eliminating its advocacy division, which fought for a free and open web: The #MozillaFoundation laid off 30 percent of its workforce and completely eliminated its advocacy and global programs divisions, #TechCrunch reports.

While Mozilla is best known for its Firefox web browser, the Mozilla Foundation — the parent of the #MozillaCorporation — describes itself as standing up “for the health of the internet.” With its advocacy and global programs divisions gone, its impact may be lessened going forward.

“Fighting for a free and open internet will always be core to our mission, and advocacy continues to be a critical tool in that work. We’re revisiting how we pursue that work, not stopping it,” #BrandonBorrman, the Mozilla Foundation’s communications chief, said in an email to The Verge. Borrman declined to confirm exactly how many people were laid off, but said it was about “30% of the current team.”

This is Mozilla’s second round of layoffs this year. In February, the Mozilla Corporation laid off around 60 workers said it would be making a “strategic correction” that would involve involve cutting back its work on a Mastodon instance. Mozilla shut down its virtual 3D platform and refocused its efforts on #Firefox and #AI. The Mozilla Foundation had around 120 employees before this more recent round of layoffs, according to TechCrunch.

…

“Navigating this topsy-turvy, distracting time requires laser focus — and sometimes saying goodbye to the excellent work that has gotten us this far because it won’t get us to the next peak,” wrote Syed, who previously worked as the chief executive of The Markup, an investigative news site. “Lofty goals demand hard choices.”

#WhiteCollar / #CorporateGreed <https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/5/24289124/mozilla-foundation-layoffs-advocacy-global-programs>

Big question, Why ATProtocol from #BlueSkySocial #PBC’s mouth instead of Mastodon and ActivityPub?:

“Why not use ActivityPub? #ActivityPub is a federated social networking technology popularized by #Mastodon.

Account #portability is a major reason why we chose to build a separate protocol. We consider portability to be crucial because it protects #users from sudden bans, server shutdowns, and policy disagreements. Our #solution for portability requires both signed data repositories and #DIDs, neither of which are easy to retrofit into ActivityPub. The migration #tools for ActivityPub are comparatively limited; they require the original server to provide a redirect and cannot migrate the user's previous data.

Another major reason is #scalability. #ActivityPub depends heavily on delivering messages between a wide network of small-to-medium sized nodes, which can cause individual #nodes to be flooded with traffic and generally struggles to provide global views of #activity.”

Short version, WE CANT CONTROL YOU.

<https://atproto.com/guides/faq>

What is the AT Protocol?

Wikipedia: “The #ATProtocol (Authenticated Transfer Protocol, pronounced "@ protocol" and commonly shortened to ATProto) is a protocol and #OpenStandard for #distributed #socialNetworking services. It is under development by #BlueskySocial #PBC, a public benefit corporation originally created as an independent research group within #Twitter to investigate the possibility of #decentralizing the service.”

<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT_Protocol>

“that would involve involve cutting back its work on a #Mastodon instance” — #NabhiaSyed, #MozillaCorporate, #Mozilla

And replacing future technical work to improve #Mastodon with this dog pile of AT Protocol concept. 👇👇👇

“Free Our Feeds solicits funds to foster AT Protocol that powers decentralized social media”

#FreeOurFeeds / #BlueSky / #Meta / #ATProtocol #ActivityPub <https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/14/free_our_feeds_decentralized_social_media/>

"If #WASM + #WASI existed in 2008, we wouldn't have needed to create #Docker. That's how important it is. #WebAssembly on the server is the future of computing." — Solomon Hykes

#Manning / #books / #software / #technology <https://manning.com/books/server-side-webassembly?trk_msg=FDRHHVMGQS84ND9TE0J9TOI5LS&trk_contact=BPSP1BEUS2OH7DKUHDUSI721NG&trk_sid=47B5DN0BGE66P09999EC5ACG40&trk_link=MF42PIS2BJK4N01BGQDFFBUOM4>

“AI hallucinations caused artificial intelligence to falsely describe these people as #criminals”

#AI / #law / #disinformation <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-04/ai-artificial-intelligence-hallucinations-defamation-chatgpt/104518612>

“Australia’s spies and cops want ‘accountable encryption’ - aka access to #backdoors”

“he outlined an argument that a dynamic tension exists between security and technology, Burgess added “encryption protects our #privacy and enables our #economy…and creates safe spaces for violent #extremists to operate, #network and #recruit.” #Burgess labelled encryption “clearly a good thing, a positive for our democracy and our economy” because it “protects #privacy, it enables communications and transactions.” But he noted it also provides #criminals with #anonymity, which is why #Australia has laws that make it possible to access encrypted messages.”

#ASIO / #encryption <https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/25/asio_afp_accountable_encryption/>

“Google agreed to destroy billions of records to settle a lawsuit claiming it secretly tracked the #internet use of people who thought they were browsing privately in its Chrome browser’s #incognito mode.

Users alleged that #Google’s analytics, cookies and apps let the #Alphabet unit improperly #track people who set Google’s Chrome browser to “incognito” mode and other browsers to “#private” #browsing mode.”

Dirtbags

<https://theguardian.com/technology/2024/apr/01/google-destroying-browsing-data-privacy-lawsuit>

“An #Uber manager allegedly wrote in an email: “GoCatch is the reason we’re launching #taxi in #Sydney. Fuck those guys.”

The court heard Uber developed a #spyware tool called “#Surfcam” to steal #GoCatch drivers’ data, including their names and phone numbers, with Rohrsheim telling a colleague on 31 July 2013: “We are aggressively cold-calling [without disclosing how we got their number] and won 56 of [GoCatch’s] drivers.”

Another for the dirtbag files.

#espionage / #corporate / #TechBro #tech / #internet <https://theguardian.com/law/2024/apr/02/uber-vs-taxi-app-gocatch-trial-australia-corporate-espionage-allegations>

Silence

#bush / #soundscape / #silence / #melbourne

@Lana @feld the choice of grade was a balance b/w strength (more carbon) & cost (less C & Ni in 301 than 304?) … the rust is likely b/c increased carbon.

The trade-off b/w 301 & 304 is a approx. 30% strength improvement for 301. Still laugh at the rust though.

@aral excellent example of how to use rust. I’ll probably not use it (Vim is sufficient) but just reading through the source is an education in itself.

“A photographer (German artist #BorisEldagsen) is refusing a prestigious award after admitting to being a “cheeky monkey” and generating the prize-winning image using artificial intelligence.”

#AI / #art /#photography #prize <https://theguardian.com/technology/2023/apr/17/photographer-admits-prize-winning-image-was-ai-generated>