Notices by bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 (bert_hubert@eupolicy.social), page 2

@whitequark you'd miss out on my email though, depending on your definition of "non-well-formed HELO messages'.

"Also, actually, I don't mean this. Even then I won't switch. Too much hassle".

"I'm willing to choose a less evil alternative, however only once that alternative is better, cheaper and works *exactly* like the evil thing I'm using right now, including integrations with all the other questionable suppliers I rely on" And we wonder why alternatives do not succeed. .

Now that everyone is (again) finding out that having 1600 random NPM (indirect) dependencies isn't a great idea, a reminder I wrote about this in @ieeespectrum in 2024: https://spectrum.ieee.org/lean-software-development

"These days we'd call this setup an air-gapped sovereign computing solution"

After decades of ignoring XSLT I have today achieved something with XSLT. Please clap. I am enterprise now.

Ve zkratce: pod vedením Dánska mnoho členských států EU prosazuje, aby služby typu WhatsApp, Signal a pod. byly nuceny zkoumat všechny naše fotografie a odkazy s pomocí AI. Pokud AI nabude jakýchkoli “pochybností” že by mohlo jít o dětskou pornografii, vaše fotka, poloha, telefonní číslo a jiné údaje budou nahlášeny Europolu a místní policii.

https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/chatcontrol-in-brief-cz/ #chatcontrol #StopChatcontrol

In the context of the Chatcontrol attempt to get Americans to scan our photos with AI so we can be reported to Europol, the EU has even bigger plans in this direction. And they are honestly (I am told) asking for experts to advise them on these plans. You can apply until September 1st to be part of the expert group:
https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/possible-end-to-end-to-end-come-help/

@SuperDicq ze zijn er mee bezig, de verwachting was vrijdag.

I am in this picture.. and I like it :-) #why2025

Dutch government is attempting to recruit a new deputy CTO for the whole government. No requirement for specialist knowledge, only 3 years of IT experience requested. Does ask for 'management sensitivity'. And we wonder why our governments fail to control their IT environments: https://www.werkenvoornederland.nl/vacatures/plaatsvervangend-cto-rijk-coordinerend-beleidsmedewerker-s14-BZK-2025-0527

Some people think the US spying programs are well regulated, and would not needlessly target Europeans who are not terrorists. I can recommend reading the linked article on how the US spies on *their own* people using section 702, *without warrants*. Think they'll protect us better?
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/resources/human-rights/2024-june/mass-surveillance-dangerous-american-communities-reforming-section-702/

Alarming as it is, the article below is still not alarming enough! Microsoft France here claims they've never seen a CLOUD ACT request for French government data. Perhaps true. However, under the FISA section 702 & EO 12333, Microsoft is still mandated to deliver such data to the NSA, and Europeans will never learn of that request. US spies do not need to ask Europeans for permission to spy on European governments! #sigint https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/25/microsoft_admits_it_cannot_guarantee/

As we lost the great Tom Lehrer today, can every technologist please have (another) listen to https://youtu.be/QEJ9HrZq7Ro?list=RDQEJ9HrZq7Ro&t=16 "Once the rockets are up / who cares where they come down? / that's not my department / says Wernher von Braun"

The IT world has convinced us no new software can be deployed outside of US clouds. We're so sure about this that European governments (including the UK) are handing over vital government functions & data to US controlled servers. In this piece I argue that until recently we somehow could run stuff on locally owned hardware, and that we should urgently relearn that skill, while it is still possible - or end up as digital colony of the US: https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/our-self-inflicted-cloud-crisis/

The attempts by law enforcement & governments to subvert end-to-end encryption are ongoing. The European Commission is going to spend a year thinking about their new "Roadmap for law enforcement access to data", and they are (genuinely) asking for people to join their expert group to help. Here I urge you to join that group (also because I can't): https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/possible-end-to-end-to-end-come-help/

@bagder same

Yesterday Dutch parliament shamefully passed an extreme law criminalizing being undocumented, and also criminalizing aiding undocumented people. The Dutch national police has now released a statement that they can't support this. Most appreciated. https://www.politie.nl/nieuws/2025/juli/4/00-reactie-politie-op-instemming-tweede-kamer-met-anmw.html

Last week I presented over at @joyofcoding on energy efficient programming & design. At some point a video might become available, but here are my annotated slides which also tell the story. Includes lots of data! https://berthub.eu/joc/with-notes.pdf

Exhausted. Took 1.5 hours and three websites to book international train tickets for the family. Nearly failed because at the beginning it asks the ages of your passengers (but not the name) and at the end you have to fill out dates of birth. And it complains if you don't get the order of the nameless passengers the same!