Libre Solutions Network https://libresolutions.network/ Freedom in the Digital Age Hugo -- gohugo.io en-ca https://libresolutions.network//logo.png Support this work! Tools of the Technocracy: #12 Network States https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-12/ Tue, 12 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-12/ /media/images/network-state-banner.webp <h1 id="tools-of-the-technocracytagstools-of-the-technocracy-series--12-network-states"><a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series">Tools of the Technocracy</a>: #12 Network States</h1> <h3 id="the-trap">The Trap</h3> <p>Network states are pitched as a nice-sounding way to improve or sometimes outright replace governments. This is a trap disguised as an opportunity. It would seem that the goal is to <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/redirecting-resistance/">diffuse</a> people&rsquo;s desire for accountability into a variety of schemes for private profit. Tragically, even if these became successful, people are to be left behind. For many, the temptation to eschew all the baggage of existing governments and &lsquo;start fresh&rsquo; is very tempting. Especially for those who are young and beginning their careers, who understandably feel no responsibility for the tragedies of the past. In the long run, those people would be entirely disconnected from the community they fled, potentially leaving many others who aren&rsquo;t so lucky to struggle with the consequences.</p> <p>This is the exact opposite of what&rsquo;s needed to actually secure justice for those victimized. Any &lsquo;solution&rsquo; that leaves people disconnected and communities shattered is the worst possible outcome. Instead of <a href="https://gabe.rocks/thoughts/dont-turn-on-the-flock/">turning on the public</a>, ideal solutions need to be oriented in investigating and acting on the truth. Digital tools can help, but they themselves can&rsquo;t be treated as the idol that absolves us of the responsibility to act.</p> <p>To make matters worse, false saviors can betray their followers into building <a href="https://geopoliticsandempire.com/2022/04/23/spiritual-technocracy-great-awakening/">the very system they aim to avoid</a>. People&rsquo;s justifiable frustration with the way things are is a very powerful impulse for malevolent forces to exploit. It seems entirely predictable, that once tragedy of nearly any kind strikes, pre-packaged <em>solutions</em> are conveniently prepared for people to latch on to. By not allowing any crisis go to waste, people&rsquo;s time, focus, and resources are redirected from maintaining things well enough to prevent or mitigate the seemingly inevitable <em>next crisis</em>. These non-solutions are often very attractive, in the same way fast food is addictive but unhealthy.</p> <h3 id="the-encroachment-phase">The Encroachment Phase</h3> <p>It begins with forces using the unjustifiable aspects of the status quo to bit-by-bit dismantle or eliminate the parts that people rely on. By putting on a performance of impersonating independent reform, various non-state actors <a href="https://scribe.rip/aspen-ideas/sleeping-through-a-revolution-8c4b147463e5">can expand their own power</a> at the expense of people. Often these displays will make use of pretty language or voice long-running concerns that have gone unresolved.</p> <p>A well-known example of this model is the company Uber. Uber was not an <em>innovation</em> that created new opportunities for communities. In many jurisdictions, the company started out <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/uber-becomes-officially-licensed-ottawa-1.3790649">operating as an illegal taxi,</a> with arguably worse working conditions, and added smart-city style <a href="https://www.upguard.com/blog/what-caused-the-uber-data-breach">data risks.</a> Taking advantage of a highly regulated industry, there was opportunity to <em>move fast and break things</em>, and seize more central control. It should be noted, that Uber <a href="https://fourweekmba.com/is-uber-profitable/">wasn&rsquo;t even profitable.</a> It ran at a loss up until 2023, making it significantly harder for competitors to participate in the space until then.</p> <p>The company is a shining example of how profit-driven digital control can shape governance. As the service gained adoption, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/uber-pressures-regulators-by-mobilizing-riders-and-hiring-vast-lobbying-network/2014/12/13/3f4395c6-7f2a-11e4-9f38-95a187e4c1f7_story.html">riders themselves</a> were leveraged to pressure governments to adopt more favorable regulation. If local governance is able to be dominated by a single large corporation, it raises serious questions about how much autonomy local residents truly have. Even federal governments, and even multi-nation structures like the EU have had to contend with large corporations and their dominance over industries or domains of life. This tug-of-war over control very often leaves the people taking the raw end of the deal. One has to wonder if governments will use network states to seize more control with vehicles like <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/itana-binance-charter-cities-institute-africa-tech-startup/">smart cities</a>, given how much big tech was weaponized in the last decade.</p> <h2 id="understanding-the-network-state">Understanding the Network State</h2> <p>In mid 2022, Balaji Srinivasan published <a href="https://thenetworkstate.com/book/tns.pdf">The Network State: How to Start a New Country</a>, which more-or-less argues that the existing structure of nations is obsolete. Advancing the idea that <em>&ldquo;The Network&rdquo; is the Next Leviathan</em>, the book argues that digital technology can enable human beings to cooperate on a scale that entirely outmatches the ways of nation states. By citing a couple of examples, the chapter makes it clear that Network States are explicitly digital and explicitly connected, arguing that mobile is better than stationary, virtual reality is superior to physical interaction, and that <a href="https://unlimitedhangout.com/2024/02/investigative-reports/tokenized-inc-blackrocks-plan-to-own-the-fractionalized-world/">smart contracts</a> are outright better than laws. If this isn&rsquo;t sufficiently staggering, those examples are expanded on with the following:</p> <blockquote> <p>These examples can be multiplied. As mentioned before, <strong>Uber and Lyft are better regulators</strong> than the State’s paper-based taxi medallions, <strong>email is superior to the USPS</strong>, and SpaceX is out-executing NASA. If you think about borders, you now need to think about the Network’s telepresence (which defeats physical borders) and its encryption (which erects digital borders). Or if you care about, say, the US census, the Network gives a <strong>real-time survey</strong> which is far more up to date than the State’s 10 year process.</p> <p>Page 53 <a href="https://thenetworkstate.com/book/tns.pdf">The Network State</a></p> </blockquote> <p>Ultimately, the appeal seems to be the lie that our problems with current nation states are that they are merely not <em>efficient enough</em>. Pretending that geography is a thing of the past now that people can be relegated to exile in cyberspace. By asserting that network states can be more powerful than nations, one is lead into the trap of believing that this is to the benefit of participants. For many people, the abuses from government and institutions come swiftly enough. The desire to make this process faster and more able to change on a whim isn&rsquo;t to the benefit of the people, but rather the owners of the system. Network state advocates argue that one is able to co-own the network with other participants, but if they truly are <em>the Next Leviathan</em> then one has to wonder what about opposing networks and nations? Many are concerned by China&rsquo;s high-tech <a href="https://fournier.substack.com/p/elon-musks-x-empire-building-a-trojan">surveillance and control model,</a> it seems that network states merely enhance all the worst aspects.</p> <p>For all the fanfare, smart contracts are not a marker for fairness or even certainty. Odds are, there are many times you&rsquo;ve agreed to terms you haven&rsquo;t read or didn&rsquo;t truly agree with. By attempting to make governance trust-less, one is effectively placing ultimate trust on these systems. DAOs (<em>&ldquo;Decentralized&rdquo; &ldquo;Autonomous&rdquo; &ldquo;Organizations&rdquo;</em>) and smart contracts can both be <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/learn/understanding-the-dao-attack/">hacked and rolled back</a>, vastly increasing the challenge of <em>system security</em>. Jason Lowery has an <a href="https://youtu.be/Iln2itH2k3s">excellent explanation</a> why smart contracts backed by proof of stake are inherently malleable.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/1d88eafc-9fbe-414a-a874-ff4b047bb5c8?title=0&amp;peertubeLink=0'> </iframe> <p>I don&rsquo;t agree with Jason with all his conclusions, but it&rsquo;s really important to understand his position that: <strong>System security depends on physical power (measured in watts).</strong> Meaning that the system needs a justification in the real material world, and can&rsquo;t solely exist as a social construct. Nation states solve this particular problem with taxes and armies. For a network state to truly replace nation states, it would require similarly powerful means to compel compliance. This means that while some people may come together and make their own authentic democratized network state, but it will still only exist within the wider context of physical power of those outside and within the system.</p> <p>This brings us the problem of using Bitcoin or another proof of work system to build a network state. While it&rsquo;s inherently superior to any &ldquo;proof of stake&rdquo; solution, it has many drawbacks that are inherently non-starters. For example, we could not create a truly decentralized and self-sovereign network state with Bitcoin today because the costs to self-custody one&rsquo;s own Bitcoin becomes very prohibitive as the network expands. Scaling this, requires more computing resources, bandwidth and storage that can also increase the costs of running the network. This is the very reason why so many Bitcoin users use so many custodial exchanges and wallets despite Bitcoin being created to eliminate that problem.</p> <p>But if proof of work is superior, why are other options even attempted? <strong>To create a powerful illusion.</strong> The very reason why network states have to pretend that living in augmented reality is superior to physical reality is the same reason they have to use proof of stake, hiding where the power actually is. A great deal of the blockchain space seems devoted to not democratizing power, but competing to build a mirage of doing so. If one advocated building a network state out of Bitcoin, people would immediately realize the immense price of being self-sufficient within that kind of system, in proof-of-stake systems, those costs can be concealed.</p> <p>In the name of selling <em>decentralization</em>, advocates of network states offer a singularity of digital intrusion into people&rsquo;s lives, with a staggering acceptance of surveillance and control packaged as <em>risk management</em>. In addition to this hard sell, one has to take the claims of digital security at face value. Since any serious interrogation of privacy, security, and lock-in risks reveal many serious concerns. Once these concerns are raised, they are claimed to be addressed in the <em>implementation phase</em> of the revolution. Why worry about the details when there is a grand cyber-utopian <em>vision</em> to evangelize?</p> <h3 id="the-next-leviathan">The Next Leviathan</h3> <p>Paradoxically, the very anti-human idea of network states is borne out of it&rsquo;s principle contradiction: Human beings are useful and valuable. All the technocratic hype about automation, blockchain, AI, and virtual reality masks the true power underlying what Balaji calls &ldquo;The Next Leviathan&rdquo;. What those seeking to advance network states correctly understand is that large numbers of people cooperating can be an almost unstoppable force. This Leviathan is a <a href="https://rumble.com/v40x4r5-rte-discussions-41-the-cybernetics-matrix-revealed.html">cybernetics machine</a> that competes with other mass-mind control machines. In doing so, digital systems can be leveraged to transform human beings into cyber-collectivist foot-soldiers.</p> <p>To avoid mincing words, this is the <strong>declaration of a permanent, automated, real-time <em>slave auction</em> with every human being on the planet as fair game.</strong></p> <p>Understand that when harmonized together many of these new digital systems could be used for extreme levels of digitized tyranny. This series was primarily intended to help others consider the risks of mass-adoption and over-consolidation of various digital tools. Through the course of writing this series, it has become clear that what I suspected was possible is already highly formalized. To understand this, one only needs to read the book <em>The Network State</em> or watch the entire <a href="https://youtu.be/x-GfuIFkB_Y">Network State Conference</a> without being enchanted by the techno-utopianism.</p> <p>Far from a voluntarist utopia, it seems that the archetypical network state is a form of digitized anarcho-feudalism. Leveraging members to undermine what remaining protections nation states do provide, in exchange for a facsimile nation over cyberspace. Just as young people today are bribed to give up privacy and security in exchange for convenience, the network state offers ways to streamline one&rsquo;s submission to all the same digital intrusions into people&rsquo;s lives. Blockchain tools to manage people and assets, smart technology to streamline systems to control more and more people.</p> <p>The dark and twisted truth of this power is that human mind control experimentation has evolved past beyond controlling a single human being, but further into controlling people controlling other people. Artificial intelligence built on machine minds is an immense energy waste and effectively a dead end. It is immensely wasteful to use exponentially more energy to make LLMs (Large Language Models) only marginally more effective. Instead, seizing control of large amounts of human minds can do much more work with far less resources. The next level of artificial intelligence may very well be human intelligence organized into swarms for particular ends. This would necessarily require a form of total mental subjugation to ensure workers are on-task.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://d197for5662m48.cloudfront.net/documents/publicationstatus/174214/preprint_pdf/791ef67bdd4a3441977152b6295f43ab.pdf'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/mind-energy.webp' > </a> </div> <p>With this in mind, all the machines and digital systems are mere instruments for a more critical goal; wrangling control over people&rsquo;s brain functions. This is an entirely new frontier, and the network state framework effectively argues that he who conquers the most minds wins. If true, it would be a devastating race-to-the bottom in terms of human liberty, as various <a href="https://roundingtheearth.substack.com/p/mindwar-a-radicalizing-mixture-of">gurus are positioned to take control</a> over others, leaving no minds uncorrupted.</p> <p>What makes our current time so dynamic is that there is an open bid for those who are willing to manipulate others into control structures of a singular design but varying flavor. If you&rsquo;re ambitious enough, you&rsquo;ll be given the opportunity to sell-out your fellow human beings for <em>shamefully low prices.</em> What makes the network state powerful is that large amounts of coerced people can be weaponized against critics and dissenters. It is naive to believe that in an era where network states rule uncontested that human rights would be any better protected than they already are, and there are quite a few reasons why things would be even worse off.</p> <h2 id="lies-of-the-network-state">Lies of the Network State</h2> <p>Network states advocate for an entirely new system of power with many different illusions that mask the troubles caused by buying into the &ldquo;digital &gt; physical&rdquo; prison. To successfully market the dissolution of existing nation states, to make way for a world-wide technocracy, one has to be indoctrinated into believing the following lies:</p> <h3 id="elimination-of-violent-competition">Elimination of Violent Competition</h3> <p>Human history has had innumerable acts of war, genocide, and slavery. Much of this is attributed to nation states and their authoritarian ideologies across time. Time again that the very same dangerous superstition can be wrapped up in different language or symbols, just to enact the same regime of terror and cruelty. Network state advocates pretend that once people assemble themselves into self-selected groups, that there will no longer be any reason for violent conflict. To go further, the dream of network states relies on ignorance of various forms of <em>engineered dependence</em> such as <a href="https://www.bitchute.com/video/jBn5Zt0tdWcQ/">disaster capitalism</a>, industry capture, and coercion from non-state actors. By distracting people with beautiful virtual reality, it provides only escapism from, not means to improve actual reality.</p> <h3 id="decentralization">Decentralization</h3> <p>Fake decentralization is a booming industry. If Facebook or X forced users to maintain a &ldquo;profile server&rdquo; that was responsible for handling all requests, but maintained control over sorting and filtering posts, would that be decentralizing social media? In this case, the data is in the user&rsquo;s control, but not the means in which it is used. The same can be applied to organs of government, a system can dismantle most if not all the laws and regulations, but maintain the power over others.</p> <p>There is a bizarre assumption that decentralization can only happen digitally. It seems that decentralization is a post-hoc rationalization of the extreme emphasis on digitization. This is despite the fact that analog options are inherently more decentralized and private. It is the introduction of automated digital systems that placed the burden of privacy and security on the plan. It is also entirely possible that greater digitization of society can create real limits to how decentralized a system can be.</p> <h3 id="that-theyre-needed">That They&rsquo;re Needed</h3> <p>If one recognizes that large groups of cooperating people are a powerful force that can rival nations, there is no need to put so much emphasis on digital systems and surveillance technology. It seems that advocates of network states are eager to have a system that tracks everyone&rsquo;s human connections, rather than simply building infrastructure that helps nurture meaningful connections between people. The adversarial focus against existing nations is also unnecessary, even the advocates themselves admit that most &ldquo;network states&rdquo; would have some form of cooperation (or subversion) of an existing nation state.</p> <h3 id="fixing-statism">Fixing &ldquo;Statism&rdquo;</h3> <p>If government is the problem, don&rsquo;t turbo-charge and automate it. If government isn&rsquo;t the problem, then you&rsquo;d fix the ones you have rather than dismantling it outright. Network states all seem to converge on the worst of both worlds. Network states are not merely an alternate form of government, but they are a model to create far more terrifying governments that are entirely unbound by what restrains existing governments. A principal focus of network states seems to be <a href="https://youtu.be/KU-6URq8IOo">undermining or avoiding regulations</a> or even human rights protections.</p> <h3 id="inevitability">Inevitability</h3> <p>If we accept the premise that network states are inevitable because they are inherently superior to regular nation states, that doesn&rsquo;t at all imply that any of the so-called benefits of network states would materialize. A lot of damage can be done while dismantling nation states without delivering on the good promises made by network state advocates. People can quite likely be very much worse off as problems not yet discovered manifest themselves after it&rsquo;s too late to reverse.</p> <p>If network states are such a clear and obvious upgrade over nation states, what is preventing nation states from <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/government-in-tech/">augmenting themselves?</a></p> <h3 id="living-in-cyberspace">Living in Cyberspace</h3> <p>There is quite a bit of focus on the immaterial. This is a fanciful distraction from what is taking place in the physical world. Why is there such a rush to capture more and more people into virtual reality prisons? We should ask what is taking place, that people would be forced to adapt to having no control over their actual lives that they must be satiated with surrogate digital activities. &ldquo;Living in cyberspace&rdquo; is a contradiction in terms, hence the emphasis on <a href="https://youtu.be/yUYpJmk4zKQ">tiny, cheap, modular homes</a> for the people evicted from the physical world.</p> <h1 id="solutions">Solutions</h1> <p>The root of the issue when it comes to network states is the frame of mind. By doubling-down on the worst aspects of digitized society, people are pointed towards awful and avoidable directions. Instead of putting time and effort making human dependency work, try to imagine ways in which a people-first approach can keep cyberspace a distinct experience from our waking lives. It&rsquo;s not hard to work to forge a new path, it just takes some creativity and persistence. Take responsibility for holding public and private institutions accountable for overreach, corruption, and fraud.</p> <h3 id="refuse-and-reverse-the-digitization-of-society">Refuse and Reverse the Digitization of Society</h3> <p>It does not matter how trivial or benign the application is, it&rsquo;s clear that mandated use of technology is a recipe for disaster. Remember that it was not so long ago that everything was run with paper forms and correspondence in the mail. Institutions that serve us should be expected to have arrangements for those who choose to go without these intrusions.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://mastodon.social/@lrvick/112079059323905912'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/lance-vick-smartphone-healthcare.webp' > </a> </div> <p>This is a situation where apathy and defeatism can do a lot of damage. We owe it to future generations not to burden them with shackles that many still do not even understand. You can start small, start with a local bank or a nearby provider. <a href="https://corbettreport.com/solutionswatch-notcommunity/">Getting together</a> to ensure that opt-ing out of these systems is still an option, or making it an option once again is the principal way people reassert their autonomy online and in the real world.</p> <h3 id="be-judicious-about-how-things-are-done">Be Judicious about How Things are Done</h3> <p>There are excellent digital tools, and there are awful digital tools. In addition to this, <a href="https://youtu.be/7ZSPf7YnGfE">how they&rsquo;re used</a> matters a great deal. Just because you agree with the goals of a particular initiative, that doesn&rsquo;t mean that all means to achieve it are desirable or effective. Take the time to understand the impacts, and downsides of particular tactics and methods. There are many things which may seem like a fantastic idea early on, that can have insidious effects after time.</p> <p>Ask questions of your allies and opponents alike. Consider alternate motivations and incentives. Raising your tolerance for those asking difficult questions goes a long way to make your mission sustainable, and accountable. Consider what your actual goals are, and if the means you&rsquo;re taking are actually effective towards your ideal goal, or merely in service of someone else&rsquo;s interests.</p> <h3 id="free-minds-and-save-souls">Free Minds and Save Souls</h3> <p>When one is alone, and justifiably fearful of what&rsquo;s going on it&rsquo;s very easy to fall for all kinds of self-destructive scams. Now more than ever it is crucial to recognize the assaults on people and have compassion for their struggles. Doing what we can to support each other and refuse to leave others behind is what can set us apart from those who seek to dominate and control others. Taking the time, in whatever way you can to alleviate fear and suffering can go a long way to directly undermine both analog and digital tyranny.</p> A Warning about Network States with Hrvoje Morić https://libresolutions.network/videos/tnt-radio-network-states/ Mon, 11 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/tnt-radio-network-states/ /media/images/tnt-banner-2.webp <p>In anticipation of publishing a new <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy/">tools of the technocracy</a> article, I had a chat with Hrvoje on his show to talk about what I had learned watching through <a href="https://youtu.be/x-GfuIFkB_Y">The Network State Conference 2023</a>. It&rsquo;s clear that the entire concept of Network States as published in <a href="https://thenetworkstate.com/">The Network State</a> and highlighted by the speakers, is at best an attempt to dress up an all-encompassing technocratic terror. At worst, it&rsquo;s a declaration of a world-wide open bid on human surveillance and control. Sharing some initial thoughts for the discussion, follow up article in <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-12/">Tools of the Technocracy #12</a></p> <h2 id="watch">Watch</h2> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/1056de6c-237f-4ad5-8b59-762cdef5135e?title=0&amp;peertubeLink=0'> </iframe> <h2 id="listen">Listen</h2> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tnt-radio-mar-9.ogg'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tnt-radio-mar-9.ogg'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <p>Watch the entire episode on <a href="https://tntvideo.podbean.com/e/gabe-of-libre-solutions-on-the-hrvoje-moric-show-9-march-2024/">Podbean</a><br> More episodes: <a href="https://tntradio.live/shows/the-hrvoje-moric-show/">https://tntradio.live/shows/the-hrvoje-moric-show/</a></p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/network-state-banner.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-12/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #12 Network States</h2><i>The formalization of world-wide tyranny</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> Attention Democracy with William Maggos https://libresolutions.network/videos/attention-democracy/ Wed, 06 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/attention-democracy/ /media/images/attention-democracy-banner.webp <p>In a special converation you would have a hard time finding elsewhere, Gabriel joins William Maggos to discuss the fediverse, attention economy, and the Culture War. Taking a sober look at the very foundation of our media and online discussions, William Maggos introduces the concept of <em>attention democracy</em>, where we can have a real impact on culture by choosing platforms that put people in charge of helping spread ideas and culture.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/58745e7d-9184-470a-bdec-a9c4c31d2bde?title=0'> </iframe> <p>Learn more about William Maggos&rsquo; work at <a href="https://culturewar.radio/">Culture War Radio</a><br> Follow <a href="https://liberal.city/@wjmaggos">@wjmaggos@liberal.city</a></p> <p><em>The RSS Feed linked to the wrong video, this has been corrected</em></p> The EU Plan to Reshape the Internet Forever https://libresolutions.network/articles/government-in-tech/ Sun, 25 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/government-in-tech/ /media/images/EU-NGI.webp <p>The world wide web is no stranger to government control. The Internet itself was created by the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jul/15/how-the-internet-was-invented-1976-arpa-kahn-cerf">US Military,</a> and governments across the world have subsidized Internet infrastructure in all kinds of ways. Many factors, such as the economies of scale, and sheer workforce size give large organizations an immense advantage when it comes to shaping the future of cyberspace. Just as individuals struggle with troubles relating to digital privacy &amp; security, so do large organizations and governments.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/eu-ngi.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/eu-ngi.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <p>In response, governments across the world are moving fast to address these concerns. With the motive and means to transform the fundamental elements that lay the foundation for our digital lives, a tidal wave of change is taking place and just beginning to accelerate. The winning move isn&rsquo;t to challenge the whole tsunami directly, but rather to find the right waves that can carry us to where we would like to be. Indifference and apathy will certainly lead us to a similar place it took us all during the big tech era: to dependence and exploitation.</p> <blockquote> <p>&ldquo;I am not familiar with the history of how the Internet/tech companies have infiltrated my life&ndash; I only know one day the past, the before Internet part of life was like in another galaxy, and I was forcibly acclimated into accepting an intrusive technology if I want to use the Internet or a &ldquo;smart&rdquo; phone.&rdquo;</p> <p>Written by a friend</p> </blockquote> <p>If nothing else, this should be a reminder of the dire necessity to be vigilant of how governments and large corporations can shape cyberspace to tilt the balance of power against the public. Many governments like to be permissive in all the ways that don&rsquo;t impact prioritized policy objectives, then turn brutal the moment public opinion starts to shift against those policies. As the digital world has taken hold over more and more aspects of our lives, now more than ever, we all need take responsibility for shielding ourselves and others from such abuses.</p> <p>Instead of continuing to let the web be dictated by American Tech Companies, Europe has a bold new strategy to plan, build, and <em>enforce</em> a new vision for cyberspace. The European Union&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.ngi.eu/">Next Generation Internet,</a> or NGI for short, aims to terraform cyberspace to represent the values of their elite. This plan is explicitly aimed at changing the Internet not just for Europeans, but for the entire world as well.</p> <h2 id="understanding-the-next-generation-internet">Understanding the &ldquo;Next Generation Internet&rdquo;</h2> <p>If you take a look at <a href="https://ngi.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/48/2019/09/NGI-Brochure_A5_HR_FinalPrinted.pdf">the brochure</a>, it self-describes the plan as a &ldquo;Human Internet for a better future&rdquo;. Despite this, the document starts out making it explicitly clear that many technocratic ideals are directly woven into the plan. Surveillance, censorship, and more digital intrusion into our lives aren&rsquo;t depicted as problems to be solved, but rather <em>responsibly managed</em>.</p> <blockquote> <p>The Internet is the <strong>engine of digitisation of our society and our economy.</strong> As connectivity increases, the boundaries between the real and the digital world are blurring. With the explosion of the Internet of Things (IoT), multimedia content and social media,the Internet offers an unprecedented access to data and online services.<br> <strong>Artificial intelligence helps to extract meaning from this data</strong> and to embed autonomy and intelligence into networks, connected objects and services. However, there has been an <strong>erosion of trust in the Internet</strong> following revelations about the exploitation of personal data, large-scale cybersecurity and data breaches, and growing awareness of <strong>online disinformation.</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Do you feel the warm and fuzzy human feelings yet? To go further, this is an excellent example of <strong>&ldquo;brokering legitimacy&rdquo;</strong>. Which is when advocates for solving a problem undermine their cause by carving out counter-productive exceptions to their principles. This process uses the very real concerns about privacy and security to justify more control. Effectively binding critics of the plan, because it&rsquo;s leveraging the unjustifiable aspects of the status quo to dismantle the parts worth preserving.</p> <p>It is naive to believe that the European Union, which very recently pushed to <a href="https://blog.mozilla.org/netpolicy/files/2023/11/eIDAS-Industry-Letter.pdf">backdoor everyone&rsquo;s web traffic,</a> is somehow sincerely interested in the privacy or even security of their citizens. I can wholeheartedly believe that European governments are very concerned about <a href="https://www.iccl.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Europes-hidden-security-crisis.pdf"><em>their own security</em></a> from the public, Big Tech, and foreign entities alike. As <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/cyberwar/">cyberwars escalate</a> moves are required to innovate not just their own systems, but to <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-conducts-court-authorized-disruption-botnet-controlled-russian">make changes</a> to the systems that their citizens use as well. The following quote is from the <a href="https://youtu.be/qeo7oJGxX7o">Next Generation Internet Policy Summit in 2020</a>, I find it exemplary of the kind of spirit that animates the initiative.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/3f3a8fbc-6ef8-4621-807a-2ad9d92e5af6?title=0&amp;peertubeLink=0'> </iframe> <p><a href="https://libresolutions.network/media/text/NGI-Anu-Bradford.txt">[Relevant Transcript]</a></p> <p>In the name of resolving a wide variety of issues created by the US Government and American Tech companies, Europe is working to consolidate information control over the Internet. In hindsight, it appears that the laissez-faire approach governments took with large tech companies was to merely buy time while more sophisticated digital surveillance techniques were built up. Hence the desire for rapid <strong>regulatory and technological <em>innovation</em></strong> emphasized in the above quote.</p> <p>In late 2019 <a href="https://ar.al/">Aral Balkan</a> spoke with the <a href="https://ar.al/2019/11/29/the-future-of-internet-regulation-at-the-european-parliament/">European Parliament</a>. Raising many important points, he pleaded with them to kill &lsquo;surveillance capitalism&rsquo;. The <a href="https://video.lqdn.fr/w/hyvebph9MEGdCJGME4niAh">video</a> is absolutely worth watching to get an understanding of how where we are bridges to where the European Union would like to go.</p> <iframe src='https://video.lqdn.fr/videos/embed/861c07f7-7e9b-4e64-9765-cf1de592c8a0?subtitle=en'> </iframe> <blockquote> <p>[Regarding citing Facebook]</p> <p>If this is the presumption under which you are regulating the Internet, I despair about the future of human rights and about the future of our democracy.</p> <p>&hellip;</p> <p>You&rsquo;re going blindly towards a Silicon Valley model, I don&rsquo;t know why you&rsquo;re doing this.</p> </blockquote> <p>In short, Aral seems unconvinced that the EU will actually go far enough to radically support citizen&rsquo;s digital autonomy and is instead trying to import aspects of the big tech control regime under state control. It&rsquo;s hard to disagree with that perspective, and he exemplifies what actual opposition to these problems looks like.</p> <p>As frustrating as some aspects of the Next Generation Internet vision are, it is to the EU&rsquo;s credit that this is a massive transparent undertaking. Much of it is not only open public knowledge, but features initiatives in which open participation is encouraged. This appears to be the case largely because the concerns around censorship and paternalism seem to be more broadly socially accepted in Europe, a critical sign that social acceptance of censorship is what entrenches it. The way in which the <a href="https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=next_generation_internet">Next Generation Internet</a> is being rolled out is very effective at neutralizing any outright opposition, to the degree it is even possible. It is easy to see how such sweeping and extreme transformations made in other domains would use a similar model.</p> <p>It is a foolish and dangerous mistake to fall into the trap of thinking governments are entirely comprised of out-of-touch bureaucrats with no understanding of technology. In fact, these reforms are being drawn up by people with an incredibly high level of understanding that is quite difficult to match, independent reformers (<em>if there truly are any</em>) are at a serious disadvantage.</p> <h2 id="fully-embracing-open-source">Fully Embracing Open Source</h2> <p>One of the advantages the European Union has, is that they have recognized the immense opportunity of actually leaning into the open source development model. While North America bickers about <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2024/02/20/how-the-in-office-vs-remote-debate-is-shaping-the-future-of-work/">remote work and commercial office space</a>, the EU is harnessing the power of efficient decentralized work. By taking the &ldquo;build it and they will come&rdquo; approach, they are entirely out-maneuvering competitors with a treasure-trove of opportunity that has been laying dormant in people&rsquo;s apathy and defeatism for over a decade.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=nlnet_foundation">NLnet Foundation</a> funds a wide variety of Open Source projects and tools that fit within the Next Generation Internet vision. This is good in some ways, notably that many of <a href="https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=nlnet_foundation">these projects</a> are Free Software, which means that if things do go wrong, at least people can modify the projects for their own needs. One does have to wonder what the exact terms of the agreement are, and what &lsquo;carrots and sticks&rsquo; are used to ensure compliance.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/ngi-funding.webp' > </div> <p>Such explicit means may not be necessary however. It&rsquo;s entirely possible that this is merely a circumstance where both governments and individuals have aligned interests to resist foreign surveillance and control. When it comes to how the Internet is currently controlled, it&rsquo;s not always individual software itself that&rsquo;s the culprit. While Google/Apple/Facebook may be reading your messages, there are other ways to achieve the same goals.</p> <p>Open standards, protocols, and Free Software are all things that benefit everyone. The degree of benefit will naturally vary on the nature, purpose and quality of the project. It is critical that people seize the opportunity created from this deluge of resources being thrown into making useful software. To be clear, the NGI vision absolutely includes a lot of genuinely good ideas and solutions that should be taken seriously. It also supports many excellent and important projects that shouldn&rsquo;t be seen as &rsquo;tainted&rsquo; simply due to association with this initiative.</p> <p>Like similar initiatives, I believe many of these projects are selected because it is clearly an elegant and efficient way to achieve particular goals. One would hopefully understand that many technologies, but especially digital technologies can be used for good, evil, and everything in-between. An example worth pointing out is <a href="https://garagehq.deuxfleurs.fr/">garage</a> which appears to be building a highly-performant file storage server that organizations and individuals alike can both use for particular purposes. Naturally, there are some aspects which will benefit larger organizations more, but that will vary from project to project.</p> <p>To be clear, I still fully intend to use and support <a href="https://www.ngi.eu/funded_solution/peertube/">PeerTube</a> and <a href="https://www.ngi.eu/funded_solution/misskey/">Misskey</a> for the foreseeable future, despite them both being supported, along with wider support for the <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/fediverse">fediverse</a>. I am very concerned that EU funding many excellent (and important) FOSS projects will be used by people with different agendas to undermine Free Software generally.</p> <p>It would be all-too-easy for private companies to start selling unverifiable software-suites in the name of promising you &ldquo;<em>real security with none of that open-source stuff</em>&rdquo;. Falling for that kind of <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/redirecting-resistance/">affinity scam</a> is how you end up falling for things like the so-called <a href="https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/freedom-phone-the-ultimate-political-tool-and-why-you-should-avoid-it/">&quot;<em>Freedom Phone</em>&quot;</a> which inevitably includes a lot of open source tools because they&rsquo;re just outright better than what most people can achieve in their own time. Simplistic, binary thinking is what sabotages serious and meaningful reform. Even worse it can very often enable the worst aspects of the project by allowing them to be justified by the important parts of the initiative.</p> <h2 id="velvet-glove-iron-fist">Velvet Glove, Iron Fist</h2> <p>Just because there is good to be done, that doesn&rsquo;t mean there aren&rsquo;t rough edges to be concerned about. Keeping in mind that the primary motivation for the Next Generation Internet has more to do with protecting governments from the people rather than the other way around. With decades of surveillance scandals, censorship, and corruption there are good reasons to consider not further empowering governments through digital systems and tools.</p> <p>Another serious concern one should consider is that the NGI project is very much a Covid Crisis era initiative. <a href="https://dapsi.ngi.eu/">NGI Dapsi</a> which did support an excellent project like <a href="https://dapsi.ngi.eu/hall-of-fame/postmarketos/">PostmarketOS</a> for linux phones, also sponsored the creation of a <a href="https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=vaccine_passport">vaccine passport</a> candidate, the <a href="https://dapsi.ngi.eu/hall-of-fame/dip/">Digital Immunization Passport</a>. <a href="https://brownstone.org/articles/Internet-censorship-everywhere-all-at-once/">Information control initiatives</a> such as tracking and combating so-called misinformation and disinformation, are very much a foundational principle of the EU&rsquo;s strategic priorities.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://ngi.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/48/2019/09/NGI-Brochure_A5_HR_FinalPrinted.pdf'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/ngi-projects.webp' > </a> </div> <p>In early 2020, The European Commission published their <a href="https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/ba32bdc7-9324-4eee-b9b3-3d91ad16ce00_en?filename=cnect_sp_2020_2024_en.pdf">Strategic plan for 2020-2024</a>. The strategic plan outlined &ldquo;A Europe Fit for the Digital Age&rdquo;, with 6 specific objectives:</p> <blockquote> <ol> <li>Europe&rsquo;s strategic autonomy is ensured in critical technology areas</li> <li>European <strong>single market for data</strong> where data can flow for the benefit of all and where rules for access and use of data are fair, practical and clear</li> <li>Artificial intelligence that is human-centric, ethical, sustainable and that respects EU values</li> <li>A fair, competitive and resource efficient digital economy</li> <li>A cyber resilient Europe, <strong>promoting digital identities for all</strong> Europeans, while protecting their e-privacy</li> <li>A modern, open and pluralistic society in the digital age <strong>where online disinformation is countered</strong> and diverse cultural content is available to all Europeans</li> </ol> </blockquote> <p>Objective 1 makes it exceedingly clear why so many resources have been put into great software that actually works well. The EU, unlike the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-says-rules-not-followed-arrivecan-1.7120318">Canadian government</a>, actually understands how to get meaningful results. With a strong desire to actually augment their national digital sovereignty, better privacy tools are sorely needed.</p> <p>Objective 2 is arguably the most interesting. It seems that the EU intends to become the single broker for all of Europe&rsquo;s data. This is a fascinating (if not outright terrifying) concept, and is effectively the legalization of domestic mass surveillance. It is clear that the level of intrusion will be determined by how the EU leadership decides the benefits they receive outweigh the risks to the public.</p> <p>Objective 3 is just an outright fanciful delusion at best and a desire to single-handedly regulate away general-purpose computing at worst. One has to wonder if the &ldquo;EU values&rdquo; referenced in the documentation represent values of the European public or values that are being <em>imposed</em> on them.</p> <p>Objectives 4,5,6 greatly enhance state control over the Internet and where it reaches into public life. After decades of American administrations using &ldquo;national security&rdquo; as a pretext for all kinds of abuses, it&rsquo;s high time we understand that national sovereignty doesn&rsquo;t quite mean what it used to. From everything we have seen, it is clear that this vision is entirely about protecting the European Union&rsquo;s political structure rather than it&rsquo;s people.</p> <h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2> <p>Despite many people being seriously concerned about hostile governments working to destroy the Internet, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the European Union. Many significant regulations have already been put into place and it seems that they are only the beginning. It is understandable, if not outright laudable, for the EU to take it&rsquo;s digital sovereignty seriously. It is however, our role to ensure that we are doing what we can to ensure those gains aren&rsquo;t at the expense of people&rsquo;s ability to dissent or otherwise participate in society.</p> <p>Learn about Free Software, learn how to contribute to open source, these models are already clearly demonstrated to be the most efficient way forward on a wide variety of issues. This doesn&rsquo;t automatically mean that everything that is made that way is wholly benign. It means that <strong>our participation matters</strong>. What we do to decide how we build our tools and how they are used are vitally important concerns. The devil is in the details, as they say. The last thing I want to see, is people sharing this post to say &ldquo;X project is funded under the NGI, so therefore it&rsquo;s bad!&rdquo; in a bizarre <a href="https://www.kitklarenberg.com/p/signal-facing-collapse-after-cia">knee-jerk reaction</a>.</p> <p>Anyone who even partially understands the state of online mass surveillance is keenly aware that the problem is larger than any single project or tool. We should absolutely be concerned about the state and future of projects that are entirely dependent on the EU for funding, but we have a role in this too. If we aren&rsquo;t proactively focused on <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/bankroll/">supporting development ourselves</a> we can hardly expect for it to be built out of nothing.</p> Digital Autonomy & The Arts with Hunter Stabler https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts6/ Sun, 18 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts6/ /media/images/arts6-banner.webp <p>Thrilled to have had an excellent conversation with <a href="https://hunterstabler.com">Hunter Stabler</a> about digital autonomy and the arts. We spoke about many different topics, ranging from Free Software, community, and the broader impact of social media. It was a pleasure to connect with somebody who’s taken many steps towards reclaiming their digital autonomy, and has such incredible talent.</p> <p>You can take a look at Hunter’s creations on <a href="https://pixelfed.social/hunter_stabler">his Pixelfed.</a></p> <p>We share an affinity for <a href="https://www.blender.org/">Blender</a> <a href="https://antennapod.org/">Antennapod</a> and <a href="https://xmpp.org/">XMPP</a>. Hunter has put together a CNC machine and likes to create with Free Software where possible. Adding that we need to all find ways to collaborate and work together to solve problems of education, outreach, and support.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/62c37c26-77e8-46f6-8f8e-808f43fa042a?title=0'> </iframe> <h3 id="links-discussed">Links Discussed</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://brownstone.org/articles/the-responsibility-of-intellectuals-2-0">The Responsibility of Intellectuals 2.0</a></li> <li><a href="https://nationalcitizensinquiry.ca/testimony/">National Citizens Inquiry Testimony</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.salon.com/2024/01/09/impossible-openai-admits-chatgpt-cant-exist-without-pinching-copyrighted-work/">&ldquo;Impossible&rdquo;: OpenAI admits ChatGPT can&rsquo;t exist without pinching copyrighted work</a></li> <li><a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-generated-election-deepfakes-munich-accord-meta-google-microsoft-tiktok-x-c40924ffc68c94fac74fa994c520fc06">Tech companies sign accord to combat AI-generated election trickery</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/bankroll/">Operation: Bankroll</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/air-canada-chatbot-refund-policy/">Air Canada Has to Honor a Refund Policy Its Chatbot Made Up</a></li> </ul> <h3 id="a-taste-of-freedom-libre-hosters">A Taste of Freedom: Libre Hosters</h3> <p>A very important topic highlighted in this discussion was how somebody without much time or resources can get started with using excellent Free and Open Source Software. One way to become familiar with self-hostable services is to try them out with an online community that provides them.</p> <p>Of course, since you are a guest on somebody else&rsquo;s infrastructure it&rsquo;s important to be a good digital citizen and respect their rules and culture while using their services. Of course, if you&rsquo;re an experienced self-hoster with spare resources, consider becoming your own libre hoster for others!</p> <p>Here are some examples:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://disroot.org/en">Disroot</a></li> <li><a href="https://libreops.cc/">LibreOps</a></li> <li><a href="https://weho.st/">weho.st</a></li> </ul> <p>Browse others at the <a href="https://libreho.st/">libre hosters directory</a></p> <hr> <p>This conversation took place over the <a href="https://fsf.org">Free Software Foundation</a>&rsquo;s <a href="https://jitsi.member.fsf.org/">Jitsi Instance</a>. Consider <a href="https://fsf.org/donate">becoming a member</a> to support Free Software, and gain acess to numerous member&rsquo;s benefits, including an XMPP account. <a href="https://obsproject.com/">OBS Studio</a> was used to record the conversation, and cleanup/edits were done in blender and <a href="https://www.audacityteam.org/">audacity</a>.</p> Pushing Back against Surveillance and Control with Hrvoje Morić https://libresolutions.network/videos/hrvoje-moric-show-feb-2024/ Fri, 16 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/hrvoje-moric-show-feb-2024/ /media/images/tnt-radio.webp <p>Early this month, Hrvoje and I had a conversation about how governments and corporations are tightening their grip over the information landscape. We discussed some of my latest work, and it was an excellent opportunity to add some finer detail to points that come up often. Near the end, we talk about the <a href="https://cjhopkins.substack.com/p/the-verdict">war on dissent</a> in Germany. It’s important to note that the acquittal of CJ Hopkins <a href="https://cjhopkins.substack.com/p/the-resistible-rise-of-the-new-normal">is being appealed</a> by the German government. Reiterating the importance for us to rally around the importance of Free Speech and Expression in the face of totalitarianism.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/2024-Feb-TNT-Radio.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/2024-Feb-TNT-Radio.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <p>Listen to the full episode <a href="https://tntradiolive.podbean.com/e/gabriel-of-libre-solutions-on-the-hrvoje-moric-show-07-february-2024/">here</a></p> Mindwalled: The Pilot Episode https://libresolutions.network/videos/mindwalled/ Tue, 06 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/mindwalled/ /media/images/mindwalled-pilot.webp <p>I had the pleasure of taking part in a long-form discussion about the current state of technology and our experience on the fediverse. It’s been wonderful getting to know <a href="https://theoryware.net/">Theory</a> who is a brilliant software developer and has a very sound technical mind.</p> <p>The conversation was recorded on <a href="https://www.mumble.info/">Mumble</a>, editied in <a href="https://www.audacityteam.org/">Audacity</a> and hosted on <a href="https://joinpeertube.org/">PeerTube</a>. One thing that excites me about this particular project is that it is one of many ways to demonstrate how we really don&rsquo;t need big tech services to distribute media.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/Mindwalled-S1E0.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/Mindwalled-S1E0.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <iframe src='https://videos.danksquad.org/videos/embed/719850c8-93b7-4799-86a3-94ea24eccb37?title=0'> </iframe> <h3 id="follow-mindwalled">Follow Mindwalled</h3> <p>Please consider subscribing to the podcast <a href="https://videos.danksquad.org/feeds/videos.xml?videoChannelId=5268">RSS Feed</a> and/or using it in a podcast app like <a href="https://antennapod.org/">antennapod</a> or <a href="https://apps.kde.org/kasts/">kasts</a>! You can also open the <a href="https://videos.danksquad.org/c/mindwalled/">PeerTube channel</a> to follow from the fediverse.</p> SoundCloud Censors Geopolitics and Empire https://libresolutions.network/articles/geopolitics-and-empire-censored/ Fri, 26 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/geopolitics-and-empire-censored/ /media/images/soundcloud-hrvoje.webp <blockquote> <p>So I have been a loyal customer to Germany-based SoundCloud since 2015, where my podcast has been hosted&hellip;and now they have finally jumped on the censorship bandwagon&hellip;by deleting one of my interviews from a year ago. <strong>Are there any censorship-resistant podcast hosting providers left?</strong></p> <p>The censored interview: <a href="https://geopoliticsandempire.com/2023/02/14/christie-grace-big-pharma-wants-to-force-biologics-on-us">https://geopoliticsandempire.com/2023/02/14/christie-grace-big-pharma-wants-to-force-biologics-on-us</a></p> <p><a href="https://t.me/GeopoliticsAndEmpire/43908">Geopolitics and Empire on Telegram</a></p> </blockquote> <p>This particular interview being censored is very notable to me. I was dissapointed to see that an episode of <a href="https://geopoliticsandempire.com/">Geopolitics and Empire</a> was removed, but when I noticed which specific interview was removed it certainly raised an eyebrow. I&rsquo;ve only had a passing awareness of Christie Grace&rsquo;s work, with much of it <a href="https://christiegrace.substack.com/">going over my head.</a> The thing I find specifically concerning is that there is a pattern of those with substantially higher-effort <a href="https://roundingtheearth.substack.com/p/lies-and-gaslighting-over-the-military">investigative work</a> being <em>sidelined</em> in favor of those who can meet the demand for simple and inflammatory rhetoric.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://x.com/_HeartofGrace_/status/1719904020796449057'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/christie-censored.webp' > </a> <p class="caption"> Not cool at all. </p> </div> <p>When it first read her tweet I was stunned. Stunned that someone would have the audacity to demand a domain expert to <em>coach them</em> how to present ideas instead of&hellip; letting her speak to her expertise and answer questions. There&rsquo;s undeniably a sexist angle to this, as such I also worry that this may be more common than one would expect. It&rsquo;s a tragic mis-allocation of resources for those taking the time to actually put together potentially life-saving information to be maligned by those operating under the premise that it&rsquo;s all <em>just business</em>. This makes it explicitly clear that what our governments and mega-corporations fear the most is ordinary people choosing for themselves who and what to platform, rather than allowing intermediaries to shape any and all discussions.</p> <h2 id="the-attention-economy-is-the-problem">The Attention Economy is the Problem.</h2> <p>It&rsquo;s really easy for someone to dunk on Hrvoje for using soundcloud. <em>You should be hosting it yourself silly!</em> Right? That <em>sounds like useful information</em>, but is naive at best and arrogant at worst in the face of <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/broken-internet/">infrastructure-level de-platforming.</a> It is certainly possible for an individual to run a multimedia project as a passion project out of pocket, but the more hurdles that are thrown in the way, the fewer will actually manage to take part.</p> <p>It may seem like an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akeRz7ouICQ">extreme position</a> to some, but it is clear that the industry built around supporting media with advertisements is fundamentally malignant. A smaller industry would not be able to get away with <a href="https://avoidthehack.com/ads-cybersecurity-risk">infecting users with malware</a> and <a href="https://www.iccl.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Europes-hidden-security-crisis.pdf">operating as a 24/7 continuous data breach</a>.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/43d3d114-38b0-4a33-a1c9-ca29f8107912?title=0'> </iframe> <h3 id="we-are-not-powerless">We are NOT Powerless.</h3> <p>Blocking advertisements just makes sense, but to go even further we must explore more democratized and meritocratic ways of hosting, distributing, and sharing multimedia. The Free and Open Web is a beautiful thing, and despite many efforts to seize control over it we can still decide to <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tech/reclaiming-cyberspace/">reclaim territory in cyberspace</a> and make our mark on history.</p> <h2 id="what-is-podcast-hosting">What is Podcast Hosting?</h2> <p>Podcast hosting is a service that stores media files (either audio clips or video) and that allows for various podcast applications or apps to download and play media. Podcasting had its <a href="https://podnews.net/article/first-podcast-feed-history">origin in RSS Feeds</a> and sadly many &ldquo;podcasts&rdquo; stray from this open standard that really began a new independent media revolution. By allowing people to upload media for free, the platform seizes control over the content that is stored on it. If you&rsquo;re lucky, the platform still publishes an RSS feed instead of relying on centralized indexing services.</p> <p>A podcast itself is very simple. It&rsquo;s a collection of video and/or audio files with a file that is <strong>machine-readable</strong> as in it&rsquo;s very simple for a program to parse the information and use it as needed. A slimmed-down example of what this file would look like is this:</p> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" style="color:#f8f8f2;background-color:#272822;-moz-tab-size:4;-o-tab-size:4;tab-size:4;"><code class="language-xml" data-lang="xml"><span style="display:flex;"><span><span style="color:#f92672">&lt;rss</span> <span style="color:#a6e22e">version=</span><span style="color:#e6db74">&#34;2.0&#34;</span><span style="color:#f92672">&gt;</span> </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span> <span style="color:#f92672">&lt;channel&gt;</span> </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span> <span style="color:#f92672">&lt;title&gt;</span>Example Podcast<span style="color:#f92672">&lt;/title&gt;</span> </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span> <span style="color:#f92672">&lt;link&gt;</span>https://example.com/podcast<span style="color:#f92672">&lt;/link&gt;</span> </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span> <span style="color:#f92672">&lt;item&gt;</span> </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span> <span style="color:#f92672">&lt;title&gt;</span>Episode 1<span style="color:#f92672">&lt;/title&gt;</span> </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span> <span style="color:#f92672">&lt;link&gt;</span>https://example.com/podcast/episode-1<span style="color:#f92672">&lt;/link&gt;</span> </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span> <span style="color:#f92672">&lt;enclosure</span> <span style="color:#a6e22e">url=</span><span style="color:#e6db74">&#34;/episode.mp3&#34;</span> <span style="color:#f92672">/&gt;</span> </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span> <span style="color:#f92672">&lt;/item&gt;</span> </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span> <span style="color:#f92672">&lt;/channel&gt;</span> </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span><span style="color:#f92672">&lt;/rss&gt;</span> </span></span></code></pre></div><p>The file outlines the title and description for the show, as well as a link to where each audio/video clip is stored. Distilled down to this level, a podcast is quite similar to a <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/best-website-for-you/">static web site</a> designed for a different kind of application interface. It&rsquo;s pure data that can be stored in a large variety of ways. This means that any simple, inexpensive web hosting can be used to host a podcast. As the size of it grows, you may want to consider how you&rsquo;re purchasing storage, and maybe using something like object storage can help you reduce costs.</p> <h3 id="podcasting-20">Podcasting 2.0</h3> <p>By wholeheartedly embracing this, Adam Curry (aka &ldquo;The Podfather&rdquo;), co-creator of the podcast <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxLqBZ2MwCA">has started</a> an exciting initiative called Podcasting 2.0. This initiative aims to expand the RSS format to include additional features that many &ldquo;podcast&rdquo; platforms refused to adopt. These features include donation links, chapters, and even transcripts. By expanding the RSS format with the &ldquo;podcast namespace&rdquo; Podcasting 2.0 allows for anyone to immediately take advantage of the latest and greatest features using <a href="https://podcastindex.org/apps?appTypes=open+source&amp;elements=Chapters">open source software!</a></p> <h3 id="sharing-is-caring">Sharing is Caring</h3> <p>Censorship resistance is only part of the story. It is down to all of us as individuals to take a proactive role in helping get the word out for independent voices that take the time to make room for conversations that need to happen. Censorship thrives as long as there is tolerance for it, making a deliberate choice to amplify those who are suppressed is a very effective way to counteract it.</p> <h3 id="heading"></h3> New Website: Cyberfreedom.ca https://libresolutions.network/articles/building-a-beehive/ Sun, 21 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/building-a-beehive/ /media/images/honeycomb.webp <p>There&rsquo;s something very powerful about splitting up a huge task into tiny pieces and making it easy for people to work on the particular chunks. In hopes to demonstrate how this is done, <a href="https://cyberfreedom.ca">cyberfreedom.ca</a> is now launched to demonstrate <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/beehive/">Operation: Beehive</a>. It is still very much a work in progress, but the seed is planted. A lot of basic questions need to be answered, but there&rsquo;s lots to come!</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/honeycomb.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/beehive" ><h2>Operation: Beehive</h2><i>A model for highly productive decentralized work.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h2 id="what-is-cyberfreedomca">What is Cyberfreedom.ca?</h2> <p>Canadian Cyber Freedom is intended to be a resource for Canadians to identify legislative attacks on their digital autonomy and privacy. The site is a beehive because it&rsquo;s using a version-control system <strong>git</strong> to manage changes. Once changes are accepted, they are automatically integrated with the site. Anyone is free to clone <a href="https://code.gabe.rocks/gabriel/cyberfreedom">the repository</a> and start making their own changes. Once they&rsquo;ve published their version of the repository (or sent it directly) their updates can be integrated into the project.</p> <p>The idea of keeping up with, and extensively detailing all the ways in which the government of Canada is working to undermine Canadians digital liberty is overwhelming. The hope is to recruit motivated volunteers to assist with building a resource that will help Canadians engage with their representatives to turn the tide in favor of liberty. While total success would be wonderful, even enough engagement to demonstrate the tactic would go a long way to change the game.</p> <h3 id="why-all-the-fuss">Why all the fuss?</h3> <p>Many hands make light work. The ability to get many people working together in a decentralized way is severely underestimated. The goal is to exemplify a process that with a little learning, allows everyone to maximize their own ability to contribute to larger projects.<br> The major challenges are two-fold:</p> <ol> <li>The project has to be deliberately setup with this kind of workflow in mind. Some data formats or ways of managing information become much more complicated as projects gain participants or become larger.</li> <li>It does require a bit of learning on the behalf of volunteers, in exchange for learning a useful skill, they&rsquo;re able to build things that would be impossible for individuals.</li> </ol> <p>On the other hand, there are also many advantages:</p> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Anti-Fragile Information Sharing</strong></p> <p>It&rsquo;s a lot harder to suppress information when a variety of people have a copy of it, that can be easily shared over many different mediums.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Highly Scalable</strong></p> <p>The more people who get involved, the more can get done quickly</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Inherently Self-Hosted and Offline-First</strong></p> <p>It&rsquo;s all just managing information, there is no requirement to use websites or services at all. They&rsquo;re just convenient for access and sharing.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Optimal Trust</strong></p> <p>You may want the ability for people to contribute without necessarily trusting them with keys to the kingdom. Using git allows you to pull changes from anyone without having to give them control over your project.</p> <p>Once you do want to trust collaborators to help you manage the project, it&rsquo;s as simple as creating an account on your forge for them, and setting up permissions to the repository.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Division of Labor</strong></p> <p>The beehive model allows for tech people to focus on tech things (such as site hosting and configuration) while contributors can focus on their areas of expertise such as writing, editing, translation, or creating multimedia content.</p> </li> </ul> <h3 id="what-can-be-accomplished">What can be Accomplished?</h3> <p>Demonstrating how to decentralize collaboration online and offline is a phenomenal asset to those who wish to endure and oppose total top-down control. The goal is to primarily demonstrate how a task that appears to be too large to take on can be relatively simply transformed into a goldmine of opportunity for all involved. If this process was better understood, the broader community could adopt this model towards creating resources for other kinds of important issues.</p> <p>Of course, it would be wonderful if <a href="https://cyberfreedom.ca">cyberfreedom.ca</a> becomes the go-to resource to equip Canadians to engage with their elected officials to gain new ground for digital autonomy in Canada. With a bit of effort this resource could track terrible legislation before it has time to pass and give citizens the confidence to oppose it together. If this proves successful, it would be even possible for people to write new proposals that would greatly enhance the privacy and free expression rights on Canadians.</p> <h3 id="thank-you-a-personal-note">Thank you: A Personal Note</h3> <p>I want to thank everyone reading this at the moment, it&rsquo;s been a very rough start for me but I am very excited for the future of this and other projects. I hope that even if you can&rsquo;t contribute time that you&rsquo;re willing to at least share the idea with others, so that we can all start to bring meaningful change together. Whether you&rsquo;re reading this via email, the website, or RSS feed your support has meant a great deal and your feedback means a great deal.</p> Digital Autonomy & The Arts with Anne Gibbons https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts5/ Fri, 12 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts5/ /media/images/arts5-banner.webp <p>I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to discuss <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/digital-autonomy-the-arts">Digital Autonomy &amp; The Arts</a> with Anne Gibbons. Anne is a courageous cartoonist and an inspiration to those who want to learn to make their mark on the canvas of history. We discuss the unique challenges that impact our lives at the cross-section of digital autonomy and artistic expression. I really appreciated having a discussion with a creative and passionate voice with such a wealth of experience.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/a5145439-355e-4418-8da4-ea1fc3b4da39?title=0'> </iframe> <p>You can follow Anne&rsquo;s work on <a href="https://annecantstandit.com/">her website</a> and <a href="https://annecantstandit.substack.com/">substack</a></p> <h3 id="special-thanks-to-margaret-anna-allice">Special Thanks to Margaret Anna Allice</h3> <p>This discussion wouldn’t have taken place if not for <a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com">Margaret Anna Alice</a> and I am very thankful for that. Please take the time to watch (and share!) <a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/mistakes-were-not-made-video-dr-mike">Dr Yeadon’s incredible reading</a> of <a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/mistakes-were-not-made-an-anthem">Mistakes Were NOT Made: An Anthem for Justice.</a></p> <p>Related links:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/the-media-matrix-full-documentary/">The Media Matrix</a></li> <li><a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/11/deviantart-upsets-artists-with-its-new-ai-art-generator-dreamup/">DeviantArt upsets artists with its new AI art generator, DreamUp</a></li> <li><a href="https://peertube.libresolutions.network/w/92rS5X3nfkHyZdknuodz6n">War and Democide</a></li> </ul> Data Shedding https://libresolutions.network/videos/data-shedding/ Thu, 11 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/data-shedding/ /media/images/data-shedding.webp <p>The following video is a summary of <a href="https://www.iccl.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Europes-hidden-security-crisis.pdf">a report</a> on how programmatic advertising can be weaponized for mass real-time surveillance. This report is highly troubling but not particularly surprising. If you want to learn how it&rsquo;s being used, read up on the <a href="https://mastodon.social/@wchr/111410591996456032">mastodon thread</a> made by one of the report&rsquo;s authors.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/43d3d114-38b0-4a33-a1c9-ca29f8107912'> </iframe> <h3 id="links">Links:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://mastodon.social/@wchr/111410591996456032">Mastodon Thread</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.iccl.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Europes-hidden-security-crisis.pdf">Europe&rsquo;s Hidden Security Crisis Report</a></li> </ul> <h3 id="further-reading">Further Reading:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://unlimitedhangout.com/2021/04/investigative-reports/the-military-origins-of-facebook/">The Military Origins of Facebook</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/how-palantir-conquered-the-world/">How Palantir Conquered the WOrld</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Information_Awareness">Total Information Awareness</a></li> <li><a href="https://avoidthehack.com/ads-cybersecurity-risk">Understanding Malicious ads</a></li> </ul> Securing your Data: Backups https://libresolutions.network/articles/backups/ Fri, 05 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/backups/ /media/photos/drive.webp <p>Backups can feel like a chore, but they&rsquo;re actually very empowering. Beyond the peace of mind knowing that you&rsquo;re much less likely to lose data, you&rsquo;re also in a better position to make changes. Many tasks, like moving from Windows to a Free and Open Source operating system, are much easier if you&rsquo;ve already got your own backups. Keeping your data safe can be as simple as making copies and distributing them, all the way up to running your own cloud. The main purpose is always the same, preventing the horrors of data loss.</p> <h3 id="contents">Contents</h3> <ol> <li><a href="#tools">Tools</a></li> <li><a href="#example-strategies">Example Strategies</a></li> <li><a href="#extra-resources">Extra Resources</a></li> </ol> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/backups.ogg'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/backups.ogg'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <p>Data loss can be tragic. In a time where commercial services train us to think that everything is at our fingertips, it&rsquo;s easy to forget that some things really are irreplaceable. Sure you can probably hunt down all those memes you&rsquo;ve saved, but personal photographs, notes, and works can all disappear in a moment of surprise to be quickly replaced with a flood of dread and regret.</p> <p>There&rsquo;s the harsh saying, data that isn&rsquo;t backed up is already lost. I&rsquo;ve personally felt the loss of some personal data over the years that I&rsquo;ll never get back. There are so many ways to lose data including deleting/overwriting data by mistake, device failure, or hostile attacks like ransomware. The solution is to keep your data on multiple devices in multiple places. Fortune favors the prepared, so it&rsquo;s best to do what you can to avoid such scenarios.<br> The important steps are: <strong>Simplify, Store, Distribute, Test</strong>.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/backups.webp'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/backups.webp' > </a> <p class="caption"> share this poster! </p> </div> <h2 id="simplify">Simplify</h2> <p>Just like it can be hard to track down a specific form on a cluttered desk, it pays to have a deliberately organized system. Making as much use of your home directory as possible will go a long way. If you were able to have all your important files in a single place, such as <code>C:/Users/Gabriel</code> on Windows or <code>/home/gabriel</code> on Linux or Mac, it can be much easier to then copy and transfer those files.</p> <p>Of course that&rsquo;s the ideal scenario, things may be saved elsewhere for all kinds of reasons, or even relegated to a particular cloud provider. This creates a new challenge of tracking down particular files in a race against time before they are forgotten all together. The complexity isn&rsquo;t always your fault, programs have the capability of installing their configuration settings in different places, so being aware of what program settings you need to keep safe is very important.</p> <p>Using simpler tools, taking an offline-first approach, and spending time to organize important files can go a long way to making your backups simpler. Simple backups can sometimes be fully automated or at least sped up with scripts. This is all even more true when you use multiple devices, the more organized each device is, the less work required to manage it all.</p> <h2 id="store">Store</h2> <h3 id="recovery-checklist">Recovery Checklist:</h3> <p>For a complete recovery you&rsquo;ll want to account for:</p> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Personal/Work files</strong></p> <p>Any file you wouldn&rsquo;t want to have deleted. These include personal photos, documents, scanned documents or media.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Organizational Data</strong></p> <p>Calendars and contacts are some of the first things you&rsquo;ll want to ensure you have in a format <a href="https://github.com/awesome-selfhosted/awesome-selfhosted#calendar--contacts">under your control</a>.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Passwords</strong></p> <p>If you use a password manager, it&rsquo;s very important not to lose all your passwords.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Browser Profiles</strong></p> <p>Arguably the most important program to back up the settings for would be your browser. You can also separately back up important data such as bookmarks. By having the entire profile you ensure you keep your settings, add-ons, and many other useful things to avoid disruption.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Configuration files</strong></p> <p>These are the program files mentioned earlier. Where they&rsquo;re stored will vary from program to program, and it may depend on what system you&rsquo;re using.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Installation media</strong></p> <p>At minimum, it&rsquo;s nice to have a fresh start every once in a while. Having an installer on a USB to reinstall your system after any issues is a very useful thing to have when you can just throw all your files back in place.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>System backups</strong></p> <p>You can save time on re-installing your system and programs by maintaining a backup of your system in it&rsquo;s current state. System backups are very useful to get back and running after a catastrophic problem or if a device is lost.</p> </li> </ul> <p>No matter how much (or how little) simplifying you&rsquo;ve done, you need to figure out how you&rsquo;re going to store your needed files. At minimum you&rsquo;ll want to copy them to some form of external medium or remote server.</p> <h3 id="types-of-backups">Types of Backups</h3> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Copy</strong></p> <p>The most straightforward way to move files is to copy them from place to an external device such as a USB drive or optical media.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Push</strong></p> <p>If you have access to a home or remote server, you can regularly push files to keep them accessible.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Pull</strong> You could also give a home/remote server the capability to download your files remotely.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Sync</strong> It&rsquo;s also possible to use tools to sync files and folders between devices in real-time.</p> </li> </ul> <h3 id="encryption">Encryption</h3> <p>It&rsquo;s useful to encrypt your backups, so if they fall in the wrong hands all your private files are safe from compromise. Sometimes cloud services will claim your backups are encrypted, but it&rsquo;s critical that you control (and protect) the key that&rsquo;s used to access the files.</p> <h3 id="automation">Automation</h3> <p>Automation saves you time at the cost of initial configuration. It&rsquo;s ultimately up to you how sophisticated you want the backup to be. It can be a very simple regular copy, or very complex with real-time sync and extra features.</p> <h3 id="offline-backups">Offline backups</h3> <p>As far as I know, it&rsquo;s impossible to steal data from an unplugged storage device <a href="https://thehackernews.com/2022/07/new-air-gap-attack-uses-sata-cable-as.html">over the Internet.</a> Even if it was possible, it would be incredibly impractical to target most people. Having a backup that is disconnected from power is safe from all kinds of cyber threats.</p> <h3 id="time">Time</h3> <p>Sometimes files aren&rsquo;t merely lost, but are mistakenly damaged or altered. It&rsquo;s useful to have a version history of particular files or keep multiple system backups from different moments in time.</p> <h3 id="redundancy">Redundancy</h3> <p>Less is absolutely not more in this scenario. If you&rsquo;ve got spare time/resources and want to consider an additional layer of protection, more copies and/or more storage locations significantly increase the odds of being able to recover files in a disaster.</p> <h2 id="distribute">Distribute</h2> <p>There are scenarios where it&rsquo;s vital to have your data not exist in a single physical location. Natural disasters, break-ins, and many other unpredictable incidents can make it impossible to retrieve data once it&rsquo;s gone. Having a backup located somewhere else is how you overcome this.</p> <p>For data that isn&rsquo;t personal or sensitive, sharing is a perfectly viable option. If you&rsquo;ve assembled an important curated collection of writing, media, or even just links publishing it online can help ensure your work isn&rsquo;t wasted. You can even distribute files (<em>that you have the rights to!</em>) on <a href="https://archive.org/">archive.org</a> to make a mark on history.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/photos/drive.webp' > </div> <h3 id="storage-types">Storage Types</h3> <h4 id="portable-storage">Portable Storage</h4> <p>The easiest way to get started is to copy your personal files to a portable storage device. When one doesn&rsquo;t require a huge amount of space, these are very convenient and work quite well. Portable flash storage is generally quite fast, but may not be suited for long-term storage.</p> <h4 id="optical-media">Optical Media</h4> <p>If you&rsquo;re storing a relatively small amount of data that you don&rsquo;t need to change, optical media such as CDs, DVDs, or Bluray disks may suit your purposes. Data stored on optical media is often likely to last much longer than flash storage when kept in ideal conditions.</p> <h4 id="external-hard-drives">External Hard Drives</h4> <p>A go-to method for people with many files is to back up their files to an external hard drive. These usually require their own power and data cable to work. They can feature faster speeds, and much larger storage space in exchange for a bulkier size.</p> <h4 id="nas--remote-storage">NAS / Remote Storage</h4> <p>A more sophisticated method to store data is to run a server that allows files to be transferred over the network. There are all kinds of methods to setup repositories of data with various different forms of access control.</p> <h2 id="test">Test</h2> <p>Backing up is just the first step! You&rsquo;ll want to make sure the files are properly usable. You don&rsquo;t want to waste the time running a fancy automated fully-encrypted backup system to have that effort tragically wasted the moment you actually need it.</p> <h3 id="file-integrity">File Integrity</h3> <p>If it&rsquo;s been quite some time, it&rsquo;s worth making sure your old file backups aren&rsquo;t corrupted or otherwise damaged. Bit rot, errors, and ordinary wear can all damage the information stored in a backup.</p> <h3 id="disaster-recovery">Disaster Recovery</h3> <p>It&rsquo;s good to make sure you can start with a new/fresh device in the event it gets damaged, or your residence is hit from a natural disaster.</p> <h3 id="encryption-1">Encryption</h3> <p>If your backups are encrypted it&rsquo;s important to make sure you can actually <em>decrypt</em> the backup. Otherwise, you&rsquo;re just generating random data.</p> <h3 id="improve">Improve</h3> <p>Over time, you&rsquo;ll find things in your backup strategy you want to improve. By testing your backups you have the opportunity to identify problems before you actually need the backup.</p> <p><a href="#">Back to Top</a></p> <h2 id="tools">Tools</h2> <p>The best backup tool is the one you&rsquo;ll actually use. Each will vary in features, complexity, and ease-of-use. You may be limited by what system you&rsquo;re using and your comfort level with command-line tools.</p> <h3 id="system-features">System Features</h3> <p>Both Windows and Mac have built-in features for file backups and system recovery. There are many Utilities for Linux distributions as well.</p> <h3 id="rsync--rclone">rsync &amp; rclone</h3> <p><strong>rsync</strong> and <strong>rclone</strong> are tools that are so useful, either one of them is enough to consider learning how to use command-line tools yourself. Both are excellent tools for transferring and syncing files between multiple systems.</p> <h3 id="disk-cloning">Disk Cloning</h3> <p><a href="https://clonezilla.org/">Clonezilla</a> is a great tool for <a href="https://youtu.be/ci2VyorBjyQ">making an image</a> of an entire disk. This is one of many ways to create a full backup of an entire system or to migrate a system from one disk to another.</p> <p><a href="#">Back to Top</a></p> <h2 id="example-strategies">Example Strategies</h2> <h3 id="easy-street">Easy Street</h3> <ul> <li>Copies personal files to an external hard drive</li> <li>Has two extra usb drives one with an OS installer and the other with program installers or scripts</li> <li>Regularly rotates the external hard drive with a relative for a secure offsite offline backup</li> </ul> <h3 id="the-digital-serf">The Digital Serf</h3> <ul> <li>Maximizes their use of cloud services</li> <li>Uses multi-factor authentication to prevent intrusion</li> <li>Distributes data among nameless and innumerable third parties</li> <li>Zero digital autonomy, their entire digital life is at the mercy of a single provider without much ability to switch</li> </ul> <h3 id="total-sloth">Total Sloth</h3> <ul> <li>Uses their systems&rsquo; &ldquo;file history&rdquo; feature to have multiple versions of each file across time.</li> <li>Once a month, shuts down their system and creates a system image from the drive</li> <li>Copies the system image to an encrypted filesystem on an external drive</li> <li>&ldquo;Simple as&rdquo; they mutter while driving to their secure locker offsite storage.</li> </ul> <h3 id="the-leech">The Leech</h3> <ul> <li>Encrypts files and uploads them to free or cheap cloud storage</li> <li>Abuses <a href="https://youtu.be/4sDuNccDw80">free signups</a></li> <li>Automates everything, providers hate him.</li> </ul> <h3 id="diy-cloud">DIY Cloud</h3> <ul> <li>Self-hosts a variety of services</li> <li>All their devices <a href="https://enblog.eischmann.cz/2023/11/20/nextcloud-as-personal-cloud/">sync to the home server</a></li> <li>Remote backup server pulls regular backups from the home server</li> <li>Doesn&rsquo;t need much of the Internet anymore</li> </ul> <p><a href="#">Back to Top</a></p> <h2 id="extra-resources">Extra Resources</h2> <h3 id="video-guides">Video Guides</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://share.tube/videos/watch/f3840d44-89fb-448b-8e07-e1be26f6bf59">My backup routine (and why I keep it simple)</a></li> <li><a href="https://apertatube.net/videos/watch/0dbfa576-6051-4136-a78e-79ad94f4c44a">Let&rsquo;s Talk About Backups</a></li> <li><a href="https://diode.zone/videos/watch/4bfdfc2a-c605-415c-a733-bb68d899faf0">&lsquo;Don’t eat my data - 30+ years of storage war stories&rsquo; - Steven Ellis (LCA 2020)</a></li> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/id01_oBuNR4">How to Move Everything from an Old PC to a New PC</a></li> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/2VwpmEA9pYQ">How to Clone Your OS Hard Drive in Linux to Use with a Different (or the same) Computer </a></li> </ul> <h3 id="links">Links</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://whynothugo.nl/journal/2014/08/06/performing-backups-the-right-way/">Performing backups the right way</a></li> <li><a href="https://rclone.org/crypt/">https://rclone.org/crypt/</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240107104820/https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/wiki/backups">/r/DataHoarder Wiki - Backups</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.engineersgarage.com/data-loss-backup-and-recovery-a-complete-beginners-guide/">Data Loss, Backup, and Recovery: A Complete Beginners’ Guide</a></li> <li><a href="https://ruvi-d.scribe.rip/personal-data-backup-strategies-e06086f4865d">Personal Data Backup Strategies</a></li> <li><a href="https://apebox.org/wordpress/tech/1325">Building a NAS</a></li> <li><a href="https://github.com/awesome-foss/awesome-sysadmin#backups">Awesome Sysadmin - Backups</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backup">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backup</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_backup_software">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_backup_software</a></li> <li><a href="https://wiki.installgentoo.com/wiki/Backups">https://wiki.installgentoo.com/wiki/Backups</a></li> <li><a href="https://wiki.archiveteam.org/index.php/Backup_Tips">https://wiki.archiveteam.org/index.php/Backup_Tips</a></li> </ul> 2023 Recap https://libresolutions.network/videos/2023/ Sun, 31 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/2023/ /media/images/2023-recap.webp <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/5c16829f-b67d-46ef-828e-e1d565d3731b?title=0'> </iframe> <h2 id="updates">Updates</h2> <h3 id="skip-past-updates">Skip Past Updates</h3> <ul> <li><a href="#important-stories-from-2023">Highlights of 2023</a></li> <li><a href="#items-of-interest">Items of Interest</a></li> </ul> <h3 id="peertube">PeerTube</h3> <p>At the start of 2023 I Launched the Libre Solutions Network <a href="https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/subscriptions">peertube instance</a>.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/2023-recap-peertube.webp' > </div> <p>Over 450 views on the <a href="https://peertube.libresolutions.network/c/lsn/">PeerTube channel</a> is a great start! I&rsquo;m sure it would grow a lot faster if I opened registrations but truthfully I don&rsquo;t really want to be responsible for other people&rsquo;s accounts! Having a peertube instance that allows follows seems to be a great compromise. Currently, my instance is followed by <a href="https://peertube.libresolutions.network/about/follows">over 30</a> other instances.</p> <h2 id="fully-voiced-articles">Fully Voiced Articles</h2> <p>Early in the year, I recorded voiceovers for the entire <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy/">Tools of the Technocracy</a> series as well as others.</p> <div class="gallery"> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/photos/drive.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/backups/" ><h2>Securing your Data: Backups</h2><i>Don&#39;t overlook the importance of backups!</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/information-control.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/information-control/" ><h2>Conceptualizing Information Control</h2><i>Truth is the first casualty of war</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/chains.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-11/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #11 Social Credit</h2><i>What&#39;s new is old.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/uni-campus.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/backcasting-2030/" ><h2>Backcasting 2030</h2><i>What made 2023 the pivotal year?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/skynet-workforce2.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/skynet-workforce/" ><h2>The Rise of a SkyNet Workforce</h2><i>Employee of the Month: Terminator</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> </div> <h2 id="operations">Operations</h2> <p>An operation is a blueprint for advancing people’s digital and personal freedom. These are “big picture” plans for how people can advance liberty in their own lives.</p> <div class="gallery"> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/bankroll.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/bankroll/" ><h2>Operation: Bankroll</h2><i>Taking control of supporting solutions</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/intelligence.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/shadow/" ><h2>Operation: Shadow</h2><i>Anonymity is a lot less dangerous than uncontested power</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/honeycomb.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/beehive/" ><h2>Operation: Beehive</h2><i>A model for highly productive decentralized work.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/tavern.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/chorus/" ><h2>Operation: Chorus</h2><i>Safeguarding free expression</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> </div> <h2 id="digital-autonomy-series">Digital Autonomy Series</h2> <div class="gallery"> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/arts6-banner.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts6/" ><h2>Digital Autonomy &amp; The Arts with Hunter Stabler</h2><i>Part 6: Exploring tools and the social landscape</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/arts5-banner.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts5/" ><h2>Digital Autonomy &amp; The Arts with Anne Gibbons</h2><i>Part 5: Understanding our tools and bonding over authenticity.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/arts4-banner.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts4/" ><h2>Digital Autonomy &amp; The Arts with Margaret Anna Alice, Visceral Adventure &amp; Liam Sturgess</h2><i>Part 4: Stories Worth Telling, Technocracy, and Wrestling with the Collapse of the Intangible</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/resilient-living-banner.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/videos/resilient-living/" ><h2>Digital Autonomy and Resilient Living</h2><i>Understanding down to earth solutions to practical problems.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/arts-3-maa.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts3/" ><h2>Digital Autonomy and the Arts: Part 3</h2><i>Featuring Margaret Anna Alice</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> </div> <h3 id="infographics">Infographics</h3> <p>I&rsquo;ve made a couple of infographics as supplementary material for posts. You&rsquo;re welcome to share all of these and use them for your purposes. They&rsquo;re all available under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC-BY-SA 4.0</a></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/account-security-tools.webp">Account Security Tools</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/device-stack.webp">What&rsquo;s Running on My Device?</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/dead-internet.webp">Dead Internet</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/internet.webp">How the Internet Works</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/threat%20modeling.webp">Threat Modeling</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/tracking%20codes.webp">Tracking Codes</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/browser.webp">Websites and Apps</a> <ul> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/web%20static.webp">Static Web</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/web%20dynamic.webp">Dynamic Sites</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/web%20apps.webp">Web Apps</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/web%20scripts.webp">Web Scripts</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p><a href="#updates">Back to top</a></p> <h2 id="important-stories-from-2023">Important Stories from 2023</h2> <h3 id="national-citizens-inquiry">National Citizens Inquiry</h3> <p>The <a href="https://nationalcitizensinquiry.ca/">National Citizens Inquiry</a> is a Canadian citizen-led inquiry into the Covid Crisis in Canada. Read the <a href="https://nationalcitizensinquiry.ca/commissioners-report/">final report.</a></p> <h3 id="protocol-wars">Protocol Wars</h3> <p>Liberty-minded individuals <a href="https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2023/11/30/the-fediverse-is-an-opportunity-learned-societies-cant-ignore/">need to redouble our efforts</a> to support open and interoperable protocols. Take a look at Alex&rsquo;s mostr to fediverse <a href="https://youtu.be/075wrIJ1vHg">bridge</a></p> <blockquote> <p>Don&rsquo;t let your memes be dreams. Let&rsquo;s work together to create the future that we believe in.</p> <p><a href="https://alexgleason.me/">Alex Gleason</a></p> </blockquote> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/datacenter-war.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/protocol-wars/" ><h2>The Protocol Wars are Here</h2><i>What tools are best to reclaim our digital autonomy?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="cyberwars-and-rumors-of-cyberwars">Cyberwars and Rumors of Cyberwars</h3> <p><em>Censorship, Control, and Surveillance</em></p> <div class="gallery"> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/web%20surveillance%20&amp;%20control.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/eu-cyberwar/" ><h2>The EU Cyberwar on People &amp; the Web</h2><i>Digital ID and undermining browsers</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/cpu-camera.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/hardware-trojan/" ><h2>Applied Cyberwar: Hardware Exploits</h2><i>Just how bad is it?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-9-preview.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/broken-internet/" ><h2>Cybergeddon: ISP-level de-platforming</h2><i>A slippery slope to the death of the Internet.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/warlord-tech.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/warlord-technology/" ><h2>Escalating Cyberwar: Warlord Technology</h2><i>Understanding asymmetric systems.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/cyberwar.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/cyberwar/" ><h2>A Non-Combattant&#39;s Guide to Cyberwar</h2><i>Making sense of the chaos and the crossfire.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> </div> <p><a href="#updates">Back to top</a></p> <h2 id="items-of-interest">Items of Interest</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://getsession.org/blog/sim-swapping-attacks">Sim Swapping attacks: How to protect yourself from this common phone scam</a></li> <li><a href="https://danb.me/blog/open-source-available-distinction/">Why the Distinction Between &ldquo;Open Source&rdquo; and &ldquo;Source Available&rdquo; is Important</a></li> <li><a href="https://e.foundation/what-is-the-difference-between-free-software-and-open-source-software/">What is the difference between free software and open source software?</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/palantir-nhs-federated-data-platform-patient-trust-opt-out/">NHS Palantir data deal puts patient trust at risk, warn MP and privacy groups</a></li> <li><a href="https://extramundane.xyz/rss-guide/">A Full, Comprehensive Guide to RSS/Atom</a></li> <li><a href="https://cyberscoop.com/ai-open-access-foundational-models-security/">Open access to AI foundational models poses various security and compliance risks, report finds </a></li> </ul> <h3 id="peertube-1">PeerTube</h3> <h4 id="blender-40-reel">Blender 4.0 Reel</h4> <iframe src='https://video.blender.org/videos/embed/ac71efff-5e26-440b-8c38-dd1f5b598e02'> </iframe> <h4 id="facial-recognition-defense--flaws">Facial Recognition Defense / Flaws</h4> <iframe src='https://tube.tchncs.de/videos/embed/ae412482-c665-47ee-b9c7-89e5690f2cda?title=0'> </iframe> <h4 id="this-threat-to-free-software-is-worse-than-i-thought">This Threat to Free Software is Worse than I Thought&hellip;</h4> <iframe src='https://tube.kockatoo.org/videos/embed/118063c6-179c-4bfa-befd-aaccf961a822?title=0'> </iframe> Face to Face on the The Hrvoje Morić Show https://libresolutions.network/videos/hrvoje-moric-show-dec-2023/ Tue, 26 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/hrvoje-moric-show-dec-2023/ /media/images/videos2.webp <p>I’m very grateful for the opportunity to share insights that don’t fit neatly into longer posts. Hrvoje Morić who is well known for <a href="https://geopoliticsandempire.com/">Geopolitics &amp; Empire</a>, is a fascinating person to talk to and a very knowledgeable host. We hit many important topics, opening with how big tech is working to regain people’s trust as well as legislative attacks on people’s online freedom. We also discuss Signal and the Open Technology fund, as well as cost savings from ditching the cloud.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/88de423d-cec9-4fe3-badd-caf6cf43f832'> </iframe> <p>The Hrvoje Morić Show: <a href="https://tntradio.live/shows/the-hrvoje-moric-show/">https://tntradio.live/shows/the-hrvoje-moric-show/</a><br> Watch the full show at <a href="https://tntvideo.podbean.com/e/the-hrvoje-moric-show-h1-22-december-2023">https://tntvideo.podbean.com/e/the-hrvoje-moric-show-h1-22-december-2023</a></p> Operation: Bankroll https://libresolutions.network/operations/bankroll/ Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/operations/bankroll/ /media/images/bankroll.webp <h2 id="putting-your-money-where-your-needs-are">Putting Your Money Where Your Needs Are</h2> <p>This mindset is applicable to all kinds of problems, but I think is particularly suited to the challenge of helping people reduce their dependency on big tech infrastructure and state manipulation. Taking the time to evaluate your resources, and your requirements, you can put together a plan on how you and/or your friends or community can properly support a better path. Getting others involved can magnify your impact significantly, and better represent a variety of people&rsquo;s needs and concerns.</p> <p>It has been a huge mistake for people to accept either high fees or surveillance in exchange for computing that should rightly be done under their own control and on their own devices. There will only be so many opportunities to correct that mistake, and time is running short. The desire for institutions to seize control over peoples’ computing is only likely to rise over time, so too will the necessity to be proactively involved in building better tools for people of all walks of life.</p> <p>Liberty-minded individuals need to become proactive supporters of the technological ecosystem we wish to participate in. If we appreciate all the benefits we enjoy from useful Free and Open Source Software, then we should reward the effort with proactive funding. In so many ways over the years, people have become familiar with the costs of “free” services that aren’t under their control. The demand for digital autonomy can only rise as corporations and governments around the world become increasingly predatory.</p> <h3 id="now-is-the-best-time">Now is the Best Time</h3> <p>With Big Tech services bootstrapping themselves with debt only to operate at a loss to shove out competition, skating by through lucrative government contracts, they&rsquo;re arguably at the weakest they&rsquo;ve ever been. Corporations are raising prices, reducing services, and having <a href="https://news.crunchbase.com/startups/tech-layoffs/">massive layoffs,</a> forcing their workforce to find opportunities elsewhere. The last thing we want is for skilled, intelligent, and motivated people to continue building tools that work against us rather than for us. It is up to us to reverse this trend. Luckily, we have a great opportunity ahead of us.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/interest-rates.webp' alt='tradingview chart of descending debt servicing costs over decades' > <p class="caption"> Voting with your wallet now matters much more now than it did for the last decade. </p> </div> <p>Now is a very unique window of time to make a serious impact on the future of technology. With interest rates higher than they&rsquo;ve been for quite some time, it&rsquo;s (relatively) harder for corporations and governments to purchase influence. Every dollar you spend (<em>or refuse to spend</em>) means a great deal about what incentives are created and maintained. This means that what little you can spare <em>can make a real impact</em>. If you&rsquo;re interested in <strong>bankrolling</strong> a better technological future, and have resources to spare I can&rsquo;t think of a better opportunity.</p> <h2 id="holding-in-reserve">Holding in Reserve</h2> <p>Of course, I am <strong>not telling you to spend without analyzing your own situation</strong>. First and foremost, ensure that you&rsquo;re still taking care of your responsibilities and that you&rsquo;re spending money that you would happily part with to make a better future. Odds are there may be charities or local support systems you may want to consider giving to. It can also be fruitful to save. It&rsquo;s possible that you may want to participate in supporting something new or want to get together with others to pledge a larger amount of funds to work on something ambitious.</p> <h2 id="projects-worth-supporting">Projects Worth Supporting</h2> <p>These are intended to be <em>examples</em> of how somebody can take action themselves to fund a more freedom respecting digital landscape. Suggestions are welcome! The intention is to give you an idea of what may be worth considering. Ideally, you&rsquo;d be using a substantial amount of Free and Open Source Software already and you&rsquo;re just going to budget to support the software and systems you use regularly or find useful.</p> <h3 id="organizations">Organizations</h3> <p>New initiatives and organizations are always needed to bring new ideas into reality, but those not willing to risk their limited resources supporting a long-shot can choose to instead support organizations with a track-record for delivering real results. Supporting an organization may also give benefits like membership, giving you a voice to raise concerns or even vote on important changes. Large organizations are complex machines. They may not be functioning exactly as you like, but by supporting organizations as a block of members, you can try to move them into a better direction.</p> <p>No matter what organization you choose to support, be sure to make sure it is aligned (or able to be aligned) with your goals and values. Many large organizations have a tendency to lure in supporters with a <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/redirecting-resistance/">deceptive brand</a> that presents itself as noble, but in actuality under-delivers.</p> <h4 id="local-credit-union">Local Credit Union</h4> <p>While not strictly technological, I believe that supporting credit unions is an important step to protecting <a href="https://home.solari.com/financial-transaction-freedom-ftf/">financial transaction freedom</a>. While no organization is safe from state overreach, it&rsquo;s best to proactively put up as much resistance as possible, and build up resilience at the local level. Of course, supporters of digital autonomy should use their voice within any financial institution to encourage them to reduce their own dependency on big tech services, tracking, and other anti-user impositions.</p> <p>At the time of writing this, I am currently a member of a credit union.</p> <h4 id="advocates-for-digital-autonomy">Advocates for Digital Autonomy</h4> <p>There are organizations centered around restricting state surveillance like the <a href="https://www.eff.org/">Electronic Frontier Foundation</a>, and Free Software advocacy such as the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/associate/benefits">Free Software Foundation.</a>. Of course, taking it to the local level can help. Donating funds or equipment to local clubs can help those without access to devices, or gain more materials to learn and share.</p> <p>At the time of writing, I&rsquo;m currently a Free Software Foundation member, and have donated in the past to <a href="https://ev.kde.org/">KDE e.V.</a> in the past.</p> <h4 id="software-foundations">Software Foundations</h4> <p>If you use <a href="https://fund.blender.org/">blender</a>, <a href="https://inkscape.org/support-us/donate/">Inkscape</a>, <a href="https://framasoft.org/en/#support">PeerTube</a>, or <a href="https://matrix.org/blog/2023/12/electing-our-first-governing-board/">matrix</a> you may want to consider supporting their organizations. Large foundations can work on a variety of initiatives rather than a specific project. Love the Web? you could even become part of maintaining <a href="https://www.w3.org/donate/">open web standards.</a></p> <h4 id="liberapay">Liberapay</h4> <p><a href="https://liberapay.com/Liberapay/">Liberapay</a> needs more love. It&rsquo;s a donations platform for much of the Free Software and Open Source community. The platform allows you to support projects or developers directly if they wish, even <a href="https://liberapay.com/explore/pledges">pledge</a> for projects that aren&rsquo;t on the platform.</p> <p>It&rsquo;s a pleasure to highlight some of the excellent projects collecting donations there:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://liberapay.com/FreeCAD/">FreeCAD</a></li> <li><a href="https://liberapay.com/keepassxc/">KeePassXC</a></li> <li><a href="https://liberapay.com/YunoHost/">YunoHost</a></li> <li><a href="https://liberapay.com/FreeTube/">FreeTube</a></li> <li><a href="https://liberapay.com/FreshRSS/">FreshRSS</a></li> <li><a href="https://liberapay.com/mumble/">Mumble</a></li> </ul> <p>If there is any ever doubt. It&rsquo;s always a good idea to verify with the project&rsquo;s website to ensure you&rsquo;re donating in the right place. Liberapay just makes it easy and convenient to support FOSS projects. Through other means, I&rsquo;ve donated to <a href="https://grapheneos.org/donate">GrapheneOS</a>, Misskey and <a href="https://framasoft.org/en/#support">PeerTube</a> as of the time of writing.</p> <h2 id="purchases">Purchases</h2> <p>The traditional use of the phrase <em>voting with your wallet</em> refers to <a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/buycotts-solutionswatch/">buycotts</a>, choosing to support a company with better practices than the competition. When it comes to purchasing hardware, the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/givingguide/v14/">FSF&rsquo;s Giving Guide</a> is a good place to look at the advantages of hardware that <em>respects your freedom</em>. It wasn&rsquo;t long ago that many wouldn&rsquo;t know where to find a computer vendor that sells machines with a linux distribution pre-installed, but now there are many vendors. When it comes to buying hardware, it&rsquo;s a good idea to do a bit of research to ensure it suits your needs well. Choose carefully, but boldly!</p> <p>Sometimes it can be nice to get something back in exchange for supporting a wild idea. Other times, you may make a purchase in the hopes of opening an entire new frontier of devices, such as the <a href="https://unsigned.io/shop/">Reticulum packet radios</a> or the <a href="https://frame.work/ca/en">framework laptop</a>. These devices can come at a high price, but are often unique in quality or features.</p> <p>I&rsquo;ve had good experiences purchasing from <a href="https://pine64.com/">Pine64</a> and <a href="https://system76.com/">System76</a> and the devices are still working well at the time of writing.</p> Digital Autonomy & The Arts with Margaret Anna Alice, Visceral Adventure & Liam Sturgess https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts4/ Wed, 13 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts4/ /media/images/arts4-banner.webp <p>In what has become my most ambitious media project yet, I had the pleasure of hosting a conversation with people I look up to as among my personal heroes. The Digital Autonomy Series is now one of my favorite projects as it allows the Libre Solutions Network to truly start to live up to its name.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/6a34544a-4b75-421b-af0f-b133e2132c95?title=0'> </iframe> <h2 id="visceral-adventure">Visceral Adventure</h2> <p>I got to know Tonika through <a href="https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=operation_uplift">Operation Uplift.</a> Her open mind, kindness, and drive are huge inspiration. I was absolutely blown away by how succinctly she summarized my primary motivation in writing The <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy/">Tools of the Technocracy.</a></p> <blockquote> <p>This is the first time the technology has actually caught up with the goal of technocracy. This is why I think this is such a pivotal moment in human civilization. This is the first time that they can actually succeed in their goals and I think that is a huge distinction.</p> </blockquote> <p>Substack: <a href="https://visceraladventure.substack.com/">https://visceraladventure.substack.com/</a><br> Rumble: <a href="https://rumble.com/user/VisceralAdventure">https://rumble.com/user/VisceralAdventure</a><br> War and Democide: <a href="https://visceraladventure.substack.com/p/war-and-democide">https://visceraladventure.substack.com/p/war-and-democide</a></p> <h2 id="liam-sturgess">Liam Sturgess</h2> <p>If I was suspicious of any human being having superpowers, it would be He is an incredibly diligent investigative reporter in addition to being a phenomenal <a href="https://liamsturgess.bandcamp.com/track/the-things-we-take-with-us">musician,</a> voice actor, and producer. If you haven’t already, give <a href="https://liamsturgess.bandcamp.com/album/foreverland">Foreverland,</a> a listen!</p> <blockquote> <p>After all the years have flown away<br> Meet me at the crossroads come and pray<br> Looking out across from the open shore<br> Live a life with open wings and soar<br> We&rsquo;ll find pieces where we&rsquo;ve been<br> And live off adrenaline<br> We&rsquo;ll lift off from where we stand</p> </blockquote> <p>Substack: <a href="https://liamsturgess.substack.com/">https://liamsturgess.substack.com/</a><br> Rumble: <a href="https://rumble.com/c/liamsturgess">https://rumble.com/c/liamsturgess</a><br> Website: <a href="https://www.liamsturgess.com/">https://www.liamsturgess.com/</a></p> <h2 id="margaret-anna-alice">Margaret Anna Alice</h2> <p>George Orwell wrote: “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” Margaret Anna Alice is a <a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/wake-up-toolkit">passionate chronicler</a> who has ensured that the revolution will not go without <a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/mistakes-were-not-made-an-anthem-57a">the truth.</a> She has an unparalleled ability to artfully share the voice of reason without mincing words.</p> <blockquote> <p>You can deliver yourselves if you try, not by taking action, but merely by willing to be free.<br> Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over, but simply that you support him no longer;<br> then you will behold him, like a great Colossus whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his own weight and break into pieces.</p> <p><a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/covid-is-over-if-you-want-it">COVID IS OVER! …If You Want It</a></p> </blockquote> <h3 id="more-links">More links:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/consequential-quotes-aldous-huxleys">Consequential Quotes: Aldous Huxley&rsquo;s &ldquo;Words &amp; Behavior&rdquo;</a></li> <li><a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/consequential-quotes-war">Consequential Quotes: War</a></li> <li><a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/memes-by-themes-8-war-and-peace">Memes by THemes #8: War &amp; Peace</a></li> <li><a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/letter-to-a-colluder-stop-enabling">Letter to a Colluder: Stop Enabling Tyranny</a></li> </ul> Why The Perfect Messaging App Doesn't Exist https://libresolutions.network/articles/the-perfect-messenger/ Sun, 10 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/the-perfect-messenger/ /media/images/keyboard-key.webp <p>Surveillance of peoples communications is a severe overreach. Especially the act of monitoring people&rsquo;s sensitive discussions with their most trusted contacts. Large institutions like corporations and governments are <a href="https://www.techpolicy.press/five-eyes-campaign-against-encryption-threatens-democracy/">wrestling over control</a> of and insight from people&rsquo;s private chats. This is largely because there are limitations to only data-mining public communications. All the money and effort spent on propaganda and censorship can be for naught if people are still allowed to make their own minds in private. This is why since the Covid Crisis there has been a rise in <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e9ce713321491043ea045ef/t/612e722e73b7c13f4f89b8f0/1630433860565/PrivateMessaging%2C+PublicHarms_2021.pdf">research</a> into how to limit speech in private communications.</p> <p>Already, there have been many proposed regulations all over the world, aimed at securing control over people&rsquo;s ability to communicate. Most infamously, we have the EU&rsquo;s <a href="https://blog.nicco.love/eu-chat-control-is-worse-than-i-thought/">ChatControl</a> &amp; Digital Services Act. It&rsquo;s important not to forget that corporations themselves already wield a significant amount of power over public and private communications. While governments helping themselves to slices of that pie is a problem, we should reconsider our role in baking it at all. This is to say, we are all responsible for <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/uk-home-office-attacks-private-messaging">top-down control</a> of communication with our choices to use platforms that enable it.</p> <p>The cost of apathy is quite high. If you&rsquo;ve been at all concerned about the ability for consent to be <em>manufactured</em> across a variety of issues, it will only be exponentially worse when people aren&rsquo;t permitted to dissent in private, much less public. If that isn&rsquo;t bad enough, there is a sense of defeatism and helplessness by those who haven&rsquo;t begun their journey to take control over their computing. Those who don&rsquo;t truly appreciate the benefits of <a href="https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/index.en.html">free software</a> are very prone to seeing it as an all-or-nothing affair, forgetting that incremental change can have massive benefits. Often, critics of more privacy-focused tools will underestimate the <a href="https://spyware.neocities.org/articles/discord">problems</a> from more popular systems.</p> <p>Understandably, you have to take your <a href="https://antennapod.org/blog/2023/11/google-podcasts-migration">first steps</a> to truly feel the difference. While I encourage you to learn how to store your own files, host your own services, and use a variety of Free Software tools, this piece is about why there is no <em>silver bullet</em> to online communications. Of course this applies to much more than just instant messaging software, but it can be a useful example to highlight a wide variety of important issues. If we truly want to improve our technological landscape, we need a serious and thoughtful approach to understanding the problems.</p> <h1 id="why-the-perfect-messenger-doesnt-yet-exist">Why The Perfect Messenger Doesn&rsquo;t (<em>Yet!</em>) Exist</h1> <p>People really need to stop letting the fantasy of perfect security get in the way of making gradual improvements. Letting imperfections get in the way of you stepping away from total corporate control will leave you in a very sorry place. See the following <strong>threat modeling</strong> infographic. Just because you&rsquo;re still vulnerable to <em>state-level threats</em> doesn&rsquo;t mean it&rsquo;s not worth using a secure password, or proper encryption methods.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://libresolutions.network/operations/shadow#threat-modeling'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/threat%20modeling.webp' > </a> <p class="caption"> Your risks aren&#39;t a single entity, but involve a variety of adversaries. </p> </div> <h3 id="what-is-perfect-anyways"><em>What is Perfect Anyways?</em></h3> <p>For the purposes of this piece, the <strong>perfect messaging software</strong> has the following <em>non-negotiable</em> attributes:</p> <ol> <li> <p><strong>Free Software</strong></p> <p>Free and Open Source Software has a variety of benefits that are highly valuable to those interested in computing on their own terms. Open Source software doesn&rsquo;t guarantee security, but potentially has the ability to resolve serious issues quickly, and allows for innovation from broader and more diverse perspectives.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Self-Hostable</strong></p> <p>If you&rsquo;re locked-in to a single provider, you&rsquo;re immediately placing them in a position of trust. They may be able to provide better security than you could on your own, but in an ideal world you (or your team/community) would have the option to take on that responsibility.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Interoperable</strong></p> <p>Being able to communicate across instances of the server software. This means that large communities, and single users / peer-to-peer deployments should have the ability to seamlessly communicate with each other.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>State of the Art Security</strong></p> <p>The perfect software necessarily has to be secure from at least the majority (but ideally all) known risks. This includes threats of impersonation, censorship, and interception.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Significantly Cross-Platform</strong></p> <p>There is no point developing the perfect software only to run on corporate controlled ecosystems. Requiring Some to use a smartphone or other non-ideal software can be a deal-breaker.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Expected Features</strong></p> <p>The software should support a majority (<em>if not all</em>) of the same features people are used to using, such as video and voice calls, Group chats and calls, multimedia, and all kinds of other nice-to-haves.</p> </li> </ol> <p>Additionally, I&rsquo;ll also define these <em>nice to haves</em> which matter a great deal to gaining traction:</p> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Has a Significant Userbase</strong></p> <p>While obscure software may be sound, safety in numbers applies in digital contexts too.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Independently Funded</strong></p> <p>Either as charity, or a crowdfund, it would be important that the project&rsquo;s existence is not beholden to a entity that can be controlled.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Accessible</strong></p> <p>Being easy to use is a pre-requisite to being ideal.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Highly Configurable</strong></p> <p>There may be reasons for people to prefer slight changes to the software&rsquo;s design. It&rsquo;s important to put the person in control of their own experience.</p> </li> </ul> <h1 id="maybe-youve-heard-of-something-like-that">Maybe You&rsquo;ve Heard of Something Like That?</h1> <p>Maybe such software <em>actually does exist</em>&hellip; or at least in part<a href="https://denshi.org/blog/every-chat-client-absolutely-sucks/every-chat-client-absolutely-sucks/">&hellip;Right?</a> You may even argue some of my criteria aren&rsquo;t essential at all, and that I&rsquo;m <em>making perfect the enemy of good</em>. You might actually be right, If you have a suggestion that meets a majority of these criteria, <a href="mailto:gabriel@libresolutions.network?subject=The%20perfect%20messenger">let me know</a> and even if it&rsquo;s close, I&rsquo;ll do a full review.</p> <h2 id="security-is-hard-really-hard">Security is Hard. <em>Really Hard.</em></h2> <p>The perfectionists often really underestimate what they demand. A straightforward solution to one security problem can sometimes make another one significantly harder. Seemingly simple questions like &ldquo;<em>Where are the messages stored?</em>&rdquo; can have profound impact on a variety of security concerns. This doesn&rsquo;t mean there&rsquo;s no point using anything at all, but it&rsquo;s important to understand what benefits you intend to get out of particular options. There can very often be solutions that are well suited to a variety of these problems, and the trade-offs may be worthwhile.</p> <h3 id="metadata">Metadata</h3> <p>Metadata is a <a href="https://avoidthehack.com/metadata-privacy">serious concern.</a> All kinds of additional information about content like who is talking to who, how often, and when can give spies a significant amount of information. The sum total of who you communicate with may seem like innocuous information, but it&rsquo;s very valuable to those who <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/05/10-years-after-snowden-some-things-are-better-some-were-still-fighting">aim to control</a> the flow of information. Being able to detect when particular figures gain (or lose) influence over others itself is a significant data-point as well.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/4bbd4e5a-352d-4d24-82ea-e8832e902021?title=0'> </iframe> <p>Securing metadata is a non-trivial problem to solve, especially if you want to have a variety of community &amp; individually administered services. The advantage of having communications go through a single-point is that erasing metadata is as simple as deleting it (or not preserving it in the first place). This becomes impractical for other reasons though, because if one can be prevented from accessing that single service, its metadata protection is&hellip;irrelevant.</p> <h3 id="encryption">Encryption</h3> <p>The other side of the coin of secure messaging is <a href="https://proton.me/blog/what-is-encryption">encryption.</a> Your messages need to be safe from prying eyes in transit and at rest. There are many factors to consider when understanding what encryption features are available. When information is encrypted with a key, those who have access to the key(s) will be able restore the original information.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/3ea25e18-a741-4fc1-9159-aacebef87855?title=0'> </iframe> <h4 id="key-management">Key Management</h4> <p>When messages are encrypted, whose keys are used?<br> Are messages secured with the participants keys or is a corporation doing all the encryption?<br> Where are the keys stored? On the device, or with a service provider?<br> These questions have profound impact on the security of the system and people&rsquo;s messages. Simply taking encrypted to mean secure is an easy trap to fall into.</p> <h4 id="key-exchange">Key Exchange</h4> <p>When someone starts a chat with someone new, how are keys exchanged? Are the keys shared by users directly? Or is a service provider assigning keys to each participant?</p> <h4 id="end-to-end-encryption">End-to-End Encryption</h4> <p>Are messages secured from being snooped on by the service provider? What are the guarantees that nefarious changes can&rsquo;t be introduced by the big tech corporation <a href="https://restoreprivacy.com/messenger-and-facebook-get-signal-based-end-to-end-encryption/">managing the keys?</a></p> <h4 id="encryption-at-rest">Encryption at Rest</h4> <p>Wherever the messages are stored for safekeeping, the last thing anyone wants is for those messages to be stolen and revealed. This means that the messages need to be stored privately, as well as encrypted in case the storage is compromised.</p> <h4 id="perfect-forward-secrecy">Perfect Forward Secrecy</h4> <p>It&rsquo;s a bad idea to have a single key for every message, to protect messages across time they need to be secured with a unique key individually. This means that if a key is discovered or revealed, it can&rsquo;t be used to decrypt past and future communications.</p> <h3 id="external-threats">External Threats</h3> <h4 id="interception">Interception</h4> <p>Even if your communications are secure, it&rsquo;s possible that they may still be intercepted and stored. This gives attackers time to try breaking encryption as technology advances and more sophisticated techniques are discovered.</p> <h4 id="software-environment">Software Environment</h4> <p>Your messaging software may be perfect, but that may not prevent other parts of your system proactively attempting to spy on you. Even something as innocuous as the <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2023/12/06/push-notification-spying/">notifications system</a> on your smart phone can be used to steal information.</p> <h2 id="interlude-why-is-this-worth-understanding">Interlude: <em>Why is this Worth Understanding?</em></h2> <p>It&rsquo;s critical that we get key management <em>right</em>. After countless data breaches and hacks, it&rsquo;s understandable that institutions want to move people away from difficult (if not impossible) to secure systems like email and sms. You&rsquo;ll notice, both of these systems are used for <strong>authentication</strong>. Not only that, but sms for 2nd-factor authentication is also what has increased people&rsquo;s dependency on smartphones. We have a <em>chicken and the egg</em> problem when it comes to authentication. Switching to new systems ultimately requires some way to practically solve <strong>key management</strong>.</p> <h3 id="diving-into-authentication">Diving into Authentication</h3> <p>There is a <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/real-name-online/">great push</a> to end online privacy for all kinds of reasons. Governments and corporations don&rsquo;t really have incentives to protect you from risk, but rather want to <em>protect themselves from your risk.</em> This is why many workplaces will issue their own devices, locked down under their control and governments are seeking ways to digitize personal identification.</p> <p>If we truly want to be in control of our own digital identities, and how they can and can&rsquo;t be used, it&rsquo;s critical that we refuse to be boxed into identity systems modeled after feudalism. Of course, escaping it by oneself is hardly sufficient, as liberty-minded individuals it is of utmost importance that we empower others to also refuse digital tyranny. Tools are a useful part of this, but so is understanding the proper boundaries.</p> <p>By allowing a corporation or government to assign you a sole, permanent, digital key management system under their control, you&rsquo;re not a client but a subject. Suddenly as that authentication mechanism becomes embedded in other areas, such as entertainment, finance, and even social interaction one can be penalized in all kinds of cruel and bizarre ways. While using a single, intuitive, and permanent authentication method for everything may seem convenient, it&rsquo;s going to have troubling drawbacks if people don&rsquo;t have at least the option of self-custody.</p> <p>Hardware authenticators and global password-less logins aren&rsquo;t inherently evil, but it&rsquo;s easy to see how they will be used to lure people into digital key management systems that take authentication out of their control. This can get much worse as biometrics are integrated into authentication itself. In that scenario it can be much harder to opt-out.</p> <p>Anyways, it&rsquo;s worth thinking about.<br> Back to messaging software.</p> <h2 id="common-pitfalls">Common Pitfalls</h2> <h3 id="reliance-on-smartphones">Reliance on Smartphones</h3> <p>Mainstream smartphone platforms have constant and pervasive privacy risks, even from the manufacturer&rsquo;s themselves. This makes reliance on smartphones a net-negative for any secure messaging system. Some messengers exist exclusively as smartphone apps, meaning that those who do not use, or would prefer not to use them are locked out entirely. If nothing else, it&rsquo;s nice to have access to a keyboard once in a while. Requiring a phone number and/or text message to register is functionally the same as requiring a mobile phone to use the system.</p> <h3 id="large-groups">Large Groups</h3> <p>As the number of participants rise, encrypting communications becomes more complex, and less useful as the content becomes all-but public information anyways. In some circumstances, it may be preferable to warn users as groups become too large to keep meaningfully private.</p> <h3 id="third-party-integrations">Third-Party Integrations</h3> <p>It can be very simple to rely on external providers for additional features. These additional features can come with significant privacy risks as clients make requests to these additional services. This can also include problems and security threats inherited from software ecosystem choices like particular libraries and APIs.</p> <h3 id="user-experience-challenges">User Experience Challenges</h3> <p>It can be difficult when a piece of software is superior on a large variety of important criteria, but then fails to be intuitive to use. This can be a significant barrier, and may also include accessibility concerns.</p> <h3 id="free-of-charge-vs-paid-services">Free of Charge vs Paid Services</h3> <p>Who funds development? Where does the hosting for the service come from? These are critical questions to ask about any project, but it&rsquo;s especially important when it comes to your private communications. There&rsquo;s also the question of non-technical uses of funding. Does the app have an army of (potentially paid) online marketers? Is it featured in advertising or paid sponsorships? Are donations/revenue used for efforts that are more about politics than improving services?</p> <h2 id="open-protocols">Open Protocols</h2> <p>Open, interoperable protocols are exciting. They can help separate specific service providers from being the totality of the system itself. In the long run, hopefully these systems become significantly anti-fragile as they&rsquo;re adopted further. The main advantage of having an open protocol is that a variety of client software can be used, instead of betting everything on a single application. The point of an open protocol is to define a <em>common standard</em> that different systems can all interact through.</p> <p>When it comes to choosing between Matrix and XMPP, you may want to consider <a href="https://lukesmith.xyz/articles/matrix-vs-xmpp/">this outline.</a> That said, open protocols are one of the foundational pieces of building a better technological future.</p> <h3 id="xmpp">XMPP</h3> <p>The <a href="https://xmpp.org/">Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol</a> has been around since at least 2004. It is a <a href="https://ijver.me/blog/xmpp-explained/">fully decentralized</a> protocol with a variety of clients and servers. Definitely worth considering for fully independent communications infrastructure. XMPP supports multiple end-to-end encryption schemes. Since XMPP is an open protocol, it&rsquo;s possible to <a href="https://getimiskon.xyz/posts/2022/2022-04-21.html">build a server from scratch</a>.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/86d8b6df-8000-41f6-a92c-1d8ba2501972'> </iframe> <h4 id="clients">Clients</h4> <ul> <li>For Linux/Windows: <a href="https://gajim.org">Gajim</a></li> <li>MacOS/iOS: <a href="https://monal-im.org/">Monal</a></li> <li>Android: <a href="https://conversations.im/">Conversations</a></li> </ul> <h4 id="servers">Servers</h4> <ul> <li><a href="https://prosody.im/">Prosody</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ejabberd.im/index.html">Ejabberd</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="https://digdeeper.club/articles/xmpp.xhtml">Advanced guide</a></p> <h3 id="matrix">Matrix</h3> <p><a href="https://matrix.org/">Matrix</a> is an &ldquo;open network for secure, decentralized communication&rdquo;. The primary client is Element, which is a polished and intuitive cross-platform application. The matrix foundation has some <a href="https://matrix.org/blog/2023/09/matrix-2-0/">exciting innovations</a> in the works, including <a href="https://thirdroom.io/landing">VR experiences!</a></p> <h4 id="clientshttpsmatrixorgecosystemclients"><a href="https://matrix.org/ecosystem/clients/">Clients</a></h4> <ul> <li><a href="https://element.io">Element</a></li> <li><a href="https://fluffychat.im/">Fluffychat</a></li> <li><a href="https://schildi.chat/">SchildiChat</a></li> </ul> <h4 id="servershttpsmatrixorgecosystemservers"><a href="https://matrix.org/ecosystem/servers/">Servers</a></h4> <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/">Synapse</a></li> <li><a href="https://conduit.rs/">Conduit</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="alternative-messengers">Alternative Messengers</h2> <h3 id="signal">Signal</h3> <p><a href="https://www.signal.org/">Signal</a> has recently been under harsh scrutiny after recently <a href="https://www.signal.org/blog/signal-is-expensive/">asking for donations</a> to run their service and <a href="https://www.androidpolice.com/signal-testing-usernames-feature-privacy-messenger/">beginning testing</a> on using usernames instead of phone numbers. Despite a <a href="https://restoreprivacy.com/secure-encrypted-messaging-apps/signal/">solid history</a> the hard requirement of using a phone number has been a significant concern.</p> <p>For those unable or unwilling to run their own communications infrastructure, Signal is a huge improvement over corporate and mainstream social media messengers and boasts <a href="https://www.signal.org/blog/pqxdh/">quantum resistance</a>. In fact, many of them are adopting a modified (possibly inferior) version of the signal implementation of end-to-end encryption.</p> <p>For android, <a href="https://molly.im/">Molly</a> is a fully-free open source alternative client. The majority of issues surrounding Signal are inherent to using a phone with <a href="https://drewdevault.com/2018/08/08/Signal.html#google-play">google play services.</a></p> <h3 id="briar">Briar</h3> <p><a href="https://briarproject.org/">Briar</a> is a fascinating project aimed to allow communication over a variety of networks, including bluetooth. Unfortunately, Briar is limited to running on Android and it would be nice if it supported other platforms. Briar is missing some expected features, but it&rsquo;s censorship resistance features are very sophisticated.</p> <h3 id="simplex">SimpleX</h3> <p><a href="https://simplex.chat/">SimpleX</a> is very much in the same vein as Briar. Looks like an excellent and promising project, but sadly is limited to smartphones. SMP servers can be <a href="https://simplex.chat/docs/server.html">self-hosted</a> and the documentation is quite good.</p> <h3 id="jami">Jami</h3> <p><a href="https://jami.net/">Jami</a> is a peer-to-peer communication suite available for android, Windows &amp; Linux. It can also function as a SIP client to make ordinary phone calls. Jami can take a bit of time to learn, but has a wide array of useful features.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/31c78d28-ad9f-488d-b9cd-8a234c1c75aa'> </iframe> <h2 id="what-to-choose">What to Choose?</h2> <p>I generally recommend not putting all your hopes into a single option. By restricting your choices to a single option it can be difficult to coordinate with others. Being flexible can help, but this should be reciprocal. Everyone&rsquo;s situation and desired results will be different, but in general I recommend using the most secure options that you and your contacts are willing to learn/adopt.</p> <p>This is no trivial task, which is why you should help inform your contacts why taking their own privacy and security affects them and you. Many hands make light work, and we can achieve a lot when we work together.</p> <h2 id="potential-game-changers">Potential Game-Changers</h2> <p>None of this means we are doomed forever. There is a great deal of opportunity in working to resolve these problems. Not only that, but there are some key innovations that would go a long way to tipping the scales in favor of secure self-custody communications.</p> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Modularity</strong></p> <p>So called &ldquo;<em>freedom tech</em>&rdquo; needs to embrace the &ldquo;Unix Philosophy&rdquo;: <em>Do one thing, and do it well</em>. Far too many projects will try to reinvent <em>everything</em> and predictably fall flat while doing so. For example, when developing software for a particular purpose, consider using an open standard like <a href="https://openid.net/developers/how-connect-works/">OpenID connect</a> or <a href="https://indieauth.net/">IndieAuth</a> to let other software handle authentication. <a href="https://matrix.org/blog/2023/09/better-auth/">Separating authentication</a> from primary functions can allow for other innovations to improve that aspect of more systems.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Hardware Keys</strong></p> <p>A truly Free (<em>as in Freedom</em>) self-custody system for managing encryption keys could help in many areas. A permission-less system like <a href="https://fidoalliance.org/fido2/">FIDO2</a> could go a long way to make secure options much more user-friendly. Allowing for greater convenience and greater autonomy.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Network Agnosticism</strong></p> <p>Assumptions made in the past may not hold for the future of a more surveilled and censored Internet. The ability to seamlessly work with censorship evasion and anonymity technologies like <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/shadow">Tor and I2P</a> can go a long way.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Generative Tools</strong></p> <p>If metadata is such a big problem, embedded text-generation machine learning models could send out extra communications at random to unused keys. This could make the complexity of mapping actual communications significantly more expensive at minimal computational cost.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Custom Devices</strong></p> <p>People would do well to take inspiration from <a href="https://hackaday.com/2023/08/07/review-beepy-a-palm-sized-linux-hacking-playground/">Beepy</a> which is a custom device one can use with secure messengers. This straightforward concept of a single-purpose device can greatly reduce people&rsquo;s dependency on surveillance devices.</p> </li> </ul> Digital Autonomy and Resilient Living https://libresolutions.network/videos/resilient-living/ Fri, 08 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/resilient-living/ /media/images/resilient-living-banner.webp <p>In this feature of <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/digital-autonomy-series">Digital Autonomy Discussions</a> Gabriel had a discussion with Rebecca Cunningham who runs <a href="https://www.redflyermedia.com/">Red Flyer Media.</a> She is a Visual Storyteller, Motorcycle Rider, Vagabond, Video Editor, Moto-Journalist, Documentary Filmmaker. We discuss censorship resistance, the rural and urban divide, as well as the many factors of building up one&rsquo;s own independence.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/1028cbe9-b1c1-4916-91f2-f5c9fbb81ee9?title=0'> </iframe> <h3 id="resources-referenced">Resources Referenced:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://meshtastic.org/">Meshtastic</a></li> <li><a href="https://hackaday.io/project/164092-npr-new-packet-radio">New Packet Radio</a></li> <li><a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLstAKURZ5YBhvKAuymg_Y0sC4w5aKN66w&amp;si=2rs5-L4tEcDyJuYc">Bear&rsquo;s Prepper Classroom Playlist</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/u5qBwTIklUE?si=nk-z2hzrCZ21pPqF">Jack Spirko</a></li> <li><a href="https://youtube.com/@lftn?si=olM53Fl06JYhqv_O">Nicole Sauce</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="more-to-come">More to Come</h2> <p>This series is intended to help bring together different voices to explore how technology can help (or hinder) people&rsquo;s ability to live their lives. This episode is just a taste of the wide array of topics worth giving their own attention.</p> <h3 id="join-the-discussion">Join the Discussion</h3> <p>Would you like to talk about where digital autonomy intersects with your passion?<br> You&rsquo;re invited! Feel free to <a href="https://libresolutions.network/videos/2023-11/#digital-autonomy-series">get in touch.</a></p> November Recap https://libresolutions.network/videos/2023-11/ Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/2023-11/ /media/images/recap-nov-2023.webp <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/a2703e5f-7617-4363-846f-24e647c1fac4?title=0'> </iframe> <h3 id="new-posts">New posts:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/real-name-online/">Papers Please: The Attack on Online Privacy</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/eu-cyberwar/">The EU Cyberwar on People &amp; the Web</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/grayjay/">A Grayjay Review</a></li> </ul> <h3 id="the-hrvoje-moric-show">The Hrvoje Moric Show</h3> <p>I joined the <a href="https://tntradio.live/shows/the-hrvoje-moric-show/">Hrvoje Moric Show</a> to discuss the <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/eu-cyberwar/">eIDAS 2.0</a> proposal concerns. Notably the introduction of a state-mandated root certificate in browsers, as well as the digital ID framework.</p> <p>Listen <a href="https://tntradiolive.podbean.com/e/gabriel-of-libre-solutions-on-the-hrvoje-moric-show-10-november-2023/">on podbean</a></p> <hr> <h2 id="digital-autonomy-series">Digital Autonomy Series</h2> <h3 id="youre-invited">You&rsquo;re invited!</h3> <p>I&rsquo;m quite happy with how the <a href="https://peertube.libresolutions.network/w/p/1nTQDQee8QWTn1YDC7Wz8H">Digital Autonomy and the Arts</a> discussions have gone. I&rsquo;m hoping to gain more insight from other artists as well as other domains. Anyone is welcome as long as you have a passion for liberty, and want to discuss how we can better align our technological future for it.</p> <p>Are you someone who has a passion outside of technology? Would you like to have a discussion exploring how your domain is being impacted negatively by intrusive technology?</p> <p>If so, Please get in touch! <a href="mailto:gabriel@libresolutions.network">Email</a> <a href="xmpp://gabeg@member.fsf.org">XMPP</a> <a href="https://matrix.to/%20%20%20@gabriel:libresolutions.network#/@gabriel:libresolutions.network">Matrix</a></p> <p>I’m interested in getting connected with passionate people who are interested in applying their domain-specific knowledge to opposing tyranny. I think it’s a crucial conversation and I’m hoping to learn from others where technology can intersect with those goals.</p> <h2 id="special-feature">Special Feature</h2> <p>Moved by some of <a href="http://twitter.com/weareiceni">Spartacus&rsquo;</a> great words in his Spartacasts (<a href="https://iceni.substack.com/p/spartacast-11">11</a>,<a href="https://iceni.substack.com/p/spartacast-12">12</a>,<a href="https://iceni.substack.com/p/spartacast-13">13</a>) against senseless wars. I chose to mix the audio with some music and work with <a href="https://visceraladventure.substack.com/">Visceral Adventure</a> to produce a mini-documentary out of it.</p> <p>Watch on Visceral Adventure&rsquo;s <a href="https://visceraladventure.substack.com/p/war-and-democide">Substack</a></p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/40fccac2-0239-40ce-88d5-4a029770c25b'> </iframe> <p>Watch on <a href="https://peertube.libresolutions.network/w/92rS5X3nfkHyZdknuodz6n?start=15m42s">Peertube</a></p> <hr> <h2 id="-rounding-the-earth">🌎 Rounding The Earth</h2> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/aa175fc0-1e6a-46b6-b9e4-01a793e506ef?title=0'> </iframe> <p>Some of my time is spent on content for the Rounding The Earth <a href="https://roundingtheearth.locals.com/">Locals community</a>. These off-the-cuff presentations give me a chance to summarize recent thoughts and present ideas I&rsquo;m trying to hone. If you&rsquo;re interested in my work, as well as the <a href="https://roundingtheearth.substack.com/">Rounding The Earth</a> project, you may appreciate these.</p> <h3 id="presentations">Presentations:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://roundingtheearth.locals.com/post/4810009/is-freedom-tech-doomed-locals-exclusive">Is Freedom Tech Doomed?</a></li> <li><a href="https://roundingtheearth.locals.com/post/4873514/how-to-save-the-internet-locals-exclusive">How to Save the Internet</a></li> <li><a href="https://roundingtheearth.locals.com/post/4904750/the-caper-of-the-century-locals-exclusive">The Caper of the Century: Origins of the Great Reset</a></li> </ul> <hr> <h2 id="items-of-interest">Items of Interest</h2> <p><a href="https://nationalcitizensinquiry.ca/commissioners-report/">Inquiry into the Appropriateness and Efficacy of the COVID-19 Response in Canada</a></p> <p><a href="https://beyondthemaze.substack.com/p/the-wellness-company">The Wellness Company - Altruistic alternative healthcare empire, or intelligence operation? </a></p> <p><a href="https://www.eff.org/wp/behind-the-one-way-mirror">Behind the One-Way Mirror: A Deep Dive Into the Technology of Corporate Surveillance</a></p> <p><a href="https://opensource.net/governments-adopt-open-source-sovereignty/">Governments turn to Open Source for sovereignty</a></p> <p><a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/law-professor-blockchain-tech-revolutionize-copyright-intellectual-property">Law professor says blockchain tech could ‘revolutionize’ copyright offices </a></p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/IUiOcsDiTiA">Governmental Internet Power Grab?&hellip; FCC Adopts New Rules</a> [YouTube]</p> <p><a href="https://pleromanonx86.wordpress.com/2023/11/22/two-fediverses-one-network/">Two fediverses, one network</a></p> <p><a href="https://erinkissane.com/mastodon-is-easy-and-fun-except-when-it-isnt">Mastodon Is Easy and Fun Except When It Isn’t</a></p> <h2 id="substack-roundup">Substack Roundup</h2> <p><a href="https://www.libertarianprepper.com/p/how-to-download-wikipedia-offline">How to download Wikipedia to your phone</a></p> <p><a href="https://totalityofevidence.substack.com/p/help-support-the-wayback-machine">Help Support The Wayback Machine - a very important service.</a></p> <p><a href="https://public.substack.com/p/ctil-files-1-us-and-uk-military-contractors">CTIL Files #1: US And UK Military Contractors Created Sweeping Plan For Global Censorship In 2018, New Documents Show</a></p> <p><a href="https://unlimitedhangout.com/2020/08/investigative-reports/meet-the-idf-linked-cybersecurity-group-protecting-us-hospitals-pro-bono/">More info</a></p> <h2 id="peertube-roundup">PeerTube Roundup</h2> <p><a href="https://framablog.org/2023/11/28/peertube-v6-is-out-and-powered-by-your-ideas/">PeerTube v6 is out, and powered by your ideas!</a></p> <p><a href="https://tilvids.com/w/o19cYrsdskBsUAptgq7foM">Turkey Inkscape - Developer Update 25th Nov 2023</a></p> <p>I&rsquo;m choosing to highlight this because I think it&rsquo;s important for people to consider that many great things can be accomplished by paying competent developers directly. You can support Martin&rsquo;s work on Inkscape on his <a href="https://liberapay.com/doctormo">Liberapay</a></p> <iframe src='https://tilvids.com/videos/embed/b22e1ba0-3781-4866-a1c6-8e267d5d0c31?title=0'> </iframe> <p><a href="https://denshi.live/w/479a9cf1-a37d-4a39-a590-aaf7106f33c0">Ok, but what is XMPP?</a></p> <p>This is an excellent video by <a href="https://denshi.org/">Denshi</a> explaining what XMPP is and why it works in the way it does. <a href="https://comfy.guide/">Comfy Guides</a> is also a great resource, which includes how to set up your own <a href="https://comfy.guide/server/prosody/">XMPP Server</a>.</p> <iframe src='https://denshi.live/videos/embed/479a9cf1-a37d-4a39-a590-aaf7106f33c0'> </iframe> <p><a href="https://peertube.linuxrocks.online/w/1a9a76da-aa28-48a0-a3e1-7e828547632e">Framework: Building an Open, Reliable Laptop (Ubuntu Summit Presentation)</a></p> <p>This is a good demo of the Framework laptop. Which is a fascinating project exemplifying how a laptop can be repairable, modular, and therefore easily upgradable by the user. If nothing else, it&rsquo;s worth considering how we as consumers should push manufacturers in some of these directions.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.linuxrocks.online/videos/embed/1a9a76da-aa28-48a0-a3e1-7e828547632e'> </iframe> <hr> Papers Please: The Attack on Online Privacy https://libresolutions.network/articles/real-name-online/ Sat, 18 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/real-name-online/ /media/images/no-trolls-wide.webp <h2 id="leaping-at-shadows">Leaping at Shadows</h2> <p>Calls to end anonymity on social media are not new, but every once in a while they return as tensions rise. These renewed calls will suggest more <a href="https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1724527403798561155">extreme measures against platforms</a> that allow even mere pseudonymity, much less complete anonymity. These proposals aim to ensure that the cost of communication with others, or even the public will be privacy. The argument presumes that if everyone was forced to have everything recorded in their real name, then interactions online would always be more civil and productive.</p> <p>This is a very disingenuous argument. Seemingly polite and efficient communications under one set of assumptions, at one time, may be seen in an entirely different context years later. Forcing people to speak only with their real names forces all communication to be contextualized within <a href="https://denisrancourt.ca/entries.php?id=20">real-life power struggles.</a> To say it a different way, the progressive leftists <em>are correct</em> that <strong>free speech isn&rsquo;t free speech if it&rsquo;s constrained by social status and institutional forces.</strong> Where they tend to go wrong is that they believe that building a new &ldquo;equitable&rdquo; social hierarchy and institutional structure on top can resolve this conflict.</p> <p>What they misunderstand, but the establishment power players do understand quite well is that <em>online anonymity changes the game</em>. The <a href="https://www.activism.net/cypherpunk/manifesto.html">cypherpunks</a> had the right idea, give the people privacy and we can liberate ideas from the humans they&rsquo;re temporarily attached to. You may have heard <em>&ldquo;If voting ever really made a difference, they would make it illegal!&rdquo;</em>, with that in mind you might reconsider why online anonymity is such a threat to power. Despite being around for quite a while, people tend to misunderstand <strong>what social media is.</strong></p> <p>There is limitless information online, more media than you could ever watch or listen to in many lifetimes. People do need a layer to discover, prioritize and share that content. One of the things that made social media immediately successful was to receive content made by, or suggested by your trusted contacts. Over time, platforms moved to <em>monetize</em> that trusted attention and started taking over people&rsquo;s feeds. This has lead to many people forgetting what good <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/social-media/">social media</a> ever was in the first place. With state censorship and corporate surveillance the deal has only <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/dead-internet/">gotten worse</a> and worse over time.</p> <p>But hypothetically, the fact that you still <em>can get information from others</em> near and afar, friend and foe alike is <em>immensely powerful</em>. Being able to learn from those who don&rsquo;t share your background can help broaden your perspective and make you empathize with those you may not otherwise. Being able to receive information from others across space and time without governments or corporations interfering is <strong>the gamechanger</strong> that the powerful fear the most. This is why you should be not just suspicious, but outright disgusted at those who wish to restrict all communication to real names only.</p> <p>This is why journalists <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/the-curse-and-blessing-of-the-anonymous-source/">have procedures</a> to protect whistleblowers, who must remain anonymous to keep them safe from retaliation. Unfortunately, as media institutions become corrupted, so too does their ability to properly platform those wishing to fight abuse. A problem with this is that while one may have important information, it may be seen as not worthy of a particular journalists time. We should be grateful that there are <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/shadow/">tools that can</a> help whistleblowers speak to the public directly without risking their identity and safety. It&rsquo;s frustrating to see the calls for transparency only go in one direction. The <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/coordinated-attack/">policy position</a> is clear: <em>&ldquo;Privacy for me, but not for thee&rdquo;</em></p> <h2 id="whats-in-a-name">What&rsquo;s in a Name?</h2> <p>It is quite convenient that <a href="https://x.com/C_Kavanagh/status/1669505248220839936">the people</a> who often advance calls to undermine privacy are those who have <em>already established</em> profitable personas within the established orthodoxy. When one speaks out in their own name, (<em>as I do</em>) there is a price being paid to do so. Naturally one is open to criticism and attacks, but also the internet never forgets. We are in a time where one&rsquo;s public positions are always known once they are known. We would all do well to be <em>careful</em> with what we wish to attach our names to. This is often why those who choose to speak out in their names receive significant praise and trust. After all, if one is willing to stake their entire reputation on an issue, they must always be a strong incorruptible champion. The trouble though, is that things don&rsquo;t always work out that way.</p> <p>Not everyone can afford to risk their income, or even their lives, to dissent against power. While there will always be a lucky few, who are able or willing to take that risk, imposing it on others will simply reduce the amount of people willing to speak out. It would be a mistake to restrict all speech to those who can afford to take the risk of speaking in their name. Protecting online privacy allows for more people to speak out about more things. It&rsquo;s very possible that there are people in positions to reveal damning secrets, but don&rsquo;t feel safe pointing others to the truth. From top secret institutions, to corporations, and even families, it&rsquo;s critical that there is always a channel for people to speak out about abuse, especially of the vulnerable. It should be our top priority to ensure that it&rsquo;s <em>possible</em> to correct grave wrongs.</p> <iframe src='https://tube.tchncs.de/videos/embed/c0b1f5f8-1192-4efc-b9e8-8fa5d8286ba3?title=0'> </iframe> <p>For the majority of the public, the information landscape has significantly consolidated around a few major services. With the exception of those who have already fled to <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/call-to-action-join-the-fediverse/">decentralized alternatives,</a> the majority of social media users have their attention constrained to a couple of corporate controlled entities. Those entities are under pressure of more state control to direct that attention. This means that anyone choosing to speak out in their name has to be careful about how they use their limited resources to make an impact. Those with power and influence can easily bribe, flatter, or otherwise compromise those with a large following. One may have a critical message to share, but the means they use to disseminate it can be quite restrictive.</p> <p>To make things worse, using real names doesn&rsquo;t eliminate the worst of abuse and hostility. Hate and rage is often freely expressed (and sometimes rewarded) when taken out on <a href="https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=divisive_rhetoric_about_the_unvaccinated">officially sanctioned targets</a>, creating scenarios where those speaking out in their names are likely to be more cruel than one can be without naming themselves. When people are attacked by those with a well-known identity, it can often be more personal than a few low-effort attacks from trolls. This gets worse when everyone has to be named. Without the choice of opt-ing out of giving up your identity, you are forced to run the risk of eventually being turned into an &ldquo;<em>acceptable target</em>&rdquo; with no recourse.</p> <p>This is true of taken names as well. Pseudonymity doesn&rsquo;t protect against attacks, slander, sanction or almost any other measure that can silence a real name. The major advantages of using a pseudonym is that your content can be disconnected from you as a person, and that your pseudonym is disposable. In fact, using a pseudonym instead of your real name was generally considered to be <em>basic internet safety</em> until social media companies started selling your data. When one demands all pseudonyms be unmasked, I ask: &ldquo;What gives you the right to demand everyone&rsquo;s personal information?&rdquo;. Because unlike a pseudonym, your real name <strong>isn&rsquo;t disposable</strong>.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/33dd267c-2db9-4ce9-b00c-c1d5225fe04c?title=0'> </iframe> <p>This is not to say that there shouldn&rsquo;t be places where people choose to interact with their real names, but we should vehemently resist a one-size-fits-all imposition. Shoving anonymity and pseudonymity out of real-discussions won&rsquo;t improve things, but in fact is more likely to cause more radicalization and abuse. Discussions without real names attached can be less personal, so rational thought can take the wheel instead of heightened emotions. Emotions are part of the human experience. We should guide our thoughts and actions with love and compassion, just not at the expense of wrestling with difficult ideas.</p> <h2 id="society-needs-its-radicals">Society Needs Its Radicals</h2> <p>Much of the desire to purge online spaces of privacy has to do with the idea of building a <em>perception</em> of proper care and etiquette. There is nothing wrong with an exclusive space curating their own ideal experience, the troubles come when that becomes the only permissible model. Unlike the real-life metaphors people will cling to, such as bars and concert halls, the internet practically has no space limits. Outside of the raw storage to hold media, and the bandwidth to carry it, there is no reason one space has to exist at the expense of another. What does happen, is that legacy institutions resist and attack attempts to build democratized competition.</p> <p>Radicals and their wild ideas can challenge long-held assumptions that may no longer hold, or resolve an untenable contradiction. New ways of thinking, new ways of solving problems are always a threat to entrenched power. Not all wild ideas are good ones, but the only way to find out which ones is to give them a chance to be understood. The more an institution is build on assumption, the more vulnerable it is to being disrupted by new concepts and different views. This means that those institutions will treat those ideas as an existential threat, regardless of their merits.</p> <p>The advantage of isolating ideas, is that they can move faster than people. You have permission to copy this text, and share it with your friends, and they have the same granted to them, and so on. If this caught on, this piece and it&rsquo;s points would spread faster than any institution could keep up with. This is true of any written words, but we&rsquo;re seeing it apply more and more to images, and video as digital technology advances. Anything that becomes detached from it&rsquo;s origin and spread gets the benefit of being interpreted and reinterpreted from all kinds of different contexts. This can either add clarity, or refute the concept entirely.</p> <p>Online <em>and offline</em> anonymity is <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/anonymity/">worth protecting,</a> but there&rsquo;s so much more that we can do. If we really want to move on from corrupt institutions, captured governments, and hostile media, it&rsquo;s possible we need to rediscover ways to cooperate without all the extra noise of who is who. A crucial task is building up tools, infrastructure, and projects that democratize information without compromising on people&rsquo;s privacy. This is because with a bit of creativity, all of us can <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/beehive/">work together</a> in ways that are impossible to shut down. A group of people working anonymously for a common purpose are significantly more expensive and complicated to infiltrate, bribe, or control. It&rsquo;s really easy to manipulate and pick apart a few popular figures, or pit their fans against each other. Successfully building efficient bottom-up tools can create a win-win scenario: institutions either reform themselves to adapt to the new circumstances, or are made obsolete by new structures. Either way, the people can choose to move things in a better direction.</p> The EU Cyberwar on People & the Web https://libresolutions.network/articles/eu-cyberwar/ Mon, 06 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/eu-cyberwar/ /media/images/web surveillance & control.webp <p>The largest institutions from governments, alliances, and multi-national corporations are all wrestling for control over total digital dominance of the public. Your own access to information, and control over your data are both important objectives to these organizations. This battle over people&rsquo;s digital lives is not without it&rsquo;s consequences. There are disastrous possibilities if any group manages to secure surveillance and/or control over everyone&rsquo;s online communications, transactions, and information.</p> <p>This problem isn&rsquo;t new. Even back in 2002, Stephan Engberg was one of many warning about how knee-jerk approaches to digital security can end up creating new unnecessary risks. From convenience to institutions with control over our lives, there are all kinds of ways in which security and control can be out of the people&rsquo;s hands. Essential services like banking, communication, and access to necessities can very easily be gated behind &ldquo;<em>secure</em>&rdquo; options fraught with problems.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/privacy-engineering-group-bigdata-vs-smalldata.webp' > <p class="caption"> Privacy Engineering Group - Stephan Engberg <a href='https://youtu.be/G1AjkYFlPF4'>Source</a> </p> </div> <p>There is a temptation, to try to build a <em>privacy respecting</em> foundation to build digital identity on. Stephan himself is working on Citizenkey, which aims to make anonymous verification possible, with the possibility of de-anonymization through a trusted third party. As an alternative route to total top-down control and tyranny, this would seem like a decent compromise, but unfortunately there is little reason to believe it would stay that way. The assumption that institutions have the right to treat people like livestock to be tracked is <em>itself the problem</em>.</p> <p>There is no reason that as our lives are transformed by additional digital options, that we must accept losses of privacy to move forward. This arrogant fallacy merely suits those who want to rent-seek on advances in technology by privatizing (or brokering) control of it. At least while we still can, it&rsquo;s important to remember that each and every one of us cna choose a different path.</p> <h1 id="the-poison-pill">The Poison Pill</h1> <p>The EU recently had to <a href="https://digitalcourage.social/@echo_pbreyer/111301651490673542">back-off extreme client-side-scanning</a> measures, to much fanfare, even calling it a victory. Repealing merely the most offensive part of legislation that can enable and sanction state overreach is not a long-term solution. As we can see, the EU is already rolling forward with more egregious attacks on people&rsquo;s privacy.</p> <p>An <a href="https://blog.mozilla.org/netpolicy/files/2023/11/eIDAS-Industry-Letter.pdf">open letter</a> signed by Mozilla, and other tech organizations and companies, decries the inclusion of a <strong>root certifiate</strong> into browsers. A <a href="https://last-chance-for-eidas.org/art45interception.html">root certificate</a> is a digital file that validates SLL certificates for websites, for any website. If I can place a root certificate on your device (or have it included in your browser) I have the ability to decrypt <strong>all of your online traffic</strong>. This has been done <a href="https://censoredplanet.org/kazakhstan">by despotic regimes</a> to snoop on internet traffic and opens the door to even more egregious acts of online censorship. Not only are the root certificates required, but under the regulations browsers are not allowed to revoke the certificates if they are abused.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/d63f2d30-3f4c-4490-9f70-6cbe3aa78132?title=0'> </iframe> <p>It&rsquo;s great to have organizations like the Linux Foundation, and companies like Cloudflare stand up for our internet security right? <em>Not so fast!</em> All the fanfare about eIDAS 2.0 seems to suspiciously exclude the fact that the regulation itself builds a framework for digital ID. These organizations are merely standing against the worst part of legislation that will undermine digital freedoms. If we can&rsquo;t trust our governments to <strong>not</strong> include provisions like the root certificate addition, trusting hem with digital ID is merely another opportunity to exploit the public.</p> <h1 id="digital-id">Digital ID</h1> <p>It&rsquo;s well understood that most internet traffic is bots these days. It&rsquo;s only becoming harder and harder for us and the controllers to tell who is a person and who is a digital agent acting on someone&rsquo;s behalf. Surveillance and control of the outside world is still an expensive and violent affair. <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/digital-id">Digital ID</a> is something that can mitigate both these problems. By forcing you to give up anonymity (or even pseudonymity) in a variety of places, you can be controlled by those who control the system.</p> <p>During the Covid Crisis <a href="https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=vaccine_passport">vaccine passports</a> functioned as a beta test for Digital ID. Access to all kinds of entertainment and recreation was contingent on having a digital wallet that included your health information, many people lost their employment for lacking one. Far from a hypothetical, China used the health pass system to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-bank-protest-stopped-by-health-codes-turning-red-depositors-say-2022-06-14/">suppress bank runs.</a> This has given many insight into the abuses that are possible if access to services and essentials is gated behind a programmable identification.</p> <p>While sympathy for those without vaccine passports wasn&rsquo;t particularly high where I lived, it&rsquo;s important to understand what this system does to all of our fundamental rights. For quite some time now, the western world has made civil rights progress by establishing groups that are protected from particular kinds of discrimination. Just as it wasn&rsquo;t any help to protect people from medical discrimination during the covid crisis, this framework will be wholly inadequate at protecting people from automated <em>individual discrimination</em>.</p> <p>If the power structure has insight to all of a person&rsquo;s activities, what they read, and what they say. It becomes easier to oppress particular people for reasons that aren&rsquo;t attached to a protected class. More and more people&rsquo;s fundamental rights will be eroded by a constant flow of conjured <em>exceptions</em> to individual rights protections. In the Covid Crisis the discrimination was over health decisions, but the exact same framework could be used towards other ends. One day, a tyrant could use the system to punish those who are <em>neurodivergent</em>, or otherwise <em>deviant</em> from the ideal model citizen. Instead of punishing people for crimes, you can use permissioned control of society to punish individuals for <em>what they are</em> and for particular aspects of their lives.</p> <h3 id="slowly-then-all-at-once">Slowly, Then All At Once</h3> <p>Bit by bit, people have granted large corporations more and more control over people&rsquo;s lives. Governments are keenly interested in having an impact on this new source of power. The great challenge is that there may come a time where it is impossible for people within this system to reverse the effects and regain control. Digital IDs being launched voluntarily, is no guarantee that they will remain optional.</p> <p>From <a href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/faqs/qa-digital-identity-regulation-proposal">the FAQ</a></p> <blockquote> <p>The main novel element offered by the new rules is that everyone will have a right to have a EU Digital Identity Wallet which is accepted in all Member States. But at the same time, there will be no obligation. Users will be able to control what personal data they want to share with online services. While <strong>public services and <em>certain private services will be obliged to recognise</em> the EU Digital Identity Wallet</strong>, its security features make it attractive for all private service providers to recognise it for services that require strong authentication, creating new business opportunities.</p> </blockquote> <p>The fundamental issue is if people are willing to let top-down state control be inserted into all aspects of their lives like the internet was. Will people allow their governments to use corporations acting on their behalf, to carry out the same overreach? Will those who truly want to protect individual rights, find ways to help others outside this system? Is it already too late?</p> <h1 id="what-can-we-do">What Can We Do?</h1> <h3 id="right-to-be-offline">Right To Be Offline</h3> <p>Accept that there are situations where people shouldn&rsquo;t be forced to use a particular electronic system or device. Accept that anonymity, especially online, is one of the best ways to protect against total surveillance. Anything that can be done to support those who choose not to be identified, or to refuse interacting with particular systems and services can go a long way.</p> <h3 id="pushback">Pushback</h3> <p>Get connected with people in your jurisdiction and get informed about the state of cyber laws and protections affecting you. A single person writing in to their bought-and-paid for politician isn&rsquo;t sufficient. This has to be one of the issues that a coalition is built around to find a better direction. Cooperating with others to run your own digital services as a community would be a radical improvement.</p> <h3 id="withdraw-your-consent">Withdraw Your Consent</h3> <p>Don&rsquo;t make tyranny easier by complying. Anything you can do that adds friction to the process of tracking and controlling everyone&rsquo;s activity can really make an impact. Choosing to avoid big tech services where possible, or refusing to adopt an &ldquo;optional&rdquo; government program can be something that reduces it&rsquo;s chance of catching off broadly.</p> <hr> <h3 id="more-resources">More Resources</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/eu-digital-identity-wallet">European Digital Identity</a></li> <li><a href="https://blog.eid.as/">blog.eIDAS</a></li> <li><a href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en">Shaping Europe’s digital future</a></li> </ul> A Grayjay Review https://libresolutions.network/articles/grayjay/ Thu, 02 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/grayjay/ /media/images/grayjay.webp <p><em><strong>Correction: Grayjay isn&rsquo;t Free and Open Source (FOSS)</strong></em></p> <p>The PeerTube plugin <a href="https://gitlab.futo.org/videostreaming/plugins/peertube">is licensed under the GPL</a> a Free Software License, but the <a href="https://gitlab.futo.org/videostreaming/grayjay">Grayjay app isn&rsquo;t,</a> it&rsquo;s licensed under a <em>source available</em> license. <strong>Why does this matter?</strong> Essentially, FUTO is welcoming user control and collaborative innovation when it comes to their plugin system, but not the app itself. To go further, this increased my concerns stated below about integrating other identity features. In short, the Grayjay app is useful, but still lacks essential software freedoms. If you&rsquo;re interested in an android app that can truly decentralize the media landscape, I&rsquo;ll reiterate my endorsement of <a href="https://antennapod.org/">antennapod</a>.</p> <h1 id="what-is-grayjay">What is Grayjay?</h1> <p><a href="https://nitter.net/FUTO_Tech/status/1719527096534311365">FUTO Tech explains it on twitter</a></p> <p><a href="https://grayjay.app/">Grayjay</a> is an android app. It&rsquo;s in early development but already works as an excellent video player. The goal of the app is to allow you to watch videos from creators on many platforms on a single app. This means that it doesn&rsquo;t matter as much to you if the person is on Youtube, Twitch, or Odysee you can subscribe to them all from a single app, even without an account! I imagine for many people who&rsquo;ve wanted to break away from certain large platforms, but have stuck around for a few great creators, this is a good option to solve that problem.</p> <p>My immediate impression of the grayjay app was a good one. It seems like there&rsquo;s a very well-designed interface for browsing and watching videos. As someone using a de-googled grapheneOS phone, it was an outright upgrade. Where before I wouldn&rsquo;t be able to cast youtube videos to chromecast at all, with Grayjay I was able to cast right away. I had no issues trying to follow people on supported platforms and everything just felt seamless.</p> <a href='https://libresolutions.network/media/video/grayjay.mp4'> <video autoplay muted loop preload="true" class="gif"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/video/grayjay.mp4'> </video> </a> <p>I really like the design choice to have a solid user interface and abstract each platform into a plugin with particular features. You can even filter by platform in search, and even disable particular platforms as a whole in the sources tab. You really are very in control with this app, you can choose to limit what platforms are featured on the &ldquo;home&rdquo; tab, and even search. I&rsquo;m sure things like comments and payments will be different from platform to platform but it served the very basic role of being an excellent app to follow and search various video content creators.</p> <h2 id="can-this-help-fight-against-censorship">Can This Help Fight Against Censorship?</h2> <p>In short, I&rsquo;d say I&rsquo;m very optimistic. While this app can&rsquo;t stop anyone from being banned on a particular platform, it is already a very effective tool for following people across many platforms. Putting <a href="https://docs.polycentric.io/">polycentric</a> to aside for a moment, the very fact that it&rsquo;s possible to create new plugins to support other sites and integrate them ourselves means a great deal. I believe if Grayjay (and apps like it) started to become more common, we would see much better adoption for interoperable permission-less protocols. If most people were using this app to watch their videos, they could choose whatever plugins they wish. Some sources and plugins could be more or less censored than others, but the power of this system Software means that the user is in control.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/grayjay-platforms.webp' > </div> <p>For example, while at the time of writing the peertube plugin had some issues, I myself was able to correct them by writing my <a href="https://gabe.rocks/tech/grayjay-peertube/">own peertube plugin.</a> This is an excellent demonstration of what makes free software very powerful. I didn&rsquo;t need to ask for permission, the code and details were just sitting there for me to take the initiative. This means that in a very short time I was able to conform grayjay to work with my own self-hosted <a href="https://peertube.libresolutions.network">peertube instance</a> and make it work even better than the current state.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/grayjay-settings.webp' > </div> <p>It&rsquo;s actually quite hard to overstate what this actually means. This particular app can be used to support any platform your device has access to. Any set of videos on a website can be first-class citizens on the grayjay app. I can definitely say I think this really does <em>level the playing field</em> when it comes to online media. Suddenly, those who want to follow my peertube can with the same app they use to follow their mainstream youtube channels. Every user gets full control over what they do and don&rsquo;t want to see.</p> <h2 id="moving-forward">Moving Forward</h2> <p>In conclusion I do think this is the start of something exciting. There is a lot of excellent free software apps on <a href="https://f-droid.org/">F-Droid</a> so I hope this can be someone&rsquo;s start into becoming more comfortable with free software in general. The more you shift away from proprietary software the more you appreciate the gains made by using software that respects you as the user. If you like what this app has to offer I would highly recommend trying out <a href="https://antennapod.org/">AntennaPod</a> for Android as well. It&rsquo;s an excellent podcast app that supports multimedia and works pretty well as an RSS reader too. I would argue that it does most of what you would want out of an app like Grayjay, but the more the merrier.</p> <p>I do have some concerns however, one of the problems FUTO is trying to solve is <em>decentralized online identity</em>. As someone concerned about the implications of Elon Musk trying to transform Twitter into &ldquo;<em>the everything app</em>&rdquo; I&rsquo;m not sure building an open-source <em>everything-app</em> is a good goal. Grayjay works very well as a multimedia app, and I think it&rsquo;s great for that. I&rsquo;m not sure I would want to then start entangling everyone&rsquo;s personal lives directly with it. The advantage of a decentralized online identity would be that when someone is removed from a platform, or even gets <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/broken-internet/">censored by ISPs</a> there would be a way for the audience to migrate to other options or even a <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/shadow/">hidden service</a>.</p> <p>That said, the advantage of free software is that it really is what we make of it. People can definitely appreciate the great features this offers, and even entirely strip out whatever future enhancements are added on top. I think Grayjay is an excellent example of how to build censorship resistant software, even if it itself isn&rsquo;t reaching the ideal of Free and Open Source Software.</p> <hr> <p>I have not been paid by <a href="https://futo.org">FUTO</a> or anyone else to make this review, or try the software.</p> October Recap https://libresolutions.network/videos/2023-10/ Tue, 31 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/2023-10/ /media/images/2023-oct-recap.webp <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/43752627-91e4-4aa3-9c52-26811046a3cd?title=0'> </iframe> <h2 id="updates">Updates</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://peertube.libresolutions.network/w/kU9aER4KiAfpTsLh3TB4eo">Digital Autonomy and the Arts Part 3</a></li> <li><a href="https://tntradiolive.podbean.com/e/gabe-of-libre-solutions-on-the-hrvoje-moric-show-20-october-2023/">Gabe of Libre Solutions on The Hrvoje Morić Show</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/diy-audit/">DIY Cyber Audit</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/hardware-trojan/">Applied Cyberwar: Hardware Exploits</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/redirecting-resistance/">Affinity Scams</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="locals">Locals:</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://roundingtheearth.locals.com/post/4703549/world-war-e-refresher-locals-exclusive">World War E Refresher</a></li> <li><a href="https://roundingtheearth.locals.com/post/4744084/practical-reform-locals-exclusive">Practical Reform</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="news">News</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://mk.gabe.rocks/notes/9krmckrqf4">Digital Services Act &amp; Dashboard</a></li> <li><a href="https://anhvvcs.github.io/static/media/vu2023no.pdf">No Easy Way Out: the Effectiveness of Deplatforming an Extremist Forum to Suppress Hate and Harassment</a></li> <li><a href="https://dailycaller.com/2023/10/18/rand-paul-refuses-to-back-cyber-bills-because-of-dhs-agencys-alleged-censorship/">Rand Paul Stymies Cyber Bills Over DHS Agency’s Alleged Censorship</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-shapeshifting-crypto-wars">The Shapeshifting Crypto Wars</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/charting-the-depths-the-world-of-subsea-cables/">Charting the Depths: The World of Subsea Cables</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/10/adtech-surveillance-and-government-surveillance-are-often-same-surveillance">Adtech Surveillance and Government Surveillance are Often the Same Surveillance</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/10/internet-access-shouldnt-be-bargaining-chip-geopolitical-battles">Internet Access Shouldn&rsquo;t Be a Bargaining Chip In Geopolitical Battles</a></li> <li><a href="https://blog.torproject.org/security-audit-report-tor-browser-ooni/">Putting Censorship Circumvention to the Test: Security Audit Findings </a></li> </ul> <h3 id="grayjay-app">Grayjay App</h3> <p><a href="https://grayjay.app">https://grayjay.app</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/10/09/1081215/how-to-fight-for-internet-freedom/">How to fight for internet freedom</a></p> <h3 id="fediverse">Fediverse</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://wordpress.com/blog/2023/10/11/activitypub/">Engage a Wider Audience With ActivityPub on WordPress.com</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1561483565290491907">Minds is now connected to the Fediverse with ActivityPub 🤘</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="https://davelane.nz/why-free-proprietary-software-will-always-end-tears">Why &lsquo;free&rsquo; proprietary software will always end in tears</a></p> <p><a href="https://digitalcourage.social/@echo_pbreyer/111301651490673542">🇬🇧 Amazing news from the European Parliament: 💥</a></p> <h3 id="substack-roundup">Substack Roundup:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://iceni.substack.com/p/spartacast-13">Spartacast 13</a></li> <li><a href="https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com/cp/138108464">James Corbett Discusses the Digital Gulag on TNT Radio</a></li> <li><a href="https://garysharpe.substack.com/p/corruption-betrayal-and-injustice">Corruption, Betrayal, and Injustice Perpetrated by Weak Leaders as a Root Cause of the Rise in Chronic Illness</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.alilybit.com/p/why-we-are-being-censored">Why We Are Being Censored</a></li> <li><a href="https://mgeist.substack.com/p/the-law-bytes-podcast-episode-181">The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 181: Is this Podcast About to be Regulated by the CRTC?</a></li> </ul> <h3 id="independent-web-roundup">Independent Web Roundup:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://raypatrick.xyz/blog/2023/10/27/were-you-mathematically-abused-as-a-child/">Were You Mathematically Abused as a Child?</a></li> <li><a href="https://claytonerrington.com/blog/my-linux-journey/">My Linux Journey</a></li> <li><a href="https://wrongthink.link/posts/role-of-libraries-in-the-digital-age/">The Role of Libraries in the Digital Age</a></li> <li><a href="https://blog.thenewoil.org/the-new-oil-hidden-service-now-available">The New Oil Hidden Service Now Available!</a></li> </ul> <h3 id="peertube-roundup">PeerTube Roundup</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://media.fsfe.org/videos/watch/fead57fa-bec4-4559-b65c-fe7944ea2e21">What is Free Software (Open Source)? Software freedom explained in less than three minutes!</a></li> <li><a href="https://tube.tchncs.de/videos/watch/2a422186-901f-4afa-86d0-02d1ddc8719b">Chatcontrol Lobbied Flawed Polls &amp; Why Dino XMPP Messenger</a></li> <li><a href="https://tube.childrenshealthdefense.eu/videos/watch/5401a9ec-c131-4733-9e06-cdcd2a792c5a">On Guard for the Liberty of Mankind - Symposium | Swede September 30 2023</a></li> <li><a href="https://video.blender.org/videos/watch/ee623d80-fd8d-4a2a-8aae-1f5acf796f27">WING IT! - Blender Open Movie</a> <a href="https://peertube.linuxrocks.online/videos/watch/8dc55854-9202-4cba-887f-9134cead0100">Firefish Demo</a> <a href="https://tube.tchncs.de/videos/watch/b3c80b55-a4c0-4bba-8d24-0d02da61ec36">Qubes Disposable VM: Handling Suspicious Files</a></li> </ul> Digital Autonomy and the Arts: Part 3 https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts3/ Sat, 21 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts3/ /media/images/arts-3-maa.webp <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/a12557ef-9a0e-4468-b1c1-2352bb92895c?title=0'> </iframe> <p>It is my honor and pleasure to have worked alongside such a passionate and talented writer. <a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/dissident-dialogues-margaret-anna">Margaret Anna Alice</a> is an inspiration to those worldwide who wish to resist and dismantle totalitarianism. She is one of many critical voices in these turbulent times.</p> <blockquote> <p>Margaret Anna Alice writes about media narratives, politics, propaganda, mass control, psychology, history, philosophy, language, film, art, music, literature, culture, and health with a focus on COVID at <a href="https://margaretannaalice.com/">Margaret Anna Alice Through the Looking Glass</a>.</p> </blockquote> <h3 id="must-see-works">Must-see works:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/ueUXNL-A3Zg">Mistakes Were NOT Made: An anthem for Justice</a></li> <li><a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/wake-up-toolkit">Wake-up Toolkit</a></li> <li><a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/are-you-a-good-german-or-a-badass">Are You a Good German or a Badass German?</a></li> <li><a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/anatomy-of-a-philanthropath-dreams">Anatomy of a Philanthropath: Dreams of Democide &amp; Dictatorship</a></li> <li><a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/profiles-in-courage-the-canadian">Profiles in Courage: The Canadian Truckers</a></li> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/bASZkhDROzo">Ode to a Whistleblower (Poem by Margaret Anna Alice; Video for Tribute to Daniel Ellsberg)</a></li> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/Bd7dM59vocg">Do You Remember? (Collaboration Between Margaret Anna Alice &amp; Visceral Adventure)</a></li> </ul> <p>You can support Margaret Anna Alice&rsquo;s excellent work by:</p> <ul> <li>Subscribing on <a href="">Substack</a></li> <li>Sending Bitcoin to <a href="bitcoin:bc1ql706rr7vj7c7nzxnqfp9rldw8ddfc20f492jk0">bc1ql706rr7vj7c7nzxnqfp9rldw8ddfc20f492jk0</a></li> <li>Purchasing <a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/get-the-book-the-vapor-the-hot-hat">The Vapor, The Hot Hat, &amp; The Witches Potion</a></li> </ul> Applied Cyberwar: Hardware Exploits https://libresolutions.network/articles/hardware-trojan/ Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/hardware-trojan/ /media/images/cpu-camera.webp <p>Recently a <a href="https://archive.ph/PGUdP">rumor</a> that the tragic Hamas attack was enabled by a potential <a href="https://www.albawaba.com/node/was-huawei-behind-israels-failure-detect-hamas-plans-1536954">lack of backdoors</a> accessible by western / <a href="https://allaboutcookies.org/what-is-the-five-eyes-alliance">5 Eyes</a> intelligence. Despite this, I wouldn&rsquo;t recommend rushing to order a Huwawei phone for privacy reasons. If my <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/shadow/#threat-modeling">threat model</a> called for investigating hardware attacks, simply changing providers would be insufficient to keep them at bay. Understanding hardware exploits requires a bit of understanding about how systems run, so let&rsquo;s take advantage of this teachable moment.</p> <p>You&rsquo;re definitely going to want to revisit <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/cyberwar/">A Non-Combattant&rsquo;s Guide to Cyberwar</a> and <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/warlord-technology/">Escalating Cyberwar: Warlord Technology</a> if you haven&rsquo;t already. The important take-away is that there are <em>very advanced tools</em> for infiltrating systems using software. In addition to this, when working to combat hardware-based threats, you&rsquo;re going to need serious regular <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/diy-audit/">cyber audits.</a></p> <h2 id="its-all-broken">It&rsquo;s All Broken</h2> <p>It can sound <a href="https://synergeticdesign.substack.com/p/why-free-software-is-useless-when">very bleak</a> when one understands just how <a href="https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rdriley/487/papers/Thompson_1984_ReflectionsonTrustingTrust.pdf">vulnerable digital systems</a> can be. The sad truth is that if somebody is willing to spend significant effort, resources, and time it&rsquo;s not a matter of if, but rather <strong>when</strong> they&rsquo;ll be able to breach your systems. At least for now, it can be a reasonably safe assumption that those who make a reasonable effort to protect themselves can at least secure themselves from un-targeted attacks, and otherwise make themselves a less valuable target.</p> <p>The challenge is that modern hardware and software is essentially a <a href="https://youtu.be/kZRE7HIO3vk">massive jenga tower</a> of accumulated <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_debt">technical debt.</a> For those who require utmost security and reliability, almost everything available today is absolutely unsuitable for that purpose. <strong>Supply chain attacks</strong> can be done by compromising either the physical components of the device, or the software built into the <em>tech stack</em>. The <strong>tech stack</strong> is everything required to run software on your device.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/device-stack.webp'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/device-stack.webp' > </a> <p class="caption"> Imagine that any one of these layers can be compromised </p> </div> <p>The biggest reason why simply switching hardware providers is not sufficient to mitigate hardware threats; is that someone capable of <a href="https://puri.sm/posts/anti-interdiction-update-six-month-retrospective/">intercepting a shipment</a> sent to you can then attack the device directly. If you&rsquo;re already concerned about government surveillance, especially targeted surveillance, you&rsquo;ll need a proper way to validate that the systems you&rsquo;re using are free of unwanted changes, bugs, and not tampered with. In addition to this, you&rsquo;ll want to make sure your verified clean hardware actually <a href="https://ryf.fsf.org/">Respects your Freedom!</a></p> <p>While hardware backdoors are a serious concern, it&rsquo;s important to pay serious attention to the software environment you&rsquo;re running. There&rsquo;s absolutely zero point making changes aimed at mitigating hardware based attacks if you&rsquo;re planning to run software that is known to spy on you on behalf of the same organizations. With all that out of the way, let&rsquo;s take the topic head-on.</p> <h2 id="the-hardware-attacks">The Hardware Attacks</h2> <p>If the manufacturer (or manufacturer&rsquo;s suppliers) introduce a defect or modification to their product, that modification can be exploited. Naturally the defect would be exploited by those who put it in there, but it&rsquo;s worth understanding that the very same defect could be exploited by others. This is why it is of utmost importance that we the public make it exceptionally clear that we will never accept undermining security or privacy in the name of safety, especially when it empowers unaccountable entities. In the long-run the only solution to this problem is designing hardware so that it can be independently verified with only a moderate amount of effort and tools.</p> <p>Almost every device is complex enough that it&rsquo;s not all developed by a single entity. A single company could place a nefarious component into their portion of a device. It is safe to assume that most manufacturers would be testing for defects to detect obvious intrusions, but what if the modification doesn&rsquo;t impact device functionality? There is currently a lot of research into this. I&rsquo;ve come across a couple of papers discussing <a href="https://vista.cs.technion.ac.il/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Day1-Lecture-1-Sylvain-Guilley.pdf">fascinating strategies</a> for detecting that.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://tehranipoor.ece.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/09-Hardware-Trojans.pdf'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/hardware-trojan.webp' > </a> <p class="caption"> Click the image to view the slides, definitely worth your time </p> </div> <p>Antennas are strange devices, the little I&rsquo;ve spent learning about radio communications has made me realize how little I understand about these devices. In a really strange way, anything can be an antenna if it&rsquo;s run with enough power, at a high enough frequency&hellip; Wireless communication definitely is one of the more interesting developments. To say nothing of some of the more bizarre advancements like quantum computing.</p> <p>Even as a highly technical person, it gets really easy for the layers of abstraction to fool you into assuming that lower level details like hardware and firmware are always pristine. It&rsquo;s important to understand that at a fundamental level all these devices do is store, process and relay information. It&rsquo;s quite possible for a device to use information sent to it in deceptive ways, and there are <a href="https://hackaday.com/2022/07/22/satan-turns-hard-drive-cable-into-antenna-to-defeat-air-gapped-security/">very un-intuitive attacks</a> at the physical levels. These threats are very serious and almost impossible for a single person to attempt to mitigate. If it is the case that all our institutions are hostile, corrupt, and incapable of reform, it is then long past time for people to proactively cooperate on establishing the <em>means</em> to design, manufacture, and <strong>validate</strong> devices independently.</p> <h2 id="firmware">Firmware</h2> <p>Alright, so you&rsquo;ve used the latest and greatest techniques to validate that your hardware is free of any hardware intrusions or defects. Your team has triple-checked the specifications of every component to the smallest detail, and tested each component for common problems. As you start running software on it, you start to detect strange behavior. Suddenly, your device that you spend so much effort validating isn&rsquo;t working as intended.</p> <p>You re-compile all your software from scratch in an effort to solve the problem, but it hits you. There&rsquo;s a whole <em>layer of code</em> between the software and the hardware. Many hardware components are themselves <em>programmable</em>. A passive component is something that serves a very simple and direct purpose, like a light that shines with power. Logic circuits are components that themselves have memory that allows them to be programmed with additional instructions or parameters that defines how they process information.</p> <iframe src='https://tube.tchncs.de/videos/embed/02e76ea7-5735-4de3-b426-58e2d291376b'> </iframe> <p>It may be complete overkill for a rogue intelligence outfit to compromise an entire system. Instead, it would be much easier to introduce changes to the closed-source firmware on the wireless radios for all kinds of smart devices. With that level of intrusion, it would be very difficult and expensive for someone to detect and correct, and the hardware and software would be none the wiser. This is why it&rsquo;s important to not only insist on <em>free as in freedom</em> software, but hardware and firmware as well.</p> <p>Some other interesting videos:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/HNwWQ9zGT-8">Spyware at The Hardware Level - Intel ME &amp; AMD PSP </a></li> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/Lr-9aCMUXzI">How Intel wants to backdoor every computer in the world | Intel Management Engine explained</a></li> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/IW2YsxSj6zE">Dissecting the AMD Platform Security Processor </a></li> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/GQE3a8WLeds">GOD MODE UNLOCKED - Hardware Backdoors in x86 CPUs</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="machines-can-lie">Machines Can Lie</h2> <p>Programmable chips are incredible tools. So many amazing possibilities are enabled by the fact that they often are designed for <strong>abstraction</strong>. For example, a display may not actually expose direct control over all it&rsquo;s nitty-gritty details, but instead accepts commands to display pictures and text. This can make it much easier to build a simple device, but it comes at the cost that the other components sending the information are unable to ensure that what was sent is actually what is displayed. With this understanding, it&rsquo;s quite easy to see why security is such a hard problem. On some level, it is all downstream of physics.</p> <p>It is clear that governments, corporations, and intelligence outfits have the <em>means and motive</em> to corrupt our devices and systems. We are aware that this happens in a non-zero amount of cases, including in western countries. It is anyone&rsquo;s guess how deep and how pervasive the problem is. It is an important problem to keep in mind when thinking of what direction we want our tools to go in, and how we intend to use them. On the other hand, I find this information not to be terribly practical on a day-to-day level. A big part of this is the fact that it&rsquo;s often very unnecessary to compromise hardware to spy on people or steal their data. If anything, people themselves have shown themselves to be all too willing to comply with surveillance and control if it&rsquo;s merely sold under the right pretext.</p> <p>Personally, I believe the best way to act on this knowledge is to realize the dire necessity of building genuinely transparent, efficient and accountable institutions that can work to tackle these difficult problems. We can&rsquo;t do it alone, but I&rsquo;m more than confident we can get intelligent people together to make some serious progress.</p> Mass Resistance Redirected https://libresolutions.network/articles/redirecting-resistance/ Thu, 05 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/redirecting-resistance/ /media/images/affinity-scam.webp <p>As scary as those with the means and motivation to dominate the world are, there&rsquo;s something immensely more powerful. The people. No matter how powerful you, or even your entire crew are, you still can&rsquo;t quite stand up to the rest of the world alone. This was my primary motivation to write <em>Tools of the Technocracy</em>, the out-in-the-open desire to power up the tools of mass subjugation is a terrifying prospect. Fear, isolation, propaganda, and violence are all means which the powerful use to keep people in line. What&rsquo;s less familiar to people is how bribery, flattery, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circe">seduction</a> can be used.</p> <p>In my opinion, the greatest strategic mistake made by who (<em>or what</em>) rules the earth, is that they unloaded absolutely every dirty trick at once. I wrote the <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy/">Tools of the Technocracy</a> to take my part in documenting how technological weapons can, and could be used to dominate and control others. Not only is it incomplete, but even if it was, it would only be a very small fraction of the entire picture. I can definitely admit to being shockingly naive to mass mind control when I began writing it. At the time, I believed that the brainwashing was essentially 60% economic, and 40% mass media.</p> <p>Despite being aware of even some of the examples listed below, it was only once I understood <a href="https://roundingtheearth.substack.com/p/how-the-magic-trick-works-cutting">the magic trick</a> did I begin to better conceptualize how highly motivated activists can be <a href="https://consentfactory.org/2023/09/20/mr-mikes-mondo-imbroglio-or-how-not-to-launch-a-global-anti-censorship-movement/0">assimilated</a> into the very same thing they want to fight. This really isn&rsquo;t unique to any particular idea or movement. Every sufficient <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-11/">power structure</a> is going to develop defenses against becoming overthrown.</p> <blockquote> <p>One of the stronger adaptations a dominance hierarchy can have is flexibility. A rigid system is too vulnerable to being outright overthrown by radicals. Instead of single-handedly orchestrating your machinations, it can be quite effective to open bid those actions to those you will reward handsomely. This is an excellent tactic to prevent defectors, because those interested in their own self-advancement will align themselves to your goals. Suddenly your vast conspiracy to dominate others is working as a decentralized network with plausible deniability, with the added bonus of components being entirely replaceable.</p> <p><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-11/">Tools of the Technocracy: #11 Social Credit</a></p> </blockquote> <p>There are two components to this:</p> <ol> <li>Allowing for particular changes, but nothing that undermines your power.</li> <li>Making your opposition complicit in maintaining it.</li> </ol> <p>Instead of taking your opposition head on, redirecting their focus, energy and <em>resources</em> on means in your favor or even under your control saves you a phenomenal amount of work. This means that you don&rsquo;t need to be convinced to stop fighting, you can self-destructively stew in anger and rage at the machine while it feeds on your essence. Anger is an important part of the human experience. Denouncing anger as a problem is its own problem, but it&rsquo;s important that your anger is properly focused and channeled. Whatever you&rsquo;re fighting for, it&rsquo;s important to keep in mind why, and how you intend to achieve your goals.</p> <h2 id="false-saviors">False Saviors</h2> <p>A clear-cut example of how this is achieved is a <em>false savior</em>. A figure is thrust into the spotlight as the answer to major problems. By dressing the figure up with your ideals, goals, and dreams you replace an ordinary human being on an altar of your own hubris. False saviors can be the work of powerful interests choosing to <em>lead the opposition themselves</em> or <strong>made</strong> as leaders get corrupted by fame, attention, or other compromising factors.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/false-saviors.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/beware-false-saviors" ><h2>Beware false saviors</h2><i>Putting faith into leaders is a road to disappointment. </i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>False saviors are erected by placing the complicated task of solving vastly complicated problems on the shoulders of a single person. No matter how powerful a single person is, they are still mortal and have the same weaknesses as many of us. In addition to this, the more power you put in someone&rsquo;s hands, the more it inevitably corrupts them. This is because <em>power has strings attached</em>, no system exists in a vacuum and there will always be constraints on how powers can be used. Just as human beings can and will be corrupted, entire organizations are arguably <em>more vulnerable</em> to all the same factors.</p> <h2 id="the-affinity-scam">The Affinity Scam</h2> <p>If one wanted to financially liquidate their opponents, lawfare may be one option, but there&rsquo;s a far more effective means of separating your enemies from their wealth: <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/affinityfraud.asp">Affinity fraud</a>. By dressing up your financial enterprise with sleek branding that gives your opponents the <em>impression</em> it&rsquo;s run by those who are <em>just like them</em> with the same values and goals. It is naive to assume that frauds targeted at activists are merely interested in money, instead of other goals like sabotage and infiltration. With money taken from your opponents, you can then use it to buy influence over them.</p> <h3 id="philanthropaths">Philanthropaths</h3> <p>There is a particular brand of &ldquo;<em>philanthropist</em>&rdquo; that dresses themselves up in <em>the greater good</em>, but who&rsquo;s methods don&rsquo;t pass even the most basic scrutiny. They may claim to use their vast wealth to solve important problems, yet are actually engaging in very profitable <a href="https://unlimitedhangout.com/2021/08/investigative-reports/american-federation-of-teachers-sells-out-to-rockefellers-trilateralists-and-big-tech/">impact investing</a> by seizing control over the problem and enabling it.</p> <blockquote> <p>A philanthropath wants you dead … for the good of humanity.<br> A philanthropath wants you enslaved … for the good of liberty.<br> A philanthropath wants you silenced … for the good of free speech.<br> A philanthropath wants you confined … for the good of your health.<br> A philanthropath wants to surveil you … for the good of security.<br> A philanthropath wants you to eat orthopterans … for the good of the planet.</p> <p><a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/anatomy-of-a-philanthropath-dreams-3fd#%C2%A7anatomy-of-a-philanthropath">Anatomy of a Philanthropath by Margaret Anna Alice</a></p> </blockquote> <p>Philanthropaths will generally focus on the most widely appealing causes, who opposes solving poverty, hunger, and disease? Those who don&rsquo;t have the desire or the time to evaluate or properly investigate the actual issues will very often fall victim to this kind of scheme. This kind of impact investing often builds power structures that get in the way of <a href="https://youtu.be/JIiaV-g-op0">meaningful local solutions</a> to these serious problems.</p> <h3 id="grifting">Grifting</h3> <p>Are universal ideals <em>too mainstream</em> for you? How about something more <em>specific</em>? You&rsquo;re completely different from the brainwashed masses, instead you see things how they actually are and are willing to pile up lots of money on top of your active social media engagement. &ldquo;<em>Grifting</em>&rdquo; is the art of liquidating a highly motivated niche. <em>It&rsquo;s just business after all.</em></p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://web.archive.org/web/20230908105405/https://twitter.com/libertysafeinc/status/1699245595867971969'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/liberty-safe.webp' > </a> <p class="caption"> So-called &#34;Liberty Safes&#34; actually had a backdoor into all their products. <a href='https://twitter.com/libertysafeinc/status/1699245595867971969#m'>Source</a> </p> </div> <p>Individuals, organizations, and even charities can run into the terminal stage where their existence is dependent on the problem they set out to ameliorate. Over time, insidious but disastrous conflicts of interest can pile up in very unintuitive ways. This is actually termed quite well by progressives, for environmental concerns it&rsquo;s called <a href="https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/guide-to-greenwashing"><em>greenwashing</em></a> and in the tech space there&rsquo;s <a href="https://puri.sm/posts/privacy-washing-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/">privacy washing.</a></p> <blockquote> <p>“The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.”</p> <p>Robert Conquest</p> </blockquote> <p><em>Robert may be on to something that&rsquo;s more than just a mere assumption.</em></p> <h3 id="outright-robbery">Outright Robbery</h3> <p>By tapping into outrage, panic, and urgency, nefarious agents can short-circuit their victims better sense-making. The well-informed expert may be sponsored by outright scams while they deliver you hard-hitting critical information. We all need to make a living, but some blame can be put on those who take sponsorships without any <a href="https://home.solari.com/not-again-wolves-loose-in-the-gold-and-silver-market/">due-dilligence.</a> The more profitable a scam is, the more eyeballs it can purchase through buying more advertizing, if the only goal is to simply liquidate opposition of money this alone is sufficient to create a powerful feedback loop.</p> <h3 id="resistance-for-sale">Resistance for Sale!</h3> <p>I would argue, that activist communities <em>themselves</em> have been commodified and resold online. We all feel a natural need to connect with others and work together. This is a very important facet of the game, but when money and <a href="https://roundingtheearth.substack.com/p/parasocial-dunbar-hacking">dunbar hacking</a> is involved, it can raise some serious red flags. Once you&rsquo;ve got a captive audience, it&rsquo;s very easy to then divert them with all the normal manipulative tactics to divert their attention and resources. Small insular communities are vulnerable to being transformed into a cult even when they don&rsquo;t begin as one.</p> <h2 id="understanding-the-difference">Understanding the difference</h2> <p>This wouldn&rsquo;t be the <strong>Libre Solutions Network</strong> if I didn&rsquo;t have any thoughts on how to proactively tackle this problem. Affinity scams are entirely about exploiting vulnerable, isolated, and scared people who are concerned about very real issues. It may be quite difficult to understand their concerns. Odds are if you have no idea why someone is wrapped up in a bizarre cult, it&rsquo;s because you&rsquo;re not sufficiently aware of their concerns.</p> <h3 id="become-a-human-again">Become a Human Again</h3> <p>The best way to rob would-be scammers of targets is to be a trusted judgement-free friend to someone. That way they can be potentially much more likely to consult you with something that&rsquo;s raised red flags. Everyone needs a trusted circle of people who genuinely care about them, and tragically for some it can&rsquo;t even be their own family. There will always be desperate lonely people, who may even be <strong>over-represented</strong> <em>in activist groups</em> because their work may be their own way to ask for help.</p> <h3 id="learning-from-others">Learning from Others</h3> <p>Building on the last point, consider that those with different values and beliefs than you, even opposing ones, can be correct about issues you care about. By escaping your echo chamber you can learn from those who have a radically different perspective that gives you meaningful opportunities to grow. This requires you to <em>humanize them as well as yourself to them</em>. Be a great ambassador for your beliefs by being genuinely willing to listen to others, even when it&rsquo;s exceedingly difficult.</p> <h3 id="results-matter">Results Matter</h3> <p>Self-awareness is critical. Work to understand your principal concern well enough to at least explain how a particular initiative or cause will meaningfully solve the problem, ideally without causing harm. At the very least, try to evaluate products and services on their genuine merits, rather than who is endorsing them.</p> <h3 id="walking-the-walk">Walking the Walk</h3> <p>For any particular concern, there are at least a couple of actions a figure or community can take that demonstrate they understand the problem and are willing to spend meaningful effort to correct it. Choices matter and compromises add up like tetris blocks. Practical compromises may seem like a winning trade in the moment, only to turn out to be a deal with the devil over time.</p> <h3 id="all-money-is-blood-money">All Money is Blood Money</h3> <p>Become incredibly skeptical of money, especially large sums of money. Wealth may not have to be a zero-sum game, but in many circumstances it certainly acts as one, or even negative-sum. Everyone needs currency to provide for their essentials, or to build the life they want, but understand that everything has a cost. It&rsquo;s possible that the true cost of money is on your soul, rather than it&rsquo;s pure monetary value. Remember, you can&rsquo;t take it with you.</p> <blockquote> <p>Imagine a giant picket line. The strike is over the future of humanity. People can either cross the picket line to work for those who want to enslave (and eventually destroy) humanity, being showered with fleeting opportunities and resources… or to stand up for oneself and find new ways to build elsewhere. The tragically sad truth is that there is a near limitless supply of desperate scabs who would happily (even knowingly) trade all of our futures for some present sustenance or comfort. You may be angry at these people, even willing to attack them, but they are not the root cause. Much of the harm that has already been done has created much tragedy and many victims.</p> <p><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-11/">Tools of the Technocracy: #11 Social Credit</a></p> </blockquote> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/chains.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-11" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #11 Social Credit</h2><i>What&#39;s new is old.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> DIY Cyber Audit https://libresolutions.network/articles/diy-audit/ Sat, 30 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/diy-audit/ /media/3-breaking-free.webp <p>It&rsquo;s good for people to take their own cybersecurity seriously. It&rsquo;s a huge topic, and it can be difficult to decide what&rsquo;s worth starting with, or expending a lot of effort on. This guide is intended to walk you through some of the basic &ldquo;bare-minimum&rdquo; steps one would want to take in improving their online security. In addition to pure security goals, this piece aims to emphasize how to reduce your dependency on systems that seize control of your information and workflows. It is my opinion that consolidated power inevitably leads to abused power, therefore one should take an active role in reducing their participating in enabling nefarious entities.</p> <p><em><strong>But why?</strong></em> you may ask. If the corporate platforms, services, and tools are <em>working fine</em>, why put any effort in changing? It&rsquo;s easy to fall into the trap of believing our actions are of no consequence, and that compromises made along the way don&rsquo;t accrue debts. Over the last decade, people have given corporate digital giants (aka &ldquo;<em>Big Tech</em>&rdquo;) immense power in society. While it has already been abused in many ways, more concentrated power means more abuse.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/threat%20modeling.webp'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/threat%20modeling.webp' > </a> </div> <p>It&rsquo;s largely a matter of personal responsibility on where you want to draw the line. Maybe it suits you to simply focus on preventing unwanted intrusion to your important accounts, or you could be willing to invest time and resources to do everything within your power. Your goals and aspirations are important to consider. Sometimes a small bit of effort can be strategically used to get the maximum benefit, others like to dedicate lots of effort over a significant amount of time. Ultimately the best moves are the ones that get the best impact with the effort and time you&rsquo;re able to expend.</p> <p>This overview is intended to be a starting-point for someone interested in reducing what sensitive information is shared about themselves, and keeping their systems safer from unwanted intrusion.</p> <h3 id="more-great-guides">More Great Guides:</h3> <p>It may seem redundant to list other guides with similar information. Every project is going to have it&rsquo;s own perspective, prioritization, and level of detail. If this guide is not to your liking, I would hope that one or many of these will suit your needs.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://ssd.eff.org">Surveillance Self-Defense</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.thenewoil.org/">The New Oil</a></li> <li><a href="https://avoidthehack.com/getting-started-cybersecurity">Getting Started: Basic Personal Cybersecurity for Everyone</a></li> <li><a href="https://home.solari.com/faq/cybersecurity-what-we-do/">Cybersecurity – What We Do</a></li> <li><a href="https://digdeeper.club/articles/ninja.xhtml">Ninja&rsquo;s Guide to the Internet</a></li> <li><a href="https://brainfucksec.github.io/a-good-privacy-list">A Good Privacy List</a></li> <li><a href="https://restoreprivacy.com/">Restore Privacy</a></li> <li><a href="https://gunther.link/posts/privacy-basics/">10 Basic Steps to Digital Privacy</a></li> </ul> <h3 id="contents">Contents</h3> <p><em>&hellip;More is to come!</em></p> <ol> <li><a href="#the-regular-audit">The Regular Audit</a></li> <li><a href="#the-pebkac-vector">PEBKAC Vector</a></li> <li><a href="#account-security">Accounts</a></li> <li><a href="#e-mail">Email</a></li> <li><a href="#browsers">Browsers</a></li> <li><a href="#network-security">Network Security</a></li> </ol> <hr> <p><em>This guide is still very much a <strong>work in progress</strong>.<br> Any comments, questions or <a href="mailto:gabriel@libresolutions.network?Subject=diy%20audit">feedback</a> would be appreciated.</em></p> <hr> <h2 id="the-regular-audit">The Regular Audit</h2> <p>I&rsquo;d like to introduce you to the concept of a <strong><em>regular</em> security audit</strong>. Instead of trying to reinvent your entire digital life overnight, it can be helpful to set aside some amount of time to make gradual changes, or to spend dedicated time solving a particular problem. This can help you transform a giant task over time, without too much immediate disruption to how you currently do things.</p> <p>You can commit to whatever time interval works for you. It could be monthly, quarterly, or even yearly is worth considering over never at all. This can help you budget the time you&rsquo;d like to spend on making changes, as well as help you keep an eye out for things to address later.</p> <p>One helpful strategy would be to tier specific practices to certain intervals. For example making sure to run updates more regularly, but worry about changing passwords on a less frequent basis.<br> A hypothetical plan could look like this:</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>📆 Interval</th> <th>✅ Task</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Weekly</td> <td>Running Updates</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Weekly</td> <td><a href="#inbox-cleaning">Cleaning your inbox</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Weekly</td> <td>File Backups</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Monthly</td> <td>Changing important passwords</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Monthly</td> <td>Deleting unused apps &amp; extensions</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Quarterly</td> <td>System Backups</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Quarterly</td> <td>Checking for <a href="https://haveibeenpwned.com/">breaches</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Quarterly</td> <td><strong>Helping others</strong> make changes</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Yearly</td> <td>Complete password rotation</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Yearly</td> <td>Online footprint <a href="#online-footprint">inspection</a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><strong>Why?</strong> Committing to a regular plan can help correct errors and keep you accountable. It also gets you focused on more proactive actions instead of always playing catchup.</p> <p><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p> <hr> <h2 id="the-pebkac-vector">The PEBKAC Vector</h2> <p>The easiest way for someone or something to infiltrate your accounts and systems is your own capacity to make a mistake. Hence the, <em>Problem-Exists-Between-Keyboard-and-Chair</em> vector. (<em>That&rsquo;s you!</em>) One of the more obvious examples is how much people have been trained to share intimate details of their lives on corporate social media. Beyond just embarrassment, a lack of proper precautions can lead to having your entire system compromised. Consequences of that can range from mild regret to financially devastating.</p> <h3 id="phishing-attacks">Phishing Attacks</h3> <p>Phishing is when communications are sent out to trick a person to accidentally load a program, or divulge specific information. <a href="https://www.phishing.org/what-is-phishing">Phishing</a> is very effective when combined with other attacks. The more someone (or <em>something</em>) can learn about you, the more effective phishing messages can be tailored to you. It is not out of the question that voice cloning, and other <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/machine-learning">generative AI</a> tools will be used to <a href="https://proton.me/blog/what-is-email-spoofing#how-does-email-spoofing-work">impersonate</a> trusted contacts.</p> <p>From <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/cyberwar/">A Non-Combattant&rsquo;s Guide to Cyberwar</a></p> <blockquote> <p>There are many different ways [phishing] can be carried out:<br> <strong>E-mail:</strong> one kind of attack is an urgent email that requires you to immediately click a certain link. That link will then present a fake log-in form disguised as a legitimate site. This could be used to steal your credentials. If the site itself has a vulnerability, merely clicking the link itself could be enough to compromise your account.</p> <p><strong>Attachments:</strong> any file sent your way may be more than meets the eye. There are a variety of methods that allow a file that’s opened to either run as a virus, or send your data elsewhere.</p> <p><strong>None of this is exclusive to e-mail</strong>.<br> Messaging apps, and online communities can all enable the same problems.</p> </blockquote> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/spam-attack.webp' > <p class="caption"> The line between spam and phishing is very blurry </p> </div> <p>Sometimes, an adversary being able to figure out <em>which accounts are yours</em> is enough to get very useful information, or to break into already compromised accounts. Other times, getting you to run some malware can give up complete control of your system. The best defense is to be aware of phishing, and take precaution before opening links or attachments.</p> <iframe src='https://archive.org/embed/protect-your-devices-from-hackers'> </iframe> <p>Video: <a href="https://archive.org/details/protect-your-devices-from-hackers">Protect Your Devices From Hackers – Don&rsquo;t Get &lsquo;0wned&rsquo;</a> by <a href="https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22AJ%2B+and+the+Electronic+Frontier+Foundation%22">AJ and the Electronic Frontier Foundation</a></p> <h4 id="for-each-channel-a-purpose">For each channel, a purpose.</h4> <p>Reflect on how and in what way your trusted contacts will interact with you. Having separate email address(es) for different purposes can help filter specific messages for you, this will help you know if a particular message is genuine or not. Very often services will give you the option to enter a code instead of clicking a link, which is helpful in this situation. If you&rsquo;re sure you must click a link, it can be worth copying it (<em>with a right-click, or long touch</em>) first, then inspecting it yourself before opening it.</p> <p>Even something as simple as keeping in mind who tends to give you a phone call and who else prefers to use an end-to-end encrypted messaging app. If someone is reaching out to you in an unusual way, that can be an indication that something isn&rsquo;t right. This applies to workplaces too, it can be a good idea to avoid mixing your career with your personal life, having an account for each can keep things separated.</p> <h3 id="big-tech-services">Big Tech Services</h3> <p>Another way you may be outright, voluntarily handing out your information is when using cloud-driven and/or <a href="https://www.fsf.org/windows/#abuses">non-free</a> software and services. Moving your data to your own devices, or at least to services run without <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendor_lock-in">vendor lock-in</a>.</p> <h4 id="disentangle-yourself-from-cloud-platforms">Disentangle Yourself from Cloud Platforms</h4> <blockquote> <p>There is no cloud, just somebody else&rsquo;s computer!</p> </blockquote> <p>Many online tools are just a <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.en.html"><em>service as a software substitute</em>.</a> This means that while you gain the convenience of sophisticated technologies at scale, you will also be unable to choose the terms of your computing. Simple things like using your own software like <a href="https://www.libreoffice.org/">LibreOffice</a> or <a href="https://inkscape.org/">Inkscape</a> to create media allows you to keep your information under your own control. By not relying on external services for creating documents, presentations, or even notes you can go a long way to help reassert your own autonomy.</p> <p>Choosing how you use social media will also have a significant impact. If you&rsquo;re willing to put up with some inconvenience, it can be worth using <a href="https://libredirect.github.io/">alternate front ends</a> for mainstream services to browse without being directly associated with an account. This can definitely help those who want to break away but don&rsquo;t want to miss out on important information.</p> <h3 id="online-footprint">Online Footprint</h3> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-4.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-4/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #4 Online Identity</h2><i>What is following you in your digital tracks?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h4 id="take-control-of-your-social-media">Take Control of your Social Media</h4> <p>Being deliberate with your social media <a href="https://www.socialpilot.co/blog/ultimate-guide-manage-social-media-privacy-settings">privacy settings</a> is very important. Understand what features are available, and what it means for who can see what.</p> <ul> <li>Who can see posts you make?</li> <li>Is your profile searchable by site-members or anyone?</li> <li>Does someone have to request access to see your information?</li> </ul> <p>It&rsquo;s important to consider what you&rsquo;d like to be public, vs what is best left offline.<br> The best way to protect information is to never record it in the first place!</p> <h4 id="find-yourself-in-search-engines">Find Yourself in Search Engines</h4> <p>You can see how easy it is to get information on you by performing your own searches. Given that search engines will make an attempt to find results relevant to you, it&rsquo;s worth trying multiple search engines rather than making assumptions off a single search. Including details about yourself may help narrow the results.</p> <h4 id="consider-alternate-identities">Consider Alternate Identities</h4> <p>On other platforms, you may have an identity that isn&rsquo;t your real name. It&rsquo;s generally a good idea not to repeat usernames across platforms unless the intention is for them to be publicly associated.</p> <h4 id="close-dormant-accounts">Close Dormant Accounts</h4> <p>If you no longer use a service, you may want to consider closing the account if the option is available. If nothing else, it ties up another loose end.</p> <h4 id="privacy-policies">Privacy Policies</h4> <p>Digital products and platforms will have a published <a href="https://time.com/3986016/google-facebook-twitter-privacy-policies/"><em>privacy policy</em></a> that ideally outlines what information is collected and how it&rsquo;s used. They will vary in content, clarity, and detail.</p> <p>For online platforms privacy policies can help you understand:</p> <ul> <li>What information the platform collects</li> <li>If your information is being shared with or sold</li> </ul> <p>Another document is a <strong>warrant canary</strong>. A <a href="https://www.okta.com/identity-101/warrant-canary/">warrant canary</a> is a document that explains that the organization hasn&rsquo;t received any requests for information from governments and/or law enforcement agencies. It&rsquo;s a useful thing to have, because law enforcement agencies will sometimes gag providers from informing their clients, or even stakeholders.</p> <blockquote> <p>&ldquo;Two government officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the Justice Department obtained an individualized order from a judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court last year. <strong>Yahoo was barred from disclosing the matter.</strong>&rdquo;</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/06/technology/yahoo-email-tech-companies-government-investigations.html">Yahoo Said to Have Aided U.S. Email Surveillance by Adapting Spam Filter</a></p> </blockquote> <h4 id="legislative-protections">Legislative Protections</h4> <p>Depending on your jurisdiction, you may be entitled to privacy protections. Notably, EU Citizens are covered by the <a href="https://www.sophos.com/en-us/cybersecurity-explained/gdpr">GDPR</a> which grants outlines regulations for organizations handling data deletion requests from individuals. It is worth being familiar with what privacy protections exist (or <em>don&rsquo;t exist</em>) in your locale.</p> <p><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p> <hr> <h2 id="account-security">Account Security</h2> <h3 id="using-a-password-manager">Using a Password Manager</h3> <p>While a notebook of passwords can be lost or stolen, there are digital means to keep track of accounts and passwords. Conveniently, some managers have integrated browser extensions that can make it easy to log in with stored passwords. These tools can go a long way towards improving your account security a lot easier to maintain.</p> <p>Two password managers that I&rsquo;ve used:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://keepassxc.org">KeePass XC</a> (Offline)</li> <li><a href="https://bitwarden.com">Bitwarden</a> (<a href="https://github.com/dani-garcia/vaultwarden">Self-Hostable</a>)</li> </ul> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/account-security-tools.webp'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/account-security-tools.webp' > </a> </div> <h3 id="long--unique-passwords-per-account">Long &amp; Unique Passwords per account</h3> <p><strong>Why?</strong> So that one account breach doesn&rsquo;t spread to others.</p> <p><a href="https://bitwarden.com/password-strength/"><em>How strong is your password?</em></a></p> <p>Reusing passwords means that if your password is found in a <a href="https://haveibeenpwned.com/">data breach</a> or hack, it can be used to gain access to other accounts.</p> <p>Using a password manager can help you generate significantly longer passwords that are significantly harder to break, and may be more random than what you can come up with yourself.</p> <p><a href="https://avoidthehack.com/getting-started-cybersecurity#developgoodpasswordmanagementpra...">Learn to develop good password management practices</a></p> <h3 id="turn-on-either-totp-or-hardware-two-factor-authentication-where-possible">Turn on either ToTP or hardware two-factor authentication, where possible</h3> <p><strong>Why?</strong> By adding two-factor authentication you significantly raise the difficulty of attacks on your accounts. This can also buy you time to reset your password if it’s stolen. Multi-factor authentication is very important for protecting important accounts.</p> <h3 id="unique-e-mail-addresses-per-account">Unique e-mail addresses per account</h3> <p><strong>Why?</strong> To make phishing campaigns much easier to identify.</p> <p>Some e-mail providers support adding additional words to <a href="#e-mail">your email.</a> For example you may be able to use <code>+shopping</code> at the end of your email as: <code>name+shopping@example.com</code>. This is good for filtering mail, but makes your alternate e-mails potentially discoverable.</p> <p>If you&rsquo;d like unique e-mails forwarded to your own e-mail address, an e-mail forwarding &amp; aliasing service like <a href="https://relay.firefox.com/">firefox relay</a> or <a href="https://addy.io/">addy.io</a> can help. Many people will already have multiple e-mails from different providers, some of them may support aliases or disposable addresses.</p> <p><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p> <hr> <h2 id="e-mail">E-mail</h2> <p>Email is something that&rsquo;s critical to get right. Almost every online account allows for accounts to be recovered (or stolen!) through email. This means that it&rsquo;s the most important account to secure. Rotating your e-mail password more often than other accounts can definitely make a difference in the long run.</p> <p>Beyond just being able to steal accounts, a hijacked email can also be used to spread scams and malware to others. Taking <a href="#account-security">account security</a> seriously is important!</p> <h3 id="choose-a-great-provider">Choose a Great Provider</h3> <p>Choosing a provider can be difficult. Even when one finds a great one, it&rsquo;s not worth entirely relying on a single provider. If you run your own website, e-mail hosting can sometimes be included with web hosting. Of course, there&rsquo;s always the option of running it yourself. That however, has its own <a href="https://cfenollosa.com/blog/after-self-hosting-my-email-for-twenty-three-years-i-have-thrown-in-the-towel-the-oligopoly-has-won.html">challenges</a>, but there are many <a href="https://bookofadamz.com/how-to-make-your-own-whatsapp-signal-telegram-competitor/">advantages</a>.</p> <p>Email Provider Recommendations:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://digdeeper.club/articles/email.xhtml">E-mail providers - which one to choose?</a></li> <li><a href="https://restoreprivacy.com/email/secure/">10 Best Private and Secure Email Services for 2023</a></li> <li><a href="https://gunther.link/posts/email/">Finding a Privacy-Friendly Email Provider</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.privacyguides.org/en/email/">Privacy Guides - Email Services</a></li> </ul> <h4 id="criteria-to-consider">Criteria to consider:</h4> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Privacy</strong></p> <p>There are limits to how private e-mail can be, but it&rsquo;s at least worth selecting a provider that isn&rsquo;t profiting off <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/15/gmail-scans-all-emails-new-google-terms-clarify">scanning your mail.</a><br> Things to consider for privacy:</p> <ul> <li>How long the provider has been in business</li> <li>Reputation of the provider</li> <li>Jurisdiction</li> <li>Business model and funding sources</li> <li>End-to-End Encryption</li> </ul> </li> <li> <p><strong>Features</strong></p> <p>Different options may have some variation in offerings. Important features can be:</p> <ul> <li>Webmail</li> <li>Storage size</li> <li>Custom Domains</li> <li>Disposable aliases</li> <li>Multiple accounts/mailboxes</li> <li>Encryption / PGP Support</li> <li><a href="#using-an-e-mail-client">Client</a> (IMAP &amp; POP) Support</li> <li>Forwarding and Filters</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p>I personally believe the best-case scenario for mass e-mail providers are responsibly run local non-profit enterprises. As online communication has become more central to people&rsquo;s lives, competitive local infrastructure needs to take a more central role. While on the total other end of the spectrum, there also needs to be a place for less personal, but still quite small, providers that operate indiscriminately. Both have a very important place in safeguarding online freedom from a variety of threats.</p> <h3 id="email-encryption">Email Encryption</h3> <p>Every e-mail provider is going to market itself as secure. <em>Secure from <strong>what</strong>?</em> One may ask. Security is about proactive measures taken against particular problems. Nothing is 100% secure. Many security features proudly proclaimed by big tech services are really just about protecting information <em>in transit</em> as it goes from your machine to theirs. It&rsquo;s very difficult for a provider to protect you from <em>themselves</em>, even when there&rsquo;s desire to. There is always a degree of trust involved with hosting your data on somebody else&rsquo;s computer.</p> <p>Domestic government (and corporate) surveillance is a serious concern as well. Many of us in the so-called &ldquo;Free World&rdquo; have to be concerned about the <a href="https://www.thenewoil.org/en/guides/less-important/five-eyes/">5 prying eyes</a>. With all this in mind, I would never put too much faith email <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/20/why-did-lavabit-shut-down-snowden-email">security guarantees</a>. Even in the best of circumstances,treat e-mail like you would a postcard in the mail; not for anything particularly sensitive or private.</p> <h4 id="strategy-1-inbox-level">Strategy 1: Inbox Level</h4> <p>There are many end-to-end encrypted <a href="https://blog.thenewoil.org/2023-review-skiff-mail">(&ldquo;zero knowledge&rdquo;)</a> mailboxes provided by larger privacy-focused email providers. How it works is that in addition to your emails being secured in transit, they are also encrypted when they are stored. This means that as long as your account/password are secure, your email&rsquo;s content can only be read by you. This often comes at the cost of lack of third-party client support.</p> <p>This strategy has advantages, but mostly it&rsquo;s ease-of-use. It saves you the time of having to manage your own encryption keys, meaning that others should be able to send you encrypted emails right away. The downside of this strategy is that you&rsquo;re still placing a significant amount of trust on the provider, especially if you&rsquo;re using it for sensitive information.</p> <h4 id="strategy-2-message-level">Strategy 2: Message Level</h4> <p>When using your own email client, you can choose to <a href="https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org/en/">proactively encrypt</a> emails with PGP. For recipients who&rsquo;ve already setup their keys, some clients will be able to auto-discover the correct key for you so it can be fairly convenient. This strategy ensures that the email is secure as long as the recipients keys are, from all other parties. If your recipient already publishes their PGP key. (<em>Here&rsquo;s</em> <a href="https://gabe.rocks/pubkey.txt"><em>mine</em></a>)</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/email-security.webp'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/email-security.webp' > </a> <p class="caption"> A Joke, but one with some elements of truth in it. </p> </div> <h4 id="metadata-headaches">Metadata headaches</h4> <p>Regardless of which strategy you use, due to how e-mail works it&rsquo;s impossible to conceal who you are sending it to, and many other details. Encrypted mail will protect the contents of the mail, but not extra information like when it was sent. For those who absolutely need to keep their contacts a secret, like investigative reporters, there are better options than e-mail.</p> <h3 id="using-an-e-mail-client">Using an e-mail Client</h3> <p>Using Free Open Source Software clients put you back in charge of your mail. While webmail and apps can be very convenient, they can often be very opinionated on how you <em>should</em> interact with your mail. Mail clients are a very important tool. Some will provide privacy features like blocking e-mail trackers, and other useful tools like custom filtering.</p> <p>Instead of leaving your mail on a server forever, you can move them to your computer for offline access. Every client will have it&rsquo;s own features, but having the capability to encrypt <a href="https://www.curtiswallen.com/pgp/">emails with PGP</a> is a non-trivial advantage.</p> <p>I&rsquo;m a huge fan of <a href="https://www.thunderbird.net/">Mozilla Thunderbird</a> though there are other e-mail clients, <a href="https://www.privacyguides.org/en/email-clients/">Privacy Guides</a> has an excellent list of recommendations.</p> <h4 id="configuring-your-client">Configuring Your Client</h4> <p>It may seem intimidating, but if you have an uncommon mail provider, or roll you own email you may need to <a href="https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/manual-account-configuration">configure your client.</a> This requires a few more options than just a username/password. To understand what the options mean you have to realize that you&rsquo;re setting up two things:</p> <ol> <li> <p><strong>Incoming Server:</strong></p> <p>Which needs:</p> <ul> <li>The mail server&rsquo;s hostname (such as pop.example.com)</li> <li>Choosing either IMAP or POP as the protocol, this changes how the server handles mail that&rsquo;s delivered.</li> <li>The port number the server is running on</li> <li>your email &amp; password</li> <li>Security settings</li> </ul> </li> <li> <p><strong>Outgoing Server:</strong></p> <p>Which needs:</p> <ul> <li>The SMTP (<em>Simple Mail Transfer Protocol</em>) server&rsquo;s hostname</li> <li>The server&rsquo;s port number</li> <li>Your email &amp; password</li> <li>Security settings</li> </ul> </li> </ol> <p>You&rsquo;ll want to consult your e-mail providers documentation for the specific values. Contacting customer service may help. These settings are what&rsquo;s required to configure any mail client, though some will be able to fill in some of the details when you provide your email address.</p> <h4 id="delta-chat">Delta Chat</h4> <p><a href="https://delta.chat/">Delta Chat</a> is a mail client that looks and functions as an end-to-end encrypted messaging app. It&rsquo;s an absolutely brilliant technique. Despite none of my contacts being (<em>currently</em>) willing to take it seriously, I actually believe that delta chat is one of the more underrated online messengers.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://delta.chat'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/delta-chat.webp' alt='delta chat running on multiple devices' > </a> </div> <p>In theory, it should be very easy to adopt because it doesn&rsquo;t require anyone to create any new accounts. It handles encryption key management for you, and uses your own inbox for storage. Of course, it can also send regular emails to those who don&rsquo;t have it yet. For those who find <a href="https://www.signal.org/">signal</a> requiring a phone number to be too much, I consider delta chat a must-have.</p> <h3 id="inbox-cleaning">Inbox Cleaning</h3> <p>Junk mail piles up. Over the years, it can be easy to accumulate more and more spam and incoming mail that becomes unmanageable. This causes a lot of people to essentially ignore their e-mails all-together. If you&rsquo;re not quite at the point of just abandoning that particular email and starting fresh, there&rsquo;s a lot you can do to reduce the amount of unsanctioned messages.</p> <h4 id="folders-and-filtering">Folders and Filtering</h4> <p>Odds are, a lot of regular incoming correspondence is expected in advance. This means that you can create sub-folders for particular domains, and use filters to sort your mail for you.This can keep the important stuff at hand, while allowing you to sort through the rest at your convenience.</p> <h4 id="unsubscribe-without-mercy">Unsubscribe Without Mercy</h4> <p>Getting your email added or removed from marketing lists can really add-up over time. Reducing your incoming emails to what you specifically want can make a massive impact. <br> You can clean a busy inbox with this process:</p> <ol> <li>Find an example of something you no longer wish to receive</li> <li>Hit the &ldquo;unsubscribe&rdquo; button (usually near the bottom) on the email and get removed from the list</li> <li>Search for messages from that sender and delete them all</li> <li>Repeat every so often</li> </ol> <p>Eventually, you&rsquo;ll find you&rsquo;re entirely free of unwanted incoming e-mails except for outright spam.</p> <h4 id="the-spam-war">The Spam War</h4> <p>If you&rsquo;re getting a great number of spam, it&rsquo;s a sign that your email has appeared on <a href="https://haveibeenpwned.com">many kinds of lists</a>. Not having it published publicly can help, but fighting spam is a team effort. It&rsquo;s worth your time to report egregious examples, but eventually you&rsquo;ll want to setup your own filters for it. Where possible, if you have a filter that&rsquo;s working well, I&rsquo;d recommend having it also mark the message as spam.</p> <p>Both <a href="https://fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/frm-eng/MMCN-9EZV6S">Canadians</a>, and <a href="https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/">Americans</a> can report spam to law enforcement.</p> <h3 id="trackers">Trackers</h3> <p>There are two common types of e-mails you can send/receive. Plain text, which as the name implies is just text and is therefore entirely free of trackers. Emails can also be HTML, like web pages. This allows for them to look appealing, include images, and unfortunately trackers!</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/4bbd4e5a-352d-4d24-82ea-e8832e902021'> </iframe> <p>When you load an e-mail that loads content (like images) from a remote server, those assets can be used to send information. This can be used to get all kinds of engagement stats about how even you as an individual respond to particular messages. A troubling consequence of this is that those running <a href="#phishing-attacks">phishing</a> campaigns are able to use that information to come up with more compelling scams.</p> <p><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p> <hr> <h2 id="browsers">Browsers</h2> <p>You may be reading this in a browser. As you likely are aware, a web browser is a powerful program that displays &amp; runs web pages and web applications. For many, it&rsquo;s their primary gateway to the world wide web as well as the internet as a whole. Being complacent about what browser(s) you&rsquo;re using is a surefire way to put your information in the hands of questionable external forces.</p> <h3 id="understanding-the-web">Understanding the Web</h3> <p>A good place to start is to refresh your understanding of what the web <em>actually is</em>. Like many things in our technological landscape, it wasn&rsquo;t built in a day, or even by a single person. It&rsquo;s an amalgamation of the work of many different people, institutions, and even governments over time. I&rsquo;m very passionate about people choosing to <a href="https://gabe.rocks/tech/reclaiming-cyberspace/">take an active role</a> in shaping cyberspace. Collectively, we do have a real impact on the future of the World Wide Web.</p> <p>To begin, we have to start with the simplest of web pages. These are <strong>static web sites</strong> that display a set amount of text, images, or media.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/web%20static.webp' > </div> <p>Far from being mere <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext"><em>hypertext</em>,</a> the web now includes multimedia applications. Web 2.0 was when web sites became <em>dynamic</em>. Forums, Wikis, and even the first social media sites were dynamic because user interaction fed into a database that was used to generate web content. The earliest of these could work without many (if any) scripts at all, and were processed by the web site&rsquo;s <strong>back-end</strong> software.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/web%20dynamic.webp' > </div> <p>A web page can load real-time data from an online service, and/or stream audio and video. Because of this, the browser is the primary tool in many people&rsquo;s digital life. Like anything else, this includes a variety of risks and trade-offs.</p> <p>The addition of more content and features to the web has made browsers themselves increase in complexity significantly. In theory, a browser would only need to support downloading the page, and displaying the text on it. As the web has evolved, browsers now support all kinds of multi-media, interactivity, and online gaming.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/web%20apps.webp' > </div> <p>While this isn&rsquo;t necessarily news to you, what is worth understanding is that all of these additional features have meaningful trade-offs when it comes to privacy &amp; security. There are those who yearn for a return of the days of just clean pure hypertext. If that sounds like something you&rsquo;re interested in, <a href="https://gemini.circumlunar.space/">gemini</a> is right up your alley. For the rest of us who would like to enjoy a wide variety of modern enhancements to the web, there is much to account for.</p> <h3 id="surveillance">Surveillance</h3> <p>In many ways, it helps to think of much of the Web as a street filled with surveillance cameras. Without making significant effort, it&rsquo;s trivial for those watching to keep track of where you go on a regular basis. In addition to this, the places you visit <em>themselves</em> may also be spying on you in exchange for a pithy sum.</p> <h4 id="cookies--storage">Cookies &amp; Storage</h4> <p>It&rsquo;s pretty useful to be able to log-in to a website. It&rsquo;s also very handy for the server to save some additional information on your end so when you return you can continue as normal. Using <em>sessions</em> is how servers keep track of who they&rsquo;re talking to. Naturally, if you divulge more information about yourself to a particular service, the more that information can be corroborated with other data points. Without saving cookies, log-ins and site settings would be lost immediately, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean you need to hold onto them forever.</p> <h4 id="scripts">Scripts</h4> <p>Either scripts from the site itself, or remote scripts pulled in from other services can do a wide range of things to try to uniquely identify you. On the other hand, many sites will not work at all and refuse to display something as simple as an article. Many tracking blockers will block all external scripts, but others will make exceptions that keep certain mainstream sites working.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/web%20scripts.webp' > </div> <p>The best practice would be to block any unnecessary scripts. There are many <a href="#browser-add-ons">add-ons</a> that can make this easier. &ldquo;Unnecessary&rdquo; can be a very broad categorization however, in some cases you may consider it worth blocking any and all scripts everywhere. This is the recommended setup when using the Tor Browser, because scripts can do many things to de-anonymize a visitor.</p> <p>Sadly many of these invasive scripts have been thrust on the public without much alternative. As a web developer, it may be tempting (or even good for your resume) to develop using the latest fancy script frameworks, it&rsquo;s important to remember that you can maintain all the advantages of dynamic web sites without it. When security and privacy of your users is paramount, it&rsquo;s something worth considering.</p> <h4 id="fingerprinting">Fingerprinting</h4> <p>Now that you&rsquo;ve put in the effort to properly mitigate unwanted data leakage. There&rsquo;s still another nasty problem. If you require perfect anonymity online, it&rsquo;s worth understanding that your <a href="https://coveryourtracks.eff.org">browser fingerprint</a> can be used to uniquely identify you online. This is a problem, but it&rsquo;s one not worth working on at the expense of protecting important information.</p> <h3 id="choosing-a-browser">Choosing a Browser</h3> <p><a href="https://digdeeper.club">DigDeeper.club</a> has an excellent if troubling <a href="https://digdeeper.club/articles/browsers.xhtml">post on browsers</a>. Unfortunately the major take-away is that the situation is very dire:</p> <blockquote> <p>The only reasonable choice is <a href="https://www.palemoon.org/">Pale Moon</a>. <strong>Or, just try wean yourself off the modern web</strong> by sticking to websites such as the ones on Neocities, <a href="https://wiby.me">wiby.me</a>, etc. which are functional in NetSurf or terminal browsers. I hate to kill the positivity of yet another summary, but if reality forces me to - what can I do?</p> </blockquote> <p>(<em>emphasis mine</em>)</p> <p><strong>If you require using the modern web</strong> (ie. most &ldquo;normal&rdquo; websites) I recommend reading through <a href="https://digdeeper.club/articles/browsers.xhtml">the guide</a> carefully and choosing what strikes the right balance for you.</p> <p>Reading through the browser guide leaves the impression that a serious web &amp; browser renewal is something people from all walks of life should strongly consider.<br> The root of the problem is two-fold:</p> <ol> <li>Additional features on modern web sites introduce additional privacy risks</li> <li>To support these features, browsers themselves become more complicated to support, maintain, and validate</li> </ol> <p>I intend to follow-up on this particular section, and I think it&rsquo;s important to think-through how things should be done. This is one of the many reasons I emphasize more people getting involved, rather than let governments and corporations dictate it for us.</p> <h4 id="the-more-the-merrier">The More the Merrier</h4> <p>Because browsers are tools, it doesn&rsquo;t often make sense to entirely limit yourself to a single one. There are some advantages to using different browsers for different &ldquo;spheres&rdquo; of your life. Above all, it&rsquo;s best to understand why you&rsquo;re using a particular browser for a certain task. If you&rsquo;re really in love with a particular browser, you may be able to use multiple <em>profiles</em> with different settings in mind for different uses. Even something as simple as having separate bookmarks for each profile would make it easy to stay consistent.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://youtu.be/j5r6jFE8gic'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/browser-tierlist.webp' > </a> </div> <p>In all cases you&rsquo;ll likely want to alternate browsers for different tasks, with at least one clearing cookies/logins/history on reload. You may also want to search for a <a href="#hardening">hardening guide</a> for whatever browser you choose, depending on your particular needs. It can help to have a hardened browser for most of your basic web tasks, with exceptions made for sites/services you need/trust and alternate ones for other things. <strong>Compartmentalization</strong> can go a long way especially with many browsers offering built-in VPNs. <em>More on VPNs later</em></p> <h3 id="hardening">Hardening</h3> <p>Here is an excellent <a href="https://brainfucksec.github.io/firefox-hardening-guide">firefox hardening guide</a> for firefox.</p> <p><em>Hardening</em> is the process of changing settings for particular privacy and security. Sometimes these changes include disabling tracking from the program itself! A good place to start is opt-ing out of any telemetry or analytics reporting. Then I would generally recommend taking the most extreme settings you can bear day-to-day, and consider increasing as you adapt. Some more &lsquo;<em>extreme</em>&rsquo; changes would be <a href="https://avoidthehack.com/webrtc-leaks-how-to-fix">disabling WebRTC</a> to protect your IP at the cost of some real-time applications breaking.</p> <p>Many of these changes will either be in your browsers settings panel or additionally <code>about:config</code> on firefox based browsers. On desktop Firefox Arkenfox&rsquo;s <a href="https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/wiki">user.js</a> file is a highly-recommended change for getting the most optimal settings. This alone may be a good reason to pick a firefox or its derivatives over google chrome and it&rsquo;s derivatives.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/browser-tools.webp' > </div> <p>If you&rsquo;re using <a href="https://brave.com/shields/">brave shields</a> you have an intuitive interface for being as strict as possible. It also has the advantage of being built into the browser for additional performance gains. On other browsers <a href="https://ublockorigin.com/">uBlock Origin</a> is the go-to add-on for having complete control over what resources sites can access. Learning how to use these tools can do a great deal of good.</p> <h3 id="browser-add-ons">Browser Add-ons</h3> <p>A browser can feel very limiting without many <a href="https://digdeeper.club/articles/addons.xhtml">essential add-ons.</a> Ad-blocking is de-facto necessary for browsing a great deal of the web to salvage some of your time and attention.</p> <p>I&rsquo;ve personally used:</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://ublockorigin.com/">uBlock Origin</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://github.com/gorhill/uMatrix">uMaxtrix</a></p> <p>It&rsquo;s great to have full control over requests on a site-by-site basis. It takes a bit of learning, but is a very powerful tool that I&rsquo;d love to see built-in to new FOSS browsers. By blocking specific kinds of remote requests across the board, you can disable all third-party ads.</p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://libredirect.github.io">LibRedirect</a></p> <p>A very useful tool for redirecting all kinds of mainstream social media links to dedicated (somtimes self-hosted!) web proxies.</p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://bitwarden.com">Bitwarden</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://keepassxc.org/">KeePassXC</a></p> <p>See <a href="#account-security">Account Security</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://decentraleyes.org/">Decentraleyes</a></p> <p>If you&rsquo;re going to allow remote scripts, it can be handy to proactively cache them, so that you&rsquo;re not constantly being tracked by loading them on each visit to separate sites.</p> </li> </ul> <p><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p> <hr> <h2 id="network-security">Network Security</h2> <h3 id="proxies-vpns--darknets">Proxies, VPNs &amp; Darknets</h3> <p>Unless you plan to work <em>entirely offline</em>, you&rsquo;re going to have to consider how you connect to the internet, and specific sites &amp; services.</p> <p>I would argue, that it&rsquo;s more important these days to hide one&rsquo;s IP address than it was in the past. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_geolocation">Internet Geolocation</a> as only gotten more precise over time. Depending on the accuracy, someone may be able to identify <a href="https://www.maxmind.com/en/locate-my-ip-address">your neighborhood.</a></p> <blockquote> <p>There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to VPNs. Just like email, there are many VPN services out there and you should choose the service that works best for you. Depending on which one you choose, you can benefit from an increased level of security when connected to networks you wouldn’t ordinarily trust. But this means you&rsquo;re placing your trust in the VPN.</p> <p><a href="https://ssd.eff.org/module/choosing-vpn-thats-right-you">Choosing the VPN That&rsquo;s Right for You</a></p> </blockquote> <p>Consider your goals:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Are you just trying to avoid disclosing your IP with sites &amp; services you visit?</p> <p>Most VPNs &amp; Proxies will suit this purpose.</p> </li> <li> <p>Are you trying to be entirely anonymous online?</p> </li> <li> <p>Or are you trying to connect to specific hidden services?<br> Then you may want to consider <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/shadow">darknets</a> like Tor or I2P.</p> </li> </ul> <h3 id="dns">DNS</h3> <p>Make sure your devices and browsers are configured with a deliberately chosen <a href="https://dnscrypt.info/public-servers">DNS provider</a>.</p> <p><strong>Why?</strong></p> <blockquote> <p>A huge privacy concern is that by default most DNS queries are not encrypted which means it isn’t difficult for bad actors to:</p> <ul> <li>Know what sites you visit</li> <li>What online services you use</li> <li>How often you use them</li> </ul> <p>This doesn’t necessarily relay any information about the content of the connection however. If you’re using encrypted connections you can be reasonably sure that the content remains safe. This isn’t a huge comfort because for many actors, <a href="https://ssd.eff.org/module/why-metadata-matters">metadata</a> is far more valuable than the content. From a privacy perspective, DNS seems to be one of the most under-appreciated aspects of protecting oneself. In many ways it is because most good VPNs will handle DNS as well, but there are other considerations.</p> <p>DNS can also be set at the application level. Browsers, for example, will have their own DNS settings. Most major browsers now support <a href="https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-dns-over-https">DOH</a>, which is a very convenient way to encrypt your browser’s DNS queries. For encrypting all of your system’s DNS queries you may want to consider using <a href="https://dnscrypt.info/faq/">DNSCrypt</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://gabe.rocks/tech/reclaiming-cyberspace/#dns">Reclaiming Territory in Cyberspace - DNS</a></p> </blockquote> <hr> <p><em>Thank you taking the time to read this overview.<br> Any comments, questions or <a href="mailto:gabriel@libresolutions.network?Subject=diy%20audit">feedback</a> would be appreciated.</em></p> <hr> <p>Is this all there is to do? Of course not! I hope that this can be a good starting-point for those who don&rsquo;t know where to begin.</p> <h2 id="additional-resources">Additional resources</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://gabe.rocks/tech/reclaiming-cyberspace/">Reclaiming Territory in Cyberspace</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/shadow">Operation: Shadow</a></li> <li><a href="https://gofoss.net/">Go FOSS</a></li> </ul> Conceptualizing Mind-reading Technology https://libresolutions.network/articles/brain-transparency/ Mon, 25 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/brain-transparency/ /media/images/brain-chip.webp <h2 id="when-the-war-on-your-mind-goes-hot">When the War on your Mind Goes Hot</h2> <p>From influence, profit, and power there are innumerable reasons why some and institutions would want the ability to <a href="https://iceni.substack.com/p/covid-19-deep-dive-part-iv-mind-control">manipulate your thoughts.</a> Of course, an efficient tool to learn how to control other&rsquo;s thoughts is to be able to read them in real-time. When it comes to online platforms a great deal of the mind-manipulation is done indirectly.</p> <p>Ranking algorithms, Censorship, and financial incentives will all radically transform how people individually act as a group, but there will always be more <em>direct forces</em> that can be used. The problem with direct mind control devices is that they are difficult to understand. Just like social media, the applications are likely going to appear entirely harmless and innocuous to mask nefarious intent.</p> <p>In this piece, I want to use an example to illustrate <strong>brain transparency</strong>. Which is the primary application of mind-reading technology. Instead of using indirect means to learn your thoughts; such as likes, comments, or what sites you visit, instead insights can be gleaned directly from your mind. With advanced technology and sophisticated understanding of how the brain actually works, mind-reading technology is far closer than one would imagine.</p> <h1 id="brain-transparency">Brain Transparency</h1> <p>Without even asking, I&rsquo;m very sure you can identify the patterns embedded in the two AI generated images below. From a distance, you can clearly see the pattern, but when you tune in to the fine details you can see that the image doesn&rsquo;t look too unusual without the extra context.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/ai-illusion.webp' alt='Two AI generated images, one with a spiral embedded andother with a checker pattern.' > <p class="caption"> Image <a href='https://www.creativebloq.com/news/ai-optical-illusion-generator'>Source</a> </p> </div> <p>Like any other illusion, it works because your brain works to identify patterns. Some patterns (like text) are more universal than others. If you wanted to construct a system that wanted to understand the person better than they know themselves, you could test them in a variety of ways with specific patterns that only resonate with specific people&hellip;</p> <blockquote> <p>If your childhood involved countless hours spent capturing, training and battling Pokémon, there may be a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEIuQRHElcQ">wrinkle in your brain</a> that is fond of images of Wobbuffet, Bulbasaur and Pikachu.<br> Stanford psychologists have identified preferential activation to Pokémon characters in the brains of people who played Pokémon videogames extensively as kids.</p> <p><a href="https://news.stanford.edu/2019/05/06/regular-pokemon-players-pikachu-brain/">Stanford researchers identify brain region activated by Pokémon characters</a></p> </blockquote> <p>This leads one to ask: Could patterns be <em>deliberately placed</em> to then further manipulate people in ways others wouldn&rsquo;t notice? Like a perfect <em>dogwhistle</em>. Effectively turning everyone into a <em>sleeper agent</em> that can be identified, and manipulated. It&rsquo;s not just what you know, but <em>how you know it</em>. It&rsquo;s also what you don&rsquo;t know, or can&rsquo;t recognize. Everyone is different. There will always be ways to precisely target people with this knowledge, for either marketing, manipulation, or even psychological torture.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/meme-illusions.webp' > </div> <p>Far from being mere memes on the internet, once people start putting electrodes on their heads, the game changes dramatically. We have already seen how social media deteriorated people&rsquo;s ability to connect and communicate with each other, advanced mind-reading technology makes direct mind control a lot more of a pressing concern. It&rsquo;s possible that profit-seeking algorithms for social media have already had this effect in some form, but with devices that receive direct input from our minds, the results can be much more extreme. Tagging people based on what patterns their brains recognize is only one out of countless ways advanced technology can learn how people think.</p> <h2 id="applications">Applications</h2> <p>As an example, let&rsquo;s pretend that I run a major communication platform. Let&rsquo;s name it after a single letter of the alphabet. X (for eXample) is a place where people believe they can participate in the <em>digital town square</em>. As the operator of X, I have access to all the users information, as well as devices they&rsquo;ve purchased from me. Instead of using machine learning to ban or censor users, I merely work to please users who fall for my preferred (or sponsored) propaganda, and frustrate those who aren&rsquo;t properly learning from the propaganda. I introduce a new fictional character that represents the values I&rsquo;m pushing. Those who can&rsquo;t immediately recognize that character must be avoiding the propaganda, so they must be nudged or corrected.</p> <p>There really isn&rsquo;t much of a debate on <em>if</em> this technology should be used to control people. Instead, we have technocrats gleefully announcing all the social problems that would be solved if we merely put all of our minds in the capable hands of the powerful. Many simply dismiss practical application of cutting-edge biology as sci-fi, which leads ethical considerations to be debated after the damage is done.</p> <blockquote> <p>Did you happen to watch Nita Farahany’s <a href="https://youtu.be/hfqD5aW0X5U">presentation at Davos</a> about Brain Transparency?<br> Did you ever wonder why she wasn’t booed off the stage?<br> It’s because everyone there implicitly accepts this sort of heinous rhetoric. They’ve gone all-in on these technocratic fantasies of theirs. They don’t even hide it. They’re actively normalizing ideas that would have been unthinkable a few years ago.</p> <p><a href="https://iceni.substack.com/p/spartacast-07">Spartacast 7</a></p> </blockquote> <p>There&rsquo;s something about this topic that is downright terrifying to the soul. Those who recognize what&rsquo;s at stake can clearly see that a terrifying system of mental control has already been constructed. Speculating on future harms may seem fruitless when the already applied forms of conditioning, propaganda, and punishment have taken control in serious ways already. The difference this time is that dissenters are much easier to identify.</p> <p>Those who cooperate with the regime can be marked in their minds, in a way that is very difficult (if not outright impossible) to fake. If there was ever a time to take the time to truly reflect on how you&rsquo;re using your thoughts and what impact there having, we may be approaching the end of the line. This is why I&rsquo;m highly concerned about the <em>adapt or be left behind</em> messaging embedded in discussions about machine learning tools, and potential cybernetic augmentations. What someone thinks is opting-in for career advancement may in fact come with some extremely invasive strings attached. One may want to reconsider the entire point of &ldquo;getting ahead&rdquo; when the price is complete control over your words, actions, and even thoughts. I have a feeling, that in the long run, these consequences will vastly outweigh potential benefits.</p> Signs the 'Dead Internet Theory' is correct https://libresolutions.network/articles/dead-internet/ Thu, 21 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/dead-internet/ /media/images/graveyard.webp <h1 id="the-dead-internet-theory">The &ldquo;Dead Internet&rdquo; Theory</h1> <p>The basic concept of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Internet_theory">dead internet theory</a> is that a vast majority of the engagement online is artificial. And/or that every single human being on the Internet isn&rsquo;t actually connected to everyone else, but merely a chosen subset of people. One of the reasons this idea has gotten so much traction is that it eerily explains much of people&rsquo;s online experience. While it&rsquo;s possible that the feeling is just a figment of people&rsquo;s nostalgia for exploring the web for the first time, there are actual trends and circumstances that support the idea.</p> <p>The following is a couple of signs that definitely point to the idea that the <strong>Dead Internet Theory</strong> is likely, and/or at least possible. Afterwards, I&rsquo;ll outline why this trend should be reversed, and how you can help.</p> <h2 id="immense-bot-traffic">Immense Bot Traffic</h2> <p>An individual has to make the decision to choose to engage, bots are just full auto. As long as there&rsquo;s currency, influence, or power to be gained from online participation, we can naturally assume the amount of bots online will steadily increase left unchecked. It&rsquo;s worth noting that not all bot traffic is inherently malicious. Timely notifications, alerts and announcements are all things people may want to be provided automatically.</p> <p><strong>Examples:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1264226/human-and-bot-web-traffic-share/">Statista Estimates that merely 25% of web traffic is actually human</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-66850821">Mr Musk has long said that his solution for getting rid of bots and fake accounts on the social media platform is charging for verification.</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="content-generation-tools">Content Generation Tools:</h2> <p>By lowering the barrier to human-like participation, bots can get more human reactions, making them much more effective. Being able to put together sentences, or speak with a voice can drastically change the game for even other bots. In this competitive arms race, new tools have a profound impact for both people and bots alike.</p> <h3 id="examples">Examples:</h3> <ul> <li>ChatGPT</li> <li>Midjourney</li> <li>Voice Cloning</li> </ul> <h2 id="big-tech-consolidation">Big Tech Consolidation</h2> <p>It&rsquo;s a lot easier to manipulate people on a small set of online services, than over a wide ecosystem of independent online sites and communities. By herding the public onto only a few services, coordination also becomes much easier.</p> <p><strong>Examples</strong></p> <ul> <li>People only use a small set of apps</li> <li>People can&rsquo;t name more than 10 websites</li> <li>People use search engines as a <a href="https://peertube.libresolutions.network/w/q6PsrmDKdxj8rxbj74bqSm">substitute for bookmarks</a> or the address bar.</li> <li>Search <a href="https://www.thestar.com/business/google-search-has-gotten-worse-here-s-the-trick-people-have-found-to-get-around/article_5d51869b-6be0-5de7-ae12-18e9b93f8323.html">sucks now</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="reach-control">Reach Control</h2> <p>With control over major platforms, it&rsquo;s possible to counter breakthrough narratives before they gain momentum. Not only is this capability a highly profitable commodity, it&rsquo;s also a highly effective <em>mass mind control</em> weapon. Screens are always going to be finite, and so are people&rsquo;s attention and lifespan. There will always be power in having direct control over prioritizing what others can see, even when you&rsquo;re not outright gate-keeping information.</p> <p><strong>Examples:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Non-chronological &ldquo;home&rdquo; and &ldquo;explore&rdquo; feeds</li> <li>Curated Trending</li> <li>Facebook&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.engadget.com/facebook-misinformation-virality-circuit-breaker-143924221.html">virality circuit breaker</a></li> <li><a href="https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/product/2023/freedom-of-speech-not-reach-an-update-on-our-enforcement-philosophy">Freedom of speech, not reach</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="virtualized-segregation">Virtualized Segregation</h2> <p>One of the spookier claims associated with the Dead Internet Theory is that people are effectively segregated from other human beings and relegated to an <a href="https://tntradio.live/shows/the-hrvoje-moric-show/"><em>algorithm ghetto</em></a>. At first glance this seems like something that would be impossible to test for. It would be safe to assume that the state-of-the art surveillance and identification tools would be used to filter users. In addition to this, platforms could (directly or indirecly) share information with each other to coordinate the isolation beyond a single platform or medium.</p> <p><strong>How it works in practice:</strong> <a href="https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Sharding_(term)">World of Warcraft sharding</a></p> <blockquote> <p>When too many players are in an area, the game automatically creates a new &ldquo;shard,&rdquo; a copy of that area. Players entering the area will be placed on the new shard. The world appears identical from the player&rsquo;s perspective, with minor differences:</p> <ul> <li>Players can only see other players on the same shard.</li> <li>Each shard has its own set of NPCs. As such, rare NPCs may respawn at different times on different shards.</li> <li>Each shard has its own set of objects such as herbs and mining nodes.</li> <li>Shards can be any geographic size but are usually limited to zones or smaller areas. The borders of a sharded area are invisible to players.</li> </ul> <p><strong>By design, players usually do not notice when the game moves them between shards</strong>, but players may notice NPCs momentarily disappear.</p> </blockquote> <p>The simplest way to understand sharding is to think of it as people being split into multiple parallel dimensions. There are performance reasons to do this, but there are also other advantages to be gained from keeping people unable to coordinate. For systems simpler than online games (like social media) sharding doesn&rsquo;t have to be absolute. Potentially, a system that does segregate people by default, could still make it possible to occasionally interact outside the bubbles to maintain the illusion of an open platform.</p> <p><strong>Other Examples</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2014/06/28/facebook-manipulated-689003-users-emotions-for-science/?sh=324e2617197c">Facebook&rsquo;s mood manipulation experiment</a></li> <li>Personalized curation for geographical or <a href="https://blog.google/canada-news-en/#overview">political circumstances</a></li> <li>Delaying feed updates or excessively <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/01/business/twitter-rate-limit-elon-musk.html">rate-limiting</a> access. (Sharding by time, rather than groups)</li> </ul> <h2 id="internet-censorship--shutdowns">Internet Censorship &amp; Shutdowns</h2> <p>The internet even in it&rsquo;s current form can&rsquo;t survive the current trend of escalating censorship and demands for top-down control. Left unabated, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-40494909">these forces will continue</a> to transform the web into merely another highly advanced propaganda machine.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/broken-internet/">ISP-level de-platforming</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/08/isps-should-not-police-online-speech-no-matter-how-awful-it">EFF- ISPs Should Not Police Online Speech</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="human-disengagement">Human Disengagement</h2> <p>Ironically, as the digital world has encroached more and more into peoples lives, actual participation hasn&rsquo;t kept pace. Commerce has greatly expanded online at the cost of centralizing control into a small set of payment providers. As the perceived value of engaging online drops, the easier it becomes for manipulators to take complete control.</p> <h3 id="potential-examples">Potential Examples:</h3> <ul> <li>None of your contacts participate online regularly</li> <li>Being inundated with low-effort comments</li> <li>Getting to know people online feels impossible</li> <li>Content and seems entirely disconnected from real-life events</li> <li>The tone of online spaces is vastly different</li> <li>A complete lack of humor</li> </ul> <h1 id="so-is-the-dead-internet-theory-actually-true"><em>So is the Dead Internet Theory actually true?</em></h1> <h2 id="its-not-dead-but-its-dying">It&rsquo;s not dead, but it&rsquo;s dying.</h2> <p>The internet is less of a single body and more of an ecosystem. There has undeniably been immense disruption, habitat loss, and disasters. That isn&rsquo;t to say that things can&rsquo;t improve.</p> <h2 id="what-you-can-do">What you can do:</h2> <p>Are you ready to <a href="https://gabe.rocks/tech/reclaiming-cyberspace/">reclaim cyberspace?</a> It&rsquo;s a massive undertaking but many hands make light work. By taking control of your online presence, content, and attention you are already making a massive impact on how the future of the web. Instead of providing unpaid labor for top-down information management systems, you can genuinely contribute to a global and public information superhighway.</p> <h3 id="maintain-a-non-commercial-web-space">Maintain a non-commercial web space</h3> <p>I don&rsquo;t believe it would take very many people at all taking an active interest in maintaining truly independent and personal <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/anonymity/">(or anonymous)</a> spaces online to have a massive impact on censorship resistance and meaningful interactions online.</p> <h3 id="use-open-protocols-instead-of-corporate-platforms">Use open protocols, instead of corporate platforms</h3> <p>Your own web space is just the beginning. There&rsquo;s a world of opportunity to explore open protocols &amp; systems for chat, audio/video calls, social media, collaboration, and many other things you can imagine.</p> <h2 id="if-you-like-this-idea-and-want-to-discuss-it-with-others-please-share-this-image">If you like this idea, and want to discuss it with others, please share this image!</h2> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/dead-internet.webp'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/dead-internet.webp' > </a> </div> Operation: Shadow https://libresolutions.network/operations/shadow/ Tue, 12 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/operations/shadow/ /media/images/intelligence.webp <h1 id="navigating-hostile-cyberspace">Navigating Hostile Cyberspace</h1> <p>Many people are outright victims of virtual imprisonment. Social media addiction is just the surface of a panopticon of <a href="https://videos.lukesmith.xyz/w/cBDUuKfSqxcrK4Kbh7ieJf">data-mining and manipulation.</a> If this wasn&rsquo;t bad enough, governments and public-private partnerships alike are further working to <a href="https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/08/31/ussocom-ai-disinformation-social-media/">analyze, contain, and restrict dissent.</a> This asymmetric use of technology enables innumerable abuses and consolidates power in terrifying ways. Almost everyone recognizes that people&rsquo;s behavior has changed drastically due to online pressures, very few imagine the sum total effects this has on society.</p> <p>If only there was some way out! A way to not attach every click, paragraph read, or comment left to a <em>permanent record</em>. A way to opt-out of this all-pervasive system of <em>individualized discrimination</em>. There is such a way: <strong>anonymity</strong>. Anonymity used to be the default online. Someone downloading a web page didn&rsquo;t automatically need to divulge who they were individually. Even when websites had user accounts, they could be disposable and didn&rsquo;t need to collect so much sensitive personal information.</p> <p>More and more services are collecting, and sometimes requiring increasing amounts of personal information. This can disproportionally create risks for some. Things have deteriorated into such a state where one requires constant effort <em>not to divulge who they are</em> to certain entities online. There is a wide variety of technical means available for those interested in following specific individuals, or even subsets of the population across cyberspace.</p> <p>There have been many prominent voices pushing for the eradication of online anonymity. Elimination of online anonymity is the digital equivalent of banning cash. In a misguided attempt to crack-down on crime and abuse you rob people of privacy and protection from discrimination when they need it most. One individual may not want a public profile attached to their name, but is still comfortable divulging their information in particular situations. Individuals from all walks of life should be empowered to only provide their identities when necessary and desired.</p> <h2 id="threat-modeling">Threat Modeling</h2> <p>You may feel no danger seeking out information, or speaking your mind online, but that&rsquo;s no comfort for others who might. Different people will have different risks, and the louder one aims to be the more enemies they tend to accrue. Anonymous speech potentially enables anyone on earth, to raise attention to a grave injustice with a much lower risk of retaliation. This is an essential trait to combat tyranny of all kinds worldwide.</p> <p>Issues can be big or small, but no matter how powerful a person is, they are still one human being. There are absolute limits to how much they can protect themselves from retaliation from rivals, stalkers, and abusers. These threats can all be individual people, groups, or even entire institutions. Below, a threat modeling infographic is provided.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/threat%20modeling.webp'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/threat%20modeling.webp' > </a> </div> <p>If one requires <em>perfect</em> anonymity, attaining it is quite a feat. That said, it&rsquo;s important to understand that this is not an all-or-nothing ordeal. Every step one takes to protect themselves online, affords them some defense against particular threats. One does not need to be a mastermind cyber-criminal to appreciate the benefits of incremental security improvements. It is critical to not let a sense of defeatism or nihilism creep in, small improvements <em>do have a large impact</em>.</p> <p>As the web itself becomes nearly entirely consolidated by large corporations, hostile governments, and public-private partnerships, there are bound to be many who choose to make a conscious choice to go a different direction. Even if you&rsquo;re not willing to go as far to protect your digital independence, there&rsquo;s quite a bit you can do to help make it possible for more and more people. I don&rsquo;t take this lightly, but I consider this piece the most important I have written to date. Even more important than <a href="https://gabe.rocks/tech/reclaiming-cyberspace/">Reclaiming Territory in Cyberspace</a>. The <em>dark web</em> and it&rsquo;s derivatives is a topic that is surrounded by myth and rumors of questionable intent. There is quite a bit of technical knowledge that is vital for people to understand, even without the desire to interact with these systems.</p> <h2 id="where-did-all-the-whistle-blowers-go">Where did all the whistle-blowers go?</h2> <p>Anonymity protects those who don&rsquo;t wish to be mistreated or otherwise silenced because of who they are. Many authors have published books or articles under a pen name, other times people would put up posters while concealing their identities. There is a significant bias against those choosing to speak out without exposing their identity. There is an understandable reason for this; staking your entire reputation on a cause or a mission can add significant weight to one&rsquo;s words and actions. On the other hand, those who speak out in their name are shackled to pressures and incentives of their own existence in a world that is much bigger than themselves. Anonymity is one of the few scenarios where ideas can truly be judged on their merits, rather than associated with a person or groups reputation and perception.</p> <p>You should never take anything anyone says at face value. Confide in trusted friends, research the claim yourself, but never dismiss something entirely because it merely comes without a name. While in some ways we are all more free to express ourselves than ever, the costs of non-conformity with present and future dogmas are permanent and extreme. Many problems today exist because hardly anyone is willing to threaten their livelihood rebuking authority, even when desperately necessary. This is terrifying because it creates a positive feedback loop that selects against any bottom-up feedback in society. People will constantly acknowledge that their leaders in government, business, or even civil society are deaf to their concerns and needs. If nobody will speak out&hellip;how can things change? In light of this anonymous speech is arguably more important than non-anonymous speech. It potentially allows for grave errors to be corrected, if nobody is willing to stake their social standing on it.</p> <p>The suppression of anonymity takes two major forms:</p> <ol> <li>Introducing surveillance or identity verification as a requirement in more circles of life.</li> <li>Proactively working to de-anonymize people or discourage them from protecting information that exposes them to risks.</li> </ol> <p>You can refuse to participate in domains where you&rsquo;re forced to give up your identity, but once an anonymous person becomes known, they will never again be unknown. This is especially likely in the case of dissidents or critics, who may have valid reasons for protecting their identity.</p> <h2 id="online-anonymity-is-important-despite-being-near-impossible">Online anonymity is important, despite being near impossible</h2> <p>Big services like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon (among others) spend a massive amount of effort trying to understand every person that uses their platform(s). So much so, that there is a great deal of surveillance infrastructure that &rsquo;trickles down&rsquo; to glean even more information from people elsewhere across the web. When using any of these top-down platforms you are at minimum an unpaid worker providing data about you and people in general. For better-or-worse every action you take while using these systems is you acting as an informant for the stakeholders that they represent. Far too many people assume they aren&rsquo;t saying a thing if they merely lurk or passively view content. To the contrary, where your attention goes says a great deal about you and even others.</p> <h3 id="a-coordination-problem">A coordination problem</h3> <p>The web, or even the Internet as it exists wasn&rsquo;t built in a day or by a single entity. The internet is largely a compromise between all kinds of different people, groups, and institutions. At least for now, no single entity has complete control over all of it, and we should all hope it stays that way. Beyond merely pleading, there is a great deal many of us can do. Even choosing to use a site or platform that collects moderately less information can have lasting impacts. If people understood how much effort was made to steer their attention, they would appreciate how much of a valuable force it really is. Due to the very complexity of how things are now, there is no &lsquo;silver bullet&rsquo; that can easily, simply, or quickly solve all or even many of the problems. Focusing on incremental change isn&rsquo;t just the best option, it&rsquo;s all anyone can do to make a difference.</p> <h2 id="the-internets-achilles-heel-dns">The Internet&rsquo;s Achilles Heel: DNS</h2> <p>What is a website? is <code>www.example.com</code> a website? That address is a <strong>domain name</strong> that allows your browsers and apps to connect to a specific server. DNS stands for <em>domain name system</em>. In theory, DNS is actually <a href="https://opennic.org/">decentralized</a> because while there are well established DNS servers and registrars, all it does is connect network addresses to names. There is little other than inertia preventing people from using alternative systems.</p> <p>As it exists, most web administrators will generally register their domain with a regular <strong>domain registrar</strong> which is a company that runs their own <strong>nameservers</strong>. Usually, this requires a real name and address. In addition to this, payment methods like credit cards or non-private cryptocurrencies will make easy work of identifying who registered a particular domain. Because of this, and many other things it&rsquo;s almost impossible to host a website or online service anonymously as an individual person or group. While people who visit your site may not know who you are, but it&rsquo;s trivial for somebody to find out.</p> <h3 id="domain-seizures">Domain Seizures</h3> <p>Due to the lack of anonymity, it&rsquo;s entirely possible for governments or even public-private partnerships to demand domains be seized. Domains are registered by legal entities and many domains have already been seized to combat all kinds of criminal activity. The danger of this is that there may be a future where domain registrars have to police the content on domains registered by them. Just as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter/X in the past have taken an editorial stance over their platform, it&rsquo;s not impossible for registrars to do the same.</p> <h3 id="dns-censorship">DNS Censorship</h3> <p>The registrars are only part of the equation. Nameserver operators can also be compelled to <a href="https://torrentfreak.com/govts-must-encourage-or-compel-internet-companies-to-fight-piracy-230831/">block sites</a> in the name of preventing copyright infringement, serious crimes, or political expediency. Already we are seeing countries like France become <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/macron-mulls-cutting-access-social-media-during-riots/">more totalitarian</a> online <a href="https://archive.ph/vOIzM">for political reasons</a>. It would be naive to believe that this isn&rsquo;t already a worsening trend.</p> <h3 id="surveillance">Surveillance</h3> <p>Because DNS queries are so useful for understanding how people use the Internet, it&rsquo;s trivial for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other entities to sell valuable batches of <em>unencrypted dns queries</em>. In most cases the default setup is unencrypted and possibly not cached, meaning many entities know who&rsquo;s visiting what sites, and how often. This is but one of many ways to track people across the Internet. There are many more ways in which people are identified and manipulated online. It&rsquo;s perfectly reasonable to want to simply side-step all the insanity and simply start fresh.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-4.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-4/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #4 Online Identity</h2><i>What is following you in your digital tracks?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h1 id="using-a-darknet">Using a Darknet</h1> <p>The simplest &ldquo;darknet&rdquo; is a computer (or group of them) not connected to the Internet. It&rsquo;s quite straight-forward for someone to keep an &ldquo;air gapped&rdquo; (disconnected) machine as an offline repository for records and information management. Any means to connect one computer to another, that&rsquo;s not widely accessible is technically a &ldquo;darknet&rdquo;. The phrase <em>the deep web</em> is often associated with Tor hidden services, but has also been quite erroneously used to describe fringe or unpopular websites on the regular internet.</p> <h2 id="anonymous-browsing">Anonymous browsing</h2> <p>A major use of darknets is for people to browse the &ldquo;regular internet&rdquo; <a href="https://anonymousplanet.org/">anonymously.</a> This is one of the primary uses of Tor. Anonymous browsing is a significant challenge and requires a significant amount of caution. However, the benefit of being a Tor user on the Internet is that with some caution, you blend in with all the other Tor users. Unlike using a personal use VPN, using a darknet to <strong>proxy</strong> your connection to the regular internet allows you to act like a fish in a massive school of internet fish. The bigger the school, the lest identifiable, and ideally less of a target you are.</p> <h2 id="hidden-services">Hidden Services</h2> <p>Hidden services are where darknets get really neat. Remember everything said above about DNS? Forget it! Hidden services sidestep all those issues all at once. There are other ways to decide who connects to who. An alternative method is to have each site generate encryption keys that secure the connection, and identifies them as a key. Once this is in place, it&rsquo;s possible to route messages anonymously through the network. Through a marvel of modern mathematics, you have a new layer to the Internet where it&rsquo;s possible to have truly private and communications that can&rsquo;t be censored.</p> <h2 id="website-mirroring">Website Mirroring</h2> <p>By making your website <a href="https://xmrpower.bearblog.dev/mirror-your-website-tor-i2p/">accessible over darknets</a>, you&rsquo;re allowing those who may come from oppressive regimes to access your content. In addition to this you protect your online presence from censorship and domain seizure. It&rsquo;s best to mirror a <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/best-website-for-you/">static site</a> that doesn&rsquo;t rely on cookies or javascript. Running a hidden service yourself is free, so it&rsquo;s an option to archive a website after you no longer with to pay for regular hosting.</p> <h2 id="securedrop">SecureDrop</h2> <p>The possibility of online anonymity and hidden services are potentially a great boon to <a href="https://youtu.be/LkgN244ggzs">whistle-blowers</a> from all walks of life. In an environment where your average well-rounded citizen is capable of at least browsing the darknet, those who wish to right terrible wrongs may have the capability of speaking out without retaliation. Many damaging and twisted scandals could be broken far earlier, preventing even more damage in the long run.</p> <p><a href="https://securedrop.org/">SecureDrop</a> is a fancy tool that allows people to submit information anonymously over tor. Running as a packaged hidden service, and being Free Open Source Software, it&rsquo;s even easier to democratize real transparency.</p> <h1 id="examples">Examples</h1> <h3 id="diy-vpn">DIY VPN</h3> <p>In a close circle of trust, it can be helpful to share information or provide members only-services. You can create your own darknet by creating your own VPN or using SSH tunnels. Using either <a href="https://www.wireguard.com/">Wireguard</a> or OpenVPN you can create your own private network for you own internal services. For a small group and community, you can significantly protect your digital activities from prying eyes by rolling your own hidden services on your own virtual private network.</p> <h3 id="sneakernet">Sneakernet</h3> <p>Embrace the analogue and burn your information to optical disks and send them in the mail like how netflix started! Got some homing pigeons? You can be the bleeding-edge of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_over_Avian_Carriers">IP over Avian Carriers</a>. A local community could use <a href="../beehive">Operation: Beehive</a> to cooperate on all kinds of interesting projects over a sneakernet.</p> <h2 id="tor">Tor</h2> <p>Tor is short for <strong>The Onion Router</strong>. <a href="https://youtu.be/uPLSVAz-I_Q">Onion Routing</a> is how messages sent within the tor network stay anonymous. Tor uses special clients called <em>bridges</em> that allow traffic from the network to go to the regular internet, allowing people using tor to access regular websites.</p> <p><a href="https://www.torproject.org/">Tor Project Website</a></p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/zQW3MdF25B8">How to Access the Dark Web - Mental Outlaw</a></p> <h3 id="snowflake-">Snowflake ❄️</h3> <p>If you&rsquo;re interested in supporting those working to protect their privacy and/or overcome censorship, <a href="https://snowflake.torproject.org/">Snowflake</a> is a great way to help people connect to the Tor network.</p> <h3 id="distributions">Distributions</h3> <p>There are a variety of linux distributions created to assist in aspects of using the Tor network. <strong>Tails</strong> is a temporary operating system to make every session start identically on the Tor network. Like tails, <strong>Whonix</strong> routes all it&rsquo;s traffic over Tor. If that&rsquo;s still not enough for you <strong>Qubes OS</strong> allows you to create disposable whonix virtual machines.</p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/u5Lv_HXICpo">TailsOS Guide for the Ultra Paranoid - Mental Outlaw</a></p> <h2 id="i2p">I2P</h2> <p>Not as interested in touching the regular internet? Are you looking for a darknet with hidden services specifically in mind? The <strong>Invisible Internet Protocol</strong> (I2P) may suit your needs.</p> <p><a href="https://geti2p.net/en/">I2P Project Website</a><br> <a href="https://i2pd.website/">I2Pd</a></p> <iframe src='https://tube.tchncs.de/videos/embed/8b304fd9-03c2-4daa-a8af-ed097e8ab0d7'> </iframe> <p><a href="https://tube.tchncs.de/videos/watch/8b304fd9-03c2-4daa-a8af-ed097e8ab0d7">I2P Tour: Search Engines, Free Anonymous Email, Interesting Eepsites</a></p> <h2 id="limitations">Limitations</h2> <p>Perfect anonymity is extremely difficult. While darknets can protect your private information online, it can be difficult to hide that you&rsquo;re using one. This makes darknet users, and those who wish to protect their privacy online in general, significant political targets from those who would like to seize control over digital communications in whole or in part.</p> <h3 id="user-error">User Error</h3> <p>The greatest threat to one&rsquo;s online privacy and security is <a href="https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/p/pebkac.htm">PEBKAC</a> errors. Your own mistakes, and capability to be manipulated is not to be underestimated. If you require perfect anonymity, ensure that you are diligent and don&rsquo;t become complacent. Even as someone who doesn&rsquo;t need anonymity, you&rsquo;re not immune to cybersecurity threats and all kinds of information can be leveraged against you.</p> <h3 id="fingerprinting">Fingerprinting</h3> <p>Despite the best efforts of many intelligent and skilled people, perfection is far from within reach. Many sophisticated surveillance tools are precisely tuned to identify patterns and correlations. This means that even the smallest technical detail can be used to potentially identify people</p> <h3 id="browser-features">Browser features</h3> <p>A great deal of the modern &lsquo;conveniences&rsquo; that current-day browsers have tend to leak sensitive information, when making choices about your setup, it can be wise to rely on basic text and images rather than full single-page applications.</p> <h3 id="size-of-the-network">Size of the network</h3> <p>When swimming in a school of fish, numbers matter. Efforts to discourage people from knowing how to use privacy tools greatly undermines everyone&rsquo;s ability to not only be anonymous online, but also to escape abuses by big tech platforms. For now, Tor users are not numerous enough, or don&rsquo;t have enough social capital to prevent big tech services from discriminating against them. In part this is because any privacy tool can be used for nefarious means, and they are often restricted as a security caution.</p> <p>When a privacy network is small, it becomes much easier for those with significant resources to either target specific people within it, or even de-anonymize the entire network. In an ideal world, enough people would use these tools to protect dissidents from retaliation, and law enforcement would still have the tools to go after violent criminals through other means without compromising lawful people&rsquo;s privacy.</p> <h2 id="useful-resources">Useful Resources</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://digdeeper.club/">DigDeeper</a></li> <li><a href="https://anonymousplanet.org/">The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Online Anonymity</a></li> <li><a href="https://kycnot.me/">kycnot.me</a></li> <li><a href="https://notabug.org/dfca/dfca">Digital Feudalism Counter Action</a></li> <li><a href="https://simplifiedprivacy.com/">Simplified Privacy</a></li> <li><a href="https://duskos.org/">Dusk OS</a></li> <li><a href="https://prism-break.org/">Prism Break</a></li> <li><a href="https://digitalfreedom.neocities.org/">Digital Freedom</a></li> <li><a href="https://proton.me/blog/what-is-dark-web">What is the dark web? The good and bad of the Internet’s most private corner</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.curtiswallen.com/pgp/">PGP Done Right - For Beginners</a></li> <li><a href="https://tube.tchncs.de/c/privacy__tech_tips/videos">Right to Privacy - Privacy and Tech Tips Videos</a></li> <li><a href="https://privacytoolslist.com/">Privacy Tools List</a></li> <li><a href="https://ssd.eff.org/">EFF Surveillance Self-Defense Privacy Guides</a></li> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/HQXRURfrf8w">31C3 - Tor Hidden Services and Deanonymisation</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.cjr.org/tow_center_reports/guide-to-osint-and-hostile-communities.php">A Guide to Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)</a></li> <li><a href="https://landchad.net/">Landchad System Guides</a></li> <li><a href="https://xmrpower.bearblog.dev/mirror-your-website-tor-i2p/">Mirror your website onto the darknet</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.hyphanet.org">Hyphanet</a></li> </ul> Digital Autonomy and the Arts: Part 2 https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts2/ Tue, 05 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts2/ /media/images/arts-banner.webp <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/1185ac9d-8896-49c6-8698-c3475510188f'> </iframe> <p>Liam Sturgess and Visceral Adventure join Gabriel to discuss the arts and cyberspace.</p> <p>Watch Gabriel &amp; Liam&rsquo;s previous discussion on digital autonomy and the arts <a href="https://peertube.libresolutions.network/w/4UrH5kTwMVtMsnuCdRmPei">here</a></p> <p>You can follow Visceral Adventure on <a href="https://visceraladventure.substack.com/">Substack</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/VisceralAdvntr">Twitter</a> &amp; <a href="https://rumble.com/user/VisceralAdventure">Rumble</a></p> <p>Visit <a href="https://www.liamsturgess.com">liamsturgess.com</a> to stay up to date with Liam&rsquo;s work. You can also follow him via <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLiamSturgess">Twitter</a> or the Fediverse at <a href="https://gigaohm.bio/@LiamSturgess">@LiamSturgess@gigaohm.bio</a> Don&rsquo;t forget to check out his series <a href="https://rumble.com/c/liamsturgess">Microjourneys</a> on Rumble. Which is also mirrored on <a href="https://peertube.libresolutions.network/w/p/xiRDiR7qVjEyYTntpudyvP">this instance</a></p> Cybergeddon: ISP-level de-platforming https://libresolutions.network/articles/broken-internet/ Thu, 17 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/broken-internet/ /media/tott-9-preview.webp <p>It is important to remember that when it comes to free expression online, no corporation is <a href="https://consentfactory.org/2023/08/14/the-free-speech-twitter-psyop/">coming to save you</a>. For far too long, people have placed too much trust in corporate social media. They have certainly abused that trust, but as of recently a far more concerning trend has arisen: <em>parts of the Internet de-platforming itself</em>.</p> <blockquote> <p>ipv6 prefix-list ipv6-prefix-filter-as400304<br> seq 950 <strong>deny 2607:46c0::/32</strong> le 48<br> <a href="https://archive.is/L7dD4">Archive</a></p> </blockquote> <p>It doesn&rsquo;t look like much, this innocuous text reveals that <em>the Internet isn&rsquo;t dying&hellip; it&rsquo;s being killed.</em> It&rsquo;s not so much the <em>what</em> here that&rsquo;s important, but <strong>the why</strong> that matters a great deal here. For now, what&rsquo;s important to understand is that the Internet is built very differently from how most people imagine it.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/internet.webp'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/internet.webp' > </a> </div> <p>The internet isn&rsquo;t a single homogeneous network, it&rsquo;s a network of networks. Those networks need a protocol to negotiate a vast array of details, to successfully and efficiently move data around. In many ways, it&rsquo;s somewhat of a <a href="https://xkcd.com/2347/">miracle</a> it all works at all.</p> <p>Naturally, there are weak-points that get tested over time. In our age of incredibly high polarization, people may choose to take incredibly rash actions even if there are immensely harmful consequences to vital structures. In a way, I am conflicted to point this out, because if more mobs of people decided to selectively pressure ISPs to wage the culture war for them, it is effectively game-over for the Internet as a meaningful tool for free expression, cultural exchange, and the preservation of knowledge.</p> <p>Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of wishing the cat back into the bag. This is a one-way trip into a world where this is a risk people need to properly account for. In recent times, we have seen just how motivated governments and corporations across he world are to secure total dominance over online communications and commerce, it would be a mistake to idly stand by while politicized mobs secure a veto over critical infrastructure.</p> <h1 id="what-happened">What happened</h1> <ul> <li>Joshua Moon runs a controversial online forum Kiwi Farms, which is the target of extreme and escalating online censorship.</li> <li>Hurricane Electric has blocked network traffic from IPs associated owned by Joshua Moon, impacting IngocNet&rsquo;s services in Washington.</li> <li>Washington has <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=19.385.020">common carrier</a> protections for communications online.<br> It is up to their attorney general, to enforce those protections.</li> <li>IncogNet LLC has <a href="https://twitter.com/IncogNetLLC/status/1685359845505957888">filed a complaint</a> to the washington attorney general against hurricane electric for de-platforming their IPs.</li> </ul> <p>If you&rsquo;d like to hear the situation broken down by Joshua himself, you can listen to <a href="https://www.heterodorx.com/podcast/episode-107-how-the-internet-lost-its-backbone-with-joshua-moon/">this episode</a> of the <a href="https://www.heterodorx.com/">Heterodorx</a> podcast.</p> <h2 id="technical-background">Technical Background</h2> <p>Internet service providers (ISPs) have to connect to each other for this whole internet thing to work. One mechanism that helps with this is BGP (Border gateway protocol), which is how networks introduce themselves to each other. This connection between ISP networks is a fundamental unit of the Internet. Without it, you&rsquo;d need to have a <em>direct, physical connection</em> to every service you want to use.</p> <p>BGP is a big deal, despite being something very few people have to interact with directly. Causing problems with it made the Internet unusable for half of Canada <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Rogers_Communications_outage">last year</a>. It&rsquo;s a trivial change to block a particular network, which is done to mitigate direct attacks on the network or criminal activity. The weaponization of this is an immense challenge for anyone who cares about a free and open internet.</p> <p>Not all ISPs are equal, anyone with the capability of applying pressure to critical components on <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/01/beyond-platforms-private-censorship-parler-and-stack">&ldquo;the stack&rdquo;</a> has the ability to have immense power over anyone&rsquo;s ability to participate online.</p> <p>The only reason we&rsquo;re hearing about this at all, is because of how dedicated Joshua Moon has been about keeping his website online. In the face of being de-platformed by multiple providers, many other projects would have merely given up. How many businesses or publication would persist after being de-platformed by ISPs and hosting providers all over the world?</p> <p>What makes this incident personally interesting to me is that this is a window into the bleeding-edge of censorship online. I doubt that the Internet itself is resilient to sustain politically motivated attacks at such a fundamental level. This incident forces all of us to consider how the world would be different if access to the Internet was only possible with permission and control of unaccountable public-private partnerships.</p> <h2 id="why-this-matters">Why this matters</h2> <p>As cited in <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-9/">Tools of the Technocracy: Internet Shutdowns</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>In a deeply troubling response, after both terminations we saw a dramatic increase in authoritarian regimes attempting to have us terminate security services for human rights organizations — often citing the language from our own justification back to us.</p> <p><a href="https://blog.cloudflare.com/cloudflares-abuse-policies-and-approach/">Cloudflare blog</a></p> </blockquote> <p>Said succinctly, the slope is indeed <em>very slippery and very steep</em>.</p> <p>It&rsquo;s difficult to overstate what this means for the future of the Internet. No site, service, or community can single-handedly withstand the forces at play here. The very same tactics used to shut down that forum, can and will be leveraged against anything. This means that even if the forum is successful at staying online, a strategy has been introduced that can be attempted at a different time, with a different pretext, on any target.</p> <blockquote> <p>In the United States, you have today created a law, the Telecommunications Reform Act, which repudiates your own Constitution and insults the dreams of Jefferson, Washington, Mill, Madison, DeToqueville, and Brandeis. These dreams must now be born anew in us.</p> <p>You are terrified of your own children, since they are natives in a world where you will always be immigrants. Because you fear them, you entrust your bureaucracies with the parental responsibilities you are too cowardly to confront yourselves. In our world, all the sentiments and expressions of humanity, from the debasing to the angelic, are parts of a seamless whole, the global conversation of bits. We cannot separate the air that chokes from the air upon which wings beat.</p> <p>In China, Germany, France, Russia, Singapore, Italy and the United States, you are trying to ward off the virus of liberty by erecting guard posts at the frontiers of Cyberspace.</p> <p><a href="https://www.eff.org/cyberspace-independence">A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace</a><br> By John Perry Barlow</p> </blockquote> <h2 id="what-you-can-do">What you can do</h2> <p>Joshua Moon himself suggests that you:</p> <ol> <li>Learn how to acquire &amp; use Cryptocurrency if you&rsquo;re interested in supporting those who are de-banked.</li> <li>Learn how to use <a href="https://www.torproject.org/">Tor</a>, to access information that may be entirely removed from the &ldquo;clearnet&rdquo;.</li> <li>Support expanding <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/common-carrier.asp">common carrier</a> protections for speech online.</li> </ol> <h2 id="a-call-to-stand-up-for-individual-rights">A call to stand up for individual rights</h2> <p>You don&rsquo;t even have to like the forum to recognize that escalating top-down control over the Internet is a net-detriment for all our liberty. The feedback loop of people leveraging institutions to abuse their opponents only further escalates the cycle.</p> <p>You need to start deciding what measures are &ldquo;too far&rdquo; even for those you disagree with the most. It is critical that we as people in society strengthen the restraints on how institutions are able to interact with people. Given how fundamental the Internet is with commerce and people&rsquo;s lives, it&rsquo;s vital that we reassert people&rsquo;s human liberties in cyberspace as well.</p> <h2 id="non-solutions">Non-Solutions</h2> <h3 id="tor-alone">Tor alone</h3> <p>Relegating free and open expression to a small minority of technologically savvy dissidents is all-but a win condition for tyrants. Tor is an incredibly useful tool, and it is critical that people understand how to use it and other privacy networks, but it is not a complete solution. Any single tool that can be used for dissent can itself become a target.</p> <p>While it&rsquo;s one thing to access the Tor network, it&rsquo;s a whole other challenge to attempt to hide that you&rsquo;re using it. If we allow ISPs to be weaponized against their customers, and the Internet itself, there is very little that can be done to route around it.</p> <h3 id="web3-fixes-this">Web3 Fixes this!</h3> <p>Building on he previous section, we cannot out-engineer a culture that tolerates, much less demands censorship. Due to the very way the Internet works, this problem can&rsquo;t be fixed with merely a different coat of paint on top. There are fundamental structural realities that higher level applications can&rsquo;t solve.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/road2hell.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/blockchain/" ><h2>The road to hell: misplaced optimism in the blockchain space</h2><i></i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>This is because the physical state of the network is downstream of real physical realities and economies of scale. It would be much easier to reaffirm individual rights, than to try to bet everything on engineering a perfect global network without compromise.</p> <hr> <h2 id="how-to-normalize-institutional-abuse">How to normalize institutional abuse</h2> <p>There is a pattern where further and further excesses are justified in the name of persecuting the worst of the worst, yet they manage to be generalized to all of society like the <a href="https://brownstone.org/articles/the-dangerous-fantasy-of-zero-covid/">Zero Covid Policy</a> or the <a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/alqaeda/">War on Terror</a>. It wasn&rsquo;t long after Alex Jones was de-platformed that governments across the world were coordinating to <a href="https://foundationforfreedomonline.com/dhs-video-series-to-target-peer-beliefs/">control social media</a> entirely.</p> <h3 id="1-find-an-unsympathetic-target">1. Find an <em>unsympathetic target</em></h3> <p>By selecting a target that&rsquo;s difficult to defend, people will very often ask &ldquo;<em>Is this the hill to die on</em>?&rdquo;. By procrastinating to defend people&rsquo;s right to due process or from unreasonable sanctions, we enable further abuses. The target isn&rsquo;t selected for their suitability towards the intended policy goal, but rather <em>because they are unsympathetic</em>.</p> <h3 id="2-target-them-with-a-dedicated-smear-campaign">2. Target them with a dedicated smear campaign</h3> <p>I would caution you to not dismiss that you yourself may very well be such a target. None of us are without sin, and almost everyone can be <em>fit to be tied</em> in our age of algorithmically enhanced outrage and polarization. It&rsquo;s very easy to find a couple of points about anyone, that someone can find a non-trivial amount of people dislike.</p> <p>This is the real danger of our polarized times. People are unwilling to stand for other&rsquo;s inalienable natural rights, and instead prefer to only stick out for their perceived allies in the culture wars. This means that nobody is truly above being tarred and feathered by a highly motivated group of activists.</p> <p>Note: <em>Nothing has to be fabricated. People are naturally quite different and there are going to be real and meaningful disagreements. It is our responsibility to ensure those disagreements are handled properly and fairly, rather than wage culture war with the justice in the balance.</em></p> <h3 id="3-shut-down-or-shut-out-the-target-without-any-due-process-or-means-to-appeal-on-factual-grounds">3. Shut down or shut out the target without any due process or means to appeal on factual grounds</h3> <p>Again, ironically it&rsquo;s not really about the target, it&rsquo;s about the power to be seized from an opportunity. There are all kinds of means to burden a target with fines, reputational harm, or even violence without providing a fair an impartial hearing. In fact, even a guilty target being convicted would be counter-productive, because the goal is to use the perceived injustice to justify further excesses.</p> <h3 id="4-broaden-the-scope-of-targets">4. Broaden the scope of targets</h3> <p>As the target is <em>removed from play</em> it doesn&rsquo;t matter anymore who is on what side anymore. You can now use that incident as a precedent justify the same action on unrelated targets. Instead of addressing matters on their merits, instead you can smear critics as being accomplices of the target, or just as profane. With the mechanism in place, people who gain from exploiting it will be motivated to keep the narrative in place, and to continue to silence those who speak out against it.</p> <h2 id="the-road-to-serfdom">The road to serfdom</h2> <p>Let&rsquo;s pretend for a moment that we will fully intend to use this power for the benefit of all. Despite mainstream social media giants being unable to fully eliminate criminal activity of their networks, we&rsquo;re going to deputize ISPs to police every interaction online.</p> <p>With means like online identity verification, criminals and deplorables alike will be able to be entirely purged from the Internet merely at the cost of an increasingly powerful bureaucracy monitoring, blocking, or altering people&rsquo;s communications. The process itself becomes the problem. Instead of actually resolving the problem we have merely concentrated more power into a more consolidated structure that becomes ripe for abuse.</p> <h3 id="additional-references">Additional References</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://t.me/kiwifarms">Kiwi Farms Telegram</a></li> <li><a href="https://kiwifarms.pl/threads/total-retard-war-the-internet-backbones-censor-the-internet.141231/#post-16610184">Forum Post</a></li> </ul> Digital Autonomy and the Arts https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts/ Thu, 20 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts/ /media/images/liam-arts-banner.webp <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/1f9def6c-c535-4d44-9de7-a69af873b74f'> </iframe> <p>This conversation is a follow-up to a piece written last year</p> <blockquote> <p>Art is the expression of the human soul, with it’s value being largely in the eye of the beholder. Corporations and governments can imitate art, or mass produce it with financial advantages, but they can’t compete with genuine creativity borne from real passion and real experiences. Tyranny isn’t beautiful, and slavery isn’t inspiring. When given a choice, people will naturally choose the free and beautiful over the rigid and stagnant. As freedom loving people it is absolutely vital for us to encourage, support and fund ventures to provide people the opportunity to enjoy pro-human media and creative works.</p> <p>Artists are craving for a way for their work to be properly supported. Many artists are disillusioned by not being able to make it in large corporate spaces. If we truly desire a culture that protects freedom we must work to provide the space for artists to promote this culture. Working together we can support artists who care deeply about building a better world. This will create real cultural capital that can upend the systems that undermine our liberty. With truth on our side, there can be no limit to the heights of our imagination.</p> </blockquote> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/artistic-banner.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/information-warfare-superweapons/" ><h2>Information Warfare Super-weapons</h2><i>Change the culture with these super effective tricks. Social engineers HATE these!</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Later in the conversation, we discussed how machine learning tools are changing the game for artists out there.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/abstract.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/collapse-of-the-intangible/" ><h2>The Collapse of the Intangible</h2><i>Keeping your head above water in a tsunami of change</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="more-about-liam-sturgess">More about Liam Sturgess</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://gigaohm.bio/@LiamSturgess">@LiamSturgess@gigaohm.bio</a> on the Fediverse!</li> <li><a href="https://www.liamsturgess.com/">Webisite</a></li> <li><a href="https://liamsturgess.substack.com/">Substack</a></li> <li><a href="https://liamsturgess.locals.com/">Locals</a></li> </ul> Escalating Cyberwar: Warlord Technology https://libresolutions.network/articles/warlord-technology/ Mon, 17 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/warlord-technology/ /media/images/warlord-tech.webp <blockquote> <p><em>You have been found guilty.</em><br> <em>No trial was necessary, your device has testified against you.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>When one navigates corporate controlled cyberspace, the message couldn&rsquo;t be more clear. Governments and tech giants negotiate the terms of total and utter digital feudalism while the people are herded into systems that are explicitly designed to control them. Even while it&rsquo;s still possible, opting-out comes at a non-trivial cost. It is a cost that must be paid in one form or another, because refusing to do so has a grave price as well.</p> <h2 id="understanding-warlord-technology">Understanding Warlord Technology</h2> <p>It&rsquo;s generally the case that powerful tools can be used for good or evil, but there are exceptions. Often things can be specialized for particular purposes, and those purposes can themselves be evil ends. On it&rsquo;s face, facial recognition may seem like something that isn&rsquo;t inherently bad, but things change a great deal when it&rsquo;s combined with an <a href="https://youtu.be/KOpCtUvruy0">orchestra of social manipulation</a> and control systems. Just as a bank account is useful to have, it&rsquo;s a whole other can of worms once people start being <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/more-britons-raise-the-alarm-over-financial-deplatforming">de-banked</a> for political purposes.</p> <p>As such, there are many tools that would be entirely useless to a single person on their own, but are immensely useful for those who have large groups of people to manipulate. What makes these tools <em>asymmetric</em> is that the advantages are only for the wielder, and disadvantages are imposed on the subjects. Centralized social media platforms are <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/social-media/">well-suited</a> for this. Not only are these platforms surveilling and manipulating their users, they have the capacity to lock down content only to fellow captives. This means that a public figure limiting their voice to these platforms is only able to get their voice out if they&rsquo;re allowed to. <em>Those of us who want to reach the public, and the <strong>public themselves</strong></em> must do more to support independent platforms and protocols, or else we&rsquo;ll all remain beholden to top-down information control systems.</p> <p>There is a well-earned reluctance from the public to adopt smart appliances, and other intrusive technology. When every device is monitored and controlled by corporations in the cloud, any feature of that device being <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/remote-stealth-commands-tamper-temperatures-090308386.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall">abused arbitrarily</a> becomes an inevitability. Understanding this means that <strong>warlord technology</strong> is any device or system that enables someone else to have power over one or many other people. What effectively makes this technology so dangerous is the fact that it&rsquo;s simple to disguise the actual purpose. Tech giants offering free services in exchange for data-harvesting has successfully put many of the serious risks <em>out of sight and out of mind</em>. As governments across the world become more repressive, these risks come into view well after they could be prevented. The opposite exists as well too, it&rsquo;s possible for <em>emancipatory</em> technology to be developed that&rsquo;s useful to people generally, but fundamentally useless for anyone seeking power over others.</p> <p>The <em>Free and Open Web</em> is an excellent example, independent and non-commercial websites managed by individuals using open protocols would have been a nightmare to properly index and seize control of. Because of this, people were nudged onto controlled platforms instead of self-publishing. Another example of asymmetric technology which benefits the people would be encryption and privacy tools. Those in power will always have the means and coordination to conceal their activities. Providing simple ways for users to protect their private information increases the costs of violating people&rsquo;s rights exponentially, which is why these tools are often <a href="https://element.io/blog/end-to-end-encryption-the-will-of-the-british-people/">targeted by governments</a> with <a href="https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/09/india_messaging_apps_ban/">any excuse they can find.</a></p> <p>Of course, there is symmetric technology as well. Many general-purpose tools can be used for both great evil and good as well. I would argue truly asymmetric technologies are rare, or at least highly specialized. Almost everything has all kinds of potential uses that themselves can be used for benevolent or malicious choices, ultimately it&rsquo;s downstream of the human condition. It is important to keep in mind however, that even the most symmetric of technology can be used by those with malevolent (or indifferent) intent for malicious ends. Just as a hammer can be used to build or for cruelty, what may seem like a reasonable exchange may end up being a terrible situation.</p> <h2 id="cyberwar-on-civilians">Cyberwar on Civilians</h2> <p>As noted in <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/cyberwar/">A non-Combattant&rsquo;s Guide to Cyberwar</a>, governments are increasingly treating your devices, connections, and even your mind as a national security target. Under the pretext of combating foreign funded misinformation, governments across the globe are working to secure total information dominance over their populations. It should go without saying that this itself is inherently anti-democratic, despite being done in the name of <em>protecting our democracy</em>. Surveillance and censorship are serious problems, but very often the lede being buried is that it&rsquo;s just as much about <em>manipulation</em>.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/cyberwar.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/cyberwar/" ><h2>A Non-Combattant&#39;s Guide to Cyberwar</h2><i>Making sense of the chaos and the crossfire.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Censorship and surveillance themselves are serious attacks on the rights and liberty on civilians, outright manipulation of the public is an even graver overreach with even more troubling implications. We can not take for granted the mistake it would be to allow these measures to continue unopposed. Too many ignore the active role governments have taken in waging cyberwar on the public. While it&rsquo;s intuitive to many that corporations have a profit-incentive to acquire and control as much data as possible, to others it&rsquo;s inconceivable to many more that governments would violate their own laws to secure domestic or foreign policy objectives.<br> Despite the first amendment in the united states being quite clear:</p> <blockquote> <p><strong>Congress shall make no law respecting</strong> an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; <strong>or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>The United States has an entire information control complex that involved government departments explicitly <a href="https://www.racket.news/p/twitter-files-thread-the-spies-who">working with corporations</a> to manipulate public discourse during the Covid Crisis. Even when the courts attempt to <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/federal-judge-blocks-biden-officials-from-coordinating-censorship-with-social-media-companies/">restrict such overreach</a> the largely compliant media will continue the campaign of normalizing censorship and information control, essentially advocating for the nullification of the people&rsquo;s rights.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://alilybit.substack.com/p/the-silent-invasion" ><h2>The Silent Invasion</h2><i>The Speculative Foundation of Surveillance Behind the Ongoing Privacy Erosion</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>All-encompassing surveillance is bad enough, using that information to manipulate and control the public is even worse, but far more terrible is to <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2020/11/15/governments-square-fight-big-tech-encryption/">undermine people&rsquo;s security</a>. Governments across the world have made it explicitly clear that while you may nominally have the right to privacy and security, it disappears the moment it conflicts with policy objectives. Due to the power gained from limitless surveillance, you being a law-abiding citizen in good social standing means little. Free citizens across the world must find ways to reassert control and ownership over their governments, lest we all become subjects of tyrannical systems.</p> <h2 id="digital-blockades">Digital Blockades</h2> <p>The greatest mistake is to always presume internet blackouts are an all-or-nothing affair. The tragic truth is that the tools of suppression can be <em>incredibly precise</em>. The public at large has been almost wholly ignorant of this, and this has enabled behavior that leaves them vulnerable. Many people are expecting a full-on &ldquo;lights-out&rdquo; internet blackout. In almost every case this is unnecessary, as people themselves are all too willing to use top-down controlled platforms, self-censor and ignore practical privacy risks. The biggest challenge is that something as simple as not <a href="https://libredns.gr/">encrypting your DNS queries</a> by using the default, allows governments to lean on service providers to seize control.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-9-preview.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-9" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #9 Internet Shutdowns</h2><i>Information control is the root of modern tyranny.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>It is almost cliche these days, that governments will do everything in their power to suppress genuinely useful information in a crisis when it plays to their advantage. It&rsquo;s important not to be naive about corporations as well. They are every bit as capable of egregious abuses. Public-Private partnerships have worked to transform our <em>turn-key totalitarianism</em> into an unending ratchet of tyranny. As economic, social, and political power concentrates, it can be harder and harder for truly independent infrastructure to operate in a neutral way, if not outright impossible. Over time, it can be too odious for even willing infrastructure providers to withstand the pressure to participate in censorship. No dissident or marginalized person can actually rely on a business or institution putting their needs ahead of the it&rsquo;s existence. This means that as more people conform to information control, and are compliant with ever more restrictive technology, the harder it is for people at all levels of society to break free. This is especially true for those who are disadvantaged.</p> <p>Ultimately the more capable our devices are the more leverage they can potentially have over the public. We must be vigilant to not enable governments, corporations, or other malevolent entities to leverage them against us. Legislative restrictions are not sufficient to prevent abuse. Citizens must be well-educated on the risks, where possible devices &amp; systems must be properly verifiable and secure, lastly there must be severe consequences for abuse. In the name of fighting <a href="https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/europe/france-approves-law-to-remotely-eavesdrop-devices-of-suspected-terrorists-articleshow.html">terrorism or other threats</a> the French government is introducing powers to leverage every device a person has against them. Even if one agrees that this power is warranted in this specific circumstance, there is no guarantee that such powers won&rsquo;t be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/macron-france-social-media-phone-gps-camera-curb-protests-2023-7">generalized over time</a>. In fact, even very specific measures preventing such abuse have consistently been ignored by all kinds of governments under all kinds of pretexts.</p> <h2 id="full-auto-tyranny">Full-Auto Tyranny</h2> <p>We already live in a world where the state of cyberspace has profound impacts on how people behave outside of it. As it currently exists, the majority of cyberspace is dominated by Corporations, Governments, and other un-accountable entities. The dream of an &ldquo;information super-highway&rdquo; where people of all backgrounds can meaningfully create, learn and share together is in dire peril.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/hive-moderation.webp' > <p class="caption"> Hive Moderation is a real-time AI censorship tool. </p> </div> <p>&ldquo;Moderation at scale&rdquo; effectively means mass information control. Instead of merely ranching people onto platforms to serve them targeted ads, now the capabilities exist to immediately prevent inconvenient discourse, or even entirely shape discussion. Even if people are starting to wake up to 2010s era social media, hardly anyone is prepared for the impacts created by upcoming and state-of-the art systems of control. It is critical to not let the inefficiencies and short-comings of existing systems lure you into a false sense of security when it comes to future threats.</p> <p>Naturally, these excesses will be demanded on the terms of safety, and preventing crime. While there are real and severe dangers in cyberspace, it is important to note that this level of control over the people is entirely unprecedented. As these systems roll out, people will only barely have solace in their own mind, but hardly anywhere else.</p> <h2 id="fertile-ground-for-resistance">Fertile ground for resistance</h2> <p>First and foremost, we need to strengthen our commitment to each other&rsquo;s inalienable human rights before nit-picking on particular technological choices.</p> <p>These implications have a very real impact on our daily lives. More and more <a href="https://ottawabluesfest.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/13089137560603-Onsite-Methods-of-Payment-CASHLESS">events and services</a> are going entirely <em>cashless</em> which often requires people to use products and services with terrible privacy protections. You may have been able to opt-out of these systems yourself, but what can be done to protect others from them? What about people who are perfectly fine with trading a total online-enabled surveillance grid if it makes their life easier? What about those who genuinely lack the time and energy to devote to opting out? Even entire cities can fold to the pressure of conforming to these trends in the face of powerful incentives.</p> <p>Regardless of one&rsquo;s chosen level of participation, it is absolutely vital that we get others to understand the risks. With that understanding it can be much easier to individually and collectively negotiate vital protections that need to be available, and encourage investment in new products and techniques. For now, it seems that the demand for tools and systems that don&rsquo;t impact one&rsquo;s privacy and freedom is far too low. We are all responsible for if not outright raising that demand, and communicating it effectively.</p> <p>It&rsquo;s a shame that the benefits of free and open dialogue are only readily apparent when they&rsquo;re gone. The capability for people across the world to freely exchange information near instantaneously is absolutely critical to people&rsquo;s life and liberty. It is vital that humanity maintains this critical component in holding the powerful accountable. Allowing the massive power structures that exist to have a veto power over people&rsquo;s communication is too large an advantage to passively permit.</p> <p>In times of inflamed tensions, social unrest, or even economic troubles, it can be very tempting for governments to <em>smooth things over</em> by constraining people&rsquo;s ability to learn, create and share with each other. In many cases this undermines the peoples own ability to adapt to changes, potentially being caught unaware of dangers the state failed to (or chose not to) communicate. These days, whenever a nation adopts a particularly egregious control measure, regardless of pretext or circumstances other nations aren&rsquo;t far behind. While the assaults on people&rsquo;s privacy and digital autonomy are top-down they are enabled or even welcomed by particular behaviors that we have a responsibility to stop, and prevent.</p> <p>The major challenge is that people from all walks of life need to be willing, able, and prepared to oppose abuse the situation arises. Like all deterrents to abuse, they have to be genuine and credible, or the people risk having their bluff called.</p> Out-thinking the Culture Wars with Gary Sharpe https://libresolutions.network/articles/qa1-gary-sharpe/ Fri, 14 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/qa1-gary-sharpe/ /media/images/bulb.webp <p>I really appreciate Gary Sharpe‘s perspective on the emotional side of what people face. He has a wealth of excellent advice and I was pleased to have the opportunity to do this Q&amp;A.</p> <p><a href="https://garysharpe.substack.com/">Gary Sharpe&rsquo;s Articles</a></p> <hr> <h3 id="q--a">Q &amp; A</h3> <p><em>One of the threads I&rsquo;m currently following is the Culture Wars, and how the public has been largely divided into a multitude of different ideologies that can often perceive each other as an existential danger. This itself seems to be a massive stressor that drives much of the strife people experience these days.<br> From your perspective, what would be effective ways people can deescalate the cultural tensions without necessarily “giving up ground”?<br> I ask this because, it&rsquo;s starting to take more of my attention. I&rsquo;ve been filtered into my own ideology, and I can certainly feel a limit to what kinds of people I can plausibly reach or even communicate with. Initially I had more hope that this would be resolved over time, but if anything it&rsquo;s only gotten worse and worse.<br> Appreciate your thoughts!</em></p> <blockquote> <p>Gary: &ldquo;That’s a Big Question, and I wish I had the answer. Firstly, I agree with you that the Culture Wars are stressful for everyone. I also suspect that the powers-that-be are fomenting them on purpose, as part of classic divide-and-rule tactics.</p> <p>The basic problem is, when we are in a fearful, or stressed, state, which as you say the Culture War itself induces and maintains, our psychological and physiological states shift markedly from when we are in a calm, relaxed state, when we feel safe.</p> <p>In particular, from Dr Iain McGilchrist’s work, we know that we lose access to the right hemisphere of our brain&rsquo;s way of attending to the world. In this state, we can be totally delusional, and very rigid in our black and white thinking, utterly believe our own lies and construct halls-of-mirrors against receiving new or challenging information.</p> <p>From Dr Stephen Porges’ work we know we also lose access to our social engagement system, including the loss of the ability to read other people, and become literally unable to tune in to other voices, and so we tend to see “others” from outside our tribe as dangerous threats.</p> <p>Indeed, recent advances in psychology show the brain is essentially a predicting organ, and when the reality of the world doesn&rsquo;t match its predictions, it has to resolve the contradiction. It can do this in one of two ways: delude itself and ignore reality, or update itself and its predictions. In the stressed state, we tend to opt for the delusion, as new or countering information can induce a significant danger response in of itself: this threatens our own identity or world view, and shifts in these can be traumatic.</p> <p>So the pragmatic answer to your question is when people are already triggered, it is probably not worth the energy trying to connect or get through to them [with facts and figures] The “not giving up ground” part of the question is probably part of the answer: to be able to be together, but agree not to discuss religion/ideology or politics if this triggers each other! One of the issues, however, is how every topic of conversation has become political.</p> </blockquote> <p>*“Every topic becoming political” - sadly, that&rsquo;s a big part of the problem. Language itself has become politicized and the decision to use/not use particular words is effectively signalling affiliation in many ways. <em>I think a lot of it comes down to trust. I really like <a href="https://youtube.com/watch?v=38hI_E33vq4">this video</a> about a game called</em> <a href="https://ncase.me/trust/">The Evolution of Trust</a>.</p> <p><em>The simulation concludes that three things are required for the evolution of trust</em>:</p> <ul> <li><em>repeated interactions</em></li> <li><em>possible win-wins</em></li> <li><em>low miscommunication</em></li> </ul> <p><em>I&rsquo;m not sure what can be done about the first two, but on the third item I have continuously worked to try to be clear as possible, with varying degrees of success.</em></p> <blockquote> <p>Gary: On the trust and win-win topic, have you come across the work of <a href="https://youtube.com/watch?v=eF-E40pxxbI">Liv Boeree</a> she has been thinking about this and how to overcome the lose-lose forces of “Molloch”.</p> </blockquote> <p><em>Many online communities that are pleasant to be a part of aren&rsquo;t actually tolerant, but rather merely one of many echo-chambers of like-minded individuals.</em><br> <em>In Corbett&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/the-media-matrix-full-documentary/">Media Matrix documentary</a> he cites that since the introduction of television, offline social interaction has been on the decline.</em><br> <em>I think the biggest change in our era is that online interactions aren&rsquo;t merely an additional layer on top of regular human-to-human interaction, can be an alternative, especially for those who lack friends &amp; family.</em><br> <em>Would you say that itself is the problem, or is it something that we could handle better?</em></p> <blockquote> <p>Gary: According to the work of Dr Stephen Porges, “real life” social interactions and social engagement is vital for humans to flourish. This is why putting someone into solitary isolation in prisons is the worse form of punishment, and considered a method of torture. It is also why loneliness is the biggest predictor of fast decline of conditions like Parkinson’s or dementia.</p> <p>Online social engagement can provide some of these needs, but can not replace it completely, because it is missing some important “nourishing” elements, such as body language and touch. This is why zoom calls can be exhausting, whereas positive social engagement in real life can be restorative, and energy giving.</p> </blockquote> <p><em>I feel like this explains a great deal of why people are constantly kept in fear. There is much to be concerned about, but I think much of the fearmongering is to find ways to prevent people from seeing win-win scenarios. I spent much of 2020/2021 in fear, not of the virus, but what the state would/could do over it.<br> While there was definitely serious overreach, and incredible harms done in the response I&rsquo;m not sure being consumed by fear improved my ability to handle it. In your opinion, what are some good ways to handle rational fear that goes too far?</em>&rdquo;</p> <blockquote> <p>Gary: I heard something which resonated with me on this just yesterday “fear is the worry that you are going to be less safe in the future than you are right now”. So the problem with being stuck in chronic fear is that we exile ourselves from even feeling safe in the now, even when there really is no imminent or proximate danger. Fear does keep us divided and distracted, and I agree this is being used on purpose by those who seek to control everything and everyone.</p> <p>On the fear that comes with “waking up” to what is really going on the world, I have seen a common arc, including in myself, similar to what you describe. At first, it is not only terrifying, but also going down the rabbit holes can be addictive. So we get very scared, but also keep ourselves in the fear by constantly staring into the abyss.</p> <p>Then we start to feel a need to do something about it, to become solution oriented, begin to focus on resistance and finding like minded people, and a sense safety in numbers. We then begin to pay less attention to the day-to-day minutiae of what the elites are up to and start building alternative systems.</p> <p>I have watched daily youtubers like Richard Vobes and Dr John Campbell going through these stages in real time. It might like the stages of grief, so it might actually be necessary to go through the fear stage, in order to get to the other side.</p> </blockquote> <p><em>You&rsquo;ve hit an important point! There really does seem to be an addictive component. This is often pathologized to dismiss people&rsquo;s very real concerns, but I can&rsquo;t help but wonder if that element serves a real purpose. In your mind, what do you think specifically makes it addictive?<br> I&rsquo;ve seen the mainstream argue it&rsquo;s because it&rsquo;s just selfish people who want to feel better than everyone else. In my experience this doesn&rsquo;t match up to reality as many of the other people I&rsquo;ve encountered on this journey are some of the least selfish I&rsquo;ve met.<br> I do think the fact that it&rsquo;s even possible is a marvel to itself, it&rsquo;s a testament to how useful a free and open web can be.</em></p> <blockquote> <p>Gary: When we are stressed or threatened, we go through a defence cascade of escalating responses. First a startle or orienting response, that takes us either back to calm, or to a fight-flight type response. If the flight-fight response isn&rsquo;t successful at ameliorating the threat, we then escalate into a rigid type of freeze, or playing dead, response, and if that doesn&rsquo;t work we end up fainting or in a floppy type of freeze response.</p> <p>Many of the threats that our nervous system perceives in the modern world are not ones we can fight or run away from. So a lot of people are stuck partially in a freeze response, with various levels of dysfunction. By putting ourselves into states of anger or functional fear, e.g. by focussing on an &ldquo;enemy&rdquo; that we can fight as &ldquo;keyboard warriors&rdquo;, we can temporarily bump ourselves out of the freeze response back into a fight-flight response, by generating internal dopamine and adrenaline.</p> <p>Being in fight-flight allows us to be temporarily more functional in the world, and while this is not a healthy state to be in long term either, it feels generally less unpleasant and uncomfortable than being in freeze, so it is preferable for a lot of people.</p> <p>Of course, like all addictions, using the Culture Wars or taking ourselves down the scary rabbit holes as our way of choice for getting the dopamine/adrenaline fix ends up needing more and more extreme stimulus for it to work and have the effect. Eventually we need to move out of the fear, into a more creative stage, becoming solution orientated and helping to build alternatives.</p> </blockquote> <p><em>Thank you so much for this, I greatly appreciate it and the answers themselves.</em></p> <hr> <p>If you haven’t read any of Gary’s writing, I’d highly recomment the following:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://garysharpe.substack.com/p/the-view-from-a-self-traumatizing">The View From a Self-Traumatizing Society</a></li> <li><a href="https://garysharpe.substack.com/p/the-dopamine-adrenaline-connection">The Dopamine-Adrenaline Connection</a></li> <li><a href="https://garysharpe.substack.com/p/how-to-avoid-a-hybrid-orwellian-huxleyian">How to Avoid a Hybrid Orwellian-Huxleyian Dystopia</a></li> </ul> Tools: the Good and the Bad https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools/ Tue, 27 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools/ /media/images/tool-bench.webp <blockquote> <p>If all you have is a hammer, suddenly every single thing starts to look like a nail.</p> </blockquote> <p>Hardly and tool itself is wholly evil or entirely good. Not only are the <em>tools themselves</em> important, how we use them matters quite a bit as well. This applies all the way from the entire software ecosystem, down to the hardware components themselves. The fundamental attributes of the tool will set the incentives for how they can be used, and how they are used creates incentives for how future tools will be made. This feedback loop can be used to concentrate power or to distribute it. This is precisely where your understanding is a prerequisite for making deliberate choices.</p> <h3 id="concepts">Concepts</h3> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Autonomy</strong></p> <p><em>Can I do what I want, on my own terms?</em></p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Privacy</strong></p> <p><em>Does using this, divulge information in unnecessary or unwanted ways?</em></p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Efficiency</strong></p> <p><em>Does it complete it&rsquo;s function with minimal waste?</em></p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Verifiability</strong></p> <p><em>Is it possible to validate the condition and function(s) of it?</em></p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Accessibility</strong></p> <p><em>Is it reasonably useful to those with different needs and requirements?</em></p> </li> </ul> <h1 id="examples">Examples</h1> <p>In the past, I have been asked for a quick answer to explain if a particular technology or system is itself good or bad. It can be difficult to give a concise answer when there are often a couple of fine points that are worth taking the time to focus on. It has often been said that <em>the medium is the message</em> and this much more the case when it comes to digital and online systems.</p> <h2 id="qr-codes">QR Codes</h2> <p>With the introduction of <a href="https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=vaccine_passport">vaccine passports</a>, QR codes have soured on a lot of people. Gating access to venues or services behind the need for one to digitally identify themselves presented many serious risks to privacy and civil rights. Unfortunately, none of this required a QR code specifically. <a href="https://blog.nortechcontrol.com/nfc-access-control">NFC</a> or RFID access cards could provide the exact same functionality. While QR codes were a highly-visible mechanism to enable automated segregation, there&rsquo;s no guarantee that future systems of control will look the same.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/tools-qr.webp' > <p class="caption"> This article&#39;s URL as a QR code </p> </div> <p>This is because QR codes are just one of many ways to transmit data over a short distance. Using a camera the device detects the pattern and then decodes it into the required data format. This can just be a bit of text, a website URL, or binary data. I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s anything inherently harmful to QR codes being used on things like posters and business cards provided that they aren&rsquo;t hiding data or using <em>tracking links</em>.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/4bbd4e5a-352d-4d24-82ea-e8832e902021'> </iframe> <h3 id="qr-codes-are-not-all-created-equal">QR codes are not all created equal</h3> <p>Because anything can be encoded into a QR code, there are still some risks to be aware of. Just like you shouldn&rsquo;t open strange links, you may not want to open every QR code you see. This is why some QR reader apps will display the decoded information so that you can decide if you want to open the link or not.</p> <p>Another problem is that you may not even be able to decode the QR code at all. If you have to present an app-generated QR code to interact with a system, you may not have any knowledge of what data is being used and shared.</p> <h2 id="smartphones">Smartphones</h2> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/smartphone.webp'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/diagrams/smartphone.webp' > </a> </div> <blockquote> <p>The powers-that-be don’t want you to write your own stories, make your own movies, and draw your own art, even though everyone has, in their pockets, the technology to do all of the above, with a good wireless keyboard, a camera module, and a stylus.</p> <p>No, they want you to read their dumbed-down prolefeed, watch Netflix, Instagram your cat, your food, and your cat food, swipe through Pinterest a few times, get your daily fix, and then peacefully, complacently, obediently nod off on the couch. They don’t want people carrying around devices that center the user as a creator of content. Instead, they want you to do nothing but consume their approved messages.</p> <p>In short, for the vast majority of people, they’re trying to turn personal computers into television. They’re trying to drag us backwards, into a prior era, where the ruling class had a death grip on the narrative. This is a trend that must be resisted. Never give up your keyboards, ever.</p> <p><a href="https://iceni.substack.com/p/spartacast-06">Spartacast 06</a></p> </blockquote> <p>If someone was limited to only using a smartphone they may be severely limited in what they&rsquo;re able to accomplish. As you can see, the consequences of giving up a keyboard alone are immense. If that wasn&rsquo;t bad enough, these devices tend to be vulnerable to malware exploited by all kinds of bad-actors. Smartphones are a high-value target because many people keep a treasure-trove of personal data. If that wasn&rsquo;t bad enough often the <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/googles-private-coronavirus-tracking-app-data-leak">manufacturers themselves</a> will participate in undermining your privacy.</p> <p>I&rsquo;ve written in the past:</p> <blockquote> <p><strong>It&rsquo;s not the smartphone, but what was in it.</strong></p> <p>There is nothing inherently mind-killing about a small, portable computer that uses a touch-screen interface. What truly forged the massive mind control apparatus was the things that came with it:</p> <ul> <li>Real-time location tracking</li> <li>24/7 audio and video surveillance capabilities</li> <li>Corporate Social Media as <em>Digital information Control Systems</em></li> </ul> <p><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/information-control">Conceptualizing Information Control</a></p> </blockquote> <p>There are many ways that the useful parts of smartphones could be replicated in a simpler, <a href="https://thenewleafjournal.com/the-ideal-phone-e-ink-and-qwerty/">more focused device</a>. Re-installing android without google play services can go a long way for many android devices, but in the long run it would be excellent if we could support independent manufacturers that create genuinely good devices.</p> <h2 id="centralized-platforms">Centralized Platforms</h2> <p>A tried-and-true business model is to run a platform that allows users to create valuable content. With a large audience to attract all kinds of writers, musicians, podcasters, or even video producers, the platform can double-dip acquiring data on the audience as well as the performers. Just as creators will be able to see stats for their content, the platform&rsquo;s operators themselves will have all kinds of metrics and data on everyone.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/substack-stats.webp' > <p class="caption"> Substack readership stats </p> </div> <p>Creators on these platforms essentially trade some (or all) control over their content in exchange for an audience. No matter what method you use to disseminate your message, it&rsquo;s critical that you maintain control over your work. For example, the Libre Solutions Network is written for the website first, then the content migrated to substack for additional reach. This means that if I ever lost access, or decided that staying on the platform wasn&rsquo;t worthwhile, all the content would still exist.</p> <p>As a member of the audience, it&rsquo;s critical that you help make it possible for creators to maintain their own independent presence. Simple habits like bookmarking and using an RSS reader can really make a huge difference in supporting an independent information landscape. At the very least it&rsquo;s vital that you ensure that your attention isn&rsquo;t entirely locked to a single or set of controlled platforms.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/learning-lessons.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/social-media" ><h2>Social Media: Learning the right lessons</h2><i>Understanding information control</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h2 id="machine-learning">Machine Learning</h2> <p>The most dangerous aspect of AI right now is that it&rsquo;s being used as an excuse to build a regulatory environment that empowers the very same technocrats to have even more digital control over people. While machine learning tools are very effective force multipliers in particular situations, most of the so-called AI risks have already been done by people to people with tools that are already readily available. Humanity has never lacked the tools to totally and completely annihilate itself, additional powers and tools only represent a danger to the degree they <em>tip the scales</em>.</p> <p>For example, while I currently choose not to automatically narrate all my posts with a cloned voice, it&rsquo;s a viable option. I would definitely oppose any effort that seeks to keep such technology out of people&rsquo;s hands, especially if there were offline-available tools that could be used without assistance from cloud services. Those who&rsquo;s power relies on information being a controlled resource would love nothing more than to have a monopoly on extremely efficient content creation.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/big-data.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-2/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #2 Big Data &amp; Artificial Intelligence</h2><i>What is all this data for anyways?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>There are many efficient uses of machine learning that don&rsquo;t automatically enable obscene privacy invasion. Distributing pre-trained models would be a great way to help people get more use out of low-power systems, potentially preventing a massive amount of waste. A prerequisite for better AI tools is a better way of building them. Instead of allowing big tech to hoover up all of everyone&rsquo;s information, we need to work together to collaborate on important datasets with data we choose.</p> A Non-Combattant's Guide to Cyberwar https://libresolutions.network/articles/cyberwar/ Fri, 16 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/cyberwar/ /media/images/cyberwar.webp <p>We live in interesting times. In addition to the many <em>boots-on-the-ground</em> conflicts going on, cyberspace is a theatre of war with hardly any distinction between military and civilian targets. Nothing is <em>off-limits</em> and combatants can be anything from creative individuals to well-funded <em>state level actors</em> like governments and <a href="https://www.hackread.com/microsoft-sued-stolen-dark-web-credentials/">multi-national corporations</a>.</p> <p>There&rsquo;s no way to be perfectly out-of-the-way. Any significant cluster of data, storage, computing power, or bandwidth can become a strategic resource to be sought after. When it comes to hacks, many cybersecurity professionals will say that <strong>it&rsquo;s a matter of when, not if.</strong> This means that the goal of the technocratic empires to centrally control data on everyone&hellip; everything&hellip; everywhere, backfires when <em>resilience</em> starts to become critically important.</p> <h2 id="what-makes-you-a-target">What makes you a target?</h2> <p>You may not be interested in cyberwar, but it has ways of being interested in you. For many governments, dissenting narratives are themselves considered a threat. The <a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/are-you-prepared-for-the-infodemic/">infodemic</a> narrative allows funding intended for protecting critical infrastructure from hacks, to be used to <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/dy33vx/night-fury-documents-detail-dhs-project-to-give-risk-scores-to-social-media-users">classify citizens</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeBenzCyber/status/1633219240575610881#m">censor your speech</a>. If only it stopped there, law-enforcement and intelligence agencies often make use of <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/canada-national-police-force-admits-110537329.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall">malware themselves</a> to invade people&rsquo;s devices with dubious oversight.</p> <p>This is where your participation really matters. Propping up systems of control only raise the risk for yourself and others around you. It may not be a big deal when yet another company has a massive data breach, but it&rsquo;s a whole other matter when it&rsquo;s a treasure-trove of data the state has been collecting on everyone.</p> <p>I hope that this would encourage democracies worldwide to shift from control and domination to education and innovation. By treating citizens as <em>just another target</em> you give up the most important strategic advantage: resilience.</p> <blockquote> <p>You cannot invade mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass.</p> </blockquote> <p>The best way to properly mitigate risk is to properly diffuse it. Avoiding systems that unnecessarily introduce risk would go a long way too. We don&rsquo;t just need people to have computer skills, but we need to implement better tools and methods for many aspects of cyberspace. Allowing tyrants to seize power over cyberspace <em>for your safety</em> merely replaces small solvable problems with a single massive one.</p> <p>With all this in mind, even as a non-combattant, it&rsquo;s important to understand the battlefield and what you can do. There is a lot to understand even if you have no desire to ever hack anyone. Taking your own privacy, security and systems seriously can go a long way.</p> <h1 id="cyberwarfare">Cyberwarfare</h1> <p>Keeping digital systems safe from intrusion requires active vigilance. Whether it&rsquo;s your social media accounts, company software, or critical infrastructure, a great deal of proactive work is required to prevent or mitigate problems. The challenge is that the defense has to get lucky every time, whereas the attackers only need to get lucky once.</p> <p>A serious problem is that various exploits can be <em>chained together</em> allowing for more sophisticated attacks to take place. To complicate matters, <em>the Internet never forgets</em>. Data that has been seized or leaked can be weaponized forever. This is why the top-down strategy of the state and corporations data-mining and manipulating the public is a terribly poor strategy for cyber resilience.</p> <h2 id="social-engineering">Social Engineering</h2> <p>We are all human after all. Ignorance is a problem, but so can an occasional act of carelessness. The point isn&rsquo;t to beat yourself up over every mistake, but to take incidents seriously enough to learn from them before they can be a bigger problem.</p> <p>It has been often said <em>the people are the weakest link</em>. If such an individual is known, it can sometimes be much easier to manipulate a person with access, rather than the system directly. This gets much worse when everyone is under constant surveillance by a variety of different entities. Suddenly, a one-off cloud account hack can be a springboard for other intrusions.</p> <h3 id="phishing">Phishing</h3> <p><a href="https://www.phishing.org/what-is-phishing">Phishing</a> is worth it&rsquo;s own post.<br> There are many different ways it can be carried out:</p> <p><strong>E-mail:</strong> one kind of attack is an urgent email that requires you to immediately click a certain link. That link will then present a fake log-in form disguised as a legitimate site. This could be used to steal your credentials. If the site itself has a vulnerability, merely clicking the link itself could be enough to compromise your account.</p> <p><strong>Attachments</strong> any file sent your way may be more than meets the eye. There are a variety of methods that allow a file that&rsquo;s opened to either run as a virus, or send your data elsewhere.</p> <p><em>None of this is exclusive to e-mail</em>.<br> Messaging apps, and online communities can all enable the same problems.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-4.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-4/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #4 Online Identity</h2><i>What is following you in your digital tracks?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="impersonation">Impersonation</h3> <p>Thanks to a variety of voice cloning tools, impersonation is a significant risk. There are already many scams where someone receives a call from someone who sounds like their loved one asking for urgent financial assistance. The biggest risk from impersonation is not just manipulation of your loved ones, but it also makes the risk of identity theft more potent.</p> <h2 id="malware">Malware</h2> <p>Malware is a bit of software that allows the attacker to either infiltrate or take control of particular systems. Sometimes it&rsquo;s for mining cryptocurrency, stealing data, or more nefarious ends. Not only are cybercriminals making use of malware, but <a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/beyond-pegasus-the-bigger-picture-of-israeli-cyber-spying/">governments too</a>.</p> <h3 id="remote-execution">Remote execution</h3> <p>Usually the first thing a sophisticated attacker wants over their target is the ability to execute a <em>payload</em> on the target&rsquo;s system. The payload is additional instructions or programs such as more malware.</p> <h3 id="privilege-escalation">Privilege escalation</h3> <p>It&rsquo;s bad enough to have a computer virus on your system, but often these programs will have techniques to give themselves more access over the system. This can include things like acting as your computer&rsquo;s administrator, or gaining access to control over services hosted on a server.</p> <h3 id="botnets">Botnets</h3> <p>When an attacker has control over many systems, they can be used as a <em>botnet</em>. A massive swarm of infected systems can be used for <a href="https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ddos/what-is-a-ddos-attack/">DDOS attacks</a> or merely act as remote storage and proxy for attackers. By proxying their attacks, attackers can quite effectively disguise their origin.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://hiddencomplexity.substack.com/p/from-espionage-to-warfare-cyber-war" ><h2>From Espionage to Warfare - Cyber war grows</h2><i>Slow death of privacy</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h2 id="vulnerabilities">Vulnerabilities</h2> <p>Believe it or not, machines aren&rsquo;t perfect either! Software development is <em>complicated</em> and computer engineering is even more so. From either simple mistakes or lack of forethought problems pile up over the course of development. From time and resource constraints hardly any product is perfect. Many large software projects will routinely release updates to fix vulnerabilities so updating is important.</p> <h3 id="0-days">0 days</h3> <p>&ldquo;0 days&rdquo; are a term for very valuable exploits that are presumed to be unknown to the developer/manufacturer at a given moment in time. This means that there&rsquo;s likely not a security fix coming for some time. 0 days can be be minor or quite critical. A major bug in a browser could potentially be part of a 0day that gives a malicious website access to your system. The most important take-away about 0days is that while software may be secure when working as intended, there can be circumstances where it isn&rsquo;t.</p> <h3 id="supply-chain-attacks">Supply-chain attacks</h3> <p>Especially in the cases where a vulnerability is introduced in production. Software is often built on other software called libraries, and hardware is generally built with components from other suppliers. This creates an opportunity for malicious actors to introduce problems in the creation of particular software or systems. Because many projects will often use the same components or libraries, this kind of attack can impact a wide variety of targets.</p> <h3 id="backdoors">Backdoors</h3> <p>More and more governments around the world are <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/coordinated-attack/">working to undermine</a> end-to-end encryption and online privacy. Intrusions do not end at demanding access to everyone&rsquo;s intimate conversations. Often governments and law-enforcement will ask for a vulnerability to be introduced to the <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/04/fbi-could-have-gotten-san-bernardino-shooters-iphone-leadership-didnt-say">product itself.</a> This is the worst-case-scenario because it&rsquo;s a guarantee that such a valuable key would be discovered, stolen or abused.</p> <h2 id="ransomware">Ransomware</h2> <p>A particularly nasty kind of malware is <em>ransomware</em>. The gambit is that the virus encrypts all the infected system&rsquo;s files and <a href="https://thehackernews.com/2023/06/lockbit-ransomware-extorts-91-million.html">demands a payment in cryptocurrency.</a> Not only is everything unaccessible, but often the software will overwrite <em>everything the system has access to</em> potentially taking out entire enterprises. The <em>only</em> protection from ransomware is regular offline backups. May be a good reason to start sharing copies of your critical backups with trusted friends or family. Otherwise, you may end up with a particularly painful, or expensive lesson.</p> <h2 id="consequences">Consequences</h2> <p>As geopolitical conflicts continue, and attackers gain more ground, I would say there has never been a time where it has been more important to take control of your information. Demanding analogue or offline ways of interacting with important institutions is a must.</p> <p>There is a significant push to digitize national currencies, and identity documents. One has to wonder if the escalation of state-funded cyber threats has less to do with strategic objectives, or rather creating a <em>pretext</em> to force citizens to surrender more information and control to less-and-less accountable institutions.</p> <p>Governments and institutions are quickly rushing to orchestrate a top-down solution and handing over more influence to <em>public-private partnerships</em>. The &ldquo;stakeholders&rdquo; for these partnerships won&rsquo;t be representing your needs or your interests, but rather the influences over those entities.</p> <p>It&rsquo;s very concerning to see soft-power projection taking control over people&rsquo;s lives. In his show <a href="https://rumble.com/c/liamsturgess">MicroJourneys</a> Liam Sturgess discusses how these public-private partnerships respond to these threats, and opens the door to discussing the implications.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/55fba39c-0827-40d4-bfd4-5b96ede41ae5'> </iframe> <p>It is becoming hard to see where state power ends and corporate interests begin, and where they overlap. If the last few years is any indication, we can be sure that any additional power granted to these institutions inevitably leads to politicization, abuse, and weaponization. We are all responsible for how we enable governments, civil society organizations, and corporations to <a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/bracing-for-cyber-911/">undermine our freedom, rights, and security.</a></p> <p>There will never be any guarantee that centrally managed services can be safeguarded properly. The only way to protect information, and the people who&rsquo;s safety depends on it, is not to record it at all. If it <em>must be recorded</em> than measures need to be taken to ensure it is not widely-shared. Sovereign computing needs to be less of a buzzword and more of a foundation for how we build, maintain, and interact with digital systems.</p> Operation: Beehive https://libresolutions.network/operations/beehive/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/operations/beehive/ /media/images/honeycomb.webp <p>Bottom-up, decentralized, and <em>permissionless</em> strategies are at a premium. With the tools available to us, people from all walks of life are able to cooperate on incredible projects. Instead of relying on a tyrannical pharaoh&rsquo;s vision for some great project, people can make their own public goods. We don&rsquo;t <em>need</em> to be bigger or more powerful than large institutions to do incredible things. In many cases, it merely takes some creativity and diligent work.</p> <p>There is much work to be done. Many important projects are unable to attain necessary funding or the volunteers to make it work. While it would be nice if we could merely come together and <em>bankroll</em> these projects, in some cases it may be efficient to reorganize the work itself. By being better able to manage large projects to <em>parallelize</em> work, we can gain efficiency in ways that are difficult to stop.</p> <blockquote> <p>Many hands make light work.</p> </blockquote> <p>Have you ever wanted to contribute to a project and been stuck trying to figure out how? Have there been times would you have just liked to <em>get started right away</em> to get a feel for what&rsquo;s involved? Often people don&rsquo;t know where to start, which allows big tech platforms to herd people into controlled environments.</p> <p>It&rsquo;s time to think like little worker bees. Some go out and gather <em>information</em> for a project. Others, will take the information and <em>process</em> it into reusable chunks. These chunks can be assembled to valuable works. With even moderate success, we&rsquo;ll be overflowing with tasty honey. People vastly underestimate what could be accomplished if we merely found ways to properly <em>parallelize</em> large tasks.</p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/qUYkRWGWntE">Rebecca Miller-Webster gives an excellent talk about this</a>.<br> Remember! You don&rsquo;t have to use GitHub to use git!</p> <h2 id="the-worker-bee">The worker bee</h2> <p>Are you ready to be a humble worker bee? With some consistent effort, you and other worker bees can start making delicious information <em>honey</em>. Honey is sweet, there are different kinds of honey. The choice is yours, on what particular kinds you&rsquo;re interested in making.</p> <p>Every good worker bee needs the ability to contribute to the hive. A beehive is a <em>git repository</em> The repository stores all the information, metadata and history about the project. What&rsquo;s phenomenal about this is that unlike actual beehives, in the case of a disaster you can pick up and start where another hive left off.</p> <p>You&rsquo;re going to want to be familiar with <a href="https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/git-and-github-for-beginners/">how to use git</a>. Git is an incredibly powerful tool that allows project changes to be managed from many sources. Imagine, that in the beehive (git repository) you and the other worker bees produce cells (commits) that the beekeeper decides to include in the hive.</p> <p>What&rsquo;s excellent about using git is that you can still use many of the same tools you want to use to edit your files. There are also some excellent text editors that integrate git into them so that working with git can be almost effortless.</p> <h3 id="principles">Principles</h3> <ol> <li> <p><strong>Division of labor</strong></p> <p>Everyone has special talents, we should maximize people&rsquo;s ability to contribute without hassle.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Efficiency</strong></p> <p>🐝 Beecome allergic to <em>re-inventing the wheel</em>. Wherever possible, avoid people having to do the same thing over again.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Robustness</strong></p> <p>Work should always be in a usable state to avoid waste.<br> Using <a href="https://control.com/technical-articles/machine-readable-vs-human-readable-data/">machine readable</a> formats can help with that.</p> </li> </ol> <h3 id="goals">Goals</h3> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Decentralized projects</strong></p> <p>Often times, there are multiple uses for the same information.<br> Different groups may want to use it in slightly different ways.<br> Public repositories allow this to be done without starting from scratch.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Friction-less participation</strong></p> <p>Allowing work to begin without permission allows people to start without coordination.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Censorship resistance</strong></p> <p>With strategic use of these tools, critical projects can continue despite immense censorship and pressure.</p> </li> </ul> <h3 id="advantages">Advantages</h3> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Collaboration</strong></p> <p>By managing changes directly, you can eliminate a lot of the work involved with coordination. In a well-documented project, volunteers can help get other volunteers started.</p> <p>There is a wide range of possibilities for what kind of access control you want. You can have a small group of trusted participants, or allow the entire world to have access and have people approve changes.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Automated workflows</strong></p> <p>By using source files, and a deterministic process, you can have information transformed into a variety of formats automatically when changes are made. These formats could be websites, books, or other materials.</p> <p>You can see this in action in a presentation given to the <a href="https://metaprepeducation.locals.com/post/4064502/introduction-to-git-with-gabriel">MetaPrep Education</a> community.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Version control</strong></p> <p>Being able to revert to a previous project state is quite useful, especially in instances where you&rsquo;d like to pick up where another project left off.</p> </li> </ul> <hr> <h2 id="examples-of-beehive-projects">Examples of Beehive projects</h2> <p>This is not a mere hypothetical, there are <em>real</em> decentralized projects making use of this strategy already. While they&rsquo;re largely focused on technology and privacy, the same model could quite easily be applied to many different areas in life. These projects are excellent resources themselves. What makes them incredibly powerful is that with a little bit of knowledge, anyone can contribute to improve the project.</p> <h3 id="go-foss">Go FOSS</h3> <p><a href="https://gofoss.net/">https://gofoss.net/</a></p> <blockquote> <p><a href="https://gofoss.net/">gofoss.net</a> is a free and open source guide to online privacy, data ownership and durable technology. The project was launched in 2020 by a small team of volunteers, and is 100% non-profit – no ads, no tracking, no sponsored content, no affiliates.</p> <p>We deplore that many tech companies generate profits at the expense of user privacy. We are increasingly concerned about governments intruding into the private sphere of citizens. And we see an urgent need for action to lower the environmental impact of technology.</p> </blockquote> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://gofoss.net/'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/gofoss.webp' > </a> </div> <h3 id="online-spyware-watchdog">Online Spyware Watchdog</h3> <p><a href="https://spyware.neocities.org/">https://spyware.neocities.org/</a></p> <blockquote> <p>The goal of this website is to classify spyware programs, so that users can be more aware that they are installing spyware.</p> <p>Many &ldquo;everyday&rdquo; applications are actually spyware. We take an expansive and strict stance on what constitutes spyware. We define spyware as anything that includes telemetry, phoning home, automatic updates or is listening in without the user&rsquo;s knowledge or consent.</p> </blockquote> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://spyware.neocities.org/'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/watchdog.webp' > </a> </div> <h3 id="prism-break">PRISM BREAK</h3> <p><a href="https://prism-break.org/en/">https://prism-break.org/en/</a></p> <blockquote> <p>Help make mass surveillance of entire populations uneconomical! We all have a right to privacy, which you can exercise today by encrypting your communications and ending your reliance on proprietary services.</p> </blockquote> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://prism-break.org/en/'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/prismbreak.webp' > </a> </div> <h3 id="switching-software">Switching Software</h3> <p><a href="https://switching.software/">https://switching.software/</a></p> <blockquote> <p><a href="https://switching.software/">switching.software</a> is a grassroots website, that is trying to let people know about ethical and easy-to-use alternatives to well-known websites, apps and other software.</p> </blockquote> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://switching.software/'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/switchingsoftware.webp' > </a> </div> <h3 id="privacy-guides">Privacy Guides</h3> <p><a href="https://www.privacyguides.org/en/">https://www.privacyguides.org/en/</a></p> <blockquote> <p>Privacy Guides is a socially motivated website that provides information for protecting your data security and privacy. Our mission is to inform the public about the value of digital privacy, and global government initiatives which aim to monitor your online activity. We are a non-profit collective operated entirely by volunteer team members and contributors. Our website is free of advertisements and not affiliated with any of the listed providers.</p> </blockquote> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://www.privacyguides.org/en/'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/privacyguides.webp' > </a> </div> <h3 id="awesome--delightful-lists">Awesome / Delightful Lists</h3> <p>Lists like these are excellent resources for finding curated and detailed information. These are very often more useful than search engines, which will very often point you to a few sponsored results.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/sindresorhus/awesome">https://github.com/sindresorhus/awesome</a></li> <li><a href="https://codeberg.org/teaserbot-labs/delightful">https://codeberg.org/teaserbot-labs/delightful</a></li> </ul> <p>Publishing your own lists and indexes is a very powerful thing indeed. It can be as simple as a text file, or a fully-featured search-enabled site. No matter what, the content is able to stand on it&rsquo;s own and can be freely shared.</p> <hr> <h2 id="understanding-the-method">Understanding the method</h2> <p>FreeCodeCamp.org has an excellent <a href="https://youtu.be/RGOj5yH7evk">Crash Course</a> on git for beginners.</p> <h3 id="example-filling-a-large-spreadsheet">Example: Filling a large spreadsheet</h3> <p>Suppose you have a very large spreadsheet that has links to check for information, which then needs to be filled out into columns. With only a few rows, this can be quite manageable, but when there&rsquo;s thousands it can become difficult for even a team of people.</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Link</th> <th>Model #</th> <th>Price</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>example.com/1</td> <td>Type 1</td> <td>$5,500</td> </tr> <tr> <td>example.com/2</td> <td>Type 2</td> <td>$6,450</td> </tr> <tr> <td>example.com/3</td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>&hellip;</td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>example.com/1230532</td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> <tr> <td>&hellip;</td> <td></td> <td></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Instead of trying to sync a massive spreadsheet with hundreds of volunteers, making coordination quite difficult, you decide to try to use <code>git</code> to allow for parallel changes.</p> <p>The first step would be to turn the massive spreadsheet into a <code>.csv</code> file, so that it can be edited in pure text, without worrying about which tools people are using. This allows your volunteers to contribute even if they don&rsquo;t use the same software as you.<br> It would look something like this:</p> <pre tabindex="0"><code>Link,Model #,Price example.com/1,Type 1,5500 example.com/2,Type 2,6450 example.com/3 example.com/4 ... </code></pre><p>The goal here is to have volunteers submit their changes as quickly as possible in a way that&rsquo;s easy to manage. So that there isn&rsquo;t any duplication the project is hosted on a <strong>forge</strong>. A forge is an online site that hosts git repositories. For simplicity, in this example we will use GitHub.</p> <p>The project maintainer creates a new <strong>git repository</strong> on github, then adds the <code>.csv</code> file. A simple procedure would be to encourage volunteers to start at a random item # to further avoid duplicate work. I&rsquo;ll explain what a potential contributor would need to do in this instance.</p> <h4 id="the-worker-bee-1">The worker bee</h4> <p>Volunteers will <code>clone</code> the repository. This allows them to download the <code>.csv</code> file and all previous changes that have been approved. The volunteer can then start opening the links and adding the information to their <code>.csv</code> file.<br> For example:</p> <pre tabindex="0"><code>Link,Model #,Price ... example.com/15,Type 15,7500 example.com/16,Type 16,3225 example.com/17,Type 17,4605 example.com/18,Type 18,8420 ... </code></pre><p>The advantage of using git here is that it <em>manages the changes</em>. The volunteer can send this .csv directly to the project maintainer, or use the <em>pull request</em> feature to ask the maintainer to incorporate their changes.</p> <h3 id="alternatives">Alternatives</h3> <p>The <em>vision</em> behind operation beehive is decentralized permission-less work. This is not limited go tools like <code>git</code>. In fact, any wiki with open registrations would work quite well as well. The important features are that you work in an open and deterministic way, that makes it easier for people to carry on.</p> Has the technocracy already assimilated you? https://libresolutions.network/articles/technocratic-assimilation/ Mon, 29 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/technocratic-assimilation/ /media/images/dystopia.webp <p>The technocracy is a managerialist top-down system of control with no accountability towards it&rsquo;s subjects. From the perspective of the system&rsquo;s owners, the subjects are at best livestock to be harvested and the worst is far too horrible to imagine. Such a cruel and deranged system seems quite alien to most people, despite often living it out in their own daily lives. Regardless of what disagreements divide people, far more are united under subservience to technological tyranny.</p> <p>But surely you&rsquo;re immune to this? You&rsquo;ve recoiled in horror at many recent developments, turning that disgust into productive action to work towards a better future right? Sadly, we know all-too-well that there&rsquo;s always more work to be done. It&rsquo;s a never-ending, thankless toil that merely begets more challenges and more frustration. It&rsquo;s become quite clear to you that merely seeing through the lies alone is not enough to manifest change.</p> <h2 id="technological-terror">Technological Terror</h2> <p>The &ldquo;<em>Internet of Things</em>&rdquo;, and cloud services all work well to centralize information and control into a small set of hands. With innumerable opportunities for abuse, these systems create dangers that can be quite difficult to identify once one has become a captive. Restrictions can often be <em>out of sight, and out of mind</em>. <em>Convenience</em> is often a derogatory term for pragmatic choices people are nudged into making.</p> <h3 id="on-demand">On-demand</h3> <p>With a couple of taps nearly anything can be at your door in a relatively short period of time. Instant gratification of all manner of pleasures is only restrained by your budget or appetite. Cheap pleasure erodes away people&rsquo;s ability to appreciate joy in the simple things. While some things are now more accessible, many people fall into the trap of losing control of their own agency. What was once a convenient take-out treat can be a vulnerable person&rsquo;s go-to-meal.</p> <h3 id="data-serfdom">Data serfdom</h3> <p>Many online services can help people start projects quickly. Those projects can be locked-in to formats that can be difficult to reproduce other places. Regaining control of your media and source files can be a massive challenge when one works entirely within online cloud services instead of programs running on their own machine.</p> <h3 id="junkification">Junkification</h3> <p>As bad as the software can be, often the hardware isn&rsquo;t much better. Devices can constrain the user from installing or removing software, they can also take on surveillance directly. Despite much progress, the complexity of these devices often makes them too difficult or too expensive to pragmatically repair. When devices no longer receive security updates, it may not be safe to use them much longer anyways. <em>Planned obsolescence</em> is just part of the picture, a variety of awful incentives can create unusable devices from the very beginning. This is especially true of devices that are reliant on online services.</p> <h2 id="hacking-humans">Hacking humans</h2> <p>Power in society has always been some combination of resources, force and influence. These factors create powerful incentives that have a massive impact on people&rsquo;s behavior. The more extreme the power, the more overt it would become, sometimes formalizing into official structures. In some instances, people would consciously decide to act in defiance or opposition to such rule for a variety of reasons. In the information age, power doesn&rsquo;t need to be so crude, it can disguise itself with all kinds of illusions.</p> <p>Information Asymmetry allows those with power to act in ways others may not even be able to predict. Censorship, surveillance, and propaganda are all powerful tools used to coerce people into a variety of losing bets. Over time, the distortions created by the powerful can fade into the background and become unthinkable to even notice.</p> <h3 id="algorithmic-feeds">Algorithmic Feeds</h3> <p>Being able to control what others see is a phenomenal power, having influence over it is quite a valuable currency. The advertizing industry built very sophisticated tools to monitor and manipulate people in precise ways. Far from being limited to mere novelty, these techniques were used to sell <em>ideas and emotions</em>. Through advanced marketing tools people&rsquo;s very minds became yet another natural resource to become polluted. Instead of the hazards being toxic chemicals, the ideal consumer was forged in an overwhelming foundry of fear.</p> <blockquote> <p>Fear leads to anger&hellip;</p> </blockquote> <h4 id="impotent-outrage">Impotent outrage</h4> <p>It is well understood that triggering people&rsquo;s fight or flight response will get decisive action. Bathing the public in their insecurities became a very effective way to drive people to buy or promote things without thinking. These rash actions would inevitably create negative consequences, buyer&rsquo;s remorse would be greeted with familiar temptations. As people&rsquo;s relations with each other soured, the onset loneliness would drive people further and further into anger and sadness.</p> <blockquote> <p>&hellip;Anger leads to hate.</p> </blockquote> <h4 id="radicalization">Radicalization</h4> <p>As tempers flared, something needed to take the fall. The true (and often self-inflicted) causes of people&rsquo;s suffering was far too difficult to face, instead people tore into each other. It&rsquo;s far easier to get cheap satisfaction over another than to address one&rsquo;s own problems. Perceived slights escalate into violent outbursts. With no shortage of justified rage, people lose sight of the humanity in each other.</p> <blockquote> <p>&hellip;and hate leads to suffering.</p> </blockquote> <h4 id="tragedy">Tragedy</h4> <p>It didn&rsquo;t take much for people to eye-for-an-eye themselves into a very blind world. Not only can people not see what&rsquo;s right before them, but they can hardly hear those around them either. Instead, people instantly react to the quickest impression they can form to a particular post, comment, or piece of media. Nobody feels heard, and all feel forgotten. The wounds from past battles accumulate as the war on all rages on.</p> <p>Those with any sense flee to what few alternatives existed, or retreated entirely. The digital nomads roaming cyberspace are scattered. They can see the fires from a distance, but they would often dissipate before getting close. Many were able to purchase peace at the price of solitude and isolation.</p> <h2 id="checkup">Checkup</h2> <p>Every <em><strong>Yes</strong></em> answer to the following questions is something that gives the technocracy leverage over you. Nobody is completely invulnerable. When engaging with others, it&rsquo;s important to encourage each other to make positive change, rather than nit-pick various shortcomings. Flaws should be an opportunity to learn how to overcome challenges, rather than a cause for scorn.</p> <h3 id="finance">Finance</h3> <ul> <li>Are the majority of your purchases made via credit card?</li> <li>Are you unable to get your essentials from locally owned enterprises.</li> <li>Would you willingly &ldquo;sell out&rdquo; for money or career advancement, regardless of the impacts on others?</li> <li>Are you living paycheck-to-paycheck?</li> <li>Do you feel pressure to &ldquo;make-up&rdquo; for lost time?</li> <li>Are your financial assets solely comprised of publicly-traded corporations and government bonds?</li> <li>Is your income derived from government funding?</li> <li>Are you constantly exposed to advertizing or sponsored promotions?</li> <li>Would you be unable to trade for essentials without currency?</li> <li>Are you inefficient with your time?</li> <li>Can you name 5 brands, but not 5 kinds of trees native to your area?</li> </ul> <h3 id="technology">Technology</h3> <ul> <li>Would you be unable to go a day without your smartphone, and still be productive?</li> <li>Does most of your computing take place using commercialized online services rather than offline programs?</li> <li>Does your operating system record data on you?</li> <li>Do you own a &ldquo;Internet of Things&rdquo; device like a smart TV or smart appliance?</li> <li>Are search engines your only means of finding specific information?</li> <li>If the Internet went down, could you still earn a living?</li> <li>Is a majority of your entertainment derived from online services?</li> <li>Would you be unable to do your regular errands without GPS or online-assisted navigation?</li> <li>Is your profession reliant on cloud services or other proprietary enterprise software?</li> <li>Would you be unable to teach a child math, art, or other skills without assistance of the Internet?</li> <li>Does your transportation require you to divulge personal information?</li> </ul> <h2 id="alright-alright-now-what">Alright! Alright! Now what?</h2> <p>Before you despair too much, understand that this isn&rsquo;t a single person&rsquo;s journey. To varying degrees, we are all captivated by forces either entirely outside of our control, or simply the consequences of decisions we&rsquo;ve made in the past. With few exceptions, almost nobody has managed to entirely wild themselves from the world. Perhaps this isn&rsquo;t inherently a bad thing. Ideally, in a fair and just society people <em>would want to have a <strong>stake</strong> in it</em>.</p> <blockquote> <p>Society grows great when people plant trees whose shade they shall never enjoy.</p> </blockquote> <p>No single person has the power to unilaterally transform it all, but every one of us has the capacity to redirect our focus, resources and spirit in a different direction. Have compassion for your own shortcomings as well as those of others. If we truly want to make a lasting improvement instead of merely pledging support to the same leaders in different uniforms, we&rsquo;re going to need to <em>change the game itself</em>. To do this, we&rsquo;ll need to understand what we&rsquo;re trying to navigate away from, which can help prevent us from forgetting what we&rsquo;re working towards.</p> <h3 id="rewilding-ourselves">Rewilding ourselves</h3> <p>Society domesticates people. This isn&rsquo;t inherently a bad thing, as trust grows people are naturally able to lower some defenses. The trouble comes when tyrants or opportunists decide to abuse that trust, rapidly diminishing it and harming those who haven&rsquo;t yet raised their own defenses. Then those who are the most trusting are hurt the most, and those who are the most guarded can often endure.</p> <p>Becoming wild again doesn&rsquo;t mean becoming aggressive or cruel, merely gradually rebuilding your individual and social boundaries that have been eroded over time. Empowering yourself to be stronger, more skilled, or efficient can go a long way to rebuilding that independence. Though it&rsquo;s important to remember that we are social creatures, we need friends, allies, and family all the same.</p> <p>By making yourself wild from systems of control, you can help build independence from it that builds room for others to do the same. This is an entirely different path than merely reforming society as it exists. Instead you are taking as much control of your life as you can, and working to build something entirely different. Taking deliberate action to become wild is to embrace a world where every choice is your own.</p> <p>To do this, you&rsquo;ll need to make a conscious decision to reject the world as it exists, and form a clear idea of how you want to live despite it. In some cases there may be a negotiation, in others there may be outright rejection. You will likely still face consequences for these actions, but ultimately you are taking them head on. A simple example is to reject a social credit score in advance. Knowing that one is being made gives you the opportunity to deliberately live in defiance of it.</p> <h3 id="make-peace">Make peace</h3> <p>The greatest weapon of all tyrants is fear. Fear is used to induce compliance and paralyze opposition. Regardless if your fear is of death, capture, or assimilation into some hivemind, your first act of resistance is to shed your fear of it. Living without fear is hard. It&rsquo;s easy to underestimate the challenge during easy times, but when one is surrounded by panic it&rsquo;s a different environment all-together.</p> <p>Every bit counts. The more at peace you are with yourself and your surroundings, the easier it is to make progress and support others. It&rsquo;s natural to get caught off-balance once in a while, but it&rsquo;s critical that you maintain focused on regaining your focus. We all need each other. Helping your allies in a difficult time can often mean a lot more than advancing against your opponents.</p> Raise your Shield https://libresolutions.network/articles/raise-your-shield/ Fri, 19 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/raise-your-shield/ /media/images/platos-cave.webp <p>It&rsquo;s a cliche nowadays to point out that society is fractured. The Culture Wars are no longer a side-show for the politically obsessed, instead they are front-and center in the spectacle, aggressively inciting the wider public to participate. Hate your family? Hate your community? Hate your country? Even worse, do you hate yourself? There is no shortage of (often quite valid) reasons to keep you in a prison of rage and despair.</p> <h3 id="they-want-you-to-hate">They want you to hate</h3> <p>It&rsquo;s quite alluring bait. The trap is so well executed that people&rsquo;s ability to truly humanize each other is effectively cut off by their own anger. This was no accident. It is quite a mistake to entirely dismiss the Culture Wars as a <em>mere distraction</em>. Many people have lost much just trying to make sense of the chaos and suffered a lot in the crossfire. The terrifying truth is that we have the most influential powers in society actively working to undermine people&rsquo;s ability to peacefully resolve conflict.</p> <p>This has disarmed us from being able to correct or prevent institutional abuses. By fracturing people into isolated pits of fury and sadness people are unable to build even enough trust to communicate. Think of those people you&rsquo;re entirely unable to reason with, who benefits from your collective isolation? It&rsquo;s hard to escape when everyone is either too worn out or too hurt to meaningfully reciprocate.</p> <p>Surely you&rsquo;ve heard &ldquo;<em>The only winning move is not to play</em>&rdquo;.<br> That leads one to ask &ldquo;What game is being played, exactly?&rdquo;.<br> In this piece, I&rsquo;m going to try to lay out the game in it&rsquo;s entirety as best as I can.</p> <h2 id="the-game">The Game</h2> <p>Life itself is a series of contests. Some are trivial like friendly competitive sports, others are all-encompassing horrors like wars. You don&rsquo;t always get to choose what competitions you&rsquo;re in, some even operate outside a person&rsquo;s natural lifespan. A great variety of circumstances of your birth have profound impact on what games you&rsquo;re a part of and which ones you can join or leave. No two people are entirely alike, (as a twin I would know) different people will very often play the same cards differently.</p> <p>Many games make many prizes, some for the good, others for ill. Depending on your goals, some prizes may be hugely significant others may be outright disastrous. Ignorance is not bliss in many cases, others will often leverage it to their benefit. With only so much time to think, choose, and act, things can really start to look <em>rigged</em> from various points of view.</p> <p>Very few people have the means, power, or influence to make massive changes on their own, but the sum total capabilities of many people can&rsquo;t be overstated. Being able to influence a great many connected, talented, and driven people is a phenomenal power for one to have. This is the real power that rulers wield. Whether taken by force, or voluntarily given, there is a hard limit on how much cooperation can be effectively leveraged towards goals. This is the raw basis for the <em>social contract</em>. Eventually, the ruler or institution loses enough will to cooperate that people move to defect.</p> <h3 id="keeping-score-currency">Keeping score: Currency</h3> <p>It&rsquo;s ironic to talk about the raw power of money these days. Odds are if you&rsquo;re reading this you&rsquo;re used to using a <em>fiat currency</em> which is to say a currency backed by &ldquo;faith and credit&rdquo; of your government. This is not the same as saying it&rsquo;s backed by nothing. Far from it, any currency is a de-facto measurement of the amount of raw power wielded by it&rsquo;s participants. That power can be used for good or evil. Every person proportional to the currency they wield makes a real tangible impact on the use of that currency.</p> <p>Currency in a peaceful and productive civilization will be highly valuable, but there are other variables. The currency of a despotic and cruel system is <em>blood money</em>. This is what makes the love of money the root of all evil: prioritizing currency above all else is an open and active endorsement of the naturally imperfect dominance hierarchy. The more vicious the society, the more cruelty required to maintain the currency.</p> <p>One of the vital aspects of currencies is that they act as a <em>means of communication</em>. Prices send powerful signals to people in all stations of life. For some prices represent options, for others they represent permission. This is why nearly all discussion of the Culture Wars misses vital context. The Culture Wars are merely offshoots of an all-encompassing global class war that we were all born into.</p> <p>&ldquo;<em>Money makes the world go round</em>&rdquo; as many say, but it&rsquo;s far from the only factor. For many people once their basic needs are met they often consider different pursuits such as pleasure, knowledge, or power.</p> <h3 id="the-rule-of-power">The rule of power</h3> <p>Since currency is information, consider that money is the code that programs society. But what is the machine doing? Money communicates and coordinates power, but every civilization that uses money uses it for various purposes. Those purposes can be things like maintaining order, researching and building technologies, or fighting off competing civilizations. This is not merely done with money, but often with hard violence.</p> <p>Anarchists correctly point out that governments are inherently violent entities. This is because every government is a formalization of a very real and harsh power structure. This power structure effectively operates as a <em>protection racket</em>, requiring some of your wealth or labor in exchange for keeping competitive systems at bay. Every idealist hopes that we can live without the need for brutal and violent governments, if any at all. The challenge is that any person or group powerful enough to compete with other states is nearly already one themselves.</p> <p>Rulers offer people a choice, exist within the established order or at least don&rsquo;t interfere with it. Those choosing to negotiate with the existing order are <strong>reformers</strong> and those who actively seek it&rsquo;s demise are <strong>radicals</strong>.</p> <p>Reformers will <strong>always</strong> have to make compromises with the society as it is. They generally have a great deal to lose if the game changes too much. A good reformer will work to make the system more flexible and robust. All reforms come at a real price however, they cost those in power making serious concessions potentially at the expense of their own station. This means that whatever power spent, they are almost always insufficient to address the primary grievances that drive them.</p> <p>This is why every society will have a significant amount of varied radicals who focus on a kaleidoscope of interests. Radicals that are isolated and alone are fruitless. Societies over time have come up with many ways to either placate or contain radicals of all persuasions. Radicals can never and never will be united on consensus. Everyone can be fractured along lines of culture, religion, social class, among other things. This doesn&rsquo;t mean things can&rsquo;t change however, the moment radicals start to unite along widely shared <strong>red lines</strong>, they have a real chance to upset the balance of power.</p> <p>A healthy society actually needs radicals. Every society will gradually assimilate reformers into being wholly ineffectual. In an advanced state, there will be no reformers at all, merely puppets instead. Eventually things become so apparent that radicals are able to build <em>coalitions</em> that together represent enough power to either fundamentally change the hierarchy. This is one of the reasons it&rsquo;s nearly impossible for societies to merely &ldquo;turn back time&rdquo; and go back to how things were, the conditions have been changed entirely.</p> <p>When a large coalition of radicals is in danger of truly flipping the table, society has a stabilizing mechanism: an open bid for reformers. It&rsquo;s in the interests of those in power to provide the smallest concession that dismantles the coalition. This is why radicals have no use for a complicated consensus, it can be fractured far too easily. Only when an overwhelming amount of people get together and decide which few changes are <em>non-negotiable</em> is when a fruitful coalition can form. That said, it is much easier said than done.</p> <h3 id="power-corrupts-absolutely">Power corrupts, absolutely</h3> <p>There have been many times throughout history where one despotic order was replaced with another one that was every bit as cruel. This is because as people accrue power, be it through influence, currency, or force it begets a terrible cost on one&rsquo;s soul. The desire to rule over others to achieve one&rsquo;s goals is a very powerful temptation.</p> <p>Very often &lsquo;victory&rsquo; can come at too high a toll. When the price of more change is more power, power often comes at the cost of real priorities. This creates a horrific spiral of needless destruction. Surely none of us want that right? How can we avoid the corruption of power while still advancing peace, liberty and prosperity?</p> <p>Is it even possible at all?</p> <h2 id="becoming-incorruptible">Becoming incorruptible</h2> <p>Becoming a saint is certainly no small task. Thankfully, you don&rsquo;t need to succeed to make a meaningful impact. While it&rsquo;s impossible to get by with no power, your goal is to fundamentally maximize your <em>efficiency with power</em>. Being able to do more with less direct power gives you phenomenal options. By reducing your reliance on corrupt or tyrannical systems you will gradually become less beholden to their machinations. Eventually, you could get to the point where you&rsquo;re able to support others to act in better ways. The less power you need yourself, the more you can share with others. Power efficiency isn&rsquo;t a zero-sum game. Often helping others will significantly help you as well. This inevitably helps you form positive and healthy relations with others.</p> <p>Setting small tangible goals and working towards them can help you better understand your limits and faults. The only way to turn down the allure of vast power is to come to terms with what is &rsquo;enough&rsquo; for you. Coming clean to yourself about what your real goals can help you understand what you are, and are not willing to do to achieve them. Once enough people work towards making incremental changes to shift away from systems working against us, and make small movements towards better areas, we will all benefit in innumerable ways.</p> <h3 id="team-up">Team up</h3> <p>If not already, you are now on <strong>Team Humanity</strong>. Your goal is to find ways to support others or otherwise decentralize power away from corrupt systems and people. Almost always you don&rsquo;t need to take anything or anyone head on, instead focus your energy on building people up and other productive outlets like making things. <strong>Learning</strong>, <strong>Creating</strong> and <strong>Sharing</strong> are the three pillars of the decentralized revolution. Instead of working to rally behind another despot in the waiting, you can help everyone get to a point where tyrants have no power at all.</p> <p>Teaching others, providing for their needs, or comforting them is what will truly make an impact. It sounds too good to be true, but every ruler needs an army. Odds are you don&rsquo;t have a bigger army, so your only hope is that people together have the means and motivation to resist abuse of power. The more powerful the people are in every way, the less power individuals can accrue over others. This applies to all aspects of life; necessities like food and water, tools like technology and machines, as well as social needs like belonging and companionship. Team humanity needs to be where the cool and happy people are.</p> <p>Anything that you can do to provide for yourself and others is vitally important, but stop short of working to gain power <em>over others</em>. Leadership is about setting an example and proving that things truly can be different. No state or laws can withstand the collective might of the people. You don&rsquo;t need to be on the same page as them to trust them to act in their own interests, which is why leveling the playing field helps reduce defectors.</p> <h3 id="be-the-change-you-want-to-see">Be the change you want to see</h3> <p>With the powerful tools at our disposal today, we have not just the opportunity but the obligation to try to use them for the most noble uses we can muster. The device you&rsquo;re reading this on is much more powerful than the systems that put a flag on the moon. Don&rsquo;t underestimate what a couple of creative individuals can achieve if they truly dare to imagine a better future. Don&rsquo;t give up on people, we all have our flaws and have made many mistakes. Take the time to reflect and collect yourself before engaging in petty fights. There is so much more to others than you think. The only thing worth fighting for is genuine love for yourself and others. Genuine self-respect is the bedrock to building a solid foundation of compassion and genuine joy with others.</p> DDoS Attack on the Mind (with Operation Uplift) https://libresolutions.network/videos/operation-uplift/ Tue, 09 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/operation-uplift/ /media/images/rounding-the-earth.webp <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/e7fec0fe-c23d-42f0-8a39-304684d3be25'> </iframe> <p>Introducing the <a href="https://libresolutionsnetwork.substack.com/cp/120613391">Operation Uplift Community</a> Watch on <a href="https://roundingtheearth.com/ddos-attack-on-the-mind/">Rounding The Earth</a></p> RTE Dicsussions - Encryption https://libresolutions.network/videos/rounding-the-earth-3/ Mon, 08 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/rounding-the-earth-3/ /media/images/rounding-the-earth.webp <p>Watch on <a href="https://roundingtheearth.com/exploring-encryption/">Rounding The Earth</a></p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/a4c68bf5-160a-4ef5-91e8-05ceb3edb79c'> </iframe> <p>Follow Rounding The Earth on <a href="https://roundingtheearth.substack.com/">Substack</a> or <a href="https://roundingtheearth.locals.com">locals</a> and <a href="https://roundingtheearth.com/feed">RSS</a></p> The Protocol Wars are Here https://libresolutions.network/articles/protocol-wars/ Mon, 08 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/protocol-wars/ /media/images/datacenter-war.webp <h1 id="the-protocol-wars">The Protocol Wars</h1> <p>Battle lines are being drawn. The stakes could never be higher, the very future of how we all interact online is in our hands. It was so simple when everyone was silo&rsquo;d onto a few corporate controlled platforms. Now, there are new platforms that aren&rsquo;t merely controlled by a single entity, they are <em>interoperable</em> with each other, meaning that each system is composed of compatible units.</p> <p>Will one system entirely dominate the others? Will &ldquo;super-nodes&rdquo; grow to dominate the entire ecosystem, leaving us with big tech tyrants yet again? How will you ensure that communications networks aren&rsquo;t used as tools to <em>shape</em> the discussion, rather than support it?</p> <h2 id="awaiting-the-peer-to-peer-utopia">Awaiting the peer-to-peer utopia</h2> <p>Currently, we&rsquo;re not quite able to jump straight to a private, secure and free-as-in-freedom peer to peer network. There are a variety of challenges in attempting to create a pure peer-to-peer ecosystem that get in the way. A peer-to-peer ecosystem that relies on participants using locked-down and controlled smartphones has limited usefulness. On the other hand, peer-to-peer file-sharing networks have maintained their robust existence as they are build on top of powerful machines with lots of bandwidth and storage.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/peer-to-peer.webp' > </div> <p>We can&rsquo;t escape the fact that hardware is a critically important part of the technological landscape. People&rsquo;s own technical skill and the capabilities of their hardware have a profound impact on what possibilities can emerge. There are real trade-offs when trying to move away from a client-server model. This is because <em>servers are useful and efficient</em>. Different participants may want more or less resources assigned to particular tasks, and using specialized hardware for the task goes a long way.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/board.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/hardware-matters" ><h2>Principle: Hardware matters</h2><i>It is easy to underestimate the underlying structure of our digital world.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>There are also privacy risks when it comes to peer-to-peer connections. Some protocols still will require a server to set up connections between peers, and unless you&rsquo;re using an anonymization network like Tor or I2P you&rsquo;re divulging information about you to other peers. This is why there is still a long way to go before truly peer-to-peer systems will be used as the standard.</p> <h2 id="the-server-to-server-paradigm">The Server to Server paradigm.</h2> <p>This doesn&rsquo;t mean we can&rsquo;t meaningfully decentralize. It&rsquo;s possible for people to run servers for themselves as well as others. The people using them gain most of the advantages of centralized systems, like being able to connect from thin-clients like smartphones.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/fedi-map.webp' > <p class="caption"> Distributed Fediverse Instances <a href='https://fediverse.observer/map'>Source</a> </p> </div> <p>You can then add real <em>interoperability</em> by using an open protocol to allow the servers to act as servers for each other. With a Server-to-Server layer, these systems have the advantage of being parts of a larger whole. Often these systems are called <em>federated</em> because they work as networks of communities.</p> <p>This allows new protocols and systems to scale as well as the Internet itself. Having a server-to-server mechanism allows for an incredible amount of flexibility. Maybe some servers respond to all the others, maybe some of them only respond to ones they know. Everyone could eventually be situated with their own preferences without impacting others, all while still having an interoperable means of connecting.</p> <h3 id="bridges">Bridges</h3> <p>Once there is an open server-to-server protocol in place, it&rsquo;s easy for different systems to be bridged to each other. Either systems can adopt the same server-to-server protocol (federation) or they can translate from one protocol to another (bridging).</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/fedi-nostr-bridge.webp' > </div> <p>Bridges have been used on <a href="https://matrix.org/bridges/">matrix</a> to allow people to control all their chat applications from a single account. Any open protocol can be bridged to bring people together.It&rsquo;s a powerful technique that means that no single protocol has to dominate, instead they can cooperate.</p> <h2 id="trade-offs">Trade-offs</h2> <p>There are large differences to using different ecosystems. People may prefer something that could be decentralized but is still quite controlled like Blue Sky, or they may want to build custom software to only use protocols in deliberate ways. It&rsquo;s a wide spectrum, and some choices have bigger impacts than others.<br> Things worth considering are:</p> <ul> <li>Is the protocol open and allows <em>permissionless</em> participation?</li> <li>Does the protocol allow you to store information on your own machine, or one under your control?</li> <li>Is the software <a href="https://www.fsf.org/about/what-is-free-software">free</a> from unwanted or harmful dependencies?</li> </ul> <h3 id="broadcast-systems">Broadcast systems</h3> <p>If you&rsquo;re trying to get information out into the world, privacy may not be the highest priority. You&rsquo;ll still want to be secure, you won&rsquo;t want to be credibly impersonated, but you may not need perfect anonymity or to encrypt messages. A simple <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/best-website-for-you">static website</a> suits this purpose, but so does a profile on a well-run and popular social media service.</p> <h2 id="fediverse">Fediverse</h2> <p>The <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/fediverse">fediverse</a> has the potential to be a truly meritocratic digital town square.<br> There are many community-run or self-hosted servers that operate without algorithmic manipulation or ads. Each user either runs or joins an <em>instance</em> that will host their content as it&rsquo;s shared with others.</p> <p>Get started: <a href="https://jointhefedi.com/">https://jointhefedi.com/</a><br> Popular Servers: <a href="https://soapbox.pub">Soapbox</a> or <a href="https://joinmastodon.org/">Mastodon</a> and many <a href="https://fediverse.info/explore/projects">more</a>..</p> <h2 id="nostr">Nostr</h2> <p>Nostr is a simple protocol with lots of new clients and features being built. It replaces the concept of a &ldquo;home server&rdquo; with many inter-changable relays. The primary advantage of this is that it prevents server administrators from being able to block people on behalf of other users. As long as two nostr users share a relay they are able to communicate. Some nostr communities have setup paid relays.</p> <p>Get started: <a href="https://nostr.com/get-started">https://nostr.com/get-started</a><br> Project: <a href="https://nostr.com/">https://nostr.com/</a><br> Popular Client: <a href="https://iris.to">https://iris.to</a><br> Popular Relay Software: <a href="https://github.com/Cameri/nostream">nostream</a></p> <h2 id="private-systems">Private Systems</h2> <p>When having private communications with friends/family or even co-workers it&rsquo;s great to have systems away from prying eyes. It&rsquo;s helpful to have a free and open protocol that people can communicate with you privately, that doesn&rsquo;t rely on sharing infrastructure. End-to-end encyption helps protect users on different servers from prying-eyes.</p> <h3 id="matrix">Matrix</h3> <p>Matrix is an excellent chat protocol that supports large rooms as well as direct chats. As of now, <a href="https://element.io/blog/drop-in-drop-out-chats-with-video-rooms-and-a-new-search-experience/">video rooms</a> are now in open beta.</p> <p>Get started: <a href="https://matrix.org/docs/projects/try-matrix-now">https://matrix.org/docs/projects/try-matrix-now</a><br> Project: <a href="https://matrix.org">https://matrix.org</a><br> Popular Client: <a href="https://element.io">https://element.io</a><br> Popular Server: <a href="https://matrix-org.github.io/synapse/latest/">Synapse</a></p> <h3 id="xmpp">XMPP</h3> <p>XMPP is another federated chat protocol. It&rsquo;s fast and efficient and has been used for quite some time now.</p> <p>Get started: <a href="https://xmpp.org/getting-started">https://xmpp.org/getting-started</a><br> Project: <a href="https://xmpp.org">https://xmpp.org</a><br> Popular Client: <a href="https://astral.ninja/">https://astral.ninja/</a><br> Popular Server: <a href="https://prosody.im/">Prosody</a></p> <h2 id="making-your-choice">Making your choice</h2> <p>It&rsquo;s up to you! It&rsquo;s worth trying different things out to see what works well for others. Some may just stick with <a href="https://signal.org/">signal</a> for convenience, others may use <a href="https://delta.chat/">delta chat</a> because it can be used on top of e-mails people already have. Whatever you can do to take control of your own information and computing can go a long way.</p> <p>Check out this conversation I&rsquo;ve had with Mathew Crawford on Rounding the Earth about how to think about different approaches to keeping your information safe.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/a4c68bf5-160a-4ef5-91e8-05ceb3edb79c'> </iframe> <p>Whatever you do, it&rsquo;s important to know why you&rsquo;re choosing one system over another. It may be more effort, but a little change can go a long way when it comes to keeping your information out of the hands of adversaries. Once you have something that works well for you, it becomes easier to share those advantages with others.</p> Conceptualizing Information Control https://libresolutions.network/articles/information-control/ Sun, 23 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/information-control/ /media/images/information-control.webp <p>Knowledge is power. Control over knowledge is immense power. This power isn&rsquo;t merely used to advance sciences and create new technologies, instead it&rsquo;s often used to take control of other people. Almost everyone these days seems to believe they&rsquo;re surrounded by brainwashed masses. What if there really is something to that? Who, or what, is actually doing the brainwashing?</p> <p>It is a mistake to assume that someone who is acting differently than you is always making those decisions from incorrect information. There are often times where different people will have wildly varying interpretations of the same information. Now, instead of using the same information, see how they react to subsets of the <em>same information</em>.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/information-control.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/information-control.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <p>This doesn&rsquo;t mean that everyone is always right, but rather that they can often be talking about different aspects of the <em>same problem</em>. This has been a substantial driver of the <em>Culture Wars</em> because different messaging is naturally going to resonate with different subsets of the population. To make things worse, problems and solutions are framed in terms of &ldquo;<em>What nails can we hit with this hammer</em>?&rdquo; before considering other tools.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/information-asymmetry.webp' > </div> <p>This is what has made <em>language</em> a critical component in political competition. If we do not share goals, it is to my advantage that I ensure that you use <em>my framing</em> to understand the world around you. Words themselves become skirmishes over the broad ideas they can represent. Splitting into dialects, different factions sound increasingly incomprehensible to each other. Cooperation becomes challenging, compromise becomes impossible. Even worse, people are no longer able to <em>negotiate boundaries</em>. This all-but-ensures future conflict.</p> <h3 id="motivated-reasoning">Motivated reasoning</h3> <p>As this process advances, and people start to perceive that they are in some kind of existential competition, Culture Wars escalate. Suddenly, groups are less interested in finding workable common-ground, but instead every action is part of a greater conquest. Groups are now no longer devoted to cooperating in wider society, but instead fracturing out territory to secure their interests.</p> <p>There is a fair amount of evidence, that much of the present-day divisions have been <em>manufactured</em> since the 2008 bail-outs and Occupy Wall St protests. I&rsquo;m sympathetic to this interpretation, but it&rsquo;s important not to lose sight that these manufactured divisions have real, <em>material consequences</em>.</p> <h3 id="hurt-people-hurt-people">Hurt people hurt people</h3> <p>These consequences have, and if not addressed, will continue to escalate tensions. The biggest challenge is that people are not always likely to state their frustrations in the most constructive manner. Tragically, many will often aggressively take out those frustrations on those they can, rather than the actual causes of that frustration.</p> <p>How many wounds have been caused by the Covid Crisis? How many <em>real avenues</em> have people had to even have their grievances acknowledged? Different people will have all kinds of unique and complicated scars from different challenges. It is no small task to merely bring clarity and understanding to what has happened, it&rsquo;s an even greater one to conceptualize the long arc of it all.</p> <h3 id="what-does-this-all-have-to-do-with-information-control">What does this all have to do with information control?</h3> <p>Leveraging people&rsquo;s unique perspective towards specific ends is how targeted advertising <em>works</em>. The technocracy has had the tools and understanding of how to manipulate large groups of people, each one at a time, for well over a decade, if not significantly longer. Many rush to point to smartphones as the culprit. In fact, their rise in prominence is very coincident with the rise of many of the Culture Wars. I&rsquo;ll present a different interpretation: <strong>It&rsquo;s not the smartphone, but what was in it.</strong></p> <p>There is nothing inherently mind-killing about a small, portable computer that uses a touch-screen interface. What truly forged the massive mind control apparatus was the things that came with it:</p> <ul> <li>Real-time location tracking</li> <li>24/7 audio and video surveillance capabilities</li> <li>Corporate Social Media as <em>Digital information Control Systems</em></li> </ul> <p>Information Control Systems have been the cause of not only the Culture Wars, but many more problems as well. The smartphone era was what made these Information Control Systems go digital, but it was not the origin of information control.</p> <p>Surveillance is rarely merely about curiosity, rather it&rsquo;s about gathering information to leverage control over situations. Massive dragnet surveillance of the population is one of the greatest acts of <em>Information Asymmetry</em> in all of human history.</p> <h1 id="information-asymmetry">Information Asymmetry</h1> <blockquote> <p><em>I know you are, but what am I?</em></p> </blockquote> <p>Spy craft of all kinds is highly reliant on information asymmetry. Being able to see even only marginally clearer through the fog of war is a massive advantage.<br> There are three ways to gain and maintain your advantage :</p> <ul> <li>Become faster or more efficient at uncovering valuable information</li> <li>Sabotage other efforts by undermining them directly</li> <li>Selectively manipulate or destroy information not to your advantage</li> </ul> <p>This is where surveillance, censorship, propaganda, and all kinds of devious activities come into play. By being able to monitor you, while keeping things secret from you, powerful entities are able to maintain an immense advantage over you.</p> <ul> <li>By learning your emotional limits, it&rsquo;s possible to learn how to manipulate you.</li> <li>By learning your habits, it&rsquo;s possible to plan around them.</li> <li>By understanding who you are, it&rsquo;s possible to target you specifically.</li> </ul> <p>It&rsquo;s impossible to comprehend the scope of what information about you is available for mechanized manipulation. On the other hand, it&rsquo;s vastly simpler for someone with control of that data to use it for nefarious ends. This vastly enhances psychological manipulation efforts and puts each person at the mercy of forces they can&rsquo;t fully understand.</p> <p>It is the height of hubris to take your understanding of publicly available information to be the best understanding anyone can have. It is a guarantee that there are groups and lines of communication that you&rsquo;re not aware of that have been more successful at gleaning a clear picture.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/ignorance.webp' > </div> <p>This is why the stereotype of &ldquo;the lone conspiracy theorist&rdquo; is such delicious fodder for conspirators. There may simply not be enough information available to truly present a coherent case, even when there is one. With full understanding of your conspiracy, you can selectively reveal information to undermine even the best possible explanation. Even worse, it possible to discredit true accusations with slander and deflection.</p> <p>If an entity has a clear understanding of a situation or set of information that knowledge can be used to selectively manipulate disclosure.This is different than a merely incomplete picture that just happens to be lacking information. Without knowing the entire picture it can be very difficult to distinguish manipulated from incomplete information.</p> <p>This is why <em>limited hangouts</em> are such a serious concern. While it&rsquo;s possible that companies and institutions may be interested in true transparency, unless they&rsquo;re willing to provide all the information as they have it, it&rsquo;s still at best an incomplete picture. They may be obligated to omit information for legal reasons, or deliberately omit references to certain events to fundamentally alter people&rsquo;s perception of the disclosure.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/info-theory.webp' > </div> <p>Many times, the best that people have is an incomplete picture. People can quickly fall into the trap of grasping the first seemingly-coherent explanation that fits the data they have, without realizing that they may be missing all kinds of crucial information. While this may sound like the worst case scenario, it is far better than falling prey to a manipulated understanding presented by an adversary.</p> <h2 id="digital-information-control-systems">Digital Information Control Systems</h2> <p>I routinely call any centralized information sharing platform an <em>Information Control System</em>. This is precisely because of the asymmetric information advantage given to those who run and operate the system over the people who participate in it. Rudimentary tools like &ldquo;Trending&rdquo; lists are such a minor fraction at what operators of these systems have at their disposal.</p> <p>For example, one could learn all kinds of things about you if they merely had access to your credit card&rsquo;s purchase history. Just like if I read through every post you&rsquo;ve ever made online. Any tool that isn&rsquo;t explicitly avoiding collecting data, is inherently vulnerable to divulging such information.</p> <p>Surveillance is only half the story, <em>manipulation</em> is the other side of the coin. In many cases outright censorship is too crude. It&rsquo;s well observed that the majority of people like to rely on whatever main feed the system provides for them, and will make hardly any attempt to deviate from it. This means that the main feed on any application is <em>prime real estate</em> for those who want to buy and sell your time and attention.</p> <p>Outside of mere commodification, anyone who has a monopoly over a large number of people&rsquo;s attention in this way has the capability to do great harm to others. This is the true danger of information control systems, this is what makes civilian targets &lsquo;fair game&rsquo; in information war. You have likely heard that your mind is a battlefield, but what is the war over?</p> <p>The prize for information control is nothing short than all-out <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-11/">dominance</a>. Maintaining information control is an inherently aggressive stance. The people most interested in identifying where everyone spends all their attention, are the most likely to have nefarious motives for doing so.<br> So you have three major choices:</p> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Opt-out, and ignore the information landscape entirely</strong>.</p> <p>To the degree that you can, as there are always choices to be made.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Choose a side, and face the consequences</strong>.</p> <p>By joining the ranks of a cultural titan you are at the mercy of it, and your newfound enemies.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Democratize the information landscape as much as possible</strong>.</p> <p>Instead, work to mitigate the ability of those to control others.</p> </li> </ul> <h2 id="predictive-programming">Predictive Programming</h2> <p>I reject the common definition of predictive programming and present you with a different one:</p> <blockquote> <p><em>Using indoctrination to get the public to accept and act out an impossible concept.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>That&rsquo;s it. No complicated whinging about karmic consequences or secret plans. The world is a stage, and predictive programming is all about teaching the public what role they need to play. What&rsquo;s powerful about these impossible concepts, is that like any scam, <em>there&rsquo;s always more</em>. Always another try, another attempt at converting your hard-earned resources and attention into their profit.</p> <h3 id="transitioning-to-renewables">Transitioning to renewables</h3> <p>Fortunes have been made off of the delusion that it&rsquo;s possible to transition the majority of human energy consumption to wind and solar energy. By leveraging the public&rsquo;s ignorance of the true energy cost in running society, investors and consumers alike can be freely fleeced of resources in the name of making the impossible happen.</p> <p>It&rsquo;s akin to hooking up two motors to a battery, and demonstrating that your <em>perpetual motion machine</em> is a breakthrough that will revolutionize the energy industry. Sleek 3D rendered windmills and solar panels on bright grassy landscapes leave out the awkward details that get in the way of real-world application.</p> <h3 id="pandemics">Pandemics</h3> <p>Long before the Covid Crisis people were presented with many examples of a hyper-lethal and hyper-contagious virus that would necessitate extreme measures. People grew to accept the idea that an indeterminable emergency would require all kinds of extraordinary measures without any real rational explanation.</p> <p>I don&rsquo;t believe it is possible for any contagion to meet these <strong>three conditions</strong>:</p> <ol> <li>It must be sufficiently contagious, otherwise it wouldn&rsquo;t be a problem</li> <li>It must be sufficiently severe and untreatable, otherwise it would be dealt with easily</li> <li>It must be successfully contained by measures taken during the Covid Crisis, otherwise there would be no point in trying in the first place.</li> </ol> <p>A virus that meets two of those criteria would still a serious problem, but would not require the suspension of constitutional rights and massive wealth transfer orchestrated during the Covid Crisis.</p> <h3 id="ai-sentience">AI Sentience</h3> <p>Currently, many people fall victim to many mass media depictions of machine minds capable of sentience. This is vastly detached from the current or even rationally projected state of machine learning. I&rsquo;ll be the first to say that large AI models are very powerful and sophisticated tools, but they are not as magical as the hype would imply.</p> <p>Machine learning models are essentially massive tables of numbers. Training the model involves modifying the numbers to fit the desired outcome. This results in a <em>very useful table of numbers</em>, but not a sentient one. Tragically, people are already anthropomorphizing these tools at the expense of real human interaction. I promise you, while large language models are quite interesting, they do not grow fond of you or even have a stake in your life.</p> <p>Fearing them is also the opposite mistake, very often it&rsquo;s not the tools themselves that are evil, but rather the ends that people aim to use them for. It is critical that you invest in yourself as a human being, rather than live in terror that machine minds are out to destroy humanity. The terrible truth is that human beings are all too capable of that themselves, and they should be held responsible regardless of the methods they employ.</p> <h2 id="overcoming-information-control">Overcoming Information Control</h2> <h3 id="discretion">Discretion</h3> <p>Privacy and Security are important. It&rsquo;s more important than ever to use tools that aren&rsquo;t <em>proactively testifying against you</em>. Software and hardware freedom are vitally important concepts these days that we should all do our part to promote.</p> <p>Opposing the use of mass surveillance by the state and corporations is also of utmost importance. Privacy and anonymity need to be normalized, and the consequences of abusing people&rsquo;s private information need to become more severe.</p> <h3 id="humility">Humility</h3> <p>Don&rsquo;t fool yourself into thinking you can or will know everything. Understand that you and everyone around you is only human and there are limits to your knowledge. Idolizing a specific person as <em>the expert on everything</em>, even on a singular topic, is often a surefire way to be misled. With a healthy amount of distrust, you can build an understanding that isn&rsquo;t reliant on completely outsourcing your cognition to others. It&rsquo;s important to be courageous enough to question, but humble enough to question yourself too.</p> <h3 id="persistence">Persistence</h3> <blockquote> <p>Personal memory units were banned six years before the crash, after someone found out that a few rogue Interplanetary Holy Tech officers were routinely editing consciousness data blocks in the cloud, modifying public opinion against IHT guidelines. There was an upheaval, media pundits had a field day, and the court hearing was transmitted to every citizen’s brain. In the end, the IHT officers pleaded guilty and were sent to the Genetic Recycle Lab. Shortly after, the AI Head of the IHT gave an address in which they talked about the need to tighten memory data security. Evidently, the best algorithms have been consulted with, and they concluded that personal units had to be turned in. I considered doing as I was told—but something inside me rebelled. Perhaps it was the fact that I have always felt like I was different, or maybe it was an encoded message from my grandfather, a famous artist and dissident who disappeared into the Genetic Recycle Lab a hundred and fifty years ago. I chose to follow my gut—and wiggled my way out of compliance.</p> <p><a href="https://tessa.substack.com/p/deprecating-free-will-a-future-we">Deprecating Free Will: A Future We Don&rsquo;t Have to Accept</a></p> <p>By Tessa Lena</p> </blockquote> <h4 id="you-need-to-save-information">You need to save information.</h4> <p>One of the primary goals of information control is suppressing information that can be used to support dissenting narratives. Taking notes, or preserving information, is a very simple and effective way to prevent that outcome. The more people can do do preserve information the further along we can be to truly <em>leveling the playing field</em>.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/cc421336-2f60-4ab8-b014-df0a9bafbf9d'> </iframe> <p>By extending your own and the public&rsquo;s memory, you can safeguard yourself and others from mass manipulation. Nothing is new under the sun and old scams resurface with new sleek branding. Being able to point out the connections can make a critical difference at important times.</p> <h3 id="cooperate">Cooperate</h3> <p>Do what you can to meaningfully communicate with others. Take the time to be patient with those with different perspectives. Even if you don&rsquo;t end up agreeing, there is very often lots of useful information to glean. Where possible, do your best to connect with others to understand them on a deeper level. Working with others allows you to accomplish more than you could on your own. By cooperating you can uncover things that may be impossible alone.</p> <p>Not only do you need to do this for <em>yourself</em>, but you should want to pass down critical information to future generations, rather than just mere material wealth. Communicating across generations is one of the most important ways to ensure that people don&rsquo;t keep falling into the same all-too-familiar traps. A straight-forward way to do this is to publish your own information and attempt to make it as resilient as possible.</p> Storing and Protecting Knowledge - Round Table with Mark Kulacz https://libresolutions.network/videos/rounding-the-earth-2/ Tue, 18 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/rounding-the-earth-2/ /media/images/rounding-the-earth.webp <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/cc421336-2f60-4ab8-b014-df0a9bafbf9d'> </iframe> <p>Mirrored from: <a href="https://rumble.com/v2iuqae-storing-and-protecting-knowledge-round-table-w-mark-kulacz-and-gabriel.html">https://rumble.com/v2iuqae-storing-and-protecting-knowledge-round-table-w-mark-kulacz-and-gabriel.html</a></p> <p>Gabriel, Mark Kulacz, Liam Sturgess and Mathew Crawford discuss how to protect knowledge in an age of rampant censorship and manipulation.</p> <p>Show links:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://peertube.libresolutions.network/w/8JAkjYRxdwq3j1e1Df3NVc">Previous Discussion</a></li> <li><a href="https://tntradiolive.podbean.com/e/gabe-of-libre-solutions-on-the-hrvoje-moric-show-5-april-2023/">TNT Radio Interview</a></li> <li><a href="https://sites.google.com/a/housatonicits.com/home/">houseatronic.live</a></li> <li><a href="https://youtu.be/DVEjmbMHUVo">Let&rsquo;s Talk America Ep1</a></li> <li><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/best-website-for-you/">The best website for a single person</a></li> <li><a href="https://github.com/wabarc/wayback">Wayback tool</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.tiki-toki.com/">Tiki Toki</a></li> <li><a href="https://roundingtheearth.substack.com/p/the-plandemonium-timeline-project">The Plandemonium Timeline Project</a></li> <li><a href="https://graphcommons.com/graphs/b84c2616-9fa7-49f3-aa31-87d161127950">Covid-19 Bio-defense Mafia</a></li> <li><a href="https://peertube.libresolutions.network/w/amsg2uM33HFxDCAVWAZvLe">Tracking Links video</a></li> <li><a href="https://metaprepeducation.locals.com/">MetaPrep Education Community</a></li> <li><a href="https://roundingtheearth.locals.com/">Rounding the Earth locals</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=start">Campfire Wiki</a></li> </ul> <p>Follow Rounding The Earth on <a href="https://roundingtheearth.substack.com/">Substack</a> or <a href="https://roundingtheearth.locals.com">locals</a> and <a href="https://roundingtheearth.com/feed">RSS</a></p> The Coordinated Attack on Cyberspace https://libresolutions.network/articles/coordinated-attack/ Thu, 13 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/coordinated-attack/ /media/images/global-networks.webp <p>For tyrants and dissidents alike, the Covid Crisis was a defining moment in the history of censorship. Top-down information control leapt out of the shadows into an overt campaign of propaganda, suppression and manipulation. One of the defining aspects of the crisis is that it exemplified an <em>arms race</em> between those who want complete top-down control, and those who would dare to seek their own path.</p> <p>Despite the best efforts of Big Tech corporations, governments and NGOs, people who took a stand against creeping totalitarianism were able to meet, organize, and share information. Tenuous alliances were formed, dissidents from all walks of life made new allies, forging bonds with people they wouldn&rsquo;t have otherwise known.</p> <p>From the Technocracy&rsquo;s point of view: this is a colossal mistake that <em>must be corrected</em>. The dual nature of the Internet as a tool to track people, as well as allow them to share information; is starting to become untenable to the technocracy.</p> <p>Of course, they could try <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-9/">shutting down the Internet</a>, and starting something completely different. Instead of going for something so rash, we are currently witnessing a massive legislative push to grab immense power over people&rsquo;s digital lives.</p> <p>For now, the primary objectives are to take control of:</p> <h3 id="ranking-algorithms">Ranking algorithms</h3> <p>We have all witnessed the incredible power of a majority of people getting their information from a small set of highly curated sources. Previously in the domain of corporations, the technocracy aims to put algorithms in control of either governments, or <em>public</em>-<em>private partnerships</em>.</p> <h3 id="personal-communications">Personal communications</h3> <p>Without the hindrance of a state and corporate backed censorship board, people can speak freely with each other if they choose. People&rsquo;s own personal networks are a viable channel for dissent. Unable to leverage interpersonal trust, the technocracy has to nudge people to self-censor to their closest contacts.</p> <h3 id="anonymity">Anonymity</h3> <p>The ability for people to submit information to the public record without retaliation only really works in the people&rsquo;s favour. Requiring some form of <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/digital-id/">Digital ID</a> to use services or access information is a vital requirement to taking control of cyberspace.</p> <h3 id="information">Information</h3> <p>&ldquo;Cybersecurity&rdquo; is far more broad than merely protecting against computer viruses and data breaches. The censorship industrial complex treats <a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/are-you-prepared-for-the-infodemic/">counter-narratives</a> as security concerns.</p> <h1 id="the-legislation">The Legislation</h1> <hr> <h2 id="un-cybercrime-treaty">UN Cybercrime Treaty</h2> <p>Link: <a href="https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/cybercrime/ad_hoc_committee/home">https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/cybercrime/ad_hoc_committee/home</a></p> <blockquote> <p><em>Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes</em></p> </blockquote> <p>That&rsquo;s quite a mouthful, isn&rsquo;t it? The EFF has a <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/decoding-uncybercrime-treaty">helpful breakdown</a>. The cybercrime treaty includes:</p> <ul> <li>Restrictions on Free speech</li> <li>Expanded surveillance</li> <li>Sharing your information with other governments</li> <li>Compelled assistance in reducing security</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/eDYVUe8dPtI">Five ways the draft U.N. Cybercrime Treaty undermines your rights</a></p> <h2 id="united-states-restrict-act">United States: Restrict Act</h2> <p>Link: <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/686">https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/686</a></p> <p>Erroneously known as the &ldquo;<em>Tiktok ban</em>&rdquo; the restrict act has been called the &ldquo;<strong>Patriot Act 2.0</strong>&rdquo;. It proposes steep penalties and harsh sanctions on anyone using, or supporting, digital infrastructure deemed a threat to national security.</p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/Hq-nNSyGH1U">The RESTRICT Act Is a Threat to Digital Freedom</a></p> <h2 id="europe-chat-control">Europe: Chat Control</h2> <p>Link: <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2020/0568/COM_COM(2020)0568_EN.pdf">https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2020/0568/COM_COM(2020)0568_EN.pdf</a></p> <p>The game-changer in the ChatControl proposal is <em>client-side scanning</em>, entirely by-passing <a href="https://community.qbix.com/t/the-coming-war-on-end-to-end-encryption/214">end-to-end encryption</a>. The stated objective is to</p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/ViirnWnoreA">#StopScanningMe: How to actually protect children online</a></p> <h2 id="canada">Canada</h2> <h3 id="c-11">C-11</h3> <p>Link: <a href="https://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/en/bill/44-1/c-11">https://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/en/bill/44-1/c-11</a></p> <p>In the name of <em>preserving Canadian content,</em> C-11 aims to give more control to the CRTC. This is a broad overview of Canadian internet regulations. A highly contested part of the legislation is regulations on user content.</p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/3pvBflhiCYM">What Is Canada&rsquo;s Dystopian &ldquo;Online Streaming Act&rdquo;?</a></p> <h3 id="c-26">C-26</h3> <p>Link: <a href="https://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/en/bill/44-1/c-26">https://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/en/bill/44-1/c-26</a></p> <p>A great deal of commentary of C-26 includes the phrase <em>cybersecurity <strong>is national security</strong></em>. This bill is Canada&rsquo;s revamp of cybersecurity legislation.</p> <p>Learn more: <a href="https://fournier.substack.com/p/digital-surveillance-in-canada-2023">https://fournier.substack.com/p/digital-surveillance-in-canada-2023</a></p> <hr> <p>The truth is that this is a coordinated campaign that goes beyond even the technological impacts. One of the biggest challenges is that governments are stepping in to resolve problems created by corporate digital systems. While in some cases it may seem necessary, these bills take a sledgehammer to civil rights in the name of fighting real problems.</p> <p>It is not enough to merely disengage and try to adapt to these excesses. People must work together to take control of their own computing, then enforce our natural rights.The best way to truly oppose this wave of totalitarianism is to take on the responsibility yourself of making changes in your life.</p> The Twitter and Substack Divorce https://libresolutions.network/articles/substack-vs-twitter/ Sat, 08 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/substack-vs-twitter/ /media/images/musk-v-substack.webp <p>When it comes to Twitter, Substack was on borrowed time. Musk has shown <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/12/15/elon-musk-suspends-mastodon-twitter-account-over-elonjet-tracking/">anti-competitive behavior</a> in the past. In response to Substack announcing their <a href="https://www.racket.news/p/the-craziest-friday-ever">notes feature</a>, it appears as though Musk has <a href="https://tessa.substack.com/p/twitter-is-censoring-substack">sanctioned Substack</a> in it&rsquo;s entirety. I appreciate that Substack has been a valuable platform for many who spoke out during the Covid Crisis. They provide a quick way of starting a newsletter and a valuable feature of allowing cross-pollination between communities through social features.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/learning-lessons.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/social-media" ><h2>Social Media: Learning the right lessons</h2><i>Understanding information control</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>At the end of the day, Substack is still a <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html.en">Service as a Software Substitute</a>. Like many other entities, the convenience of getting started quickly or seamlessly is exchanged for a loss in freedom. Many rush to accuse Musk of &ldquo;building walls&rdquo; around his platform, but is Substack really much different?</p> <p>Substack made a deliberate decision to allow embedded twitter tweets and youtube videos, but hasn&rsquo;t included various competitors to those platforms. Both twitter and Youtube have centralized and decentralized competitors that could have also been included, yet there is no sign of embedded PeerTube or even Rumble videos any time soon.</p> <p>Twitter has retaliated against Substack the same way it attacked Mastodon, by labeling links to the platform as dangerous. This is and was a blatant case of profit-driven disinformation, yet neither Musk nor Twitter will face any sanctions for watering down the concept of such warnings. It&rsquo;s an act of deliberately yelling &ldquo;Fire!&rdquo; in your theater when a specific performer goes onstage.</p> <h1 id="substack-under-attack">Substack under attack?</h1> <p>The other day, the ADL published a <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/antisemitism-false-information-and-hate-speech-find-home-substack-0">list of substacks</a> that included Steve Kirsch and Robert Malone among what they consider the worst of the worst. Arguing that Substack has too lax moderation policies. Odds are, you could zero in on the most controversial members of any big platform and would find similarly deviant participants. What&rsquo;s interesting to note is the lumping in of the most visible critics of how the Covid Crisis was mismanaged. In time, we will see how Substack responds to these accusations moving forward.</p> <p>To the degree the platform has allowed authentic investigation into questions that the powerful don&rsquo;t want investigated, every platform is under attack. It does not necessarily be an all-or-nothing affair, it could be limited to a specific author, or specific post that gets too much attention. No matter what, Substack is going to have a difficult task of balancing the needs of it&rsquo;s writers against the pressures put against it.</p> <h2 id="preserving-the-good">Preserving the good</h2> <p>Substack is an excellent community. It&rsquo;s one of the many places I&rsquo;ve recently encountered a wealth of free-thinkers that have deliberately put themselves out to challenge the madness during the Covid Crisis. For many, it&rsquo;s been a great place to encounter other people to express frustration about lockdowns, mandates, and consequences of bad policies when people&rsquo;s friends, representatives, or even relatives wouldn&rsquo;t hear it.</p> <p>Many have interpreted the partial removal of mandates as the end of the push for top-down tyranny. Unfortunately this is far from the case, if anything very dangerous precedents have been set without hardly any correction. I would encourage any fellow authors, especially those who wrote during the early days to get involved in documenting it on the <a href="https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=covid-19_vaccines:injuries&amp;s%5B%5D=operationuplift">Campfire Wiki</a></p> <p>There is a lot of excellent and valuable pertinent information exclusively on Substack. I would hope that all of these authors have made sure they have at least a local copy of their work instead of exclusively relying on Substack to keep it online. At minimum, I’d recommend archiving your favorite articles with something like <a href="https://archive.is/">archive.is</a> to be preserved long term.</p> <h3 id="guerrilla-publishing">Guerrilla publishing</h3> <p>When it comes to Substack authors specifically being censored by twitter, many of them are lucky to have their content also be mirrored by <a href="https://truthtalk.uk/">Truth Talk</a>. Oddly enough I am one such author lucky enough to have them <a href="https://truthtalk.uk/author/libre-solutions-network/">mirroring my writing</a></p> <p>In addition to me, others are also mirrored.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://truthtalk.uk/author/Tessa-Lena/">Tessa Lena</a></li> <li><a href="https://truthtalk.uk/author/lily/">Lily</a></li> <li><a href="https://truthtalk.uk/author/Karen-Hunt/">Karen Hunt</a></li> </ul> <p>I greatly appreciate being included, and this is a model that would scale quite well. If authors were interested, volunteers could create new &ldquo;hubs&rdquo; to mirror excellent content across the Internet and bypass the basic link blacklisting censorship. This has the advantage of disarming the programmed response by people who will disregard content if it&rsquo;s from &ldquo;tainted&rdquo; sources. You&rsquo;ll note this is why the establishment has changed gears to emphasizing that people should only listen to &lsquo;<em>approved</em>&rsquo; sources.</p> <h2 id="a-better-way">A better way</h2> <p>That’s really only part of the battle, because ideally you want your information to be easily accessible. Mirroring your content to a backup blog (or documents on your own machine) can go a long way. No matter what, you don’t want to put all your writing/research/work at the mercy of a single platform you don’t control.</p> <p>No matter what your process is, consider keeping your writing on your own hardware &amp; software. This means either your own word processor or notes application, or something more sophisticated. This will make it easier to publish and migrate to a variety of other formats. It is fortuitous that I have recently written a guide on getting started on self-publishing yourself with static site generators.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/website.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/best-website-for-you" ><h2>The best website for a single person</h2><i>Add your voice to the free and open web</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>If you&rsquo;re interested in a more open and decentralized alternative, publishing your own website goes a long way. Static site generators make it easy, but unfortunately you may miss the social aspect. If more and more people migrated to the <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/call-to-action-join-the-fediverse/">fediverse</a>, much of the community aspect could be integrated without the same top-down control of centralized social media. If you&rsquo;re interested in a fediverse-native blogging platform there is <a href="https://writefreely.org/">write freely</a></p> <p>To reiterate, please make sure your work isn&rsquo;t at the mercy of any single platform. We have seen that the technocracy is eager to constrain the people&rsquo;s access to information, and to wield the devastating weapon of information control. Reach is a sincere challenge, we can all make our own content resilient, but ultimately people need to have an active desire to seek out alternative voices.</p> <p>This is why the first operation, <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/chorus/">Chorus</a> emphasizes the importance of freedom of speech and expression. Those of us with any ability to get the word out do have a <em>responsibility</em> to boost and promote independent authentic voices. This is a tremendous task, there is much that needs to be said and little room to get through the few avenues of getting information to the public.</p> <p>If you recognize that challenge, you&rsquo;ll understand my excitement for what we can do to truly democratize information dissemination. Everyone can take action in their own lives to redirect their attention away from platforms and services intended to <em>monopolize their access to information</em>.</p> Rounding The Earth Interview https://libresolutions.network/videos/rounding-the-earth/ Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/rounding-the-earth/ /media/images/rounding-the-earth.webp <h1 id="rounding-the-earth">Rounding The Earth</h1> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/3ea25e18-a741-4fc1-9159-aacebef87855'> </iframe> <blockquote> <p>Gabriel of Libre Solutions Network joins Mathew Crawford and Liam Sturgess to introduce the RTE community to an ever-growing world of alternative platforms for social media, communication and more.</p> </blockquote> <p>Watch on <a href="https://rumble.com/v2f3mdm-big-tech-solutions-round-table-w-gabe-of-libre-solutions-network.html">Rumble</a> Show notes on <a href="https://roundingtheearth.com/big-tech-solutions-libre-solutions-network/">Rounding The Earth</a></p> <p>Follow Rounding The Earth on <a href="https://roundingtheearth.substack.com/">Substack</a> or <a href="https://roundingtheearth.locals.com">locals</a> and <a href="https://roundingtheearth.com/feed">RSS</a></p> The best website for a single person https://libresolutions.network/articles/best-website-for-you/ Fri, 24 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/best-website-for-you/ /media/images/website.webp <p>Every single person should have their own website. I don&rsquo;t just mean that we should all rush out to buy a fancy firstname.com domain. Instead, that it would benefit us all, if more people would take an active role in building the <a href="https://home.cern/news/opinion/computing/open-internet-and-free-web"><em>free and open web</em></a>.</p> <p>As I wrote in <a href="https://gabe.rocks/tech/reclaiming-cyberspace/">Reclaiming Territory in Cyberspace</a>, there are three primary resources in cyberspace:</p> <ul> <li>Storage</li> <li>Computing Power</li> <li>Bandwidth</li> </ul> <p>We are all lucky, that websites are not at all demanding when it comes to these resources. The biggest concern is storage, with bandwidth being the next most important factor. You need the storage to hold all the files in your website, and the bandwidth to reach your audience. I believe there are many conditions today, that if we were willing, could enable us to truly take the web out of the hands of governments and corporations. Does this sound too good to be true? Allow me to make my case.</p> <h1 id="understanding-static-websites">Understanding static websites</h1> <p>A <em>static</em> website is one that&rsquo;s merely a collection of properly formatted files. These files will include the HTML, JavaScript and CSS (the skeleton of the website), as well as any other multimedia content like images and video.</p> <p>Static websites can be <a href="https://motherfuckingwebsite.com/">quite simple</a> or support a <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/voiceover/">wide range of multimedia</a>. Either way, it&rsquo;s best to think of a static website as a pamphlet or poster that you can easily update. Depending on your ideal audience, it can be better to work with a text and links only but informative website, or include beautiful images, video or animations. This will all depend primarily on where you intend to store the website (in the cloud, or on your machine?) and how much bandwidth you and your audience have access to.</p> <p>While I am generally a critic of leveraging cloud infrastructure, static sites are one of the major exceptions. Since a static website is like a poster, hosting it on the cloud is akin to putting it up on a commercial, but prominent bulletin board. An underappreciated feature of static websites is that they are inherently unhackable. Like a poster, it can be taken down or defaced, but you&rsquo;re never going to suffer a data breach or have it infect your systems.</p> <h2 id="static-site-generators">Static Site Generators</h2> <p>What makes static websites more accessible than ever is <em>static site generators</em>, these generators are designed to allow people to ignore the nitty-gritty aspect of web design, and just get to writing content. What really makes static site generators excellent is that they make the job of maintaining a large and complicated website relatively simple for a single person.</p> <p>The basic process of using any static site generator to build your website is like this:</p> <ol> <li>Install whichever generator you choose</li> <li>Run the generator to build a new project folder</li> <li>Browse the Generator&rsquo;s themes gallery, and import whichever theme suits you</li> <li>Use whatever editor(s) you like to modify, copy and create files into where they need to be</li> <li>Run the generator command to view changes in real time</li> </ol> <p><em>Pages are usually written in <a href="https://www.markdownguide.org/basic-syntax/">markdown</a></em></p> <h3 id="hugo">Hugo</h3> <p>Site: <a href="https://gohugo.io/">https://gohugo.io/</a><br> Themes: <a href="https://themes.gohugo.io/">https://themes.gohugo.io/</a><br> Documentation: <a href="https://gohugo.io/documentation/">https://gohugo.io/documentation/</a></p> <h3 id="jekyll">Jekyll</h3> <p>Site: <a href="https://jekyllrb.com/">https://jekyllrb.com/</a><br> Themes: <a href="https://jekyllrb.com/docs/themes/">https://jekyllrb.com/docs/themes/</a><br> Documentation: <a href="https://jekyllrb.com/docs/">https://jekyllrb.com/docs/</a></p> <h3 id="zola">Zola</h3> <p>Site: <a href="https://www.getzola.org/">https://www.getzola.org/</a><br> Themes: <a href="https://www.getzola.org/themes/">https://www.getzola.org/themes/</a><br> Documentation: <a href="https://www.getzola.org/documentation/">https://www.getzola.org/documentation/</a></p> <h3 id="hexo">Hexo</h3> <p>Site: <a href="https://hexo.io/">https://hexo.io/</a><br> Themes: <a href="https://hexo.io/themes/">https://hexo.io/themes/</a><br> Documentation: <a href="https://hexo.io/docs/">https://hexo.io/docs/</a></p> <h3 id="astro">Astro</h3> <p>Site: <a href="https://astro.build/">https://astro.build/</a><br> Themes: <a href="https://astro.build/themes">https://astro.build/themes</a><br> Documentation: <a href="https://docs.astro.build/en/tutorial/0-introduction/">https://docs.astro.build/en/tutorial/0-introduction/</a></p> <h3 id="enhancement-themes">Enhancement: Themes</h3> <p>Themes are important, they do a lot of really heavy lifting in the end-result of the generated site. Themes will outline what goes in the headers, footers, sidebars and the overall look of the site. Themes will also have control over some of the finer details like social media previews and RSS integration.</p> <p>This is what&rsquo;s motivated me to build my two Hugo themes <a href="https://code.gabe.rocks/gabriel/freedom">Freedom</a> and <a href="https://code.gabe.rocks/gabriel/valor">Valor</a> from the ground up. They are very much a work in progress, but I appreciate having a fine degree of control. Odds are if you have very specific requirements, modifying an existing theme can also work for you.</p> <h3 id="enhancement-widgets">Enhancement: Widgets</h3> <p>Static sites are nice, but you want <em>MORE</em>. If you want to add dynamic features like comments or real-time integrations, overhauling the theme can be overkill. Often you can create <em>shortcodes</em>, that will give you the ability to include custom html/css/javascript that will work like a new widget with enhanced functionality.</p> <p>Some theme generators will also give you the ability to <em>override</em> parts of the theme. For example, if you want to add icons to the navigation menu, you could copy the existing one into the designated overrides folder and add your icons there.</p> <h3 id="enhancement-version-control">Enhancement: Version control</h3> <p>Ouch! You&rsquo;ve gotten hit by a <a href="https://www.cisa.gov/stopransomware/ransomware-guide">ransomware attack</a>. All your files have been encrypted by a virus, and can&rsquo;t be recovered unless you hand the hackers some Monero. Thankfully, you&rsquo;ve been using a self-hosted version control system like <a href="https://gitea.io/en-us/">Gitea</a>. So you can simply pull down the old version of the website and upload it again. Version control allows you to have a permanent record of changes made over time.</p> <h4 id="teams">Teams</h4> <p>Online version control is also very useful for collaboration. Instead of maintaining the static website alone, you can share access to the repository with others. Many online source control providers will often also include <a href="https://docs.codeberg.org/codeberg-pages/pushing-output/">integrated hosting</a>.</p> <h2 id="hosting">Hosting</h2> <p>Static websites are <em>portable</em> by nature. As long as the site structure is sound (use relative links) you can often put <em>mirrors</em> in multiple locations. This is an excellent way to maintain a resilient presence, instead of relying on a single point of failure. Because static websites are often quite simple and small, multiple uploads of the same content aren&rsquo;t always so arduous.</p> <h3 id="online-source-control">Online Source Control:</h3> <p>Want to get started quickly? <a href="https://pages.github.com/">Github Pages</a> has an excellent overview on how to use <a href="https://rogerdudler.github.io/git-guide/">Git</a> to push your static site to a repository and get running immediately.</p> <p>You can also use:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://docs.codeberg.org/codeberg-pages/pushing-output/">Codeberg Pages</a></li> <li><a href="https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/">Gitlab Pages</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="own-your-own-domain">Own your own domain</h2> <p>When you buy your <em>domain</em>, which is your web address online, (e.g. <a href="https://libresolutions.network">https://libresolutions.network</a>) you&rsquo;re going to want to own the domain yourself. This means that you purchase your domain directly from a domain registrar. For an often modest yearly fee, you can secure a name on the regular internet. It&rsquo;s important to have control over the dns records yourself, in case you feel the need to migrate or add additional services.</p> <h3 id="managed-hosting">Managed hosting</h3> <p>Often, domain registrars themselves will offer some form of <em>managed hosting</em>. This means some tool like cPanel will be available to you to simply upload the files to the site directly.</p> <h3 id="diy-hosting">DIY Hosting</h3> <p>You can always run your own web server, although it will require more technical knowledge. Going DIY allows you to reduce as many intermediaries as possible.</p> <h2 id="getting-on-the-dark-web">Getting on the Dark Web</h2> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-9-preview.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-9" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #9 Internet Shutdowns</h2><i>Information control is the root of modern tyranny.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>For those concerned about the increase in draconian control over the Internet, it can be helpful to mirror their content to one or many darknets, such as Tor or I2P. Even as a regular web user, I would highly recommend at least having the knowledge of how to visit websites on the darknet, for we do not know what kind of measures will be used in future crises.</p> <h3 id="sneakernet">Sneakernet</h3> <p>With a static website, you don&rsquo;t have to worry about complicated things like databases and user accounts. This means you have the advantage of being able to mirror the entire content onto a physical, portable format that can be distributed in person. When paired with version control, it can become a very efficient means of securely distributing large amounts of critical data.</p> <p>Who knows? Maybe we can start supporting independent websites by purchasing archives in <a href="https://newworldnextweek.com/products/corbett-report-2010-data-archive-usb-flash-drive">a physical format!</a></p> The Collapse of the Intangible https://libresolutions.network/articles/collapse-of-the-intangible/ Tue, 21 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/collapse-of-the-intangible/ /media/images/abstract.webp <p>I&rsquo;ve reflected on how the rapid pace of change has warped my perspective relative to those significantly older than me. Becoming curious how upcoming changes and trends will leave me out of step with new experiences.</p> <video autoplay muted loop preload="true" class="gif"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/video/mirror.mp4'> </video> <p>Video: <a href="https://youtu.be/-7mTJVyTR-w">Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirrors</a></p> <p>Advanced machine learning models have allowed people to hold a mirror up to the vastness of internet data. This is not just any mirror, but an <a href="https://youtu.be/-7mTJVyTR-w"><em>infinity mirror</em></a>. This phenomenal infinity mirror transforms a mere slice of the human experience into a kaleidoscope of infinite possibilities. It&rsquo;s the ultimate creative <em>force multiplier</em>. This unleashing of creative force will inevitably be used to spread both joy and pain in incalculable ways. The game is changing.</p> <h1 id="all-intangible-value-is-heading-to-zero">All <em>intangible</em> value is heading to zero</h1> <p>What does this really mean? All kinds of media (articles, photos, videos, etc.) will be entirely fungible. With the assistance of automated text generation tools, people have <a href="https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3211051/chatgpt-written-books-are-flooding-amazon-people-turn-ai-quick-publishing">rushed to flood</a> existing niches of creativity. As these tools improve, more and more complex media will be often little more than a mere thought away.</p> <p>As copyright holders struggled to contain digital distribution, they&rsquo;re no match for automated <em>regeneration</em> of personalized derivatives. Any remix or rehash of old ideas is within the grasp of anyone with access to tools trained on them. Imitations, parody, outright frauds are all inevitably going to saturate any and every available context.</p> <p>This isn&rsquo;t limited to content, impersonation is well within reach. You may receive a call from a familiar voice, only for it to be a scammer impersonating your relative. Video and voice deepfakes aren&rsquo;t necessarily new, but it&rsquo;s clear these things are going to be more within reach over time. This can have the effect of eroding trust in nearly any digital context. With very few (if any) ways to demonstrate authenticity, it will be impossible to validate frauds from genuine actors. Online spaces that were once giant profit-earning engines will dwindle into a mere ghost of the past.</p> <h2 id="desperate-measures">Desperate Measures</h2> <p>Governments, corporations and all the powers of the world will rush to keep this all under their control. The last thing they need is individuals having the power to rapidly and efficiently communicate ideas in a variety of ways. While people may be presently separated by differing experiences or ways of thinking, these tools have the ability to help people effectively <em>translate</em> cultural messages.</p> <p>Imagine a trivial scenario. An activist finds a fantastic article that explains a vital concept in a useful way. They want to share with others, but can&rsquo;t quite <em>express the idea</em> for those coming from a different perspective. Now they have the power to use automated tools that may better understand the other&rsquo;s context.</p> <p>All kinds of intangible differences between people evaporating would cause significant troubles for those who profit off those distinctions. Suddenly, almost anyone can be <em>brought up to speed</em>, regardless of ideology.</p> <p>Actions taken to restrict or control machine learning algorithms aren&rsquo;t likely to succeed. Without successfully robbing people of all general-purpose computing, there will always be mechanisms to circumvent interference. Amusingly enough, we&rsquo;re already witnessing them being <a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/03/you-can-now-run-a-gpt-3-level-ai-model-on-your-laptop-phone-and-raspberry-pi/">redistributed to inexpensive machines</a>. Like Prometheus gifting fire to mankind, it would seem that the very technology itself is prone to democratization.</p> <h1 id="the-hard-limit-information">The hard limit: Information</h1> <p>No matter how powerful these tools become, they have one unmovable obstacle; they can&rsquo;t create information. Representing existing information in other ways is possible, but these tools can&rsquo;t act on information that isn&rsquo;t there.</p> <p>For example, generating articles or other short written content is quite trivial. With the ability to generate limitless words, you&rsquo;re presented with a challenge: <em>What to say?</em></p> <p><em>Do you continue banging the same drum in a multitude of different ways?</em></p> <p>There&rsquo;s value in that. It&rsquo;s a highly effective way to communicate fundamental concepts to different people.</p> <p><em>Will you strive on your own to bring something genuinely unique, at your own pace?</em></p> <h3 id="the-adventurer">The adventurer</h3> <p>If you&rsquo;re faced with the potentiality of people creating countless imitations of your original ideas, do you abandon your quest? Shut down and sit in the cave watching the shadows? Or do you leave the endless noise and forge a new path?</p> <p>It&rsquo;s important not to fear the power of limitless creation. For those who wish to discover and create, it is an opportunity to be the very root of countless experiences. This is the best guarantee anyone can have that their accomplishments and insights will truly leave a mark on history.</p> <p>With all the tools of at your disposal, it&rsquo;s critical to focus on <em>what should be said</em> rather than merely what can be said. Understand that you&rsquo;ll have no significant advantage following the crowd that wants to endlessly regenerate new iterations of popular or alluring experiences. Regardless of if you embrace media generation tools, or shun them entirely, steer your mind on how you can share joy, love and hope.</p> <h1 id="rebuilding-balance">Rebuilding balance</h1> <p>Almost everyone today has reservations about the drastic impact the Internet has had as it&rsquo;s taken over our lives. The saturation of the intangible gives us an opportunity to <em>leave the immaterial to be immaterial</em>. Leave the free and open web to become a space for sharing and learning from information, but not allowing it to become a parasocial replacement for living.</p> <p>It seems that we are at the beginning of an immense <em>fracturing</em> of our way of life. While the intangible creations will continue to have dwindling value over time, becoming overly invested in them is a path to self-destruction. This may very-well be the &ldquo;last call&rdquo; to those who would like to escape the machinations that dominate the minds of the people.</p> <p>To truly be <em>ahead of the game</em>, one needs to wholeheartedly embrace genuine tangible interactions with other people. While the Internet can be a fantastic and wondrous place, we should live for each other and not the machine. It&rsquo;s never a bad time to lend someone some assistance, build something new, or even do something active.</p> Tools of the Technocracy: #11 Social Credit https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-11/ Sat, 04 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-11/ /media/images/chains.webp <h1 id="tools-of-the-technocracytagstools-of-the-technocracy-series--11-social-credit"><a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series">Tools of the Technocracy</a>: #11 Social Credit</h1> <p>I will remind you of the <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy/">opening</a> for this series:</p> <blockquote> <p>In the past, tyrants and dictators have had a hard limit on how far they could push people. From either logistical difficulties, fear of resistance, or liberation from other nations; these hard limits have been getting softer and softer as technology advances. Recent history has shown an ever-increasing centralization of power into a smaller and smaller set of control structures.</p> <p>&hellip;</p> <p>The tyrants of the world are winning a massive arms race against the rest of humanity. We must not merely avoid these systems, rather every one of us is responsible for preventing them from being weaponized against the people.</p> </blockquote> <p>The covid crisis was a preemptive strike<sup id="fnref:1"><a href="#fn:1" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">1</a></sup> against those who would consider challenging perpetual top-down control. Using unjustified and arbitrary measures to put small enterprises out of business,<sup id="fnref:2"><a href="#fn:2" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">2</a></sup> putting many workers out of work. Sabotaging the education of millions of children.<sup id="fnref:3"><a href="#fn:3" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">3</a></sup> Separating families, and forcing the elderly to die alone.<sup id="fnref:4"><a href="#fn:4" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">4</a></sup> Deploying a barrage of fear and propaganda that many have hardly recovered from. The total human cost is incalculable, but the oligarchs made trillions.<sup id="fnref:5"><a href="#fn:5" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">5</a></sup></p> <p>All that, was just in 2020.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy11.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy11.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <p>Odds are, if you&rsquo;re reading this you&rsquo;re very well aware of this. The problem is you have to understand the majority of people hardly understand it. This preemptive strike against the public was deliberate and calculated, the lack of serious mainstream accounting is all the proof anyone needs.<sup id="fnref:6"><a href="#fn:6" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">6</a></sup> The legacy media is (at the time of writing) complicit in justifying the measures and downplaying the harms. Upper-middle class workers in the so-called &rsquo;laptop class&rsquo; were effectively bribed with generous work from home policies. While they had the time to investigate the wider issues around them, many chose not to <em>&ldquo;rock the boat&rdquo;</em>.</p> <h3 id="not-my-problem">&ldquo;<em>Not my problem</em>&rdquo;</h3> <p>Why don&rsquo;t people <em>care</em>? Anyone aware of this can just look around and see incredible amounts of devastation everywhere they look. Surely <em>everyone</em> can&rsquo;t be so blatantly ignorant? It&rsquo;s true that many may genuinely struggle to make the connection, even if they can see it, but that doesn&rsquo;t quite explain the overwhelming wave of apathy that meets these issues. People are vastly misinformed about their place in the world, and the diffusion of responsibility is pure paralysis for those who aren&rsquo;t prepared to take responsibility.</p> <p>What does all this have to do with social credit systems?</p> <h1 id="a-gentle-introduction-to-the-human-dominance-hierarchy">A gentle introduction to the human dominance hierarchy</h1> <p>Tyranny and abuse weren&rsquo;t invented in 2020. Much of what has happened, has already happened in similar ways or all kinds of variations. For as long as there have been humans, you can count on some of them to form groups to seize control over resources, territory, and other people. Everything from your local social group, to geopolitical alliances between nations is encompassed in this.</p> <p>There have been precious few exceptions and limitations. Historically, though a lot of blood, sweat and tears people were able to set limits on the abuses powers could get away with. Back in 13th century, through the Magna Carta; people managed to codify that even the king, the ruler and owner of everything, needed to have limits.<sup id="fnref:7"><a href="#fn:7" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">7</a></sup></p> <blockquote> <p>Whenever Legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience.</p> <p>John Locke</p> </blockquote> <p>This is because at even the simplest level, a gang requires some degree of chosen (or coerced) participation. The decision-makers form a chain of compliance that must remain unbroken for orders to reach all the way to the lowest levels. This means that the &ldquo;game&rdquo; participants play has to account for every level of the system. As groups get larger, from villages and towns to globe-spanning empires, the &lsquo;game&rsquo; of raw domination would take on more abstractions and aspects of soft-power. Every aspect of human life is downstream of our collective behavior in this dominance hierarchy.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/programmable-currency.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/programmable-currency" ><h2>Programmable currency</h2><i>What is it good for?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>For example, some countries may emphasize great importance in education to develop competitive technologies to gain wealth. Others may merely use their military might to seize resources from other regions. The impacts of those differences will reverberate down to even the humble carpenter. Regardless if the country is a top-down command economy, or an entirely free market, the carpenter will find success or failure based on how compatible his products are with the power structure. In one he may have more success and status making tools, in the other he may do better making weapons.</p> <p>This all sounds rather bleak. Wouldn&rsquo;t it be better if we had a good hierarchy, or none at all?</p> <h3 id="the-story-of-i-am-good">The story of &ldquo;<em>I am good</em>&rdquo;</h3> <p>People can be sold a lie that&rsquo;s merely a convenient pretext to participate in conquest or to mistreat others within society. Beyond lies, lots of true information can be leveraged in support of the dominant order. One can easily argue that opponents of it are misfits, freaks, or even deplorables, and that the system&rsquo;s foreign enemies really aren&rsquo;t any better.</p> <p>In fact, in many circumstances their own self-preservation instincts will fight their better senses to conform. Just as a baby knows it will die when unloved<sup id="fnref:8"><a href="#fn:8" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">8</a></sup>, every cell in your body understands what standing against the dominance hierarchy means. This places an overwhelming amount of stress on anyone who consciously exists outside or against it. For the story of &ldquo;<em>I am good</em>&rdquo; to take hold of society, it doesn&rsquo;t need to be particularly robust, it hinges on people&rsquo;s natural impulses.</p> <p>As an individual, it can be difficult to understand how your actions can cause risk or harm to others. I am highly suspicious that the Social Justice movement was weaponized to get people to reflexively defend their position within the hierarchy. &ldquo;<em>Check your privilege</em>&rdquo; was not only a rhetorical weapon used to silence others, but backs people into a corner of <em>system justification</em>.<sup id="fnref:9"><a href="#fn:9" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">9</a></sup></p> <p>This isn&rsquo;t to say a good and fair dominance hierarchy <em>can&rsquo;t exist</em>. It&rsquo;s just that it has to overcome the challenges posed by competing hierarchies that compete on raw force and efficiency. There are good people constantly working to level the playing field or address problems, we know meaningful change is possible. It just does require difficult things like compromise and consensus.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/high-places.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/high-places" ><h2>Redefining &#34;High Places&#34;</h2><i>Lets re-balance power from the bottom-up</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Things can be hard for those who recognize what&rsquo;s gone wrong and want to fix it.</p> <h3 id="radicals-vs-reformers">Radicals vs Reformers</h3> <p>The only true revolution is the replacement of an existing dominance hierarchy with a different one. This is what radicals want, while reformers simply want to modify the structure of the existing one.</p> <p>Reformers want to make the dominance hierarchy more fair or efficient, ideally with sane and humane goals. They recognize the benefits of preserving what&rsquo;s functional within the existing structures. Even the most effective reformers will struggle against various <em>inflexibilities</em> of the system refusing to bend.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/snowjob.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/anatomy-of-a-psyop" ><h2>Anatomy of a psyop</h2><i>Cognitive warfare in action</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Radicals may or may not also want those things, but more principally want the dominance hierarchy <em>reorganized</em>. For some games like monarchy, replacing the king could result in a dramatic shift. Radicals recognize that those with status and resources within the hierarchy are squandering them, and that they should be used in a different way. Radicals often struggle to build meaningful coalitions to support overthrowing the existing dominance hierarchy.</p> <p>In the context of many activist movements, among those who agree on many issues, the dividing line will be between radicals and reformers. The radicals will accuse the reformers of being propped-up by the existing power-structure. Then the reformers will retort that the radicals are sabotaging meaningful change with their resentment, arguing that keeping the power structure in place is a fair trade for meaningful change.</p> <p>One of the stronger adaptations a dominance hierarchy can have is <em>flexibility</em>. A rigid system is too vulnerable to being outright overthrown by radicals. Instead of single-handedly orchestrating your machinations, it can be quite effective to open bid those actions to those you will reward handsomely. This is an excellent tactic to prevent defectors, because those interested in their own self-advancement will align themselves to your goals. Suddenly your vast conspiracy to dominate others is working as a decentralized network with plausible deniability, with the added bonus of components being entirely replaceable.</p> <h1 id="social-credit">Social credit</h1> <p>What fuels a social credit system is to reduce one&rsquo;s participation in society to currency. Many would argue we&rsquo;re already there, but the existence of public goods, like a free and open internet can go a long way to <em>level the playing field</em>. Carbon allowances, CBDC&rsquo;s, energy rationing, smart contracts are all things that can be used interchangeably to place restrictions on individuals for their conduct. What this changes is that room for those who don&rsquo;t culturally, intellectually, or morally conform to society is all but eliminated. Suddenly, all of humanity is reduced to mere <em>cogs in the machine</em> for some &lsquo;greater purpose&rsquo;.</p> <p>Maybe you&rsquo;ve got a &lsquo;greater purpose&rsquo; in mind for such a system. I can promise you that it&rsquo;s pure madness. The very imposition of such tools for total top-down control <em>themselves</em> are incompatible with fundamental morality. For example, we have seen an incredible rise in censorship, yet hate remains and people aren&rsquo;t noticeably any nicer online. I am highly skeptical that this would improve in different hands. Merely replacing one tyrant for another isn&rsquo;t the answer here.</p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/rStL7niR7gs">The Rules for Rulers - CGP Grey</a></p> <h2 id="the-game-of-power">The game of power</h2> <p>A social credit system is an <em>implementation</em> of the human dominance hierarchy. The system functions to incentivize individuals to conform to the decision-maker&rsquo;s goals. Today, because people are rightly concerned with the dreams of the technocrats they remain arrogantly ignorant of the existing mechanisms of social control. Social conventions, institutions, and financial incentives are all downstream of the human dominance hierarchy. Instead of running through a digital ID and connected to a smart-contract fueled grid, it runs on people.</p> <p>People decide who is high status and low status. Every act, either reaffirms or denigrates the dominance hierarchy and has associated consequences. Money is merely currency. People&rsquo;s entire lives are ruled by how they are treated by those around them. There are many non-financial actions that have immense impact on a person&rsquo;s overall well-being. Reducing the sum-total effects of human social interactions to financial transactions is to explore a planet through a keyhole.</p> <p>The &ldquo;Great Reset&rdquo; and 4th industrial revolution <em>are in fact a revolution</em>. This revolution is one that reduces the various &lsquo;inefficiencies&rsquo; in the human dominance hierarchy from the perspective of the technocrats. Instead of allowing people to evaluate their situation and use their mind to respond, the goal is to construct a system that dictates how they <em>should</em> act.</p> <h1 id="analog-to-digital">Analog to digital</h1> <p>The advantage of going digital means that you replace an army of well paid upper to middle class managers with mere code that the rest of humanity is forced to live by. Effectively, the oligarch class has decided to &ldquo;<em>cut out the middle man</em>&rdquo; between themselves and the workforce. By simplifying everyone&rsquo;s vocation to a set of rigid standards that must be followed without question, nobody is safe from being replaced with a trivial software suite and an army of underpaid &lsquo;gig workers&rsquo;.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/skynet-workforce.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/skynet-workforce" ><h2>The Rise of a SkyNet Workforce</h2><i></i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Just as people communicate social signals, a digital social credit system will communicate praise or condemnation in a variety of ways. Instead of merely fining people or using the brutality of a criminal justice system, the technocracy can simply de-rank the individual and their associates. To some this may appear as more compassionate, but may end up having incalculable harms and distortions in the long run.</p> <p>Just as advertising algorithms have already learned how to influence and manipulate people, more and more machines can be deployed to manage human beings. Many organizations that currently exist would be made totally obsolete, for better or worse. There <em>are</em> many efficiencies to further digitizing society, but there&rsquo;s no real need to implement it in such a top-down manner.</p> <h3 id="central-planing-works-but-all-effective-central-planners-are-evil">Central planing works, but all effective central planners are evil</h3> <p>Robots are no exception. Tyrants in nations and the workforce are often poor performers unless they figure out ways to expend those around them as a resource for greater efficiency. Do you really expect the digital social credit system to place a high value on your individual well-being? I would already bet against it. In many countries, there are poor protections for fundamental rights. In addition to this, in the last few decades civil rights gains have only carved out additional niches of protection rather than protecting individuals as a whole. The &ldquo;protected class&rdquo; framework will likely not protect anyone when civil rights are entirely discarded on an individual level.</p> <h3 id="population-management">Population management</h3> <p>It really is impossible to overstate the danger of putting humanity&rsquo;s fate into the hands of a few technocrats. Their malthusian desire to lower the population is something they&rsquo;ve made abundantly clear. If only that was the worst of it, with existing technologies at their disposal, the capability exists to <em>alter</em> what remains of humanity in fundamental ways. People haven&rsquo;t been getting any healthier under their watch, and we would only watch the deterioration accelerate when given more control.</p> <h3 id="fit-for-purpose">Fit for purpose</h3> <p>The tools outlined in this series are very much the tip of the iceberg. It&rsquo;s concerning to see so much information control ramp up exponentially in the last decade. In hindsight this was no accident. As things increasingly converge on more troubling outcomes, we can only become more aware of the urgency to oppose tyranny. It&rsquo;s important not to underestimate <em>information asymmetry</em>. The amount of publicly accessible information isn&rsquo;t likely to encompass even most of the true threats and dangers. The impressive AI tools that are just reaching the public are mere children&rsquo;s toys compared to what is likely already being used in the halls of power.</p> <h2 id="the-human-element">The human element</h2> <p>Imagine a giant picket line. The strike is over the future of humanity. People can either cross the picket line to work for those who want to enslave (and eventually destroy) humanity, being showered with fleeting opportunities and resources&hellip; or to stand up for oneself and find new ways to build elsewhere. The tragically sad truth is that there is a near limitless supply of desperate scabs who would happily (even knowingly) trade all of our futures for some present sustenance or comfort. You may be angry at these people, even willing to attack them, but they are not the root cause. Much of the harm that has already been done has created much tragedy and many victims.</p> <p>This is why you can&rsquo;t just &ldquo;<em>outrun the next guy</em>&rdquo;, or earn enough to isolate yourself from what is currently in the works. If there&rsquo;s one lesson I want you to learn from <em>Tools of the Technocracy</em> it would be this: <strong>No one is safe, until this is stopped.</strong> Nobody is rich enough, or connected enough to suddenly win a fight against tyrants who have planned this since before I was born. This is why all the heroes people line up to worship will always fail them. They couldn&rsquo;t stop it even if they tried.</p> <p><strong>The people are the key</strong>, but they&rsquo;re not just fodder you can throw at the problem. Without a real plan, or at least some meaningful support you will run out of bodies by the time you figure out what&rsquo;s hitting you. Many of the more intelligent commentators will point out that people need to connect with their communities, but for many that underestimates the very real decimation of social bonds that has already ocurred. Rebuilding society and culture is a momentous task, now people must figure out how to do it while under attack.</p> <h1 id="solutions">Solutions</h1> <p>I don&rsquo;t have all the answers, just parts of the puzzle. I started writing this series in part because I myself was at a loss of what to do, and decided to focus on a narrow part of what I saw as the <a href="https://twitter.com/denisrancourt/status/1630371348991074305">overall problem.</a> I wholeheartedly believe that to secure individual rights, and create a future worth passing on, <em>revolutionary change is necessary</em>.</p> <h2 id="for-radicals">For Radicals</h2> <p>My advice, dear radical, is to never <a href="https://gabe.rocks/thoughts/dont-turn-on-the-flock/">turn on the people.</a> More of them are on your side in numbers and ways you can&rsquo;t fathom.</p> <p>There is a legal, decentralized, and incredibly powerful mechanism to disrupt the dominance hierarchy from the bottom-up. <strong>Charity</strong>. We have already seen enough to know that large numbers of energetic and healthy people are what the technocrats fear the most. It is much easier (and more practical) to build up people than to single-handedly try to take town those with immense wealth and power.</p> <p>By simply working on effective ways to support others you can help provide people much-needed breathing room to build themselves up. While it&rsquo;s important to start with necessities like food, energy &amp; shelter, other under-appreciated things to provide would be education &amp; training, social support, and recreation facilities.</p> <p>Recognize that there <em>are real reformers</em>. Not everyone who agrees with you may be willing to go to the same lengths to achieve the same goal, this doesn&rsquo;t mean you can&rsquo;t cooperate or share ideas. Because reformers tend to work within the system rather than outside of it, they may have decent suggestions on how to secure resources for pressing concerns.</p> <h2 id="for-reformers">For reformers</h2> <p>Your task, reformer, is to sincerely take the time to understand the grievances of radicals. It is very difficult for those under the strain that is placed on them to properly articulate their concerns.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/cave.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/false-awakening" ><h2>The False Awakening</h2><i>The changing of the guard is not the same as defeat of the guard</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>&ldquo;<strong>Stop!</strong>&rdquo; is your friend. Reformers will face innumerable obstacles trying to implement any real change, but reducing further harms can go a long way. If a terrible idea is being discussed, work to prevent it. If it can&rsquo;t be prevented work to delay it. If it can&rsquo;t be delayed, work to reverse it. If it can&rsquo;t be reversed ensure it can never happen again.</p> <p>Recognize the limits of the system, find opportunities to alleviate suffering despite it.</p> <h2 id="for-us-all">For us all</h2> <p>No matter who you are and what your outlook is. Reclaim the power of deciding who deserves your time, attention, and respect. Reevaluate the systems you use and organizations that get your time, money and work.</p> <iframe src='https://tube.doctors4covidethics.org/videos/embed/bb448a75-a2f5-4cea-8067-cb08c8524010'> </iframe> <p>If you want to learn more about how I think things can be turned around, take a look (or listen) to my 2030 backcasting.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/uni-campus.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/backcasting-2030" ><h2>Backcasting 2030</h2><i>What made 2023 the pivotal year?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <div class="footnotes" role="doc-endnotes"> <hr> <ol> <li id="fn:1"> <p><a href="https://denisrancourt.ca/entries.php?id=9">https://denisrancourt.ca/entries.php?id=9</a>&#160;<a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p> </li> <li id="fn:2"> <p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/christiankreznar/2020/09/16/small-businesses-are-closing-at-a-rapid-pace-with-restaurants-and-retailers-on-the-west-coast-among-the-hardest-hit/">https://www.forbes.com/sites/christiankreznar/2020/09/16/small-businesses-are-closing-at-a-rapid-pace-with-restaurants-and-retailers-on-the-west-coast-among-the-hardest-hit/</a>&#160;<a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p> </li> <li id="fn:3"> <p><a href="https://www.macleans.ca/longforms/covid-19-pandemic-disrupted-schooling-impact/">https://www.macleans.ca/longforms/covid-19-pandemic-disrupted-schooling-impact/</a>&#160;<a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p> </li> <li id="fn:4"> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/nyregion/dying-alone-coronavirus.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/nyregion/dying-alone-coronavirus.html</a>&#160;<a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p> </li> <li id="fn:5"> <p><a href="https://inequality.org/great-divide/updates-billionaire-pandemic/">https://inequality.org/great-divide/updates-billionaire-pandemic/</a>&#160;<a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p> </li> <li id="fn:6"> <p><a href="https://consentfactory.org/2022/12/18/the-year-of-the-gaslighter/">https://consentfactory.org/2022/12/18/the-year-of-the-gaslighter/</a>&#160;<a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p> </li> <li id="fn:7"> <p><a href="https://chertseymuseum.org/magna_carta">https://chertseymuseum.org/magna_carta</a>&#160;<a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p> </li> <li id="fn:8"> <p><a href="https://www.popsci.com/1950s-experiments-attachment-unethical/">https://www.popsci.com/1950s-experiments-attachment-unethical/</a>&#160;<a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p> </li> <li id="fn:9"> <p><a href="https://unlimitedhangout.com/2022/11/investigative-reports/covid-19-mass-formation-or-mass-atrocity/#the-anatomy-of-atrocity">https://unlimitedhangout.com/2022/11/investigative-reports/covid-19-mass-formation-or-mass-atrocity/#the-anatomy-of-atrocity</a>&#160;<a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p> </li> </ol> </div> Introduction to the Fediverse https://libresolutions.network/videos/fediverse/ Mon, 20 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/fediverse/ /media/images/fediverse.webp <h1 id="introduction-to-the-fediverse">Introduction to the fediverse</h1> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/40a5c731-92e5-48ec-bc4f-a441a9930408'> </iframe> <p>Part of <a href="https://libresolutions.network/operations/chorus">Operation Chorus</a></p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/fediverse.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/call-to-action-join-the-fediverse" ><h2>Call to action: Join the Fediverse</h2><i>A simple, but very effective way to tip the scales in favor of free speech.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> Operation: Chorus https://libresolutions.network/operations/chorus/ Sun, 19 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/operations/chorus/ /media/images/tavern.webp <p>&ldquo;<em>omnes voces nostri</em>&rdquo;<br> &ldquo;<em>All our voices</em>&rdquo;</p> <p>Many problems in our time are caused by a severe power imbalance caused by <em>information hazards</em>. Information hazards are created when people and even entire societies operate under false pretenses. We can not rely on any single body or organization to question the foundations of every aspect of society to find errors, instead individuals should be empowered to use their own knowledge, skill, and intuition to learn from the world around them. As those individuals learn and share insights with others, we can all make a better world together.</p> <p>Merely creating a hierarchy of those who are &ldquo;qualified&rdquo; to suppress so-called &lsquo;misinformation&rsquo; and &lsquo;disinformation&rsquo; simply uplifts a small few to a priestly class for an array of false gods. Instead, truth-seeking will always be an inherently decentralized process. People from all walks of life, and a variety of perspectives are all required for society to truly self-examine. Criminalizing expression only worsens problems, entrenched orthodoxies crystalize into terrible abuses. Censorship is only ever effective at protecting abusive hierarchies, and sowing resentment. Instead, people should be given the leeway to learn from themselves and those around them, and opportunities to correct mistakes.</p> <blockquote> <p>If you make peaceful revolution impossible, you make violent revolution <em>inevitable</em></p> <p>John F. Kennedy</p> </blockquote> <p>If society continues the trend of increasing censorship to resolve inconsistencies, people will continue to suffer without real representation. All this does is build enmity between those with the means to insulate themselves from abuses and those without.</p> <h3 id="principles">Principles:</h3> <ul> <li>Advocating for maximal free expression rights for all people is one of the best ways to sustain liberal values long term.</li> <li>Public institutions should uphold freedom of expression.</li> <li>Organizations should be held accountable for censorship, chilling effects and propaganda.</li> </ul> <hr> <h3 id="goals">Goals:</h3> <ol> <li>Promote expanding socially and legally acceptable free expression</li> <li>Enhance labor protections for workers and whistle blowers to speak freely</li> <li>Empower individuals to have difficult conversations</li> <li>Encourage the adoption of interoperable and <em>permissionless</em> systems</li> <li>Lobbying local institutions to provide these systems as services to local residents</li> <li>Oppose legislation that empowers censorship or surveillance</li> <li>Remembering and supporting those who are silenced<sup id="fnref:1"><a href="#fn:1" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">1</a></sup></li> </ol> <h2 id="relevant-content">Relevant content</h2> <div class="gallery"> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/arts6-banner.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts6/" ><h2>Digital Autonomy &amp; The Arts with Hunter Stabler</h2><i>Part 6: Exploring tools and the social landscape</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/tnt-radio.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/videos/hrvoje-moric-show-feb-2024/" ><h2>Pushing Back against Surveillance and Control with Hrvoje Morić</h2><i>Delving into the crucial issues impacting people&#39;s digital autonomy.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/arts5-banner.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts5/" ><h2>Digital Autonomy &amp; The Arts with Anne Gibbons</h2><i>Part 5: Understanding our tools and bonding over authenticity.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/arts4-banner.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/videos/arts4/" ><h2>Digital Autonomy &amp; The Arts with Margaret Anna Alice, Visceral Adventure &amp; Liam Sturgess</h2><i>Part 4: Stories Worth Telling, Technocracy, and Wrestling with the Collapse of the Intangible</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/no-trolls-wide.webp" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/real-name-online/" ><h2>Papers Please: The Attack on Online Privacy</h2><i>Undermining online anonymity enables tyranny</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> </div> <p>See more relevant <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/operation-chorus">content</a>.</p> <div class="footnotes" role="doc-endnotes"> <hr> <ol> <li id="fn:1"> <p><a href="https://malwords.substack.com/p/remembering-the-victims-of-the-medias">https://malwords.substack.com/p/remembering-the-victims-of-the-medias</a>&#160;<a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p> </li> </ol> </div> Backcasting 2030 https://libresolutions.network/articles/backcasting-2030/ Tue, 07 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/backcasting-2030/ /media/images/uni-campus.webp <h2 id="what-is-backcasting">What is backcasting?</h2> <p>Backcasting is when you imagine a scenario for an ideal future and try to trace a path to there from today. Instead of simply being comforted by a future world as we would like it to be, the goal is to identify opportunities to take action immediately. Backcasting is about discovering a <em>blueprint</em> for that better future and investigating how it can be made into reality. I will be using the scenario from the <a href="https://home.solari.com/coming-tuesday-2030-backcasting-with-catherine-austin-fitts-solari-allies-and-solari-series-hosts/">Solari Report</a>:</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/backcasting-2030.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/backcasting-2030.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <blockquote> <p>For our purposes, the year is 2030, and this is our “desirable future”: In 2030, freedom reigns planetwide, with the push for central control having failed miserably. Local currencies are flourishing, while lack of use slowly marginalizes the few CBDCs that were implemented. The World Economic Forum is bankrupt, and a depressed Klaus Schwab has retreated to his home in the Alps. Family and community prosperity is growing throughout the developed and emerging markets as economies decentralize—and as government enforcement, regulation, intervention, and taxation decrease. In short, there is much to celebrate.</p> </blockquote> <p><em>How was this brought about?</em></p> <h1 id="accountability">Accountability</h1> <p>Change really begun with accountability. People taking responsibility for the systems they use and the incentives they bring about. By being more critical of our choices, it became easier to make deliberate decisions that grew to impact wider society.</p> <h2 id="it-started-with-courageous-individuals">It started with courageous individuals</h2> <blockquote> <p>A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.</p> <p>Joseph Campbell - A hero of a thousand faces</p> </blockquote> <p>Heroes aren&rsquo;t the people who you see on the TV or those who get the big interviews. In this story, the heroes are those who recognized the great evil lurking and set out to challenge it head-on. People who quickly went to confront the darkness themselves so that they may spare others the horrors. They made mistakes, suffered losses and won small victories. Learning many things the entire way. When they returned from their journey they brought light and hope as the darkness faded away.</p> <h2 id="simple-acts-of-heroism">Simple acts of heroism</h2> <p>Not everyone started at the same point, some were born ready, others had preparations to make. As more people made progress, it became easier for others to catch up.</p> <p>The first and most courageous act one makes is continuing to love in a world of hardship. Injustice rightfully gives rise to great anger, but love must always be the animating force. Coming back from facing darkness requires a conscious decision to <em>choose life</em>. Forging a strong commitment to embrace life, beauty and wonder to the fullest was when heroes were truly forged.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/campfire-night.webp' > </div> <p>With so much anger and pain, nothing was safe from a deluge of dread and sadness. Many of the heroes fell in terrible ways trying to just stand still in the torrent of chaos. Some had support, others had preparations, but the few who endured managed to find some footing to steady themselves from the otherworldly brutality they had been exposed to. They never lost sight of those alongside them who weren&rsquo;t so fortunate.</p> <p>Steadying themselves required powerful introspection and the ability to care for themselves. The heroes needed to build themselves up to be stronger than ever. Not in a selfish manner, but in a way that gave them the strength to carry on. Carrying on often meant accepting difficult differences with others. Other times, it meant shielding one&rsquo;s mind from malevolent forces. Reducing energy spent on enraging culture war rivalries, and instead focusing on concrete goals for action. As the heroes made progress, unshackled from doubt and despair, things started to gain momentum. Fear shrunk away from being an ever-present oppressive force to becoming once again a distrusted stranger.</p> <p>As momentum grew, so too did a constant reorganization of priorities. So many different voices had unique insight into the road that lead us all astray. It took time to shift attention and refocus energies so people tended to take more care with those resources. Spending extra time to reflect to themselves, or to investigate their own concerns more deeply. This questioning of not only the world as it is, but of themselves and us all for what we are. With this insight, gradual but meaningful changes were made on a constant basis.</p> <h2 id="the-work-of-legends">The work of legends</h2> <p>It all started within reach. The massive tidal wave of change was built with individuals choosing to act on the world around them. Local movements grew and caught on quickly, learning from mistakes made along the way. What made the difference wasn&rsquo;t brilliance, riches, or even luck. It was all built through tireless persistence of those who dared to dream of a better world.</p> <p>Hardly anyone could even attempt it all alone. Our heroes didn&rsquo;t just need to be stronger, they needed allies, support and numbers. While many different groups had many fantastic victories, it was support that truly laid the foundation to our bright future. The victims of the old ways were innumerable, many of the heroes themselves haunted by the extent of the suffering they managed to witness. What made 2023 the pivotal year was the defensive victories.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/marketplace-night.webp' > </div> <p>This required a solid fortification of people&rsquo;s right to life, liberty and happiness. Support didn&rsquo;t merely mean taking on the banner of other&rsquo;s suffering, but meaningful actions to address the causes. Those who were injured were given care.Those who lost loved ones were given comfort. Those who&rsquo;s careers were displaced by technocratic tyranny were found meaningful work. Those left behind were remembered. With real systems of support outside the technocratic state-controlled bureaucracies, people were able to take more risks to work for change without simply being burnt out and spent like fodder. Positive change was only possible when we stopped losing great freedom-fighters to the cold entropy of letting them fall.</p> <p>Gradually, community bonds started to heal as people began to share the abundance of each other. Neighborhoods became warm and welcoming as people made meaningful connections. These real bonds forged in staving off devastation, became wellsprings of joy. It was this joy that brought people to new heights they never imagined before. Major victories were starting to happen all over, as people would use that joy to fuel supporting others.</p> <h2 id="liberating-the-tech-stack">Liberating the tech stack</h2> <p>Brought together by the joy of life and living together, there was much that needed to change in the technological landscape. What was originally seen as inconvenient and arbitrary changes were eventually seen as natural and obvious. People individually and collectively renegotiated different ways of using, building, and sharing technology.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/platos-cave.webp' > </div> <p>Big Tech social media was the first to go. People saw how it had been weaponized against them from the beginning. More and more grew distrustful of any top-down centralized service calling itself a &ldquo;platform&rdquo;. These systems of control were difficult to break free from, but the heroes were the first to fully disconnect their minds from the mass mind-control platforms.</p> <p>Increasingly aware of how Digital ID could be abused against the public, the people learned to make little use of anything that required an account for the purposes of collecting data on users. Instead of using apps from big tech stores, open and accessible web-based apps became more popular. As people became more familiar with experimenting with different options, lesser-known minimal protocols like <a href="https://gemini.circumlunar.space/">Gemini</a> were given a chance to show us a different kind of web. The heroes were at the forefront of encouraging others to embrace open protocols instead of the latest popular platform running on big tech infrastructure.</p> <p>As people started regularly thinking about their software choices, and how they can impact their <a href="https://fsf.org">freedom</a>, attention eventually moved to hardware. With a newfound appreciation for freedom, sovereignty, and privacy in the digital world, there were many things that needed to be done differently. Early on a great deal of attention was spent on <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/Right-to-Repair">right to repair</a> ensuring that independent farmers weren&rsquo;t beholden to technocratic abuse. Repairing old technologies was a fantastic way to reduce e-waste and give people opportunities to learn and experiment.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/board.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/hardware-matters" ><h2>Principle: Hardware matters</h2><i>It is easy to underestimate the underlying structure of our digital world.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>There would be instances where devices designed for a corporate dystopia simply wouldn&rsquo;t have much use anymore. There was lots of opportunity for innovation. &ldquo;Nostalgic&rdquo; things like physical keyboards, removable batteries, and single-purpose devices all made a comeback in a big way. Efficiency and true <em>elegance</em> were real priorities.</p> <h2 id="stewardship">Stewardship</h2> <p>Oddly enough, some of the heroes were fairly technologically inclined themselves. Long-disillusioned with Big Tech and the way things had gone, they had many ideas on ways for the rest of us to break free. People would regularly be shocked and surprised at how many of these innovations had just been abandoned to the aether. Over time more and more individuals experimented with different tools and technologies to find what adapted well to their situations.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/uni-campus.webp' > </div> <p>These heroes would begin to start community-run services. Instead of everyone needing to use e-mail from Big Tech providers, dependable and trustworthy individuals were able to run small operations for small groups of users and assist others with starting their own. Education and outreach were vitally important parts of recruiting more people to build and share. These community services were a nightmare for those who wanted easily indexed access to everyone&rsquo;s private information. All kinds of different services were provided, some communities had more novel needs than others. If nothing else, there was now real local representation in cyberspace that people could rely on.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/fediverse.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/call-to-action-join-the-fediverse/" ><h2>Call to Action: Join the Fediverse now!</h2><i>A simple, but very effective way to tip the scales in favor of free speech.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Instead of using their skills to help large corporations harvest data, our technological stewards helped people take control over their own computing. Teaching them how to use Free and Open Source software to manipulate their own data gave people a real sense of digital autonomy. New projects would be created for building useful public datasets that don&rsquo;t include people&rsquo;s private information.</p> <p>As people&rsquo;s digital independence was better safeguarded, it became even easier for people to protect their sovereignty in other domains. Instead of wasting massive amounts of human effort and energy moderating &ldquo;<em>the one conversation</em>&rdquo;, people would participate in the places they felt had value. People were used to difficult and honest discussions and got better at resolving complicated disputes. Instead of people constantly calling for censorship, it was hardly ever considered. Egregious legislation worldwide was challenged and opposed. <a href="https://mullvad.net/en/blog/2023/2/1/eu-chat-control-law-will-ban-open-source-operating-systems/">ChatControl</a> and other laws targeting digital freedoms received constant and serious criticism. Politicians could no longer justify these excesses as &ldquo;<em>for the greater good</em>&rdquo; as people no longer believed them.</p> <p>Those of us who were technologically inclined, realized that our talents weren&rsquo;t the only skills lacking. We understood that we needed all kinds of people with all kinds of skills. Instead of simply dragging people onto platforms we deem superior, we build the groundwork that open alternatives &ldquo;<em>just work</em>&rdquo; for all of us. We work to empower those with different talents and build on their successes. This is my message to you, dear reader. No matter what your unique skill-set is, it definitely has a place in building this beautiful future.</p> In defense of anonymity https://libresolutions.network/articles/anonymity/ Sun, 08 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/anonymity/ /media/images/anonymous-crowd.webp <blockquote> <p><em>&ldquo;If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men. I will find something in them which will hang him&rdquo;</em></p> <p>Cardinal Richelieu</p> </blockquote> <p>In a time where so much data about people is being constantly harvested in increasingly invasive ways, there is a lot of material to work with. As I&rsquo;m sure we have all seen, there innumerable ways in which people&rsquo;s own beliefs, mistakes or decisions land them in serious trouble. Even in cases where the anger is justified, is it truly <em>justice</em> to weaponize constant mass surveillance against everyone at all times?</p> <p>The internet <em>is a dangerous place</em>. The more intertwined your life is with it the more leverage it has to impact you. Many people dash straight at this for the upsides, but are shocked and horrified once they discover that there are downsides as well. This is because whatever the Internet <em>really is</em>, it has tremendous power.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-4.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-4/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #4 Online Identity</h2><i>What is following you in your digital tracks?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>This is not to say everyone <em>must</em> be anonymous <em>at all times</em>, but rather that people vastly underestimate the <em>consequences</em> of undermining online privacy. Different people have <em>very different risks</em> related to being forced to disclose even simple aspects of their identity. It is difficult to overstate how much our digital landscape acts as an extension of <a href="https://report.foundationforfreedomonline.com/11-22-22.html">state and corporate power</a>.</p> <h2 id="pseudonymity">Pseudonymity</h2> <p>A common mistake people make is to assume that just because you&rsquo;re not aware of a person&rsquo;s real name, that they are actually anonymous. In many cases they&rsquo;re simply using an alias to forge a found identity to build an online presence around. Where possible, I&rsquo;d recommend doing this. There are many great tools for creating new identities from scratch:</p> <ul> <li> <p><em>Need a profile photo?</em></p> <p><a href="https://thispersondoesnotexist.com/">This Person does not exist.</a></p> </li> <li> <p><em>What about all the little details?</em></p> <p><a href="https://datafakegenerator.com/generador.php">DataFake Generator</a> can help.</p> </li> <li> <p><em>Are people too boring?</em> <a href="https://thisxdoesnotexist.com/">This X does not exist.</a></p> </li> </ul> <p>Surely you&rsquo;re wondering by now.</p> <blockquote> <p><em>But Gabriel! Are <strong>you</strong> real?</em></p> </blockquote> <p><em>Yes, dear reader</em>, I use my real name and face. When you listen to my voice-overs you are hearing my real voice. This is a conscious decision because far too often defenses of anonymity are dismissed merely because the arguments are made from an anonymous/pseudonymous speaker. I wholeheartedly wish to prove there are important reasons for anonymity, and that you don&rsquo;t need to be anonymous to make that case.</p> <p>All-too-often &lsquo;accountability&rsquo; is something seen to only apply on the lower levels of the pecking order. If we are ever to live in a time with responsible leaders and trustworthy institutions people need to be given the opportunity to learn, and correct mistakes. Privacy, generally, evens the playing field.</p> <h2 id="appealing-to-authority">Appealing to Authority</h2> <p>A common mistake people make is to completely disregard information <em>from the fringes</em>. This is what has allowed many to be blind-sided by many of the rapid changes in the last decade. Ideally, people would develop a habit of judging every idea by its own merits, instead of by its origins. Many hands make light work so it is efficient to decentralize ways of collecting, analyzing and sharing information. A highly underestimated problem is that those with prestige, credentials, or even a proven track record can lie. Often people with the right data share the wrong conclusions because of warped incentives. Ensuring that all people regardless of backgrounds can question leaders and experts is a fantastic way to keep them honest.</p> <p>It is a tragic shame that during the Covid Crisis, some of the best information came from a <em>decentralized gang of &lsquo;misinformation&rsquo; spreaders</em>. Unlike the mainstream and credentialed sources, they consistently came up with the <em>wrong answers</em>. The great irony is that while it is hard to verify information from &rsquo;less credible&rsquo; sources, they often have few incentives to lie and mislead. Many are simply those who feel it&rsquo;s their only way to make a real impact. Because of this many anonymous and pseudonymous commentators have a real ability to &ldquo;<em>cut through the crap</em>&rdquo;. In addition to this, not everyone with useful insights is in the position to handle vigilante retaliation from angry political opponents.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/intelligence.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/intelligence/" ><h2>The failure of intelligence</h2><i>The current state of affairs is a warning that top-level intelligence is failing</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>There are times when you need someone (or an army) to shout &ldquo;The emperor has no clothes!&rdquo;. Nobody is perfect, and this isn&rsquo;t made better when we get into groups. Governments and organizations of all sizes would do well to properly respond to bottom-up feedback to avoid catastrophic problems. Many organizations have critical <a href="https://www.patientsafety.va.gov/professionals/stop-the-line.asp"><em>&ldquo;stop-the-line&rdquo;</em></a> processes designed to address critical safety issues. Over time large, organizations have gradually come to recognize that the greatest scandals are often seen as they develop, by the very people carrying out their duties. With <a href="https://www.compliancequest.com/capa-corrective-and-preventive-action/">real accountability</a> and proper integration of internal feedback, great disasters can be averted.</p> <h2 id="pseudonymous-figures-speak-truth-to-power">Pseudonymous figures speak truth to power</h2> <p>Sometimes we are not so lucky to have critical feedback come from inside the house. Other times we are all reliant on those who have seen the problems up-close taking on the herculean effort of trying to get the word out despite the all-too familiar stubborn reactions of disbelief, denial and deflection. When the time for justice comes, these voices are critical for rebuking the familiar excuse: <em>&ldquo;there was no way we could have known!&rdquo;</em>.</p> <p>You may be enlightened enough to listen to the truth wherever it comes from, but a great deal of people don&rsquo;t. Often when people attempt to voice inconvenient truths they are first slandered as being entirely ignorant. Once it is shown the person <em>actually does</em> know what they&rsquo;re talking about, the very next accusation is that they are simply leveraging the problem for their own self-interest. (As if nobody could possibly have anything to gain from the status quo). Lastly, if all else fails, the personal attributes of the critic are use against them to discredit their case. Their age, social status, race, or any other details you can imagine can all be used to bludgeon down the truth.</p> <p>Instead of confusing matters with personal drama, an alternative approach people take is to leave their identity out of the discussion. Nobody has anything to gain by pressuring people like this to reveal any aspect of their identities. Ultimately, it doesn&rsquo;t matter who they are. What matters is what they bring humanity as a whole by daring to investigate and speak out where others are afraid to. Those who have everything to gain from warped incentives or outright corruption would be pleased with any attempts to expose weaknesses.</p> <p>Here a few examples:</p> <h3 id="doomberg">Doomberg</h3> <p><a href="https://doomberg.substack.com/">Substack</a></p> <p>The little green chicken reminds us that: <em><strong>Energy is life</strong></em>. Warning of the dangers of counter-productive energy policies and various geopolitical risks. While their recent content is now premium-only, I will share some highlights from the past that aren&rsquo;t paywalled:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://doomberg.substack.com/p/what-canada-means-for-crypto">What Canada Means for Crypto</a></li> <li><a href="https://doomberg.substack.com/p/a-serious-proposal-on-us-energy">A Serious Proposal on US Energy</a></li> <li><a href="https://doomberg.substack.com/p/farmers-on-the-brink">Farmers on the Brink</a></li> </ul> <h3 id="stormcloudsgathering">StormCloudsGathering</h3> <p><a href="https://t.me/StormCloudsGathering">StormCloudsGathering</a> has long been a vocal advocate for non-violent resistance to tyranny. A consistent promoter of a &ldquo;common ground movement&rdquo; where we put aside petty political divides and work towards our common stake in the future.</p> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/ydZEaZGsWTU'> </iframe> <h3 id="spartacus">Spartacus</h3> <p><a href="https://iceni.substack.com/">Substack</a></p> <p>The <a href="https://media2-production.mightynetworks.com/asset/32250065/OGSpartacus_v4_N3MC.pdf">Spartacus Letter</a> was distributed anonymously. It is a well-sourced compendium of corruption and abuse from the Covid Crisis.</p> <blockquote> <p>This message is too important to be silenced. Its tone is admittedly incendiary in places, but it was difficult for us not to get emotional about this, given the nature of the subject matter and what our investigation revealed.</p> </blockquote> <h3 id="jikkyleaks-substackcomvv">Jikkyleaks 🐭substack.com/vv</h3> <p>How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Sometimes is helps to be a small little mouse (or an army of them).</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://twitter.com/jikkyleaks'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/jikky.webp' > </a> </div> <p>Feel free to <a href="mailto:contact@libresolutions.network?subject=RE:%20In%20Defense%20of%20anonymity%20suggestion">suggest more inclusions</a></p> <hr> <h2 id="the-anonymous-cowardly-troll-demons-problem">The <em>&ldquo;anonymous cowardly troll demons&rdquo;</em> problem</h2> <p>A simple irony is that anonymous trolls are the perfect target to <em>false flag</em>. There&rsquo;s no complicated branding to imitate or re-create, just simply fly whatever feels relevant. Those who would like to make sure everyone is accountable to a <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/technocracy">digital social credit system</a> are highly motivated to make sure people have a low opinion of people&rsquo;s ability to speak anonymously.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/1600329860638863360'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/peterson-troll-demons.webp' > </a> </div> <p>It is undeniable that not all anonymous and pseudonymous actors are good. People <em>do</em> need the tools to be able to filter out attacks. <strong>The problem begins when anonymous bad actors are used to justify attacks on privacy and anonymity</strong>. If you&rsquo;re at all concerned about <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/digital-id">digital ID</a> you&rsquo;re going to recognize cries for burdensome regulation and demands for authentication as part of that agenda.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/digital-id.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/digital-id/" ><h2>Digital ID: The Basics</h2><i>What is it? What can you do about it?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>This is all enabled by the &ldquo;bait and switch&rdquo; tactic of increasing control in the name of keeping people safe from harm. Notoriously used by governments, corporations have also been adopting it as an excuse as well. The only way to truly protect data is to never record it, which means that it&rsquo;s <em><strong>impossible to keep people safe</strong> through invasive surveillance</em>.</p> <h2 id="individual-rights">Individual Rights</h2> <p>In name of protecting vulnerable groups, more and more ground has been ceded to to-down control. In hindsight, this has done a very poor job at protecting those groups. Instead, tensions, resentment, and mistrust have all grown out of the further and further encroachment against individual liberty. There is great danger in gating access to information and vital services behind surveillance, which will inevitably grow into control.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/high-places.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/high-places" ><h2>Redefining &#34;High Places&#34;</h2><i>Lets re-balance power from the bottom-up</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>The solution <em>isn&rsquo;t</em> to limit what individuals can do or freely express. Rather the proper way to address these situations is to enforce limits on what can be <em>done to people regardless of who they are</em>. This is the only way to create a immovable <a href="https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Kbm6QnJv9dgWsPHQP/schelling-fences-on-slippery-slopes">schelling fence</a> against complete erasure. These simple limits are called <strong>rights.</strong> Regardless of what particular &lsquo;red lines&rsquo; you believe should be drawn, we all need to at least agree on a couple of fundamental lines that must not be crossed&hellip;quickly.</p> <p>Regardless of who the target is, are you comfortable with them:</p> <ul> <li>Being unable to voice potentially life-saving information?</li> <li>Being unable to make a living ever again?</li> <li>Being cut off entirely from all human interaction or trade?</li> <li>Being subjected to arbitrary confiscation of assets or even children?</li> </ul> <p>Even if you can imagine circumstances where these actions are justified, hopefully you&rsquo;d at least want them proven to a high standard in a truly independent process. Make no mistake, people <em>do</em> need protection from online mobs, but I would urge you to consider who or what benefits from their use. And also, what is there to lose from anonymous voices being silenced forever.</p> Help make the Libre Solutions Network better https://libresolutions.network/about/support/ Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/about/support/ <h1 id="supporting-the-libre-solutions-network">Supporting the Libre Solutions Network</h1> <p>The Libre Solutions Network is currently a passion project for <a href="https://gabe.rocks">Gabriel</a>.<br> The hope is that people will see value in the perspective and content here.<br> I sincerely hope you find value in what you find here.</p> <div class="gallery"> <div class="liberapay-container"> <script src="https://liberapay.com/Gabe/widgets/receiving.js"></script> <script src="https://liberapay.com/Gabe/widgets/button.js"></script> <noscript><a href="https://liberapay.com/Gabe/donate"><img alt="Donate using Liberapay" src="https://liberapay.com/assets/widgets/donate.svg"></a></noscript> </div> <iframe src="https://libresolutionsnetwork.substack.com/embed" style="margin:2rem;width:480px;height:320px;" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> </div> <p>The goal isn&rsquo;t to grow costs very much. The Libre Solutions Network is being built in a way that&rsquo;s designed to be replicated at little cost. Beyond allowing Gabriel to continue working on the project, the rest is entirely devoted to improving the quality of content.</p> <p>This is a short list of priorities of where I would invest spare resources I come across to advance this project:</p> <ul> <li>Server Hardware &amp; hosting fees</li> <li>Additional infrastructure &amp; tools</li> <li>Hiring a digital artist to create media instead of generating art. <ul> <li>Images / Banners</li> <li>Logo / icons</li> </ul> </li> <li>Hiring a audio engineer to improve the audio experience <ul> <li>Audio jingles</li> <li>Editing / improving audio content</li> </ul> </li> <li>Information access payments</li> <li>&hellip;</li> <li>Translation services?</li> </ul> <p>If you would like to support specific improvements or use an alternative payment method, feel free to <a href="mailto:gabriel@libresolutions.network?subject=Initiative%20funding">get in touch</a></p> How a Movement is Destroyed from Within https://libresolutions.network/articles/destroyed-from-within/ Thu, 29 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/destroyed-from-within/ /media/images/angry-protest.webp <h2 id="collapse-is-collaborative-process">Collapse is collaborative process</h2> <p>Haven’t you noticed how almost everything these days descends into lame in-fighting and petty squabbles? Maybe it’s human nature, it could always have been this way. In the age of near-instantaneous communication it’s all effectively leverage for those who want to derail good causes. We all have to be careful how we empower those who benefit from undending conflict.</p> <h1 id="rules-of-engagement">Rules of engagement</h1> <p>Nothing is new under the sun. People get lead astray, others take advantage of people riled up under all kinds of causes. We have seen it before and it will continue to happen over and over.</p> <blockquote> <p>A nation can survive it’s fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself.</p> <p>Marcus Tullius Cicero</p> </blockquote> <p>Cicero has kindly identified 4 major detriments to any human endeavor:</p> <ol> <li>Overt opposition</li> <li>Incompetent Allies</li> <li>Self-interested Allies</li> <li>Covert Opposition (traitors)</li> </ol> <p>He tells us that 1,2 and 3 are not the most damaging. We are also reminded at how easy it is for traitors to go entirely unopposed. There are a couple of reasons for this:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Actual traitors will likely have some blend of attributes from incompetent or self-interested allies.</p> </li> <li> <p>Accusations are expensive, you divert critical energy away from the following:</p> <ul> <li>Challenging overt opposition</li> <li>Training / Educating / Equipping the less competent allies</li> <li>Directing self-interested allies on more productive things</li> </ul> </li> <li> <p>Overzealous purging of would-be traitors can spill-over into alienating sincere allies</p> </li> </ul> <p>Too often people denounce “tribalism” or bemoan people’s propensity as if they are above it or that it’s something that can be avoided. Most people understand their time budget is small and they will do their best to select leaders to follow. Sometimes this works out well, other times it doesn’t. Unending bickering doesn’t help people select better leaders, it just adds noise and anger.</p> <p>What happens is when those followers perceive attacks on people they’re following, they perceive it as an attack on themselves. This inevitably escalates into unending flame wars that makes prominent people afraid to upset or disappoint their own following.</p> <h2 id="its-not-what-you-say-its-how-you-say-it">It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.</h2> <p>Nobody is above meticulous or even scathing critique. The more influential someone is, the more likely they are to receive fair &amp; unfair criticism. People get defensive, especially when peoples’ egos inflate any criticism to an existential attack.</p> <p>Take it from <a href="https://www.thedavidknightshow.com/">David Knight</a> who deconstructs Alex Jones’ role in running defense for Trump and other bad actors.</p> <iframe src='https://odysee.com/$/embed/@DavidKnightShow:1/The-Control-of-Opposition:7'> </iframe> <p>Pay attention to his delivery, David is calm and factual about it. There’s little inflammatory rhetoric, it’s dry and academic. He lets the facts speak for themselves. Because of this, Jones has no choice but to simply ignore these criticisms, and pray that these criticisms aren’t widely heard. This is the best case scenario. Neutral observers get to decide for themselves, and Jones’ audience isn’t riled up in a fury to cancel anyone who shares something from David Knight.</p> <p>It can be tempting to rouse up drama to raise the level of attention, but all it does is attract bad faith engagement. It is principally important not to devolve into endless cycles of smears. These fights will radicalize people in addition to any inflammatory rhetoric, which in turn maintains the cycle.</p> <h2 id="lose-condition">Lose condition</h2> <p>When you win, seldom few traitors get exposed. Often because some didn’t have the opportunity to cause enough problems yet. When you lose, all the traitors are exposed. Everyone feels betrayed and the knives come out.</p> <p>This is a problem when you have a large-scale problem with multiple battles running in parallel and participants can be in a variety of them. Even the best of the best can’t be perfectly useful in all battles at the same time.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://sukwan.substack.com/p/why-cant-we-all-just-get-along?utm_source=substack" ><h2>Why Can&#39;t We All Just Get Along?</h2><i>Amy Sukan on Substack</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>To reiterate: provably bad actors must be dealt with, but they must be handled with caution. It’s quite naive to believe that an iron-clad take-down of a bad actor can only result in them apologizing and quietly ducking out. More often than not there is very little to gain by directly confronting bad actors. The very same lies, misdirection, and selective use of facts can again be weaponized against people trying to keep things honest and effective. This means that these fights are largely inevitable, but we are still responsible for our role in inflaming them.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://garysharpe.substack.com/p/overcoming-division-disdain-despite" ><h2>Overcoming Division, Disdain, Despite and Defensiveness</h2><i>How Understanding Our Own Nervous System Can Help</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>This is why choosing your battles is important. What are we really fighting for? Are we fighting to dunk on the misinformed or are we fighting to bring a tiny light of truth to these dark times? If that’s the case, the way forward requires those of us who are able, to hold on tight to those firing in the right direction without compromising on the battles we’re trying to win. Cooperation is more important than conformity.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://arkmedic.substack.com/p/it-doesnt-matter" ><h2>It doesn&#39;t matter</h2><i>Stop getting distracted by the sideshows</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Hardly anything good has come from pitting people’s audiences against each other. It is ironic when someone who pretends to be above-it-all by refusing to apply good/evil labels on left/right pro/antivaxx, yet use them liberally within a movement. It’s the same game on a different field.</p> <p>Even if nobody is at fault, the fire rises and the signal gets lost behind raging tempers. Who really wins by escalating fights within people who would like to see the truth win out?</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://twitter.com/CJHopkins_Z23/status/1603825675307286528'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/elon-division.webp' > </a> </div> <p>It wasn’t tightly-knit warm and thoughtful people that fueled the rise of health tyranny. It was lonely, atomized, and scared people without hope. It wasn’t the shocking videos from Wuhan that started it. Instead it was years before, the bit-by-bit destruction of the things that brought people together.</p> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/Bd7dM59vocg'> </iframe> Social Media: Learning the right lessons https://libresolutions.network/articles/social-media/ Sun, 11 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/social-media/ /media/images/learning-lessons.webp <h2 id="what-went-wrong">What went wrong</h2> <p>Corporate social media entities aren&rsquo;t <em>&ldquo;the public square</em>&rdquo; and they aren&rsquo;t a safe way to stay in touch with family and friends. While they may masquerade as such, they are the furthest thing from being either of those. These are <em><strong>information control systems</strong></em>. One of the best things about the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11519177/Twitter-kept-secret-blacklist-accounts-topics-stop-trending.html">#TwitterFiles</a> is that for many people, it&rsquo;s a window into what those operating these systems see. This is hardly a secret. In 2020 <a href="https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/">The Social Dilemma</a> has great coverage on how social media corporations are built to manipulate their users. Ironically, a lot of its commentary on &ldquo;fake news&rdquo; already hasn&rsquo;t aged very well. The documentary pathologizes those who didn&rsquo;t fall in lockstep with the lockdown agenda. The first hour is still worth understanding.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/twitter-files.webp'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/twitter-files.webp' > </a> <p class="caption"> Twitter is only the tip of the iceberg </p> </div> <p>As governments and corporations fight over who gets to be the arbiter of truth, suppression and manipulation will continue to rise. The cost of this constant manipulation is hard to quantify, and most commentary treats it as a non-negotiable fixture of modern life. Control over everyone&rsquo;s access to information, and ability to express themselves begets all kinds of problems. In mainstream coverage, a lot of the emphasis is focused on misinformation from users. Yet, they&rsquo;re notably silent on <a href="https://www.millennialmillie.com/post/shadow-gate-2-0-full-movie">state and corporate driven disinformation</a>.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-4.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-4/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #4 Online Identity</h2><i>What is following you in your digital tracks?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>As people&rsquo;s access to information becomes more centralized and controlled, there&rsquo;s a rising acknowledgement that so does the <em>responsibility</em> over it. We are currently stuck between a tug-of-war between corporations and governments over control over the people&rsquo;s access to information. This didn&rsquo;t suddenly take place. Far from something these platforms were instantly tasked with; the preparations had been gradually taking place for years. Purportedly to stop the harms of , censorship gradually ramped up. Over the long run the public was conditioned to accept increasingly invasive censorship.</p> <h3 id="twitter">Twitter</h3> <p>The blue bird has been largely regarded as the &ldquo;digital public square&rdquo; for quite some time. Despite a minority of people using the platform, and an even smaller minority actually posting, Twitter has relied on the <em>perception</em> of being the public square. Much of that illusion was propped up by a first-class presence of mainstream media, as well as the verification system. Prior to Musk&rsquo;s takeover being verified on twitter was a form on status symbol on the platform. In addition to this, being verified allowed the user to ignore interactions from the &ldquo;riff raff&rdquo; of unverified users.</p> <p>Twitter has been as bad as any other big tech platform for censorship, datamining and algorithmic manipulation. The site has long been criticized for the short character count, making clear communication difficult.</p> <blockquote> <p>&hellip;Twitter has censored leaks about corruption in politics, crimes committed the Government and spy agencies, opinions that didn’t agree with the Western propaganda about the war in Ukraine. This is criminal. This is wrong. And this is what’s happening at all big tech companies.</p> <p>I like to tell @Jack and all our fellow tech entrepreneurs… You have sold us out. You have betrayed us. You have destroyed our rights and democracy. You have turned the dream of what the Internet can do for humanity into a nightmare. Shame on you.</p> <p>Kim Dotcom on <a href="https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/1601039458165350401">Twitter</a></p> </blockquote> <p>The <a href="https://brownstone.org/articles/the-twitter-files-just-the-beginning/">#TwitterFiles</a> is a very important confirmation of what many have suspected for quite some time. It is easy to fall prey to the illusion that this was merely a failing of Twitter&rsquo;s management at the time. In an age where governments and corporations will use any and all leverage they can against the people, <a href="https://twitter.com/AvidHalaby/status/1602127460677844993">anything that can be subverted will be</a>. New management is likely to be little more than a fresh coat of paint on the same top-down information control machine.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/cave.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/false-awakening" ><h2>The False Awakening</h2><i>The changing of the guard is not the same as defeat of the guard</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>&ldquo;The bird is freed&rdquo; Tweeted Elon Musk. The mainstream media is in full meltdown over the uncertainty of what &ldquo;Twitter 2.0&rdquo; will be. Whatever Elon&rsquo;s plans for Twitter are; there aren&rsquo;t enough assurances to those who are used to controlling the conversation.</p> <h3 id="facebook-aka-lifelog">Facebook AKA &ldquo;Lifelog&rdquo;</h3> <p>Twitter wasn&rsquo;t the only platform outright <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-has-portal-government-officials-to-request-content-be-suppressed-2022-11">puppeteered by government</a>. Facebook certainly has dubious origins when it comes to government interference. It has been caught <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28051930">running experiments on it&rsquo;s users</a> and vast <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/mark-zuckerberg-leveraged-facebook-user-data-fight-rivals-help-friends-n994706">misuse</a> of user data.</p> <blockquote> <p>Yes, Twitter censors people + has close ties to the National Security State.</p> <p>However, now people are not focusing on how SBF is about to get away with a billion dollar Ponzi or how the WHO is about to establish a global biosecurity authority, etc. Whitney Webb on <a href="https://twitter.com/_whitneywebb/status/1601222803134418944">Twitter</a></p> </blockquote> <p>Speaking of FTX, it&rsquo;s very concerning how many ties keep leading back to information control. <a href="https://substack.com/profile/41123571-liam-sturgess">Liam Sturgess</a> has a great explanation of Facebook in his look into effective altruism. He brings up many of the things that the movie &ldquo;The Social Network&rdquo; has left out.</p> <p><a href="https://rumble.com/v1yq43y-examining-effective-altruism-part-ii-rounding-the-news.html">Examining Effective Altruism: Part II - Rounding the News</a></p> <h3 id="youtube">YouTube</h3> <p>Far from being an <em>organic</em> video sharing platform. YouTube is big business. It&rsquo;s a game for the big players and there are rules to compete. What makes the platform unique is that it shares ad revenue with it&rsquo;s creators. This means that YouTube has a spigot to encourage or discourage a wide variety of behaviors. All kinds of fantastic and hardly-controversial creators have been &ldquo;demonetized&rdquo;, effectively eliminating them from mainstream participation.</p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlxghmlGNoI">Game Theory: The End of an Era</a></p> <p>Where big business takes the wheel, propaganda isn&rsquo;t far behind. Those with power are able to use their wealth to mislead the public into accepting that which isn&rsquo;t in their interest. Anti-human nihilism and guilt can be placed squarely on the masses to disarm themselves mentally.</p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjHMoNGqQTI">How Kurzgesagt Cooks Propaganda For Billionaires</a></p> <p>Is it really still a mystery why so many positions that are &ldquo;settled science™&rdquo; all point in the same anti-human direction? Can we really blame &ldquo;<em>those crazy kids</em>&rdquo; who have been raised (or radicalized) in hyper-reality manufactured entirely to destroy them?</p> <h3 id="reddit">Reddit</h3> <p>Reddit is a site that features walls of [deleted] and [removed] posts on every controversial topic and even some seemingly non-controversial ones. This is because Reddit is patrolled by legions of volunteer moderators. It&rsquo;s no free-for-all because the moderators have a clear hierarchy which builds <a href="https://www.protocol.com/reddit-powermods-war">powermods</a>. These powermods essentially control the content over the entire site. A notable powermod was <a href="https://kirbysommers.substack.com/p/evidence-that-reddit-user-maxwellhill">maxwellhill</a>, who notably hasn&rsquo;t posted since Ghislane Maxwell has been arrested.</p> <p>In addition to outright censorship, reddit is notorious for self-censorship because your posts are linked to a profile that earns &ldquo;karma&rdquo;. Not only will users be called out for old posts, but losing too much karma impacts your ability to participate in different subreddits.</p> <h3 id="discordlinkedin-tiktok-tinder-and-others">Discord,LinkedIn, Tiktok, Tinder, and others</h3> <p>Anywhere people&rsquo;s access to others is gated behind an opaque centralized service, they are open to manipulation and abuse. It is high time that people recognize this and refuse to cooperate with it. People should be empowered to make their own decisions without being arbitrarily retaliated against. Those who seek the ability to control information will always have questionable judgement.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/4bbd4e5a-352d-4d24-82ea-e8832e902021'> </iframe> <h2 id="the-trap">The trap</h2> <p>A recurring theme in mainstream commentary on social media manipulation is that this is simply a problem that needs to be <em>managed</em> by various non-profits and state actors. This presumes that such manipulation is tolerable in the first place. It is quite ironic that the <a href="https://time.com/4793331/instagram-social-media-mental-health/">very problem</a> created by state and corporate influence is something the mainstream is pushing to be solved with more state and corporate control. If anything, they have <em>already shown</em> a severe lack of trustworthiness with the tools that already exist.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://consentfactory.org/2022/12/10/swimming-with-sharks/" ><h2>Swimming with sharks</h2><i>So, Elon Musk’s new free-speech Twitter appears to going extremely well...</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>It is highly dishonest to portray social media enterprises as rogue actors let loose by &ldquo;laissez faire&rdquo; free market profiteering. They&rsquo;ve all had very close ties with governments and even intelligence agencies. Any and all harms permitted while three-letter-agencies had their <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2018/04/24/yahoo-fined-35-million-for-failing-to-disclose-cyber-breach/">hand up these companies</a> is a problem of <em>prioritization</em> not power.</p> <p>As the actions of Twitter before the Musk purchase have shown: <em>Trust and Safety</em> isn&rsquo;t about protecting the people. These institutions work as commissars within centralized services to thought-police in ways that would have been impossible not long ago. The terrifying reality is that the watchers are being watched by other watchers, competing for zeal to climb for status. The current political environment suffers in part by a self-organized conspiracy against the people. The people are effectively out manuevered, and in limited supply of options to protect themselves.</p> <p>Self-hosted and decentralized alternatives are foundational steps towards progress. The people taking action to adopt these platforms would go a long way to leveling the playing field. However, this is not the totality of the fight. It would be naive to believe that once the people walk away from information control systems, that those who profit off controlling the discussion would just pack it in and give up.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-9-preview.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-9" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #9 Internet Shutdowns</h2><i>Information control is the root of modern tyranny.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Many of the same mechanisms use to control and manipulate social media are <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/wordpress-considered-censoring-new-york-post">just as applicable to service providers</a>. Free speech exists as a widely shared cultural principle or not at all. Stronger safeguards need to <a href="https://protectthestack.org/">#Protect the Stack</a> from being leveraged against the people. Service providers as well as financial services are all points of failure that can be weaponized to <a href="https://www.givesendgo.com/bitchute">eliminate competition</a>.</p> <h2 id="the-root-of-the-problem">The root of the problem</h2> <blockquote> <p>We can never know what <em>would have happened</em>, Lucy. But what will happen is another matter entirely.</p> <p>Aslan - The Chronicles of Narnia</p> </blockquote> <p>We have a saying here: <em>&ldquo;We only have one <strong>timeline</strong>&rdquo;</em>. In short, this means that the damage is done. There is no use to endlessly speculate about how history could have been altered if things had been done differently. Instead we should learn from the past for the purpose of building a better future, or at least avoiding past mistakes.</p> <h3 id="the-mainstream">The Mainstream</h3> <p>The mainstream media and platforms have effectively sold out their credibility. Trust in these institutions has justifiably been in decline for some time. In hindsight, it is easy to believe that the mainstream media has always been the top-down information control machine that exists today. It can be useful to keep in mind that different technologies and forms of media have their own trade-offs. In todays media landscape, <em>the medium is the message</em> couldn&rsquo;t be more obvious.</p> <p>Charitably, a single mainstream information landscape has a purpose. There was a time where the technology to get messages out wasn&rsquo;t as democratized as it is today. In addition to raw technological challenges, it is useful to have information dissemination enhanced with credibility and expertize.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/mainstream.webp'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/mainstream.webp' > </a> </div> <p>Whether it&rsquo;s fact-checkers, universities, or large corporate media outlets, they all suffer from a primary weakness that has inevitably lead to a loss of trust: <strong>rigidity</strong>. This refined information propagation machine has to function in ways that undermine it&rsquo;s ability to properly convey issues. Mass media is inherently limited by the very constrained attention span of it&rsquo;s audience. This leaves hardly any room for nuance, or representing a broad spectrum of issues. These institutions fail to properly characterize, prioritize and report on nearly every pressing concern of the day. More and more, as the mainstream loses dominance, it will have to divert more and more attention to issues that inflate it&rsquo;s self-importance.</p> <p>This means that anyone earnestly attempting to get people to understand any issue through this medium, is going to be restrained by the very same constraints. It&rsquo;s easy to underestimate the challenge of communicating simple concepts to a broad audience.</p> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Narrow</strong></p> <p>Only a few topics can rise.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Brief</strong></p> <p>No topic can be given much time for depth or self-reflection</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Dogmatic</strong></p> <p>Authority is presumed, and hardly questioned if at all.</p> </li> </ul> <p>With all these limitations one could easily be mislead to think there is no room for malice. This couldn&rsquo;t be further from the truth. <a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/media/">The Media Matrix</a> is a comprehensive history on this. If the mainstream media ever had a legitimate purpose, it has certainly transformed itself into part of a large growing <em>information control apparatus</em>.</p> <p>During the Covid Crisis, instead of merely reporting on information as things developed; the mainstream media took an active role in <em>shaping the conversation</em>. If anyone is to receive clemency for getting things wrong, it is certainly not those who ensured that people would. To many this was an outright shocking development. It was so shocking, that people often couldn&rsquo;t accept that things were <em>this bad</em>.</p> <p><em>Surely, they will eventually report the truth as lies get discredited in time?</em> That is a very cold comfort. Smothering the truth when lives are on the line isn&rsquo;t erased by getting it right years after the fact if at all. it is important to realize this is <a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/flashback-mediakills/">far from the only time</a>.</p> <h2 id="getting-it-right">Getting it right</h2> <p>The Covid Crisis laid bare the deadly effects of censorship before all to see. We are all responsible for learning from what <a href="https://unlimitedhangout.com/2022/11/investigative-reports/covid-19-mass-formation-or-mass-atrocity/">has happened</a>.</p> <p>Among other things, we should:</p> <ol> <li>Grow our disgust for: <ul> <li>Thoughtless compliance</li> <li>Censorship</li> </ul> </li> <li>Enhance our appreciation for: <ul> <li>Principled opposition</li> <li>Inalienable human rights</li> </ul> </li> </ol> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/high-places" ><h2>Redefining &#34;high places&#34;</h2><i>Lets re-balance power from the bottom-up</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="connecting-with-others">Connecting with others</h3> <p>Instead of focusing on a <em>single public square</em>, it is better that we nurture a symphony of vastly different spaces with different parameters and cultures. This way important information and insights can be properly elevated from a variety of sources, instead of being bottle-necked by a single mindset or culture. Achieving this requires a solid commitment to authentically liberal values and a much higher tolerance for differences than people have generally shown.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/fediverse.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/call-to-action-join-the-fediverse/" ><h2>Call to Action: Join the Fediverse now!</h2><i>A simple, but very effective way to tip the scales in favor of free speech.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>If you&rsquo;re still trapped on any of the big tech social media platforms please consider leaving. At the very least you&rsquo;ll want to consider building a presence on more accessible <em>federated</em> alternatives. In doing so you can help diversify people&rsquo;s ability to express themselves and learn from others.</p> <h3 id="live-not-by-lies">Live not by lies</h3> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/live-not-by-lies.webp' > </div> <blockquote> <p>When the truth offends we lie and lie until we can no longer it is even there&hellip;but it is still there&hellip; Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later that debt is paid.</p> <p>valery legasov</p> </blockquote> <p>There&rsquo;s never a bad time to <a href="https://home.solari.com/coming-clean/">come clean</a>. Anything you can do to fix the little things in your live can build to meaningful change over time. While lies have real, devastating impact, there&rsquo;s always something to be gained by making good on wrongs done.</p> <h3 id="oppose-censorship">Oppose censorship</h3> <p>One of the many ways we should honor the victims of the Covid Crisis is to work to make impossible the level of censorship and top down control that enabled the very crimes committed.</p> The Rise of a SkyNet Workforce https://libresolutions.network/articles/skynet-workforce/ Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/skynet-workforce/ /media/images/skynet-workforce2.webp <p>Machine learning is starting to take over the economy the very way the Internet already has. A variety of newly available tools have caused a great deal of controversy in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/02/midjourney-artificial-intelligence-state-fair-colorado/">art circles</a> and <a href="https://githubcopilotlitigation.com/">free software communities.</a>. These advancements in AI-powered tools are effectively game-changers in the domains they disrupt.</p> <p>Hailed by techno-utopians of all stripes, these advancements are huge part of driving the so-called <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2016/04/05/why-everyone-must-get-ready-for-4th-industrial-revolution/?sh=1065627a3f90">4th Industrial revolution</a>. If we are not careful, we will run straight into the trap of allowing these tools to be weaponized against everyone. Understanding how these tools work on a basic level is important.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/skynet-workforce.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/skynet-workforce.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <p>You may have heard <em>&ldquo;Data is the <a href="https://www.thenewoil.org">new oil</a></em>&rdquo;. That &ldquo;oil&rdquo; is fuel for massively powerful machine learning algorithms. No publicly (or easily) accessible data, media, or information is safe from the &ldquo;data beast&rdquo;. The data beast is hungry for any and all information, it doesn&rsquo;t matter how trivial or private, it wants everything. The reason is because every addition of well-collected information is invaluable in building a wide array of powerful machine learning <em>models</em>.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/big-data.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-2/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #2 Big Data &amp; Artificial Intelligence</h2><i>What is all this data for anyways?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h2 id="what-is-a-machine-learning-model">What is a machine learning &lsquo;model&rsquo;?</h2> <p>A model is the sum-total of all insights a machine learning model &ldquo;learns&rdquo; while analyzing large amounts of data. The larger and more complicated the model the more sophisticated problems the model can be used to solve. For example, imagine you wanted to be an olympian athlete but hadn&rsquo;t decided on a sport. An AI could use a model trained on data from every previous athlete, like their physical attributes, record, diet, and other things to give you a &ldquo;life plan&rdquo; it calculates is most likely to succeed.</p> <p>Models are &ldquo;trained&rdquo; by analyzing massive, well-categorized datasets. This means that the raw data itself often isn&rsquo;t enough. It needs to be carefully curated into a highly detailed and correct set of information and it&rsquo;s quite easy to fall short of that. Any and all deviations from reality will distort outputs from machine learning models. This gives rise to concerns about AI models treating people unfairly. Models trained on data we collect is effectively holding a mirror up to ourselves. Whatever small slice of reality we simplify and package to train on is how the model sees the world.</p> <p>The only way to solve that problem would be a highly invasive all-pervasive surveillance and control system that tracks nearly every atom in the area of concern. In addition to being highly impractical, it&rsquo;s highly unlikely people would knowingly choose that kind of world. It&rsquo;s what we unknowingly choose that is a problem however, what systems are we building by refusing to take an active role in shaping the future?</p> <h2 id="employee-of-the-month-terminator">Employee of the month: Terminator</h2> <p>A great deal of resources are invested in understanding how robots can <a href="https://twitter.com/SiChunLam/status/1379556406123229185">recognize</a>, track and <a href="https://fortune.com/2015/10/19/army-wifi-gun/">destroy</a> things.</p> <a href='https://twitter.com/LeftSentThis/status/1536060869506834434'> <video autoplay muted loop preload="true" class="gif"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/video/robot-feats.mp4'> </video> </a> <p>That video is from a tweet saying:</p> <blockquote> <p>Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING I see these robots doing, I am imagining a host of military grade weapons attached to them, how those technologies trickle down to the police, and ultimately who will be attacked by these robots.</p> </blockquote> <p>When it comes to the workforce, soldiers and police may be the most at risk of being automated away entirely. Such a shift could be used to eliminate any trace of accountability or <a href="https://twitter.com/BanKillerRobots/status/1592570626547515392">morality</a> in such institutions.</p> <h2 id="ai-has-learned-to-code">AI has &ldquo;learned to code&rdquo;</h2> <p>This demo is quite impressive. The presenter is using Github copilot to build a simple program with spoken words instead of typing. It&rsquo;s initially quite striking how much of a win this kind of technique is for making development more accessible. It is fair to be skeptical, many live tech demonstrations are often highly staged to smooth over many real-life issues. That said, this specific goal does not seem very far away.</p> <style> .video-player { display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; } .video-controls { display: flex; flex-direction: row; width: 100%; height: fit-content; flex-wrap: nowrap; } .video-controls p { width: min-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .video-controls>* { margin: 5px; } .video-controls select, .video-controls button { background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color: var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding: 0.5rem; } .icon svg { width: 2.25rem; height: fit-content; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } .video-player:fullscreen{ height:100vh; width:100vw; } .video-player:fullscreen video{ max-height: 100vh; height:100%; max-width: 100vw; width: 100vw; } </style> <div class="video-container"> <div class="video-player"> <video preload="metadata" onclick="playthis(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_video_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_video_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/video/skynet-workforce-copilot.mp4'> </video> <div class="video-controls"> <div onclick="toggle_video_play(event)" class="icon"> <svg viewBox="0 0 120 120"><circle style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:0;stroke-width:6.4;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" id="path2040" cx="60.062084" cy="62.077591" r="52.403164" /><path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1; stroke-width:4;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="m 36.961917,29.902848 c 3.596357,-1.826163 63.333473,26.918008 63.449063,32.530093 0.1386,6.729203 -61.229407,35.615675 -63.254766,33.796117 -1.971501,-1.557746 -3.672784,-64.52183 -0.194297,-66.32621 z" id="path1060"> </svg> </div> </button> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_video_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_video_speed(event)"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="fullscreen(event)"> <svg viewBox="0 0 120 120"> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 46.964564,56.005523 29.64354,38.443145 15.744327,51.812481 15.624368,16.779513 l 36.623948,0.03226 -13.177737,14.17536 16.622539,16.392689 z" id="path8948-3"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 55.129887,73.388205 38.422614,90.210417 51.067135,104.89922 16.395468,104.33333 16.434945,67.605641 30.111493,81.28219 46.504182,64.659651 Z" id="path8948-3-5"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 63.363444,46.935211 80.997081,30.825588 67.627745,17.036604 102.68744,17.447746 102.62846,52.646518 88.168059,39.041226 71.989147,55.663767 Z" id="path8948-3-6"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 71.956318,65.743071 91.343851,82.735377 104.06395,70.648701 103.79532,105.13832 69.166628,105.79193 82.579575,93.184265 63.227764,74.368773 Z" id="path8948-3-5-2"/> </svg> </div> </div> <script> function setup_video_metadata(event) { video = event.target; var seek = video.parentElement.children[1].children[1]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = video.duration; seek.value = video.currentTime; details = video.parentElement.children[1].children[3].children; details[0].innerHTML = timeToText(video.currentTime) + "/"; details[1].innerHTML = timeToText(video.duration); } function playthis(event) { if (event.target.paused) { event.target.playbackRate = video.parentElement.children[1].children[2].value; event.target.play(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['pause']; } else { event.target.pause(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['play']; } } function fullscreen(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement; if (document.fullscreenElement) { document.exitFullscreen(); event.target.innerHTML = icons['expand']; } else { video.requestFullscreen(); event.target.innerHTML = icons['shrink']; } } function toggle_video_play(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; if (video.paused) { video.playbackRate = video.parentElement.children[1].children[2].value; video.play(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['pause']; } else { video.pause(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['play']; } } function update_video_speed(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; video.playbackRate = event.target.value; } function update_video_time(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; video.currentTime = event.target.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> </div> <noscript> <style> .video-player { display: none; } </style> <video controls preload="false"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/video/skynet-workforce-copilot.mp4'> </video> </noscript> <p class="caption">Creating a pie chart only from voice prompts with copilot <a href='https://twitter.com/zinedkaloc/status/1590401268052537344'>Source</a> </p> </div> <p>Are software developers obsolete now? Likely not for a while, even using these tools requires some technical skill or understanding. It&rsquo;s also a lot harder to make guarantees of safety or security for systems that aren&rsquo;t carefully designed by humans. That&rsquo;s not to say there may not be powerful analysis tools built from these models that could strengthen security.</p> <h3 id="the-dark-side">The Dark side</h3> <p>Github is what&rsquo;s known as a code forge. A place for developers to host their code and collaborate on improving it. Different forges have different features but Github, owned by Microsoft is the largest and most popular. Developers often choose to distribute their code under various <a href="https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.en.html">licenses</a>. These licenses dictate the terms in how the code can be used in other software projects.</p> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/x1IVJ54bHO8'> </iframe> <p>Code is just information. Nothing has stopped Github from training copilot with all the data on their platform, and potentially other publicly accessible repositories as well. It is arguable that Microsoft has violated the license of many of these projects, however when it comes to those who use copilot to make new projects it&rsquo;s not clear at all.</p> <h2 id="can-a-robot-create-a-beautiful-masterpiece">Can a robot create a beautiful masterpiece?</h2> <p>Gearheads aren&rsquo;t alone, creatives are now struggling with the same issues. DeviantArt, a large platform for sharing artistic works announced <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/team/journal/Create-AI-Generated-Art-Fairly-with-DreamUp-933537821">DreamUp</a> which is their equivalent of tools like stable diffusion. Trained on a massive collection of categorized creative works, the model could be used to create entirely new works.</p> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/IGj_3OhMrAU'> </iframe> <p>The artists raised some concerns about how this was done.</p> <ul> <li>Did DeviantArt train their model with artists art without <em>explicit permission</em>?</li> <li>How can artists opt-out of such data-mining?</li> <li>Will DeviantArt remove artists art from the model or dataset(s) if the artist did not wish for their works to be used for training AI.</li> </ul> <h2 id="concerns">Concerns</h2> <p>As you can see, these problems are highly generalizable. Sure it&rsquo;s programmers and digital artists today, but how far away are authors, musicians, or even lawyers from being assimilated? It is tempting to nit-pick particular implementations and say that the flaws of today are an inherent fixtures of AI problem solving. This is naive, because it can be hard to predict what problems can be solved quickly and what problems will take ages.</p> <h3 id="copyright--trademark-concerns">Copyright &amp; Trademark concerns</h3> <p>Is using publicly accessible content to train AIs a derivative work? Are models fair use? Even if one is fully within their rights to use an artists works to train a model, what about use of the artists name in the creation of new works? If someone trained a model on your voice and published songs of you singing, should you have any right to demand compensation or restrict how it&rsquo;s used?</p> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/W5M-dvzpzSQ'> </iframe> <h3 id="asymmetric-advantages">Asymmetric advantages</h3> <p>It is naturally impossible to know who is making models out of what data unless those entities chose to disclose that information. This means there is no way in knowing how much your data has been used to train models used to manipulate you. What recourse will you really have when violations take place in secret?</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-4.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-4/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #4 Online Identity</h2><i>What is following you in your digital tracks?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Large platforms have many inherent advantages over smaller projects, even when there isn&rsquo;t any malice or bad behavior. Amazon has been caught using their platform to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/retailwire/2022/10/17/controversy-persists-over-amazons-use-of-data-to-favor-its-knockoffs/?sh=1bb260d7f64e">produce knock-offs of viable products</a> from smaller sellers.</p> <p>Is machine learning too powerful <a href="https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/catholic-church-banned-crossbow-warfare/">not to use</a>? In any competitive environment, can you really afford <em>not</em> to use performance enhancing tools regardless of the ethical or legal considerations? How can people and organizations properly set conditions to <strong>not</strong> incentivize massive fraud and privacy violations?</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://roundingtheearth.substack.com/i/78770620/this-is-the-story-about-how-machine-learning-drives-the-education-system-to-destroy-science" ><h2>Machine Learning Into the Destruction of Science</h2><i>The Science Wars Part XII</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="workforce-displacement">Workforce displacement</h3> <p>Since we&rsquo;re already seeing problems in education, the wider workforce likely isn&rsquo;t far behind. Just because your entire profession can&rsquo;t be automated, that doesn&rsquo;t mean that machine learning can&rsquo;t simply be used to assimilate away the most viable parts of your business model. Even despite a so-called <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-u-s-labor-shortage-is-planting-the-seeds-for-lots-of-layoffs-heres-how-11667607221">labor shortage</a> workers are having a difficult time negotiating higher wages and better working conditions.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/construction-banner.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-3/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #3 Robots, IoT, Automation, Oh my!</h2><i>Transforming the world in ways seen and unseen</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Cybernetics, novel biologics, and performance enhancing drugs can all be things people may feel forced to take on to compete in a rapidly changing work environment. While we are to be concerned with the consolidation of state power through <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-10">CBDCs</a>, we must also be vigilant against corporations using the very same <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/programmable-currency">mechanisms</a> to control people. We do not have the luxury of passively allowing &ldquo;futurists&rdquo; to decide what they&rsquo;re willing to have us all sacrifice for their own greater wealth. As this continues, the road ahead looks quite grim indeed. The following video is about a fictional setting in the game Warframe, it&rsquo;s a warning worth heeding.</p> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/P6203Dne8T4'> </iframe> <h3 id="ethics-concerns">Ethics concerns</h3> <p>When it comes to surveillance and aglorithmic manipulation much of the work takes place out of sight and out of mind. There are real questions of ownership, rights, and autonomy when it comes to how personal and private information is used. It&rsquo;s important not to be defeatist on this point. Just because information <em>can</em> be used in particular ways doesn&rsquo;t mean we can&rsquo;t recognize it as a crime. A great many terrible things are nearly impossible to stop, the solution isn&rsquo;t to accept them but to create a proper framework for addressing them.</p> <h2 id="the-bright-side">The bright side</h2> <p>It&rsquo;s not all bleak and terrible. There is good news in this story too. Just as these tools are powerful they can be used for good. At it&rsquo;s core, machine learning is a useful way to extract actionable information from massive datasets. Creating large, accurate, ethically-sourced public datasets can create fascinating new possibilities.</p> <h3 id="new-public-goods">New public goods</h3> <p>Mozilla <a href="https://commonvoice.mozilla.org/en/about">Common Voice</a> is a project where people collaborate on creating a massive, diverse, high quality voice dataset. This can be used to power useful models like <a href="https://github.com/mozilla/TTS">Text to Speech for all</a> and <a href="https://github.com/mozilla/DeepSpeech">DeepSpeech</a>. DeepSpeech can be used to create your own voice-controlled applications. This is a very cute demo of someone using stable diffusion to place an AR elephant in a tree. Despite it&rsquo;s silliness, it does show how effective this technology can be in creating new and fascinating experiences.</p> <a href='https://twitter.com/BjoernKarmann/status/1590648681169985537'> <video autoplay muted loop preload="true" class="gif"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/video/ar-elephant.mp4'> </video> </a> <p>Of course there are tons of medical advancements related to using machine learning to recognize patterns. These are fantastic for things like diagnosing issues from x-rays or other data.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://synapteklabs.com/sponsors-supporters/'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/synaptek-labs.webp' > </a> <p class="caption"> If you&#39;re interested in deep learning and open science consider supporting Synaptek Deep Learning Systems </p> </div> <p>To reiterate, machine learning clearly isn&rsquo;t evil, but rather the impetus to spy on everyone to dominate them absolutely is. There are responsible ways to collect, store and curate data and these need to be at least enforced but ideally supported.</p> <h3 id="taking-action">Taking action</h3> <p>Fundamentally we the people have to choose. Either between allowing our collective destiny to be dictated to us by those who have no regard for humanity, or to take on the great effort of <a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/interview-1576-james-corbett-on-solutions-for-resisting-technocracy/">wrestling control</a> back into our own hands. As radical as this sounds, it doesn&rsquo;t require a massive shift.</p> <p>It never been more urgent to stop contributing to tyrannical systems of control. If you&rsquo;re involved in making top-down control into a reality, I urge you to reconsider the downsides of building a future you likely don&rsquo;t want to live in. It is high time we not only step away from top-down control, but assist others doing so.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/high-places" ><h2>Redefining &#34;high places&#34;</h2><i>Lets re-balance power from the bottom-up</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>On a higher level, it&rsquo;s worth coming up with new standards and approaches to how information is collected, stored, and shared. Anything we can do to break away from the cloud goes a long way in mitigating the nefarious technocratic forces. Storing your own data instead really helps mitigate how it can be used against you.</p> The False Awakening https://libresolutions.network/articles/false-awakening/ Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/false-awakening/ /media/images/cave.webp <p><em>The changing of the guard is not the same as defeat of the guard.</em></p> <p>Twitter is under <em>new management</em>. There is all kinds of excitement and despair over what this means for the future of free speech on that particular information control system. Odds are, we can expect some noticeable changes on what is and is no longer allowed within the new paradigm. This should not be mistaken for an expansion of the people&rsquo;s right to voice dissent. As priorities change, harmless admissions of past infractions are not evidence of reform.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/false-awakening.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/false-awakening.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <p>If nothing else, people must not be fooled into thinking this shift of policy is the answer to all the censorship and suppression of the past. This essentially presumes that we are presently aware of the full scope of past information control. It is highly likely that there are unknown taboos that still haven&rsquo;t truly found a voice. When someone desperately waits for free speech to return to a top-down centralized service, they underestimate the problem.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/false-saviors.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/beware-false-saviors" ><h2>Beware false saviors</h2><i>Putting faith into leaders is a road to disappointment. We all have to work together as individuals to make lasting change.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Freedom of speech <em>is</em> freedom from consequences. In the name of fighting hate and so-called misinformation people have ceded incredible ground to organizations to shape public discussion. By allowing voices to be suppressed in all kinds of situations, the protections for all kinds of essential and vital dissent are constantly eroded. It is tempting to attempt to find ways to engineer away censorship. This constantly underestimates the willingness of the public to participate in censorship by refusing to uphold protections that whistle-blowers and those with dire warnings have to rely on.</p> <p>The currently watered-down concept of freedom of speech is essentially the right to utter words alone, and face incredible sanctions for it. The public has long nurtured its tolerance for censorship to grow massively. People can be shocked and horrified by an opaque and arbitrary social credit system, but underestimate the sum effects of allowing censorship to flourish. This is to say that freedom of speech can only exist as a widely-shared culturally protected concept. This is first and foremost a social problem. People urgently need to reevaluate the mechanisms used to silence people and the costs we have paid for them.</p> <p>As acceptable discourse has shrunken into a vanishingly small clown show, people are predictably and understandably desperate for discussions where their concerns are properly heard. This impulse is being exploited by innumerable bad actors to trap people into micro-cults out of touch with everyone else. These micro-cults are as varied and diverse as any other consumer product. Over time, creating a false dichotomy between the blatantly absurd mainstream and a kaleidoscope of mind prisons.</p> <h2 id="a-mind-prison-example-q">A Mind Prison Example: Q</h2> <p>Many Q phrases are instant red flags. &ldquo;White hats&rdquo; which generally refer to the benevolent overlords in positions of power. They for some reasons must allow atrocities for the &ldquo;greater good&rdquo;, yet never actually make any real change. &ldquo;The great awakening&rdquo; which is this cult&rsquo;s equivalent of any utopian fantasy&rsquo;s great revolution. The Q cult has outgrown a small set of posts on an anonymous image board to a full-out megagrift empire.</p> <p>People stuck in the Q mind prison are fervent ideologues, they are quite often more invested in people&rsquo;s opinion of Q than of any of the so-called &ldquo;redpills&rdquo; that have supposedly awoken them. Despite a phenomenal track-record of falsified predictions, many of them still circulate. Others are practically unfalsifiable. For example, claiming that all the politicians you don&rsquo;t like have already been executed, but have merely been replaced with body-doubles to not alarm the public. By exploiting what people are starting to learn about many nefarious agendas in play, people are lured back into a safe containment. The &ldquo;Quantum financial system&rdquo; is simply a re-branding the evils people are starting to question. Other times, luring people with the idea that <em>they</em> can somehow be at the top of the social credit system, it traps them into morally justifying the system. This insidious moral inversion is all pervasive in these mind prisons.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/snowjob.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/anatomy-of-a-psyop" ><h2>Anatomy of a psyop</h2><i>Cognitive warfare in action</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>The most aggravating aspect of the Q situation, is that it is very often used as a justification for more top-down control of information. <em>&ldquo;Behold all the silly nonsense the plebs can convince themselves of, surely we must protect them from such harmful influence?&rdquo;</em> say the technocrats and their chorus of compliant media. The sad truth is that the accusation on its face isn&rsquo;t wrong, a great variety of people <em>do</em> believe in a great variety of nonsense. The problem begins with assuming that <em>more top-down control</em> is the answer and not the root cause of the issue. Only through honest, open debate with proper transparency can we avoid creating our own dark age.</p> <h2 id="a-recognizable-pattern">A recognizable pattern</h2> <p>This is all in no way limited to the Q mega-grift, which simply has some of the most recognizable branding. Regardless of your political or social beliefs there are almost always outright scams ready to take your money for comforting lies and entertainment. They generally follow a predictable format:</p> <ul> <li>They are in possession of magical cheat codes that they are eager to share with you, the wise critical thinker who sees through all the lies</li> <li>Thankfully, the answer is trivially simple and requires no real work on your part or upheaval of existing structures or systems</li> <li>It comes at a very low cost, but for some reason you&rsquo;re still always an additional larger contribution away from the prize</li> <li>An inability to actually discuss or explain the merits of the primary worldview or issues</li> <li>A winning combination of shock, flattery, and shame to keep you in suspense</li> </ul> <p>It is overly simplistic to think of the cost only in terms of money. Your time and attention are precious and should be something you optimize continuously to serve you and your loved ones. It is clear to me that our present environment wants nothing more than for us to fight each other over anything and everything. Taking the time to bring people together despite differing beliefs and values is likely one of the most challenging, yet vital tasks of our time. A good identifier for a mind prison is one that preaches you as a lone fighter against the ignorant masses. All kinds of people are doing fantastic work all the time, and we would do well to remember and take time to give credit.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/high-places.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/high-places" ><h2>Redefining &#34;High Places&#34;</h2><i>Lets re-balance power from the bottom-up</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>This is one of the most nefarious aspects of these mind prisons. Instead of helping people build up and celebrate new heroes, these schemes essentially downplay any real urgency to confront the issues at all. The arrogant belief that the elites in society know best and that the &ldquo;riff raff&rdquo; can&rsquo;t be trusted is it&rsquo;s own mind prison. By embracing a limiting top-down view of society you blind yourself from truly making an attempt to understand human beings and what drives them. People vastly underestimate the advantages of bottom-up strategies and structures.</p> <h2 id="beware-the-trap">Beware the Trap</h2> <p>Being stuck in a mind prison is not only counter-productive, but it can be dangerous. You isolate yourself from people you need to stay connected with. People who don&rsquo;t share your beliefs aren&rsquo;t your enemies. Focusing on fighting the people around you is only going to make you unpopular and alone. It&rsquo;s important to humanize yourself to others as well as you when you look in the mirror. Taking time to better understand your ideas can help you properly convey them to those who may not be receptive at first. Everyone needs a good friend more than they need another truth bomb.</p> <p>That said, do not let what allows you to forgive friends and family be manipulated into grating blanket <a href="https://www.eugyppius.com/p/emily-oster-proposes-a-pandemic-amnesty">amnesty</a> to those who abused their power and authority. The Covid Crisis didn&rsquo;t merely open up new wounds to tear apart society, it also revealed to many an unforgettably dark corruption that has taken near complete control. When it comes to many of the technocrats plans, people ask &ldquo;Why now?&rdquo; and the answer lies in the fact that much of our cultural rot is from a mask worn to hide terrible and unsustainable lies.</p> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/MIHC4NNScEI'> </iframe> <p>I believe the technocracy is <a href="https://www.fromrome.info/2022/01/14/how-skull-bones-plans-to-co-opt-world-wide-resistance-to-the-plandemic/">desperate for a scapegoat</a> and doesn&rsquo;t particularly care who or what it is. By putting people into difficult situations, then slandering them in the media otherwise kind and dutiful people from all walks of life are made into monsters. As more and more divisions in society isolate people, the danger rises. We have seen how effectively the technocrats were able to use the covid crisis to inflame hatred, we would do well to do anything we can to prevent that from being utilized further. It would be all to easy for those in power to entirely avoid accountability if they maintain the ability to turn the public against a convenient scapegoat.</p> <p>This is the root of the false awakening. More and more people stumble into the all the lies, corruption, and contradictions of our established order. As these doubts, fears, and concerns pile up; so does friction and resistance. Those in power have an incredible incentive to manage this fragmentation by effectively isolating every fracture into it&rsquo;s own bubble. We can expect the manufacture, marketing, and adoption of individualized mind prisons to be increased exponentially as those in power get more and more desperate. It&rsquo;s not hard to see our current culture fractured into two inconsolable factions, if we&rsquo;re not careful we will end up with everyone perfectly isolated in a terrible free-for-all.</p> <p>You being aware of a particular piece of truth isn&rsquo;t the answer, what we need is <em>integration</em>. Being authentically awake isn&rsquo;t simply accepting a single redpill about some scandal or lie in society. It&rsquo;s about being able to properly conceptualize the world as it is, rather than how others would like it to be, or even how you&rsquo;d like it to be. This integration of understanding is what needs to be shared. We won&rsquo;t all know everything about everything, but we need to cooperate on processes to properly investigate the truth, uncover corruption and make concrete, lasting change.</p> <p>Without actually integrating our understanding with how we work together, we run the risk of granting those in power and corrupt institutions total control over the future. Our future is already uncertain in so many ways, the only way to properly account for those risks is to bring them to the forefront of our mind and actions. Almost every institution in our lives is in need of complete and total reform that may be outright impossible in some instances. These institutions reflect the unacknowledged damage that has been inflicted on the public for a long time, that has gone neglected and forgotten. Rebuilding essential civic and social institutions will be an all-too-difficult task. We are all going to need as many people willing to come together and practice an unfamiliar amount of solidarity. This can only take place with excellent individuals working to reach out and authentically connect with those around them. I wish you the best of luck.</p> Tools of the Technocracy: #10 Central Bank Digital Currencies https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-10/ Fri, 14 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-10/ /media/images/cbdc-chains.webp <h1 id="tools-of-the-technocracytagstools-of-the-technocracy-series-10-central-bank-digital-currencies"><a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series">Tools of the Technocracy</a>: #10 Central Bank Digital Currencies</h1> <h2 id="what-is-money">What is money?</h2> <p>This is a really humorous video that really gets at the core of this discussion.<br> <em><strong>Money is something we made up.</strong></em></p> <style> .video-player { display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; } .video-controls { display: flex; flex-direction: row; width: 100%; height: fit-content; flex-wrap: nowrap; } .video-controls p { width: min-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .video-controls>* { margin: 5px; } .video-controls select, .video-controls button { background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color: var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding: 0.5rem; } .icon svg { width: 2.25rem; height: fit-content; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } .video-player:fullscreen{ height:100vh; width:100vw; } .video-player:fullscreen video{ max-height: 100vh; height:100%; max-width: 100vw; width: 100vw; } </style> <div class="video-container"> <div class="video-player"> <video preload="metadata" onclick="playthis(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_video_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_video_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/video/tott-10-inflation.mp4'> </video> <div class="video-controls"> <div onclick="toggle_video_play(event)" class="icon"> <svg viewBox="0 0 120 120"><circle style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:0;stroke-width:6.4;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" id="path2040" cx="60.062084" cy="62.077591" r="52.403164" /><path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1; stroke-width:4;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="m 36.961917,29.902848 c 3.596357,-1.826163 63.333473,26.918008 63.449063,32.530093 0.1386,6.729203 -61.229407,35.615675 -63.254766,33.796117 -1.971501,-1.557746 -3.672784,-64.52183 -0.194297,-66.32621 z" id="path1060"> </svg> </div> </button> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_video_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_video_speed(event)"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="fullscreen(event)"> <svg viewBox="0 0 120 120"> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 46.964564,56.005523 29.64354,38.443145 15.744327,51.812481 15.624368,16.779513 l 36.623948,0.03226 -13.177737,14.17536 16.622539,16.392689 z" id="path8948-3"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 55.129887,73.388205 38.422614,90.210417 51.067135,104.89922 16.395468,104.33333 16.434945,67.605641 30.111493,81.28219 46.504182,64.659651 Z" id="path8948-3-5"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 63.363444,46.935211 80.997081,30.825588 67.627745,17.036604 102.68744,17.447746 102.62846,52.646518 88.168059,39.041226 71.989147,55.663767 Z" id="path8948-3-6"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 71.956318,65.743071 91.343851,82.735377 104.06395,70.648701 103.79532,105.13832 69.166628,105.79193 82.579575,93.184265 63.227764,74.368773 Z" id="path8948-3-5-2"/> </svg> </div> </div> <script> function setup_video_metadata(event) { video = event.target; var seek = video.parentElement.children[1].children[1]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = video.duration; seek.value = video.currentTime; details = video.parentElement.children[1].children[3].children; details[0].innerHTML = timeToText(video.currentTime) + "/"; details[1].innerHTML = timeToText(video.duration); } function playthis(event) { if (event.target.paused) { event.target.playbackRate = video.parentElement.children[1].children[2].value; event.target.play(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['pause']; } else { event.target.pause(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['play']; } } function fullscreen(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement; if (document.fullscreenElement) { document.exitFullscreen(); event.target.innerHTML = icons['expand']; } else { video.requestFullscreen(); event.target.innerHTML = icons['shrink']; } } function toggle_video_play(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; if (video.paused) { video.playbackRate = video.parentElement.children[1].children[2].value; video.play(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['pause']; } else { video.pause(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['play']; } } function update_video_speed(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; video.playbackRate = event.target.value; } function update_video_time(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; video.currentTime = event.target.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> </div> <noscript> <style> .video-player { display: none; } </style> <video controls preload="false"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/video/tott-10-inflation.mp4'> </video> </noscript> <p class="caption"> <a href='https://www.tiktok.com/@paigelayle/video/6902953819722861825'>Source</a> </p> </div> <p>Her tiktok attracted a lot of people lecturing her on inflation, about how raising the money supply devalues the money. What those responses are missing is the key statement in the video.<br> &ldquo;<em>You let <strong>THIS happen!</strong></em>&rdquo; she exclaims holding up a plastic 5$ bill and plastic 50$ bill side-by side.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy10.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy10.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <h3 id="what-exactly-did-we-let-happen">What exactly did we &ldquo;<em>let happen</em>&rdquo;?</h3> <p>A <a href="https://www.kitco.com/news/2019-12-02/Nearly-one-third-of-Americans-believe-U-S-dollar-is-backed-by-gold-Genesis-Mining-s-survey.html">third of Americans</a> still believe the US dollar is backed by real, tangible value in the form of gold. This hasn&rsquo;t been true for quite some time, and that is why our central bank currencies are also called <em>fiat currencies</em>. It is almost a guarantee that you, the reader reader are paid, taxed, and earning income in a central bank currency known either as dollars, euros, or any other national currency. This has already had <a href="https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/">significant impact of society</a>.</p> <h2 id="what-is-a-central-bank">What is a central bank?</h2> <p>A central bank is a &ldquo;bank for banks&rdquo;.<br> &ldquo;<em>Why would a bank need a bank?&rdquo;</em><br> Your deposits at a bank are a liability to that bank, they have legally needed &ldquo;bank money* called <em>reserves</em> to offset that liability on their balance sheet.</p> <p>John titus does a fantastic job explaining how this works, and has changed during the Covid Crisis.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://youtu.be/VYOEvurCVuk'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/images/tott-10/split-circuit.png' > </a> <p class="caption"> From &#34;Larry &amp; Carstens&#39; Excellent Pandemic&#34; by John Titus <a href='https://youtu.be/VYOEvurCVuk'>Source</a> </p> </div> <p><a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/federalreserve/">Central banks are corporations</a>, that lend money to governments and other banks. Central banking is effectively the death of free enterprise, not only do market participants have to out-compete vertical monopolies but also entities with the power to create and distribute money from nothing. This power effectively means that some participants experience lavish success in a simulated economy, while those outside the simulated economy must operate in the harshest of economic conditions. Before countries entirely adopt CBDCs en-masse, now is the perfect time to consider (if not the last time) if central banks are institutions that ought to be abolished entirely.</p> <h2 id="digital-currencies">Digital Currencies</h2> <p>In a sense, any digital form of national currency is <em>already a central bank digital currency.</em> It is important to understand that while digital currencies are <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series">tools of the technocracy</a> so too are central banks <em>themselves</em>. What central banks are after with digital currencies isn&rsquo;t merely control. They have control already. Their concern is that their control is too crude, instead they would prefer precise options to micro-manage the economy down to individual transactions.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-1.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-1/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy #1: Digital Currency</h2><i>How the digital financial complex works against you...and what you can do about it.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="payment-processors">Payment processors</h3> <p>Online payment processors allow people to seamlessly transact. Most payment processors use central bank currencies because for most people they are the only currency they use. These payment processors have <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/paypal-fine-2500-intolerance-discriminatory/">significant leverage over those reliant on them</a>. As if monetary policy didn&rsquo;t distort the economy enough, now payment processors are eager to show they can be proactive in surveilling, fining, and otherwise restricting their users. This is because they will be effectively competing with CBDCs in these areas.</p> <h3 id="cryptocurrencies">Cryptocurrencies</h3> <p>Satoshi made history when he created the first digital currency with no central issuing authority that couldn&rsquo;t be counterfeit. This was no small feat. By using the power of raw computing power, Bitcoin is still the largest mover in the huge cryptocurrency space. Not all cryptocurrencies are decentralized. As computing power, or financial control ramp up, only time will tell how many truly decentralized projects will survive.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/road2hell.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/blockchain/" ><h2>The road to hell: misplaced optimism in the blockchain space</h2><i></i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>The biggest challenge with cryptocurrency in our current age is that money is only part of our current troubles. We can all switch to a &ldquo;silver bullet&rdquo; system tomorrow and there would still be immense damage to be undone. Just as money is a construct we create, it is also entirely reliant on the rule of law. No money, no matter how secure or private can itself alone overthrow tyrants.</p> <h2 id="what-is-a-cbdc-really">What <em>is</em> a CBDC <em>really</em>?</h2> <p>The major threat that new CBDCs present is that they are highly likely to be streamlined with the following properties:</p> <h3 id="programmable">Programmable</h3> <p>In addition to having control of every transaction, programmable currencies allow participants to enter <em>new kinds of transactions</em>. This could include all kinds of things, such as directly monetizing surveillance. Automated systems could be used to enhance these digital contracts.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/programmable-currency.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/programmable-currency" ><h2>Programmable currency</h2><i>What is it good for?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="interoperable">Interoperable</h3> <p>As Mathew Crawford points out: &ldquo;A networks value increases exponentially in relation to the number of its users&rdquo; it wouldn&rsquo;t make sense to limit total top-down financial control to a single jurisdiction. Eventually a global uni-system could be built on top without the participants having any power to prevent the change.</p> <h3 id="so-what">So what?</h3> <p>These things can enable an <a href="https://iceni.substack.com/p/spartacast-05#details">industrial revolution without people</a>. The technocrats don&rsquo;t just believe they&rsquo;ve won in finance, but all of human history and evolution. They intend to transform all our countries into giant (but shrinking) open-air prisons.</p> <h3 id="corporate-backed-digital-currencies">Corporate-backed digital currencies</h3> <p>Odds are <em>essential workers</em> will likely not be lucky enough to use the state-issued CBDC. Instead they may be restricted to using their companies <strong>Corporate-Backed Digital Currency</strong>, a modern version of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_store">company store</a>. These indentured servants would have no capacity to transact outside approved channels.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/servicification.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/servicification" ><h2>Servicification</h2><i>One of the greatest threats to private property rights.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>It is critical not to simply be reflexively averse to a central bank digital currency, and naive to the threads presented by corporate backed digital currencies. Where convenient I recommend mentioning both in similar situations.</p> <h2 id="concerns">Concerns</h2> <p>Frustratingly, it doesn&rsquo;t take much imagination to guess how these systems will be used. We have already seen mass de-platforming by financial institutions as a means of censorship. So many things that could be done with a CBDC have already been done on either as a whole, or with specific interventions.</p> <p>Other encroachments will be much more sinister and harder to predict. New functionality and advancements in technology will open up unimaginable possibilities. No single person would be capable of understanding it all, making anyone who attempts to sound mad to those who haven&rsquo;t.</p> <h3 id="surveillance">Surveillance</h3> <p>Surveillance itself is enough of an invasion, regardless what it is being used for. People deserve the right to make mistakes, learn, and grow as people. It is troubling in an age where there is hardly any accountability for those at the top, the public is being targeted for any kind of micro-infraction. The only way to restore a free and fair society is to tilt the scales in the opposite direction.</p> <h3 id="censorship">Censorship</h3> <p>Programmable currencies are entirely able to dictate their use. No transaction is permanent, likely only the record of it is. This can be used to develop powerful feedback loops to entirely eliminate dissent.</p> <h3 id="financial-repression">Financial Repression</h3> <p>Reprisals for unapproved actions can be harsh and all-encompassing. Not only are you entirely vulnerable to the whims of the system, those around you will also face the same consequences for lending support.</p> <h3 id="social-control">Social control</h3> <p>Using financial control to manipulate the public is <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/other20220929a.htm">already being tested</a>.</p> <h3 id="micro-management">Micro-management</h3> <p>With additional forms of contracts punishments can be fine-tuned to elicit very specific responses. All kinds of virtual systems can be precisely configured to represent your deemed place in society.</p> <h3 id="failure">Failure</h3> <p>Central planning in any form is civilization&rsquo;s equivalent of putting all your eggs in one basket&hellip;over a cliff. It is a total failure mode of any human system and should be avoided at all costs. When these schemes inevitably go wrong, so much damage to lives, communities, and vital human capital is often unrecoverable.</p> <h2 id="why-now">Why now?</h2> <p>Or more importantly, <em>why the rush</em>?<br> There are a variety of factors that mean that the <em>powers that ought not to be</em> might not really have time on their side when it comes to preparing alternative financial systems.</p> <h3 id="expanding-vs-collapsing">Expanding vs collapsing</h3> <p>Chris Martenson&rsquo;s <a href="https://peakprosperity.com/courses/crashcourse/">Crash Course</a> used to be a prediction, in 2022 it&rsquo;s more of a look in the rear view mirror. It is an essential framework for understanding how our existing financial systems have been hijacked to create inevitable ruin.</p> <p>The course revolves around the &ldquo;Three &lsquo;E&rsquo;s&rdquo; which are fundamental concepts for understanding our changing world:</p> <ul> <li>Economy</li> <li>Energy</li> <li>Environment</li> </ul> <p>Chris points out our exponential debt-based financial system only has two modes: rapidly expanding, and collapsing. This gets more dire in each iteration. The system requires exponentially larger expansion to continue each time and there&rsquo;s only so much finite production and energy that are possible within a given moment in time.</p> <h3 id="currency-lifecycle">Currency lifecycle</h3> <p>Lynette Zang at ITM trading is a fantastic resource for understanding the &ldquo;financial reset&rdquo;. She is quite knowledgeable about the history of currencies and often has unique insight about where we are in the &ldquo;currency lifecycle&rdquo;.</p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exjnAxpzaSg">Will They Peg the Dollar to Gold? Why This Matters and What This Means to You | by Lynette Zang </a></p> <p>One of her most important points is that the central banker&rsquo;s game is entirely one of <em>confidence</em>. Their only constraint is how quickly people lose faith in the entire system. Your consent is part of what allows their schemes to succeed. She highly recommends possessing physical gold as a means to withdraw that consent.</p> <h4 id="murder-of-a-rebel-nation">Murder of a Rebel Nation</h4> <p>Best Evidence is a treasure. John Titus can explain complicated financial concepts in a way that is remarkably accessible. He&rsquo;s published many great videos addressing the bailouts and lack of criminal prosecution since the great financial crisis.</p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRV_1ECbasw">Presenting America&rsquo;s Real Coup d&rsquo;Etat</a></p> <p>He also has a substack at <a href="https://bestevidence.substack.com/">https://bestevidence.substack.com/</a></p> <h3 id="geopolitics">Geopolitics</h3> <p>As the world changes so do alliances and incentives. Many brilliant minds have suggested that the Covid Crisis could be a <a href="https://denisrancourt.ca/videos.php?id=37">painful diversion</a> from an ongoing <a href="https://rumble.com/v1lamwt-rte-raw-exploring-the-iatrogenocide-hypothesis.html">geopolitical Struggle</a>.</p> <p>Regardless of the underlying reasons we can almost certainly expect future disruptions and difficulties. If nothing else please find ways to be more resilient yourself and take care of others.</p> <h2 id="solutions">Solutions</h2> <h3 id="just-say-no-and-do-not-comply">Just say &ldquo;NO!&rdquo; and Do not comply!</h3> <p>Tank your social credit score in advance! The most powerful tool the technocracy has to influence you is your own mind. Deliberately properly aligning the incentives yourself can go a long way.</p> <p>Authentic peaceful disobedience is priceless in these times. As aggrivating as things are it&rsquo;s important to understand that it&rsquo;s our duty to demonstrate that all peaceful options have been exhausted.</p> <h3 id="hold-institutions-accountable">Hold institutions accountable</h3> <p>We can not engineer nor evade our way around the fact that the rule of law is precious and needs to be restored. There is hardly any reason to start new laws and constitutions from scratch when we can&rsquo;t even enforce existing ones. Greater transparency and accountability will pay dividends in all other aspects of working for freedom.</p> <h3 id="sharing--charity">Sharing &amp; Charity</h3> <p>A great way to eliminate financial incentives is to provide what you can without financial strings. Cooperation is at a premium these days, so there is much to gain from sharing with others. Building a robust safety-net for those ejected from the social credit system is a pre-requisite for mass resistance.</p> <h3 id="sound-money">Sound money</h3> <p>I&rsquo;m not particularly biased towards any asset or commodity, but I am highly skeptical of any solution that doesn&rsquo;t re-ground society back to tangible value. Our manipulated currencies have corrupted even trivial incentives for so long that I doubt we can avoid facing those consequences. This is why it is all-the-more important that high-profile criminals be prosecuted for their ill-gotten-gains.</p> <h3 id="time-banking">Time banking</h3> <p>Anything that values human beings and their time more is a good thing. The technocracy has aimed to glamorize a future without other people. If we all have to embrace barter to resist tyranny, time banking is a very efficient model.</p> <h3 id="local-digital-currencies-and-decentralized-cryptocurrencies">Local digital currencies and decentralized cryptocurrencies</h3> <p>While any and all useful digital systems should be used for what they can, relying on a single global blockchain may be an inefficient option for regions that may face radically different circumstances. Building an online bank from the ground up is not a technically sophisticated task. Anyone capable of creating a dynamic website is capable of building a functional prototype. The main difficulties are around physical security and accountability for the assets.</p> Servicification https://libresolutions.network/articles/servicification/ Wed, 12 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/servicification/ /media/images/servicification.webp <p>Today, so many online services confuse the concept of ownership.<br> Ownership is not merely access to a product. Ownership is about <em>rights</em>, for both tangible and intangible property.<br> What options do you have to use, enjoy, or transfer that property?<br> What limits (if any) exist on those options.<br> These rights are entirely dependent on either the rule of law, or on force.</p> <blockquote> <p>If Claus Schwab aims to deprive me of my property and my liberty, he needs to remember I have a gun.</p> <p>Rick Rule</p> </blockquote> <p>The very reason the law exists, is so that people don&rsquo;t have to resort to violent means to defend themselves. In an ideal world, people would clearly and efficiently negotiate outcomes. This requires acceptable and enforceable <em>boundaries</em> to limit what actions can be taken against people. Otherwise the situation can rapidly devolve into <em>anarcho-tyranny.</em> <sup id="fnref:1"><a href="#fn:1" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">1</a></sup></p> <p>The <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy/">tools of the technocracy</a> aren&rsquo;t always used to outright rob people. Quite often, they are instead used to <em>tip the scales</em> in a way that coerces people into giving in to schemes that they otherwise wouldn&rsquo;t. Convenience in exchange for surveillance is the most clear example, but there are other options. If not prevented by a vigilant populace, the state can force people to <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/canadian-government-has-allocated-105-3-million-to-world-economic-forum-digital-id-partnership/">beta test</a> additional surveillance and control.<sup id="fnref:2"><a href="#fn:2" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">2</a></sup></p> <h1 id="servicification">Servicification</h1> <p>Servicification is the replacement of concrete ownership with temporary access. Arguably there are some efficiency gains. Instead of fragile, disposable products providers would invest in products that are built to last. In addition to this, unused products could be accessible to be used by others. These benefits are more advantageous for the <em>owner</em> of the property rather than the users. The only benefit the user gains is that it potentially gives people access to products that they would be otherwise unable to afford.</p> <p>A big problem is that in our current landscape, the users will likely be charged more than just currency. People may have to pay with their data in addition to currency. Even worse, by using these products may be entirely gated behind a social credit system armed with all-pervasive mass surveillance.</p> <h3 id="virtual-goods">Virtual goods</h3> <p>Music, videos, software, &amp; video games are all already quite accessible through online stores. &ldquo;Owning&rdquo; these <em>virtual products</em> isn&rsquo;t actual ownership, it&rsquo;s merely purchasing a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/you-dont-own-your-digital-movies/"><em>temporary license</em></a> to make use of them. Temporary as in, the service provider can decide to no longer give the user access. Or even when the service provider goes under, access becomes impossible.</p> <p>NFTs are an interesting attempt to solve that problem. If one stores entire digital goods on the blockchain, smart contracts could allow permanent <sup id="fnref:3"><a href="#fn:3" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">3</a></sup> and transferrable access. This arrangement requires there to be an incentive for the blockchain to be stored-long term, which may require a high and increasing token price.</p> <h3 id="reality-alterations">Reality alterations</h3> <p>Beyond digital goods, servicification can be used to regulate and manage physical assets and goods. With enough surveillance and automation, renting something or somewhere can be done without any human interaction. This is always a double-edged affair, when things are conveniently enabled without human interaction, they can also be <em>restricted</em> without any human interaction or judgement.</p> <style> .video-player { display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; } .video-controls { display: flex; flex-direction: row; width: 100%; height: fit-content; flex-wrap: nowrap; } .video-controls p { width: min-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .video-controls>* { margin: 5px; } .video-controls select, .video-controls button { background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color: var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding: 0.5rem; } .icon svg { width: 2.25rem; height: fit-content; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } .video-player:fullscreen{ height:100vh; width:100vw; } .video-player:fullscreen video{ max-height: 100vh; height:100%; max-width: 100vw; width: 100vw; } </style> <div class="video-container"> <div class="video-player"> <video preload="metadata" onclick="playthis(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_video_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_video_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/video/wef-clothes-drm.mp4'> </video> <div class="video-controls"> <div onclick="toggle_video_play(event)" class="icon"> <svg viewBox="0 0 120 120"><circle style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:0;stroke-width:6.4;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" id="path2040" cx="60.062084" cy="62.077591" r="52.403164" /><path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1; stroke-width:4;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="m 36.961917,29.902848 c 3.596357,-1.826163 63.333473,26.918008 63.449063,32.530093 0.1386,6.729203 -61.229407,35.615675 -63.254766,33.796117 -1.971501,-1.557746 -3.672784,-64.52183 -0.194297,-66.32621 z" id="path1060"> </svg> </div> </button> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_video_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_video_speed(event)"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="fullscreen(event)"> <svg viewBox="0 0 120 120"> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 46.964564,56.005523 29.64354,38.443145 15.744327,51.812481 15.624368,16.779513 l 36.623948,0.03226 -13.177737,14.17536 16.622539,16.392689 z" id="path8948-3"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 55.129887,73.388205 38.422614,90.210417 51.067135,104.89922 16.395468,104.33333 16.434945,67.605641 30.111493,81.28219 46.504182,64.659651 Z" id="path8948-3-5"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 63.363444,46.935211 80.997081,30.825588 67.627745,17.036604 102.68744,17.447746 102.62846,52.646518 88.168059,39.041226 71.989147,55.663767 Z" id="path8948-3-6"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 71.956318,65.743071 91.343851,82.735377 104.06395,70.648701 103.79532,105.13832 69.166628,105.79193 82.579575,93.184265 63.227764,74.368773 Z" id="path8948-3-5-2"/> </svg> </div> </div> <script> function setup_video_metadata(event) { video = event.target; var seek = video.parentElement.children[1].children[1]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = video.duration; seek.value = video.currentTime; details = video.parentElement.children[1].children[3].children; details[0].innerHTML = timeToText(video.currentTime) + "/"; details[1].innerHTML = timeToText(video.duration); } function playthis(event) { if (event.target.paused) { event.target.playbackRate = video.parentElement.children[1].children[2].value; event.target.play(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['pause']; } else { event.target.pause(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['play']; } } function fullscreen(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement; if (document.fullscreenElement) { document.exitFullscreen(); event.target.innerHTML = icons['expand']; } else { video.requestFullscreen(); event.target.innerHTML = icons['shrink']; } } function toggle_video_play(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; if (video.paused) { video.playbackRate = video.parentElement.children[1].children[2].value; video.play(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['pause']; } else { video.pause(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['play']; } } function update_video_speed(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; video.playbackRate = event.target.value; } function update_video_time(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; video.currentTime = event.target.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> </div> <noscript> <style> .video-player { display: none; } </style> <video controls preload="false"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/video/wef-clothes-drm.mp4'> </video> </noscript> <p class="caption"> </p> </div> <p>Video source: <a href="https://twitter.com/heliodown/status/1501550504677101570">Twitter</a></p> <p>This is a new frontier for digital intrusion into people&rsquo;s lives. While one may hope that they are exempt because they don&rsquo;t own any smart devices, there are ways around this. People with less money can be presented with predatory arrangements where renting a place also requires them to opt-in to all kinds of surveillance and control, ensuring that privacy and autonomy is only limited to the very wealthy.</p> <p>It is important to note that these measures aren&rsquo;t enhancements. In no way does adding internet access to a lock make it more secure. A digital token may <em>represent access</em> but this is in no way the same thing as a key physically required to mechanically unlock a door.</p> <h3 id="the-sharing-economy">The &ldquo;sharing economy&rdquo;</h3> <p>Jobs aren&rsquo;t safe either. Offshoring allowed the financial class to use human suffering as a competitive advantage against labor. Servicification allows an even further impoverishment of the citizens. By cutting up a single well-paid career into micro-tasks that are then farmed out to either underpaid workers with no bargaining power, or simply automated.</p> <blockquote> <p>Consumerism in America has transferred billions and trillions of dollars of wealth to would-be financial despots who now want to monopolize all resources, all property, and collect rents from them from now until the end of time, all in the name of sustainability.</p> <p><a href="https://iceni.substack.com/p/spartacast-05">Spartacus</a></p> </blockquote> <p>In the best of circumstances, this will have disastrous consequences for the workforce. This precariousness-by-default will eliminate the last vestiges of security people once took for granted. Taken to the extreme, it undermines the very social contract by turning the entire public into mercenaries.</p> <h2 id="better-ways">Better ways</h2> <h3 id="entrepreneurship">Entrepreneurship</h3> <p>The lockdowns during the Covid Crisis were an atrocious attack on small enterprises. If local economies are to ever thrive again this must be actively reversed. This is not something we have the luxury of simply hoping for. People need to actively work to reduce unfair barriers leveraged against local businesses. One of the things the technocrats fear the most is strong communities with economic self-determination. Making these changes may be difficult and expensive, but it is a whole lot more difficult and expensive to live in a society without an authentic local economy.</p> <h3 id="libraries">Libraries</h3> <p>Yes, most of the efficiency of servicification can be gained from your local library. Using a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Things">library of things</a> <sup id="fnref:4"><a href="#fn:4" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">4</a></sup> allows people to get use out of items they may only need occasionally. There is no reason that the products being shared need to be owned by a multi-national corporation. By supporting and enhancing surveillance-free alternatives we can all benefit from modern efficiency without compromising the vulnerable.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://synergeticdesign.substack.com/p/the-future-will-be-community-based" ><h2>The future will be community-based</h2><i>The need to belong is thwarting the globalist agenda.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <div class="footnotes" role="doc-endnotes"> <hr> <ol> <li id="fn:1"> <p>Anarcho-tyranny on <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=anarcho-tyranny">urban dictionary</a></p> <blockquote> <p>Anarcho-tyranny is a concept, where the state is argued to be more interested in controlling citizens so that they do not oppose the managerial class (tyranny) rather than controlling real criminals (causing anarchy). Laws are argued to be enforced only selectively, depending on what is perceived to be beneficial for the ruling elite.</p> </blockquote> &#160;<a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></li> <li id="fn:2"> <p>Vaccine passports are a notable example.&#160;<a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p> </li> <li id="fn:3"> <p>Well, as permanent as the blockchain running it anyways.&#160;<a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p> </li> <li id="fn:4"> <p>Share a shovel, share a machine&#160;<a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-backref" role="doc-backlink">&#x21a9;&#xfe0e;</a></p> </li> </ol> </div> The failure of intelligence https://libresolutions.network/articles/intelligence/ Sat, 08 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/intelligence/ /media/images/intelligence.webp <p>In an ideal world, people would do their best to understand reality and share that understanding with others. Some call this journalism. This kind of journalism has been under attack for quite some time. The very reason that ideal world can&rsquo;t exist is because being able to understand reality better than others, or to even conceal that reality from others gives one power. That power is sought by all kinds of people in all kinds of situations and it corrupts them. No amount of <em>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s for the greater good!&rdquo;</em> rationalization will comfort their souls, and deep down they know it.</p> <blockquote> <p>The very word “secrecy” is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And <strong>there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment.</strong></p> <p>John F. Kennedy <a href="https://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/john-f-kennedy-address-the-president-and-the-press-27-april-1961-speech-text/">27 April 1961</a></p> </blockquote> <p>Secrets beget more secrets, and they blister with corruption. This deep corruption has taken root in almost all levels of society. One has to be ejected from it all to appreciate the full extent of it. People very ability to understand what lies before them is under attack on the most fundamental levels. More control, suppression and deceit are constantly required to maintain the illusion. These illusions are not mere phantoms, they require sacrifice. Greater and greater sacrifices are made just for more to be demanded.</p> <p>People are not blind to this. Every day in all their actions they make a conscious choice. &ldquo;<em>Is this level of sacrifice enough to cover the secrets I maintain?</em>&rdquo; We are all tainted by the secrets we participate in. Every deviation from sharing the truth as we know it incurs unimaginable debts. There is only one act that can truly change things. It is a loving act of self-sacrifice. That act of self-sacrifice is to shout:</p> <h2 id="enough">Enough!</h2> <p>Enough with the lies, enough with the pretending, enough with the sacrifices. It takes a monumental act of courage to take on not only the secrecy, but also make yourself an enemy of those who still harbor them. This is no small feat. Telling the truth in an age of deceit is an immense risk in even the most trivial of examples. How do we as free people respond?</p> <blockquote> <p>Don&rsquo;t underestimate the power of truth, there&rsquo;s nothing more powerful. Now in order to speak what you might regard as the truth you have to <strong>let go of the outcome!</strong> You have to think: &ldquo;Alright I&rsquo;m going to say what I think. Ignorant as I am, stupid as I am. I am going to state what I think as clearly as I can and I&rsquo;m going to live with the consequences no matter what they are.</p> <p>Jordan Peterson at the <a href="https://youtu.be/watch?v=HzZ9h7bM6QE">Manning Conference 2017</a></p> </blockquote> <p>As Peterson warns us, it is not safe to speak the truth. People have to do it anyways. You need to have the faith that the cost is worth it. Without that faith you will falter when you&rsquo;re needed most. You may never know when that time comes, it is best to always be on guard. If nothing else, understand you&rsquo;re not alone. There are many others who have taken up that challenge in the largest and smallest of ways.</p> <h2 id="freeassange">#FreeAssange</h2> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://twitter.com/johnpilger/status/1577372529169154073" ><h2>John Pilger on Twitter🐦 </h2><i>Julian Assange is in prison, representing you yes, you. Why? Because eventually the violent, rapacious power that put him there will touch your life, perhaps worse than that...</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>By sacrificing Julian Assange for <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120614232056/https://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/why-im-posting-bail-money">these lies</a>, what&rsquo;s next? Who or what should we prepare to hoist onto the altar of public relations. Merely evading the wrath of those who benefit from secrecy is not enough. These injustices simply beget more injustices. In doing so we don&rsquo;t just corrupt the public record, but our own moral understanding. Some may argue these methods are worthwhile, but it is indisputable they have a cost. That cost rises every day with every concession away from the truth.</p> <p>This is <em>the mechanism</em> that is making all our lives more difficult. You can choose almost any contentious political issue, delve deep enough you find ultimately the troubles are the cost of maintaining some kind of secret. People have been mislead in so many ways. It is terrifyingly asinine to label a handful of alleged misconceptions <em>&ldquo;disinformation&rdquo;</em> to take the blame for decades of deceit.</p> <blockquote> <p>When you try to equate yourself with Julian Assange you&rsquo;re making a very dangerous gesture.</p> <p>John Bolton</p> </blockquote> <p>We are well past dangerous. We have gambled with so many lives, for so long and for what? Deranged western leaders have sabotaged generations of human capital. Nobody is safe. No amount of acquiescence or displays of loyalty will protect anyone from a system of total corruption. Wealth won&rsquo;t protect anyone either. Without the rule of law safety and wealth are both meaningless, unenforceable concepts.</p> <hr> <h2 id="the-goal-is-justice-the-method-is-transparency"><em>The goal is justice, the method is transparency</em></h2> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://johnpilger.com/videos/julian-assange-in-conversation-with-john-pilger'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/assange-interview.webp' > </a> </div> <p>Our goal as free people in society shouldn&rsquo;t simply be to be those <em>in-the-know</em>. Being &ldquo;awake&rdquo; is a pitiful consolation when one idly watches the tides of tyranny crash forth. It is long past time to take action, but I&rsquo;ll also call you to imagine. Imagine a world that isn&rsquo;t constantly wasting time, energy, effort, and lives in the name of preserving secrecy. What could be gained by saving the immense cost of maintaining secrecy and lies?</p> <p>All around us we witness the unending failures of intelligence at the highest levels. What is all the censorship, surveillance, and narrative control for if it fails to bring forth truth? People struggle to agree on some of the most basic tenets of our reality. Instead of cooperating to build understanding we draw battle lines. Waging our culture wars, while criminals plunder our societies in the cover of ignorance and hatred.</p> <p>Whatever we currently call intelligence needs to give way for justice. Agencies, think-tanks, and individuals are all called to say &ldquo;Enough!&rdquo; and aim for restoring integrity. We can undo the damage done by lies, but we can use the truth to set us free of them.</p> Principle: Hardware matters https://libresolutions.network/articles/hardware-matters/ Wed, 05 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/hardware-matters/ /media/images/board.webp <h2 id="back-to-basics">Back to Basics</h2> <p>There are innumerable examples of average people being unable to explain how the modern conveniences of their life work. From creating food, energy, and products to what it takes to make them accessible, nearly everyone is quite ignorant about these things. In an age of such rapid transformation it is quite understandable if not predictable. When it comes to technology, almost everything is quite obscured for a person who doesn&rsquo;t take the time to look.</p> <p>This creates a great deal of confusion and friction when trying to truly decentralize power. In most cases, it’s not always necessary for someone to know details about every service and system they use. However, there are many advantages to being aware of some fundamental elements of digital systems that surround us. We as people working to safeguard and expand human liberty, must at least understand the basics of how things work.</p> <h2 id="hardware">Hardware</h2> <p>In their simplest form, computers use power to run computations on signals. They can use those signals to manipulate devices to do all kinds of things like run displays or store information. These devices can have ways to <a href="https://www.coreysdigs.com/technology/welcome-to-the-surveillance-state-biometrics-data-collection-is-all-around-you/">collect information</a> and signals for the computer. With more sophisticated programming we can use these signals to create files and media, access the web, and enjoy a large variety of multimedia content. When it comes to any device you have, you&rsquo;ll at least want to be aware of what it <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/tim-hortons-privacy-settlement/"><em>can do</em>.</a></p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutionsnetwork.substack.com/p/reclaiming-cyberspace-1" ><h2>Reclaiming territory in cyberspace: #1 Hardware basics</h2><i>Start your journey in building up your digital sovereignty.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="specialized-hardware">Specialized hardware</h3> <blockquote> <p>One cpu = one vote</p> <p><a href="https://www.bitcoin.com/satoshi-archive/whitepaper">Satoshi Nakamoto</a></p> </blockquote> <p>One of the things that initially got me excited about <a href="https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=bitcoin">Bitcoin</a> was that it created a market incentive for people to acquire more powerful computing. I had hoped that this would eventually decentralize computing power across society. That was quickly demolished when <a href="https://cryptobriefing.com/cryptocurrency-mining-asic-centralization/">specialized hardware</a> was created uniquely for the purpose of mining Bitcoin. There are also specialized devices for <a href="https://itsfoss.com/best-sbc-for-ai/">machine learning</a> and <a href="https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/security/what-is-fido2/">authentication</a>. using specialized hardware can do wonders for resource efficiency and simplifying problems.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/construction-banner.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-3/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #3 Robots, IoT, Automation, Oh my!</h2><i>Transforming the world in ways seen and unseen</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Unfortunately that also means that general computing devices could end up being restricted from the people. If all kinds of functions are available through cloud providers and specialized products, bad actors could argue that general-purpose computing is too dangerous to be accessible to the masses. General purpose devices would likely consume more resources, and these &ldquo;wasteful&rdquo; devices could be restricted in the name of conserving energy.</p> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/IgF3OX8nT0w'> </iframe> <h2 id="what-happens-when-we-ignore-hardware">What happens when we ignore hardware?</h2> <p>There&rsquo;s no reason to guess because in many ways we already have. Smartphones are the perfect representation of what happens when we aren&rsquo;t in control of our computing. People&rsquo;s own devices and data can become <a href="https://dt.gl/privacy-update-google-scans-private-photos-leading-to-false-accusations/">weaponized against them</a>.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/pi-vs-smartphone.webp' > </div> <h3 id="the-cloud">The cloud</h3> <blockquote> <p><em>There is no cloud, there is only someone else&rsquo;s computer</em></p> </blockquote> <p>By putting all of your data on cloud services you have no idea where the data is actually stored and if it is truly protected. While the best way to protect data is to never record it, a great way is to only store it on your own devices. While many cloud providers boast stringent security, data breaches are an <a href="haveibeenpwned.com/">all-too-common occurrence.</a> By keeping your data to yourself, it is safer because you&rsquo;re likely to be less of a target than everyone&rsquo;s cloud data combined.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-4.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-4/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #4 Online Identity</h2><i>What is following you in your digital tracks?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="serverless">&ldquo;Serverless&rdquo;</h3> <p>Why use your own devices at all? Why not simply centralize all computing power and storage into one giant <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainframe_computer">big iron.</a> Due to the economies of scale, it can be tempting to reap the efficiency gains of using massive supercomputers as a common good. While for some applications this may be quite viable, the name &ldquo;serverless&rdquo; is entirely misleading. All the computation and storage still needs to exist somewhere. Whoever, or whatever has control of that mainframe is effectively the master of the resource. Bad actors would be highly motivated to corrupt and manipulate that resource, undermining any efficiency gains from centralization.</p> <p>If you&rsquo;re sincerely interested in running systems without servers at all, you may be interested in <a href="https://github.com/amark/gun">gun.js</a>. Gun is a useful framework for building peer-to-peer persistent applications. These applications effectively store all the important data among the users.</p> <h2 id="rebuilding">Rebuilding</h2> <p>All three primary resources in cyberspace (Computing power, Storage, &amp; bandwidth) are entirely reliant on hardware. This means if you&rsquo;re hoping to democratize our online experience, you want to ensure those three (and the hardware that supports them) are as decentralized as possible. While it may be impossible to perfectly decentralize these things, incremental progress can yield exponential results.</p> <h3 id="free-as-in-freedom-hardware">Free (as in Freedom) hardware</h3> <p>It is a mistake to continue to buy hardware from large corporations with an incentive to sell you cloud services. You can&rsquo;t reasonably expect that they will chose principles they don&rsquo;t have over their bottom-line. Ideally your hardware would be entirely sourced from local, ethically built, businesses that respect your freedom. Unfortunately we are quite far away from that being the standard. It is our responsibility collectively to remove <a href="https://2ndlook.news/2022/02/06/made-to-break-planned-obsolescence-and-the-right-to-repair/">unnecessary barriers</a> to making that a reality.</p> <p>The <a href="https://fsf.org">Free Software Foundation</a> has a fantastic campaign called <a href="https://ryf.fsf.org/"><em>Respects your freedom</em></a> or hardware that meets their <a href="https://ryf.fsf.org/about">certification</a></p> <h3 id="other-initiatives">Other initiatives</h3> <p>Regardless of what we choose, it&rsquo;s important that we get better at supporting hardware designers and manufacturers that support freedom.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://puri.sm/">Purism</a></li> <li><a href="https://system76.com/">System76</a></li> <li><a href="https://e.foundation/">E Foundation</a></li> <li><a href="https://pine64.com/">Pine64</a></li> <li><a href="https://starlabs.systems/">Star Labs systems</a></li> </ul> Programmable currency https://libresolutions.network/articles/programmable-currency/ Sun, 25 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/programmable-currency/ /media/images/programmable-currency.webp <p>With ordinary money like cash or coins, the holder decides what they want to do with it and what needs to be disclosed. <em>Programmable currency</em> is an entirely different situation. In many ways, they aren&rsquo;t much of a deviation from existing digital currency that can be tracked, blocked and controlled. The differences lie in scale, scope, and application. When someone has their <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/political/ottawa-city-councillor-demands-government-seize-7-million-raised-canadian-truckers">donations seized</a>, or <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/canadas-td-bank-freezes-1-1m-donated-to-freedom-convoy-protesters/">their bank account frozen</a>, there is an action that needs to make that happen. Someone has to recognize an event, then take action and make the change.</p> <p>With programmable currency <em>intervention can be the default</em>. Instead of you being protected from interference, you are at the whims of the <em>rules of the game</em>. Ideally, people would be able to choose the terms they&rsquo;re beholden to. The challenge is that both state and corporate entities are more than able and willing to enforce one-sided terms onto the public. There is much to say about the diabolical uses for programmable currency.</p> <h2 id="what-is-it-good-for">What is it good for?</h2> <p>Currency is a concept first and foremost. Instead of getting lost in the technical details of specific digital currencies, realize that programmable currency can be built on simple ideas. This piece, aims to help you understand how these systems work. Surely there&rsquo;s more to programmable currency than pure evil? What can programmable currency be used for?</p> <h3 id="smart-contacts">Smart contacts</h3> <p>There are many situations where one may want some product or service, but isn&rsquo;t too concerned about who or what provides it. With programmable currency one could automatically pay the first entity that delivers it. Even fully-centralized programmable money may provide the mechanism for ordinary people to setup these kinds of interactions.</p> <p>This has all kinds of other uses. With this, and a high degree of automation; one could run a nearly entirely automated business. When a customer places an order, the machines detect the transaction. The machines then can prepare the order, maybe even paying human laborers in the programmable currency to handle some of the trickier parts along the way.</p> <h3 id="open-science">Open Science</h3> <p>Kevin McKernan argues that the peer review system is broken. That its main flaw is the lack of a price signal for reviewers. Funded by the Dash project, Kevin published results and papers about sequencing cannabis plants. Through the course of the project a great deal of progress was made. He does focus more on the scientific elements of the project, but some elements are clear:</p> <ul> <li>Science could be a lot more transparent</li> <li>The barrier to entry can be lowered significantly</li> <li>Participants can be better rewarded for their contributions</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/watch?v=iSZ3TynIczw">Kevin McKernan - Texas Bitcoin Conference</a></p> <h3 id="alternative-financial-models">Alternative financial models</h3> <p>Many proponents of programmable currency are fierce advocates of universal basic income (UBI). <a href="https://cesium.app/en/">Cesium</a> is an attempt to make this a reality. Every day each participant in the web-of-trust is given a daily guaranteed dividend. The value of the currency is solely determined by the value offered by the participants. This currency isn&rsquo;t designed for saving or investing, but purely as a way to provide grassroots liquidity.</p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/y1b7rppRkaI">The libre currency without jargon</a></p> <h2 id="a-trivial-example">A trivial example</h2> <p>If you&rsquo;ve ever tried a variety of games for Android or iOS, this can illuminate things a great deal. Many smartphone games are outright designed to extract the most amount of money from the customer as regularly as possible. With all the state-of-the-art research on how to manipulate people, any centralized digital currency will definitely resemble the worst aspects of any popular mobile game.</p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/wUrBlQaDkfM">How Gacha Games Trick Players into Spending Thousands</a></p> <p>As a player of any mobile game you bring in two primary resources: your money and your time. Your goal is to effectively convert one or both of those resources into in-game experiences and rewards. These mobile games tend to have two in-game currencies: one that is purchased with time, another that is purchased with your money. If you understand those dynamics, you understand everything you need to about how programmable currency will be used against people.</p> <p>The game&rsquo;s two currencies have many properties that are unique to programmable currencies:</p> <ul> <li> <p><strong>They are limited to specific uses</strong></p> <p>In these games the currencies are not equal. &ldquo;Money currency&rdquo; will take you so much farther than the &ldquo;time currency&rsquo; and there is usually a very unfavorable ratio when exchanging these.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>May be explicitly manipulated by the issuer</strong></p> <p>The player doesn&rsquo;t have any control over the game&rsquo;s infrastructure. Their only choice is to use the currencies as intended or work outside the system entirely.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Purchasing the currency locks you into the system</strong></p> <p>There may be no way to recover value from the system. If the game itself is not one you enjoy, and you&rsquo;re outside of the refund window, there may be no way to recover the value you put into the system. It may even be outright impossible.</p> </li> </ul> <h1 id="what-cant-programmable-currency-do">What can&rsquo;t programmable currency do?</h1> <h3 id="eliminate-security-concerns">Eliminate security concerns</h3> <p>There are <a href="https://web3isgoinggreat.com/">many examples</a> of poorly designed Web3 projects getting hacked or having <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/ethereums-censorship-resistance-under-attack-recap-biggest-crypto-news-2nd-week-august">funds sanctioned</a>. These systems aren&rsquo;t immune to all the same failings that existing digital infrastructure has. Like any other endeavor great care should be placed in ensuring the privacy, security and autonomy of participants. Just like with any other kind of app, convenience can come at a price.</p> <h3 id="handle-trust">Handle Trust</h3> <p>It is all-too-appealing for those of us interested in technology to believe in our hubris, that simply the right technological innovation will overcome human problems. It can&rsquo;t be overstated that this mindset will always lead to mistakes. Tools are tools, whether they are wielded by us or the technocracy. &ldquo;Trust-less&rdquo; systems can&rsquo;t bring health and wealth to a society of people who don&rsquo;t respect each other.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/blockchain-banner.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/blockchain/" ><h2>The road to hell: misplaced optimism in the blockchain space</h2><i></i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> Redefining "high places" https://libresolutions.network/articles/high-places/ Wed, 21 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/high-places/ /media/images/high-places.webp <p>The technocracy is a terrifying, horrific and inhuman assault on our very being. People are under assault from all angles: financial, emotional, and intellectual. By keeping people alone and isolated, the technocracy can seem all-but-entirely unopposed. It is quite easy to fall into the trap of envying it&rsquo;s power, or even wishing to share in the ill-gotten-gains. This trap is what can transform the most fervent freedom fighter into yet another foot-soldier for the machine.</p> <h2 id="selling-out-for-shockingly-low-prices">Selling out for shockingly low prices</h2> <p>Working for the technocracy is working for those who want to enslave you, and everyone around you. With previous regimes, one could argue there was an incentive to defect. People naturally feel drawn to securing their own legacies, even sadly at the expense of others. This however, doesn&rsquo;t apply here. There is no pleasant future purchased in exchange for complying with this inhuman agenda. Whatever temporary creature comforts one enjoys for attacking humanity is a very small price in exchange for the consequences.</p> <p>&ldquo;<em>What consequences?</em>&rdquo; Rizza Islam started his speech at <a href="https://rumble.com/vuk6vk-rizza-islam-full-speech-defeat-the-mandates-dc.html">Defeat the Mandates</a> with a profound statement.</p> <blockquote> <p><strong>This is the example of what you get</strong> when you choose to attack all members of the human family.<br> <strong>This is what you get</strong> when you decide to go after a person&rsquo;s child. <br> <strong>This is what you get</strong> when you choose to attack men, women, medical professionals, those with degrees, those without degrees, and those in-between.</p> </blockquote> <p>If there&rsquo;s one thing we need to do above all else, it is to maintain and nurture our love for humanity in these dark times. This is a highly necessary call to unity. We do not have the luxury of being choosy with allies. You&rsquo;re not going to agree with everyone in this fight. Odds are you may have severe disagreements or even unhealed wounds.</p> <p>In case anyone needs a reminder, governments all over the world used the pretext of a crisis to seize more power and control. Instead of using any of that power to help anyone, all major institutions enforced measures and decisions that <a href="https://odysee.com/@MaajidNawaz:d/EP22-Radical:1">consistently caused harm</a> instead of preventing it. When presented with evidence of harm, these institutions responded with threats, gaslighting, and indifference. <strong>Regardless of what can be salvaged from these institutions, they have no authority, credibility, and legitimacy until the cause those issues is addressed.</strong></p> <h1 id="redefining-high-places">Redefining &ldquo;high places&rdquo;</h1> <p>This is not a call for attacking people in those institutions, wishing ill on them, or even replacing the institutions themselves. It is well past time to acknowledge what is, rather than what we would like to be.</p> <ul> <li><strong>These institutions, as they exist, are working against people.</strong></li> <li><strong>These institutions, as they exist, are hopelessly corrupt.</strong></li> </ul> <p>Thankfully the good doctor has a cure for this situation:</p> <blockquote> <p>&ldquo;<em>Turn away from evil, run towards good</em>&rdquo;</p> <p>Dr Vladimir Zelenko</p> </blockquote> <h2 id="turn-away-from-evil">Turn away from evil</h2> <h3 id="stop-envying-their-wealth-and-prestige">Stop envying their wealth and prestige</h3> <p>In many ways, this is the hardest and most critical. People are being placed into desperate situations and it is a very trying time for almost everyone. Any status gained from working within institutions responsible needs to be met with extreme scorn. While there may be people inside them that are kind and loving within their own circle, but nothing they say or do is to be met with praise. Achievements in service of evil are no achievements at all.</p> <h3 id="stop-complying">Stop complying</h3> <p>When given the choice to make a situation easier or harder for those working against humanity, why do them any favors? Anything people can do to create friction for those who desire total control works to help us all. Total control would be almost impossible if people actively chose to encourage indifference to err on the side of non-compliance.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://twitter.com/denisrancourt/status/1480314494370914305" ><h2>Denis Rancourt on Twitter 🐦</h2><i>To all those who say &#34;we need mass resistance&#34;... I say &#34;we need individual non-compliance&#34;. Plus, that is something you actually control. Stop being a social theorist, and actually join the resistance.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="dont-take-them-seriously">Don&rsquo;t take them seriously</h3> <p>We live in a time of <em>aggressive absurdities</em>. People are expected to live a lie to maintain the illusion of a functioning human society. These are dangerous times and mistaking propaganda for reality is a very expensive and life-threatening mistake. As much as possible, give no credence to what these institutions would have you believe. Instead, work with those who are continuously working to dig up the truth beneath the surface.</p> <h2 id="run-towards-good">Run towards good</h2> <h3 id="value-and-nurture-what-has-been-taken-from-the-people">Value and nurture what has been taken from the people</h3> <p>So many things have been ripped away from people, or even forgotten entirely. These are the things we should be maximizing in our lives:</p> <ul> <li>Truth</li> <li>Health</li> <li>Trust</li> <li>Beauty</li> <li>Peace</li> <li>Autonomy</li> <li>Privacy</li> <li>Wisdom</li> <li>Freedom</li> </ul> <p>How many of these things come from the technocracy? Will total top-down control with us at the helm bring these things to each other? Remember that it is impossible to win at that game, and it is good that what we want can be achieved through different means.</p> <h3 id="support-others">Support others</h3> <p>All of this is bigger than any of us. Nobody can take it all alone. Unity is our greatest strength.</p> <ul> <li>They want people isolated and alone? <strong>Work with others to bring people together.</strong></li> <li>They want people fearful and in dread? <strong>Raise people&rsquo;s spirits and give them hope.</strong></li> <li>They want people angry and wrathful? <strong>Bring peace to difficult situations and settle disputes.</strong></li> </ul> <h3 id="step-into-yourself">Step into yourself</h3> <p><em>To err is human, to forgive is divine.</em> Forgive yourself as well as others. Working for human freedom requires courage and otherworldly strength. Forging meaningful connections with others can help you truly recognize your own talents and strengths.</p> <h2 id="you-have-friends-in-high-places">You have friends in high places</h2> <p>What do you admire most?</p> <p>Is it large sums of money? Fame? Power? No?</p> <p>If you&rsquo;re be willing to trade all of those things for a better world, I have good news for you.</p> <p><strong>You are not alone.</strong></p> <p><em>An incomplete list, in no particular order:</em></p> <h4 id="dr-kulvinder-kaur-md">Dr Kulvinder Kaur MD</h4> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://twitter.com/dockaurG/status/1329933660146053121#m" ><h2>Kulvinder Kaur MD on Twitter 🐦</h2><i>If you are trying to make sense of this nightmare, pls start here. Beginning a Scientific Evidence-Based Humanitarian Response to Covid-19: can be applied globally based on GBD</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h4 id="dr-paul-merik">Dr Paul Merik</h4> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/IMgjCDc0PeM'> </iframe> <h4 id="dr-christina-parks">Dr Christina Parks</h4> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/8DOOZpGA_VI'> </iframe> <h4 id="dr-byram-bridle">Dr Byram Bridle</h4> <iframe src='https://rumble.com/embed/vr7vkn/?pub=10epb7'> </iframe> <h4 id="jessica-rose">Jessica Rose</h4> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://jessica5b3.substack.com/p/i-have-no-words-for-how-elated-i" ><h2>I have no words for how elated I am at my most recent experience in life.</h2><i>World Council for Health meeting in Vienna</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h4 id="meryl-nass">Meryl Nass</h4> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/uKtU3lxjVa4'> </iframe> <h4 id="catherine-austin-fitts">Catherine Austin Fitts</h4> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/m0YW81RA26I'> </iframe> <h4 id="spartacus">Spartacus</h4> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://iceni.substack.com/p/coming-soon" ><h2>ICENI - Institute for Coronavirus Emergence Nonprofit Intelligence</h2><i>We are a loose confederation of independent COVID-19 researchers who have collected and analyzed large reams of data on the virus, its nature, its origins, and the ongoing political scandals surrounding the government response.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h4 id="stormcloudsgathering">Stormcloudsgathering</h4> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/d-NmvDzUsdM'> </iframe> <h3 id="the-freedom-convoy">The Freedom Convoy</h3> <p>There were tons of people who organized, supported, and participated in the Canadian Freedom Convoy. Every single one of those great people are cheering you on.</p> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/4NEFLvA39wQ'> </iframe> <h3 id="and-many-many-others">and many, many others:</h3> <p>Beyond the <a href="https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=people_speaking_out_against_the_narrative">pillars of courage</a> that are recognizable to anyone, there are many more people who have put in many tireless hours for the good of all. This is the time for all of us to reject tyranny however we can.</p> <ul> <li>Those searching for, and sharing the truth</li> <li>Those working to comfort those in need</li> <li>Those who’ve donated their skills and expertise to uncover corruption</li> </ul> Tools of the Technocracy: #9 Internet Shutdowns https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-9/ Sat, 03 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-9/ /media/tott-9-preview.webp <h1 id="tools-of-the-technocracytagstools-of-the-technocracy-series-9-internet-shutdowns"><a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series">Tools of the Technocracy</a>: #9 Internet Shutdowns</h1> <p>The <em>free and open web</em> is an idea. It&rsquo;s the idea that humanity can share a distributed (or entirely decentralized) information repository for free expression and open dialogue. So many great things would be outright impossible without the world&rsquo;s <em>information superhighway</em>. The threats to a free and open web are legion, governments, corporations, and other malevolent entities are eager to control your access to information.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy9.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy9.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <p>In the age of widespread tolerance for censorship, the term <em>&ldquo;net neutrality&rdquo;</em> is entirely forgotten. This is an important reminder that censorship is very much as <a href="https://youtube.com/watch?v=wtt2aSV8wdw">social phenomenon</a> as well as a technological threat. Controlling information is always about controlling people. Given complete control over what information one&rsquo;s subjects have access to, that entity is their ruler regardless of the law.</p> <h2 id="why-shut-down-the-internet">Why shut down the Internet?</h2> <p>The internet can be a phenomenal equalizer; people have access to immense amounts of human knowledge and expression. Despite all the aspects of our digital world being leveraged against people, the Internet has many properties that are beneficial to humanity at large. It&rsquo;s censorship resistant, and good valuable information can be relatively permanent.</p> <blockquote> <p><em>The internet interprets censorship as damage, and routes around it.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>I really like that quote, but I feel it misses the mark. <em><strong>People</strong></em> interpret censorship as an attack on their right to freedom of thought, and those people work to route around it. This is a nightmare for technocrats and tyrants of all walks of life. Professionals, academics, and bureaucrats don&rsquo;t fear the public being able to use the Internet to learn their skills and replace them. Instead, what they truly fear is the public being able to use the Internet to expose them as <em><strong>frauds</strong></em>. Censorship is an attack on all people by attacking their very ability to learn, create and share.</p> <p>The danger of internet shutdowns, in whole or in part, is the fundamental undermining of the people&rsquo;s ability to peacefully find alternatives to serious problems. It is true that the Internet is used to surveil, control, and manipulate people. Those activities could very easily be deployed by these forces on their own separate networks &amp; infrastructure, it just happens to be fairly convenient to use what is here already.</p> <hr> <h2 id="whole-internet-shutdowns">Whole internet shutdowns</h2> <p>Internet shutdowns are already a well-established phenomenon. Regardless of justification, whole internet shutdowns have drastic consequences on the people and represent an overt attack on their civil rights. By denying people&rsquo;s ability to access information, and their ability to be heard by the rest of the world; you enable the worst actors to commit their crimes in the cover of darkness.</p> <blockquote> <p>India leads total shutdowns globally. In 2021, the world’s largest democracy shut off its internet 106 times – more than the rest of the world combined. Hardest-hit was the conflict-ridden region of Jammu and Kashmir, which was subject to 85 shutdowns under the guise of containing separatist violence. The blackouts shut down Zoom classes for students, stopped doctors from communicating with their remote patients and crippled the banking system, causing mortgage holders to default on their loans. Apple crops rotted before they could be sold and businesses were paralyzed.</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/29/flicking-the-kill-switch-governments-embrace-internet-shutdowns-as-a-form-of-control">https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/29/flicking-the-kill-switch-governments-embrace-internet-shutdowns-as-a-form-of-control</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jrotermund/status/1564158516327333889">https://twitter.com/jrotermund/status/1564158516327333889</a></p> </blockquote> <p>Such a drastic measure is (outside of accident &amp; sabotage) never taken lightly. Any trivial excuse for initiating one is almost certainly a lie. A government may blame a foreign adversary, but one has to ask: &ldquo;Qui bono?&rdquo;. Who really benefits from cutting off a nations public access to information, and to be heard from the wider world?</p> <h2 id="partial-internet-shutdowns">Partial internet shutdowns</h2> <p>While a whole internet shutdown could be localized in a small area, another option is altering the infrastructure to monitor, alter, or deny access to specific kinds of traffic. It is possible for unencrypted (or recognizable patterns) traffic can be filtered, throttled, or monitored. This means that specific kinds of services, like e-mails or uploads can be disrupted entirely.</p> <h3 id="great-firewalls">Great Firewalls</h3> <p>When an entity has control of some parts of the Internet infrastructure there are all kinds of techniques that can be used to block access to sites and specific kinds of services. These &ldquo;great firewalls&rdquo; can also be used to block connections entirely from or to the outside world. From a strategic perspective, blocking isn&rsquo;t the only option, surveillance is an incredibly powerful tool for hunting down dissidents.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-5.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-5#cloudflare" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #5 Networks</h2><i>Much of the digital infrastructure in place today is built to structurally enable tyranny.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>The little padlock on your browser means the site is secure right? <strong>No.</strong> The only thing that little padlock says is that you have a direct encrypted connection to <strong>a server</strong>. Without inspecting the certificate itself and verifying with others you can&rsquo;t always be sure you&rsquo;re connected to <strong>the correct server</strong>.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://web.archive.org/web/20150724070237/https://www.privacyinternational.org/sites/default/files/PAKISTAN%20REPORT%20HIGH%20RES%2020150721_0.pdf'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/tott-9-dpi.webp' > </a> </div> <p>This technology drastically reduces the amount and kinds of services you can trust. These insidious techniques can make it seem almost impossible to use the Internet securely and privately. Solutions exist, but one has to responsibly manage their expectations when it comes to trade-offs. It&rsquo;s essentially an open secret that the Internet was developed for the purpose of being an all-encompassing surveillance grid. If humanity wants to maintain the information superhighway as a public good, we are all going to have to learn to be nimble and change our behavior to reform cyberspace.</p> <h2 id="targeted-attacks">Targeted attacks</h2> <p>A broad internet shutdown is a desperate move. Strategically, it&rsquo;s much more efficient to eliminate sources (and disseminators) of information that you want to restrict. This is exactly why the public at large must constantly be told why censorship has to continue. If people understood the true cost of censorship, no self-respecting person would tolerate it.</p> <h3 id="cyberattacks">Cyberattacks</h3> <p>Sufficiently motivated adversaries with enough resources can make keeping a service online very difficult. Just as we are all mortal no service is fully attack-proof. The cost to fight a cyberattack is almost always significantly more than the cost to initiate it.</p> <h3 id="denial-of-infrastructure">Denial of infrastructure</h3> <blockquote> <p>In a deeply troubling response, after both terminations we saw a dramatic increase in authoritarian regimes attempting to have us terminate security services for human rights organizations — often citing the language from our own justification back to us.</p> <p><a href="https://blog.cloudflare.com/cloudflares-abuse-policies-and-approach/">Cloudflare blog</a></p> </blockquote> <p>In ideal circumstances such restriction would be impossible. However, as long as the three primary resources of cyberspace (storage, computing power, bandwidth) are subject to the economies of scale; there will always be powerful incentives to rely on certain entities one-way-or-another.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://stonetoss.com/comic/build-big/'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/tott-9-stonetoss.webp' > </a> </div> <h3 id="attacking-the-people">Attacking the people</h3> <p>The people running any kind of site or service are just humans like you and me. They are mortal. Not only that, but they are vulnerable to smear campaigns, threats, and bribes.</p> <h2 id="the-infodemichttpswwwcorbettreportcomare-you-prepared-for-the-infodemic"><a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/are-you-prepared-for-the-infodemic/">The infodemic</a></h2> <p>There is a high demand for people rationalizing censorship. Technocrats, tyrants, and social engineers of all kinds are all willing to pay handsomely for (or even fight for) the ability to control people&rsquo;s minds. In today&rsquo;s day and age, it&rsquo;s completely laughable to believe that any of that power will be devoted at all for the people&rsquo;s benefit.</p> <p><em>Are there limitless <a href="https://youtu.be/watch?v=YWdD206eSv0">lies on the Internet?</a>.</em></p> <p><strong>Absolutely.</strong></p> <p><em>Are there mobs of angry people willing to do all manner of cruel things to others on the Internet?</em></p> <p><strong>No doubt.</strong></p> <p><em>Are there groups of people disproportionately targeted by all kinds of online abuse and manipulation?</em></p> <p><strong>Yes, 100%.</strong></p> <p><em>Is anyone, any group of people, or institution so entirely noble and wise that they can wield the power to control information justly?</em></p> <p><strong>Nope. Not now, and likely <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/P_versus_NP_problem">not ever.</a></strong></p> <h3 id="why">Why?</h3> <p>This is a reasonable question to ask. It&rsquo;s easy to imagine society can decide what forms of expression are most cruel, most egregious, most harmful and only limit sanctions on that. The unfortunate truth is that even if that is the case today, there is never a guarantee that it will remain that way. The &ldquo;<em>slippery slope fallacy</em>&rdquo; can&rsquo;t be applied to events driven by exponential growth and decay. When abuses of power aren&rsquo;t swiftly and harshly punished, future abuses aren&rsquo;t just welcomed; they are <em><strong>incentivized</strong></em>.</p> <h3 id="misinformation-disinformation-malinformation">Misinformation, Disinformation, Malinformation</h3> <p>These terms are thrown around so casually these days, attributed to so many things that it is hard to see them as anything other than thought-terminating-cliches.<br> Apparently they are supposed to mean:</p> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Misinformation</strong></p> <p><em>Information that isn&rsquo;t true but the people sharing it <strong>believe it is true</strong></em></p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Disinformation</strong></p> <p><em>Information that isn&rsquo;t true, even though the people spreading it <strong>know it&rsquo;s false</strong></em></p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Malinformation</strong></p> <p><em>Information that <strong>is actually true</strong>, but has &ldquo;<em>undesirable effects</em>&rdquo;</em> (such as loss of trust in institutions, bank runs, scandals)</p> </li> </ul> <p>Ironically these terms themselves are actually quite dangerous ideas. They presume not just the desirability of information control, but also the outright moral necessity of it. That alone would be bad enough, but having seen how these labels are applied over the last two years. They are hardly used fairly at all. These terms are little more than smears by a desperate press that&rsquo;s losing trust faster than they can say &ldquo;<em>Streisand effect!</em>&rdquo;.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://blog.cloudflare.com/kiwifarms-blocked/'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/tott-9-cfb.webp' > </a> </div> <h3 id="harassment">Harassment</h3> <p>Human beings have a great capacity to hurt each other. The internet, like any other tool greatly enhances this. When someone doesn&rsquo;t take absolute care to be anonymous there is little-to-nothing they can do to protect themselves from the ire of an irate mob, especially a well-financed and motivated one. This makes many people want to rush to suppress any hostile expression. It backfires all the time. Societal rifts need to be healed, not torn further and further apart.</p> <p>Facebook can&rsquo;t handle all the hate and abuse from people on their own platform, with the state-of-the art tools. While there may be financial incentives for Facebook to fan the flames, they fail to completely eliminate all kinds of criminal activities from their services. It is highly likely that suppressing all anger and hate is an impossible task.</p> <p>This doesn&rsquo;t mean that the hate has to continue to burn. Selectively suppressing anger and hate just fosters resentment and escalates the hate. Instead, empowering people to peacefully negotiate, separate themselves from, or simply accept differences in society can help. Raising tensions only serves to benefit those who have bad intentions or ulterior motives.</p> <h3 id="automated-extremism">Automated extremism</h3> <p>We are not just dealing with small groups of malevolent people. Automated tools exist to flood people with all kinds of inflammatory material. Simply lashing out at the people who are confused and angry is blaming the victims. Yes, they often beget more victims. Which builds a cycle of eye-for-an-eye&rsquo;ing each other for a very blind world.</p> <p>For those that are sincerely worried about extremism, or people indoctrinated with nonsense, remember that those people don&rsquo;t exist in a vacuum. It is well understood that suppression doesn&rsquo;t actually reduce those problems. We have seen over and over that all it does is inflame anger and drive people further underground. Exiling those people and demeaning their concerns is incredibly counter-productive.</p> <p>The only reason to take the suppression approach is if there is some part of the associated discourse that you want to keep buried forever. If that&rsquo;s the case I&rsquo;m highly suspicious of your motives.</p> <p>What can be done bout the anger and hate?</p> <p><a href="https://merylnass.substack.com/p/how-to-conceptualize-and-fight-back"><strong>You are the solution!</strong></a></p> <p>If you&rsquo;re reading this, you&rsquo;re already a curious and thoughtful person. This is the key to diffusing the conflicts in society. While we all have ways we can improve ourselves to be more charitable and understanding with others, you have to take time to be more outspoken to humanize those who are being attacked. Tessa Lena has a <a href="https://rumble.com/embed/v1b5giz">fantastic presentation</a> on this.</p> <hr> <h2 id="solutions-for-censorship-resistance">Solutions for censorship resistance</h2> <h3 id="build-big">Build big</h3> <p>Nobody can tackle the full threat of internet shutdowns alone. It can be difficult to get people interested in collaborating until it happens. That said, everyone is going to wish that in a moment of an internet shutdown there is a flood of volunteers rushing to help get people back online immediately.</p> <p>Democratization of internet infrastructure is vital. High-bandwidth long-range communications aren&rsquo;t easy to build, but many of these challenged can be overcome with dedicated and talented people being supported.</p> <p>What&rsquo;s more powerful than too big to fail? <strong>Too small to shut down.</strong><br> Power and control should be as distributed as possible. Instead of relying on heroes to have all the answers we all need to work on solutions that can scale beyond our self-interest and political division.</p> <h3 id="useful-projects">Useful Projects</h3> <p>These all require some degree of technical knowledge, but are highly worth exploring.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://meshtastic.org">Meshtastic</a></li> <li><a href="https://yggdrasil-network.github.io/">Yggdrasil</a></li> <li><a href="https://intranet.tildeverse.org/">TildeNet</a></li> </ul> Digital ID: The basics https://libresolutions.network/articles/digital-id/ Fri, 02 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/digital-id/ /media/digital-id.webp <h2 id="101-what-is-digital-id">101: What is Digital ID?</h2> <p>The rise of technocratic control has justifiably motivated people into taking action and resist the foundational <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series/">tools of the technocracy</a>. Many of these tools are well positioned to leverage any form of digital ID against you. What forms can Digital ID take?</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/ronin19217435/status/1563300304006684673">A biometric implant</a>?</li> <li><a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/canada-faces-call-to-scrap-vaccine-passport-app/">A smartphone app</a>?</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/backtolife_2023/status/1564488781624901632">Your face</a>?</li> <li>A microchip in your passport?</li> </ul> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/ca-passport-chip.webp' > </div> <p>Any and all of these can be used in such a system. There isn&rsquo;t a specific need to use exclusively and only those. Mass surveillance (online and outside) can make anonymity entirely difficult to outright impossible. This has incredible implications for all kinds of interactions; instead of you getting to choose who (or what) you identify yourself to, you are automatically identified to the system and quite possibly everyone else around you.</p> <h3 id="identification">Identification</h3> <p>&ldquo;<em>Who cares if people know who you are?</em>&rdquo; you may ask. If only it were that simple.<br> While your identity may not be shared with everyone around you, the system will know. Then <strong>almost anything and everything</strong> can be used against you.</p> <ul> <li>That article you read three years ago?</li> <li>Someone you&rsquo;re associated with?</li> <li>Religious or political views?</li> </ul> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-4.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-4/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #4 Online Identity</h2><i>What is following you in your digital tracks?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>This information has already been <a href="https://thecountersignal.com/pakistani-government-threatens-to-block-digital-ids-to-shut-down-access-to-bank-accounts/">used against people</a>. It is impossible to predict what information will be leveraged and how. Once the system is in force it is highly unlikely there will be any transparency or recourse when it is abused. We have <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/mark-zuckerberg-joe-rogan-fbi-hunter-biden/">already seen</a> how big tech social media and other organizations are eager to <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/farm-credit-canada-bank-freedom-convoy/">misuse information</a>, how much more likely is it to be abused by an even less <a href="https://www.oval.media/en/mrglobal-2/">accountable entity</a>?</p> <h3 id="surveillance">Surveillance</h3> <p>The feedback loop driving further data collection is very strong. The more data you have about people the more power you have over them. Even if you&rsquo;re as careful as possible; your fellow citizens, businesses and services, or even institutions can all be pressured or bribed into divulging information about you.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-7.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-7/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #7 Smart Cities</h2><i>Smart cities are marketed as if they are for the convenience of its residents, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Even when services and organizations aren&rsquo;t proactively concerned with what your activities are, they could be using convenient systems that simply collect information in the background.</p> <h3 id="devices">Devices</h3> <p>&ldquo;Smart&rdquo; devices, implants, computers, can all be used to represent you. All that matters is that the system can uniquely identify you. Even if the devices themselves aren&rsquo;t proactively being used against you, software and services you use can often pick up the slack.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/construction-banner.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-3/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #3 Robots, IoT, Automation, Oh my!</h2><i>Transforming the world in ways seen and unseen</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <video autoplay muted loop preload="true" class="gif"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/ar-card.mp4'> </video> <h3 id="data-sovereignty">Data sovereignty</h3> <p>Digital ID begins with data. While you can avoid using devices that disclose that data, it&rsquo;s much harder to prevent state and corporate entities from collecting and sharing the data they have on you. That&rsquo;s the trouble. Data <strong>about you</strong> isn&rsquo;t the same as <strong>your</strong> data.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/road2hell.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/blockchain/" ><h2>The road to hell: misplaced optimism in the blockchain space</h2><i></i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>The only data you can call &ldquo;your data&rdquo; is data that is stored on systems you control. Data about you is near impossible for you to entirely quantify. Surely, if we made sure that everything was stored on a blockchain it would be better! At least more transparent?</p> <h3 id="governance">Governance</h3> <p>The <a href="https://chrgj.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Report_Paving-a-Digital-Road-to-Hell.pdf">threats</a> inherent to a mass surveillance and control grid are not solved by changing who&rsquo;s running it, or what technology it is stored on. With such a system, the people running it are not immune to the all-too-human problem of being corrupted by power. Putting this system it&rsquo;s own artificial intelligence to determine how it should be run is no better.</p> <p>Due to the very nature of this kind of control, there is no reason for it to be fair, consistent or even logical. By placing everyone&rsquo;s destiny inside a centralized control grid you introduce <a href="https://www.lesswrong.com/tag/paperclip-maximizer">catastrophic failure modes</a>. The failure of every utopian fantasy, of every totalitarian regime, is thinking &ldquo;<em>this time we have all the information we need to decide everything</em>&rdquo;.</p> <p>As we have seen, the very process of collecting every minute detail of everything is itself an inhuman endeavor, and an absurd waste of resources. Fear and distrust has turned people against each other to clamor for a false savior to attack their enemies. Don&rsquo;t make the mistake of betting against humanity. While human beings have a horrifying capacity for evil, people from all walks of life are capable of great feats of mercy and justice.</p> <h2 id="solutions">Solutions</h2> <p>Don&rsquo;t fall prey to despair. The propaganda that leads you to believe that these systems of control are inevitable is just that. They can all be dismantled simply and quickly with enough will and effort.</p> <h3 id="data-economics">Data economics</h3> <p><strong>Data needs to become a liability</strong> instead of an asset. There needs to be serious criminal consequences for misuse of data, and civil liabilities for leaking data about people. If organizations became liable for information they collect, you can imagine how quickly they would start to prioritize the privacy of their patrons and staff.</p> <h3 id="embrace-the-analog">Embrace the analog</h3> <p>There are all kinds of things that people can do to take back the future and have fun doing it!</p> <ul> <li>Cash &amp; Coin</li> <li>Physical Records</li> <li>Non-digital entertainment <ul> <li>Books</li> <li>Board games</li> <li>Live music</li> <li>Sports</li> </ul> </li> <li>Community gatherings <ul> <li>Barbecues</li> <li>Dances</li> <li>Competitions</li> <li>Workshops</li> <li>Worship</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p>There is a reason most democracies have codified the right to freely assemble and the right to pursue happiness. Our society becoming more advanced and connected should only enhance our ability to do these things not take away from them.</p> <h3 id="support-humanity">Support humanity</h3> <p>This agenda thrives on insecurity and desperation. If you were ever waiting for a good time to give to those in need&hellip;now is a fantastic time to give to those who need it most. Food banks and shelters have a direct impact on people in your community and can make great use of what you can give.</p> <h2 id="warn-people">Warn people!</h2> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://globalcitizensunited.substack.com/p/digital-id-flyer'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/digital-id-poster.webp' > </a> </div> Tools of the Technocracy: #8 Transhumanism https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-8/ Mon, 29 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-8/ /media/tott-8.webp <h1 id="tools-of-the-technocracytagstools-of-the-technocracy-series--8-transhumanism"><a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series">Tools of the Technocracy</a>: #8 Transhumanism</h1> <p>None of the <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series/">tools of the technocracy</a> are better marketed than the concept of <em>transhumanism</em>. To some it brings to mind techno-utopian ideas like advanced cybernetics and augmented reality, to outright hubris like defeating death. That&rsquo;s not really where the dark side even begins. It gets ghoulish fast when one realizes the potential impacts to healthcare, propaganda, and human health as we know it.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy8.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy8.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <p>Criticism of novel technologies is it&rsquo;s own trope. Most people aren&rsquo;t necessarily concerned about the <a href="https://archive.org/details/IndustrialSocietyAndItsFuture-TheUnabombersManifesto">existence of new technologies</a>, but rather how those new developments are allowed to shape and impact our lives. It&rsquo;s easy to see why more useful, durable, and accessible prosthetics would be seen as a nearly universally good thing, just as mind-control chips programmed by the technocracy would be seen as universally bad.</p> <p>The sanitized term is <a href="https://horizons.gc.ca/en/2020/02/11/exploring-biodigital-convergence/">digital convergence</a>. &ldquo;<em>What happens when biology and digital technology merge?</em>&rdquo;<br> Note the certainty, <strong>when</strong> biology and technology merge not <strong>if</strong>. This is because even some of the most trivial technologies can have profound impacts on society. For example smartphones and social media have changed people as well as the media landscape in big ways.</p> <hr> <h2 id="humanity-is-already-being-altered">Humanity is already being altered</h2> <p>Our modern societies have witnessed drastic changes in people&rsquo;s physiology in a relatively short period of time. When a class of technocrats have complete control, advanced gene-editing technology is overdoing it. Just like plants and animals, humanity can modify these things with selective pressures and breeding. Giving technocrats top-down control of society, provides them absolute power to do the same to the public. Eugenics is in many ways the same technocratic formula ( collect data on everything, make modifications, shape the future) applied to biology.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://youtu.be/watch?v=Uo-kSxHNSDQ'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/tott-8-changes.webp' > </a> </div> <p>This creates the potential for a terrifying crisis. With the technology that is already within reach, a society that doesn&rsquo;t recognize individual rights will inevitably transform people&rsquo;s bodies into a <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/blockchain">tokenized commodity</a>. By denying people ownership of their own bodies, all other trespasses are a mere formality. Mandating euthanasia, modification, or use/denial of reproductive means will be all in play. This is the fundamental problem; not about which technologies are good or bad, but entirely about how to preserve our rights and autonomy.</p> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/fJGPM94iKKQ'> </iframe> <hr> <h2 id="what-are-the-technocrats-after">What are the technocrats after?</h2> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://iceni.substack.com/p/covid-19-deep-dive-part-viii-transhumanism" ><h2>COVID-19 Deep Dive Part VIII: Transhumanism</h2><i>The concept of human enhancement goes hand-in-hand with technocracy</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="complete-domination-over-humanity">Complete domination over humanity</h3> <p>The tools of the technocracy are essentially all the pieces the technocrats want on the board to &lsquo;checkmate&rsquo; humanity. Once the people are locked into being <a href="https://www.coreysdigs.com/global/dig-it-with-special-guest-cathrine-austin-fitts/"><em>collateralized</em> by the system</a>, the technocrats can make use of the public for all kinds of twisted and monstrous experiments.</p> <h3 id="immortality">Immortality</h3> <p>Why rule if you can&rsquo;t rule forever? The desire to seize complete control overlaps perfectly with a lack of willingness to give it up. Acceptance of death is a vital part of coming to terms with your life. Over and over those who live in fear of death, often die without having lived.<br> Even if you envy the ability to live forever, would you really want to live forever on the technocracy&rsquo;s terms?</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://jessicar.substack.com/p/i-once-dreamed-of-being-cybernetically" ><h2>I once dreamed of being cybernetically-enhanced</h2><i>NOT ANYMORE... a personal thank you from me to the responsible unintelligencia</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="beyond-bodies">Beyond bodies</h3> <p>Living forever in the same human body just doesn&rsquo;t suit the technocrats. Even after all kinds of fancy augmentations, fanciful ideas like uploading your consciousness to exist as a program for the end of time gain traction.</p> <hr> <h2 id="how-the-technocrats-plan-to-achieve-it">How the technocrats plan to achieve it</h2> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://alilybit.substack.com/p/the-internet-of-bodies-the-wefs-proposal" ><h2>The &#39;Internet of Bodies&#39; — The WEF’s Proposal to Control Human Behavior Through Authoritarian Surveillance</h2><i>The central theme of the Great Reset agenda is the manipulation of human nature to advance globalist corporate-state power-merging and the erosion of individual rights and liberties-oriented policies.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="narrative-control">Narrative Control</h3> <p>It can&rsquo;t be understated how much the tools of the technocracy build each other up. More centralization and control makes it easier to further centralize and control things. Propaganda will look like a crude instrument once the technocracy has electrodes directly connected to people&rsquo;s brains.</p> <h3 id="health-control">Health control</h3> <p>Turning people against their own bodies is the fundamental transhumanist goal. Anything that makes people look weak and sick compared to the pristine cybernetic products will work to their favor. Getting the public to be confused about what protects and what harms their health is a very powerful means of achieving this.</p> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/AZq7FdkugXQ'> </iframe> <p>When people&rsquo;s lives, bodies and minds are all just data-points on a dashboard it&rsquo;s very easy to argue in favor of monstrous policies and practices. In the name of doing &ldquo;<em>what&rsquo;s best for the patient</em>&rdquo; medical staff can be made to serve the system rather than the patients.</p> <h3 id="technological-integration">Technological integration</h3> <p>What are all the gadgets for anyways? People are going to need additional sensors on them so they can be bombarded with all kinds of numbers to track about themselves. Those numbers could be used to do more than just make better health decisions, but also pushing new products.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/construction-banner.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-3/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #3 Robots, IoT, Automation, Oh my!</h2><i>Transforming the world in ways seen and unseen</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <hr> <h2 id="the-faustian-bargain">The Faustian Bargain</h2> <p>It is important not to be distracted by the sci-fi utopianism to be lured into a false-sense of security about the downright ghoulish downsides of this technology, and especially this technology in the technocrats hands. It is important to keep in mind that these systems can be very easily used for evil and horrific things.</p> <h3 id="downgrades">Downgrades</h3> <p>Instead of an implant, chip or system that augments your ability to do things, it&rsquo;s often much simpler to make these systems prevent certain things. Crude mechanisms to create pain in a person when they behave in ways the system doesn&rsquo;t like is a very trivial mechanism that would have powerful results in conditioning a person.</p> <h3 id="rights">Rights</h3> <p>The transhumanist agenda creates a great deal of civil rights troubles. As technological systems are allowed to invade our minds and our bodies we put the liberty of all humanity at risk.</p> <h4 id="1-privacy">1. Privacy</h4> <p>The most obvious concern is privacy; if these devices are monitoring all kinds of activity in and around your body, who has access to that information?</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/big-data.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-2/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #2 Big Data &amp; Artificial Intelligence</h2><i>What is all this data for anyways?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h4 id="2-economic-pressures">2. Economic pressures</h4> <p>If only it was as simple as just disconnecting from these systems. In some situations cybernetic augments may be seen as a necessary requirement for certain jobs. This creates a powerful incentive against people who wish to keep their bodies unmodified, or would rather avoid specific modifications.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-1.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-1/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy #1: Digital Currency</h2><i>How the digital financial complex works against you...and what you can do about it.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h4 id="3-censorship-and-manipulation">3. Censorship and manipulation</h4> <p>Many &lsquo;upgrades&rsquo; go beyond what you can perceive. All kinds of imperceptible actions will be able to manipulate people far better than social media and advertising can. Instead of relying on symbolism and experiences to produce certain thoughts and feelings, the technocrats will aim to make you experience the desired inputs directly.<br> Even if they can&rsquo;t force people to forget things yet, they&rsquo;ll be forced to act as if they have.</p> <hr> <h2 id="solutions">Solutions</h2> <h3 id="take-control-of-your-health">Take control of your health</h3> <ul> <li>Understand your body, get to know your habits.</li> <li>Find trustworthy people to help you build up your health, and avoid the things that damage you.</li> <li>Get active, play and enjoy being a human being!</li> </ul> <h3 id="dont-let-them-define-human">Don&rsquo;t let them define human</h3> <p>While it is true that you are more than just the sum total of your parts, it&rsquo;s best not to give the technocrats complete domain to define what we as human beings are, and what we are not. We as people should support each other&rsquo;s dignity regardless of what chosen or refused modifications are made.</p> <blockquote> <h3 id="corbett-technocracy-is-insane-anti-human-and-it-will-fail">Corbett: Technocracy Is Insane, Anti-Human And It WILL Fail</h3> <p>&ldquo;But on a more relatable level, we already know intuitively that the anti-human, synthetic systems that the technocrats are trying to put in place are a pipe dream. Does anyone other than the most deluded technocrat believe that humanity can really abandon the natural world and adopt a food system completely dependent on synthetic, lab-grown “meat,” genetically modified “plants” and poisonous chemicals? Or that sentient AI chatbots are going to be running society as soon as the Google engineers let them out? Or that an economy built on social credit and CBDCs can really function? Of course not. Even the people who are pulling the technocrats’ strings know this isn’t workable in the long run.&rdquo;</p> <p><a href="https://www.technocracy.news/corbett-technocracy-is-insane-anti-human-and-it-will-fail/">Technocracy News</a></p> </blockquote> <h3 id="free-as-in-freedomhttpsfsforg-hardware-and-software">Free <a href="https://fsf.org">(as in Freedom)</a> Hardware and software</h3> <p>These technological systems need transparency and consent. People should never be forced or pressured to integrate technology into their body ever. This line must never be crossed or we risk falling into outright techno-totalitarianism. If people choose to integrate technology into themselves they should have the full rights to repair, modify and use it however they see fit.</p> Simple Tips: Tracking Links https://libresolutions.network/videos/tracking-links/ Tue, 23 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/videos/tracking-links/ /media/images/tracking-links.webp <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/4bbd4e5a-352d-4d24-82ea-e8832e902021'> </iframe> <p>You can <strong>clean your links</strong> by removing extra parameters or making sure to only send perma-linked content to people.</p> Tools of the Technocracy: #7 Smart Cities https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-7/ Thu, 18 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-7/ /media/images/smart-megacity.webp <h1 id="tools-of-the-technocracytagstools-of-the-technocracy-series-7-smart-cities"><a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series">Tools of the Technocracy</a>: #7 Smart Cities</h1> <h2 id="what-is-a-smart-city">What is a smart city?</h2> <p>Just like the &lsquo;smart&rsquo; in smart devices is really just code for surveillance. A &lsquo;smart&rsquo; city is really just a surveillance &amp; control city. In essence, the smart city is the ultimate application of all the <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy/"><em>tools of the technocracy</em></a> against it&rsquo;s captives. Even the tone of their marketing gives off how much disdain they have for human beings.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy7.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy7.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <p><a href="https://iceni.substack.com/subscribe">ICENI Bulletins</a> outlines the primary attributes of a smart city.</p> <blockquote> <h2 id="attributes-of-a-future-smart-city">Attributes of a Future Smart City</h2> <ul> <li> <p><strong>It must be a planned community</strong>, laid out for high efficiency and short transit times. Practically everything one would need would be within walking distance of one’s apartment.</p> </li> <li> <p>For many workers, telecommuting via the metaverse would replace physical commutes. One’s home would also be one’s workplace. Therefore, office space would be replaced with residential space, and practically everything along one’s commute - <strong>convenience stores, clothing shops, laundromats, coffeehouses, restaurants, et cetera - would be eliminated.</strong></p> </li> <li> <p>Physical services and many commercial areas would largely be <strong>replaced with on-demand and delivery services</strong>, including robo-delivery by drones or other unmanned vehicles.</p> </li> <li> <p>Everything would be tightly regulated, with people’s utilization of services, consumption of goods, criminal activity, and other <strong>behaviors monitored by constant, all-encompassing surveillance</strong>.</p> </li> <li> <p>This same surveillance system would be used to automatically dispatch emergency services, as required, by detecting ongoing crimes, medical emergencies, and fires, using all manner of networked sensors.</p> </li> <li> <p>Networked sensors would also be used to determine electricity and natural gas usage, among other metrics of consumption and waste.</p> </li> </ul> <p><a href="https://iceni.substack.com/p/covid-19-deep-dive-part-vii-smart">COVID-19 Deep Dive Part VII: Smart Cities and Neo-Malthusianism</a></p> </blockquote> <h2 id="so-in-short">So in short&hellip;</h2> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://thefreethoughtproject.com/'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/smart-city.webp' > </a> </div> <hr> <h2 id="why">Why?</h2> <p>One of the most underestimated factors of the technocracy is the massive arms-race between the people and the technocrats. If people understood how essential the liberty they have left to their survival is they would have guarded it much more carefully during the <a href="https://www.campfire.wiki/doku.php?id=covid-19_pandemic">Covid Crisis</a>.</p> <p>Data alone isn&rsquo;t that valuable, it&rsquo;s the ability to leverage it for power and control that has fueled the constant eradication of privacy in people&rsquo;s lives. In many ways people choose to trade their privacy for convenience, but there are powerful incentives tipping the scales.</p> <style> .video-player { display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; } .video-controls { display: flex; flex-direction: row; width: 100%; height: fit-content; flex-wrap: nowrap; } .video-controls p { width: min-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .video-controls>* { margin: 5px; } .video-controls select, .video-controls button { background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color: var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding: 0.5rem; } .icon svg { width: 2.25rem; height: fit-content; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } .video-player:fullscreen{ height:100vh; width:100vw; } .video-player:fullscreen video{ max-height: 100vh; height:100%; max-width: 100vw; width: 100vw; } </style> <div class="video-container"> <div class="video-player"> <video preload="metadata" onclick="playthis(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_video_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_video_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-7-city.mp4'> </video> <div class="video-controls"> <div onclick="toggle_video_play(event)" class="icon"> <svg viewBox="0 0 120 120"><circle style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:0;stroke-width:6.4;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" id="path2040" cx="60.062084" cy="62.077591" r="52.403164" /><path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1; stroke-width:4;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="m 36.961917,29.902848 c 3.596357,-1.826163 63.333473,26.918008 63.449063,32.530093 0.1386,6.729203 -61.229407,35.615675 -63.254766,33.796117 -1.971501,-1.557746 -3.672784,-64.52183 -0.194297,-66.32621 z" id="path1060"> </svg> </div> </button> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_video_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_video_speed(event)"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="fullscreen(event)"> <svg viewBox="0 0 120 120"> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 46.964564,56.005523 29.64354,38.443145 15.744327,51.812481 15.624368,16.779513 l 36.623948,0.03226 -13.177737,14.17536 16.622539,16.392689 z" id="path8948-3"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 55.129887,73.388205 38.422614,90.210417 51.067135,104.89922 16.395468,104.33333 16.434945,67.605641 30.111493,81.28219 46.504182,64.659651 Z" id="path8948-3-5"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 63.363444,46.935211 80.997081,30.825588 67.627745,17.036604 102.68744,17.447746 102.62846,52.646518 88.168059,39.041226 71.989147,55.663767 Z" id="path8948-3-6"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 71.956318,65.743071 91.343851,82.735377 104.06395,70.648701 103.79532,105.13832 69.166628,105.79193 82.579575,93.184265 63.227764,74.368773 Z" id="path8948-3-5-2"/> </svg> </div> </div> <script> function setup_video_metadata(event) { video = event.target; var seek = video.parentElement.children[1].children[1]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = video.duration; seek.value = video.currentTime; details = video.parentElement.children[1].children[3].children; details[0].innerHTML = timeToText(video.currentTime) + "/"; details[1].innerHTML = timeToText(video.duration); } function playthis(event) { if (event.target.paused) { event.target.playbackRate = video.parentElement.children[1].children[2].value; event.target.play(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['pause']; } else { event.target.pause(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['play']; } } function fullscreen(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement; if (document.fullscreenElement) { document.exitFullscreen(); event.target.innerHTML = icons['expand']; } else { video.requestFullscreen(); event.target.innerHTML = icons['shrink']; } } function toggle_video_play(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; if (video.paused) { video.playbackRate = video.parentElement.children[1].children[2].value; video.play(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['pause']; } else { video.pause(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['play']; } } function update_video_speed(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; video.playbackRate = event.target.value; } function update_video_time(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; video.currentTime = event.target.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> </div> <noscript> <style> .video-player { display: none; } </style> <video controls preload="false"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-7-city.mp4'> </video> </noscript> <p class="caption"> </p> </div> <p>Smart cities are marketed as if they are for the convenience of its residents, but this couldn&rsquo;t be further from the truth. Smart cities are built for efficiently monitoring and controlling all aspects of people&rsquo;s lives. There are massive challenges in trying to monitor and control every minute detail in life.</p> <h3 id="there-are-only-two-ways-to-solve-that-problem">There are only two ways to solve that problem:</h3> <ol> <li>Build up more computing power, storage &amp; bandwidth incurring greater energy, resource, and management costs.</li> <li><em>&lsquo;Simplify&rsquo;</em> the problem by limiting people&rsquo;s freedom.</li> </ol> <p>There are limits to how far you can go with #1. Management of more and more complexity can become an impossibility. Energy is also likely to be <a href="https://peakprosperity.com/courses/crashcourse/">highly constrained</a> for the near future. You only need a convenient pretext to get the public under your control to go along with #2.</p> <h3 id="what-does-2-look-like-in-practice">What does #2 look like in practice?</h3> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/big-data.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-2/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #2 Big Data &amp; Artificial Intelligence</h2><i>What is all this data for anyways?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <ul> <li> <p>If you don&rsquo;t have the computation to store and calculate everyone attending social events, visiting family, and otherwise moving about?</p> <p><strong>Just stop them from moving around!</strong></p> </li> <li> <p>Can&rsquo;t easily build the infrastructure to listen to everyone, everywhere, all the time?</p> <p><strong>Simply force them onto digital platforms you control!</strong></p> </li> </ul> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/construction-banner.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-3/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #3 Robots, IoT, Automation, Oh my!</h2><i>Transforming the world in ways seen and unseen</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <ul> <li> <p>Don&rsquo;t want things like human understanding, mercy or charity dulling your harsh enforcement mechanisms?</p> <p><strong>Simply use machines to carry out the orders!</strong></p> </li> <li> <p>Tired of administrators being held accountable for decisions that impact people?</p> <p><strong>Deflect to the automatic system and claim it is for the greater good!</strong></p> </li> </ul> <p>There are all kinds of <em>&lsquo;optimizations&rsquo;</em> you can do when you decide to grab complete top-down control, and develop robust mechanisms to silence and discredit any dissent. This is why smart cities will resemble all the worst aspects of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_town">company towns</a>.</p> <hr> <h2 id="its-already-started">It&rsquo;s already started.</h2> <p><em>&ldquo;Noah was a conspiracy theorist when it started to rain&rdquo;</em><br> Dr Zelenko</p> <p>An easy mistake to make when thinking about the tools of the technocracy, is to only recognize them in their most extreme and visible forms. Systems are gradually introduced and built on to construct what could be seen as impossible. While someday you may see drones enforcing edicts on street-corners, it&rsquo;s a mistake to think that because there aren&rsquo;t outright visible features, that the system isn&rsquo;t already being built.</p> <p>For cryptocurrency the 2010s were a decade of optimism and hope. The 2020s are where we get to see the real &lsquo;double-edged&rsquo; aspects of these systems. Blockchain technology is efficient at administration and storing information. As you can see, <a href="helium.com">helium</a> is being used to roll-out IoT infrastructure.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://explorer.helium.com/iot'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/tott-7-helium.webp' > </a> </div> <p>There are many good uses for such a project, sadly, in our troubled times no tool is above <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/treasury-sanction-tornado-cash-privacy-first-amendment/">political interference</a>. There is a storm of attacks on anything resembling independent, censorship resistant communication/financial networks, even if they aren&rsquo;t secure as they seem. It is important not to become overconfident or have too much faith in an individual product.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/road2hell.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/blockchain/" ><h2>The road to hell: misplaced optimism in the blockchain space</h2><i></i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <hr> <h2 id="digital-id">Digital ID</h2> <p>As far as a smart city is concerned, <em>you aren&rsquo;t human</em>. You don&rsquo;t have rights. You can&rsquo;t own property. Your activities aren&rsquo;t limited in terms of money, but rather <em>permission</em>. All your activities are <a href="https://scribe.rip/world-economic-forum/welcome-to-2030-i-own-nothing-have-no-privacy-and-life-has-never-been-better-ee2eed62f710">constantly monitored</a> and the system has the capability to intervene at any time.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-1.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-1/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy #1: Digital Currency</h2><i>How the digital financial complex works against you...and what you can do about it.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>To the smart city administration, you happen to be an animal that carries around a tool that represents you in the system. If carrying the tool is too burdensome it can be implanted.<br> Yes, the smartphone works as a digital ID. Your phone number and/or IMEI is enough to uniquely identify you in all kinds of situations.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-4.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-4/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #4 Online Identity</h2><i>What is following you in your digital tracks?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <hr> <h2 id="solutions">Solutions</h2> <h3 id="boycott-digital-id">Boycott Digital ID</h3> <p>Reducing your dependence on surveillance devices is important. It is equally important to prevent people from being <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/doctor-is-fined-for-refusing-to-use-canadas-vaccine-passport/">forced into using them</a>. The more people locked into these systems, the less they are able to accept your refusal to participate.</p> <p>In any and all circumstances it is best to refuse to divulge personally identifying information, especially with institutions and services you don&rsquo;t trust.<br> This includes (but is not limited to):</p> <ul> <li>Full name</li> <li>Location data &amp; home address</li> <li>Phone Number</li> <li>E-mail address</li> <li>Credit card details</li> <li>Government ID</li> </ul> <p>Vitally important is to support the great local organizations working to protect freedoms in your area. The <a href="https://donations.solari.com/take-action-crowdfund/">Take Action Crowdfund</a> is a fantastic resource for finding initiatives to support.</p> <h3 id="get-involved">Get involved</h3> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/06/29/1054005/toronto-kill-the-smart-city/" ><h2>Toronto wants to kill the smart city forever</h2><i>The city wants to get right what Sidewalk Labs got so wrong.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <blockquote> <p>By May 2020, Sidewalk had pulled the plug, citing “the unprecedented economic uncertainty brought on by the covid-19 pandemic.” But that economic uncertainty came at the <strong>tail end of years of public controversy</strong> over its $900 million vision for a data-rich city within the city.</p> <p>It’s hardly unusual for citizens to get up in arms about new development, and utopias fail for all sorts of reasons. But the opposition to Sidewalk’s vision for Toronto wasn’t about things like architectural preservation or the height, density, and style of the proposed buildings—the usual fodder for public outcry. The project’s tech-first approach antagonized many; <strong>its seeming lack of seriousness about the privacy concerns of Torontonians was likely the main cause of its demise.</strong></p> </blockquote> <p>Almost everything the technocrats want to force on people are impossible without the compliance of the public. Do not fall for the trap of believing these changes are inevitable. We can all work to shape the world we want, and the most important part is getting connected and engaged in your community. It&rsquo;s important to build and maintain systems and infrastructure that strengthens communities.</p> <h3 id="work-to-prevent-an-all-digital-financial-system">Work to prevent an all-digital financial system.</h3> <p>Catherine Austin Fitts <a href="https://solari.com">(Solari.com)</a> and Children&rsquo;s Health Defense have a fantastic series <a href="https://live.childrenshealthdefense.org/shows/financial-rebellion">Financial Rebellion</a> that regularly discusses strategies to prevent total top-down control of the financial system. One of these strategies is <a href="https://home.solari.com/cash-friday">#CashEveryday</a></p> <h3 id="independent-long-range-communications">Independent long-range communications</h3> <p>Establishing &lsquo;off-grid&rsquo; communication networks to bypass censorship will be a dire necessity once the capability exists to completely segregate locations from the Internet. As technology improves, so does the ability to counteract censorship.</p> The road to hell: misplaced optimism in the blockchain space https://libresolutions.network/articles/blockchain/ Thu, 04 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/blockchain/ /media/images/blockchain-banner.webp <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/road2hell.webp' > </div> <p>I didn&rsquo;t want to believe James Corbett at the time, but he warned us in 2018.<br> <a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/bitcoinpsyop/">The bitcoin psyop</a> outlines the differences between central-bank digital currencies (CBDCs) &amp; public permission-less blockchains. He also rightly outlines how smart contracts themselves could become <a href="https://libresolutions.network/tools-of-the-technocracy-series/">tools of the technocracy</a>.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-1.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-1/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy #1: Digital Currency</h2><i>How the digital financial complex works against you...and what you can do about it.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>This article isn&rsquo;t intended to denounce every blockchain based system. Public blockchains can be used to create fantastic public goods. It&rsquo;s still important to understand how they can be used for evil. There is a great deal of inherent danger in how they can be used to create digital prisons around us.</p> <h2 id="yes-bitcoin-too">Yes, Bitcoin too.</h2> <p>Bitcoin is the linchpin of the entire cryptocurrency ecosystem. Its disruption or disappearance would cause near-existential risks for the rest of the blockchain space. While it is the most successful public blockchain to date, Bitcoin is not without it&rsquo;s problems. The most significant challenge is scaling it to support more transactions. There are sophisticated systems layered on top of Bitcoin that attempt to solve this, but in many ways it starts to look like just building the tower of babel higher and higher.</p> <p>The most significant difference between Bitcoin and other blockchain based systems is the <em>consensus algorithms</em> they use. If you simplify these systems down to a game, the consensus algorithm is essentially the rules of the game. Every round the participants compete to validate a block.<br> The two main consensus algorithms are <em>Proof of Work</em> (PoW) or <em>Proof of Stake</em> (PoS):</p> <h3 id="proof-of-work">Proof of Work</h3> <p>Using an arms race of computing power to &ldquo;mine&rdquo; a block, this competition creates hard physical restraints on hostile entities ability to manipulate the outcome. This is the solution what makes the idea of counterfeiting Bitcoin a near impossibility.</p> <h3 id="proof-of-stake">Proof of Stake</h3> <p>Instead of &lsquo;wasting&rsquo; so much energy you could ask participants of the game to &ldquo;lock up&rdquo; some tokens to proceed to the next round. This complicates matters significantly. How should initial tokens be distributed?</p> <p>At first glance, both of these consensus algorithms have significant trade-offs depending on the system you want to build. There are other varieties and hybrids but it&rsquo;s important to understand that the rules of the game are only the starting point. While Bitcoin&rsquo;s PoW mechanism seems &ldquo;fair&rdquo; in hindsight, many are growing concerned about the concentration of mining power.</p> <hr> <h2 id="what-blockchains-do-well">What blockchains do well</h2> <h3 id="storing-information">Storing information</h3> <p>Naturally you&rsquo;d want to fill the blockchain blocks with something. Blockchains are fantastic for permanent records. Regardless of the consensus mechanism blockchains are effectively auctions for permanent storage. If the value of the token goes too low, the participants may leave for a more profitable game.</p> <h3 id="bootstrapping-systems">Bootstrapping systems</h3> <p>As long as cryptocurrency has value, systems can automatically transfer that value. This means that certain kind of bounty or reward systems are able to distribute that value within desired parameters. By defining a set of behavior we want and creating a market for a token that pays for that behavior, very complicated changes can be made quickly.</p> <h2 id="what-they-cant-do">What they can&rsquo;t do</h2> <h3 id="create">Create</h3> <p>Blockchains don&rsquo;t create or build anything, they simply administrate activities. This means that if you&rsquo;re using a blockchain based system to use more storage than exists on your device, that storage has to be maintained by another party to keep the system functioning.</p> <h3 id="solve-human-problems">Solve human problems</h3> <p>Using blockchain to enforce social credit scores will be a tantalizing option for the technocracy, refusing to adopt digital ID is a pre-requisite for stopping this. It&rsquo;s dangerous to pretend that this can be entirely escaped by simply adopting a new technology.</p> <p>Despite what some may hope, these systems operate within human society not outside it. This means that many pre-existing problems (corruption, poverty, ect) are not automatically solved by adopting blockchain based technology. Tyranny is very much a human problem, one that can&rsquo;t be simply prevented by escaping to yet another controlled virtual world.</p> <hr> <h2 id="problems">Problems</h2> <h3 id="blockchain--decentralization">Blockchain != decentralization</h3> <p>Because of the apparent success of decentralized blockchain systems there is a &ldquo;cargo cult&rdquo; mentality applied to blockchain-based solutions to various problems. This creates a very dangerous blind-spot. Just like any other useful tool blockchains can be used to useful purposes and malevolent ones. Many projects can very easily incorporate some benefits and harms in the same system.</p> <p>It&rsquo;s important to keep in mind that any blockchain based system runs on top of the existing physical reality. Imbalances in the primary resources of cyberspace (storage, bandwidth &amp; computing power) still manifest in important ways. Simply transferring data &amp; computation from &ldquo;the cloud&rdquo; to &ldquo;the blockchain&rdquo; doesn&rsquo;t inherently provide any additional protection or benefits. There is an illusion that blockchains are inherently run by more trustworthy actors, but that is far from a guarantee.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://www.bitchute.com/video/4GT3RKbwxDZh/" ><h2>Can Bitcoin Circumvent Economic Tyranny?</h2><i>Dr. Joseph Mercola hosted a phenomenal discussion between finance guru Catherine Austin Fitts and Aleksandar Svetski, editor of Bitcoin Times magazine, to talk about the breakdown of our economy and potential solutions.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="oversimplifying-security--privacy">Oversimplifying security &amp; privacy</h3> <p>By giving users wallet software as a substitute for accounts on centralized services, people can in-theory gain some additional control over their data. These systems can even encrypt the users data so that the provider(s) have little-or-no access. This can be a significant improvement from the client-server model where the service operator has access to all the data in the system. While these are real possibilities, it is a mistake to assume a system operates this way simply because it uses a blockchain.</p> <p>There&rsquo;s a saying in the cryptocurrency community. <em>&ldquo;Not your keys, not your coins&rdquo;</em><br> This applies to any privacy or security guarantees made by a blockchain based system. For most people, having someone hack into their e-mail or facebook would be a big problem, but at least the damage can be limited. If people integrate their entire online identity with a wallet, gaining control to that wallet is full-on digital identity theft.</p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/watch?v=y4GB_NDU43Q">Single Point of Failure: The (Fictional) Day Google Forgot To Check Passwords</a></p> <p>Throwing data onto the blockchain (even when encrypted) violates the first rule of keeping data safe: The best way to protect data is never to record it.</p> <h3 id="nfts">NFTs</h3> <p>This article could only go so long without including the word &ldquo;scam&rdquo;. NFTs are effectively a mechanism to turn anything (property, jobs, or even you!) into a virtual commodity.</p> <p>Instead of merely being overpriced novelties, in the hands of copyright owners NFTs could become the fuel for powerful <em>information control</em> systems. It&rsquo;s hard to overstate the dystopian potential of tokenizing ideas.</p> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/seriouslynft/status/1555183150707445760#m">Information land-grabs</a> are one thing, but <em>permission</em> can also be tokenized. Instead of activities having a price the system can simply hand out vouchers and only allow the select few to use them.</p> <h3 id="net3">Net3</h3> <p>The current state of the Internet is too useful to humanity. All the current censorship and control is a mere atom compared to the ton of power the technocracy wants to have. The very foundation of the Internet has to be destroyed and rebuilt for them to achieve their aims.</p> <p>Web3 replaces separate, compartmentalized accounts with a &ldquo;wallet&rdquo; that holds the keys to your identity. Instead of signing in with a chosen username and password you are signing in with a universal and distinct identity. While current iterations allow for relatively anonymous use, it is a <a href="https://twitter.com/Nicolas_Sassoon/status/1508242641447649285">mistake to assume</a> this will always be the case.</p> <p>The web3 wallet operates eerily similarly to how a digital ID would operate online. I would be so bold as to suggest that the web3 space exists to beta-test such initiatives. While the vaccine passports were introduced to beta-test the physical and enforcement side, web3 is effectively the online prototype.</p> <p>Call it &ldquo;<strong>net3</strong>&rdquo; because instead of an interconnected web they are building a net to trap us all into specific systems of control.</p> <h3 id="automation">Automation</h3> <p>Throw robots in the mix and you&rsquo;ve got the capability of building an entirely inhuman system.Instead of a person being responsible for decisions the blame can be placed on the amorphous &ldquo;system&rdquo;. Removing the human element can&rsquo;t improve outcomes in situations where responsibility is paramount.</p> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/AIk94MJS_Sc'> </iframe> <hr> <h2 id="doing-it-right">Doing it right</h2> <p>One of the largest problems with tokenized solutions is that their participants are financially pressured into pushing other people onto the platform. Many crucial downsides may be omitted by those evangelizing their particular solution. If there&rsquo;s one thing you should leave this remembering it&rsquo;s: <em>Data in your control is much better than data in any blockchain</em>.</p> <p>Surely there&rsquo;s a better way? How can we truly work for actual decentralization without embracing technological terror? Some important concepts have been (re)introduced to people through the blockchain ecosystem:</p> <ul> <li>Self-hosting</li> <li>Peer-to-peer connections</li> <li>Encryption &amp; Key management</li> </ul> <p>Many of these things are doable without tokenizing and storing every interaction. It&rsquo;s best not to throw all of these things into one basket, and use them intelligently where they work best.</p> <h3 id="new-ways-to-log-in">New ways to log in</h3> <p>When trying to reduce the amount of sign-ins or eliminate passwords entirely there are interesting options that don&rsquo;t require a cryptocurrency wallet. <a href="https://indieauth.com/">IndieAuth</a> looks quite promising. It uses your own website to link to already existing systems to authenticate yourself.</p> <p>Hate passwords all together? <a href="https://webauthn.guide/">Webauthn</a> is an interesting proposal to do that. It uses hardware authenticators to generate separate identities for every service. This allows password-less login backed by strong encryption.</p> <h3 id="federation">Federation</h3> <p>Both <a href="https://fediverse.info">ActivityPub</a> and <a href="https://matrix.org">Matrix</a> use interoperable servers to connect communities together. You can run these servers yourself and have all the benefits of a fully-decentralized ecosystem without your data leaving your control. This is why <a href="https://joinpeertube.org/">PeerTube</a> will likely be much more successful than any blockchain-based video-hosting service.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/fediverse.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/call-to-action-join-the-fediverse/" ><h2>Call to Action: Join the Fediverse now!</h2><i>A simple, but very effective way to tip the scales in favor of free speech.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> Is the Internet safe for children? https://libresolutions.network/articles/think-of-the-children/ Sat, 23 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/think-of-the-children/ /media/think-of-the-children.webp <h2 id="nope">Nope.</h2> <p>Just as playing in traffic isn&rsquo;t safe for children, all people need to be properly mentally, and emotionally equipped to navigate the chaotic environment of the Internet. Sometimes it&rsquo;s market forces, other times it&rsquo;s algorithms, but nearly everywhere there are pitfalls designed to rob people of all ages their time, attention, and resources.</p> <p>Gaming gets a lot of flak for doing this to children, but it&rsquo;s far from the only place. Social media likes, boosts, and shares are effectively points keeping score in larger social games. The greatest challenge of protecting children online is realizing that their mind is as much at stake as their body and safety is.</p> <h3 id="visualizing-the-problem">Visualizing the problem</h3> <p>Imagine the Internet is a massive, sprawling city. There are some amazing, safe, and well maintained places. There are also some dangerous places infested with notorious gangs. Not only that, but there are places that range from everywhere in between. Most people would understandably plan to steer clear of the more dreadful places, but people underestimate the barriers to entry (and residence) in the nicer places.</p> <h2 id="risks">Risks</h2> <h3 id="surveillance">Surveillance</h3> <p>Many online services make it exceedingly easy to just give away more and more information. Many platforms attempt to mitigate it but the problem is systemic. There are a number of <a href="https://neal.fun/dark-patterns">dark patterns</a> used to gate access to information or content behind accounts, personal details, or other information. It’s not always clear what is optional and what is required.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-4.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-4" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #4 Online Identity</h2><i>What is following you in your digital tracks?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Constant surveillance of all people is a significant problem. We won&rsquo;t know the true costs of putting children at the mercy of machine learning algorithms for a long time.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/iot.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/eye-on-thee/" ><h2>IoT: The &#39;Eye-on-Thee&#39;</h2><i>A fantastic real-world example of how simple, inexpensive devices can be used for evil.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="mental-health">Mental health</h3> <p>Online spaces don’t exist in a vacuum, they’re a part of our human society. As things become challenging and confusing in life there is an incredible draw to retreat to online spaces that feel cozier than the rest of the world. <br> Leading to all kinds of problems:</p> <ul> <li>Sleep deprivation</li> <li>Depression</li> <li>Over-eating</li> <li>Escapism</li> <li>Political extremism / radicalization</li> </ul> <p>Sounds a lot like a millennial doesn’t it? Many of us are internet-addicted for a variety of reasons. Many of these problems aren’t new, and likely won’t be going away anytime soon. Some appear to have gotten <a href="https://gummibear737.substack.com/p/the-lgbtq-pandemic-and-mental-health">much worse.</a></p> <p>One of the things that has gotten a lot worse is algorithms, in the early days feeds had only the crudest metrics to judge engagement. Now AI has an immensely accurate picture of how to manipulate people into all kinds of behaviors.</p> <h3 id="market-forces">Market forces</h3> <p>The advertising industrial complex comes for every marketable group. It does not care if you&rsquo;re a wealthy person with tons of time on your hands, or a child who&rsquo;s stolen their parents credit card. It&rsquo;s a powerful machine designed to do whatever it takes to separate money from the fools and wise alike.</p> <p>These systems effectively work to build addictions in people. The system really doesn&rsquo;t care what kind of addiction it is: <a href="https://twitter.com/SteamFocus/status/1421063456409726983">gaming, gambling</a>, porn, food, ect. It only cares about how it can turn that addiction into regular and increasing business. You can call these systems evil (and I&rsquo;d agree) but the important thing to realize is that they&rsquo;re entirely indifferent to the suffering they create.</p> <h3 id="institutions">Institutions</h3> <p>Schools have been <a href="https://twitter.com/CodaStory/status/1324080978969722882">guilty of rolling out surveillance technology</a> to use on children. During the covid crisis many schools closed their doors, with <a href="https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/pandemic-school-closings-harmed-children/">predictably disastrous consequences for children</a>. Remote learning was a golden opportunity for centralization and control as the tools presented to the schools were loaded with privacy problems.</p> <p>Large institutions are often given deals on software packages that have business model in surveillance. EdTech is a big industry and a non-trivial part of it is data collection. In many ways these tools are not really tools but glorified cages. While your child will seem knowledgeable in using these products, they could be like a fish-out-of-water when having to learn how to accomplish the same tasks without them.</p> <p>A significant challenge is that trying to bring change or accountability to these institutions is <a href="https://abigailshrier.substack.com/p/when-the-state-comes-for-your-kids">nearly impossible to do alone</a>. It is in your own interest to ensure that not only your own children, but also the children in your community aren&rsquo;t beholden to technocratic control.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/wef-rational-reasons-microchip-children/" ><h2>World Economic Forum website suggests there are &#39;rational&#39; reasons to microchip your child</h2><i>The article suggests there are ways to &#39;ethically make these amazing technologies a part of our lives.&#39;</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="peer-pressure">Peer pressure</h3> <p>If any of the above were bad enough, unfortunately you have to be concerned about your child&rsquo;s peers. It&rsquo;s hard to feel included when you&rsquo;re not in the latest devices and systems. It can be hard to balance your child&rsquo;s desire to interact with their friends against the harms caused by these platforms.</p> <hr> <h2 id="the-wrong-answer-censorship-control-and-centralization">The wrong answer: Censorship, Control, and Centralization</h2> <p>Governments around the world are converging on &lsquo;solutions&rsquo; to these problems that all inch us closer towards technocratic totalitarianism. The problem with most of these methods is that they aren&rsquo;t even useful in the extreme circumstances where someone will try to justify them.</p> <ul> <li><strong>Censorship</strong> harms children&rsquo;s ability to learn and process information.</li> <li>Greater <strong>control</strong> over people&rsquo;s digital lives teaches them learned helplessness, effectively robbing them of the opportunity to learn to take control themselves.</li> <li><strong>Centralization</strong> harms everyone&rsquo;s ability to solve problems, and build resilience.</li> </ul> <p>One of the greatest things protecting all people online is relative anonymity.<br> Anonymity allows people to interact with sources of information without necessarily having to divulge any information about themselves. From bullying, online predators, and financial scams there is more and more propaganda trying to convince people that anonymity must be eliminated. This is the absolute worst solution, in every instance it&rsquo;s been tried it has failed to successfully safeguard the vulnerable. Elimination of anonymity only serves to feed data-collectors and empower those who seek control over others.</p> <hr> <h2 id="solutions">Solutions</h2> <h3 id="real-life-activities">Real life activities</h3> <p>What children need most in the world is engaged parents who proactively work to enhance their freedom, opportunities, and well-being. Unfortunately this isn&rsquo;t always easy, but it gets easier when you get others involved with you.</p> <ul> <li>Host community dances</li> <li>Teach and learn skills together</li> <li>Get involved in community sports</li> <li>Be where the fun and joy can be found</li> </ul> <p>Instead of children lurking online to escape the world, ensure that there are real opportunities for them to learn, create, play, and share with people in their community.<br> Taking time to build a strong family bond is one of the most important things you can do to keep your children safe. Being approachable allows them to warn you of dangers that may not be on your radar.</p> <h3 id="ground-rules">Ground rules</h3> <p>There are a handful activities you would want to restrict until your child has shown an appropriate level of responsibility. Like many other rules there are ways around them, but the point is to steer them away from sliding into a trap.</p> <ol> <li> <p><strong>Smart devices</strong></p> <p>If nothing else the more your entire family can avoid &lsquo;smart&rsquo; devices the better.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Screen time</strong></p> <p>The internet is a useful tool, disallowing it entirely is likely not the best strategy. Outside of practicing specific skills, long stretches of screen time will do most people very little benefit and non-trivial harm.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Online purchases</strong></p> <p>The easier it is for your children to make purchases the easier it is for algorithms to rob them with scams and manipulation.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Online Games and communities</strong></p> <p>Take the time to investigate certain games and online communities to make a reasonable judgement on a case-by-case basis.</p> </li> </ol> <h3 id="build-their-technical-understanding">Build their technical understanding</h3> <p>Preventing technology from monitoring or manipulating your children doesn&rsquo;t mean they have to be ignorant. There are many age-appropriate ways to learn how to build or modify simple electronics and write basic programs.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://arduino.cc">Arduino</a></li> <li><a href="https://scratch.mit.edu">Scratch</a></li> </ul> <p>What you will want to do is protect them and their information from data-driven services.<br> Ensure your children know not to share identifying or sensitive information:</p> <ul> <li>Real names</li> <li>Location information <ul> <li>Residence</li> <li>School</li> <li>Nearby activities</li> </ul> </li> <li>Photos (only share the best memes!)</li> <li>Any kind of financial details</li> <li>Contact information</li> </ul> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/4-data-breach.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/4-account-security-best-practices/" ><h2>Account security best practices</h2><i>How to make sure every service you use is as secure and as private as possible.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>It can be useful to create fake identities (make it fun!) for them to use on various platforms so you can make sure the accounts don’t have it. Anything you can use your own accounts for the better, such as purchases and subscriptions.</p> <h3 id="adapt-your-childs-education">Adapt your child&rsquo;s education</h3> <p>The current system is setup to teach people helplessness and dependence. It is important to everyone, especially at young ages to understand that they do have the capacity to build their own independence. Find resources that have <a href="https://tuttletwins.com">higher goals</a> than teaching children to be cogs in a machine.</p> <p>Watch <a href="https://live.childrenshealthdefense.org/shows/financial-rebellion/te8DFdQZny">Corey Lynn&rsquo;s appearance</a> on CHD TV&rsquo;s show: Financial Rebellion</p> Anatomy of a psyop https://libresolutions.network/articles/anatomy-of-a-psyop/ Sun, 17 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/anatomy-of-a-psyop/ /media/images/brain-pain.webp <p>A shadowy figure appears out of nowhere and tells you:</p> <ul> <li>They understand your problems</li> <li>It’s worse than you think</li> <li>They have a really simple solution they just need you to hand over your private information (or large sums of cash) to make all your worries go away</li> <li>The solution doesn’t require any real work on your part</li> </ul> <p>It’s a scam.</p> <p>Blatant scam artists and social engineers both heavily rely on affirming your biases. The scammer will say things that are either well known to be true, or strongly believed by subsets of the population. As someone aware of the threats totalitarian control presents, you are a prime target for social engineers. Anything that they can do to give you either a false sense of security or a harmless outlet for frustration, makes it harder for you to fight back.</p> <p><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/chewtoys">Chewtoys: The Alchemy of mastering mass anger</a></p> <p>Now that the public has a higher level of awareness about the top-down control grid, there is a race to ensure that the public isn&rsquo;t actively focused on rebuilding their own sovereignty. Sovereignty always requires work. Paying a protection racket doesn’t liberate you, it only allows you to rent some temporary safety. Having reliable, trustworthy, and accurate information is one of the most important steps in taking control in your own life. Information can be seen as a form of capital that can be enhanced with tools and skills.</p> <p>That’s all very difficult and complicated right? In today’s fast-paced and complex world, surely there is a simply and easy solution? What if I just take a moment to listen to what this shadowy figure has to say.</p> <h2 id="snow-job">Snow job</h2> <blockquote> <p>An effort to deceive, overwhelm, or persuade with insincere talk, <strong>especially flattery.</strong> Urban dictionary</p> </blockquote> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/snowjob.webp' > </div> <blockquote> <p>Don’t worry about your social media habits!</p> <p>Don’t worry about the technocratic control system!</p> <p>We have a way to get you into the elite class!</p> <p>It’s simple all you have to do is join our telegram server and share with your friends.</p> </blockquote> <p>Are you starting to doubt? These guys can’t be fake, take a look at their ‘leet’ <em>hacker skillz</em>!</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/snowjob2.webp' > </div> <p>…Except that on firefox, all you have to do is add view-source: before the address and you are immediately aware that this is a normal Wordpress site.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/snowjob3.webp' > </div> <p>When releasing sensitive and critical information to all of humanity there’s a few basic things you want to get right:</p> <ol> <li> <p>Reduce points of failure as much as possible:</p> <ul> <li>Publish only a simple set of pages written without extra scripts or plug-ins</li> <li>Avoid any third-party publishing platforms</li> </ul> </li> <li> <p>Make the content as resilient and censorship resistant as possible:</p> <ul> <li>Where’s the TOR hidden service?</li> <li>Why isn’t the information backed up on IPFS or even available as a torrent?</li> </ul> </li> <li> <p>Don’t have any “official” communications from big tech platforms such as Youtube / Twitter / Facebook and, yes, Telegram.</p> <p>Why?</p> <ul> <li>At best, you’ll waste time getting banned over and over again</li> <li>These platforms have the capability of limiting whatever reach you may potentially have.</li> <li>You’re giving away information to these platforms that can be inevitably tracked back to you.</li> </ul> </li> </ol> <p>That’s just the bare-minimum basics before you get focused on the more complicated things like:</p> <ul> <li>Where do you host your server?</li> <li>What communication methods do you and your team use?</li> <li>What are your backups? Can everything be seized in a single day?</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/OculumLabs/status/1548752813337055234">But they&rsquo;re getting hacked!</a></p> <p>They’re not special, almost any website of a certain size will get this kind of attention. Bots are constantly looking for vulnerable systems to exploit to use for their own ends. Exploiting a completely open system is something that is trivial to automate.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/false-saviors.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/beware-false-savior" ><h2>Beware the false saviors</h2><i>Putting faith into leaders is a road to disappointment. We all have to work together as individuals to make lasting change.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Who knows? That might be the kind of problem they have when they can’t even setup their WIX website without having an ad banner.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/snowjob4.webp' > </div> <h3 id="what-do-they-want">What do they want?</h3> <p>Your time and attention are precious resources. Anyone and anything that can soak it up by offering you an easy road to freedom doesn’t have your best interests in mind. A far more nefarious goal would be to slander people with real concerns about digital IDs and the surveillance economy as simply deluded by this straw-man.</p> <p>The most disgusting aspect of this performance is that it rides on people’s greed to passively accept a top-down slavery system. “Oh, it’s as bad as you think it is but worse, but it will only be the <em>good people</em> in the elite class now,” is a disgusting attitude to take. Power without accountability is corrosive on morality. A social credit caste system with the “good people” on the top will inevitably devolve into a nightmare with evil people on the top.</p> <p>Social credit systems are real, and not just in China. The massive wealth divide does effectively create different classes of people. The “system” they’re warning you about is already in place on a basic level. Promising to “wipe your slate clean” in exchange for promoting them on social media is not the ideal solution even if it worked.</p> <p>Sovereignty is power. All power is expensive to maintain. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance and proactive action. None of us will be able to simply purchase freedom. The freedom of your fellow human beings, even when you disagree, is your greatest asset. We must work to restore integrity and accountability in all aspects of our lives, not chasing quick-and-easy scams pretending to be solutions.</p> IoT: The "Eye-on-Thee" https://libresolutions.network/articles/eye-on-thee/ Tue, 12 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/eye-on-thee/ /media/images/iot-banner.webp <p>The <em>Internet of things</em> (IoT) is not so much an agenda, but a consequence of cheap, ubiquitous technology. Much of the engineering, investment, and application has gone directly into making devices better at gathering information. This information is then fed to <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-2/">machine learning algorithms</a> to further &ldquo;optimize&rdquo; society.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/iot.webp' > </div> <p>This constant data-collection is not benign. There <em>is</em> an agenda to constantly push the boundaries of centralization and control. Most of the opportunities provided by the <em>internet of things</em> are asymmetrically advantageous to the <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy"><em>technocracy</em></a>. All the systems of surveillance and control will be deployed foremost against the public. This doesn&rsquo;t mean however, that other people won&rsquo;t be able to leverage those systems to cause people harm. While the technocracy has a minor incentive to reduce the power other gains from these tools, it is essentially a <a href="https://www.economicshelp.org/micro-economic-essays/marketfailure/negative-externality">negative externality</a></p> <h2 id="example-airtags">Example: AirTags</h2> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/airtag.webp' > </div> <p>Airtags, are simple wireless devices made by apple to help people find their lost things. What makes airtags miraculous is that they don&rsquo;t require complicated GPS technology, but instead rely on nearby devices and networks to report it&rsquo;s location. Simplifying in this way allows the devices to stay in operation for a very long time.</p> <h3 id="the-process-is-simple">The process is simple:</h3> <ol> <li>Add the tag to your account</li> <li>Give it a useful label</li> <li>Leave it on or with what (or who) you want to track.</li> <li>Watch it go on your &ldquo;find my device&rdquo; app.</li> </ol> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/google-location-history.webp' > </div> <p>It is worth noting, that this is not the first way to get a hold of someone&rsquo;s daily routine. Android devices maintain a location history that keeps tabs on you in real time. In the past one would only need to have access to your google account to watch your every move. I highly recommend turning off location history, I can&rsquo;t think of a single benefit of keeping it on. Unfortunately it is important to keep in mind that turning these features off does not prevent them from being used by the corporations that run them.</p> <p><a href="https://www.rebelnews.com/airtag_tracking_people_at_disney">They just found out that they were being tracked by AirTags, and didn’t know how it got planted on them.</a></p> <p>Apple has introduced features to make it harder for stalkers to track people without their consent with these devices. Notably the device will transparently inform nearby apple devices that it is in range of them. This is a step in the right direction, however it is almost impossible to completely eliminate the privacy risks of such a device. Understand that devices such as this can become a whole lot smaller in the future, and much easier to conceal.</p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/watch?v=dNZDBGeBj6s">AirTag Anti-Stalking Features Revealed!</a></p> <p>This creates a great deal of problems for all kinds of people. Counteracting these measures requires proactive vigilance, despite requiring very little effort on the person using the tracker. As these devices improve so will this asymmetric advantage. Not only that, but the technocracy will then be able to leverage this enormous power in even more egregious ways. The line gets blurry when <a href="https://www.knzr.com/cop-jailed-for-on-exs">agents of the technocracy</a> use that power against people in their personal lives.</p> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/TweeetLorraine/status/1537405658919800835">Woman Allegedly Used Apple AirTag to Track and Kill Her Boyfriend</a></p> <p>It is important not to understate the dangers. All surveillance, be it targeted or blanket is a serious risk to individuals of all walks of life. The more information collected on people, and the more sophisticated the tools to use that information, the more danger people are in. This should be a rallying cry to all to force large institutions to have proper accountability and leadership. The rising corruption and totalitarianism is a force that will ensure all these tools are used to the detriment of humanity.</p> Tools of the Technocracy: #6 Virtual Reality https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-6/ Sat, 30 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-6/ /media/tott-6.webp <h1 id="tools-of-the-technocracytagstools-of-the-technocracy-series-6-virtual-reality"><a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series">Tools of the Technocracy</a>: #6 Virtual Reality</h1> <blockquote> <p>What is reality?</p> <p>Is it what you can touch?</p> <p>What you can feel?</p> <p>What you see?</p> </blockquote> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/lying-eyes.webp' > </div> <h2 id="how-much-do-your-thoughts-and-past-experiences-shape-those-things">How much do your thoughts and past experiences shape those things?</h2> <h2 id="psyops">Psyops</h2> <p>As of 2020, Most forms of mind control were constructed through incentive structures:</p> <p>Social media algorithms incentivize specific kinds of engagement to maximize people’s reprogramming of each other. Strong financial incentives are used to shape interactions and transform entire sectors of society in various ways. Mainstream media still shapes a powerful impression of the state of reality for a significant amount of people, creating top-down cultural incentives. Academia isn’t safe either, despite all the criticism placed on the public over trading autonomy, independence &amp; integrity for convenience&hellip;all kinds of institutions are far more egregiously guilty of the same offense. Ironically, due to the slow rate of change in organizations; they are often trapped into choosing the simplest changes, rather than the more important ones. Over time this creates a tidal-wave of institutional change that costs significantly more energy, resources, and career credit to oppose than to ride. This often pushes institutions to adopt technology and solutions that work against people, rather than for them.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy6.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy6.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <p>A massive game-changer for the technocracy will be the ability to build powerful behavior modification systems (mind control) that take advantage of your own senses. Cognitive warfare is waged by <a href="https://twitter.com/SaranghaeyOppaa/status/1226035679945097216">exploiting vulnerabilities in our minds</a>. Overcoming these effects is much more challenging than simply recognizing incentives and working around them when possible. When it comes to perception control, every drop of prevention is worth an ocean of cure. Because we’re only at the beginning of witnessing these techniques, we can only speculate on the extent of the dangers. As always, it will be of utmost importance to guard your mental, emotional, and even spiritual state in the face of these challenges.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/construction-banner.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-3/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #3 Robots, IoT, Automation, Oh my!</h2><i>Transforming the world in ways seen and unseen</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h2 id="technological-terror">Technological terror</h2> <p>When most people think of virtual reality they think of high-resolution displays presenting a 3D environment for people to explore and interact with <a href="https://twitter.com/Alientrap/status/1157399869717471232">complex controllers</a>. Tactile improvements to people’s ability to really feel what’s in these environments are only getting better and better. The only thing slowing this down seems to be people getting motion sick from playing for more than short periods of time. As more improvements are made and more problems get addressed this will become the frontier of multi-media content. Suddenly, instead of learning things in purely abstract ways, people will be able to learn all kinds of things by doing it. With truly endless possibilities this means that VR will also be the state-of-the-art delivery mechanism for propaganda.</p> <p>For now, when a tragedy or circumstance is exploited to drive people’s emotions; the technocracy has a couple of ways to convey the situation. As this technology develops and becomes more ubiquitous, the technocracy will be able to have people experience these events directly, in a completely crafted scenario. The lines between propaganda, entertainment, learning, and all kinds of things will be blurred even more than they are already. Virtual reality will be the information war battleground of the future, but as it stands it won’t be a battle but outright mind-slaughter. Unless people’s ability to create and distribute these experiences is democratized, large institutions will enjoy a massive advantage in controlling content. This is a significant challenge because of the significant start-up costs.</p> <h2 id="body-snatchers">Body snatchers</h2> <p>The campaign doesn’t end there however; virtual reality technology won’t end with nicer displays, controls, and tactile feedback. As cybernetics improve, there will be powerful incentives to have these systems send and <a href="https://twitter.com/BlackrockNeuro_/status/1492900664527273992">receive direct signals</a> to your body. This would allow these devices to save incredible amounts of energy and provide a level of immersion that is currently impossible. This shift from presenting stimuli to create signals in your brain, to sending those signals directly to your brain will exponentially increase the power and influence of those <a href="https://twitter.com/Resist_05/status/1534440661419986946">who have control</a> of these systems.</p> <p>Surely this technology wouldn’t be forced on people right? It will stay purely in the realm of entertainment and all you’ll have to do is turn off the VR TV right? This is sadly not the case. As long as our society still yields to top-down control, almost every institution will have powerful incentives to adopt these tools. <a href="https://twitter.com/Soitwouldbe/status/1530929365382483972">Training and education</a> will likely be the first place to majorly adopt these systems because of how powerful an information transfer tool they are. It will also enhance automation efforts. In a society driven by these technologies, your rights to bodily autonomy will be seen as an outdated inefficiency that gets in the way of powerful societal “innovation”. Big data and machine learning has a massive role to play in this space. Many of these devices will be used to get more data from people to learn how to further manipulate them.</p> <p>The competitive advantages and economies of scale could make these problems nearly impossible to uproot. It is absolutely critical to do all we can to prevent these systems from driving all our lives in the way that the Internet does already. Digital currencies are a very powerful system for bootstrapping new technologies, and it is no longer inconceivable that people will be bribed into transforming their body into a test-bed for novel technology. It is of utmost importance that we work to protect bodily autonomy in an environment where people will be even more motivated to set it all aside. We as a society have already gravely crossed red lines that never should have been crossed.</p> <h2 id="solutions">Solutions</h2> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/ephesians6.webp' alt='Ephesians 6:12' > </div> <h3 id="take-action">Take action</h3> <p>Pushing back against centralization and control takes a great deal of active focus to start. Once you’ve regained some of your own independence and liberty you can then help bring it to others. The crux of these issues is not necessarily the technologies themselves. Instead, it’s our cultural acceptance for top-down control of so many aspects of our lives. Bringing awareness of these issues, and what we should prioritize to safeguard ourselves can go a long way.</p> <h3 id="learn-create--share">Learn, Create &amp; Share</h3> <p>The primary advantage the technocracy has is a monopoly on people’s perception of reality. A very effective way to turn the tide in the information war is to share art, beauty, and stories that bring people hope, and a desire for change. Anything you can create to bring more independence and freedom into their lives is worth making. Try to have appreciation for the great works people have created. Try to appeal to people’s better selves, instead of cynically just trying to win with snark.</p> <h3 id="support-open-software-and-hardware">Support open software and hardware</h3> <p>Many of these systems aren’t going away. Being able to liberate people from these systems may require a significant amount of technical skill and tooling. There is a great deal of potential in prosthetics and assistive technology. We can avert many of dangers by promoting software and hardware freedom. There is a treasure-trove of opportunity when we realign our focus to support and prioritize ways to enhance each other’s lives.</p> Tools of the Technocracy: #5 Networks https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-5/ Wed, 27 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-5/ /media/tott-5.webp <h1 id="tools-of-the-technocracytagstools-of-the-technocracy-series-5-networks"><a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series">Tools of the Technocracy</a>: #5 Networks</h1> <p>Networks are the infrastructure used to bridge the physical world and online systems. They can enable people from all over the world to communicate with each other, which sadly has the downside of technocrats having the capability of monitoring and controlling people’s communications.</p> <h3 id="networks-have-precious-resources-that-enable-their-utility">Networks have precious resources that enable their utility:</h3> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Latency</strong></p> <p><em>How quickly can a signal reach it’s destination</em></p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Range</strong></p> <p>How far can a signal go</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Bandwidth</strong></p> <p>How much information can a signal carry</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Encryption</strong></p> <p>Prevents people from snooping on signals</p> <p>These resources are critical in delivering content. One of the largest challenges to decentralization is the economies of scale. This means that “the system” has advantages to completely eliminate any competition. Centralized and privacy invading options will always be more efficient and convenient than other options. It is important to manage your expectations accordingly.</p> </li> </ul> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy5.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy5.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <h2 id="cloudflare">Cloudflare</h2> <blockquote> <p>Cloudflare is the world&rsquo;s largest MITM [Man in the middle] proxy(reverse proxy). Cloudflare owns more than 80% of CDN market share and the number of cloudflare users are growing each day. They have expanded their network to more than 100 countries. Cloudflare serves more web traffic than Twitter, Amazon, Apple, Instagram, Bing &amp; Wikipedia combined. &gt; Cloudflare is offering free plan and many people are using it instead of configuring their servers properly. They traded privacy over convenience. Source: <a href="https://git.disroot.org/dCF/deCloudflare/src/branch/master/readme/en.md">https://git.disroot.org/dCF/deCloudflare/src/branch/master/readme/en.md</a></p> </blockquote> <p>Almost every large website and service is using Cloudflare, this means that any encryption between you and the website and service is effectively broken at that point. While your connections will be protected until they reach Cloudflare’s servers, after that point it is entirely down to trust. It is naive to think that Cloudflare isn’t forced to <a href="https://archive.ph/Wgxnq">monitor the massive trove of data</a> it can collect on people’s online activity. A VPN may protect your IP but it won’t be able to secure the data sent to these services.</p> <p>What services get out of using Cloudflare is DDOS protection. Distributed Denial of Service attacks are when a massive amount of bandwidth is used to take down your service. This is essentially a protection racket where any site worth targeting has to spend resources to protect against these kind of attacks. It is possible that many of these attacks are being initiated by actors who would rather sites stay behind Cloudflare or similar services.</p> <h2 id="vpns">VPNs</h2> <p>Virtual Private Networks are often seen as the solution to all online privacy issues. This is people being mislead by slick advertising. VPNs are very useful for accessing content that is blocked in specific regions or protecting your IP from being known by online services. There are many ways users using a VPN can have their IP leaked so it is essential to make sure you are using your VPN properly.</p> <p>Your internet service provider (ISP) may not be trustworthy so you may want to use a VPN, it is important to realize that by using a VPN you are effectively transferring the risk of your ISP logging, tracking, censoring your information to that VPN provider. Like ISPs VPNs are businesses and it is foolish to assume they will put your needs as an individual or customer before the interests of their business.</p> <h2 id="wireless-networks">Wireless Networks</h2> <p>The largest challenge of wireless networks is that there will be many of them outside your control. Ubiquitous surveillance provided by devices all around you isn’t something you can easily mitigate. Ignorance isn’t bliss however, you are still vulnerable to these systems.</p> <h2 id="wi-fi">Wi-Fi</h2> <video autoplay muted loop preload="true" class="gif"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network/media/wifi-sonar.webm'> </video> <p>Wireless networks are difficult to secure, especially from a motivated adversary. Even your own wireless router is likely <a href="https://youtu.be/watch?v=URkD_TbiE8I">outright selling your data</a>. Activities done over wireless networks are much easier to intercept than ones over wired connections.</p> <p>If this wasn’t bad enough, wireless devices can be used as sonar to track everyone in a given space. Given that these devices are continuously listening this can provide a <a href="https://youtube.com/watch?v=IRELLH86Edo">very complete picture</a> of people’s day-to-day lives.</p> <h2 id="mobile-data-lte--5g">Mobile data (LTE / 5G)</h2> <p>Much has been speculated about the health risks due 5G / Wi-Fi, while harms from EMF may be worth investigating in specific circumstances they are outside the scope of this article. Even in instances where the technology itself is harmless it can often coincide with other weaponized technology.</p> <p>What is clear is that introducing more and more cheap, accessible bandwidth to more devices exponentially increases the capabilities of those who want to track and control. 5G will be very useful for relaying huge amounts of data including ultra-high resolution video from all kinds of angles.</p> <h2 id="lorawan">LoRaWAN</h2> <p>For some applications, a full internet connection is overkill. LoRa devices can send small signals over a very long range. This can be a very efficient way of relaying data from sensors. There is already a cryptocurrency launched to bootstrap a <a href="https://www.helium.com/solutions">worldwide surveillance grid</a>.</p> <h2 id="iot--automation">IoT &amp; Automation</h2> <p>The more accessible connectivity is for devices the more these devices can encroach on the physical world. These applications can become cheaper and more common, discreet, and invasive. As networks expand, techniques that were impossible before become viable opportunities.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/construction-banner.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-3/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #3 Robots, IoT, Automation, Oh my!</h2><i>Transforming the world in ways seen and unseen</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h2 id="big-data">Big Data</h2> <p>Any information, no matter how trivial can be collected and analyzed to gain power over others. Those in control of the data collection systems will have massive advantages over those who don’t. Machine learning can be used to make these systems much more efficient at collecting specific kinds of data based on raw details.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/big-data.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-2/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #2 Big Data &amp; Artificial Intelligence</h2><i>What is all this data for anyways?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <hr> <h2 id="solutions">Solutions</h2> <h3 id="tor">Tor</h3> <p>Like the Internet, The <a href="https://www.torproject.org/">Onion Router</a> (Tor) has origins as a military project. It has two very useful features for reclaiming your digital freedom:</p> <h3 id="anonymity">Anonymity</h3> <p>As far as online services are concerned, Tor users generally appear the same. When one uses the Tor browser they have the same fingerprint as all other users to make them harder to individually identify. As well your connection is then routed to the Internet through “exit relays” such as the <a href="https://snowflake.torproject.org/">Snowflake extension</a>.</p> <h3 id="hidden-services">Hidden services</h3> <p>Hidden services are services that are accessible entirely within the Tor network. This means that they do not use “exit relays” and instead are only routed within Tor. The advantage of this is that you can be very sure that you are having a secure connection directly to the intended recipient, with all of the security guarantees of the Tor network.</p> <p>Having your website or service available as a hidden service has some significant advantages:</p> <ul> <li>Protection from Man-in-the-middle attacks</li> <li>Your service can still be accessible if your domain is taken from you</li> <li>Hidden services can be served from mobile connections</li> </ul> <p>There are other “darkweb” protocols such as I2P.</p> <h3 id="community-networks">Community networks</h3> <p>Meshnets are a useful way to democratize connectivity. There doesn’t need to be a one-size-fits-all approach some options will work better in different places. You could also run your own services behind VPNs run by your community instead of commercial enterprises. Investing in a truly independent community network is a significant challenge but can yield incredible rewards.</p> <h3 id="faraday-is-your-friend">Faraday is your Friend</h3> <p>Having a <a href="https://youtu.be/watch?v=EozJr-vdHm8">faraday bag</a> can help keep your phone from reporting your location while you travel with it. Given the potential these devices have against you, it can be wise to create secure locations in your home or business that don’t allow signals in or out. This won’t prevent devices from listening and recording, but if you place them in a soundproof location that can help.</p> Beware the false saviors https://libresolutions.network/articles/beware-false-saviors/ Sat, 16 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/beware-false-saviors/ /media/false-saviors.webp <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/false-saviors.webp' > </div> <p>There is a great deal of buzz about <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/twitter-poison-pill-elon-musk/">Elon Musk’s face-off against twitter</a>. While it is impressive to see Elon specifically raise free speech issues against Big Tech, it is unlikely that even radical changes to twitter would actually create meaningful change. Sadly many people allow figureheads to lure themselves into a state of complacency. By buying into the idea of a fantastical leader to rally behind people can fall into the trap of thinking that change is sudden, and requires no work on their part.</p> <p>Many of the problems we face didn’t start with Twitter and won’t end with Twitter either.</p> <p>Twitter is a big system, big systems have a great deal of momentum. This momentum grows or shrinks in response to incentives. As anyone can see, Twitter has been run as a loss leader to sell centralized information control. Any system that has a monopoly on people’s access to information will inevitably become a valuable target for malevolent entities to corrupt and control.</p> <p>Getting excited and distracted by large figureheads (politicians, celebrities, ect) inevitably leads to disappointment when a single person is unable to make massive changes that are out-of-step with the way people are acting in their daily lives. By investing in promoting and cheering for these leaders we can lose sight of the simple changes we need to make. Every individual has a vital role in changing the culture and incentive structure. Don’t think about needing the perfect leader, think about how their job can be made easier by encouraging those around you to make changes themselves. Big Tech didn’t simply gain control over everyone’s lives overnight, it happened gradually, bit-by-bit over time with each concession by each person. Everyone is responsible for reversing the power that the Tools of the Technocracy have taken over the people. These are systems that collectively we have financed, built, and maintained&hellip;thankfully they can be dismantled together.</p> <h2 id="what-can-we-do">What can we do?</h2> <p>What can we do?</p> <ol> <li> <p>GET MOTIVATED!</p> <p>There is so much we can accomplish by working together, so many new things can be created if we have a will to break free from centralized control. Being willing to invest time, energy, and resources into building things is a vital aspect of changing anything.</p> </li> <li> <p>Diversify your information sources</p> <ul> <li>Don’t depend on any specific site/app for all your news or information</li> <li>Bookmark (CTRL-D) useful or informative sites so you can visit them again without being tracked by search engines</li> <li>Not every issue or topic is new, you can often find very valuable information published in books, there is a treasure trove of useful information in the past. Don’t limit your knowledge to what is relevant in your feeds.</li> </ul> </li> <li> <p>Fight back against the centralized control system.</p> <p>There is a fantastic series on Financial Rebellion hosted by Children’s Health Defense. It is a great starting point on how to create friction against centralized control systems.</p> </li> <li> <p>Read the Tools of the Technocracy Series if you haven’t already. In each article I include solutions to undermining top-down information control.</p> </li> </ol> <p><a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series">Tools of The Technocracy</a></p> Chewtoys: The alchemy of mastering mass anger https://libresolutions.network/articles/chewtoys/ Wed, 13 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/chewtoys/ /media/chewtoys.webp <p>The public has a lot of frustrations, especially when you’ve been isolating, poisoning, and stealing from them for many years. Surely this frustration has to go somewhere?</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/chewtoys.webp' > </div> <p>Instead of this frustration being used on productive actions to organize, solve problems, or find out how they’ve been bamboozled; Social engineers would love to have a tool that would ensure this energy is entirely diffused pointlessly. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/BestEvidence">John Titus</a> has coined the term “Chewtoy”</p> <h2 id="enter-the-chewtoy">Enter the Chewtoy™</h2> <p>The chewtoy is something (usually someone) thrown out to the public to feel cathartic about attacking. Often the chewtoy is a person, who can personify a set of valid frustrations the people are experiencing. The chewtoy’s role is to soak up as much attention and anger as possible. If it’s a person generally they are safely out of reach from the people to build more and more anger over time. This allows the chewtoy to really let the public get really worked up in outrage.</p> <p><a href="https://invidious.projectsegfau.lt/watch?v=rE3j_RHkqJc">Video: This will make you angry</a></p> <p>A chewtoy’s actions for good or evil are far less important as how they are portrayed.</p> <p>One person’s chewtoy can often be another person’s hero. You can very often find inflammatory headlines about them even in mainstream publications. This isn’t to say that these people’s actions or words don’t matter or shouldn’t be criticized, but one has to be careful with their time and attention.</p> <p>Notable chewtoys:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Politicians:</p> <ul> <li>Justin Trudeau</li> <li>Joe Biden</li> <li>Donald Trump</li> <li>Vladimir Putin</li> <li>…</li> </ul> </li> <li> <p>Celebrities:</p> <ul> <li>Will Smith</li> <li>Amber Heard</li> <li>&hellip;</li> </ul> </li> <li> <p>Public figures:</p> <ul> <li>Mark Zuckerberg</li> <li>Klaus Schwab</li> <li>Q(anon)</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/L8Ohygt5UVY'> </iframe> <p>Beyond simple public figures I would argue that certain issues and events can be used as chewtoys when the purpose is to shock people into giving the issue the majority of their attention at the expense of all else. People have come to call this “the current thing”. The current thing is any issue that is suddenly and completely saturating all media and communications. A potential “current thing” generally has a few major attributes:</p> <ol> <li> <p>It is intertwined with a powerful wedge issue.</p> <p>A wedge issue is a highly divisive topic that large parts of the population have very strong opinions on. These issues are difficult for people to compromise on and they evoke very strong “they are with us or against us” feelings.</p> </li> <li> <p>A sense of urgency</p> <p>People need to act RIGHT NOW OR ELSE. Regardless of what the issue is there is generally an impetus to avoid taking time to think things through. Very few issues are so urgent that they truly require the sudden abandonment of all other (often important) pursuits</p> </li> <li> <p>The ability to display your affiliation</p> <p>Public displays of affiliation or “virtue-signaling” is what allows the “current thing” to completely take over media and discussion. People are able to identify those “on their side” and isolate those who aren’t</p> </li> </ol> <p>One of the most concerning things about this dynamic is how much useful information this provides to algorithms learning to manipulate people. By having easily identifiable immediate engagement AIs are being fed with an incredible amount of valuable data to use against people. Every single time someone is rushing to engage with a particular topic, social media algorithms are being taught what they need to present to control people.</p> <p><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-2">Tools of the Technocracy: #2 Big Data &amp; Artificial Intelligence</a></p> <p>These days (has it always been this way?) there is an endless stream of chewtoys being placed in the public consciousness. Take your pick; you’re focusing on the important issues everyone else is simply a sheep focusing on meaningless distractions. The truth is that the only important issues are the actions you can take in your life to improve your life, and the lives of those around you. Try to be forgiving of those who are trapped by this mechanism, it’s designed to work that way. The best thing you can do for someone overly fixating on any chewtoy is to take them aside and spend some quality time with them.</p> <h1 id="solutions">Solutions</h1> <h2 id="letter-to-the-menticidedhttpsmargaretannaalicesubstackcompletter-to-the-menticided-a-12-step"><a href="https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/letter-to-the-menticided-a-12-step">Letter to the Menticided</a></h2> <blockquote> <p>If you recognize any of the above signs in yourself, not to worry. Just follow this twelve-step recovery program, and you’ll be thinking clearly, logically, rationally, and independently in no time!</p> <ol> <li>Acknowledge that you have been deceived.</li> <li>Turn off the television.</li> <li>Stop reading newspapers and magazines.</li> <li>Stop listening to NPR and other legacy radio stations.</li> <li>Eliminate or minimize the time you spend on social media.</li> <li>Break out of the Big Tech bubble.</li> <li>Cultivate a Beginner’s Mind.</li> <li>Watch interviews, lectures, panel discussions, and other educational content from the scientists and doctors of integrity the spin doctors told you to fear.</li> <li>Choose your entertainment judiciously.</li> <li>Read! Read lots and lots of books!</li> <li>Build immunity to mind control.</li> <li>Escape your Stockholm syndrome.</li> </ol> </blockquote> <h2 id="avoid-algorithmic-sources-of-information">Avoid algorithmic sources of information</h2> <p>All mainstream social media (Facebook/Twitter/Tiktok/…) have the ability to “decide” what you “should” be seeing at any given moment in time. All trending topics can be safely assumed to be manipulated. (Either by the platform itself or other actors). Federated social media is a great choice, but simple things like using RSS feeds can make a huge difference.</p> <h2 id="call-to-action-join-the-fediverse-nowarticlescall-to-action-join-the-fediverse"><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/call-to-action-join-the-fediverse">Call to Action: Join the Fediverse now!</a></h2> <h2 id="treat-for-shock">Treat for shock</h2> <p><em>Patience in a moment of anger can prevent 100 days of sorrow</em></p> <p>When a new “current thing” drops people are generally in a subtle form of shock. The sudden rush of fear/anger from it leaves them vulnerable. Getting people (or yourself) away from the stressful situation/stimuli, and focusing on something positive can make a real difference in the long run. Whether it’s meditation or going to touch grass it’s important to take the time to rejuvenate so you can tackle what’s important to you.</p> Tools of the Technocracy: #4 Online Identity https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-4/ Tue, 22 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-4/ /media/tott-4.webp <h1 id="tools-of-the-technocracytagstools-of-the-technocracy-series-4-online-identity"><a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series">Tools of the Technocracy</a>: #4 Online Identity</h1> <p>There are some good reasons to attach your identity to online interactions, there are just as many (if not more) good reasons not to. It is important to understand how your actions ripple across the Internet and wider data-landscape. One of the greatest challenges in keeping your data secure is the fact that the Internet almost never forgets. It’s so difficult to be aware of all the data-points that have built over time.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy4.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy4.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <p>Even if you are a very open and public person, it is vital that you are in control of what data about you is collected, stored, and analyzed. Instead of having systems actively probing you for any and all data they can seize, it is better to understand and use systems that give you the control to only disclose what you want to share.</p> <h2 id="concerns">Concerns</h2> <h3 id="conformity">Conformity</h3> <p>Social media has been largely what closes the loop between you staring into the data abyss, and the data staring back at you. By learning peoples’ interests, likes and dislikes the algorithms are able to put that information to use to manipulate them. The most dangerous part about social media is the capability to leverage your self-image against you. With even relatively simple techniques (such as suppressing the visibility of a particular post) these systems can manipulate how your social circle reacts to specific information.</p> <p>Facebook is really old news when it comes to data-mining people. Tiktok is the state-of-the art, in <a href="https://youtube.com/watch?v=nfczi2cI6Cs">learning from people</a>. Tiktok has advantages that older social media platforms don’t. It’s purely mobile focused, which means the app has access to all kinds of data from your mobile phone. This includes cameras, microphones, location data, and even how you’re holding the device while scrolling. It would be foolish to assume we can imagine all the ways advanced algorithms can be used to study and manipulate people. How many people would even consider <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2014/07/10/facebook-experiments-on-users/">facebook was up to this in 2011-2013?</a></p> <h3 id="echo-chambers">Echo chambers</h3> <p>This conformity, is the foundation for a fractal of echo-chambers, all becoming isolated from the larger whole. Echo-chambers create divisions within society that eventually make cross-communication almost impossible. By <a href="https://youtu.be/watch?v=DwCEAdeFXEM">entrenching people into their sub-groups</a> and turning them against each other, everyone is effectively silenced. This is an under-estimated effect of chilling effects.</p> <p>I believe it is naive to operate under the assumption that these echo-chambers are a purely organic phenomenon. Manipulating the human mind is a massive, and well funded academic venture. The power gained from destroying people’s ability to collectively search for the truth is immense.</p> <p>If covert censorship wasn’t bad enough, there is a vast array of censorship and suppression tools available. The more information the system has about you the more it has at it’s disposal to use against you and ideals you may support. The ever-increasing cries of “fighting misinformation” and “combating hate” are used as a pretext to justify further centralized information control.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://torproject.org'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/tott-4-tor.webp' > </a> </div> <h3 id="personification">Personification</h3> <p>Now back at you, all these tools are specifically aimed at identifying, storing, and analyzing your every action in the hopes to get leverage over you and others. Very subtle and innocuous information can be correlated with other data to make unthinkable associations.</p> <blockquote> <p>They will shut it <a href="https://www.coreysdigs.com/technology/can-bitcoin-circumvent-economic-tyranny/">(Bitcoin)</a> down not by controlling the technology, but by controlling the people.</p> <p>Catherine Austin Fitts</p> </blockquote> <p>You can leave behind a banned account, even evade region locks with a VPN, but it’s not easy to get a new identity and almost impossible to erase your online footprint. The more online systems demand people turn over their identities online, the more people are vulnerable to all kinds of threats. Dissidents can be marked for life with no recourse. Naturally these people will be restricted from the digital financial complex.</p> <h3 id="stalking">Stalking</h3> <p>Not only are exposed people vulnerable to retaliation from the state, but in an increasingly polarized environment people will be vulnerable to retaliation from anyone who has access to their information. As the dehumanization of the opposition continues, people won’t draw the line at harming innocents if they are led to believe the situation is dire enough. No transgression will be too small to justify retaliation. How many times have we seen people respond to someone losing their job over past comments with “Freedom of speech isn’t freedom from consequences”?</p> <p>This is a clarion call for abusers and petty tyrants. The very reason the rule of law and the presumption of innocence are important is because the spillover damage from vigilante justice is unending. In our modern enlightened age we certainly have managed to forget basic problems that have been with us since the dawn of civilization.</p> <h3 id="children">Children</h3> <p>As someone who spent time exploring the Internet from a young age, I can certainly admit to being unable to comprehend the dangers at the time. As grown-ups today believe that their parents were clueless about technology, the exponential growth, escalation, and evolution of online threats have left current and future parents woefully outmatched. Children won’t simply be at the mercy of their own potential actions, but the actions of relatives and even friends.</p> <p>As a parent it is your responsibility to make sure that they are prepared to face these dangers, but also that your information is not making that more difficult. Safeguarding them from all the new and tantalizing services is going to be a very difficult challenge. This is an area that needs more research.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/think-of-the-children.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/think-of-the-children/" ><h2>Is the Internet safe for children?</h2><i>Surveillance, manipulation and online predators are threats we all face. How can we keep children safe?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="bots--manipulation">Bots &amp; manipulation</h3> <p>Humans are outnumbered! In many circumstances there is little reason to believe that the person you are talking to online is even human. This is an incredible problem when empathy is already severely lacking in online discourse. As bots get better and better at convincingly imitating people, people will feel more and more overwhelmed which will contribute to some simply choosing not to bother speaking at all.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://archive.today/SL7Mm'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/tott-4-bots.webp' alt='Humans are outnumbered!' > </a> </div> <p>Botting social networks isn’t necessarily a zero-sum game. Some platforms are easier for smaller actors to influence, it is a critical mistake to assume all bots are from a single interested party rather than a group of varying (sometimes overlapping or conflicting) agendas.</p> <h3 id="anti-anonymitity">Anti-anonymitity</h3> <p>Anonymity gets a bad wrap in online discussions. Far too many people consider it “cowardice” to speak out without having your name, reputation, and future at stake. This is not a compassionate or reasonable stance to have in an age with so many asymmetric power imbalances. It is a very convenient way for those perfectly within established orthodoxy to throw stones from their glass towers. The most vital way to undermine centralized information control is to prevent knowledge from being <a href="https://twitter.com/torproject/status/1469358942211829761">judged by it’s origin</a>. A fantastic way to achieve this is publishing information, data or communications anonymously.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/anonymous-crowd.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/anonymity" ><h2>In defense of anonymity</h2><i>Don&#39;t let the trolls bait you into turning on privacy</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h2 id="your-online-tracks">Your online tracks</h2> <h3 id="personal-devices">Personal devices</h3> <p>Every device you come into contact with has the capability to be turned against you. Smartphones are some of the worst. Devices with microphones can record your every word and expression. Cameras can track your expression. Worst of all is location data, which gets more and more precise as technology improves. All this is simply assuming the device is working as intended, phishing attacks can be used to gain even more intimate access to your information or otherwise do you harm.</p> <h3 id="big-tech-social-media">Big Tech Social Media</h3> <p>Many people complain of social media “holding their real-life contacts hostage”. It is very important that you aren’t gating social interaction with you behind data-mining social services. This does require a fair bit of effort and a willingness to compromise. Social media becoming the “town square” wasn’t an inevitable development, it was a necessary step in the encroachment of digital systems dominating our entire lives. You may have a right to remain silent under your laws, but unfortunately your data <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220708061004/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/07/canada-police-spyware-admission-surveillance-experts">doesn&rsquo;t make use of it</a>.</p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/4bbd4e5a-352d-4d24-82ea-e8832e902021'> </iframe> <p>The technocracy’s vision of what social media is and should be is evil. Until we can migrate people to services that put people in charge of their data, it is best to avoid putting any significant importance on social media under the control of corporations &amp; government influence.</p> <h3 id="online-services">Online services</h3> <p>There is no way of knowing for sure an online service you use isn’t simply sharing data with big tech in the first place. Even if they adamantly refuse to share or sell data that all evaporates when the company is sold. Services can be hacked and the only way to protect sensitive data is to never record or share it. Understand that everything you share with any particular online service can eventually be used against you.</p> <h3 id="digital-id">Digital ID</h3> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/greg_scott84/status/1505695001166041092">Digital ID</a> is the crown jewel of technocratic totalitarianism. Like any other deal-with-the-devil scenario it will be attached to many luxuries and conveniences… at least at the start. Take any of the problems in this article and make them 10x worse. There will never be any guarantee that digital ID systems will be any more secure than systems that came before it. The terms of the digital ID program may appear to be favorable at the beginning, but once locked in… the terms will be altered and your only recourse will be to pray the terms aren’t altered further.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/digital-id.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/digital-id/" ><h2>Digital ID: The Basics</h2><i>What is it? What can you do about it?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>It is impossible to overstate the importance of preventing, resisting, and outlawing the implementation of digital identification. Merely avoiding it yourself will be no protection, as those entrapped in the system will be weaponized against you. The weaponization of people who have fallen prey to centralized information control is a mere taste of what is to come when people are locked into a digital gulag.</p> <hr> <h2 id="solutions">Solutions</h2> <h3 id="connect-with-people-in-real-life">Connect with people in real life</h3> <p>Be the person to provide the authentic, uncensored human experience with those you care about. The fight to maintain human liberty is bigger than any one of us. Bring joy outside of online experiences and focus on the people around you.</p> <h3 id="provide-people-with-a-more-secure-form-of-communication">Provide people with a more secure form of communication</h3> <p>By having multiple good options for people to try you don’t have to try to force everyone onto a single app/system. Some great options are:</p> <ul> <li>Delta Chat</li> <li>Session</li> <li>Element</li> <li>Signal</li> </ul> <h3 id="improve-your-account-data-and-security">Improve your account data and security.</h3> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/4-data-breach.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/4-account-security-best-practices/" ><h2>Account security best practices</h2><i>How to make sure every service you use is as secure and as private as possible.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="federated-social-media">Federated social media</h3> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/fediverse.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/call-to-action-join-the-fediverse/" ><h2>Call to Action: Join the Fediverse now!</h2><i>A simple, but very effective way to tip the scales in favor of free speech.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="self-hosting">Self-hosting</h3> <p>Want to be entirely on your own terms? Running your own website is a way to have complete control while still being able to maintain a presence. These two sites have great guides for getting started.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://landchad.net">https://landchad.net</a></li> <li><a href="https://learn.sadgrl.online">https://learn.sadgrl.online</a></li> </ul> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-5.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-5/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #5 Networks</h2><i>Much of the digital infrastructure in place today is built to structurally enable tyranny.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> Information Warfare Super-weapons https://libresolutions.network/articles/information-warfare-superweapons/ Sun, 13 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/information-warfare-superweapons/ /media/images/artistic-banner.webp <h2 id="memes">Memes</h2> <p>Memes are very often under-appreciated due to being simple or not taking themselves seriously. They are powerful tools to bring new insights to discussion. Social engineers target memes due to their incredible impact in spreading ideas. Many of the threats to liberty aren’t always actions of tyrants but rather the apathy or ignorance of the public. If we are to preserve liberty we need to greatly magnify our efforts to promote liberty as a cultural value rather than simply a personal asset The effectiveness of memes comes from their simplicity and the potential to evoke strong emotions. The most valuable part of a good meme is the ability to “compress” lots of information into a consider sharable medium.</p> <p>The problem is that people are ensnared in a culture that doesn’t properly value liberty or their rights. Corporations and governments work hard to curate online spaces to shape culture in their favor. This has had disastrous social consequences and devastating effects on people’s mental health. We must not only focus on undoing this demoralization but also on preventing it from taking hold ever again. People must not only learn the tools to protect themselves, but they must also learn to value things that are good and beautiful. The most effective way to rebuild a freedom-loving culture is to properly invest in providing a strong foundation for that culture to flourish. How does one build this foundation?</p> <h2 id="art">Art</h2> <p>Art is the expression of the human soul, with it’s value being largely in the eye of the beholder. Corporations and governments can imitate art, or mass produce it with financial advantages, but they can’t compete with genuine creativity borne from real passion and real experiences. Tyranny isn’t beautiful, and slavery isn’t inspiring. When given a choice, people will naturally choose the free and beautiful over the rigid and stagnant. As freedom loving people it is absolutely vital for us to encourage, support and fund ventures to provide people the opportunity to enjoy pro-human media and creative works.</p> <iframe src='https://youtube.com/embed/dNt4NIQ7FTA'> </iframe> <p>Artists are craving for a way for their work to be properly supported. Many artists are disillusioned by not being able to make it in large corporate spaces. If we truly desire a culture that protects freedom we must work to provide the space for artists to promote this culture. Working together we can support artists who care deeply about building a better world. This will create real cultural capital that can upend the systems that undermine our liberty. With truth on our side, there can be no limit to the heights of our imagination.</p> <p>I am no artist, but this piece is a call to people who value freedom to commit to supporting independent artists and building a true appreciation for their works. It is impossible to overstate the potential to change the global conversation against those who hate humanity when we sustain methods of lasting cultural change. There are so many ways to express what has gone wrong in the last two years. There are stories that need to be told, tragedies that cry out to be mourned, and victories that must be shared.</p> <p>Starting small</p> <p>In the long term, it would be ideal to create formal spaces and institutions with these goals in mind, but as individuals there is still a great deal we can do:</p> <ul> <li>With an appreciation that you need beauty in your life, hire artists to paint, sculpt, or even draw pieces for decoration in your home or office. These can be fantastic conversation pieces.</li> <li>Connect with local musicians, get people together to enjoy their music.</li> <li>Host events to give them an opportunity to promote themselves.</li> <li>Hire artists to create content for your website or social media profiles. Very often they can create better memes than what many of us can do with simple skills.</li> <li>Prominently feature like-minded talent in projects you undertake.</li> </ul> <h2 id="do-it-yourself">Do it yourself!</h2> <p>Can you draw, sing, dance, sculpt, paint, draw, carve, or create in other ways? Now is a great time to shine, you can stand out by promoting hope, freedom and compassion. I would be more than happy to feature you on my website! Do you have your own website? You might find Interverse interesting!</p> <p>I also recommend joining the Fediverse:</p> <h2 id="great-foss-tools">Great FOSS Tools</h2> <p>There are a lot of fantastic Free &amp; Open Source tools that are very useful for creating content. My hope is that one of these tools will help spark inspiration in what you can achieve or support someone in achieving. I would highly recommend donating to the development of these tools because they have made creating content much more accessible.</p> <h2 id="inkscape">Inkscape</h2> <iframe src='https://peertube.linuxrocks.online/videos/embed/52813370-8f92-4fd3-9324-890fa6c4c7cc'> </iframe> <p><a href="https://inkscape.org/">https://inkscape.org/</a></p> <blockquote> <p>Whether you are an illustrator, designer, web designer or just someone who needs to create some vector imagery, Inkscape is for you!</p> </blockquote> <p>Inkscape is fantastic for vector graphics, which are awesome at all sizes! It’s a fantastic tool for making posters, logos and even full-size banners!</p> <p><a href="https://inkscape.org/support-us/">Support</a></p> <h2 id="krita">Krita</h2> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/krita.gif' > </div> <p><a href="https://krita.org/en/">https://krita.org/en/</a></p> <p>A digital painting program.</p> <blockquote> <p>Krita is a professional FREE and open source painting program. It is made by artists that want to see affordable art tools for everyone.</p> <ul> <li>concept art</li> <li>texture and matte painters</li> <li>illustrations and comic</li> </ul> </blockquote> <p>Demo Video: <a href="https://youtu.be/fga5f3ixmVo">Krita 5 is HERE! Go for it!</a></p> <p><a href="https://fund.krita.org/">Support</a></p> <h2 id="darktable">Darktable</h2> <p><a href="https://www.darktable.org/">https://www.darktable.org/</a></p> <p>Photography software</p> <blockquote> <p>Darktable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developer. A virtual lighttable and darkroom for photographers. It manages your digital negatives in a database, lets you view them through a zoomable lighttable and enables you to develop raw images and enhance them.</p> </blockquote> <h2 id="lmms">LMMS</h2> <p><a href="https://lmms.io/">https://lmms.io/</a></p> <p>Music production</p> <blockquote> <p>Let&rsquo;s make music with a free, cross-platform tool for your computer. Produce music with your computer by creating melodies and beats, synthesizing and mixing sounds, arranging samples and much more.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://lmms.io/get-involved">Support</a></p> <h2 id="synfig">Synfig</h2> <p><a href="https://www.synfig.org/">https://www.synfig.org/</a></p> <p>2d animation</p> <blockquote> <p>Synfig Studio is a free and open-source 2D animation software, designed as powerful industrial-strength solution for creating film-quality animation using a vector and bitmap artwork. It eliminates the need to create animation frame-by frame, allowing you to produce 2D animation of a higher quality with fewer people and resources.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://www.synfig.org/donate/">Support</a></p> <h2 id="blender">Blender</h2> <iframe src='https://video.blender.org/videos/embed/a69d68a5-a0e0-4a80-9d66-49f093c97aaf'> </iframe> <p><a href="https://www.blender.org/">https://www.blender.org/</a></p> <h3 id="blender-can-do-almost-anything">Blender can do almost anything:</h3> <ul> <li>3d modeling</li> <li>Digital sculpting</li> <li>Video editing</li> <li>Simulations</li> <li>Digital painting</li> <li>Animations</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://www.blender.org/support/">Support</a></p> <h2 id="godot">Godot</h2> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/godot.gif' > </div> <p><a href="https://godotengine.org/">https://godotengine.org/</a></p> <p>Game engine</p> <blockquote> <p>The game engine you waited for. Godot provides a huge set of common tools, so you can just focus on making your game without reinventing the wheel. Godot is completely free and open-source under the very permissive MIT license. No strings attached, no royalties, nothing. Your game is yours, down to the last line of engine code.</p> </blockquote> Tools of the Technocracy: #3 Robots, IoT, Automation, Oh my! https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-3/ Mon, 07 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-3/ /media/images/construction-banner.webp <h1 id="tools-of-the-technocracytagstools-of-the-technocracy-series-3-robots-iot-automation-oh-my"><a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series">Tools of the Technocracy</a>: #3 Robots, IoT, Automation, Oh my!</h1> <p>With big data as the brains, robots act as the eyes, ears, and fists of the technocracy. Ubiquitous 5G (and above) connectivity gives autonomous systems a massive advantage over human beings. Understand that there is more to these systems than meets the eye. There is an entire orchestra of coordinated systems and services that harmonize into incredibly powerful tools. These tools are only beginning to be weaponized against the public.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy3.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy3.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <h2 id="robots">Robots</h2> <p>Eventually the digital world needs to make an impact on the physical. Robots are the ideal tool for the technocracy to enforce it’s will on the material world. In many situations it is becoming much more inexpensive to accomplish tasks with robots than to equip humans for the same task. Robots won’t question their orders, they won’t (likely) turn against the system, and most importantly they don’t have legal rights. The technocracy has an urgent need to replace thinking, responsible people with autonomous drones with pre-programmed commands.</p> <p>The most obvious example would be police robots. When equipped with advanced riot suppression technology, these robots will by able to quell any and all public uprisings with little resistance. Far from science fiction, the capability exists to terminate people with <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2278852-drones-may-have-attacked-humans-fully-autonomously-for-the-first-time/">almost fully automated systems</a>.</p> <h2 id="drones">Drones</h2> <p>While scouting for information, highly mobile drones can be equipped with a large variety of surveillance equipment, sensors, and weapons. Having an aerial view can provide incredible context to large scale situations. While soaring up above, acting as the “eye in the sky” drones can be used to transmit information to a variety of systems. Small disposable drones have advantages that other “heavy duty” robots may not, they can operate in swarms and each independent unit may be entirely expendable.</p> <h2 id="transport-and-access">Transport and Access</h2> <p>The convenience of autonomous delivery will be what ushers in the invasion of more autonomous drones, cars, and trucks. Autonomous vehicles are an invaluable tool for the technocracy. By removing humans from the driving-seat of the economy the system can effectively seize control of nearly all trade. Eventually, access to goods and services can be entirely restricted by simply not allowing vehicles to travel to certain places. If proximity isn&rsquo;t something that can be controlled, locks can be used to prevent access to specific places. Beyond merely imposing fines for arbitrary infractions, a person&rsquo;s entire life can be restricted by the manufactured world around them.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-7.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-7/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #7 Smart Cities</h2><i>Smart cities are marketed as if they are for the convenience of its residents, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h2 id="robots-in-disguise">Robots in disguise</h2> <p>Any robot, with it’s variety of sensors, tools, and networks will be able to perform a wide array of functions in a highly robotic world. A robot preparing your food may also be listening to your conversations simply to fulfill some contract in the system. Cryptocurrency and smart contracts can be used to expand what existing robots can be used for. More and more these discrete systems will converge into a single operating fabric. Robots will become more generalized as technology advances, with tasks being mostly assigned by proximity.</p> <h3 id="smart-devices">“Smart” devices</h3> <p>Smart phones, smart TVs, smart homes&hellip; What is it that makes a tool “smart” anyways? In a general sense “smart” simply means that it can be used against you. Why is your phone “smart” but your laptop isn’t? It’s because your phone is a surveillance device. It provides the system vital functionality that isn’t under your control.</p> <p>Is a device or appliance really “yours” if it is constantly working to incriminate you? How about if it refuses to work under conditions dictated by others? These systems don’t specifically need to be commanded by a malevolent entity, your dishwasher could simply require you to use a smart contract to operate it. This smart contract could be fed real time information about water use in your region to ensure it is being rationed correctly. Smart contracts can be incredible mechanisms to make systems fair, but their ability to make unjust systems shouldn’t be underestimated.</p> <p>Smart contracts define incentive structures, and they can be designed with an incredible amount of precision. It is entirely possible for products and services to micro-manage quality or effectiveness relative to your status in the system. This means that the most innocuous and fair systems could end up being leveraged against people if the system itself has a flaw.</p> <h3 id="implants">Implants</h3> <p>Not all digital devices are optional. As medical technology advances people can be very reliant on complicated systems. It is of the utmost importance that people with disabilities are empowered by these tools and not harmed by them. While giving up your privacy (or opting in to ads) may seem like a fair trade for your sight back, this is not a trade we should force someone to make.</p> <p>The major challenge is that there is no end to what can be turned against you. This can be forced onto the more vulnerable by making the only affordable items sabotaged with tracking &amp; control. The most dystopian outcomes imaginable are on the table when the effects are unseen or individualized. People are far too quick to rationalize the suffering of others rather than to truly take the time to understand the underlying causes.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-8.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-8" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #8 Transhumanism</h2><i>How close are the technocrats to modifying you? Too close.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h2 id="tiny-tech">Tiny Tech</h2> <p>There&rsquo;s nothing sacred to the technocrats. There&rsquo;s nothing special about biology that would prevent them from using your individual cells like they use your data against you. Most people are familiar with the idea of nanobots. but the idea of manipulating small-scale natural processes directly is very much out of mind. The very nature of tiny technology is that it very easily stays out of sight, and can be difficult to properly conceptualize.</p> <p>Nano-machines and &ldquo;smart dust&rdquo; are still very real concerns as well. Even in the most benign of circumstances they can become a terrible form of pollution like micro-plastics. The technocracy has shown terrible stewardship for the natural world despite manufactured appearances. It would be very difficult to properly investigate the long-term ecological or individual health impacts of individual nano-scale applications.</p> <h2 id="automation">Automation</h2> <p>Automation isn’t simply about making robots better, but also making our lives more robotic. In many cases is it much easier to simply reduce a task into smaller tasks than to design, build, and equip a robot to take over the entire work. This has profound implications for the direction the system is moving in. People will become marginalized to make room for robots in the name of efficiency. The most insidious part is that workers are already being conditioned to train artificial intelligence to learn from them. Many workers are training their replacements without knowing it!</p> <p>This has far-reaching impacts beyond the service industry. Nearly any job can be broken down into small units of work that could be automated eventually. The safest positions are the ones that are harder to break into smaller units, or tasks that take advantage of a large variety of skills. Media and legal institutions will be pressured to force professionals to undermine their own field to make it easier to be automated away.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/skynet-workforce.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/skynet-workforce" ><h2>The Rise of a SkyNet Workforce</h2><i>Employee of the Month: Terminator</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>It’s worth noting that automation itself isn’t inherently evil or wrong. Ideally workers would be properly compensated for training AIs and people would be supported with the understanding that their livelihoods were sacrificed for greater efficiency. Currently automation is a super-weapon against the working classes. There is no reason it has to stay that way.</p> <hr> <h2 id="solutions">Solutions</h2> <h3 id="diy">DIY</h3> <p>Consider countermeasures against robots</p> <ul> <li>Instead of WiFi, using wired networks</li> <li>Setup spaces your devices can’t listen in to.</li> <li>Use a faraday bag for your smartphone</li> <li>Use analog/low-tech solutions where possible</li> </ul> <p>As more and more valuable tools are converted to “smart devices” there is an immense opportunity to take up a niche market of simpler devices that don’t violate their owners privacy. AI doesn’t need to be a harmful development. By learning about these systems we can avoid the dangers as well as develop more humane ways of moving forward.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/board.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/hardware-matters" ><h2>Principle: Hardware matters</h2><i>It is easy to underestimate the underlying structure of our digital world.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="build-and-maintain-the-human-economy">Build and maintain the “human economy”</h3> <p>Robots &amp; automation are going go displace an incredible amount of people in the best-case scenarios. The optimal strategy would be for people to work on establishing an economy for people instead of one against them. This doesn’t mean you shun progress, in fact developing efficient systems allows you to share the gains with your community.</p> <p>If you’re building autonomous systems ensure that they are licensed, developed, and distributed in a way that benefits human beings. For example, a city could establish a smart contract that requires robots to pay taxes on transactions that help support local food &amp; housing systems.</p> <h3 id="body-mechanics">Body mechanics</h3> <p>As the world becomes more and more controlled, the machine of last resort is you. A self-driving car may decide where you can drive to, but your own body can be the limit of where you can bike to. Even better if you have access to horses for travel. Developing tools and methods that focus on augmenting what you can do yourself will liberate you from relying on tools that work against you.</p> Call to Action: Join the Fediverse now! https://libresolutions.network/articles/call-to-action-join-the-fediverse/ Tue, 22 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/call-to-action-join-the-fediverse/ /media/images/fediverse.webp <p>The Fediverse is a web of federated social networks. Powered by the ActivityPub protocol, they allow for interoperability between them. <a href="https://tilvids.com/w/juFy6FerVv5MVMKVKZXdqs">Here is a fantastic demo of it in action today</a></p> <iframe src='https://peertube.libresolutions.network/videos/embed/40a5c731-92e5-48ec-bc4f-a441a9930408'> </iframe> <h3 id="currently-there-are-many-federated-equivalents-to-popular-sites-people-use">Currently there are many federated equivalents to popular sites people use:</h3> <ul> <li>For YouTube there is <a href="https://joinpeertube.org/">PeerTube</a></li> <li>For Instagram there is <a href="https://pixelfed.org/">Pixelfed</a></li> <li>For Twitter there is <a href="https://joinmastodon.org/">Mastodon</a>, <a href="https://pleroma.social/">Pleroma</a> and <a href="https://misskey.io">Misskey</a></li> <li>For Facebook there is <a href="https://friendi.ca/">Frendica</a></li> <li>For Podcasts &amp; Music there is <a href="https://funkwhale.audio/">Funkwhale</a></li> <li>For Reddit there is <a href="https://join-lemmy.org/">Lemmy</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="why-bother">Why bother?</h2> <p>Continuing to use mainstream social networks is becoming more and more untenable each day. None of them operate for the good of their users. This has already created a dire crisis for free speech online. This doesn’t mean we should all run and hide. It is vital that we overcome chilling effects to ensure that voices can be heard. As Peterson explains below, <a href="https://youtu.be/watch?v=KMj9wsrPE5U">it is better to pay the price for speaking than not speaking.</a></p> <h2 id="things-can-be-better-this-time">Things can be better this time</h2> <p>Federated social networks have a significant set of advantages. Simply being aware that they exist gives you power. You are not required to have an account or maintain a presence to access information on these sites. For example, you can browse the #Censorship hashtag for any instance you choose. This works with any tag. Don’t want to browse? You can change that same link to an RSS feed by adding ‘.rss’ to the end.</p> <p>This is an immense improvement from current social media sites; anyone with an RSS reader can access all the same information as anyone in the network without having to give up privacy.</p> <h2 id="how-do-i-start">How do I start?</h2> <p>For most instances it’s as easy as creating an account on any other website. An instance is like a home. There are features to migrate accounts if you like as well. Your presence doesn’t need to be permanent and I would encourage you to have multiple identities.</p> <p>Check out the fediverse.party portal to pick an instance: <a href="https://fediverse.party/en/portal/servers/">https://fediverse.party/en/portal/servers/</a></p> <p>These are instances listed by interest or focus. Be aware that each instance has it’s own rules and culture. People are generally friendly, but like anywhere else, try to be kind in turn.</p> <h2 id="get-connected">Get connected</h2> <p>You can make a post with #introduction to introduce yourself to the network, this is a handy way to get followers and meet like-minded people. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/askfediverse">#askfediverse</a> is a very useful hashtag to get answers to questions that people might know. Each instance has a public directory that users may choose to be listed in. For Mastodon it will be the instance site + /explore. So for mastodon.social it’s <a href="https://mastodon.social/explore">https://mastodon.social/explore</a></p> <h2 id="getting-the-most-out-of-it">Getting the most out of it</h2> <p>By getting your information from the fediverse, you can avoid having to share twitter/facebook links if the same information is available there. This helps promote a more resilient online information ecosystem. The software running these instances is open source and can be run yourself. This can be a challenging task but is very useful for people who want to have complete control by having an instance for just themselves.</p> <h3 id="follow-the-libre-solutions-network-on-the-fediversehttpsmkgaberockslsn"><a href="https://mk.gabe.rocks/@lsn">Follow the Libre Solutions Network on the Fediverse.</a></h3> <h2 id="a-note-on-privacy">A note on privacy</h2> <p>The Fediverse is an open network, it’s important to keep in mind this is for broadcasting public information. By leaving big tech platforms behind it is essential to redefine what we believe should and shouldn’t be shared publicly.</p> <p>If you’re looking for a secure platform to communicate sensitive information I would recommend checking out <a href="https://xmpp.org/about/technology-overview/">XMPP</a> &amp; <a href="https://matrix.org/">Matrix.</a></p> Tools of the Technocracy: #2 Big Data & Artificial Intelligence https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-2/ Wed, 16 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-2/ /media/images/big-data.webp <h1 id="tools-of-the-technocracytagstools-of-the-technocracy-series-2-big-data--artificial-intelligence"><a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series">Tools of the Technocracy</a>: #2 Big Data &amp; Artificial Intelligence</h1> <h2 id="big-data">Big data</h2> <p>Big data is an arms race for information and computing power. The more information and computing power an entity has the more power it can leverage against you or over others. Privacy is generally discussed in terms of protecting yourself individually, but more and more it is becoming vital to protect your information to protect everyone. By reducing how much you feed into big data, you prevent that data from being weaponized against others. How is all this data collected anyways?</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy2.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy2.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <h3 id="web--app-analytics">Web &amp; App analytics</h3> <p>Online services are very interested in where you spend your time and attention. There are a multitude of different ways trackers infect your online experience.</p> <style> .video-player { display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; } .video-controls { display: flex; flex-direction: row; width: 100%; height: fit-content; flex-wrap: nowrap; } .video-controls p { width: min-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .video-controls>* { margin: 5px; } .video-controls select, .video-controls button { background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color: var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding: 0.5rem; } .icon svg { width: 2.25rem; height: fit-content; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } .video-player:fullscreen{ height:100vh; width:100vw; } .video-player:fullscreen video{ max-height: 100vh; height:100%; max-width: 100vw; width: 100vw; } </style> <div class="video-container"> <div class="video-player"> <video preload="metadata" onclick="playthis(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_video_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_video_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/video/tracking-links.mp4'> </video> <div class="video-controls"> <div onclick="toggle_video_play(event)" class="icon"> <svg viewBox="0 0 120 120"><circle style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:0;stroke-width:6.4;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" id="path2040" cx="60.062084" cy="62.077591" r="52.403164" /><path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1; stroke-width:4;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="m 36.961917,29.902848 c 3.596357,-1.826163 63.333473,26.918008 63.449063,32.530093 0.1386,6.729203 -61.229407,35.615675 -63.254766,33.796117 -1.971501,-1.557746 -3.672784,-64.52183 -0.194297,-66.32621 z" id="path1060"> </svg> </div> </button> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_video_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_video_speed(event)"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="fullscreen(event)"> <svg viewBox="0 0 120 120"> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 46.964564,56.005523 29.64354,38.443145 15.744327,51.812481 15.624368,16.779513 l 36.623948,0.03226 -13.177737,14.17536 16.622539,16.392689 z" id="path8948-3"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 55.129887,73.388205 38.422614,90.210417 51.067135,104.89922 16.395468,104.33333 16.434945,67.605641 30.111493,81.28219 46.504182,64.659651 Z" id="path8948-3-5"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 63.363444,46.935211 80.997081,30.825588 67.627745,17.036604 102.68744,17.447746 102.62846,52.646518 88.168059,39.041226 71.989147,55.663767 Z" id="path8948-3-6"/> <path style="opacity:0.99;fill-opacity:1;stroke-width:2.58928;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:round;stroke-dasharray:none;stroke-opacity:1" d="M 71.956318,65.743071 91.343851,82.735377 104.06395,70.648701 103.79532,105.13832 69.166628,105.79193 82.579575,93.184265 63.227764,74.368773 Z" id="path8948-3-5-2"/> </svg> </div> </div> <script> function setup_video_metadata(event) { video = event.target; var seek = video.parentElement.children[1].children[1]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = video.duration; seek.value = video.currentTime; details = video.parentElement.children[1].children[3].children; details[0].innerHTML = timeToText(video.currentTime) + "/"; details[1].innerHTML = timeToText(video.duration); } function playthis(event) { if (event.target.paused) { event.target.playbackRate = video.parentElement.children[1].children[2].value; event.target.play(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['pause']; } else { event.target.pause(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['play']; } } function fullscreen(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement; if (document.fullscreenElement) { document.exitFullscreen(); event.target.innerHTML = icons['expand']; } else { video.requestFullscreen(); event.target.innerHTML = icons['shrink']; } } function toggle_video_play(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; if (video.paused) { video.playbackRate = video.parentElement.children[1].children[2].value; video.play(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['pause']; } else { video.pause(); video.parentElement.children[1].children[0].innerHTML = icons['play']; } } function update_video_speed(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; video.playbackRate = event.target.value; } function update_video_time(event) { video = event.target.parentElement.parentElement.children[0]; video.currentTime = event.target.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> </div> <noscript> <style> .video-player { display: none; } </style> <video controls preload="false"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/video/tracking-links.mp4'> </video> </noscript> <p class="caption"> </p> </div> <p>Browsers currently have much more fine-tuned control over what information you share with sites you visit. There are <a href="https://libresolutionsnetwork.substack.com/p/reclaiming-cyberspace-3">mechanisms to mitigate</a> this. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/moviepass-track-eyes-phone-cameras-b2013273.html">With a smartphone app</a> however, there are much fewer ways to restrict surveillance, and they generally require more effort.</p> <h3 id="fingerprinting">Fingerprinting</h3> <p><a href="https://amiunique.org/fp">Browser Fingerprinting</a> is a set of techniques that analyze how your browser behaves. Many technical details about your browser (such as your monitor size, language, &amp; time zone) allow you to stand out from other users. When combined with other information, such as your IP, it can be very easily to track you as a unique user. This does not mean that you should continue to leak data. The best defense is getting more people to take their privacy and security seriously. An alternative would be to find ways to send out fake data and interactions to <a href="https://adnauseam.io/">add noise</a> to the dataset.</p> <p><a href="https://gemini.circumlunar.space/">Gemini</a> is a new protocol intended to mitigate the amount of tracking sites can do. It is a growing ecosystem and there already is a great deal of great content there. Websites on Gemini are called <em>capsules</em>. You do need a gemini-compatible browser to view them.</p> <h3 id="data-driven-services">“Data driven” services</h3> <p>Cloud platforms and online services aim to be ‘<em>data driven</em>’ this means that details from every interaction are recorded so that they can ‘<em>improve their services</em>’. Unfortunately for their employees, clients, and partners, this data is very often collected and processed by a third party. Other times it is simply outright sold.</p> <p>Many organizations use Microsoft, Google or other cloud providers to run their day-to-day affairs. This has tragic implications for the people who rely on those institutions. Your ‘private’ information could be collected by big tech firms without you ever directly using their services.</p> <h3 id="dragnet-surveillance">Dragnet surveillance</h3> <p>Simply not being a target is not enough to avoid problems. Instead of relying on tracking you as an individual, many techniques involve spying on everyone. By being able to analyze every interaction, everyone can manipulated all the time. With more and more sophisticated tools, this becomes a larger and larger threat. The state has the power to force people into using specific services. As a matter of principle the powers of the state and large corporations to collect information on people <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/02/privacy-experts-federal-and-state-agencies-end-use-facial-verification-services">must be restricted</a>.</p> <h3 id="biometrics">Biometrics</h3> <p>Biometrics are special pieces of data that should be guarded the most. Such as:</p> <ul> <li>Your DNA</li> <li>Your face</li> <li>Your eyes</li> <li>Your fingerprints</li> <li>Your <a href="https://twitter.com/wef/status/1427721919483326470#m">heartbeat</a></li> <li>Your gait</li> </ul> <p>Essentially, anything that uniquely identifies you is not something you want your data to be able to be traced back to. The problem with biometrics is that unlike passwords or keys they can not be (easily) changed or revoked. It is much easier to change a password than get an entirely new face.</p> <h3 id="limitations-of-de-identified-data">Limitations of “De-identified” data</h3> <p>De-identifying data is the process of removing or changing information like names and addresses in the hope that the dataset won’t allow you to uniquely identify a person. This protection, isn&rsquo;t absolute. For example, location data is essentially impossible to ‘de-identify’. How many people visit your home during certain hours each day? Even if the system doesn’t list their names it’s probably not too hard to find out.</p> <h3 id="data-brokerages">Data brokerages</h3> <p>When your data is collected by different parties very often they will repackage and sell out the data. There are large data brokerages with massive datasets. This means that intelligent systems (or a determined adversary) could potentially gather a near-complete picture of your life by correlating pieces from different datasets. This is a massive advantage that large firms will always have over smaller organizations.</p> <h3 id="data-breaches">Data breaches</h3> <p>It is not only your own personal security that matters, but also the security of all those who are keeping data about<a href="haveibeenpwned.com/"> you. HaveIbeenPwned</a> is a great tool to verify if your e-mail appears in any data breaches. The trouble is that any information that becomes accessible is impossible to truly erase. Those wishing to use data to control others likely do not care for ethical concerns about how it is sourced.</p> <hr> <h2 id="artificial-intelligence">Artificial intelligence</h2> <p>AI is no longer a sci-fi concept, it is very real and very present in our lives. Artificial intelligence is fueled by big data. This creates a feedback loop that incentivizes further data collection. The more data that exists, the more data there is to abuse.</p> <h2 id="how-does-it-work-signals--levers">How does it work? Signals &amp; Levers</h2> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/tott-2-signals.webp' > </div> <p>To oversimplify a bit, an AI algorithm is given many signals as ‘inputs’ and outputs one or many results. AIs are ‘trained’ by feeding them inputs and the desired outputs. It is essentially the AIs job to learn how to produce those outputs. By adjusting the values in its ‘<em>memory</em>’, it will learn how to give better results. Once an AI is trained with enough data it will be able to reliably produce accurate results for new data.</p> <p>A great deal of these results are derived from a properly designed network and dataset. An AI fed with data that is incomplete or biased can produce useless or incorrect results. This is why it is a horrific idea to allow AI algorithms designed to track and control you to have control over your life. These AI algorithms can work together to create more sophisticated tools.</p> <h3 id="hard-to-predict-correlations">Hard-to-predict correlations</h3> <p>AI algorithms shouldn’t have direct control over systems that have the capability of harming people. By giving complex AIs levers to control the real world it can be almost <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/these-algorithms-look-x-rays-detect-your-race/">impossible to predict</a> what the potential impacts can be. The potential risks to human rights or even safety can’t be overstated.</p> <p>This is because no matter how powerful our machines are, or how sophisticated our algorithms are we are not able to fully simulate the human experience in our human societies. There will be blind-spots and bad incentives. They are designed by humans after-all.</p> <h2 id="these-tools-are-impressive">These tools are impressive</h2> <p>This is not to say AI is useless or bad, it has many very useful and powerful applications. You can explore the possibilities with this amazing YouTube channel <a href="https://youtube.com/c/K%C3%A1rolyZsolnai/videos">Two Minute Papers</a>. The best way to use AI is to use it where there is no danger in a wrong answer. My favorite example is upscaling, generating <a href="https://youtu.be/watch?v=0X1RtXCvPFQ">higher resolution images</a> from lower resolution ones.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/skynet-workforce.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/skynet-workforce" ><h2>The Rise of a SkyNet Workforce</h2><i></i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h2 id="not-all-sunshine-and-rainbows">Not all sunshine and rainbows.</h2> <p>The sad news is that many of these systems are in control of our very lives. There is a race to give AI algorithms complete control of what we see, hear, and remember. It is important to keep in mind that these powerful tools are constantly working in the background in the interests of powerful institutions.</p> <p>It is very possible that these AI algorithms feed into each other in unintuitive ways. As the technocracy expands out their digital control the impacts may become more clear.</p> <h3 id="advertising">Advertising</h3> <p>The study of the humans in cyberspace has been ongoing for quite some time. The game-changer is that artificial intelligence can find subtle ways to manipulate you that even its creators couldn’t imagine. Every time you interact with an ad online you are training algorithms to learn how to grab peoples’ time and attention.</p> <h3 id="censorship">Censorship</h3> <p>Giving AIs the power to moderate the Internet has disastrous potential. Human beings, for all their wisdom, have failed to ever use censorship for anything good. Artificial intelligence should never be a barrier to people’s ability to access information or express themselves.</p> <h3 id="astroturfing">Astroturfing</h3> <p>Bots are also faster at engaging online than human beings. It would be trivial to use currently available technology to swarm the Internet with bots that are able to out-produce any real human input to spread propaganda. Bots already outnumber humans on social media. The usual solution to this is to demand that human beings use their real identities online, but this immediately backfires by giving AIs a list of ‘real targets’ to hit.</p> <p>AI is a game-changer for the technocracy. By <a href="https://thegrayzone.com/2021/10/08/nato-cognitive-warfare-brain/">herding people into systems</a> with defined goals, the systems can set incentive structures to make the herd act how the system wants. If you believe money is a powerful influence over individual people, watch when every aspect of their lives is made better or worse based off how they are judged by these systems.</p> <h3 id="plausible-deniability">Plausible deniability</h3> <p>An underestimated part of these AI algorithms is that with datasets on everyone they can still <a href="https://youtu.be/watch?v=eRAPKG7hbA8">target people individually.</a> While this specific case may be an isolated incident, the capability exists to manipulate individuals more subtly. This can impact those who may be more vulnerable, or less likely to speak out.</p> <h3 id="perception-management">Perception management</h3> <p>As top-down control drives more and more of what people see and experience this allows AIs to learn how to manipulate people’s behavior in incalculable ways. As we allow fewer systems to take total control over information, those who run those systems can actively brainwash the public for any purpose.</p> <p>Perception management is a weapon primarily aimed at people’s subconscious minds. There is immense opportunity to leverage people’s very own biology against themselves. Fear, disgust and anger are some of the strongest emotions that can be used to influence people.</p> <h3 id="digital-gulags">Digital Gulags</h3> <p>‘Social credit scores’ don’t need to be binary. Everything in your life can be put on a sliding scale. If you behave ‘well’ the system can reward you with:</p> <ul> <li>A more pleasant social media feed</li> <li>More favorable transaction costs and terms</li> <li>Preferential resolutions in disputes</li> <li>Access to more computing power</li> <li>Access to more energy</li> <li>Better quality food</li> </ul> <p>If the system decides you’re not doing what it wants it can <a href="https://twitter.com/cyprianous/status/1493414970976980992">punish you</a> with:</p> <ul> <li>More negative news</li> <li>Less representation in disputes</li> <li>Less computing power</li> <li>Energy rationing</li> <li>Lower quality food</li> </ul> <p>Once allowed, this system wouldn’t simply turn people into slaves, it would hijack evolution to transform what once were human beings into different creatures all-together. Sounds a lot like <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2014/07/rokos-basilisk-the-most-terrifying-thought-experiment-of-all-time.html">Roko’s Basilisk</a>….</p> <hr> <h2 id="solutions">Solutions</h2> <h3 id="take-privacy-and-security-seriously">Take privacy and security seriously</h3> <p>Consider switching away from tools and technology that track you as part of their business model. It is worth your time to find hardware, operating systems, and programs that aren’t proactively reporting on your behavior. This doesn’t have to be all-at-once but can be done gradually. Every bit helps and there is a gradient of success. Another option is simply to modify your lifestyle to find ways to rely less on digital systems.</p> <h3 id="limit-your-interaction-with-data-driven-services">Limit your interaction with data-driven services</h3> <p>This doesn’t mean you have to immediately close your bank account or quit your job. Using your influence as a customer or employee can help shift institutions in a better direction. Be aware of how these systems work and how you can mitigate their effects on your life. In any instance where you can replace a service or tool that is tracking you with one that isn’t you’re making great progress. <a href="https://backgroundchecks.org/justdeleteme/">Consider having your data deleted from unused sites</a>. Try shopping in store, rather than from an online store-front.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/fediverse.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/call-to-action-join-the-fediverse" ><h2>Call to action: Join the Fediverse</h2><i>A simple, but very effective way to tip the scales in favor of free speech.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Switching away from <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/1-emancipate-yourself-from-mental-slavery">Algorithmically manipulated social media</a> towards better alternatives such as <a href="https://fediverse.party/">pleroma &amp; mastodon</a> can help a great deal. Gab also doesn’t manipulate what appears in your feed. Ensure that you’re bookmarking important sites. RSS feeds are also critical in getting information without censorship or moderation.</p> <h3 id="support-open-data">Support open data</h3> <p>AI can be used for good! Open source tools and open datasets level the playing-field a great deal. An interesting project in this space is <a href="https://commonvoice.mozilla.org/en">Mozilla Common Voice</a>. It is difficult for this kind of work to compete with corporate or state-level initiatives, but it would be much harder to hide private data in a public dataset.</p> <p>Consider getting involved locally, if there are local groups interested in privacy rights as well as security you can work to influence local governments and institutions to better protect people’s privacy.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/construction-banner.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-3/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #3 Robots, IoT, Automation, Oh my!</h2><i>Transforming the world in ways seen and unseen</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> Tools of the Technocracy: #1 Digital Currency https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-1/ Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-1/ /media/tott-1.webp <h1 id="tools-of-the-technocracytagstools-of-the-technocracy-series--1-digital-currency"><a href="https://libresolutions.network/tags/tools-of-the-technocracy-series">Tools of the Technocracy</a>: #1 Digital Currency</h1> <p>Digital currency is what makes online commerce work so well. The trouble is that as the Internet has invaded our lives, it has given the digital financial complex more and more power. This is the foundation of a “social credit system” that aims to <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/political/cbdc-how-covid-became-path-global-financial-surveillance">control every aspect</a> of your life. Having the “right” social attitudes or behavior will not be enough to endure this. The game is total control and the prize is all your time and assets.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy1.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy1.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <h2 id="data-collection">Data collection</h2> <p>The first thing to be surrendered to these digital financial tools was privacy. Having access to transaction data tells those collecting the information a great deal about you. It is trivial to glean travel patterns, interests, and all sorts of details about your life if they can catalogue your transactions. It is near impossible to keep your financial information private when operating through these services.</p> <h2 id="censorship">Censorship</h2> <p>People assume that financial institutions will only intervene in the most egregious of circumstances. Under the guise of stopping terrorism, hate and criminal activity the financial sector has acquired the power to be the arbiter of online commerce. Large institutions are only getting started abusing this power to micro-manage more and more economic activity.</p> <p>This censorship, even when used for so-called “benign” purposes, distorts market incentives. At minimum, there will be <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/ko-fi-unpublishes-page-of-uk-womens-rights-group/">chilling effects</a> and perverse incentives created by these interventions. As these measures accelerate, trust becomes a fading memory.</p> <h2 id="financial-repression">Financial repression</h2> <p>Do you have control of your money? If not, is it really “your money”? In many cases, digital currency can be frozen, blacklisted or <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/rule-power/5796021">even seized from you</a>. In these situations you often have little-or-no recourse. The cryptocurrency space has a term “Not your keys…Not your Bitcoin”. This is doubly true for fiat-based platforms. Digital currencies linked to fiat (state) currencies also have the unfortunate side-effect of being silently seized through rising amounts of inflation.</p> <hr> <h2 id="the-villains">The Villains</h2> <h3 id="creditdebit-cards">Credit/Debit Cards</h3> <p>The earliest stage financial tracking. Almost everyone is guilty of using these. They are certainly preferable to the alternatives listed below, but in all instances it is better for you to use debit cards instead of credit cards where possible.</p> <h3 id="cryptocurrency">Cryptocurrency</h3> <p>Not all cryptocurrencies are the same. Some are more decentralized than others. Important questions to ask are:</p> <ul> <li>Can you run your own client/wallet? (a “full node”)</li> <li>Who are the developers?</li> <li>How is the protocol developed?</li> <li>Does it have a proven history?</li> <li>Does it shield you from inflation?</li> </ul> <p>Unlike debit/credit cards where financial transactions are tracked by a private entity, financial analysis is open to anyone who has access to the blockchain (usually everyone). Some argue this is more “fair” and that it would be better if we transitioned our entire financial system to a public ledger.</p> <p>This wouldn’t achieve the desired effects. Those with power and wealth would still have the means to conceal their activities. On top of this, they would still have the ability to have asymmetric power over individuals by developing better tools to track and analyze their financial activities.</p> <p>The notable exception being Monero. While it’s privacy may be currently intact, there is no guarantee that it never will be broken. By nature of being stored on a public blockchain, once that protection is broken it is lost forever.</p> <h3 id="custodial-services-paypalvenmostripeect">Custodial services (Paypal/Venmo/Stripe/ect)</h3> <p>These services often aim to make it easier for people, businesses and institutions to accept payments. They often come at a high cost. If financial tracking wasn’t bad enough, they also have the power to control your customers money. They can unilaterally decide to cut you off often leaving you in a very difficult financial situation.</p> <p>In late 2022, Paypal instituted a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-paypal-policy-lets-company-pull-2500-from-users-accounts-if-they-promote-misinformation">policy</a> granting them the power to fine users for so-called misinformation. After a massive wave of account cancellations, Paypal announced that the policy was included in error. At best, this policy was a &ldquo;trial baloon&rdquo; to get a pulse of how much tolerance the public has for financial censorship.</p> <h3 id="centralized-cryptocurrency-exchanges-and-services">Centralized Cryptocurrency exchanges and services</h3> <p>Speaking of: “Not your keys, not your Bitcoin”, keeping cryptocurrency assets on exchanges or services exposes you to counter-party risk. You shouldn’t rely on a specific service to hold all your cryptocurrency/assets. Many of these institutions may not have a strong history to justify any level of trust.</p> <p>Exchanges have been caught <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2019/07/19/crypto-exchange-bitmex-under-investigation-by-cftc-bloomberg/">trading against their customers</a>, <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/06/29/coinbase-is-reportedly-selling-geo-location-data-to-ice/">selling information to the state</a>, and being outright <a href="https://www.lewrockwell.com/2022/11/charles-hugh-smith/ftx-the-dominoes-of-financial-fraud-have-yet-to-fall/">ponzi schemes</a>. An underestimated concern is that many cryptocurrency exchanges operate as the “on-ramp” from the fiat currency system. By converting fiat currency into cryptocurrency you can be transferring value from a system that has little privacy into one with no privacy.</p> <hr> <h2 id="where-is-all-this-headed">Where is all this headed?</h2> <h3 id="blockchain-prisons">Blockchain Prisons</h3> <p>A misconception people often have about cryptocurrency and blockchain projects is that they are, by their nature, decentralized. This is not an essential feature of blockchains nor cryptocurrencies.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/road2hell.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/blockchain/" ><h2>The road to hell: misplaced optimism in the blockchain space</h2><i></i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>What blockchain technology gives the technocracy is interoperability. A private distributed ledger could be used to give interoperability to CBDCs. On November 15th 2022, the New York Fed launched a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/banking-giants-new-york-fed-start-12-week-digital-dollar-pilot-2022-11-15/">12 week digital dollar pilot</a>.</p> <h3 id="smart-contracts">Smart Contracts</h3> <p>A smart contract is an incentive system built on top of a blockchain ledger. None of the currently existing smart contract platforms are private. This means that all the data in a given smart contract is public. They could potentially encrypt data with a wallet’s private-key but that does make it difficult to share that data with others.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/programmable-currency" ><h2>Programmable currency</h2><i>What is it good for?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Smart contracts build systems that can create ways for humans and non-human systems to be rewarded by specific activities. For instance, Helium is attempting to incentivize people to provide data connectivity to systems built to track-and-trace activity in the real world. This is a powerful way to re-engineer society.</p> <h3 id="nfts">NFTs</h3> <p>A Non-Fungible-Token is a blockchain asset that can be assigned to a specific entity. Notably, for now, people are selling “digital ownership” of pieces of art. It is not difficult to imagine a scenario where all property ‘rights’ are regulated by a system that temporarily assigns NFTs to those who are “authorized” to access that particular item or property.</p> <p>NFTs have even more potential. These systems can be much more flexible and opaque in very unintuitive ways. Everything is determined by the smart contract. It would be trivial to create individualized rules to limit who gets to use their ‘rights’ to the fullest…if at all.</p> <h3 id="web3">Web3</h3> <p>Web3 is the encroachment of the cryptocurrency space into the entire internet. By building experiences on top of smart contracts, which have no privacy, every activity online can feed into algorithms that are used to tailor the totality of the online experience to each individual.</p> <p>In many ways Web3 allows for much of Silicon Valley to be automated away with blockchain systems. While this may sound like a good thing, you are merely changing one bad system for another. Without a truly decentralized, private and secure blockchain Web3 will only work to the detriment of it’s users.</p> <h3 id="internet-of-things">Internet of Things</h3> <p>By connecting more and more ‘things’ to the Internet it exposes them to being dominated by the systems discussed here. A ‘thing’ doesn’t need to be a trivial device such as a “smart speaker” or a fridge. It would very well be the car you drive or the <a href="https://archive.is/GsMPm">door you enter to get to your office.</a></p> <h2 id="permission-economy">Permission Economy</h2> <p>Do you think everything outlined above sounds awful and dystopian? The following will take it into overdrive:</p> <h3 id="cbdcs">CBDCs</h3> <p>Central bank digital currencies are the final form of repressive fiat currencies. Instead of your central bank simply devaluing your labour and wages for fiscal stimulus, they can now control the demand side of the equation by limiting what you are allowed to buy (or sell) and when. The system has no desire to use prices as a mechanism to allocate resources because of the belief that the technology now exists to <a href="https://alilybit.substack.com/p/cbdcs-why-governments-cheer-and-humanity">run everything.</a></p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-10" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #10 Central Bank Digital Currencies</h2><i>Late-stage financial repression</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="tokenized-life">Tokenized life</h3> <p>NFTs could be used to determine permissions in the ‘internet of things’. In that case, it will become near impossible to act outside the wishes of the system. Eventually the system will want to have every gram, ounce, or milliliter of resources accounted for. In the name of ‘efficiency’, they will attempt to track and control every atom on the planet.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-7.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-7/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #7 Smart Cities</h2><i>Smart cities are marketed as if they are for the convenience of its residents, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h3 id="virtual-reality">Virtual Reality</h3> <p>Once people are denied all mobility rights and determination it becomes a lot easier to sell virtual experiences for data and profit.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-6.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-6/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #6 Virtual Reality</h2><i>Seeing is believing, and the capability to leverage your own senses against you only gets more extreme over time.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>This is the endgame of control. After seizing all the resources and property, they will also control the people by having direct control of their perception. When the physical world becomes much to harsh to bear those who remain will be psychologically herded into a virtual farm that’s entire purpose is to keep them ‘out of the way’.</p> <hr> <h2 id="solutions">Solutions</h2> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <a href='https://home.solari.com/cash-friday/'> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/tott-1-cash.webp' alt='#CashEveryday' > </a> </div> <p><a href="https://home.solari.com/cash-friday/">#CashEveryday</a> is an initiative to keep cash alive, by using cash transactions wherever possible. While fiat currency has its problems, cash is an anonymous and untraceable way to transfer value. You really should be using cash in every possible transaction. This reduces the amount of control third-parties have over transactions, and promotes keeping things local. Regardless of what new innovations take place, there should always be a private, physical component to the financial system.</p> <h2 id="volunteer--buy-nothing">Volunteer / “Buy nothing”</h2> <p>There are two other highly underestimated commodities that are drained by the technocracy: your time and attention. By giving your time to support people and causes in your community, you can often have a huge impact with very little financial input. Your contributions won’t be able to as easily be frozen or tracked by third parties.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/lsn-banner.webp)" > <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/high-places" ><h2>Redefining &#34;high places&#34;</h2><i>Lets re-balance power from the bottom-up</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p>Often you may be able to find local “Buy nothing” groups on social media. Donating items you don’t need anymore can help restore locked wealth in your community and help those who may need those items. You may find something useful yourself!</p> <h2 id="understand-that-wealth-is-more-than-just-currency">Understand that wealth is more than just currency</h2> <p>I highly recommend you watch though the Peak Prosperity <a href="https://www.peakprosperity.com/crashcourse/">Crash Course</a>. Updated in 2018, it has aged frighteningly well. While the main take away is the role of energy in our society there are many other vital insights. The most valuable tip in leaving the rat race is to realize that there are many things much more vital to your well-being than currency.</p> <h3 id="work-to-break-away-from-the-all-digital-financial-system">Work to break away from the all-digital financial system</h3> <p>There is a fantastic series by Children’s Health Defense called <a href="https://live.childrenshealthdefense.org/shows/financial-rebellion">Financial Rebellion</a> which is a treasure-trove of great advice in this series.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/big-data.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-2/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #2 Big Data &amp; Artificial Intelligence</h2><i>What is all this data for anyways?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> Tools of the Technocracy https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy/ Sat, 08 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy/ /media/tools-of-the-technocracy.webp <h2 id="our-darkest-hour">Our Darkest Hour</h2> <blockquote> <p><em>We are currently in a time like none other in all of human history.</em></p> </blockquote> <p>In the past, tyrants and dictators have had a hard limit on how far they could push people. From either logistical difficulties, fear of resistance, or liberation from other nations; these hard limits have been getting softer and softer as technology advances. Recent history has shown an ever-increasing centralization of power into a smaller and smaller set of control structures.</p> <p>We as everyday people have been complicit in building and maintaining these control structures. Almost every technology has allowed people to trade privacy, security or freedom for convenience. Technology isn’t inherently bad, but allowing this power to go unchecked absolutely is.</p> <script> function audio_end(event){ p = event.target.parentElement; if (!event.target.loop){ p.children[1].innerHTML=icons['play']; } } function setup_display(event){ el = event.target.children[0]; el.style.display="flex"; console.log("Display audio") } function setup_audio_metadata(event) { audio=event.target; var seek = audio.parentElement.children[2]; seek.min = 0; seek.max = audio.duration; seek.value = audio.currentTime; audio.parentElement.children[3].style.display="block"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[0].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.currentTime) + "/"; audio.parentElement.children[5].children[1].innerHTML = "" + timeToText(audio.duration); } function toggle_loop_audio(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.loop = !audio.loop; if (audio.loop){ event.target.children[0].classList.add("spin"); } else{ event.target.children[0].classList.remove("spin"); } } function update_audio_time(event) { audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.currentTime = event.target.value; } function toggle_play_audio(event) { el = event.target; audio = el.parentElement.children[0]; speed = el.parentElement.children[3].value; audio.playbackRate = speed; if (audio.paused) { audio.play(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#pause"); } else { audio.pause(); el.children[0].children[0].setAttribute("href","#play") } } function update_audio_speed(event) { el = event.target; audio = event.target.parentElement.children[0]; audio.playbackRate = el.value; } function timeToText(t) { hours = 0; minutes = 0; seconds = 0; if (t > 60 * 60) { hours = Math.floor(t / 60 / 60); t = t - hours * 60 * 60; } if (t > 60) { minutes = Math.floor(t / 60); t = t - minutes * 60 } if (t > 1) { seconds = Math.floor(t); } text = ""; if (hours > 0) { text += hours + ":"; } if (minutes > 0 || hours > 0) { if (minutes == 0) { minutes = "00" } if (minutes < 10) { text += "0" } text += minutes + ":" } if (seconds == 0 && (minutes > 0 || hours > 0)) { seconds = "00"; } if (seconds < 10) { text += "0"; } text += seconds return text; } </script> <style> .audio-player { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center; justify-content:center; width: 100%; } .audio-player>*{ margin:2px; margin-right:5px; margin-left:5px; } .audio-player p{ width: fit-content; } .media-seek { width: 100%; } .audio-player{ border: 0.15rem solid var(--theme-accent); padding:0.5rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; color:var(--theme-accent); flex-wrap: nowrap; } .audio-player>*{ margin:5px; } .audio-player select, .audio-player button{ background-color: transparent; border-color: var(--theme-accent); color:var(--theme-accent); border-radius: 3px; padding:0.5rem; } .icon svg{ width:2.25rem; height:2.25rem; z-index: -1; background-color: transparent; pointer-events: none; } .icon path, .icon rect { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: var(--theme-accent); } .icon svg circle { stroke: var(--theme-accent); fill: transparent; stroke-width: 6; } @keyframes spin-icon { 0%{rotate:0;} 100%{rotate:360deg;} } .spin{ animation:spin-icon 3s linear infinite; } </style> <div class="media-container" onload="setup_display(event)"> <div class="audio-player"> <audio onended="audio_end(event)" onloadedmetadata="setup_audio_metadata(event)" ontimeupdate="setup_audio_metadata(event)"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy.mp3'> </audio> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_play_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#play"></use> </svg> </div> <input class="media-seek" type="range" onchange="update_audio_time(event)" value="0"> <select onchange="update_audio_speed(event)" style="display:none;"> <option value="1" selected>1x</option> <option value="1.5">1.5x</option> <option value="2">2x</option> <option value="2.5">2.5x</option> <option value="3">3x</option> </select> <div class="audio-preview"> </div> <p><span class="audio-currentTime"></span><span class="audio-duration"></span></p> <div class="icon" onclick="toggle_loop_audio(event)"> <svg> <use href="#loop"></use> </svg> </div> </div> <noscript> <style> .audio-player { display: none; } </style> <audio controls preload="false" style="width:100%;min-width:40vw;"> <source src='https://libresolutions.network//media/audio/tools-of-the-technocracy.mp3'> </audio> </noscript> </div> <p>The sum total of what the world is constructing is nothing short of a planet-wide <a href="https://odysee.com/@PlanetLockdown:6/Catherine-Austin-Fitts:cc">enslavement grid</a> that has never been possible before. The individual parts create feedback loops that make it very difficult for people to extrapolate the long term impacts.</p> <p>The tyrants of the world are winning a massive arms race against the rest of humanity. We must not merely avoid these systems, rather every one of us is responsible for preventing them from being weaponized against the people.</p> <h1 id="our-last-chance">Our last chance</h1> <p>This time is so critical because the powers that ought not to be are in a desperate rush to finalize this system. The internet and the ability for people all over the world to coordinate and learn from each other has greatly tipped the balance of power into humanity’s favor. It is paramount that we put all other differences aside to focus on protecting the future for all people.</p> <p>This means that until the technocrats are discredited and prosecuted the following doesn’t matter at all:</p> <ul> <li>Political affiliation</li> <li>Religious affiliation</li> <li>Education</li> <li>Cultural background or race</li> <li>Physical characteristics such as sex or disability</li> <li>Wealth (or lack thereof)</li> <li>Anything else you can think of…</li> </ul> <p>The truth is the only useful indicator you have for who can be trusted is if they are <strong>proactively focused on enhancing human liberty and fighting against human enslavement.</strong></p> <p>You are going to find people in this fight that have different beliefs than you, often staggeringly so. It is paramount that you put these feelings aside for the good of all. You and everyone else will be better for it. Those who can reach across to those with fundamental differences to oppose tyranny are going to be the most important people in the world.</p> <h1 id="a-future-worth-fighting-for">A future worth fighting for</h1> <p>Overthrowing this evil will open up a fractal of possibilities for people to improve the world around them. There have been incalculable harms done by the waste of building these systems that could have been used for much better things.</p> <p>Ending information control will allow people to work to provide genuine solutions to many of the worlds problems. Stopping the censorship of cures will eliminate much avoidable suffering. Resources spent oppressing people will be freed up to solve real problems. We will still have challenges, and there will still be political squabbles, but we have a very real opportunity to right many grave wrongs. I am not promising anyone a utopia, merely a world immensely more just than our current one.</p> <h1 id="the-tools">The tools</h1> <p>This series will help you better understand what technologies are being weaponized against people. Simply avoiding them or remaining ignorant isn’t quite enough to avoid their effects. Much of the public is in the dark about these things, it is vital that we are all able to explain what is wrong with these mechanisms of control.</p> <div class="gallery"> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-1.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-1/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy #1: Digital Currency</h2><i>How the digital financial complex works against you...and what you can do about it.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/big-data.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-2/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #2 Big Data &amp; Artificial Intelligence</h2><i>What is all this data for anyways?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/construction-banner.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-3/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #3 Robots, IoT, Automation, Oh my!</h2><i>Transforming the world in ways seen and unseen</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-4.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-4/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #4 Online Identity</h2><i>What is following you in your digital tracks?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-5.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-5/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #5 Networks</h2><i>Much of the digital infrastructure in place today is built to structurally enable tyranny.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-6.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-6/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #6 Virtual Reality</h2><i>Seeing is believing, and the capability to leverage your own senses against you only gets more extreme over time.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-7.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-7/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #7 Smart Cities</h2><i>Smart cities are marketed as if they are for the convenience of its residents, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-8.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-8" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #8 Transhumanism</h2><i>How close are the technocrats to modifying you? Too close.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/tott-9-preview.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-9" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #9 Internet Shutdowns</h2><i>Information control is the root of modern tyranny.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/cbdc-chains.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-10" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #10 Central Bank Digital Currencies</h2><i>Late-stage financial repression</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/chains.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-11" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #11 Social Credit</h2><i>What&#39;s new is old.</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <p><section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/network-state-banner.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-12/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #12 Network States</h2><i>The formalization of world-wide tyranny</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> </div></p> The most valuable asset for the coming decade https://libresolutions.network/articles/5-most-valuable-asset/ Tue, 04 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/5-most-valuable-asset/ /media/5-disintermediation.webp <h1 id="trust">Trust</h1> <p>Over the last decade individuals and institutions have shifted from covertly selling out their trust to overtly abusing that trust. <a href="https://youtu.be/watch?v=k8Et942iDSc">Trust is essential to have in a civilization.</a> So much of our society is built on assumed trust, or worse trust only maintained by illusion. By abusing the trust of their clients, partners, and the general public they are supplanting their own existence and in turn tainting those who rely on them.</p> <p>What makes trust most valuable is that there are limitless masses of those who will lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead. There is no competitive advantage to joining them. Can you trust a person who is beholden to a corporation that is working against your interests? Can you trust a company that relies on the exploitation of the most vulnerable? The faster we seek better alternatives the better we can <a href="https://home.solari.com/the-popsicle-index/">make the world</a>.</p> <p>This fractal of opportunity means that if we can be trustworthy, we can work to create better alternatives. But how? The first step is disintermediation.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/5-disintermediation.webp' > </div> <h2 id="news">News</h2> <p>Information control is one of the most powerful weapons used against the public. Ideally you would have a curated subset of sources of information that you trust but also a wide net of opinions and disciplines to avoid blind-spots. This year, ensure that you have explored the new media that is being birthed in this time and find ways to avoid being too influenced by a single person or organization.</p> <h2 id="social-media">Social media</h2> <p>Social media is the main tool for information control. By dominating the terms of interaction between human beings social media can work to undermine culture itself. To foster a liberty-minded culture I recommend you look into federated social media such as Mastodon and Pleroma. <a href="https://mk.gabe.rocks/@lsn">We on our own instance</a></p> <h2 id="e-mail">E-mail</h2> <p>E-mail was once a very reliable way of ensuring people got your message but even now they are updating spam filters to censor information. Big tech e-mail providers will proactively scan your e-mail contents. If you or your loved ones are still stuck with Google/Outlook for e-mail I would highly recommend they switch providers.</p> <h2 id="messaging-apps">Messaging Apps</h2> <p>Facebook Messenger / WhatsApp / Google Hangouts / Duo / ..ect shouldn’t be the means in which you’re willing to communicate with others. There are many alternatives but one of the more interesting options is <a href="https://delta.chat/en/">Delta Chat</a>. Signal is also great because it seamlessly works with SMS. Personally I host my own matrix instance to run element.</p> <h2 id="payment-processors">Payment processors</h2> <p>PayPal and Visa/Mastercard are already abusing their contracts to enact censorship by restricting access or levying fees. It is paramount that we all work to reduce our dependency on credit card systems as much as possible. Cryptocurrency is an option, but for local uses it would be far better to use physical money or cash. If you’re in the US you may find <a href="https://www.gabpay.com/">GabPay</a> useful.</p> <h2 id="operating-systems">Operating Systems</h2> <p>Windows, ChromeOS &amp; MacOS all have too much control over your digital life. It would help a great deal if more and more people switched to Linux where there is much less data collection on users. There is a fair learning curve, and not all software is equally available so it is important to recognize where you are and how easy it is for you to switch.</p> <p>For someone who hasn’t tried linux at all I would personally recommend taking a look at <a href="https://pureos.net/">PureOS</a> though Ubuntu is also a very popular choice. For smartphones I would recommend using <a href="https://grapheneos.org/">GrapheneOS</a> or <a href="https://lineageos.org/">LineageOS</a> instead of Android.</p> <h2 id="open-hardware">Open Hardware</h2> <p>I am a big fan of the <a href="https://pine64.com/">Pine64</a> project. I look forward to when the Pinephone is ready for mass adoption. Open hardware is going to be an important space in the future so keep an eye open for it!</p> <p>Big picture</p> <p>There are so many ways we can work to fix the future and it can be difficult to keep them all in mind. As a guide I like to occasionally revisit <a href="https://home.solari.com/coming-clean/">Coming Clean</a> from Solari. That advice is a lighthouse in turbulent and uncertain times.</p> <p>Work to find other trustworthy individuals and organizations to collaborate. Show others that you can be relied upon. We can make the world a much better place, with consistent focus and effort there is no limit to what we can achieve together.</p> Account security best practices https://libresolutions.network/articles/4-account-security-best-practices/ Sun, 19 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/4-account-security-best-practices/ /media/4-data-breach.webp <h2 id="the-best-way-to-protect-data-is-not-to-record-it">The best way to protect data is not to record it</h2> <p>Almost everyone has at least a dozen accounts and it can be quite a disaster if your password gets published in yet another data breach. Passwords aren’t the only information worth stealing and the best way to protect important information is never to collect it. In general, it’s best to avoid making an account with a service if you don’t need to. Sadly many services force you into making an account by gating content, which is a <a href="https://www.darkpatterns.org/types-of-dark-pattern">dark pattern.</a></p> <p>This also applies to payment information. Not only should you only input payment information when you need to, but you should also consider what kind of payment methods you use. Cryptocurrency is perfectly transparent to everyone, and your credit cards are perfectly transparent to whoever your card provider shares their data with. In many cases its worth asking yourself “does this service really need my information to do what I need it to do?”</p> <h2 id="using-a-password-manager">Using a password manager</h2> <p>There are many password managers usually with trade-offs between trust and convenience. The most secure option would be to run an offline password manager and manually sync between devices, but there are other options that provide a cloud-based solution for convenience.</p> <p>Some good password mangers are:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://keepassxc.org/">KeePassXC</a></li> <li><a href="https://bitwarden.com/">Bitwarden</a></li> <li>If you use nextcloud you can also use it to sync passwords</li> </ul> <h2 id="benefits-of-using-a-password-manager">Benefits of using a password manager</h2> <ol> <li> <p>Strong passwords</p> <p>The most obvious advantage of a password manager is the ability to store and keep difficult to remember passwords. This is critical to having a strong unique password for each account.</p> </li> <li> <p>Unique details</p> <p>Passwords aren’t the only thing that is best to have unique. You can also easily keep track of different usernames and e-mails for each service. Not only that but you can avoid disclosing your e-mail address with a temporary e-mail through a free service like TempMail.</p> </li> <li> <p>Account fungibility</p> <p>With a password manager it is now much easier to manage multiple accounts. Sometimes it’s nice to start fresh, other times services like reddit will want you to have a properly aged account to comment or access certain features. Keeping track of accounts makes sure you don’t forget any.</p> </li> </ol> <hr> <h2 id="multi-factor-authentication">Multi-factor authentication</h2> <p>Multi-factor authentication is an essential tool in keeping accounts secure. This allows you to be protected even if someone gets access to your password. There are many ways to use multi-factor authentication but it us usually up to the service to support it. It is best to enable whatever method is available and works for you.</p> <h2 id="smse-mail-codes">SMS/e-mail codes</h2> <p>This is the bare-minimum for a service trying to offer two-factor authentication. If you’re not using unique passwords, e-mail authentication won’t provide you any additional benefit. Also using a throw-away e-mail that you don’t have access to excludes you from using e-mail based authentication.</p> <p>SMS authentication has often been broken by dedicated attackers social engineering the service provider. This is largely only done for high value targets. Another drawback to SMS multi-factor authentication is that you have to divulge your mobile number to the service.</p> <p>With these shortcomings in mind, SMS/e-mail confirmation is still another layer of protection that can still be helpful.</p> <h2 id="totp-codes--google-authenticator">TOTP codes / “Google Authenticator”</h2> <p>Timed one-time-pad codes are a fantastic tool. Essentially you are given a special ‘key’ by scanning a QR code which will generate random numbers to act as your “second password” and it works quite well for this.</p> <p>There is often a “recovery code” that must not be disclosed as this will allow someone to generate your time codes. TOTP codes are great because it would be very hard for an attacker to have access to your password as well as a personal device to enter the code.</p> <ul> <li>If you’re on android <a href="https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.beemdevelopment.aegis/">Aegis Authenticator</a> is available on <a href="https://f-droid.org">F-Droid</a></li> <li>On iOS you can use <a href="https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/google-authenticator/id388497605">Google Authenticator</a></li> </ul> <hr> <h2 id="avoiding-data-leaks">Avoiding data leaks</h2> <p>You can generally assume that all your information for every service is being collected and sold for purposes outside your control. Services get hacked and data breaches happen. The less exposed you are to any particular service being compromised the better.</p> <section class="listing" style="background-image:url(https://libresolutions.network//media/images/big-data.webp)"> <div class="listing-text"> <a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/tools-of-the-technocracy-2/" ><h2>Tools of the Technocracy: #2 Big Data &amp; Artificial Intelligence</h2><i>What is all this data for anyways?</i></a> <span></span> </div> </section> <h2 id="integrations-are-evil">Integrations are evil</h2> <p>“Sign in with…” sounds very convenient but it undermines the uniqueness of each account. The more big tech can identify patterns between your accounts they can very often glean unintuitive insights from fairly innocuous data.</p> <p>Avoid signing in with big tech platforms and only authorize apps to connect to your accounts in very limited circumstances. Remove any unused integrations once you’re done with them.</p> <h2 id="disable-e-mail-alerts">Disable e-mail alerts</h2> <p>There aren’t many conditions that allow you to guarantee that your e-mails aren’t being read by someone, or something else. When a service sends you an e-mail alert about something, (like an online purchase for example) this gives your e-mail provider and anyone they share data with access to a key window into your life. Salt your data</p> <p>Many sites and services will ask for data that serves no purpose and can’t be verified. You are under no obligation to provide them a correct, useful dataset to be used against you.</p> <p><a href="https://www.corbettreport.com/salting-your-data-solutionswatch/">“Salting your data”</a> is to simply input incorrect or unintelligible data such as incorrect birth dates or fake names to undermine these data-collection efforts.</p> Breaking Free https://libresolutions.network/articles/3-breaking-free/ Sat, 11 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/3-breaking-free/ /media/3-breaking-free.webp <p>How do you find the perfect app? What can we do when all the major services have been designed to track, manipulate and control us? Should we just turn everything off and run to the woods?</p> <h2 id="prepare-your-mind">Prepare your mind</h2> <p>The systems built to manipulate and control us weren’t built in a day. It requires all of us to focus intently on building a human-centric instead of data driven digital experience.</p> <p>Remind yourself that will make a huge difference over the long run:</p> <ul> <li>Accept that your privacy, security, and freedom require your active participation.</li> <li>There will be many situations where mitigation is the best-case-scenario.</li> <li>Consider the difference between technology improving or imposing on your life.</li> <li>Not all tools are equivalent different options have incredibly diverse trade-offs.</li> </ul> <p>Even the simplest habits can build up into massive improvements. Like many other things this is a marathon and not a sprint. Your choices matter a great deal because they change the incentives for systems and institutions. Managing expectations is critical in avoiding frustration.</p> <h2 id="team-up">Team up</h2> <p>One of the most effective ways to improve is to try new things. Everyone knows adopting a new messaging application is very difficult when nobody you know uses it. Getting others to join you helps everyone involved.</p> <p>The most powerful way to help others adopt better solutions is to spend the time and effort to set them up. Very often little maintenance or support is needed once someone is ready to go.</p> <p>As a team you can collaborate on supporting each other. Not everyone has the same familiarity and ability to adopt different solutions. Once your team gets familiar with one option it also gets easier to adopt others as well.</p> <p>An underestimated advantage of teaming up is that you can now pool resources to solving problems. If teams of people using free and open source software that respects their privacy the burden of donating to support development could be shared much easier. Many developers for very important projects would benefit from donations by the people instead of larger corporations.</p> <h2 id="accept-reasonable-compromise">Accept <em>reasonable</em> compromise</h2> <p>Perfection is often unattainable. For example properly securing e-mail communication between multiple parties requires a great deal of effort that could be much better used by keeping mission-critical messages on more secure infrastructure. Odds are you will still need to be able to receive e-mails all the same.</p> <p>Compromise is essential when working with many people. Your favorite (and possibly even most secure) option may not be easy right away for others to start working with. Ideally the first thing you compromise is urgency, a plan to move forward is much better than betting everything on immediate success.</p> <p>Consider that a hot new app may make claims that have yet to be proven. Rushing people into adopting novel technology can very often backfire.</p> <h2 id="embrace-the-analog">Embrace the analog</h2> <p>The fastest and most secure way to send someone a file is to hand-deliver them physical media with the data written to it. Every time you send files through networks the only guarantee you have is that they likely won’t be decrypted right away. Over the long run this guarantee becomes more of a hope.</p> <p>Sending large amounts of data over the mail is easier and easier as storage gets better and better. For greater protection you could send a relative an encrypted disk/drive and then simply message them with the password.</p> <p>I hope to generally avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater…but “smart home” devices are almost always a trap. I personally would only rely on a “smart enabled” lock or appliance without any connection to the Internet and running software I understand.</p> <h2 id="thank-you">Thank you</h2> <p>Thanks for reading this post. This is the last in my starting series discussing the big picture as I see it. I also want to thank my first paid subscriber! Moving forward upcoming articles will be about small scale improvements and how to bring them to your life. Premium articles will be similar to these big picture musings.</p> You have a right to remain silent, but your data doesn't! https://libresolutions.network/articles/2-you-have-a-right-to-remain-silent/ Fri, 03 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/2-you-have-a-right-to-remain-silent/ /media/images/big-data2.webp <h2 id="where-is-the-data">Where is the data?</h2> <p>Data-driven services are ubiquitous. They all feed into machine learning algorithms who’s purpose is to decode the human psyche.</p> <ul> <li>E-mail providers scan your e-mails to learn about your interests &amp; online purchases</li> <li>Entertainment services gather all kinds of information about what catches your attention and stimulates specific emotions</li> <li>Every time you spend money financial institutions and retailers are analyzing your explicit and implicit voting with your wallet.</li> <li>Social media and other communication services can adequately measure your individual impact as well as gauge messaging.</li> <li>Advertising platforms catalogue and collect not only which sites you visit but how you navigate within and between them.</li> </ul> <h2 id="how-is-it-used">How is it used?</h2> <p>You may not mind amazon knowing what packages you order. You may not mind google knowing everywhere you have been. You may also be unbothered by your bank knowing your financial history. It’s not a big deal that social media networks are aware of every human that is aware of you. Surely there is nothing wrong with further and further data collection of everything?</p> <p>The trouble comes when all this information is bundled and sold off to other data warehouses to train more sophisticated AI which is then used to provide input to corporations and institutions. This isn’t simply a ‘social credit system’ this is the groundwork for skynet’s total domination of humanity.</p> <p>That does sound extreme but consider that this data analysis won’t end with humans. We were simply the easy part because we were able to be tricked into adopting and feeding these systems. Smart contracts are a fascinating aspect of blockchain technology but in this light they are a terrifying tool for the Internet of Things™ to begin tracking and tracing every atom on this planet.</p> <h2 id="how-does-that-hurt-you">How does that hurt you?</h2> <p>Back to the little picture, there are already very sophisticated systems learning about you specifically and as a human creature. There will never be any guarantee that these tools will be used for your benefit. All indications point to these systems being used to extract as much value from you as possible as quickly as possible regardless.</p> <p>In fact this is precisely why Youtube has been named as a agent provocateur in the culture wars. Youtube’s recommendation algorithm has been given a lot of flak for ‘radicalizing’ people. This isn’t because Youtube has any specific desire to create extremists, but rather that was a side-effect of maximizing engagement. That was a relatively simple system compared to recent more refined machine learning algorithms.</p> <p>You have no way of knowing that insidious goals you are being nudged along with and odds are there are many running in parallel. Occasionally someone will point to some benevolent outcome of these systems but these will always be overshadowed by the grievous harms caused by abusing such power.</p> <h2 id="what-you-can-do-to-mitigate-it">What you can do to mitigate it?</h2> <p>The only proper way to protect data is to not collect it in the first place. Many data breaches have revealed that a company saying their data is ‘secure’ is merely a promise. Encryption can usually be broken by breaking the people safeguarding it.</p> <p>This means avoiding data-driven services and tools as much as possible. Trading with cash or barter eliminates economic tracing. Physical mail is already more secure than e-mail especially when delivered via a trusted courier.</p> <p>Because of this, the sneaker-net is the only secure digital network. Handing someone a flash drive with the files they want won’t create any metadata about what was transferred.</p> <p>This is not a binary choice however, you will have to make compromises. The benefits are still quite large, because the less these systems know about you the less the effects can compound against you. Every byte of data not recorded will potentially save lives in the future.</p> <p>If data must be recorded (such as data with great public interest) blockchains are a great tool for this because you can guarantee the data is public and therefore at least people are on a level playing field. This is much better than the alternative where you provide data to a corporate or government database that will be used with little or no transparency.</p> <h2 id="political-solutions">Political solutions</h2> <p>A digital bill of rights is long overdue. As we have seen, rights must be (nearly?) absolute and require enforcement mechanisms. There must be no distinction made between who may or may not infringe on these rights, none are to be permitted.</p> <p>My short list for inclusion in a digital bill of rights would be:</p> <ul> <li>Services and Software are only allowed to collect data that is required for the specific features used by the user to function. Any data sharing must always be opt-in</li> <li>Identity should never be required for any platform or service, discrimination against anonymous users should not be allowed.</li> <li>Users must have the tools for filter their own experience where possible. Allowing users to choose what content to filter is a much preferable option to blanket bans and censorship.</li> <li>Interoperability is a must, unnecessary lock-in should be treated as anti-competitive behavior.</li> </ul> <p>Educating people on the current state of systems will be the most vital part of this challenge. The Libre Solutions Network is being built with an explicit goal in advancing this. This is very much a moral challenge as well as a technological one.</p> Emancipate your mind from mental slavery https://libresolutions.network/articles/1-emancipate-yourself-from-mental-slavery/ Thu, 25 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/articles/1-emancipate-yourself-from-mental-slavery/ /media/1-not-immune.webp <p>You are not immortal, and you can be fooled from time to time. This is okay, admitting it is much more important than being right all the time. Admitting you are wrong, and can be is the very thing that allows you to escape the prison of lies. In fact, admitting it can do a great deal of good in helping free other people from false illusions.</p> <div class="image-container" style="display:flex;flex-direction:column; align-items: center;width:100%;justify-content: center;"> <img loading="lazy" src='https://libresolutions.network/media/1-not-immune.webp' > </div> <p>My goals with the Libre Solutions Network are:</p> <ol> <li>To help people recognize the digital tools weaponized against them</li> <li>To connect people with groups, ideas, and tools that help people maintain and advance their freedom.</li> </ol> <p>Freedom is your right to determine your future on your own terms.</p> <p>Privacy prevents systems, institutions and people from leveraging information to undermine that freedom. Often very innocuous, seemingly-unrelated information can be used to manipulate and control people.</p> <p>The goal of understanding digital privacy shouldn’t be to achieve a life of perfect secrecy. Self-censorship is one of the most powerful kinds of censorship that is used against people. Instead the goal is to make sure that the information that is collected on you is as deliberate as possible, by avoiding unintentional disclosure.</p> <p>Freedom is your most valuable asset. Odds are you are not the most powerful human being on the planet. Therefore it is vital that you understand you are at a disadvantage in terms of information, resources, and representation. Freedom, privacy, and security are all vital tools to shift the balance of power back into your favor.</p> <h2 id="social-media">Social Media</h2> <p>It would be all to easy to simply say “social media is manipulating you” this is overwhelmingly true but needs to be broken down into the specific methods. Social media is incredibly powerful because it latches onto your primal needs to feel accepted and validated by others. The power social media derives is primarily driven by people attaching status to influence on these platforms.</p> <h2 id="media-sorting-and-filtering">Media sorting and filtering</h2> <p>Almost everyone intuitively understands that when moderators of a community or site remove posts this impacts people’s ability to be exposed to that information. What is not as clear is that the order in which the information is presented is just as impactful.</p> <p>How many people will scroll to read each and every comment on a particular post? Certainly not the majority. In many ways content that is slid down the feed may as well have been removed in many instances.</p> <p>There are many techniques that can be used to work against this, but in general you want to be sure that your posts are being sorted in an unbiased way (such as chronologically) if possible.</p> <h2 id="trends">“Trends”</h2> <p>On almost any site the chosen “trending topics” are an editorial decision by the people running the site. This can involve them choosing every single one, or simply removing undesired trends.</p> <p>Trends can send the false impression that these are the “most important topics” at any given time. This is always false because each person has different priorities and challenges at any given time.</p> <h2 id="reward-mechanisms">Reward mechanisms</h2> <p>People liking and sharing your posts enhances your reach and will help boost your own perceived status. This is very good at manipulating people.</p> <p>For now it is up to your friends and followers to ‘like’ your posts to provide you with the feedback mechanism that your posts are important. There is no rule that it will stay that way. Sites could experiment with paying cryptocurrency to users who make certain kinds of posts.</p> <h2 id="nudging">Nudging</h2> <p>Ever experience a strange glitch while using social media? It may not actually be just a glitch. Many mainstream social media sites have run psychological experiments on their users to evaluate how they respond to particular situations.</p> <p>Every aspect of your interactions are being recorded to further shape your behavior on the platform. Your attention and engagement are the primary signals to these algorithms.</p> <hr> <p>These are all very concerning because regardless of the specific platform, anyone with write-access to the software that runs these systems can alter information that most would assume is unaltered. There is never a guarantee that the ‘likes’ you are being shown on a post are actually promoting that post. You can never be sure that anyone has seen your content at all.</p> <p>This is not to say that nothing on these platforms has an impact, but it is vital to understand that there are ways that systems can work against you.</p> <p>Thank you for reading.</p> Libre Solutions Network https://libresolutions.network/audio-embed/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/audio-embed/ /logo.webp Statement of Values https://libresolutions.network/about/statement-of-values/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/about/statement-of-values/ <h1 id="statement-of-values">Statement of Values</h1> <p>The Libre Solutions Network is intended to primarily focus on technological and political threats to human liberty, health, and fulfillment. Being solutions-oriented the Libre Solutions Network will often highlight alternatives, mitigation strategies, or behaviors people can try to solve problems. Many solutions involve people changing their approach to a variety of institutions and systems.</p> <p>We recognize that a great deal of human and ecological harm has been done by the weaponization of top-down information control systems. Policies and movements that undermine human autonomy, health, and spiritual growth are to be opposed. Propaganda, psychological manipulation, and censorship are all direct assaults on people&rsquo;s ability to make informed decisions.</p> <p>The way forward requires careful and deliberate consideration of the harms of the past as well as the present reality. We encourage you to consider <a href="https://home.solari.com/coming-clean/">coming clean</a> and learn <a href="https://sqlite.org/codeofethics.html">the rule</a>. These are not requirements to be involved, instead these are aspirations. People are allowed to grow and learn, which necessarily includes a lot of mistakes.</p> <h2 id="principles">Principles</h2> <ol start="0"> <li> <p>Individual rights</p> <p>We believe in natural, inalienable rights that supersede the whims of corrupt governments and tyrants alike.</p> <ul> <li>Rights to life</li> <li>Rights to worship, conscience, and expression</li> <li>Rights to privacy</li> <li>Rights to one&rsquo;s own property and fair wages</li> <li>Rights to equality before the law</li> </ul> </li> <li> <p>Bottom-up strategies</p> <p>We believe that regular people of all walks of life have valuable insight in ways to solve and prevent problems. Techniques and tools that take advantage of this are better for innovation and accountability.</p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://libresolutions.network/articles/hardware-matters/">Hardware Matters</a></p> <p>Ignoring the physical world and material reality is a path to disaster. We urge recognition of the limits of what software can do.</p> </li> <li> <p>Digital autonomy</p> <p>Digital systems should improve peoples lives, not run them.</p> </li> <li> <p>Finesse</p> <p>Where possible, efficiency is laudable.</p> </li> </ol> Vision https://libresolutions.network/about/vision/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://libresolutions.network/about/vision/ <h1 id="the-vision">The vision</h1> <p>Large organizations are vulnerable to information hazards.</p>