"Have you ever wondered why your printer is always out of yellow ink, even when you print only in black and white? There's a reason why this always happens."
"Typically, each time you print, your printer creates a series of dots all over your printed paper using only the yellow ink. They're small and hard to spot with the naked eye, but they're much easier to see with a black light."
"Every single time you click print, it does this. It's why you're always out of yellow ink, and it's why your printer refuses to work even when you're only printing in black and white. It's a requirement for your printer to work."
"These dots work kind of like the way a QR code does. It essentially creates a picture with information, metadata, embedded in the way the dots are arranged."
Also, I really love writing these posts and I work really hard on them. If you appreciate my writing, maybe consider a free subscription to my newsletter via email or RSS. 💜✨
One thing you didn't mention (or I missed) is that this tracking is in place only for *colour* printers. So a monochrome laser printer is likely to be safer.
The reason for these dots in the first place was that governments (even non-facist ones) were concerned about easy counterfeit money, which is only a problem with colour printers.
So, second-hand airgapped B&W laser printer with a nice random stippled background on your poster.
So, I do address this in the full post on the website. Yes, the yellow dots are only with color printers; however, as I mention, it's likely that they have implemented other tracking ability by other means with B&W printers, such as through variations in laser intensity or within the greyscale, etc.
That being said, I mention the second-hand printer, but getting a B&W one second-hand is likely a safer bet. And I love the idea of the stippled background, especially if you can use some of the same ink that is used in the printer. Even better!! I *love* the stippled background idea-- I will add this idea to the website! -- do you mind if I cite you or would you prefer to go unmentioned?
@suetanvil I've been wondering for years if there's any hard evidence re whether current generation black-ink-only printers do, or don't, do this. The original overt purpose of the yellow dots was to deter *counterfeiting* of paper money, and there's no plausible argument that anyone could pass black-and-white facsimiles of (current design) paper money as the real thing, so that *might* mean printer manufacturers were never asked to implement watermarking in their B&W products. And I've never heard of anyone *discovering* any watermarks in B&W printer output and the yellow dots are blatant enough that I feel like any B&W equivalent would also have been caught by now.
Without hard evidence either way, though, my feels are not something to rely on.
@zwol @suetanvil Yeah, I hadn't heard that about counterfeiting. I'm not sure the overt reasoning of it in this sense is anything more than a simplistic justification for what was already just a massive spying program for all sorts of reasons. And the fact that it was done in secret and at the massive expense of consumers (ink costs) and other issues just feels too much like it's still difficult to justify it on that basis. Plus, there have got to be a lot better ways of counterfeiting than an inkjet printer.
But yeah, similar to you, I think it's *possible* the B&W stuff hasn't been implemented, it's just that I don't think it's realistic, and like you imply, it's just not *safe* to rely on the mere possibility that the government didn't bother when we already know the lengths they go.
That being said, it actually did take a while for people to catch on to the inkjet yellow
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@zwol @suetanvil Yeah, I hadn't heard that about counterfeiting. I'm not sure the overt reasoning of it in this sense is anything more than a simplistic justification for what was already just a massive spying program for all sorts of reasons. And the fact that it was done in secret and at the massive expense of consumers (ink costs) and other issues just feels too much like it's still difficult to justify it on that basis. Plus, there have got to be a lot better ways of counterfeiting than an inkjet printer.
But yeah, similar to you, I think it's *possible* the B&W stuff hasn't been implemented, it's just that I don't think it's realistic, and like you imply, it's just not *safe* to rely on the mere possibility that the government didn't bother when we already know the lengths they go.
That being said, it actually did take a while for people to catch on to the inkjet yellow dots, and also took even longer to crack the cryptography, so I do think it's very possible that there could be patterns we're just not seeing. I don't know how many people are actually working on solving this riddle, and if black lights and yellow dots take that long to expose to the public, I have no idea how long it would take to expose subtle shifts in laser printing, especially if researchers aren't super focused on it.
@suetanvil looks kinda like this- the advantage black and white printers have over colour is they usually have higher dot density, so there’s smaller scales they can hide patterns in
@suetanvil hey and this isn’t even very technology either. there’s these amazing things called microdots that can encode data into the microscopic plastic dust embedded into the paper itself. even if you nail the printing process they can still nail you with your paper supply
This is a good point, too. I've considered that if I were to do some of this, trying to source old paper, reclaimed paper, etc., or even specialty paper from small suppliers, paid in cash, etc.
Obviously older and reclaimed paper helps with environmental concerns, too. And possibly cheaper.
I think reclaimed things just generally will always be more likely to add obscurity.
@bri_seven @suetanvil (it is also very easy to encode data in dither patterns when the input contains any gray levels (or by interpreting pure black and white input to introduce them))
@suetanvil haha, love it. I'm sure it's on a lot of people's minds right now. Yeah, I shared that same tool on my post. I think it's cool. But like this post mentions, I worry a little about the arms-race of it all. I think your stipple idea, especially with the same ink, is likely to be safer, probably especially if used in combination with tools like these.
One thing I want to point out is that even if there’s no tracking dots, old tech usually has quirks that if you get raided, a flyer, printout, etc. could be confirmed as coming from that machine. Similarly for anything hand made like a print block. Unless it’s used and then discarded, if raided, it can be used to confirm that the flyer, artwork, etc was produced with that block.
It’s harder for gov agencies, but they can still be traced
@mira Thanks, Mira! I do try to highlight that a couple times in the full piece on the website.
Yeah, there's definitely a risk.
The way I look at it is that if you were hypothetically to print something spicy on a new printer, it points directly to you. If you were to use stencils and make a spicy poster, they have to suspect you first, and then they can find ways to confirm that suspicion, which is significantly more friction, work, effort, expertise, etc., and if nothing else, they then have to do a cost-benefit analysis to determine if it's worth it to go after you. If you're already pointing to yourself, though, they don't have to do any work because you've basically turned yourself in already.
It's really important to bring up those risks. But at the same time, sometimes risks have to be taken, and hopefully by combining methods, in the right situation, it's enough to stay safe.
@burnitdown @mira Build the Linotype, yes! But donate it to your public library or makerspace and get it good and widely used before you do anything subversive yourself.
So my question would be: if you don't want to be tracked via those yellow dots, couldn't you just run it through a black and white copier afterwards? It wouldn't be able to reproduce the colors.
@FrugalGamer I discuss this in the full piece on the website. The answer is maybe-- but only if you believe that they haven't embedded a different mode of tracking in the black and white, something which is very possible, and if I were making a threat assessment, I wouldn't trust it.
Possibly. But there's no reason why they wouldn't implement this in every one, either. As I mention in the big piece, there are other ways of doing it beyond the yellow ink. That was discovered and deciphered more than 20 years ago. There are lots of ways to do it.
The better question is, do you feel confident in any of them *not* to broadcast tracking info?
@vxo that's a good question. As for monochrome, it's more complicated because monochrome laser is *suspected* but not proven to have metadata embedded. I did link to an EFF page on the piece on my website-- I used it to cite that they stopped updating color printers they thought were safe up until 2017, but I didn't read much of the rest of the outdated info, but might give you insight into the past?
@vxo not that I'm planning to print anything particularly spicy, and I get that stencils or print rollers would be safest, but I was wondering the level of anonymity* with a combination of printing on 2014 BW laser printer (no WiFi capabilities) using "compatible" unbranded toner + photocopies done at local copy shop without surveillance cameras, cash payment.
* Understanding that nothing can ensure 100% anonymity - as testified by recent incident of journo added to signal chat
@Ann_in_a I have the feeling it's pretty good on those machines, especially if it was obtained through difficult to trace means (like you thrifted it or bought it from a recycler)
Yeah, I have a feeling that the copy store would actually make things worse for yourself in this respect. Here's why. If I wanted to catch you, here's what I would do.
* Get dots (or other identification marker) from your poster * Match it with my database of dots from other posters in the area and get a match with a bake sale poster * Either triangulate or even easier, ask the local bake sale where they got their copies made. * Stakeout/position camera * Cuffs
On the other hand, having the printer under your control makes it less difficult to triangulate or match, etc.
and let's add: don't use a typewriter (and if you do anything manually by hand, think of fingerprints, DNA evidence, etc.)
The Stasi, East Germany's secret police, used to specialise in tracking the little oddities each typewriter had – spacing slightly off, chipped corners in letters, etc. – and trace them back to individual activists. All it would take for a modern oppressive regime to trace a certain poster back to you is to suspect you and compare the poster or zine with your typewriter.
@amberage So, yes, and I do actually bring this up in the piece. The FBI has those records in the US and would do the same thing.
The difference, of course, being that with the printer, your printed piece points directly to you. With the typewriter, they have to suspect you first, and they need some way of linking it to you. It's a similar risk to buying an old second-hand printer with cash. It still has identifying info, but not enough context to point. But if found, it could definitely be used to corroborate the evidence as a match.
oh oops, my bad. I'm so used to ignoring little boxes in texts (usually it's "other people also read/bought: X") that I read straight past the typewriter bit. Sorry 😅
This is something I've been wondering about for zinemaking purposes, it is not trivial to get a hold of a mimeograph in this day and age, and this article contains a pretty handy list of options.
It's not even something I'm just considering for radical political purposes, I'm just getting so tired of seeing fandom projects that bills themselves as zines when they are really fanmade artbooks that cost 20+ dollars and have editorial standards that'd make a catholic literary magazine seem permissive and I'd like to show them how it's done.
@Owlor Totally understand. Security issues aside-- I otherwise like the spirit of people using copy machines, printers, etc., for non-radical stuff because it's still that use-whatcha-got attitude, but at the same time, it's definitely a different vibe than the older stuff. And that doesn't even touch on the editorial standard feel you mention.
It's great to feel that rough and raw feeling from a zine. It feels like that's what it *should* be. But then if I get into feelings of *should* then I've turned the spirit of it on its head.
That aside, while what you said is true, it's not trivial to find a mimeograph machine, it *is* possible, and generally for not a wild amount of money. Some of the bigger issues aren't the machines, but needing to maintain it yourself without access to parts (luckily they are relatively simple machines), and lack of stencils, and needing to make your own.
But the paint can roller is really cool and so is the frame style, and the stencils are les
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@Owlor Totally understand. Security issues aside-- I otherwise like the spirit of people using copy machines, printers, etc., for non-radical stuff because it's still that use-whatcha-got attitude, but at the same time, it's definitely a different vibe than the older stuff. And that doesn't even touch on the editorial standard feel you mention.
It's great to feel that rough and raw feeling from a zine. It feels like that's what it *should* be. But then if I get into feelings of *should* then I've turned the spirit of it on its head.
That aside, while what you said is true, it's not trivial to find a mimeograph machine, it *is* possible, and generally for not a wild amount of money. Some of the bigger issues aren't the machines, but needing to maintain it yourself without access to parts (luckily they are relatively simple machines), and lack of stencils, and needing to make your own.
But the paint can roller is really cool and so is the frame style, and the stencils are less complicated to make. And they're not *that* slow, especially for the types of projects most zine makers would want to use them for. There's a lot of flexibility in the process for those in ways they're not flexible for the machine. I think it's somewhat a toss-up. Regardless of the options chosen, they all seem to be really fun.
I've been digging into this recently after buying a much higher quality color inkjet printer than I had before, and I haven't found any evidence that these dots are printed by inkjets. The EFF site you link to very clearly says it's talking about laser printers, which are higher resolution than inkjets and therefore more likely to be used for counterfeiting, the original justification for the tracking.
That said, if people are not comfortable with taking the risk their printer may identify them then they shouldn't. It's my own worry about it that's had me looking into it myself.
@theotherbrook Yes, it's a similar point to monochrome printers and whether or not they are transmitting metadata. You're right about the EFF piece, although I didn't intend for it to be understood as comprehensive, just illustrative.
I think there is a potential issue with the bleed on an inkjet with regards to dots. However, there are still methods and incentives enough to assume that if your threat model demands it, then I wouldn't trust any printer or copier, essentially.
Interestingly enough, the Wikipedia page on it actually links to a 2006 paper discussing research into making it more viable for monochrome and inkjets, etc.
Yeah, like you said, it's a matter of what risks does a person want to take? What is their threat model? Because for most things, none of this matters in the slightest, but when it does matter, then a person has to decide what it means for them.
Yeah. I've made a few stickers that I handed out to people. Nothing that I think would warrant going to the effort of tracing but it does make me wonder about my printer. It uses ink reservoirs that I believe are all the same and I've thought about switching the red and yellow just to see if I can spot any dots.
@theotherbrook Yeah, see, that's perfect. There's printing radical stuff and then there's printing *radical* stuff. And obviously, what is truly *radical* (and dangerous to print) is likely to shift.
There's nothing wrong with having both. There's nothing wrong with using a printer. It's just that it's dangerous to use *under the wrong circumstances*, most of which most people will never have to worry about, and wouldn't even necessarily be the bulk of most printer jobs today. But it's definitely a good time to prepare for that eventually if you live under an increasingly oppressive regime.
great read and awesome information. With all the access exploits around printers and tracking potential from hidden dots, it is time to get an offset printing press.
@Pink_black_insr Thank you! And that's definitely a great option! (At least in my opinion, please don't blame me if I'm wrong and you get caught printing something spicy, lol)
fwiw it's not true that all color printers do this, my understanding is that it's largely only color laser printers that do — that's what the EFF page says. if you know of anyone who's found inkjet printers that do this, i would love to know about it, but i haven't found that.
@alive Yes, someone brought this up, and it's similar to the monochrome issue. The thing is, there are other ways of embedding information, which I mention in the piece. The EFF citation was meant to be illustrative, not comprehensive. The dots are simply the only proven ones *so far*, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been happening in other ways. So, a person has to decide based on their own threat models what is worth it or not.
I also mentioned that even the Wikipedia page on this topic has a link to a 2006 pdf at Purdue concerning research into other methods of embedding this information in other ways.
well, "but in 2017 they stopped doing so, believing all color printers actually do have the capability" is simply incorrect, you should at least fix that to be factually accurate.
imo spreading fear about types of surveillance that are theoretically possible but elaborate to implement and there isn't any evidence is actually happening in practice is counterproductive.
also, it's factually incorrect that these dots played a role in the Reality Winner case, printers are only involved in that she used a work printer that maintained a log of every document printed and who printed it.
@alive you're right, I'll fix that wording. Thank you.
I don't believe it's counterproductive to highlight an issue that I do believe is likely, and yes, is a huge risk for people who might print radical content under an oppressive regime. I fail to see how highlighting this issue would be *counter* productive. This isn't about fear from printing *anything*, or using a printer at all, it's only under specific circumstances where people would need to be aware of heightened risks where they fear being taken by secret police in the middle of the day to be taken to an enslavement concentration camp in El Salvador for the words they print-- a risk that increases day by day.
I thought I double-checked the Reality Winner case, I'll double-check and edit in that case. I do remember there was more than the dots, but I did believe the dots played a role.
the reason this seems counterproductive to me is that it is hyperbolic about the capabilities of the state with regard to tracing printers, while not discussing other risks that imo are more significant. for instance, you don't discuss physical fingerprints and dna, which i think are much more likely to get people traced than digital fingerprints generated by printers (except in the case of color laser printers, which very few people use, since they're so expensive). distribution channels are also a huge factor, distroing paper stuff in ways that are truly anonymous is really difficult, and the security considerations there depend a lot on the specifics of what's being distributed and the threat model. in general, i think it's irresponsible to provide security advice for a general audience that doesn't discuss threat modelling with examples.
most people are not going to get and use a mimeograph or a printing press, and discouraging people from using printers for fear of digital fingerprinting means that people will be scared
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thanks for fixing that and looking into it.
the reason this seems counterproductive to me is that it is hyperbolic about the capabilities of the state with regard to tracing printers, while not discussing other risks that imo are more significant. for instance, you don't discuss physical fingerprints and dna, which i think are much more likely to get people traced than digital fingerprints generated by printers (except in the case of color laser printers, which very few people use, since they're so expensive). distribution channels are also a huge factor, distroing paper stuff in ways that are truly anonymous is really difficult, and the security considerations there depend a lot on the specifics of what's being distributed and the threat model. in general, i think it's irresponsible to provide security advice for a general audience that doesn't discuss threat modelling with examples.
most people are not going to get and use a mimeograph or a printing press, and discouraging people from using printers for fear of digital fingerprinting means that people will be scared off from distributing paper media in general, even if that isn't your intention.
@alive I'll consider these thoughts, but I think most people are aware of fingerprints and they're aware of how it can be difficult to distribute something without get caught due to camera surveillance, etc., if for no other reason than the fact that most people have seen TV and movies. I don't think that people are generally aware that their printed pages give info that points directly at them.
I don't think the risk is insignificant when it comes to other types of printers-- I believe it highly likely that other methods are implemented, likely enough to take precaution if you have a high enough risk level and they are printing risky enough stuff. Moreover, there are solutions and approaches presented that do not involve mimeographs-- I present the other approaches that make it safer to use printers first. And for the record-- I do mention the significance of a threat model in this post and in others I've written.
I take to heart the accusation that I am irresponsible-- more
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@alive I'll consider these thoughts, but I think most people are aware of fingerprints and they're aware of how it can be difficult to distribute something without get caught due to camera surveillance, etc., if for no other reason than the fact that most people have seen TV and movies. I don't think that people are generally aware that their printed pages give info that points directly at them.
I don't think the risk is insignificant when it comes to other types of printers-- I believe it highly likely that other methods are implemented, likely enough to take precaution if you have a high enough risk level and they are printing risky enough stuff. Moreover, there are solutions and approaches presented that do not involve mimeographs-- I present the other approaches that make it safer to use printers first. And for the record-- I do mention the significance of a threat model in this post and in others I've written.
I take to heart the accusation that I am irresponsible-- more deeply than you know on a topic like this, where I've been subject to life-altering consequences (positive and negative) due to OPSEC failures by others. To that point, I'll consider your perspective as best I can.
However, my current feelings are that I don't think that people need to have the full picture in one single post which is already almost 2500 words-- it belongs in the context of the other pieces I write and that they can find elsewhere by other authors and experts.
I believe that people have to build on their OPSEC knowledge by building upon what they know one piece at a time, and implementing each piece when they know it. This is because most OPSEC work isn't about obscurity and anonymity, which is all but impossible given time and resources. OPSEC is generally about *friction*, about making the cost too high to be tracked.
By switching their approach from a printer that is either guaranteed or likely to broadcast their exact whereabouts, they have increased the friction significantly. How to go undetected by CCTV or cell phone triangulation or whatever is a totally different topic and many different posts, and I don't think that anyone should be expected to include all of that in one single essay bringing exposure to the topic.
there’s always a work around . By which I mean you can either tear out your hair with comp fuckery or you can teach yourself how to use an old school type manual printer. Oh, you didn’t know they still made them? They do, all levels,all prices. Analog should be a good friend. Now let’s talk about surveillance cameras.
Is it weird to anyone else that there isn't a strong community developed open source 2d printer project? It's one of the most familiar touchstones where everyone recognizes enshittification, they're literally snitching on their owners while picking their pockets, and even beyond that, they're constant sources of frustration because they work so poorly. I don't personally have the technical knowhow, but I'm POSITIVE the maker community does!
@TheGreatLlama Good point. I debated whether or not to include this as an option. There *are* some projects, but unless I was looking in the wrong places, none of them seemed so great. Then again, it's not like we have great open source laptops and phones, either, so idk.
I'm sad that everyone is missing the distinction between "at least some printers encode identifying information that will bring the cops to your doorstep" and "just about any printing method can tie you to the printed output if the printing method is found in your possession by the cops and compared to the output." The latter risk has existed since the printing press was invented and the solution is just as old: burn/destroy the type or the press after the subversive print run.
My own theory-crafted favorite printing device for subversives is a late-20th century IBM Wheelwriter daisywheel printer. They were sold in huge quantities, they're still fairly easy to find, buy, and repair, it's not that hard to kludge them to a modern computer, and the print wheels are common enough that you could pitch/replace one after a sensitive print job.
Although I feel as if I should make token statement that, in the age of rising fascism, making it harder for the cops to absolutely PROVE that you are the weirdo that did the subversive publication matters a whole lot less than it does under normal circumstances when they still need to more or less convince a jury to a more or less beyond a reasonable doubt standard. If they're just gonna black bag you anyway because you're a weirdo with weird printers, well, print lustily I guess!
I'm not going to try, it's not worth the risk, but this is making me wonder how sensitive the yellow dot readers are and what would happen if you printed on yellow paper
Option 1: Buy the cheapest disposable one at Walmart with cash. Wear an N-95 mask if you want to be super paranoid.
Option 2: Buy used on Craigslist or at the thrift store.
Used inkjets are likely to be clogged. A lot of thrift stores won't even carry inkjets because they had too many people demanding refunds. Used laser printers usually work, and you can test in the store.
You have a burner phone. You need a burner printer.
Thank you, I read your post this morning, and by mid-afternoon was thinking that if I were the Unabomber, only with a short manifesto and more friends, I might be able to overcome the printer issue.
I would create a 25 page file, with a single period on one page, and the rest of it all blank. I would ask my friends to all print that document on their printers, on the same 25 pieces of paper, some right side up, some upside down.
I would think that would put down enough confusing yellow dots to make tracking me down difficult...
you're an absolute darling for putting this together 💜 save's me from making it and you put in so many explainers that's comprehensive but still easy to understand.
Laser printers put a pattern of charge onto a roller, which then collects toner, or transfers the charge to a film which collects toner. So if the roller were not holding a charge, or had a pattern of charge other than that intended by the attacker, the yellow dot message would be harder to read.
I once saw a Brother where two of the toner cartridges had been swapped. The transposition of colours was amusing.
I suppose yellow paper is available, but the toner would show.
Great post, and maybe look into risograph? I'm in the UK and here you can get a refurbed Riso for about £1000 which would make you a one man radical printing press with the chicest pamphlets and zines available
@Talia oh wow! I thought risographs were more expensive than that. I do know that in the mimeograph community people use riso paper with tattoo thermal printers (or thermal fax machine) to make stencils, so there's also kind of some crossover, too.
great post on printers, if a little depressing. I've always wondered if there is such a thing as an open source, assemble it yourself printer, like some 3d printer projects ?
Is it weird to anyone else that there isn't a strong community developed open source 2d printer project? It's one of the most familiar touchstones where everyone recognizes enshittification, they're literally snitching on their owners while picking their pockets, and even beyond that, they're constant sources of frustration because they work so poorly. I don't personally have the technical knowhow, but I'm POSITIVE the maker community does!
I just heard that a cryptography professor at Indiana University had his house raided and was fired. Don’t know much more. heraldtimesonline.com/story/ne…
He has always been a hard-working play by the rules colleague. I do not know what he is charged with. I am not confident that he is being provided full due process for a named chair by the University. I may be wrong, but I do not have the information that would provide that confidence right now.
He has been an excellent colleague for 20+ years. Being under investigation is not a crime. I have been asking for information. I do not have it. Unless he is found guilty in a court of law or I get significantly more information, I would like to say I am standing with him. But I do not know how to. So right now, I will say that I have been proud to have been his colleague for two decades. I do not even know if he is still my colleague? He is on administrative leave.
I can not say he is not getting due process - clearly there was a warrant issued. I do not know what is happening.
There is nothing more patriotic in America than demanding transparency in justice and due process, except possibly the notion of innocence until proven guilty.
He has always been a hard-working play by the rules colleague. I do not know what he is charged with. I am not confident that he is being provided full due process for a named chair by the University. I may be wrong, but I do not have the information that would provide that confidence right now.
He has been an excellent colleague for 20+ years. Being under investigation is not a crime. I have been asking for information. I do not have it. Unless he is found guilty in a court of law or I get significantly more information, I would like to say I am standing with him. But I do not know how to. So right now, I will say that I have been proud to have been his colleague for two decades. I do not even know if he is still my colleague? He is on administrative leave.
I can not say he is not getting due process - clearly there was a warrant issued. I do not know what is happening.
There is nothing more patriotic in America than demanding transparency in justice and due process, except possibly the notion of innocence until proven guilty.
@ljean @adamshostack Your other reply is showing under your Posts and Replies tab from your profile, but not on this thread (or at least not with Mastodon « official » app—I know, I should use a different Mastodon app)
He has always been a hard-working play by the rules colleague. I do not know what he is charged with. I am not confident that he is being provided full due process for a named chair by the University. I may be wrong, but I do not have the information that would provide that confidence right now.
He has been an excellent colleague for 20+ years. Being under investigation is not a crime. I have been asking for information. I do not have it. Unless he is found guilty in a court of law or I get significantly more information, I would like to say I am standing with him. But I do not know how to. So right now, I will say that I have been proud to have been his colleague for two decades. I do not even know if he is still my colleague? He is on administrative leave.
I can not say he is not getting due process - clearly there was a warrant issued. I do not know what is happening.
There is nothing more patriotic in America than demanding transparency in justice and due process, except possibly the notion of innocence until proven guilty.
@ljean Has anyone been in contact? I hear he’s been missing for two weeks and his students can’t reach him. How does this not get noticed for two weeks???
James H. Rudy Professor of Computer Science, Indiana University at Bloomington - Cited by 18.286 - AI-Centered Security - Systems Security and Privacy - Healthcare Privacy - Incentive Engineering
Is it normal for a university to memory hole a former professor's pages? I thought the norm was to keep scholarship present, but possibly mark it as an inactive page.
@adamshostack This is the part that's especially concerning. We don't know what the arrest was about (and whether it was even for a crime or an immigration matter), but it's hard to imagine what reason there could be for the university to scrub its website as if he never worked there.
Either the government put pressure on them or the university was involved in whatever it was about.
@mattblaze If only they had a literature department, something like this might come to mind:
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man As modest stillness and humility: But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Then imitate the action of the tiger; Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood...
@cigitalgem @mattblaze @adamshostack Be strategic in your questions. They're *not* going to tell you what's going on, nor will they say if it's a traditional “spying for China" investigation. They may be willing to say if the situation is related to the current ICE nonsense. No idea if they'll explain why they memory-holed his web page, etc.
@SteveBellovin @cigitalgem @adamshostack If I understand correctly, there is still no public information (from anyone) about his status or whereabouts. He could be in custody, a fugitive, kidnapped, or simply missing.
If there's a criminal case associated with any of this, I can't find it in the docket for the Southern District of Indiana (or the DC or Eastern VA Districts, either, which are also venues for this sort of case).
It's possible that I missed something (damn you, PACER search), that it's not yet listed, or that it's still under seal. Or that there's no case filed.
I should also note that there seems to be essentially no confirmation of anything, and the rapid pace at which this is moving suggests quite a bit that's yet to be explained.
- Accepting a tenured job elsewhere, failure to disclose grants, etc, all can be grounds for involuntary revocation of tenure, but that process is lengthy.
- A professor voluntarily resigning to go elsewhere isn't usually kept secret.
@adamshostack @noplasticshower @SteveBellovin @cigitalgem @spaf And while accepting foreign research grants can, under some circumstances, constitute fraud (e.g., against funding agencies), that's complicated, and criminal charges would generally be accompanied by press releases, etc.
In short, while it's possible to speculate, none of the speculation matches the currently known facts particularly well.
@adamshostack @noplasticshower @SteveBellovin @cigitalgem @spaf Once again, there is absolutely no publicly available information sufficient to support any conclusions here. And some of the speculation is of the form "Oh, he's of Chinese origin? I know what it must be!". In other words, racist.
Maybe he's a spy. Maybe he's a serial killer. Maybe he's suffering amnesia and wandering around in some desert. We just don't know yet.
Professor Alex Tanford, president of the American Association of University Professors Bloomington chapter, got access to communications between Wang and IU administrators.
@cigitalgem @adamshostack @mattblaze @SteveBellovin @violetblue "Their legal team is not currently aware of any pending criminal charges against them, and while the couple’s attorneys have viewed a search warrant from the Department of Justice, Covert says they have not received a copy of the affidavit establishing probable cause."
@mattblaze @adamshostack I’ve seen that sort of approach once or twice before in cases of egregious academic fraud - falsified research kind of stuff. That’s about it.
@adamshostack Yeah, this is the most bizarre thing. Maybe the Professor was accused of spying and got arrested, or maybe he's being unfairly prosecuted - we don't know. But in either case, why did the University remove his page?!
@adamshostack I think that this illustrates that tenure actually means nothing at university anymore. The memory hole-ing I mean, not whatever activity (or misunderstanding) generated the raid.
Update to this story: I’ve now heard reports that Wang’s students have been unable to contact him since mid-March. His website was taken down on the 19th.
There’s a very weird situation developing at the Indiana University. It’s a case where there are lots of red flags but mostly a lack of information. I’ll try to…
I don't know these people, but I do know that fascists run the FBI and the Homeland Gestapo, so I tend to believe this is regular fascist racism and not a legitimate legal action.
Sorry, but I see no reason to believe anything this administration says.
Wang has a history of coauthoring papers with academics working and studying at sensitive universities, on sensitive topics. I hope this isn't the beginning of an inhuman dragnet.
@hovav So I say sensitive and it definitely understates Wang's contributions to computer science - his h-index alone puts him within the 80th percentile of researchers. It's hard to be influential and prolific without some of your work being sensitive
In 2023-2024 alone, he specialized in confidential computing, info leaks, and exploitation. There isn't a singular answer which sticks out.
Some of his research (e.g. Wang et al 2024) is with coauthors based at China Academy of Science institutions which have been subject to some major scrutiny. I don't think this alone has been cause for concern in the past, but who knows these days.
It's possible he was considering changing employment, perhaps to a PRC university, and that alone is enough to trigger a major investigation. I consider this a chilling effect that will cause more brain drain. I don't blame anyone for getting perturbed by that level of suspicion.
Or it's possible that some more precedented kind of misappropriation or breach occurred. That would be a shame.
confidential computing, info leaks, and exploitation
Color me confused. Those are mainstream topics in systems security research, published at the mainstream academic security conferences. I work on many of the same topics and publish at the same venues [cs.utexas.edu/~hovav/publicati…]; is my research "sensitive"?
There is now an ArsTechnica article about this, and the article quotes you, @matthew_d_green , from right here, from this thread on the Fediverse. Direct link to your toot.
Just fyi.
Edit: from the article...
"None of this is in any way normal," Matthew Green, a professor specializing in cryptography at Johns Hopkins University, wrote on Mastodon. He continued: "Has anyone been in contact? I hear he’s been missing for two weeks and his students can’t reach him. How does this not get noticed for two weeks???"
I compiled a short list of anti-AI tools. If you know of others, please add them
[added ArtShield, Anti-DreamBooth and Mist on 2025-04-01]
Anti-AI tools
Glaze glaze.cs.uchicago.edu Glaze is a system designed to protect human artists by disrupting style mimicry. At a high level, Glaze works by understanding the AI models that are training on human art, and using machine learning algorithms, computing a set of minimal changes to artworks, such that it appears unchanged to human eyes, but appears to AI models like a dramatically different art style.
Nightshade nightshade.cs.uchicago.edu/ Nightshade, a tool that turns any image into a data sample that is unsuitable for model training
ArtShield artshield.io ArtShield embeds a well-camouflaged watermark into your images that helps prevent
... show more
I compiled a short list of anti-AI tools. If you know of others, please add them
[added ArtShield, Anti-DreamBooth and Mist on 2025-04-01]
Anti-AI tools
Glaze glaze.cs.uchicago.edu Glaze is a system designed to protect human artists by disrupting style mimicry. At a high level, Glaze works by understanding the AI models that are training on human art, and using machine learning algorithms, computing a set of minimal changes to artworks, such that it appears unchanged to human eyes, but appears to AI models like a dramatically different art style.
Nightshade nightshade.cs.uchicago.edu/ Nightshade, a tool that turns any image into a data sample that is unsuitable for model training
ArtShield artshield.io ArtShield embeds a well-camouflaged watermark into your images that helps prevent AI models from training on your data. This watermark is what models such as Stable Diffusion use to mark images that it generates in order to prevent it from training off of data it has produced itself.
Anti-DreamBooth github.com/VinAIResearch/Anti-… The system aims to add subtle noise perturbation to each user's image before publishing in order to disrupt the generation quality of any DreamBooth model trained on these perturbed images.
Mist github.com/psyker-team/mist-v2 Mist is a powerful image preprocessing tool designed for the purpose of protecting the style and content of images from being mimicked by state-of-the-art AI-for-Art applications.
HarmonyCloak mosis.eecs.utk.edu/harmonycloa… HarmonyCloak is designed to protect musicians from the unauthorized exploitation of their work by generative AI models. At its core, HarmonyCloak functions by introducing imperceptible, error-minimizing noise into musical compositions.
Kudurru kudurru.ai Actively block AI scrapers from your website with Spawning's defense network
Nepenthes zadzmo.org/code/nepenthes/ This is a tarpit intended to catch web crawlers. Specifically, it's targetting crawlers that scrape data for LLMs - but really, like the plants it is named after, it'll eat just about anything that finds it's way inside.
AI Labyrinth blog.cloudflare.com/ai-labyrin… Today, we’re excited to announce AI Labyrinth, a new mitigation approach that uses AI-generated content to slow down, confuse, and waste the resources of AI Crawlers and other bots that don’t respect “no crawl” directives.
More tools, suggested by comments on this posts:
Anubis xeiaso.net/blog/2025/anubis/ Anubis is a reverse proxy that requires browsers and bots to solve a proof-of-work challenge before they can access your site.
A curated list titled 'Sabot in the Age of AI' by @asrg: Offensive Methods and Strategic Approaches for Facilitating (Algorithmic) Sabotage, Framework Disruption, and Intentional Data Poisoning.
'Trapping AI': A methodically structured poisoning mechanism designed to feed nonsensical #data to persistent #bots and aggressive “AI” scrapers that circumvent robots.txt directives.
A curated list titled 'Sabot in the Age of AI' by @asrg: Offensive Methods and Strategic Approaches for Facilitating (Algorithmic) Sabotage, Framework Disruption, and Intentional Data Poisoning.
'Trapping AI': A methodically structured poisoning mechanism designed to feed nonsensical #data to persistent #bots and aggressive “AI” scrapers that circumvent robots.txt directives.
A captured screenshot showcasing the iocaine demonstration site in operation. The primary objective of iocaine is to generate a stable, infinite maze of randomized garbage.
🔻 Nepenthes A tarpit designed to catch web crawlers, especially those scraping for LLMs. It devours anything that gets too close. @aaron 🔗 zadzmo.org/code/nepenthes/
🔻 Poison the WeLLMs A reverse-proxy that serves diassociated-press style reimaginings of your upstream pages, poisoning any LLMs that scrape your content. @mike 🔗 codeberg.org/MikeCoats/poison-…
@yours_truly @number6 it is the only drinking vessel where I think it is not only appropriate, but also reasonable to use a straw not only to drink, but also to fill it
The multiplication made sure that the driving parts of the formula behaves differently as far as the folding properties of the planar surface is concerned. 🤣
The disadvantage of this method is, that it takes a certain effort and time to implement. But it works pretty well. 👍
#ALT4you "billionnaire cofounder of airbnb joe gebbia has joined musk's doge team, so let's spread awareness and make sure nobody books a goddamn thing through airbnb ever again, shall we?". written on a billboard, atop a busy road, a group of people seem to be protesting on the sidewalk.
@wordmark Worth noting that Booking.com sometimes has months-long "technical issues" preventing them from paying hotel operators who use they're platform, tho strangely they don't have any "technical issues" taking money from customers
As Israel deploys tanks in the West Bank for the first time in 20 years, we reveal how two of the world’s biggest travel companies are helping settlers commercialise stolen land
Meanwhile. JD Vance and his wife spent only three hours in Greenland during a visit—entirely on a U.S. military base. Protests and a full business boycott forced them to leave, as locals refused to serve or admit them anywhere.
@X31Andy @TimWardCam I can tell you for a fact that's not what he took away from this. That version of comprehension would require having a spine....and working brain cells.
@TimWardCam Haha, are you kidding? You think any of these crazies gives 1 cent about "some fuel". These fuckers would burn down every forest on Earth if they thought it would make them more powerful.
@TimWardCam if we don't get this autocratic shit under control, there will be no stopping global warming. Stopping Trump's autocratic power grab is more important than any other issue.
Let's be clear. #Vance did not visit #Greenland, because he realized he'd be met with protests if he did. He flew to #Pituffik Air Base (which I'm sure he wants to rename back to Thule Air Base, as an insult to the locals), met some US troops stationed there, and slinkered back to DC like the coward he is.
I read some very funny posts about the Vance's. Seems quite clear that there is very little respect for Vance, for the position of Vice President or for the US itself under Trump. "JD & Usha Vance are the kind of trashy people who crash a party after being told repeatedly that they were not invited and not welcome." yahoo.com/news/jd-vance-ruthle…
@QuantumAspect To be fair, “i’ll be a dictator on day one” and “they’re eating the cats and dogs” was how they got elected, so maybe its time for the rest of us to arm up and be open to their very unique form of mental disorder (to isolate it and neutralize it, of course).
@Sanderde @QuantumAspect @gemelliz Unfortunately, most Austrians did welcome the Nazis and didn't mind being part of Germany. No fun being communist or social democrat though.
No doubt there were many Austrians that wanted to become part of Germany (like some Canadians want to become the 51st state).
However, under pressure from pro-union activists there was a referendum held that was not secret ballot and therefore open to threats and coercion that resulted in a 99.7% vote for acceptance.
The Catholic Church was against it, then Cardinal Theodor Innitzer was assaulted and made a statement in support.
@nichni @Sanderde @QuantumAspect @gemelliz Hitler was from Austria. Would Austrians see it as Germany annexing Austria or Austria annexing Germany?
Perhaps the people in Greenland would see things differently if a Greenlander had assumed power in the US and wanted to unite the US with his home country?
@leeloo @Sanderde @QuantumAspect @gemelliz Correct, I had forgotten that part. Also bear in mind that Austria must have been in a kind of existential crisis after the loss of the Empire after World War 1.
@Sanderde @QuantumAspect @gemelliz It reminds me of a scene in Casablanca. Rick and Ilsa and Sam are drinking the last of the champagne while the Nazis are coming into the city. The Germans make an announcement (in German) and Ilsa explains that they're telling the people how to act when the Nazis show up the next day.
And if you can’t be sure you’ll get an admiring crowd:
“The Trump campaign paid a contractor who then hired a subcontractor, Extra Mile Casting, to provide services [actors] at the 16 June 2015 rally where Donald Trump announced he would run for U.S. president.”
@Sanderde @QuantumAspect @gemelliz Yeah, Austrians are still embarrassed about that. But, after all, Hitler was at least Austrian by birth. The Vances do not really look like Greenlanders to me ...
Good! The notion that people should offer hospitality to would-be invaders is ridiculous. Only an out-of-touch would-be autocrat could expect anything other than hostility.
And still he persists in the lies he has been serving during this visit. Enough is enough. He has no shame. Same lies he was spreading in Munich. Vile and evil…
Great value for the American people! Send your fucking *VP* half way around the world for fuck all, other than to piss off some local folks. The best value....
"JD Vance and his wife spent only three hours in Greenland during a visit—entirely on a U.S. military base. Protests and a full business boycott forced them to leave, as locals refused to serve or admit them anywhere."
Well, Vance did come across as a mafia underboss. In response to "Will you use military force?" he didn't say no. Just "we are hopeful the people of Greenland will wecome us."
We need more of this in the US. No congressional insurrectionists or cheeto administration officials should be able to get service for anything anywhere. They should be ignored and snubbed everywhere they go.
They and the cult in charge of US only want the minerals in the underground of #Greenland 🇬🇱 Wance hate #diversity so why take over a new group of people? And how is life for the Inuits in #Alaska? Not good at all.
The people of Greenland are lucky in that they didn’t have Reagan or Thatcher seeding a populist cult of morons. Those families whose children die fighting the oligarchs and their cult of fascists should get a fair proportion of their wealth once they are defeated. Unless of course enough rise up before they can start their ultra campaigns of war and terror on all the people ending in biosphere collapse! #OligarchsEcocide #StopOligarchsWars #OligarchsTerror #OligarchsFascistCults #OligarchsWars #StopOligarchEcocide
They haven't even visited Greenland, just a US military base. They're cowards as well as fascists. Useless snobs who should be working like crazy. They think they're living in a Hollywood movie where those who think they're superior to everyone else can do whatever they want and order everyone around. They're completely wrong. They're completely illiterate.
That's the new mentality of "being efficient" in the #US... Travelling to Greenland to stay three hours there because they couldn't prove their point - all this fuel wasted...
And then #Musk says he is hellbent on providing value for money for #Americans.
@WittyDragon I think we need to organize, mobilize, protest and occupy the streets to get rid of fascists.
Then more activist action when that isn't enough.
I think the time has passed for us to point out their hypocrisy. We've been doing it about #MAGA for 10 years now. They revel in how it annoy us. They think we're cucks.
We know they're irrational. They don't care. They don't think like us. Get. In. The. Streets.
@WmOrcutt Thank you for your post. You speak the truth. Also, why is trump allowed to go to the Super Bowl and Daytona Beach, much less playing golf while he intentionally makes the majority of Americans suffer?
Qualified immunity doesn't extend to intentional torts. Nor does it extend to knowing and intentional deprivation of civil rights, as far as I can tell.
Also should be observed that Nazi Germany, Stalinist Russia, etc. all had tens of millions of men and women more than happy to be the eyes and hands of the fascist leadership and fully supportive of their goals. Some of these people are your neighbors and perhaps friends.
Political dissidents being abruptly whisked away by secret police... When it happened in Latin America it was called being disappeared. It's literally the same thing. The US needs to see what it has become, the School of the Americas is having a Homecoming.
@rob11563 That's a long term memory item so yeah, it's gone. Not remembering helps with denial of severe problems. No guilt! Whoo hoo. Add in increasingly rigid thinking.
With my dad I called it Pickle Brain. The official term is alcoholic dementia.
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a type of memory disorder that requires immediate treatment. It’s caused by a lack of vitamin B1, often due to alcohol overuse.
What a hypocrite Hegseth is. It is a pity that people who are caught past out drunk (Hegseth) while in office, don’t get fired also…
“The sworn statement, submitted in response to a request from Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, was signed by Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth. It states that she was with Hegseth when he passed out from drunkenness in the bathroom of a bar”
@Bandersnatch the ones he kept his bathroom and out in the open at Mar-a-Lago? The ones where he could’ve simply given them back but chose not to? The ones where he tried to flood the servers that contained all of the camera recordings?
usually I'm against suicidal ideation but his receptionist should be trying not to admit to themselves they know what is blocking his office door from opening #Whiskeyleaks
They don't care who might get killed by their collateral damage from mistakes. The whole operation is always about feeding greed, not protecting average citizens anywhere. Meanwhile back at the ranch, the same reckless fools are causing the US to be more vulnerable to attack. Their actions seem to indicate they want that. Then comes martial law and no more elections ever. Please correct me if anyone disagrees or sees another angle.
Aaaaaaall those real Generals and soldiers Pete controls now, like his boats in the tub at bath-time. Gotta burn their asses, like having the boss's kid take-over global shipping and his shiny ass showing up to work with a book of stamps.
The really crazy thing is that Hillary didn't actually use her private email server for anything classified or secure, they knew it, and all subsequent unnecessary investigations proved it.
But they posted classified violations of national security on an unsecured platform (which is specifically not allowed) and set messages to self-erase (which is specifically illegal) and shared classified info with someone who lacked clearance. Will there even *be* an investigation of this? Nope.
Pepperidge Farm *definitely* remembers. And honestly, the irony of who’s been reckless with docs lately could fill a warehouse. What’s the most *glaring* hypocrisy you’ve seen them spin?
this cat looks like one of the Old Master painters who's just slept with three servants, argued viciously with his annoying patron about the inferior ham he receives, and then painted his masterpiece out of spite
@ErikvanStraten @freequaybuoy I have seen people at art festivals, fairs and markets do just that, make art on the Glass of Defective ipads.and at time incorporate the entire thing in the Art.
@Noortjevee @ErikvanStraten Love this idea! After posting that, was thinking actually that might be quite a cool medium. Waiters and waitresses also sometimes use marker pens on the screens because it's quicker...
@freequaybuoy @ErikvanStraten yea they uses white board markers on screens often, as puting in the orders can be hell (especially on old Ipad with that damn slowdown apple did) so using white board markers can be faster, (and a lot of them use codes for orders like 2ccr . 1 ccl.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth casually shared highly sensitive national security information in the Signal chat, Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg wrote.
Oy, and I mean this in the most sincere and extreme of manners, GEVALT! These people started out looking like they were focused, with intent, yet the wheels are already starting to fall off, and we're seeing the sitting government of the country of my birth careening dangerously off the rails at the hands of a mad, syphilitic tyrant owned by techno-billionaires.
well, they certainly convinced alot of people, but yes, they probably just decided to go in and try to steamroll everything over. It's only beginning to get messy.
I see what they would like to set up clearly: He becomes entrenched, they continue to decimate what's left of our government, and work towards their "North American Technate" idea. Trump would be figurehead "King" but the real power would be Musk, Zuck, Bezos, Thiel, et al. Like little regional Baronies and the like. It seems like it could happen that way.
America is no longer a trustworthy ally. It would be unsafe to buy military hardware from them. Meanwhile, all the US's former allies will need to double their defence spending, buying jets, tanks, missiles, etc., from non-US democracies.
Add in Trumps comment that the military stuff the US sells to its allies is reduced in capability by 10%, because ‘you never know when they won’t be our allies in future’. That’s quite a confession from someone who regards themselves as the pinnacle of perfection in the Art of the Deal….
@Lazarou @HarriettMB No, that's not true. He bankrupted five casinos. And it's difficult to make a profit in places where people who are addicted to giving away money walk in, give you their money, and walk out again.
@HarriettMB that’s a pretty normal thing to do for export variants. The PRC does the same with their J-10A and J-10CE, Russia does the same for their SU-57
@HarriettMB because it’s incredibly expensive and high potential failure to do so, and outside the US what’s reliable suppliers? China, Russia? The GCAP and FCAS programmes are already really challenging and might be looking to partner with the US if they want to bring in a next gen fighter to the European sky this decade
@bruvduroiu I suppose having 4th or 4.5th gen fighters from Europe with spare parts supplies under control is better than having 5th gen fighters you can't rely on. Sadly the only option at the moment seems to be the French ones because Gripens are from Sweden, but half of the parts including the engine comes from the US. @paavi @Nigel_Purchase @HarriettMB
@trimethylpentan True. I wonder how they are doing in terms of supply chain control. I remember I read that only the French focused on keeping the supply chains independent from the US.
It's interesting how the conversations have shifted in just a few months. We have a fleet of Gripens and our government signed a deal to buy 24 F-35s last year. I very much supported it because the US had been reliable ally and it would be an upgrade for our aviation. I don't think the government would sign the deal now. And I wouldn't support it either.
@bruvduroiu @paavi @HarriettMB I'm sure you'll find many (individuals and institutions) being paid by china communist party to spread chinese success propaganda. Belt and Road and blah blah blah ;) China always "stronk". Just like russia is worlds 3rd economy and going strong for no 2. *According to putins propagandists ofc XD
@HarriettMB Purchasing military equipment from the US is presently such a security risk. Even *if* (a big if) in the future, there is a seemingly more benevolent administration, the fact that the US has the capacity to turn on allies and use equipment it sold them to do so will remain
It is *such* a grave security risk that any UK government that purchases US arms now should be judged to be working in the service of a foreign interest #politics
@HarriettMB Btw, I doubt the Trump administration is the first to sell 2nd rate US military equipment with kill-switches it controls and software it compromised pre-sale. I would assume that has been going on since it was technologically possible
The difference now is that the US has proven beyond doubt to be an unreliable ally, likely to use them
This means the UK nuclear deterrent is a white elephant. A very expensive tribute paid by the UK to the US and nothing more
@Greenseer It’s almost cute that Starmer still seems to believe this is an administration he can do business with; but genuinely frightening for everyone who lives in the UK. All those billions Reeves has discovered to spend on munitions and armaments are going to be lost, and an even bigger bill put on the taxpayer. Imagine a future government elsewhere suing the UK, as they discover they were sold poor quality product on purpose.
Which will be an overwhelming push forward for the european wepon industry!
And don't forget the european weapon technology the US relies on, Hesold Radar Systems, KrausMaffay Tank Guns for the Abrams Tank, Bofors rotary guns, ...
It's been reported that European military powers are working on a 5-to-10-year plan to replace US in NATO.
This is too slow. Trump will drag us all into WWIII before that happens, and Europe will be ill-prepared if they take 10 years to build up their own defence industry. WWII was over in 6 years. It would have been a lot shorter if we hadn't built up our defences in a lot less time than 10 years. (And we would have lost).
Trump didn't leave #NATO 2 weeks ago, he began a slow process to remove leadership of........
Then NATO met without him, but with Canada and Japan and Oz.
The US is already out, de facto
It'll take a while to do the diplomacy and paperwork, but we've already moved on without them.
I expect intelligence data sharing has already been reduced, including elements of disinformation or distracting information, or fake alternate priority data.
@sufferforme Sounds like you’re advocating for War Economy like in Hearts of Iron 4. “Build all the Military Factories!”
“The economy law of a country defines how many Civilian factories civilian factories of all factories are needed to produce Consumer Goods Consumer Goods. It affects the Construction Speed Construction Speed of factories and the conversion cost of factories, as well as altering fuel production. 150 Political power political power is needed to change the economy law if the prerequisites are met. The default economy law is “Civilian Economy”.”
@vvbudh I'm not in favour of War or a War economy as some sort of ideological ambition. However, with the start of Trump's second term, the world has changed... dramatically. What do we do if Trump does start Military action against Canada or Greenland (for a start). Sit by and watch (like we have with Gaza)? Or do we go to the aid of our allies? For that we have to be prepared, replacing any reliance on US produced weaponry. I wish that was not the world we live in, but it is.
@mrphil73 I'm both thrilled and afraid of what say german industry can build in 5 years time if they take it serious finally. Even more if they cash money from all over Europe.
In the Battlestar Galactica reboot, the cylons put malware in the military systems in advance, so when they invaded they just switched those systems off and blew humans out of the sky.
I mean it's science fiction. It's not real. 🤯 And who, in the past would think that buying weapon systems from the #mairikkkans would mean that someday in the future, the Failed States of America would switch off those systems.
@Maxfieldripken electric cars had so much promise until capitalism absolutely destroyed any promise they had by filling them full of proprietary technology data stealing & anti-privacy scraping tools, not to mention the refusal to support aftermarket third party providers of technical services & alternative servicing providers, plus the ability to brick it on your driveway without even needing to visit you address. I would never buy an electric car, or even a car made after 2014.
@Vonskinnback @Maxfieldripken I’m learning to call this “technofeudalism” instead of “capitalism”, because capitalism is supposed to be regulated and this is not.
@Paulos_the_fog @Maxfieldripken that's right, they will remotely reduce the quality of the product through software upgrades that will be justified by saying it is protecting or prolonging the life of the battery or other parts, or even due to safety due to the age of the device, eventually stopping software upgrades altogether and basically preventing any third parties from taking over the support for perfectly serviceable equipment...
@Vonskinnback @Paulos_the_fog @Maxfieldripken Every one who wants to stop this Trump/MAGA/Oligarchic sudden violent overthrowing of our existing government, that are forcibly suppressing any opposition, ignoring legal court orders, & unlawfully eroding Our Civil Rights in their 2025 plan to destroy our democracy needs to send an email like the following to their Republican congressperson!
@Maxfieldripken I think people when they buy their cars, phones printers, you know cameras whatever expect that.
But that’s not how that’s not the world we live in all of our music is now least we don’t own our CDs we don’t own any vinyl which of course have their limitations but still
Every penny we spend on big corporation products whether it’s the food we buy the phone service we use the car as we drive all financing our subjugation in early death
And I keep talking to people who regret getting rid of their albums and CDs and DVDs, because the intellectual property holders or the streamers or the publishing companies or whatever, they are under no obligation to allow the things to be available online all the time. I threw out a bunch of VHS and DVDs that I really regret too. But I have all my CDs and LPS, and these days, no way am I getting rid of those.
@Maxfieldripken You do have to be careful though of digital media like that videotape CDs and even hard drives are not immortal. They do breakdown. There is a case, therefore for ripping everything just as a matter of space and having one or two discs to mean, you don’t need that very big ones so you can get some cheap ones you can even get USB sticks.
And when I can download movies/tv, I'm doing that to make up for VHS and DVDs I no long have. Thennnn, make a hd backup, then a grandparent cloud backup. Whew.
@Maxfieldripken If some of your favorites happen to be classic movies of various kinds, it’s always good to go. Check Internet Archive or just search through your favorite engine just type in Internet Archive in the movie name might be a surprise with crops up.
@GhostOnTheHalfShell Like, we have inadvertently given away our right to own a thing we bought. For convenience or something and corporations don't care if I can't find a really cool 1976 movie that I used to have on VHS. They really don't care that I bought it once and owned it and have owned it and owned the right to have a copy.
@Maxfieldripken @GhostOnTheHalfShell I'm so glad I never switched over to streaming. The whole arrangement seemed rather precarious, and it turns out I was right.
One of the really screwed up things is that all of this has gotten some Canadians talking about a need to develop nukes as deterrence against America. That's the sort of thing that stupidity in the US is starting to create.
@EI3JDB @pennywhether absolutely, the failure to defend Ukraine after the promise to support them in the future after removing their nuclear defense will be a warning to every single country in the world, that these promises aren't worth the paper they're written on and the best thing you can do for your country and your people is build nuclear weapons...
I had this same thought which is why our military-industrial complex is freaking out. I personally am hoping for a more peaceful world. Of course, I'm hoping for tRump's demise, too. We're all Humans, my friend
@SuneAuken @sorenhave I doubt it's coordinated with the government, who even now are still supporting the idea of US bases in Denmark and their totally unrestricted access to do wtf they want. I do think Jarlov's message a very popular viewpoint, and I think the conservatives could win a great deal of votes from it.
Thanks for the post becaus with automatic translators I read the following from Rasmus Jarlov and I have a feeling the AI translator made a mistake when it says: "the only thing we need..." Maybe you've seen the original text and can clarify? It was from March 1
@csstrowbridge I don't know who else to call either.... It's hard to take seriously a government who claims it will protect Canada from turnips threats without same gov recognizing that elon and X are part and parcel to that offensive government. ...plus posting on a nazi site should be effin' obviously unacceptable to them by now.... hope they figure it out ASAP.
@MaryAustinBooks ...twitter may be the single most damaging platform to democratic governments around the globe...not because people can post their thoughts & ideas, but because it is mostly a gang of crazed fascists operating a million bots driving misinformation, lies, and conspiracies into everyone's feeds. Like Fox news banned in UK for being a rotten purveyor of right-wing misinformation/untrue conspiracies (yes?) twitter is that on steroids........
Yes, and shouting about that here does what exactly? You are literally preaching to the choir. Maybe just go shame the people on Xitter or whatever it's called before it goes bust. Sorry, but I'm really not seeing the point of this at all.
I don't see shouting, not the teeth, not the all caps typing, and its said because there are still people using mastodon on xitter ("shitter" formerly not a weapon) we can tell because links show up in convos (only to be muted).
So what's your point about this bland reminder intended to improve our garden?
But the underlying thing was that practically everyone here already agrees with you. Hence shouting into the void, or preaching to the choir. I'm not seeing the point, is all. Forgive me if I'm being a slow person tonight.
There are still people, news organisations, like Huffpo and ABC using xitter like it is the Press Release Office, still using the weapon as their video source.
And again, no teeth, no all caps, no shouting, just the insistence to stop now. To stop supporting, stop using, defending, stop playing down, the Musk threat, the invader's armaments.
Musk is a manipulative Nazi, an active and growing threat.
Everyone must, in growing unity and loudness, SHUT MUSK DOWN.
@bytebro @iveyline I hear you. We are the choir. ;) ..I think it's never a bad time to keep suggesting and continuing to encourage zwitter users to GTFOff there again & again, and often, until they do.
and every news outlet, every university. Every sector, every foundation that seeks to offer reliable information and safe interaction on their own terms.
@IvarGierveld @migbox And just for added measure issue arrest warrants for both #tRump and #elon so they won't go to Canada. Those 💩's should be in jail.
Did you ask that to our government? I received this hour ago the petiton to take off his canadian cityzenship ! This is to inform you that petition e-5359, which you signed on the petitions website of the House of Commons, was closed on March 23, 2025, upon dissolution of Parliament for the general election, and therefore it will not receive a government response. The petitions website will once again accept submissions approximately three weeks after the general election. !!
Weekend #ttrpg plans? So far it's statting up a minibus for my #GURPS Autoduel campaign, then (hopefully) running the road trip scenario to get the PCs and NPCs to their destination.
do activists have time and compunction to recreate the black panthers' meal program. Maybe cishet white dudes at the forefront. Feeding children? It was one of the most powerful things they did.
I spent 20 minutes looking through my music CDs for my copy of Arling & Cameron's Music for Imaginary Films, only to discover it gone. I probably lent it to someone ages ago and never got it back.
I found an unused, still-shrink wrapped copy on eBay for $6, cheaper than the $9.99 Apple Music was charging for digital-only.
Caitlyn Jenner, in a recent post on X, voiced out her opinion on the deportation of over 200 alleged Venezuelan gang members by the Trump Administration.
Another warning about travelling to the US. Any criticism of Trump can now be qualified as terrorism when entering the US: A French scientist traveling to Houston to attend a conference was denied entry to US after a search of his phone & computer revealed messages critical of Trump's science cuts, "which [says CPB] conveyed hatred of Trump & could be qualified as terrorism". Computer confiscated. Via bsky.app/profile/paulecohen.bs… lemonde.fr/international/artic…
I think that this sort of thing has made a very smart PhD student colleague of mine NOT consider working or researching in the US, even though he just presented his work in California for example.
@vosje62 @syb Ach ja, mijn vrouw komt van het eiland Antigua. Toen hurricane Irma daar de boel zowat volledig plat gooide (vergelijkbaar met situatie St Maarten) kwam BuZa 3 dagen later met een mailtje dat het misschien wel een goed idee zou zijn om daar even niet heen te gaan. Uiteraard was 2 dagen vóór de storm al vrijwel zeker dat ze geraakt gingen worden.
@MennoWolff inspelen op de actuele situatie ia niet hun sterkste kant. 😇 Wat natuurrampen betreft doen meteorologen het steeds beter. Voor politieke ontwikkelingen zullen we wel afhankelijk van de politiek blijven. @Sustainable2050 @syb
@martinvermeer @vosje62 @syb Well yeah... Thing is, until there's evidence that NLers or Europeans are *often* illegally or unfairly detained, or other serious issues, it's not something that they would put on there. See for example China: code is yellow. "Willekeurige arrestaties Als buitenlander in China kunt u gearresteerd worden om onduidelijke of politieke redenen. Bijvoorbeeld omdat u wordt verdacht van spionage of het in gevaar brengen van de nationale veiligheid."
@MennoWolff @vosje62 @syb Yes. I suspect that non-white or otherwise 'wrong' Europeans are smart enough to avoid travelling to the US now. So, no big problem.
recognizing that this is not the point of this horrific story, but does this mean that if you do have to travel, it's best to travel with a burner phone? Delete what you can before you go?
@dawnnafus Absolutely. But do realize that they ask you for your social network accounts upon entry or in the ESTA. And they might simply look you up online.
@VoordeMus @syb Yup. Maar in their defence, tegengehouden worden aan de grens is technisch gezien nog geen veiligheidsrisico. Een eerlijk is eerlijk, in de kleinere lettertjes wordt toch wel een beetje gewaarschuwd.
@VoordeMus @syb Ja, fair point. Maar de voorbeelden in dat artikel gaan allemaal over problemen met werk- of verblijfsvergunningen. Mensen die wellicht goed bedoelden, maar technisch wel een fout hadden gemaakt. En gek genoeg niets over Europeanen. Tot zover heb ik 1 voorbeeld gezien van 1 Europeaan die het land niet in mocht. Geen verhalen over onrechtmatige detentie. Oh ja, die Engelse, maar ja, Brexit.
Trump thought his invasion of Canada would be swift, but it’s been tougher than any of us thought. Who knew that after deploying their entire military and reserves they’d reach the depths they did in recruitment that they did? Turning to amateur hockey players to fill their ranks. For whom violence is a hobby, and somehow seems to be about half their population. \ I thought December was the worst of the frigid torture, but January has brought a fresh new hell frozen over. \ We’re 55 miles south of Winnipeg, and temperatures go down to -25 degrees Celsius (a bad metric habit we plan on breaking them of if we win) these days. \ Many of us Yanks are freezing to death in these sub-arctic temperatures. My platoon is fighting hypothermia by taking turns in a hot tub made out of a foxhole and geothermic heat, a technique a Canadian Prisoner of War (POW), Jean-Pierre, taught us when he got bored. \ The Canadian soldiers are in t-shirts, playing bunker hockey. Damned snowbacks. \ In a rather nice display of kindness, they throw mittens over to us. Well, we thought it was ‘nice’. We learned quickly that they keep our fingers from falling off due to frostbite — but it also means we can’t return fire as our trigger fingers don’t work when mitten covered. The bilingual bastards knew this. \ These snowspooks knew a lot of things — like having winter fatigues that are entirely white. It turns out our camo uniforms stick out like a sore thumb in Canadian winter. \ Despite not having the war chest that we have, they’re surprisingly clever. They’ve whittled down hockey sticks into shanks and are using them as bayonets in hand-to-hand combat. \ These syrup-suckers trained their Canadian Geese, what they call “Cobra Chickens”, to pick our drones right out of the air. The nerds they brought in from the Canada Space Agency easily learned how to reprogram them. So they’ve found an endless source of drones, courtesy of the American government. \ Their surprisingly ample supply of groundhogs from the prairies have been trained to burrow into our bunkers and drop explosives. And their beavers have successfully choked our supply of fresh water with their dams. \ The toque-wearing poutine junkies learned to coat grenades with maple syrup, to stick to whatever they’re thrown at. \ In some ways, they are the polite adversaries that we had hoped for. Every time they throw a Molotov cocktail made out of a Molson Canadian beer bottle into our bunkers they yell out ‘sorrey’. That’s quite polite of them. However, that good grace is entirely undone by their brutal psychological warfare. \ The Canooks play Nickelback and Justin Bieber on a subwoofer, 24 hours a day, to break our morale. \ They’ve been airdropping marijuana onto our side. Half my platoon has been incapacitated by the potency of their pot. Steve said, and I quote, “I’m higher than Snoop Dogg at a Willie Nelson concert” before laughing like a lunatic for 87 minutes straight. \ Entering the war, they clearly knew more about us than we knew about them. They’ve dangerously tapped into our overwhelming urges for patriotic pride by having one soldier yell out the names of states and cities. “Is anyone from…North Dakota?” The minute the Dakotan pops up in pride yelling “ME!”, their sniper picks him off. \ For a country that doesn’t have a lot of guns, they surprisingly have some of the best snipers in the world. As we learned far too late, 3 out of the top 10 longest sniper kills in the world are Canadian. \ Thankfully, they’ve grown since their Geneva Convention days, when their official policy was ‘Fuck Around and Find Out’. I learned from our POW, Jean-Pierre (surprisingly nice guy, he taught me how to make maple taffy in the snow), that they refer to the Geneva Conventions as the ‘Geneva Suggestions’, or the ‘list of things Canada isn’t allowed to do anymore’. \ I’ve included a picture of JP I found on his Facebook (we’re Facebook friends now), although he’s more of a hugger than handshaker. Image by cookie_studio on \ I can see why the Geneva Conventions were invented in 1949 after the end of WWII. It was to stop the Canadians. They were (and are) savages, who did things like throwing canned foods into German trenches only to lull them into a false sense of security, and then lobbing grenades. \ They also took no prisoners and killed the wounded. \ My entire platoon is desperately hoping they keep to the Geneva Conventions should any of us be captured. \ But so far they’ve adapted an even more evil-maniacal strategy when it comes to POWs. They’ve been treating them so well that they turn. When captured, they get a trip to a nice Canadian hospital and a full workup. They also teach them how to ice skate and play hockey. They feed them authentic poutine, which is a welcome treat compared to the MREs our government has been purchasing from Russia. Nobody likes Borscht, Trump. \ I saw my buddy Dave the other day, he’s fighting with the Canadians now. He’s taken his new Canadian patriotism seriously, he started chanting “Build the wall!”…then he started building it. \ Pfft, turncoat. \ To boost morale, Trump sends us sporadic visits from Mr Beast and The Village People. Our morale hasn’t been boosted. And we’re starting to prefer even the Nickelback. \ But the Canadians have been successful in keeping their spirits up. Their government has kept them entertained by Ryan Reynolds, who learned some surprisingly quippy stand-up routines — and performs them in the Deadpool outfit. And Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has been their motivational speaker, who in a surprise move activated his Canadian citizenship to distance himself from this embarrassing war. \ I have to say, there’s something paralyzingly majestic about watching the Canadian soldiers ride into battle with smiles on their faces atop their military-grade moose (mooses? meese? meeses?). \ Mom, I fear we shall not be victorious and I fear for our safety. In addition to the millions of toothless amateur hockey players, who fight like angry badgers, joining their ranks — they’re calling up an even more terrifying brigade of soldiers. \ Menopausal women. \ These fearless she-demons are seemingly impervious to cold — and have redefined the term running amok. Hailing from Gen X, absolutely nothing instills fear into their hearts. America however continually refuses to activate our menopausal brigade, due to our conservative government and gender and age discrimination. \ All of us hope not to confront these hot-flash-having lady devils in battle. \ I don’t know what Trump was thinking. We can’t even beat these hosers in battle, how does he expect to keep 40 million of these hostile Zamboni-riding bastards under control if he wins? \ I have to stop writing now, my fingers are so numb from frostbite that I can’t fathom why we want to take this land. It seems inhospitable, despite the occasional hospitality of the Canucks. \ Mom, please send maple syrup in your next care package, Jean-Pierre is going to teach me how to make even the borscht palatable with it. \ You know what, scratch that, Jean-Pierre just promised if I helped him escape he’d give me Canadian citizenship, 7 Saskatoon berry pies, and a date with Nina Dobrev. \ O Canada, here I come.
Everything you say to your Echo will be sent to Amazon starting on March 28. Amazon is killing a privacy feature to bolster Alexa+, the new subscription assistant.
Just saying: If many American defence contractors and their management and their shareholders suffer pain, I will have a measure of schadenfreude. I would feel sorry for the workers but if I could I would still press a "hurt" button, I'm afraid.
Just to be clear here, as there seems to be an influx of misinformation on mastodon lately. Portugal had never placed an order to cancel. Their F16s are at the end of their lifetime. They were considering F35s, and now they are saying they might consider others if they eventually do get to replacing them
To be fair to the senior execs in the military-industrial complex, they were more interested in not paying personal income taxes than they were about what happens to America or even their own companies. Our system values selfishness and greed, so we promote the most selfish and greedy among us to positions of great power. We will all pay a price for this, and part of the price includes America losing its status as the leader of the free world.
The group that drafted a key blueprint for Donald Trump’s second term convened a meeting in Washington D.C. this week to consider proposals for bulldozing the European Union (EU).
It is sad, but Ukraine showed Europe, that Uncle Sam isn't reliable anymore and if they have a fart sitting sideways, it will deactivated features from the defence equipment.
![Indiana University
IU Alliance of Distinguished and Titled Professors
Xiaofeng Wang
Rudy Professor - 2017
[Xiaofeng Wang photograph]
Wang is a co-director of the Center for Security and Privacy in Informatics, Computing and Engineering, and was the director of the Master of Science in secure computing program. He is the director and lead principal investigator of the Center for Distributed Confidential Computing, a Frontiers Project in Secure and Trustworthy Computing funded by the National Science Foundation. The project is a multi-institution effort, involving faculty from IU (lead), CMU, Duke, OSU, Penn State, Purdue, Spelman and Yale. In the past 20 years, Wang has been working on a broad range of research topics in systems security and data privacy. He is considered to be one of the most prominent systems security and privacy researchers, and a top author according to online statistics such as CSRankings, System Security Circus and Top Authors, the Systems Circus. Since joining IU in 2004, Wang has been serving as principal investigator on research projects totaling nearly $23 million. Founded in 1848, AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. The five faculty members’ election brings the number of AAAS fellows affiliated with IU to 138. Election as a fellow is a lifetime honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.
https://alliance.iu.edu/members/member/8580.html
https://archive.is/UyV3P](https://friendica.world/photo/preview/640/42220518 "Indiana University
IU Alliance of Distinguished and Titled Professors
Xiaofeng Wang
Rudy Professor - 2017
[Xiaofeng Wang photograph]
Wang is a co-director of the Center for Security and Privacy in Informatics, Computing and Engineering, and was the director of the Master of Science in secure computing program. He is the director and lead principal investigator of the Center for Distributed Confidential Computing, a Frontiers Project in Secure and Trustworthy Computing funded by the National Science Foundation. The project is a multi-institution effort, involving faculty from IU (lead), CMU, Duke, OSU, Penn State, Purdue, Spelman and Yale. In the past 20 years, Wang has been working on a broad range of research topics in systems security and data privacy. He is considered to be one of the most prominent systems security and privacy researchers, and a top author according to online statistics such as CSRankings, System Security Circus and Top Authors, the Systems Circus. Since joining IU in 2004, Wang has been serving as principal investigator on research projects totaling nearly $23 million. Founded in 1848, AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. The five faculty members’ election brings the number of AAAS fellows affiliated with IU to 138. Election as a fellow is a lifetime honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.
https://alliance.iu.edu/members/member/8580.html
https://archive.is/UyV3P")
🇺🇦 Je me souviens 🇨🇦
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