March 2020 - Free-software-melb - lists.softwarefreedom.com.au

Mastodon
by Ben Sturmfels 13 Mar '22

13 Mar '22

Hi Folks, I'm getting into this Mastodon thing, but it'd be much more interesting if I could follow a few more people I know. Anyone care to reply with their Mastodon address? I'm @bensturmfels@mastodon.social. Cheers! Ben

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Update on browser standards
by Michael Verrenkamp 07 Sep '20

07 Sep '20

https://freesoftware.org.au/blog/update-on-browser-standards/ Update on browser standards An update on Googles browser standards About a year ago we warned about the issues of the Chromium/Blink web rendering engine and how Google is essentially dictating the direction of web technology to their advantage. https://freesoftware.org.au/blog/on-microsoft-edge-and-the-chromium-engine/ It now appears via multiple sources that this is becoming that case at least for their direct web services. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/google/google-now-bans-some-linux-web… The short take on the story is that a lot of free software browsers, some of which happen to have provided the technology base of Chrome, are now being denied access under the guise of 'security'. While these browsers combined usage makes up less than 0.1% of Internet traffic, that Google has gone out of the way to deny the users access is a dangerous precident. To make matters worse, if you make these browsers report to Google that they are 'Google Chrome' - Googles own proprietary browser, then these sites work as intended making the whole idea look more preposterous. While this warning has not been seen universally by users and it appears to be in the trail stage, this is a very worrying for the free and open internet and the software that we use on it. Essentially the software maker, being Google, is able to dictate what people can use online using their software platform and online websites. Google has now made a few actions that are determined to control how the internet is used for their own gain. Chrome is designed to dictate the technology base that people have to use, by having technology that can only be rendered properly by their browser, this sets the standards by which most web developers will aim to hit. This is to the detriment of anyone using non-google technology. It may be small user base browsers today, in future it might be things like Firefox and eventually all non-Chrome browsers - even ones that use the same 'open-source' code base. This is the situation we found the internet in at the end of the last decade with Microsoft's Internet Explorer dominating how internet technology would be shaped. It took the efforts of Mozilla and the Firefox project to finally break free from this situation. Google is also directly dictating to web content providers to use their systems such as AMP technology so that run websites on their servers, making them load faster than they typically would and this is enhanced when using their browsers so that any competition looks bad by comparison. Google uses many other techniques but these main ones are used to direct you into Googles profit machine at the expense of your choice of software and thus your privacy. Over the last few years it has become apparent that more web browser technology is being dictated down from Google and less about letting technology find its own place via dis-census. That is, it is being designed rather than evolving. Technology is being used to squeeze out competition and free software based browsers are clearly being targeted. Google has misused API's to make performance run slowly on other browsers, dictated how DRM should be implemented online so that others cannot support the same standards and in general just made a technology target that favors it over other agreed standards. The best solution to a problem is to prevent the problem in the first place. That means having to avoid using these controlling technologies and to support those that have your back covered. By supporting free software and open standards that is what you are doing. Every time you use a Free-software browser and a website doesn't work properly, let the sites admin know about it. If they don't want to fix it - don't use it. You are better off not being forced into a compromised position. In the coming decade this will only get worse. With the increasing profit needs of Google, increasing operations costs, decline in return on computer hardware improvements, ever increasing demand so of users and the apathy of those same users that makes them accept these changes with little questioning, we are slowly walking down a road that is very difficult to recover from. It took almost a decade to turn it around last time with Firefox and that was through the arrogance of Microsoft not keeping their eye on the ball and assuming that they could never fall. This time it may not be possible as it is a very deliberate and targeted attack on users choices. If we don't try to fight this then we have lost already. If we wait until it is unbearable, it will be near impossible to overcome in any meaningful way. Michael Verrenkamp -- Committee Member Free Software Australia/Melbourne Advocating for freedom in computer software. www.freesoftware.org.au

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Proprietary MyGovID app to be the only way to login to ATO Business Portal
by Ben Sturmfels 16 Apr '20

16 Apr '20

Hi Folks, I've just sent a letter to the Commissioner of Taxation about the rollout of MyGovID as the only way to log in to the ATO Business Portal. This is attached in case there are any business owners who I can encourage to also speak out. Essentially the ATO is switching off the nice email/password/SMS-code MyGov login method I use to access the Business Portal to manage tax/GST/PAYG/super. The are replacing this with login via a proprietary mobile app called, confusingly, MyGovID. I'm late to the party, with the changeover due in only a few days time, but better late than not heard at all. I've sent this to the ATO by post and via their complaints form: https://www.ato.gov.au/About-ATO/Contact-us/Complaints,-compliments-and-sug… I've also contacted our Federal MP about the issue. Stay safe! Ben

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Re: [free-software-melb] Proprietary MyGovID app to be the only way to login to ATO Business Portal
by abstractmonkey＠tutanota.com 30 Mar '20

30 Mar '20

I sent an email to DigitalIdentity(a)ato.gov.au , listed at: https://www.mygovid.gov.au/mygovid-terms-of-use-user and CCed relevant ministers from "both sides" of politics: - Claire O'Neil MP (Shadow Minister for Innovation, Technology and the Future of Work): clare.oneil.mp(a)aph.gov.au - Karen Andrews MP (Minister for Industry, Science and Technology): karen.andrews.mp(a)aph.gov.au Issues: - myGovID should not require a recent smartphone - myGovID should not require an Apple or Google account - myGovID should be free software Recommendations: - Make myGovID binaries available for desktop operating systems. - Make myGovID binaries available as a website download and F-Droid (and equivalents). - Make the checksum or cryptographic signature of each myGovID binary available. - Release myGovID as free software. - Make the build of myGovID reproducible: https://reproducible-builds.org/ However, there's potentially a more serious problem with myGovID. I was alerted that myGovID is a backdoor for the "Australia Card". The government has tried to introduce a national ID card system a few times in the past. I see the government has already made most (if not all) their services use myGovID, and maybe its use may become mandated just like what has happened to ATO business portal. Following that, I guess it might spread to banking and other private-sector services. https://privacy.org.au/campaigns/id-cards/ https://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Privacy/accesscard.html For this privacy concern, I was advised to CC the human rights commissioner (https://tech.humanrights.gov.au/) <https://tech.humanrights.gov.au/>. That's Edward Santow, but I can't find his email address, and CCing tech(a)humanrights.gov.au may suffice. Koji

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Ban Facial Recognition Technology in Australia --- petition to the Australian federal parliament
by abstractmonkey＠tutanota.com 28 Mar '20

28 Mar '20

Hey All, There's an online petition to the Australian federal parliament calling for a ban on facial recognition technology. There's only a few days left to sign the petition: Petition EN1352 - Ban Facial Recognition Technology in Australia https://www.aph.gov.au/petition_list?id=EN1352 If you are concerned about facial recognition technology being rolled out in Australia, please do the following by 01 April 2020 (if you haven't done so already): - Sign the online petition. - Tell your family, friends and colleagues about the petition. Thanks!

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FSM Mar 19 - COVID-19 Update - In person meetups suspended
by PuZZleDucK 17 Mar '20

17 Mar '20

Hi Folks, Due to the current Corona virus pandemic we are joining all the other Melbourne meetups in suspending in person meetups until further notice. Due to this we will be delaying the start of the deFANNG campaign. We'd still love to catch up and talk all things Free Software so we're converting this meetup into a virtual meetup on Jitsi Meet: https://meet.jit.si/FSM where we'll try out some FLOSS video conferencing. Updated Details: Thursday 19th March, 6:30-8:00pm Jitsi Meet Room: https://meet.jit.si/FSM Meeting Tips: Mute your mic when not talking and have a tasty beverage at hand

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Free Software Melbourne meeting, 19 March 2020: How to unfriend Facebook
by Les Kitchen 10 Mar '20

10 Mar '20

Dear Free-Software Friends and Family, The "Big Tech" companies, such as Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google (FAANG) are familiar brands with worldwide reach in all corners of people’s affairs, from communicating with family, purchasing household goods and reading the news. In recent years, the major negative effects on society have become apparent from the underlying business model of these multinationals, namely targeted advertising — where the more FAANG knows about you, your social connections and preferences, the more valuable you are to them. For example, period tracking apps for the Android OS and iOS share intimate information with Facebook that helps advertisers target women: https://www.privacyinternational.org/long-read/3196/no-bodys-business-mine-… As part of a year-long series on how to De-FAANG your life, we are proud to present the first in the series: How to Unfriend Facebook (True friends don't spy on you!) This talk will cover the negative impacts on people and society by Facebook's walled garden "social"-platform and related proprietary technologies. We will then present a practical and easy-to-follow guide on how to use Free Software to help you leave a bad friend and unfriend Facebook for good! We look forward to seeing you there! — The FSM team. Details: Thursday 19th March, 6:30-8:00pm (door open 6:00pm) Electron Workshop: 31 Arden St, North Melbourne, Victoria, 3051 Map: http://osm.org/go/uG4HWyqEz?m=&node=2556615434 Travel Tips: http://www.electronworkshop.com.au/map/

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