“software can’t just ignore laws it doesn’t like” it literally can.

[mrberard@mastodon.acm.org]

@perigee @losttourist @zzt

Okay. But why does this moment constitute the foothold?

Isn't the problem political rather than technological? All jurisdictions are moving towards age verification systems that are problematic enough without having OS level DoB verification, if we stop the Linux thing (which admittedly seems very out of sync with the philosophy), these are still there.

Sure, it's better if the Linux thing isn't, all things equal, but the foothold is a sociopolitical one?

[rootwyrm@weird.autos]

@hakona @sabik @zzt @jwz there's a reason the Venn diagram of eugenicists, "race scientists," AI boosters, and people who insist code is just 'incrementing variables' is just a circle.

[zzt@mas.to]

“software can’t just ignore laws it doesn’t like,” I said, tapping the icon on my phone that summons an unlicensed taxi

[zzt@mas.to]

“software can’t just ignore laws it doesn’t like,” I said, while employed by a company that pays for residential proxies

[zzt@mas.to]

“software can’t just ignore laws it doesn’t like,” I said, from a linux system that can play and encode MP3s

[kiloku@burnthis.town]

@zzt (local to my country)
"Software can't just ignore laws it doesn't like" as most software developers in the nation are employed as "single-person corporation" contractors to avoid giving them labor rights required by law.

[howtophil@oldbytes.space]

@zzt And DVDs

[zzt@mas.to]

@Kiloku “software can’t just ignore laws it doesn’t like,” I said while working illegal amounts of overtime to ship a game, on the understanding that if I don’t I’ll be fired

[noisytoot@berkeley.edu.pl]

@zzt @losttourist @MrBerard what part of systemd verifies secure boot? systemd-boot isn't really part of systemd other than being maintained by the same people in the same repo, it's just a confusingly named bootloader

[basiqueevangelist@mstdn.social]

@zzt this also includes the people who put SDKs from companies who provide residential proxies in their software

[foxes@bark.lgbt]

@zzt They probably will make it illegal to bypass that "attestation" and it will make for a good pretext for a "probable cause" for searches/arrests/investigations and fines/jail time/prison time.

That's by design - make a pointless law that the majority of people would break and enforce it very selectively against anyone with politics straying from "the right party" or being a part of some minority that "the right party" wants to subjugate/oppress/eradicate. And it comes with bonus points for isolating vulnerable groups. That's authoritarian playbook 101.

[eljojo@ruby.social]

@zzt your whole thesis is that if we want to be in solidarity we should do nothing , while also acknowledging that the field in the database is basically a form of doing nothing. I like seeing the field as a form of plausible deniability, we done our job! — I believe there’s ways to interpret the current happenings in a light that’s much more aligned with your values, maybe take some time to try see it that way.

[theentity@social.treehouse.systems]

@eljojo @zzt

I have been lied to:

[wakame@tech.lgbt]

@howtophil @zzt

"Even mpg123 and the DeCSS dolphin are mad at you."

[eljojo@ruby.social]

@TheEntity @zzt joke's on you, the warranty only applies to posts, not replies. it's a different jurisdiction!

[bjorndown@mastodon.social]

@zzt I mean, it prevents people from sending hate speech and/or other threats, right?

[rndanger@infosec.exchange]

@chiraag @zzt
It's just too bad not everyone has your acumen for Linux, but you don't seem to "get" people if you think all of this even made sense to most of us. (I actually think I'm ok with Linux and you went way beyond my comfort zone)

I hope it won't be a surprise if i think the sensible interpretation from my perspective is to assume you know your ideas are not actually possible for normal people, so you are just mansplaining here

[bredroll@mas.to]

@prism @zzt my worry about these ridiculous new laws is that they are either entirely impossible to really implement or will destroy entry into computers for kids.

percieved "violation" of the nonsense laws will be applied at will by oppressive agencies to harass people on demand.

but your point about accessibility is a good one

[drwho@masto.hackers.town]

@zzt A lot of people haven't worked for big companies that have internal code repos with all the license information deleted, I guess.

[zzt@mas.to]

@eljojo @TheEntity groan. fuck off.