ElectroBuffoon (u/ElectroBuffoon)

ElectroBuffoon commented on Arizona Bill Requires Age Verification for All Apps reclaimthenet.org/arizona... · Posted by u/bilsbie

root_axis · 23 days ago

I think it's a great proposal if we add a slight alteration. Rather than requiring parents to maintain block/allow lists, the OS should allow the parent to lock in a birth-date, and that birth-date is used by the system to generate a user-age header, from there, websites can be legally required to respect the header and maintain whatever restrictions correspond to the applicable laws. This gives sites the ability to dynamically adapt to users, changing features and laws, as well as remove the burden from the parents of having to determine which sites are safe and not.

ElectroBuffoon · 23 days ago

We already have the tech, in multiple forms. First, tagging:

ASACP/RTA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Sites_Advocatin...

PICS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_for_Internet_Content_...

POWDER https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol_for_Web_Description_R...

Second, all ISPs could offer in their basic service something like DNS4EU modes, just like they offered email and web space decades ago (optional, nobody was forced to use them).

DNS4EU https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNS4EU#Public_resolver

Parents would only need to configure the account to "child". Laws could force companies to properly tag their pages and sites. And privacy would be preserved.

Instead we have to keep on fighting the Crypto Wars. The childs are just a decoy, the target is destroying basic rights.

Clipper chip war, eg. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_chip#Backlash

ElectroBuffoon commented on State Attorneys General Want to Tie Online Access to ID reclaimthenet.org/40-atto... · Posted by u/computerliker

c22 · a month ago

Better yet, require online services to send a 'not for kids' flag along with any restricted content then let families configure their devices however they want.

Even better, make the flags granular: <recommended age>, <content flag>, <source>, <type>

13+, profane language, user, text

17+, violence, self, video

18+, unmoderated content, user, text

13+, drug themes, self, audio

and so on...

ElectroBuffoon · a month ago

And here we are again...

ASACP/RTA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Sites_Advocatin...

PICS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_for_Internet_Content_...

POWDER https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol_for_Web_Description_R...

Tools avaliable for decades.

But as said multiple times, the childs are the distraction, the targets are privacy and freedom.

ElectroBuffoon commented on Can I start using Wayland in 2026? michael.stapelberg.ch/pos... · Posted by u/secure

altern8 · 2 months ago

Can't this aspect be improved, vs. switching to something else?

ElectroBuffoon · 2 months ago

QubesOS and Xpra+Firejail demostrate security can be improved including the X11 side. Solaris had Trusted Extensions. X11Libre has a proposal for using different magic cookies to isolate clients and give dummy data to the untrusted. Keith Packard also proposed something in 2018.

ElectroBuffoon commented on There Is No Future for Online Safety Without Privacy and Security itsfoss.com/news/alexande... · Posted by u/abdelhousni

Nevermark · 3 months ago

As already posted in another comment:

Here is just one solution that helps parents, and respects everyone's privacy:

    Zero knowledge proofs.

Allow any organization that already legitimately verifies ages (i.e. credit card company, driver's license issuer, ...) to provide a cryptographic key to their clients, that they can use to anonymously verifiably assert they are 18+ to any adult sites they visit.

This solution (1) gives sites no user information except 18+ verification, and (2) gives key providers no information about sites clients visit.

    This is what zero knowledge proofs are for.

Everyone wins:

• Parents jobs get easier.

• Children are less likely to encounter adult material.

• Everyone's privacy is protected.

• Adult sites can verify 18+ ages, without driving users away.

Not solving/mitigating endemic child access to adult sites is (1) a great disservice to parents and children, and (2) makes the success of draconian surveillance legislation MORE likely.

(If you have a critique of this solution, please frame it as an issue to resolve, not a categorical swipe at crafting solutions. The cynical prevalence of the latter is so damaging to these debates.)

ElectroBuffoon · 3 months ago

Or parents could set accounts to "child" and every service send the proper tags so the programs deny access locally. No third parties involved.

PICS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_for_Internet_Content_...

POWDER https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol_for_Web_Description_R...

ASACP/RTA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Sites_Advocatin...

ElectroBuffoon commented on UK House of Lords attempting to ban use of VPNs by anyone under 16 alecmuffett.com/article/1... · Posted by u/nvarsj

ghm2199 · 3 months ago

Serious question: What's the gold standard in blocking certain content for an age group, without tracking ones identity?

My initial thought would it would be just making it super easy for their guardians to distribute and control device content. But let the control end at that echelon of power; Not even the local councils or schools should be given the power to regulate social media for kids to this extent IMO, let alone the govt

ElectroBuffoon · 3 months ago

RTALabel https://www.rtalabel.org/page.php is over 3 decades old. Restricted to Adults, pretty easy to remember.

For some history and related standards, see Wikipedia:

PICS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platform_for_Internet_Content_...

POWDER https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol_for_Web_Description_R...

ASACP/RTA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Sites_Advocatin...

The more "digi-ID so we are sure you are old enough, bitte" keeps been pushed, the clearer it's about tracking and not about children. No matter how much they love to frame it the other way around. Unless they want to admit they are total inepts.

ElectroBuffoon commented on X.org Security Advisory: multiple security issues X.Org X server and Xwayland lists.x.org/archives/xorg... · Posted by u/birdculture

shevy-java · 4 months ago

Some oldschool legends are still fixing bugs in xorg.

Alan Coopersmith in particular. He even fixed a bug I reported. :)

(I forgot in which app it was but the bug report should be somewhere still; it is not old, perhaps 2 years ago or 3 years ago. The xorg app in question behaved oddly when doing "--version". I only noticed this because I wrote a ruby script that displays which version of programs are installed, and that one kept on making problems, whereas the others worked fine. After I reported it, Alan fixed this very quickly. I think it was some missing flag in the C program or something like that; right now I can not remember the name of the program ... my brain tries to say xrandr but I think it was not xrandr but a less frequently used program somewhere in the FTP listing ...)

ElectroBuffoon · 4 months ago

Keith Packard, another legend, was proposing X11 improvements in 2018. [0] He doesn't seem to be paid to work in X11 or Wayland, thus being free to float ideas he likes.

[0] https://keithp.com/x-ideas/

ElectroBuffoon commented on X.org Security Advisory: multiple security issues X.Org X server and Xwayland lists.x.org/archives/xorg... · Posted by u/birdculture

uecker · 4 months ago

See the ssh manpage for an explanation of untrusted/trusted clients. This debate was mainstream. Basically, some people presumable paid to work on Linux graphics decided to implement something new instead of doing their job, and gave talks about why X is fundamentally broken. I believe the driving force might have been the hope to support Linux on mobile or embedded devices, and X seems just unnecessary (although I think network transparency would be super useful on mobile devices). Some gamers certainly believed nonsense such as "all X programs are forced to use ancient drawing primitives and so programs will be much faster with Wayland". Wayland developers certainly did not do anything to stop such misconceptions. Later there was disappointment because obviously it was not faster (the drawing model for modern clients is essentially the same), but other myth such as the "fundamental security issue" prevailed.

ElectroBuffoon · 4 months ago

It's like if Wayland is not just a graphical system, but a full business plan.

Control upstream, then companies wanting solutions will go to you first. Because why go to someone else in the FOSS market, when there is no certainty the code or standard (extension, protocol, etc) will get accepted, forcing you to maintain a fork? With IBM-RH and Ubuntu doings eg., it's hard to say FOSS is immune to vendor lock-in.

ElectroBuffoon commented on Feed the bots maurycyz.com/misc/the_cos... · Posted by u/chmaynard

nl · 4 months ago

You realise that LLMs are already better at deciphering this than humans?

ElectroBuffoon · 4 months ago

What cost do they incur while tokenizing highly mistyped text? Woof. To later decide real crap or typ0 cannoe.

Trying to remember the article that tested small inlined weirdness to get surprising output. That was the inspiration for the up up down down left right left right B A approach.

So far LLMs still mix command and data channels.

ElectroBuffoon commented on Feed the bots maurycyz.com/misc/the_cos... · Posted by u/chmaynard

markus_zhang · 5 months ago

What about garbage that are difficult to tell from truth?

For example, say I have an AD&D website, how does AI tell whether a piece of FR history is canon or not? Yeah I know it's a bit extreme, but you get the idea.

ElectroBuffoon · 4 months ago

If the same garbage is repeated enough all over the net, the AIs will suffer brain rot. GIGO and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45656223

Next step will be to mask the real information with typ0canno. Or parts of the text, otherwise search engines will fail miserably. Also squirrel anywhere so dogs look in the other direction. Up.

Imagine filtering the meaty parts with something like /usr/games/rasterman:

> what about garbage thta are dififult to tell from truth?

> for example.. say i have an ad&d website.. how does ai etll whether a piece of fr history is canon ro not? yeah ik now it's a bit etreme.. but u gewt teh idea...

or /usr/games/scramble:

> Waht aobut ggaabre taht are dficiuflt to tlel form ttruh?

> For eapxlme, say I hvae an AD&D wisbete, how deos AI tlel wthheer a pciee of FR hsiotry is caonn or not? Yaeh I konw it's a bit emxetre, but you get the ieda.

Sadly punny humans will have a harder time decyphering the mess and trying to get the silly references. But that is a sacrifice Titans are willing to make for their own good.

ElectroBuffoon over. bttzzzz

ElectroBuffoon commented on China's New Rare Earth and Magnet Restrictions Threaten US Defense Supply Chains csis.org/analysis/chinas-... · Posted by u/stopbulying

DougN7 · 5 months ago

I’m not sure our “allies” consider us allies any more.

ElectroBuffoon · 5 months ago

It's deeper than that, it's about loyalties among you. Trump wants US military to get paid even with the federal government shutdown. [1] Like your executive fearing mercenaries changing their mind, instead of household troops staying in place when the pay chest takes a bit to show up.

[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce808gvp56mo

PS: Sorry guys, you fucked up. Hard. And by extension fucked everyone else, so expect no sympathies. We will be busy with the new boss, while trying to keep our democracies not going to crap too. New boss, worse boss than old boss.