If you own an iPhone and live in Victoria, you very likely got a notification from something called "Heartland Exposure Notifications" asking you to enable the "official state COVID-19 exposure notification system". You're also very likely wondering what the fuck is going on. A Google for "Heartland Exposure Notifications" yields nothing. The government even said they're no longer doing contact tracing. So what is this? A devloper error? A security vulnerability? Nobody seems to know at the moment. Maybe once Apple/Victorian Government figure out what happened, they'll tell us.
New York has passed a law that'll force electronics manufacturers to "distribute information, software, tools, and parts so that individuals and independent repair shops can repair personal devices on their own". There's some exclusions, like "medical devices, home appliances, agricultural and off-road equipment, or public safety communications equipment" - but laptops and smartphones are not. The law also "includes provisions for resetting the software locks that some manufacturers use to tie parts to the device's motherboard or serial number", which will make refurbishing devices much more viable and reduce e-waste.
Google has to pay former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro $715,000 because of videos made by YouTuber Friendlyjordies. He sued Google for defamation, along with Friendlyjordies, because of a series of videos heaping shit on him and calling him names like "wog, greasy and slimeball". Friendlyjordies and Barilaro settled, with Friendlyjordies editing the videos were and apologising. Google however, refused to delete the videos and defended its inaction, but later changed its mind. Another example where in Australia at least, the platform is liable for what its users do and say.
Feel like doing a good deed? Set up a Tor Bridge on a computer you own - maybe it's a VPS you're renting or a Raspberry Pi you purchased with the best of intentions, that are doing sweet fuck all - and allow users in "China, Belarus, Iran, and Kazakhstan can connect to the Tor network and access the free and open Internet". I don't know what sort of legal liability this introduces, but I installed it on an idle VPS anyways! Here's some guides for various operating systems. If Tor doesn't float your boat, fire up a Docker container to run the Archive Team's Warrior software that automatically copies stuff for the Wayback Machine and Internet Archive.
📻 Feel Good Summer - SCABZ
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