#InfoSec #Privacy #DevOps #Linux

Last Notes

- reply

this change will actually allow for the standalone Desktop app. They have also been actively developing this capability.
https://aboutsignal.com/news/signal-desktop-without-a-mobile-phone-standalone-version-in-development/
Google Play takes a significant cut of payments through their platform. If Signal was truly concerned about profit, they would have started by providing direct payments that bypass the Google Play Store (and Apple Store).

2026-09-12 16:28:37 UTC

- reply

whether it is Mastodon or Hacker News, my point stands that you don't have to use the platforms. If moderation and harassment are a problem for a platform then stop using it (or defederate). You have your own servers where you can control the moderation and not need to repeat yourself. My opinion is that a blog post or FAQ page would be better than a dozen disjointed "responses" on social media.
If you believe that you have legal standing for libel or defamation lawsuits, then you should consult with a lawyer not social media. However, unmasking real people from anonymous accounts will likely be a real pain and possibly counter-productive from a PR standpoint in the privacy (and security) space.

2026-09-12 15:56:34 UTC

- reply

you own your own website, forum, and Mastodon server. You don't need to constantly repeat the same or similar content on third-party social media platforms.
It really seems like Y Combinator is causing you more harm than good so perhaps you should abstain from the platform. Trying to dictate their moderation policies and behavior is a waste of time and energy. I doubt you'd want them telling you how to moderate or manage your servers.
#GrapheneOS

2026-09-10 06:25:50 UTC

- reply

thanks but neither of those projects meet my listed requirements.
- security features: both are less secure
- functionality: neutral/same at best, but the lack of sandboxed Google Play Services is a big negative
- GenAI: both projects seem more vulnerable to and exposed to AI slop
As mentioned above and elsewhere, if you have a problem with GenAI and AI slop, GrapheneOS seems to be the least affected.

2026-09-09 02:12:15 UTC

- reply

where do intend to go as an alternative to GrapheneOS? I am assuming this is what you mean when you state that you are bowing out. I have yet to see anything with similar security features, functionality, and a meaningful difference in GenAI pollution.
#GrapheneOS

2026-09-09 02:03:43 UTC

- reply

they almost always blast out their communications on social media when a single blog post would have been better (in my opinion). I hope they document this policy somewhere on their website (or wherever they document developer contribution guidance).
I am not a fan of GenAI and I personally do not use the technology. I am not sure a 100% ban is the correct response at this point, especially for bug hunting and security-focused review. If I were maintaining a (FOSS) project, I would probably have a similar policy and stance as the GrapheneOS project.
Also, I am mostly optimistic about this project being more resistant to AI slop than others. The personalities involved do not really back down or skimp on their goals and philosophy.
#GrapheneOS #GenAI #LLM

2026-09-09 01:17:06 UTC

- reply

the GrapheneOS project has (recently) stated their GenAI policy.
https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/117236529351603001
#GrapheneOS #GenAI #LLM

2026-08-29 20:10:11 UTC

- reply

I'm not even sure what you're arguing for at this point. You seem to agree that GenAI is unreliable and a bad technology. You even pointed this out on multiple occasions.
You've stated that GenAI shouldn't be used as a database technology.
You've stated that reliable use of GenAI requires complicated, inception style GenAI agent setups and subagents.
Are you just unwilling to admit that you are the exception and not the rule for GenAI usage? Or, are you actually trying to argue in support of the GenAI as being developed and pushed for by Google, Microsoft, etc that requires massive investments in datacenters?
#GenAI #LLM #AISlop

2026-08-29 19:52:16 UTC

- reply

>Stupid US venture capitalism. I'm European. I don't know of a single person having "AI" forced upon them. On the contrary, at all places I consult it's the workers who try to convince their managers to be able to use it.
Once again, anecdotal evidence. I'm not sure what kind of bubble you live in but it's impressive. Nearly every web service and company is now touting how they've integrated GenAI. It's not just an American thing. And, hundreds of thousands have been laid off globally to make room for GenAI.
Speaking of the EU, here is a recent post by the EU Commission on how Europe must adopt GenAI:
https://ec.social-network.europa.eu/@EUCommission/116883318986934764
>They are scaling back when the costs stop being subsidized. They're not scaling back on the technology itself.
Yes, they are scaling back. Microsoft is restricting access to various models to its employees. Salesforce announced that they were reverting a GenAI support bot that they had deployed. Amazon recently had to address quality control issues around harmful outages causes by overly zealous GenAI technology deployment. Meta/Facebook was just covered in the news to have canceled a project where they aimed to replace nearly 50% of their workforce with GenAI.
>That's just plainly not true. You do realize you're posting completely unsourced statements and claim that they're true and I must spend time on countering them?
It is apparent to anyone monitoring society. Just open the news and you'll see how experts are having to clean up messes created by GenAI. Courtrooms are increasingly being inundated with GenAI crazed legal briefs. Governments are wasting time correcting policies and law submissions filled with inaccuracies. Teachers are having to debate students that cite GenAI results as fact, and sometimes vice versa. Open source projects are being swamped with fake or bad code submissions.
On an anecdotal level? I find that the quality of content from peers that rely on GenAI tend to be of lower quality.

2026-08-29 19:23:49 UTC

- reply

how are you using the technology any differently in a meaningful way?
I quote:
>All implementation is done with a controlling agent handing out tasks to subagents. When one says it's done another agent reviews against spec.
So, you're still using GenAI as a database. The only difference is that you have another GenAI agent validate the output instead of validating it yourself.
Your entire setup of agents and subagents is predicated on and necessitated by the reality that GenAI technology is unreliable and cannot be trusted. The only difference is that you've somewhat insulated yourself from this reality by using even more GenAI instead of yourself (or another human).
You've also completely ignored and distracted from the original topic of datacenters, their harm, and the illogical nature of GenAI technology in general. Everything has been about your anecdotal and narrowly defined usage setup. None of which is particularly relevant to the broader and actual usage by most GenAI technology.
So, congrats, cool story. You've managed to use GenAI in a functional manner without needing a datacenter in my backyard. You're not representative of the reality around GenAI technology and its invasion of society. I will point out how you completely ignored my three general asks about the technology several messages ago. You're the one that doesn't seem willing to discuss the technology as a whole and how it's being used in reality by most. You seem to simply want to toot your own anecdotal experience as a generalized proof of why GenAI is actually good.
#GenAI #LLM #AISlop

2026-08-29 18:59:06 UTC

- reply

you're right! I was not using GenAI for sysadmin or software dev as you clearly stated were the only acceptable areas for GenAI. I was using it to develop software and admin a database. These are clearly different and do not fall under your OK/NOK usage cases. I'll keep this in mind and hold my phone differently next time.
You're also right that GenAI is not good as a database. I'll let Google, Microsoft, Facebook, OpenAI, Anthropic, Twitter, the US government, and every other major GenAI company know that they're also holding their phones wrong and using GenAI wrong. They can also stop putting GenAI into everything and they won't need as much computing capacity. Phew. They don't actually need more datacenters!
#GenAI #LLM #AISlop

2026-08-29 18:19:57 UTC

- reply

really? GenAI is not meant to be a smart database? Have you told Google this as they replace Google Search with GenAI responses?
Also, in both my mentioned examples, I wasn't using it as a database. I was using it to help design and build a system. It was a disaster.
I guess I'm just holding my phone wrong like millions of other GenAI users. #iPhone You're right, it's me not the technology that is prone to errors and bullshit (and fragile).
#GenAI #LLM #AISlop

2026-08-29 17:41:57 UTC

- reply

okay, so we're accepting anecdotal evidence? Every time that I've tried GenAI, it's been a mess, error prone, and wasted my time.
Just two days ago, I tried to use GenAI to help with a problem. Its first response was wrong and outdated. I pointed out it was missing current functionality. Its updated, second response still turned out wrong. My actual results in terminal did not match its claims and the actual source code for the functionality also indicated it was wrong. When I pointed this out, it was all, "You're right! Here is the actual...."
A month ago, I was asking for help with a subject. Thirty minutes (or more) into the session, after manually reviewing product documentation I realized the GenAI solution was just poorly written and could never work. I pointed out its incorrect foundational component and it corrected its response. So, its suggestion now worked but it was insecure. I pointed out that this was an insecure implementation and that its answers should include secure principles. Well, unsurprisingly, this didn't stick and it was still suggesting or "forgetting" to apply secure designs.
This has been my experience nearly every time. It's just wrong and I have to guide it like a moronic intern. I can't trust anything that it generates. And, this is just my anecdotal evidence.
Actual research, studies, and the news show and support that GenAI technology cannot be trusted. Every week we read or hear about some bullshit GenAI content. Even the GenAI companies themselves admit this by reminding everyone that a human needs to review GenAI output.
This is just discussing the functionality side of GenAI. It's also a disaster for the environment, intellectual property, the global market, the job market, mental health, local communities, the open Internet, and much more.
I think it was Sam Altman that even admitted that if GenAI companies were held accountable to intellectual property laws the companies and technology would fail. A little over a decade ago, Aaron Swartz was prosecuted to the point of suicide just for accessing content he had a legal right to access. Yet, these billion dollar companies are given free reign to steal magnitudes more protected content.
Society is being used to socialize the R&D costs of Alpha-level technology and its consequences.
These GenAI tools nearly all phone home and share private data with massive corporations and governments. They're a privacy and intellectual property nightmare. Are you using End-to-End Encryption (E2EE)? Well, that doesn't matter much when you have a spy bot or software scanning, monitoring, and reporting your data and conversations to Big Brother.
I will wrap with some final asks:
1. if GenAI technology is so amazing then why is it being forced into everything and onto everyone? I don't recall the iPod or iPhones being forced on consumers. I don't recall any recent amazing technology having to be forced onto consumers.
2. If GenAI is truly such a multiplier then why are these companies sharing it and forcing it on everyone? Shouldn't they be keeping it secret and proprietary while they crush their competition? Why are so many of these big companies scaling back their actual usage of GenAI tools?
3. If GenAI is truly so accurate then why do most experts decry its usage in their field? Isn't it weird how it is mostly executives and non-experts pushing this technology so heavily when they are not qualified to judge capabilities?
Etc
Etc
Etc.
#GenAI #AISlop #LLM #AaronSwartz

2026-08-29 16:57:06 UTC

- reply

weird. Every conversation I've had with the pro-GenAI crowd don't make sense. Every conversation is like attending an Elon Musk speech where FSD (or Mars) is just a year away, except in this case it's AGI or profitability for GenAI.
80% of the use cases I hear don't actually require GenAI. Everyone has a hammer and every problem is a nail with the GenAI crowd.
#GenAI #LLM #AiSlop

2026-06-08 18:40:41 UTC

- reply

I think it's also reasonable to assume that once they get this "detect nudity" technology forced upon devices they will then demand detections get reported to authorities. Teens will then be charged with CSAM distribution.
Let's also not forget how this technology has already led to parents getting charged with CSAM for having photos of their own kids (for medical purposes). Forget storing your baby albums digitally. That baby photo of you in the bath? CSAM.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/08/googles-scans-private-photos-led-false-accusations-child-abuse

2026-05-15 15:29:00 UTC

Does anyone have recommendations for a Mastodon fork that doesn't require visitors to enable JavaScript to view basic content? The JavaScript dependency is a security risk and user hostile. Visitors should not be required to enable JavaScript when simply visiting a Mastodon server. Plus, the recommendation to use a native app doesn't even work for all Mastodon/ActivityPub instances.
Also, the requirement for JavaScript makes the Mastodon development team seem incompetent. They can't even make a basic web site that doesn't require JavaScript. I could do that when I was in middle school.
>To use the Mastodon web application, please enable JavaScript. Alternatively, try one of the native apps for Mastodon for your platform.
#Mastodon #ActivityPub #MastoAdmin #SelfHost #Security
https://media.infosec.exchange/infosec.exchange/media_attachments/files/116/579/274/004/937/171/original/261527b6f37611c1.jpg

2025-02-04 05:19:03 UTC

- reply

would the efforts to implement drivers with Rust be impacted by this Linux kernel maintainer sabotaging Rust for Linux (R4L)?
https://social.treehouse.systems/@marcan/113941358237899362