Dan Goodin on Nostr: It would take a year or more for me to process what has occurred over just the past ...
It would take a year or more for me to process what has occurred over just the past six weeks. And of course, things are only getting started. I'm struggling to figure out how I can take any sort of meaningful stand against any of this.
One of the first steps I, as a journalist intent on fulfilling my ethical responsibilities, have to take is to figure out: how do I communicate securely? This is a problem with a solution that can only be answered by many people high above my pay grade level.
Signal is so awesome for so many things. I no longer take meetings on Zoom, Citrix, or Teams. The recently released Signal call links feature provides a much more secure alternative that's as easy to use as anything else.
Unfortunately, monopoly platforms like iCloud, Google cloud, and Slack aren't nearly as easy for most of us to replace. I have completely lost touch with my union and local because they communicate almost exclusively over Slack, a platform that can be hacked, subpoenaed or can use my interactions to train AI. It seems absolutely bonkers that organizations as vulnerable as these are trusting this platform, but what real alternative do they have?
The only solution I can envision will come from the contributions of people not working for profit, but out of dedication to privacy and equity. The two best examples I can think of are the Signal Foundation or Tor Project.
As I said, things are bleak and are only going to get worse in the coming weeks and months. I don't see how we mount a meaningful resistance without solving this fundamental problem first. I'd love to hear thoughts from people with more experience building these sorts of platforms.
One of the first steps I, as a journalist intent on fulfilling my ethical responsibilities, have to take is to figure out: how do I communicate securely? This is a problem with a solution that can only be answered by many people high above my pay grade level.
Signal is so awesome for so many things. I no longer take meetings on Zoom, Citrix, or Teams. The recently released Signal call links feature provides a much more secure alternative that's as easy to use as anything else.
Unfortunately, monopoly platforms like iCloud, Google cloud, and Slack aren't nearly as easy for most of us to replace. I have completely lost touch with my union and local because they communicate almost exclusively over Slack, a platform that can be hacked, subpoenaed or can use my interactions to train AI. It seems absolutely bonkers that organizations as vulnerable as these are trusting this platform, but what real alternative do they have?
The only solution I can envision will come from the contributions of people not working for profit, but out of dedication to privacy and equity. The two best examples I can think of are the Signal Foundation or Tor Project.
As I said, things are bleak and are only going to get worse in the coming weeks and months. I don't see how we mount a meaningful resistance without solving this fundamental problem first. I'd love to hear thoughts from people with more experience building these sorts of platforms.