Freddy @freddyym@social.privacytools.io

Don't use a piece of software just because everyone else is. Do some research and make your own decisions.

You’ll have to determine the best instant messenger for connecting with friends, family, and coworkers for yourself. But if you need guidance, @danarel’s guide “Choosing The Right Messenger” can help you out! Check it out on the #PrivacyTools blog: https://blog.privacytools.io/choosing-the-right-messenger/

I was on Al Jazeera Live today and spoke about how we must remain vigilant in the face of surveillance capitalists and governments that want to use the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to widen their dragnets.

You can watch the recording on my blog:

https://ar.al/2020/04/03/al-jazeera-live-interview-on-corporate-and-government-mass-surveillance-in-the-time-of-covid-19/

#surveillance #COVID19

TIL OpenVPN on Pop!_OS is at v2.4.7, not v2.4.8 which includes a "considerable performance boost due to new compiler optimization flags."

Installing from source worked pretty smooth 👍🏼 You can find it here: https://openvpn.net/community-downloads/

#Privacy

‘Zoom is malware’: why experts worry about the video conferencing platform

The company has seen a 535% rise in daily traffic in the past month, but security researchers say the app is a ‘privacy disaster’
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/apr/02/zoom-technology-security-coronavirus-video-conferencing #zoom #privacy #privacymatters

Zoom's encryption has some major flaws, is "not suited for secrets", and Zoom has servers in China generating meeting encryption keys for users in other countries, Citizen Lab researchers discover https://theintercept.com/2020/04/03/zooms-encryption-is-not-suited-for-secrets-and-has-surprising-links-to-china-researchers-discover/ (by me)

Tell your reps to reject the EARN IT Act. It would be used to undermine encryption, and it violates the Constitution’s protections for free speech and privacy.
https://act.eff.org/action/protect-our-speech-and-security-online-reject-the-graham-blumenthal-bill

Meanwhile, Mac users should immediately remove the #Zoom app again as they have a full root take-over risks, plus invisible webcam audio/video leak on their system.

Again.
https://9to5mac.com/2020/04/01/new-zoom-bugs-takeover-macs-cam-mic-root/

We're sorry, Zoom is becoming a bit of a punching bag - but, like Facebook, they choose their own business practices and we all can disagree with those questionable choices. So do SpaceX and NASA... They have banned the use of Zoom.
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3557756-zoom-use-banned-spacex-nasa

This looks helpful, a blocklist for malware/phishing/botnet servers related to COVID-19.

https://github.com/COVID-19-CTI-LEAGUE/PUBLIC_RELEASE?files=1

More info: https://cti-league.com/

#Security

Sweet, someone tried to reset my mastodon.social password

#Zoom is taking it to a new level - after leaking your webcam data to anyone who knows your computer's IP for Mac & leaking your data to Facebook on iOS, Windows 10 is next with leaking your login credentials.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-alert-zoom-client-can-leak-your-network-login-credentials/

🏠 Stay at home
📉 Flatten the curve
💻 Contribute online https://nextcloud.com/contribute

As many of you move to remote working conditions, please consider disabling HD video from your teleconferencing systems.

The North American telecommunications grid is congested, as are any areas where telework is spiking.

Reducing the quality of any #streaming #audio or #video service will help too.

Together, we can ensure that our systems are up for those in need. Doctors doing televisits need the bandwidth more than anyone.

#netflix #zoom #jitsi #hangouts #teams #covid #COVID19 #telecom

Zoom: lifeline and privacy risk. If you're looking for an alternative, try Jitsi Meet. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2020/03/25/zooms-a-lifeline-during-covid-19-this-is-why-its-also-a-privacy-risk/