mastodon - Link to source

I read that the official Mastodon instance of the Swiss government will be closing down.

They say there are few active users, low engagement, and minimal interaction, which seems quite plausible. Additionally, they claim that "on platforms like X or Instagram, the Federal Council and the Federal Administration have many more followers." I believe that too, of course.

However, I do not agree with their decision. I think a government shouldn’t be overly concerned about follower counts and interactions, but rather about providing free, autonomous communication that is independent of third-party companies. In my view, a government shouldn’t operate like a business focused on "numbers."

Still, I appreciate their experiment - many governments, like the Italian one, haven’t even tried.

Regarding costs and management effort: an instance with 5 users and 3,500 followers (numbers provided by them) can run on a VPS for €3 a month and doesn't require heavy moderation. The cost for them is nearly zero. Yet, the freedom of information and discussion, especially for a Neutral Country, should always be a priority.

I believe that maintaining control over one’s information channels is crucial, especially in today's world. But, I fear that decision-makers only consider the numbers, which often favor the flashiest - but worse - solutions.

Encouraging citizens to use closed platforms is, in my opinion, a wrong choice.

Thanks to the Swiss government for at least giving it a shot.

admin.ch/gov/it/pagina-inizial…

#Mastodon #FreedomOfSpeech #Switzerland #Fediverse #SocialNetworks

#fediverse #Mastodon #socialNetworks #switzerland #freedomofspeech
in reply to miki

mastodon - Link to source

OfShad0ws

@miki
I would argue that hacking into the (correctly set up, maintained and updated) VPS is harder than hacking into Twitter

One can also employ better protection against such vulnerabilities: move official accounts to another instance and lock the login page behind the firewall, allowing only connections from inside their office network. This is a trivial task.

@stefano

@miki @Stefano Marinelli

mastodon - Link to source

The application deadline for the GNOME Foundation’s Executive Director role has been extended to October 15! We encourage every qualified applicant to apply, even if you don’t meet every requirement.

Position details and how to apply: foundation.gnome.org/careers/

#OpenSource #Leadership #GNOME #TechCareers #FOSS

GNOME, open position: Executive Director
#foss #opensource #gnome #leadership #TechCareers

Federico Mena Quintero reshared this.

in reply to victor tsaran

mastodon - Link to source

Matt May

@vick21 This one is definitely an outlier, and Florida hasn't been polled regularly because it was assumed a safe red state. However, and this is a HUGE X factor, the Dems have a large ground operation and the GOP is _just starting_ its own. If the Dems think they can push turnout there, and does candidate rallies, that could really catch the GOP off-guard.
@victor tsaran

mastodon - Link to source

New release today: #rPGP version 0.14.0 ✨

(#OpenPGP implemented in pure #Rust, permissively licensed)

github.com/rpgp/rpgp/releases/…

This release brings rather complete support for the excellent new OpenPGP RFC 9580 (also known as "crypto refresh", or "v6")

RFC 9580 standardizes modern cryptographic mechanisms for OpenPGP: AEAD-based encryption, Argon2, and SHA2 fingerprints for the new OpenPGP v6 key format (v4 keys use SHA1).

Thanks @NGIZero for supporting this work!

#RustLang #PGP #GnuPG

#openpgp #rust #pgp #RustLang #gnupg #rpgp @NGI Zero open source funding

mastodon - Link to source

Mona 6.8 is now available on iPhone and iPad on App Store, including new features and optimizations for iOS and iPadOS 18. geo.itunes.apple.com/app/id165…

- The default app icon now has a new look when Dark Mode is on
- "Controls" for composing a post and opening a tab on the in-app tab bar
- You can customizes your "Controls" with a custom title, subtitle or icon
- New shortcut action for opening a tab on the in-app tab bar
- Varies shortcut actions can now be configured to use the "Default Account"

Screenshot of the Control Center on an iPhone showing multiple custom controls from the Mona app, including Search Mastodon, New Post, Home, Notifications, and Open Lists.

reshared this

mastodon - Link to source

It's the newest joke in town for zionists when they're asked questions they don't like: "do you want a beeper?"
Deborah Lipstadt is the State Dept Envoy to Combat Antisemitism.

#USPolitics #ZionismIsTerrorism #StopFundingGenocide

#uspolitics #zionismisterrorism #stopfundinggenocide
in reply to Matt Campbell

mastodon - Link to source

Michael Kennedy

@matt That’s a fair opinion. But every time I use them I have to:

1. Wait 15 seconds for an email
2. Have access to my email
3. Worry whether they get lost in spam
4. Add friction
5. Make that destination (email or text) a single point of failure for full access to everything you own (though with resets it’s not too far from it)

See keepersecurity.com/blog/2024/0… “Are magic links secure?”

@Matt Campbell

mastodon - Link to source

Reading about world-systems theory, wherein the capitalist world is divided into core and periphery regions. The core has the higher-skilled, capital-intensive industries and the periphery is essentially a producer of raw materials in service to the core. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World-sy…)

It's reinforced by the work of folks like Walter Rodney (author of How Europe Underdeveloped Africa) and Frantz Fanon (author of The Wretched of the Earth).

It's also seems to be reproduced on the city/country scale.

⇧