Michael Downey 🚩 @downey@floss.social

Hi folks. Just a note for those interested that I have resigned my day job at the United Nations Foundation.

I am looking forward to continue my work as a champion for #FreeSoftware & digital rights, particularly for humanitarian causes, international development, and peacemaking.

For now I'm eager to spend some time over the year-end holidays and do some reading and learning about the best initiatives out there.

(And of course continuing to help serve the delightful floss.social community!)

A few folks have asked how they can support the expenses of running the FLOSS.social #Mastodon instance. There are not a lot of expenses right now (€10/month) but if you're interested in chipping in, you can now become a FLOSS.social "Monthly Supporter"! Donations accepted via CommitChange, who run the free software Houdini Project to manage transactions. 🙂

https://commitchange.com/nonprofits/5004/donate?type=recurring&designation=Monthly+Supporter+Program&custom_amounts=1,2,5,10&hide_dedication=true

Thanks!

#UnpopularOpinion

I'm sorry #XMPP fans, but I first used #Jabber like 20 years ago, and the user experience is still just as bad and confusing.

The usability and learnability of @matrix is far above and beyond in every way.

Yes, #Matrix has a lot of performance improvements still needed, but the two just can't compare. And yes, I self-host both of them.

Still true.

#GoodDeeds #quotes

#GitHub is down.

Can we please have #OpenSource federated forges now?

In planning meeting for @fossasia Summit, 7-9 April 2022!

Call for Speakers now open: https://eventyay.com/e/6b901f56/cfs

#FLOSS #FOSS #OpenSource #CFP

The newly-agreed #German government coalition called for a Europe-wide ban on public #facialRecognition and other dangerous biometric #surveillance, as part of negotiations over the forthcoming #AI Act.

https://reclaimyourface.eu/new-german-government-calls-for-european-ban-on-biometric-mass-surveillance/

Poorly designed regulations cause more problems than they solve. To assert control over online platforms, government in #India granted itself expansive #censorship and #surveillance powers through "IT Rules" that include provisions to undermine #encryption. Now the rules are the target of multiple lawsuits. Here's why no one should back off.

https://scroll.in/article/1010778/how-the-modi-governments-new-it-rules-jeopardise-the-right-to-privacy-and-free-speech

#privacy

A new episode of EFF's "How to Fix the Internet" podcast has dropped, and focuses on #FreeSoftware with the always-insightful @jamesvasile.

Listen to "The Revolution Will Be #OpenSource" via the Internet Archive:

https://archive.org/details/htfti-s2e2-james-vasile-mix-vfinal

#FLOSS #FOSS

Maybe, just maybe, some day the "powers that be" will stop relying on centralized walled gardens controlled by private corporations for the purpose of data exploitation?

https://webfoundation.org/2021/11/when-facebook-goes-down-whats-an-inconvenience-to-some-is-devastating-to-others/

Related, from 02018: "The difference between optimism and hopefulness is that hope is a choice."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvmoYKlkDaU

My longtime teacher Howard Rheingold quoted among many other excellent voices in this new report on digital spaces and democracy:

"The rising tide of internet communications lifts all boats by enabling like-minded people to meet, communicate and organize; it lifts both the hospital ships and the pirate ships, the altruists and the fascists."

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/11/22/a-sampling-of-some-of-the-key-overarching-views/