Education Department “Lifting the Pause” on Some Civil Rights Probes, but Not for Race or Gender Cases
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A memo to the department’s Office for Civil Rights reveals that the agency will allow “only disability-based discrimination” cases to proceed. Thousands of outstanding complaints will continue to sit idle.
#News #Education #Trump #CivilRights #Disability #Race #Gender #Discrimination
Risico Cloudflare (+Trump)
🌦️ Achter Cloudflare
Steeds meer websites zitten "achter" het Amerikaanse bedrijf Cloudflare. Stel u opent https://pvv.nl (let op, daar staat https:// vóór, Mastodon verstopt dat) in uw browser:
browser <-1-> Cloudflare <-2-> https://pvv.nl
⛓️💥 Géén E2EE
Bij zeer veel websites (https://pvv.nl is een voorbeeld) is er sprake van twee *verschillende* verbindingen, dus beslist geen E2EE = End-to-End-Encryption (voor zover dat überhaupt nog wat zegt als de "echte" een cloud-server van Google, Microsoft of Amazon is).
🕋 CDN's
Cloudflare, een CDN (Content Delivery Network), heeft een wereldomspannend netwerk met "tunnel"-servers in computercentra van de meeste internetproviders. Waarschijnlijk ook bij u "om de hoek".
🔥 DDoS-aanvallen
Dat is werkt uitstekend tegen DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) aanvallen. Ook zorgen CDN's voor veel snellere communicatie (mede doordat plaatjes e.d. op een web van servers "gecached" worden) - ook als de "echte" server aan de andere kant van de wereld staan.
🚨 Nadelen
Maar dit is NIET zonder prijs! Cloudflare kan namelijk *meekijken* in zeer veel "versleuteld" netwerkverkeer (en dat zelfs, desgewenst, wijzigen).
🚦 Nee, niet *u*
Ook kunnen Cloudflare-klanten allerlei regels instellen waar bezoekers aan moeten voldoen, en hen als "ongewenst" bezoek blokkeren (ook *criminele* klanten maken veelvuldig gebruik van deze mogelijkheid, o.a. om te voorkómen dat de makers van virusscanners nepwebsites op kwaadaardige inhoud kunnen checken).
Aanvulling 14:39: { zo kan ik, met Firefox Focus onder Android, https://cidi.nl *niet* openen, ik zie dan een pagina waarin o.a. staat "Even geduld, de website van Centrum Informatie en Documentatie Israël (CIDI) is aan het verifiëren of de verbinding veilig is. Please unblock challenges.cloudflare.com to proceed."
}
😎 Men In Black
Omdat Cloudflare een (tevens) in de VS gevestigd bedrijf is, moeten zij voldoen aan de Amerikaanse FISA section 702 wetgeving. Dat betekent dat hen opgedragen kan worden om internetverkeer te monitoren, en zij daar een zwijgplicht over hebben. Terwijl Amerikanen al minder privacy-rechten hebben dan Europeanen, hebben *niet*-Amerikanen *nul* privacyrechten volgens genoemde FISA wet.
🔓 Knip
Dat https-verbindingen via Cloudflare niet E2EE zijn, blijkt uit onderstaand plaatje (dat vast méér mensen wel eens gezien hebben).
📜 Certificaten en foutmeldingen
Dat plaatje kan, zonder certificaatfoutmeldingen, ALLEEN bestaan als Cloudflare een geldig authenticerend website-certificaat (een soort paspoort) heeft voor, in dit geval, https://bleepingcomputer.com - en dat hébben ze. Voor MILJOENEN websites.
🛃 MitM
Cloudflare (maar ook anderen, zoals Fastly) zijn een MitM (Man in the Middle).
🤔 De tweede verbinding?
Uw browser heeft, grotendeels transparant, een E2EE-verbinding met een Cloudflare server. U heeft géén idee wat voor soort verbinding Cloudflare met de werkelijke website heeft (is dat überhaupt https, en een veilige variant daarvan? Wat doet Cloudflare als het certificaat van de website verlopen is? Etc).
👽 AitM
En zodra een MitM kwaadaardig wordt, noemen we het een AitM (A van Attacker of Adversary).
🗽 Trump
Als Trump Cloudflare opdraagt om geen diensten meer aan NL of EU te leveren, werkt hier HELEMAAL NIETS MEER en dondert onze economie als een kaartenhuis in elkaar.
🃏 DV-certs
Dat Cloudflare een website-certificaat voor bijvoorbeeld https://vvd.nl of https://cidi.nl heeft verkregen, zou vreemd moeten zijn. Dit is echter een peuleschil "dankzij" DV (Domain Validated) certificaten (het lievelingetje van Google) die het internet steeds onveiliger maken en waar ook onze overheid "voor gevallen is" (zie https://infosec.exchange/@ErikvanStraten/114032329847123742).
😱 Nepwebsites
Maar dit is nog niet alles: steeds meer criminele nepwebsites *verstoppen* zich achter Cloudflare, waar zijzelf (crimineel) geld aan verdient. Zie bijvoorbeeld https://security.nl/posting/876655 (of kijk eens in het "RELATIONS" tabblad van https://www.virustotal.com/gui/ip-address/188.114.96.0/relations en druk enkele keren op •••).
#Risico #Economie #Cloudflare #Fastly #CDN #AitM #MitM #FISASection702 #FISA #ThreeLetterAgencies #Trump #Sbowden #E2EE #InfoSec #VVD #PVV #CIDI #VT #VirusTotal #DVCerts #DV #OV #EV #QWAC #CyberCrime #NepWebsites #FakeWebsites
Amee Vanderpool:
On Tuesday, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, through the the Texas General Land Office, offered Donald Trump the 1,400-acre Starr County site to build new detention centers to fulfill his promise of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said in the Tuesday letter that her office is “fully prepared” to enter an agreement with any federal agencies involved in deporting individuals from the country “to allow a facility to be built for the processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history.”
https://shero.substack.com/p/the-internment-camps-are-coming
i posted a very long 🧵 on the birdbrain site about how #Chainalysis basically exists to provide "analysis" to the FBI/CIA/etc. that "proves" that there's actually not that much crime in crypto.
As someone with a long background in data work at a high level i usually just call this kind of thing #scamalytics but while everything about this this report is top grade scamalytics I also came up with a new name:
"Minimize and Legitimize"
Unlike most of the scamalytics companies¹ Chainalysis obviously does employ some real data scientists doing the right thing who repeatedly get overruled by the PR team & C-suite.
Anyways their new report on the state of #crypto crime in 2024 takes minimize & legitimize to brave new heights. Posting 4 screenshots here but sadly you'll have to go there to read bc it's long. Sorry.
https://x.com/Cryptadamist/status/1829330368727744537
ps Chainalysis is yet another co. in the #a16z / #Trump portfolio.
¹ I've seen these companies up close. The level of incompetence is breathtaking.
National Cancer Institute Employees Can’t Publish Information on These Topics Without Special Approval
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Vaccines. Fluoride. Autism. Communications involving these and 20 other “controversial, high profile, or sensitive” topics will get extra scrutiny under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
#News #Vaccines #Autism #Health #RFK #Medicine #Science #Government #USPolitics #Trump
When #Trump became president I setup a #Ghost website but I don't have time to add posts to it
It's inspired by Molly's @web3isgreat
Maybe some people on here feel a calling for posting all chaos Trump has caused so far on here?
Kind of a sum up of all that is happening since it's so much.. 
DM would be fine
“We Will Fight Back”: Aid Workers Fear Closing a Camp on the Arizona Border Will Endanger Migrants
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For the past two years, religious and humanitarian organizations have provided food and aid to migrants at a camp near Sasabe, Arizona. Just before Donald Trump took office, volunteers were told to clear off federal land.
How DOGE’s Cuts to the IRS Threaten to Cost More Than DOGE Will Ever Save
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The Trump administration claims gutting federal agencies will save money, but cutting the IRS means the government collects less taxes. “If you’re interested in the deficit and curbing it, why would you cut back on the revenue side?” one expert asks.
https://www.propublica.org/article/how-doge-irs-cuts-will-cost-more-than-savings-trump-musk-deficit?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #DOGE #Trump #IRS #Federal #Government #Economy #USPolitics
“We Feel Terrorized”: What EPA Employees Say About the Decision to Stay or Go Under Trump
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More than 300 career employees at the Environmental Protection Agency have left. Those who remain face a painful decision: resign or work for an administration that plans to radically reshape the EPA while reversing environmental protections.
#News #Trump #EPA #Environment #Pollution #Health #Government #DEI
Elon #Musk has just called himself “Dark Maga” during a rally with #Trump. How can science or European government institutions still justify being active on X, a de-facto right-wing extremist propaganda platform?
oh look the russian agents trying to influence the election are using #cryptocurrency (this is my not-shocked-at-all face)
also popular YouTube influencers Lauren Southern, Tim Pool, #LaurenChen, and one of Benny Johnson/Dave Rubin "unknowingly" agreed to work for Russia for large sums of money ($100,000 per youtube video or a few million/year): https://x.com/ariehkovler/status/1831413692409487766
in particular the russian agents seem to have moved money through #Lithuania and used #BitPay to buy domains. i wrote a bunch about the Lithuanian central bank's attempts to shut down Russian money last year; it's here (an US company Crypto[.]com is involved): https://cryptadamus.substack.com/p/cryptocom-or-crypto-dot-con
DOJ affidavit: https://www.justice.gov/d9/2024-09/doppelganger_affidavit_9.4.24.pdf
taking bets on whether Virtual Currency Exchange 1 ("VCE-1") is #Binance or #CryptoCom
#crypto #russia #uspol #election2024 #2024election #Trump #DonaldTrump #Putin #ukraine #VladímirPutin #TimPool #BennyJohnson #LaurenSouthern #DaveRubin #ChangeNow #TenetMedia #Politics #MAGA
REVEALED by Correspondent @stevanzetti: We identified the operator of an overtly racist X account, "GlomarResponder," as #ICE Assistant Chief Counsel James Rodden, based on an overwhelming number of biographical details matched through publicly available documents, other social media activity, and courtroom observation. https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-prosecutor-dallas-white-supremacist-x-account/
#SocialMedia #extremism #immigration #border #politics #USpol #WhiteSupremacy #Fascism #Trump #news
Under #Trump, #EPA scientists say managers encouraged them to delete evidence of chemicals’ harms, including #cancer, miscarriage and neurological problems, from their reports. And in some cases, they said, their managers deleted the information themselves.
#News #Science #Environment #Health #Government
(Published Sept. 2024) https://propub.li/3Zx4ljp
One Agency Tried to Regulate SpaceX. Now Its Fate Could Be in Elon Musk’s Hands.
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The Trump ally and DOGE chief is expected to turn his budget-slashing sights on the FAA’s little-known commercial spaceflight office, which has proposed fines and grounded SpaceX after explosions and other incidents.
#News #SpaceX #FAA #ElonMusk #DOGE #Aviation #Spaceflight #Trump #Regulation
Keep ‘em coming.
AP: 8 Inspectors General file suit claiming #Trump unlawfully fired them.
https://apnews.com/live/trump-presidency-updates-2-12-2025#00000194-fab4-d10e-a1dd-faf43dc40000
So
The elected #President of the #UnitedStatesofAmerica may attempt to coerce the elected #VicePresident of the United States to overthrow an election at the #ElectoralCollege and that is now considered an official act of the #Presidency
Got it
#SCOTUS #DonaldTrump #Trump #Treason #LeonardLeo #FederalistSociety #FedSoc #GOP #RepublicanParty #Republicans
Nearly 40% of the federal contracts that the #Trump’s admin claims to have canceled as part of its cost-cutting program are NOT expected to save the #US govt ANY MONEY, the admin’s own data shows.
#DOGE, run by #ElonMusk, published an updated list of nearly 2,300 contracts that agencies terminated in recent weeks across the #FederalGovernment. Data published on DOGE’s “Wall of Receipts” shows that <⅓ of the contract cancellations, 794, are expected to yield NO SAVINGS.
If you think Americans aren't doing anything and nobody is protesting, that's understandable. Corporate media and a lot of billionaire owned social media want you to think we're all just sitting on our hands.
There are protests going on right now. And there will be protests Wednesday at noon in every state capital. I'm going to mine.
Keep ‘em coming
“A federal judge is ordering the #Trump administration to dole out millions of dollars to multiple nonprofits groups, determining the Trump administration violated the terms of a temporary restraining order issued two weeks ago regarding freezing foreign aid.”
#Stopproject2025 #harris2024 #the_handmaid_s_tale comes true with #trump
Via Mehdi Hassan:
If you want to understand the failure of U.S. journalism, especially the complete inadequacy of political interviews in this country, in a single short clip, here it is:
RADDATZ: What the heck did #Trump mean in saying his supporters won't have to vote again in four years?
CHRIS SUNUNU: Haha. I think that was a classic Trumpism, if you will.
RADDATZ: Ok. Let's turn to President Biden and Kamala Harris.
Why does the American establishment seem to be content with suggesting kingship for #trump? Why stop their submission at that point?
Why don't they go for Trump, the god? Building a few temples, worshipping, sacrificing and so on. I'm sure Mr Trump wouldn't mind.
