Arrested for using Linux, Windows 11 loses users, Better FOSS Firmware - Linux & Open Source News

megane_kun, 11 months ago

That first article, though I have read it through a translation app, is truly insane. The judge's quoted statement is just terrifying:

« L’ensemble des membres de ce groupe se montraient particulièrement méfiants, ne communiquaient entre eux que par des applications cryptées, en particulier Signal, et procédaient au cryptage de leurs supports informatiques […]. »

Translated via DeepL:

"All the members of this group were particularly suspicious, communicating with each other only via encrypted applications, in particular Signal, and encrypting their computer media [...]".

Clandestine behavior, he says. Is the judge seriously thinking along the lines of “if you've got nothing to hide…” and associating ‘clandestine behavior’ to being a criminal? That's scary.

jherazob, 11 months ago

Yes, very bad precedent

CynAq, 11 months ago

Holy moly, that's insane!

I do all of those things too because why wouldn't I?
Is there anything as to the outcome of the arrests? Also what was the reason in the first place for the police to be interested in these people?

curiousmind, 11 months ago

@CynAq @bbbhltz @megane_kun Apparently, being a leftist in France + using encryption to protect privacy = Terrorist

_QWERTY_YTREWQ_, 11 months ago

Truly insane. I am doing the same here as well. Luckily I don't live in France, but still...

Chemputer, 11 months ago

I think that's perhaps the worst, but the incompetence shown by the government and the judge is honestly just scary.

Translated with DeepL as well for consistency.

As for the notions of how Tor and Tails work, although they are at the heart of the accusations of "clandestinity", they seem quite vague.

An agent from the DGSI, for example, will write, seemingly confusing the two: "Thor [sic] allows you to connect to the Internet and use reputed communication and data encryption tools. All data is stored in the computer's RAM memory and is therefore deleted when the machine is switched off". Could it be that this person is referring to Tails?

As for the examining magistrate, he cites seal minutes relating to Tails keys, which do not work on cell phones, as evidence of knowledge of "complex techniques for reconfiguring your phone to make it anonymous". He adds, as does PNAT, that Tor enables "anonymous Internet browsing using public wifi" - as if he thought public wifi was necessary for its use.

Please, stop it, France, you're scaring me.

peanuts4life, 10 months ago

All of the people involved in the procecution of the first case should be disbarred and jailed. I can’t believe the poor man endured more than a year of solitary confinement for the crime of being responsible on the Internet. I hope his persecuters choke and die. Disgusting. Human trash.

catacomb, 11 months ago

The list in the first one is so hilariously ridiculous that I have to remind myself how grave the accusations are.

• the use of applications such as Signal, WhatsApp, Wire, Silence or ProtonMail to encrypt communications;
• the use of tools to protect your privacy on the Internet such as a VPN, Tor or Tails;
• protecting ourselves against the exploitation of our personal data by GAFAM via services such as /e/OS, LineageOS, F-Droid;
• encryption of digital media;
• organization and participation in digital hygiene training sessions;
• the mere possession of technical documentation.

I have ticked almost all of these boxes at some point as a privacy conscious software developer. I wonder what I'm plotting?

The reality is, sometimes it's not even about the state. I'm well aware that they are such an adversary that, if I were specifically targeted for something I would want to hide, I'm in for a really bad time.

Sometimes, it's about the data advertisers collect and use to sell me more crap. Sometimes, it's about disagreeing with dragnet surveillance. Sometimes, it's about refusing to have these very valuable services be associated only with criminal intent.

Journalists, victims of abuse, whistleblowers and every day people just trying to have private lives have a use for some or all of these tools.

Also, WhatsApp and ProtonMail have access to metadata about who you are contacting as well as subject lines and, in the case of WhatsApp, images. They might avoid some ad targeting but both are pretty stupid tools to use if you're trying to hide something from the government. They both only scratch the surface of what we really need to avoid dragnet surveillance and yet are still better than many alternatives.

rowinofwin, 11 months ago

A note here about the context from near the end of the article, which is very worth reading.

"This case is a trial for the Ministry of Interior, which aims to normalise this framing for repressive purposes. During a Senate hearing that followed the violent repression of protests in Sainte-Soline [environmental protests severely repressed that happened in France in 2023], Gérald Darmanin, the French Minister of Interior, implored the legislature to change the law so that it would be possible to hack into demonstrators’ mobile phones, especially those using “Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram”: “Give us the same means for extreme violence as for terrorism”. His justification was that “there is a very strong, advanced paranoia in ultra-left circles […] who use encrypted messaging”, which can be explained by a “clandestine culture”. In an attempt to demonstrate the supposed violence of Sainte-Soline activists, he also cited the 8 December affair as an example of a “foiled attack” by the “ultra-left”, in defiance of any presumption of innocence23."

This is not just about use of technology signalling terrorism, it is about repression of dissent from the current government. Environmental protests, protests against the changes to pensions, and really any other protests are a target. This is antidemocratic at it's core and will be expanded unless resisted. This kind of authoritarian behaviour clearly shows the need for the very thing they are repressing, technology to maintain privacy and security for those the state disagrees with.

bbbhltz, 11 months ago

It is being resisted. But...

Telegram and WhatsApp groups over here, like in many countries, are echo chambers for certain ideologies. I am a professor, graduate school, and some of my students talk about "the great replacement". I ask them what it is and they tell me, straight-faced in front of their peers, what it is and how it is a real thing because they saw it shared on a group chat. With the very recent knife attack and the fact that this was not a French citizen, I would imagine the loonies are out full swing on their group chats.

The "nothing to hide" argument is used a lot here and (this is my personal opinion) I real feel like many French people are poorly informed about the tech world. I still hear people refer to Gates as the boss of MS. My MIL still thinks that Zuckerberg made Signal so she refuses to use it (but spends 14 hours a day on FB). Musk is viewed by many as a benevolent Tony Stark. And once I presented Mastodon to my students and when I explained the content warnings and some of the rules, they all burst out laughing and called it "stoopid".

Now, in reality we have some great stuff going on over here: La Quadrature du Net, Framasoft, Les Chatons, FDN, etc. and the tech community is loud and likes to resist, but getting GenZ and the Boomers and everyone in between to listen for a minute is hard work. I spend a lot of time looking in to this sort of stuff, and I am subscribed to the LQDN newsletters and donate to different similar organisations... This entire story was completely under the radar for me. I heard nothing about it until I looked at that video.

Anyway, it was fun to rant for a bit.

French people, this isn't French-bashing: I know there are lots of overly tech-savvy people here in this beautiful country.

rowinofwin, 11 months ago

I have had similar experiences here in Australia. People seem to be very distracted and stressed to the point where they have no time to consider ideas like privacy, security, and societal improvement. Maybe I am an idealist but I would hope to leave a better world for those that will follow us and allowing another rise of authoritarianism seems like it is a very bad idea.

TGhost, 11 months ago

We are clearly fucked as French.

sourcerer, 11 months ago

@TGhost @bbbhltz

Cyberhuuug! :revblobfoxpeekowo:

TGhost, 11 months ago

Ty we need it mate ^^

fr0g, 11 months ago

"I don't really have anything to hide, but you never know whether the government might act authoritarian at some point. So best to be safe and use privacy tools."

French police: "Hold my tear gas"

bandario, 11 months ago

That first article is truly insane. Persecuted for using tools and applications that are commonplace, as if they automatically make you part of a terrorist cell. What is the world coming to?

panbroggi, 11 months ago

Totally unfair. Like the caring about privacy is a guilt. In case they fear this may be an issue to mantain order, they should really consider improving knowledge of these tools.

bbbhltz, 11 months ago

Yep, I live in France (and this YouTuber is French, which is why he is talking about the case). This whole story passed under the radar here because it is the type of thing that French people would be up in arms about.

I think at some point they will likely pass a law related to encryption or ban some of the alternative app stores for phones.

Also: https://cybernews.com/news/france-senate-surveillance-cameras-microphones/

Dislodge3233, 11 months ago

Wow. France is already on fire. Do politicians really want more?

bbbhltz, 11 months ago

We haven't had any major protests over here for a few weeks. Things are calming down for vacation season.

megane_kun, 11 months ago

But I thought protesting is the French pastime?

Just kidding, don't guillotine me.

bbbhltz, 11 months ago

I'm not French so I don't get a guillotine haha. I've just lived here for 16 years. They do like to have their strikes, but in their defence many of them are "declared" and "approved" by local authorities so we are warned about them weeks in advance. Like, my son's school will have a cafeteria strike soon and we were told about it in March.

megane_kun, 11 months ago

That's great!

Not about you not having a guillotine, of course, but about the notifications about impending strikes. I think that's sufficiently fair giving people a head's up—even though it gives management time to prepare and fend-off the strike's effects.