Has anyone gotten #Seedvault the #Android backup app working? I've tried on five different devices, with Nextcloud, WebDAV and USB thumb drive. In all cases, the backups either failed to restore or it was not possible to set the backup up.
Adversarial interoperability should be legal. Users should be able to use software on their own devices the way they want to. The tariff wars have opened up a new political opportunity to make that happen. @pluralistic explains it well:
#BigTech #FreeSoftware #FOSS #AdversarialInteroperability #startups #UserFreedom
Are you into #opensource ? And in the #eu ?
There is a Call for Feedback by the European Commission for a 'European Open Digital Ecosystem Strategy' For strategic approach to #foss in Europe, and a framework for using open source within the European Commission. You can respond until 3 February. It is useful to respond even if your point has already been submitted by someone else. The number and repetition of arguments is used as a weight. https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/16213-European-Open-Digital-Ecosystems_en cc #fosdem
The @EUCommission "will set out a strategic approach to the open-source sector in the
European Union and present a review of the Commission’s 2020-2023 open-source software strategy, which will
outline the Commission’s plan for its own digital environment." We need to tell them to put #UserFreedom first! They are looking for feedback, submit it here:
#FreeSoftware #OpenSource #FOSS #FLOSS #EuropeanCommission #EU #DigitalSovereignity #BigTech
We are very well aware of the fact that X for Grok is now offering a spicy mode showing explicit sexual content with some output generated with childlike images:
📌 A detailed request for information on Grok has been sent to X, and we are reviewing the company’s responses.
📌 X has been ordered to retain all internal documents and data concerning Grok’s features until the end of 2026.
The Digital Services Act is very clear:
In the EU, all platforms have to get their own house in order.
As things ramp up in #Iran, I think it is important to keep all the relevant context in mind. I have no doubt that most protesters there have legitimate grievances and Iran's government can be violent and repressive. The Shah's son is cosying up to the #US. Now #Trump is threatening #military action. There is a long track record of the #US also supporting repression and violence in #Iran. And the vast majority of US-backed regime changes make things worse for the local populations.
I wonder if one goal of #AI companies is to replace #creative people since they have a long track record of being an effective part of #movements against #oligarchs.
@lexinova@toot.community @fdroidorg Sounds like you are well positioned to lead up that project. How about starting by opening an issue and describing as much as possible https://gitlab.com/fdroid/admin/-/issues/
If you don't like #Trump's actions against #Venezuela, or #Putin's against #Ukraine, or #Canada's #TarSands, or #Sudan #Saudi #UAE #NigerDelta #IslamicState etc. follow the money. All of those are driven by #oil and #gas, and any money we pay for oil and gas support those conflicts and the states that back them. That means #plastic, your #car, your cheap flights, your oil/gas #heating, non-#organic farming, etc. etc. There are alternatives, we have a choice to not support any of this.
Looks like #Trump is officially now yet another #DeepState #Washington insider starting foreign wars and plotting coups. It should be interesting to see if the #AmericaFirst proponents still support him.
Being sucked into #monopoly enforcement against #gatekeepers around the world has given me direct insight into why #AntiTrust enforcement is so important economically: monopolists spend huge sums on PR to sell things that people do not want. Organizations like @fdroidorg can spend next to zero money and some hours of volunteer time to pop PR bubbles that surely cost many millions. The money is so concentrated that lots is thrown at even stupid ideas just because the monopolists want it that way.
We’re sponsoring the EU Open Source Policy Summit 2026 (Brussels, 30 Jan), hosted by @OpenForumEurope.
The theme is “Digital Sovereignty Runs on Open Source."
@Amandine will be talking about the importance of interoperability and open standards.
If, like me, you absolutely hate the recently introduced sidebar-like overlay "side-panel" that opens up when you click tickets in #GitLab, I finally found the obscure place where you can turn it off.
It's not in your user preferences or kebab menu, it's… tucked in that little "Display options" icon-only button between the tickets searchbar and the sorting order combobox:
Great #DSA report by @bitsoffreedom about how #Snapchat manipulates its users through notifications:
"From 109 notifications we categorized 39 as misleading." They contained "false information (e.g., “check out this post from someone you follow”—even though we weren't following anyone), resembled a personal message from other users, or were incorrectly labeled as being “time-sensitive”."
https://www.bitsoffreedom.nl/2025/12/05/how-snapchat-manipulates-its-users-through-notifications/
#DigitalRights #DarkPatterns #DigitalServicesAct #BigTech #InterfaceDesign
#Google #Chromebook has a good reputation for #security. They let any user install a #Debian container where you can then install anything from Debian, even add Flathub or directly install downloaded .deb packages. All of this without anything like the #AndroidDeveloperVerification requirements.
https://www.howtogeek.com/how-to-install-and-use-linux-apps-on-a-chromebook/
Oh yes, and then there is this! 😄
"Leading facial #AgeEstimation tools were easily fooled by a $22 "old man" mask, a Guy Fawkes mask, and other cheap party costumes, researchers have found."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-02/social-media-ban-vpns-masks-age-checks-disguises/105836134
#AgeVerification #DigitalRights #privacy #Australia #SocialMediaBan
Just to be sure, I scanned all apps on @fdroidorg and found no apps that used the libs vulnerable to #ReactServer #CVE-2025-55182 aka #React2Shell.
I'm no #Javascript nor #React dev though, maybe it was silly to scan apps for server components? In any case, #FDroid's data collection is easy to scan via scripts, so better safe than sorry.
Elon Musk and X are once again proving why institutions should never rely on corporate-owned, centrally-controlled social media platforms to reach their people.