The Fun Police

A federal immigration officer shot and killed a man in Biddeford, Maine on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed, just days ⁠after a man ⁠was ​killed by an immigration officer during a traffic stop in Texas.

Golden Autumn in Spain 🌾🥀

Water is way more hydrating than soda, but soda is more hydrating than nothing. A balanced meal is way more nutritious than ice cream, but ice cream is more nutritious than nothing.

Something is better than nothing. Some hydration is better than no hydration. Some nutrients are better than no nutrients. Some produce is better than no produce.

Microsoft has publicly acknowledged the existence of the Global Device Identifier (GDID), a device-specific ID assigned to Windows installations

persists through Windows updates, and cannot be disabled without affecting Windows activation and Microsoft Store apps.

The FBI used the GDID to track Peter Stokes, alleged member of Scattered Spider, across VPN connections, proxy servers, and through four countries over roughly eight months.

There is no consent screen when GDID is assigned. Apple's advertising identifier requires an App Tracking Transparency prompt with a visible reset. Android provides similar controls. GDID has neither.

For the approximately 1.6 billion Windows users worldwide, GDID has been operating quietly in the background without any public disclosure or user controls.

It is important now more than ever that we take (digital) privacy and safety issues seriously and take action.

Stop supporting Microsoft and stop using Windows; things like this have been and will continue to happen because they know so many people are dependent on them, but you don't have to be.

You don't have to put up with Microsoft or Apple's nonsense. Your computer can be your own. Everything on it can be your own. You just have to take it back and that is easier than it ever has been.

Support open source projects. Instead of paying eye watering amounts of money to Adobe, get a free open source program that works just as well, if not better, and donate a little a month to keep them running.

Be vocally and actively against legislation that seeks to limit or kill open source. We can build a better digital world together and that scares the corporations that want us dependent on them so they can exploit us.

Whether you want to make a big change or a small change to your digital life, there are lots of resources for you and lots of people who want to help you. I really think the change everyone should be making right now is moving to Linux (whatever version suits you), even if you do nothing else.