New paper: “Encryption and Globalization 15 Years Later: End-to-End Encryption and the Third Round of the ‘Going Dark’ Debate“:

Abstract: This Article updates and expands on 2012 research on encryption and globalization, analyzing what the authors call “Round 3” of the Going Dark Debate: the current controversies over end-to-end encryption (E2EE). Governments around the world have proposed, and in some cases enacted, laws limiting E2EE for law enforcement and national security purposes.

This Article explains the underlying technologies and market developments for a law and policy audience to assess those proposals critically. The Article proceeds in three parts tracking three rounds of the Going Dark Debate. Round 1 covers the Crypto Wars of the 1990s, when U.S. export controls on strong encryption ultimately fell in 1999. Round 2 covers the period roughly 2010 to 2015, when encryption-in-transit became widespread but lawful access remained available through cloud providers, giving rise to what the authors called a “golden age of surveillance” rather than a period of going dark. Round 3 addresses the current debate over E2EE, where no entity between sender and recipient can read the plaintext.

The Article’s first major contribution is identifying five technically distinct scenarios for how E2EE operates in practice, each with different implications for lawful access. These scenarios reveal a substantial gap between the assumption that E2EE categorically blocks lawful access and the reality of how communications are sent and received. Second, the Article shows that E2EE is not limited to messaging; instead, it is embedded throughout the modern technology stack, including in Transport Layer Security, Secure Shell, Virtual Private Networks, and Zero Trust Architecture, the last of which is now legally required under U.S. and EU law. Any law broadly limiting E2EE would thus have severe serious consequences for cybersecurity, commerce, and government operations. The Article concludes that the two key lessons from Round 2—the least trusted country problem and the golden age of surveillance—remain true in Round 3, and that new government claims for restricting effective encryption deserve great skepticism.

DEN HAAG (ANP) - Het Internationaal Strafhof (ICC) zet de zaak tegen de Soedanese rebellenleider Abdallah Banda stop. Aanklagers vroegen hier al om, omdat er geen goed genoeg bewijs meer zou zijn om hem te kunnen veroordelen.

Banda werd ervan verdacht in 2007 in de Soedanese regio Darfur meerdere oorlogsmisdaden te hebben gepleegd, zoals geweld tegen mensen.

De zaak zou eigenlijk in 2014 behandeld worden, maar werd uitgesteld omdat Banda er zelf toch niet bij zou zijn. Inmiddels zeggen aanklagers dat getuigen niet meer willen of kunnen meewerken. Ook zouden er bij bepaalde getuigen problemen zijn met de geloofwaardigheid.

Het ICC vindt dat de aanklager niet goed genoeg heeft laten zien dat het bewijsmateriaal door de jaren heen zo is verslechterd. Toch stemmen ze ermee in de zaak stop te zetten, omdat de aanklager "weigert de zaak te presenteren". Het hof benadrukt dat er altijd een nieuwe zaak tegen Banda kan worden gestart, over dezelfde feiten.

ROTTERDAM (ANP) - Topman van de Rotterdamse haven Boudewijn Siemons kan niet uitsluiten dat er dit jaar nog fabrieken de deuren zullen sluiten. De industrie staat al langer onder druk in de haven. Investeringen in fabrieken lopen achter en dat is reden tot zorg, zegt Siemons.

Het probleem is volgens de topman het investeringsklimaat. Positief op dat gebied noemt hij het pakket stikstofmaatregelen van het kabinet. Naast het nationale plan is de haven al langer met het kabinet in gesprek over een gebiedsgerichte aanpak. Zo wil de Rotterdamse haven vergunningverlening weer mogelijk maken en het aantrekkelijker maken om te investeren.

"Die investeringen zijn ook nodig om de haven te verduurzamen en minder stikstof uit te stoten. We zien wat licht aan het eind van de tunnel", stelt Siemons. Hij voegt daar wel aan toe dat stikstof maar een deel is van het investeringsklimaat. De hoge energieprijzen zijn een veel groter obstakel voor bedrijven, aldus de topman.

DEN HAAG (ANP) - De prijs voor Brentolie is donderdag gestegen tot bijna 100 dollar per vat. De olieprijs stijgt verder door de nieuwe reeks aanvallen die de Verenigde Staten uitvoeren op Iran en Houthi's die Saudische tankers aanvallen op de Rode Zee.

Ook viel Iran de afgelopen dagen schepen in de Straat van Hormuz aan. Door de zeestraat ging voor het begin van de oorlog ongeveer een vijfde van het wereldwijde olietransport, maar sinds de verschillende blokkades van Iran varen er nauwelijks meer schepen.

De prijs voor Brent-olie klom donderdagmiddag met bijna 5 procent tot 98,67 dollar per vat. Dat is het hoogste niveau in zes weken. In de tussentijd daalde de prijs van Brent-olie nadat er hoop was ontstaan op vrede tussen Iran en de VS. In diezelfde tijd kwam de scheepvaart in de Straat van Hormuz op gang. Voor de oorlog schommelde de prijs van Brent maandenlang tussen de 60 en 70 dollar per vat.

Als de opkomst van de gemeenteraadsverkiezingen hoger is dan vier jaar geleden, ga ik abseilen van de Euromast. Dat beloofde de Rotterdamse burgemeester. Haar actie draagt ook bij aan haar zichtbaarheid in de stad. Een tiental cameraploegen en ook buitenlandse journalisten waren erbij.

ajpscs posted a photo:

NIGHT LIGHTS, ILLUMINATIONS AND FIREWORKS
BOKEH (Playful)
© ajpscs

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

handwritten on slide, “Chaplin, 1950"

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

mikeleonardvisualarts posted a photo:

peaceful-jp-scenery posted a photo:

Sakurakouji Park, Maihiren
桜小路公園・舞妃蓮

Here is another shot of the Maihi-ren lotus in full bloom. Viewed this way, it gives off a slightly cool, refreshing impression.

もう一枚、舞妃蓮の大きく開いた姿です。こうして見ると少し涼しげに感じます。

Fujisawa city, Kanagawa pref, Japan

New US petition demands review of plans from tech companies amid fears of environmental destruction

Space datacenters proposed by SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin and others would release staggering levels of pollution that would probably alter the Earth’s atmosphere and be “catastrophic” for the planet, space industry experts and environmental groups warn in a new petition demanding a review of their impacts.

Tech companies have collectively proposed millions of “orbital datacenters” and are pressing forward with plans, which require Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval. Among other issues, pollution from satellites and rockets burning up upon re-entry appears to be accumulating in the stratosphere at alarming levels. The spacecraft release black soot, rare metals, aluminum oxides and other pollutants with unknown effects.

Continue reading...

After my 22-month-old child died, music and poetry brought catharsis and comfort

The day Renzo had his aneurysm, in the afternoon before it happened, I distinctly remember telling him that it was going to be a pleasure to watch him grow up. It seems ridiculous to write that here, the foreshadowing so on the nose as to be unbelievable. But it’s true. To him and my wife Allegra, I said, “I love our little family.” After the struggles around his birth, job loss, the pandemic, it felt, finally, like we had made it to the other side. We had, I suppose, just not how I envisioned it.

My friends Jayson and Stacy recommended I get to know David Kessler’s work. According to Harvard Business Review, Kessler is “the world’s foremost expert on grief”. He’d worked closely with Elisabeth Kübler-­Ross, who was the reigning expert on grief before her own death in 2004. A large part of Kübler-­Ross’s legacy is her classification of what she calls the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, as described in her 1969 book On Death and Dying. After you experience a death, she wrote, these stages can occur in any order, with one or more possibly not occurring at all. Just weeks after Renzo’s death, I’d tricked myself into thinking I had jumped all the way to acceptance when really I was trying to outrun anger and depression. Bargaining hasn’t been a big one for me, nor has denial. The facts have been pretty hard to ignore.

Continue reading...

Liverpool’s new head coach is settling into the pre-season tour in Chicago as he begins to reshape the Reds’ identity

Over coffee in Liverpool’s plush hotel in Chicago, Andoni Iraola presents his theory for the phenomenal success of Basque and Spanish coaches. It is a theory that will shape his entire approach to life as the Liverpool head coach and his attempts to bring the connection, the joy and the belief back to Anfield. It centres on the power of the collective.

The Champions League, the Premier League, the Europa League, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the European Championship and, as of Sunday, the World Cup: all currently in the hands of Basque and Spanish coaches, even if Pep Guardiola has since taken his leave from Manchester City. Next season, four men from the small Basque region of Gipuzkoa will manage four of the Premier League’s main contenders, Iraola included. There is, he believes, a simple explanation for the rise of the guys from Gipuzkoa and for Spanish dominance across a global stage.

Continue reading...

Greater Manchester chief constable says crucial data on phones seized from Heaton Park synagogue attacker was not examined

Greater Manchester police have apologised and admitted “a missed opportunity” before the attack on a city synagogue.

The force’s chief constable, Sir Stephen Watson, said the phones of the Heaton Park synagogue attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, were seized by officers but crucial data was not examined.

Continue reading...

We dachten dat we na Marcia Luytens gejuich voor het Spaans kolonialisme alles wel hadden gelezen over de WK-finale, maar kijk nou welke voetbalkenner zich aandient: Babah Tarawally. Babah Tarawally wijdt zijn Trouw-column over voetbal volledig aan huidskleur en begint: "Ik ben ook een zwarte man." Maar dan gaat het gelukkig al snel weer over voetbal huidskleur wanneer Babah Tarawally schrijft dat hij alleen naar Argentinië bleef kijken door de boodschap van 'witte suprematie' die het Argentijnse voetbalelftal volgens hem uitdraagt. Voorts weet Babah Tarawally, na nog even de Nazi-Spelen van 1936 te noemen, dat het elftal van Argentinië alleen uit witte mensen bestaat, en dat racisten dat fantastisch vinden (en er daarom net als Babah Tarawally naar kijken?), terwijl Babah Tarawally ook zegt dat daarom zoveel zwarte en bruine mensen voor Spanje zijn, dat met Yamal en Williams maar liefst twee zwarte spelers telt. Babah Tarawally eindigt zijn column over huidskleur er plots mee dat we eigenlijk helemaal niet aan huidskleur zouden moeten denken. Een conclusie van Babah Tarawally waar we ons in kunnen vinden. Babah Bedankt, zouden we haast zeggen. Maar laten we dit topic toch eindigen met de Belangrijke Boodschap dat u vooral niet moet denken aan Babah Tarawally. Dat we met z'n allen moeten vechten voor een wereld waarin Babah Tarawally helemaal niks meer uitmaakt. Dan hebben we het straks misschien wel nooit meer over Babah Tarawally.

Boodschap Babah

BABAH DENK NOU NIET AAN HUIDSKLEUR

Twee politieagenten zijn in de nacht van woensdag op donderdag gewond geraakt bij de aanhouding van een 24-jarige man in Nieuw-Lekkerland. Eén agent liep een schouderblessure op na een val, de andere werd tijdens de arrestatie in zijn onderarm gebeten. De verdachte is aangehouden en zit vast voor verder onderzoek.

Twee politieagenten zijn in de nacht van woensdag op donderdag gewond geraakt bij de aanhouding van een 24-jarige man in Nieuw-Lekkerland. Eén agent liep een schouderblessure op na een val, de andere werd tijdens de arrestatie in zijn onderarm gebeten. De verdachte is aangehouden en zit vast voor verder onderzoek.

The UK's statistical regulator has told NHS England to ensure ministers are briefed accurately following a row over data used to promote the purported benefits of a Palantir-run platform. The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) said the health quango had accepted that it needed to communicate more clearly about data purporting to measure the benefits of the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), which is based on the US spy-tech firm's technology under a £330 million contract. "We expect NHS England to ensure that any figures cited by ministers or in official briefings about the FDP and its effectiveness are communicated in a clear, accurate manner," the OSR said. Campaign group Foxglove called on health officials and ministers to correct the record with Parliament and the media on data used to illustrate the FDP's success. Earlier this month, the OSR, part of the UK Statistics Authority, said it was assessing how NHS England used data to make claims about the FDP's performance, which sometimes made its way into ministerial statements. The move followed a Freedom of Information request from Foxglove, which found that nearly a third of NHS trusts using Palantir's health data platform were performing fewer patient procedures than before it went live. Foxglove also said Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust accounted for 84 percent of the reported fall in outpatient waiting lists, while only 16 trusts were using the tool provided by Palantir. The results sit uneasily alongside NHS England's claim that, as of June, 139 trusts used the FDP, with 137 reporting benefits. Another commonly quoted data item found that an Inpatient Care Coordination Solution (CCS) tool based on the FDP had resulted in 111,589 additional patients undergoing procedures in operating theaters. Writing to James Murray, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Foxglove noted that NHS England had said in documentation that it was inappropriate to "draw conclusions about cause and effect as other variables have not been controlled for" in its published FDP data. Foxglove said: "The claim that Palantir's FDP has delivered a large number of additional operations has been widely repeated." At the time, the OSR said it was assessing the information around NHS England's claims about the FDP's performance. Publishing its response yesterday, the regulator said it had engaged NHS England statisticians and conducted its own desk research based on information provided by the NHS and others who raised concerns about data used to promote the FDP's benefits. It noted that on June 6, NHS England added a sentence to published data, which read: "We cannot therefore draw conclusions about cause and effect as other variables have not been controlled for." It also updated the methods page. "NHS England has told OSR that this was motivated, in part, by NHS England having received numerous Freedom of Information requests to provide more detail on how data provided by FDP was analysed," the OSR said. "While the addition of this sentence is welcome, we understand why many users took this to represent a significant change in how NHS England was communicating the benefits of FDP data in relation to NHS performance." The statement welcomed NHS England's decision to acknowledge that there is "more that can be done to strengthen messaging around the FDP benefits data and its onward interpretation by users." NHS England agreed to add further caveats to the published data and ensure public communications clearly identify before-and-after comparisons and explain that they do not establish causality. It has also commissioned Imperial College London to evaluate the FDP, looking at products including OPTICA "where the issue around causality is most evident." OPTICA is designed to streamline the patient discharge process. It was based on Palantir's technology built under a £60 million series of contracts awarded without competition and then transferred to the FDP. NHS England said it would publish the results. The OSR said it wanted to be kept informed of progress against a series of other commitments by NHS England's Head of Profession for Statistics. An NHS England spokesperson said: "We welcome this review from the Office for Statistics Regulation into the presentation and communication of information about the Federated Data Platform, which found the updates we made to our website have helped to make information more explicitly clear. We are implementing the recommendations in full to provide further clarity about the patient benefits being achieved through the use of the technology." Donald Campbell, advocacy director at Foxglove, said: "This damning report makes it clearer than ever that the Government and Palantir must withdraw these dodgy marketing claims and correct the record. "Even the head of NHS England has admitted personally raising doubts about the claims made on Palantir's benefits to the NHS. This intervention by the stats watchdog should be the nail in the coffin for the fairy stories we've heard about the extra operations supposedly delivered by Palantir's platform. "With a new government, there's a chance to draw a line under the previous administration's shameful practice of running marketing for this Trump-aligned tech giant. The new health secretary must withdraw these figures, correct the record with Parliament and the media, and ensure that the debate about whether Palantir should have a place in our NHS is conducted based on reliable, verifiable evidence – not spin." ®

peaceful-jp-scenery has added a photo to the pool:

Sakurakouji Park, Maihiren
桜小路公園・舞妃蓮

Here is another shot of the Maihi-ren lotus in full bloom. Viewed this way, it gives off a slightly cool, refreshing impression.

もう一枚、舞妃蓮の大きく開いた姿です。こうして見ると少し涼しげに感じます。

Fujisawa city, Kanagawa pref, Japan