Mastodawn

Łukasz Bromirski

For weeks I have been telling reporters that #Trump could have the power to switch off our tech in #Europe. It felt a bit alarmist until I just read that #Microsoft, on the behest of the #US gov, has suspended the email account of Karim Khan, the #ICC chief prosecutor.

One of the most important international courts and a legal bulwark against #genocide, crimes against humanity, and #warcrimes is threatened by #BigTech dependency.

https://apnews.com/article/icc-trump-sanctions-karim-khan-court-a4b4c02751ab84c09718b1b95cbd5db3

#DigitalSovereignty #FOSS #EthicalTech

Trump's sanctions on ICC prosecutor have halted tribunal's work

Nearly three months ago, U.S. President Donald Trump slapped sanctions on the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan. He has lost access to his email and his bank accounts have been frozen. American staffers at The Hague-based court also have been told that if they travel to the U.S. they risk arrest. In addition, some nongovernmental organizations have stopped working with the ICC. Rights groups say these problems will prevent victims of war crimes from getting justice.

AP News

Different Drummer May 15

@ilumium There's a lesson there...

Alison Meeks May 16

@DifferentDrummer Own your own domain and email. @ilumium

tessarakt May 16

@Alison @DifferentDrummer @ilumium They have their own domain, and host e-mail for it at Microsoft. It's just beyond stupid.

Alison Meeks May 16

@tessarakt That is the stupidest thing ever. @DifferentDrummer @ilumium

Robin Barton May 15

@ilumium Canada and EU need to move away from American tech so control is with us

maastorontti May 15

@ilumium if they have anything of importance solely on their email account, they should be hurt. If not, and hopefully don’t, it doesn’t really matter. You can get another email account in a wiff. Really a non-issue.

T Jones FilmICE DeportElon May 15

@maastorontti @ilumium

It does matter.

@maastorontti @ilumium
Because only bazillion-dollar corporations are vulnerable to government pressure?

Greengordon May 15

Trump just did to the US tech industry what he did to the US defense industry: killed any future foreign business and set in motion its permanent decline. Nobody will buy US tech now.

"#Trump could have the power to switch off our tech in #Europe. It felt a bit alarmist until I just read that #Microsoft, on the behest of the #US gov, has suspended the email account of Karim Khan, the #ICC chief prosecutor."

#uspol #EU #microsoft

Hugs4friends ♾🇺🇦 🇵🇸😷May 16

@Greengordon The stupidity burns. @ilumium

Daniel Gibson May 16

@Greengordon @ilumium
> Nobody will buy US tech now

Oh how I wish this was true.

But incompetent businesses, agencies etc in Europe will continue using products from Microsoft, Google etc, even cloud-based ones which are especially easy to switch off (and to steal data from).

I have no illusion that anything is gonna change here until a European government gets so royally fucked that they *have* to act. And that's a high bar, considering that outages from ransomware are already accepted

@Doomed_Daniel @Greengordon @ilumium can confirm. There are German universities who are right now in the process of migrating *towards* M365

Daniel Gibson May 16

@dan @Greengordon @ilumium
🤦‍♂️

and then there's the BSI who recently started a cooperation with Google for "Cloud-Solutions" for government agencies: https://www.heise.de/news/Google-und-BSI-arbeiten-an-sicheren-Cloud-Loesungen-fuer-die-oeffentliche-Hand-10309149.html

they're all completely lost...

Google und BSI arbeiten an sicheren Cloud-Lösungen für die öffentliche Hand

Mit einer Kooperationsvereinbarung wollen Google und das BSI die Entwicklung und Bereitstellung sicherer und souveräner Cloud-Lösungen für Behörden fördern.

heise online

@Doomed_Daniel @dan @Greengordon @ilumium we‘re all completely lost, I fear

Greengordon May 16

@Doomed_Daniel @ilumium

Good grief. The responses below you back up what you said. Corrupt and/or incompetent...

Eric the half-a-bee May 16

@Greengordon @ilumium

US can no longer be considered a Western Democratic Country. They have become just another pariah thug autocracy. 😔😢😤🤬

Eric the half-a-bee May 16

@Greengordon @ilumium

And not just a pariah thug autocracy. Reading the article fully it’s obvious that the US is now a pariah thug terrorist autocracy.

Microsoft are complicit in this. Personally I’m moving off Microsoft and into Linux. I wish so much professional software, in my case engineering software, was not based solely on the Microsoft OSs.

#trump #USThuggery #USCorruption #microsoft #CorruptMicrosoft

CohenTheBlue May 16

@Ericthebeeover2 @Greengordon @ilumium 1/2 Most stuff can be run via Wine / Proton. For a beginner, installing Steam and adding software installers as non-Steam games may work. Once the installation completes, modify "target" and "start in" fields to the path the program was installed to. Don't let the installer try to start the program. Add double quote " to beginning and end of "target" and "start in" field contents if they don't have them.

CohenTheBlue May 16

@Ericthebeeover2 @Greengordon @ilumium 2/2
Steam's default location for stuff installed via Proton is:
$HOME/.steam/steamapps/compatdata/

In that folder, look for the folder created latest. In that is a skeleton of Windows starting at pfx/drive_c

There are more configurable options, like using Lutris.

Steam has the freshest Proton if you set the "experimental" branch as default, most quirks ironed out. Steam -> Settings -> Compatibility -> Run other titles with: Proton Experimental

CohenTheBlue May 16

@Ericthebeeover2 @Greengordon @ilumium Disclaimer: if your paid software has some sort of activation limit or it's forbidden to run it on anything other than Windows... This was just a suggestion of what might work, I'm not responsible if you lose the license due to any anti piracy measures or such that the developer might have implemented.

StreetDogg May 16

@Greengordon @ilumium Almost everybody already bought it and is thoroughly locked in.

It would take quadrillions of work hours to get rid of it. It's not going to happen. Everybody will clench their butts and pray this will never hit them.

Greengordon May 16

@StreetDogg @ilumium

I think you’re right, sadly. Our times are exposing how grossly overpaid corporate CEOs are. They lack courage and vision.

"It would take quadrillions of work hours to get rid of it. It's not going to happen. Everybody will clench their butts and pray this will never hit them."

mousebot May 15

@ilumium doing the same in china: https://fosstodon.org/@jospoortvliet/114505682999940750

Jos Poortvliet (@jospoortvliet@fosstodon.org)

Did you know #Microsoft is shutting down Chinese universities by blocking access to their services? When will this come to Europe and the rest of the world? How dependent on Microsoft or Google is the day to day work in your organization? Here's an example, one of many: https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3305889/microsoft-abruptly-cuts-services-chinese-university-genomics-firm

Fosstodon

Dark Phoenix 🇺🇦🇨🇦🇬🇱🇵🇦🇵🇸🏳️‍🌈May 15

Matthew Little May 15

@ilumium I'm not a lawyer, don't pretend to be but if I remember correctly, part of the sanctions agst. Mr. Khan require U.S. companies to cease doing business w/sanctioned individuals.

Now, is the ICC so bereft of tech that they can't find a non-U.S. technology vendor? #JustARandomThought

Johannes May 15

@WaywardTarheel @ilumium
In the article they state that he does have a new email via Proton (Swiss), but that the more problematic issue is that all companies and personnel working with the ICC are threatened, e.g., US ICC staff cannot visit family, staff bank accounts are frozen, NGOs cannot report crimes to the ICC because of legal threats by the US government etc.
The e-mail issue is comparatively minor, but it does illustrate that Microsoft’s “but we have EU servers” promises are meaningless.

tessarakt May 15

@johannes_lehmann @WaywardTarheel @ilumium The EU needs to amend the implementing legal acts for the Blocking Regulation to cover the sanctions against the ICC.

tessarakt May 15

Jan Penfrat May 16

@johannes_lehmann @WaywardTarheel I fully agree with you that the email issue is minor as compared to the other threats the US has levelled against the ICC, via sanctions and otherwise. Thanks for pointing it out.

I highlighted the emails because I'm professionally deeply involved in the European political "tech sovereignty" debate.

Steve Holden May 16

@johannes_lehmann @WaywardTarheel @ilumium as are their promises to respect our privacy.

tessarakt May 15

@WaywardTarheel @ilumium Natural choice if they can't do it themselves would be someone from the host state, with special guarantees in the host state agreement. The US is not even an ICC member ...

Koos Swart May 15

@ilumium The US never recognised the ICC. Why did they even use US tech?
I know: lazy and ignorant ICT managers.

Peter Brett May 15

@koosswart How about if we don't blame victims?

uli hertlein 🇪🇺🇺🇦May 15

@krans @koosswart @ilumium How about we don't *completely* ignore responsibilities?

John Robinson May 15

@ilumium Clearly Microsoft has to go.

lecroix74 May 15

@ilumium such high profile profession should not use big tech mail services. There are safe options out there. And it surely wouldn't be too expensive. It is mandatory for him. Needless to say, I do not condone Micro$oft's actions.

tessarakt May 15

@ilumium Whyever an international organization would outsource its mail operations to a private company, and even one not based in the host state, or at least a member state. My pity is very limited. This is just completely unprofessional.

Markus Feilner May 15

@ilumium #digitalsouvereignty anybody? On top, I can offer #digitalsobriety!

Jim Hubbell May 15

@ilumium
Unprofessional or not, you can bet every agency and non-US company is looking for alternatives. Microsoft will lose a lot more business in the long run.

Werawelt May 15

@ilumium
#unplugtrump #buyeu

@ilumium funny how what American exceptionalists keep harping on "China", "Russia", "Iran" or insert whichever country they are brainwashed to hate at a given time, will do, their own country is always already doing. It's almost like "every accusation is a confession" applies more broadly to what most Americans accuse others of, not just to GOP or MAGA.

Steve Holden May 16

@htpcnz @ilumium it’s a fascism thing

Adron 🤘🏻May 16

@ilumium @robin All of Europe should be moving quickly to open source systems and tooling around Linux. 🤘🏻💯

Yevheniya May 20

@adron @ilumium @robin Jan, Robin, I'm sorry for contacting you. Please ask Adron Hall to get in touch (https://metalhead.club/@adron) 🙏
My children and I have been on the street for 2 weeks, we have not been asked how we are feeling. We are without food and shelter. I have been waiting faithfully from day to day.
But we have no more strength, we are EXHAUSTED🙏

Yevhenia May 20

@adron @ilumium @robin I'm sorry for contacting you. Please ask Adron Hall to get in touch (https://metalhead.club/@adron) 🙏
My children and I have been on the street for 2 weeks, we have not been asked how we are feeling. We are without food and shelter. I have been waiting faithfully from day to day.
But we have no more strength, we are EXHAUSTED🙏

Yevhgeniia May 20

@adron @ilumium @robin Jan, Robin, I'm sorry for contacting you. Please ask Adron Hall to get in touch (https://metalhead.club/@adron) 🙏
My children and I have been on the street for 2 weeks, we have not been asked how we are feeling. We are without food and shelter. I have been waiting faithfully from day to day.
But we have no more strength, we are EXHAUSTED🙏

stevE 🌼May 16

@ilumium why is it "our tech in Europe" instead of "their tech for us in Europe"? Isn't it a difference?

@ilumium I think such an action should be answered in first place by punishing Microsoft harshly, in second place by understanding that digital services are a strategic resource and should never depend on services by foreign companies to work. If software has a "kill switch", its not ours.

Herr TurTur May 16

@ilumium
To me it seems medium wise to depend on MS communication systems in the first place. This does not, however, change my opinion on censorship.

@ilumium Que el ICC no tenga su propio servidor de correo es tan incomprensible para mí que no puedo creerme esto.

John Faithfull 🌍🇪🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🧡✊🏻✊🏿May 16

@ilumium This is horrific, if unsurprising. But also, somehow his UK bank accounts are frozen (see screenshot below). How the hell does Trump's MAGA stuff have any legal weight in UK? I've not seen any analysis of this - any pointers gratefully received... 🙏

WowSuchCyber May 16

@ilumium @fj it's absolutely not alarmist. If Trump decides it, in 24h he shutdown the entire financial system of europe, and nearly all email systems of companies.

ItsDoctorNotMrs May 17

Get the fuck off Microsoft, as quickly as possible.

Jan Ekholm May 17

@ilumium The US is an embarrassment nowadays.

Arena Cops 🇺🇦✌May 17

@ilumium The threat to ICC's & other judicial institutions' independence is the dependence on Microsoft overpaid products & services.
They've long been advised to search for & rely on less manipulable non-proprietary software solutions, but they thought it a good idea to stick with an aggressive kind of monopolist on the market, which can be ordered by the U.S. government to act as the ruler pleases. Despite frequent warnings & abysmal performance of software experienced in practice by court instances.

Benny Powers 🇮🇱🦁May 18

@ilumium oh boo hoo, NOW who can you rely on to pester the JOOS? How will Europe withstand the humiliation?

Beardy Unix User May 20

@ilumium
I am kind of surprised at how little general traction this news has. One of the world’s biggest Sass providers engages in cyberattacks on an international institution at the behest of a rogue power … and mostly, silence reigns.