Mastodawn

Daniel Opitz May 16

DansLeRuSH ᴱᶰ

Incredible (but predictable) : #Microsoft has blocked the International Criminal Court's access (#ICC) to its services on the orders of the #Trump mafia.

Read that carefully : an international organisation that has no presence in the United States and no US legal rights has had its work tools blocked simply because it disagrees with the Trump administration. 🚩

Get the hell out of it right now.

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

#Facism #Autocraty #Criminal #BigTech

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

Don Intrigue ('Le Kid') 🇵🇸 ☮️May 16

There's a lesson there for all non-US entities. OpenSource is your answer.

Wiredfire May 17

@linuxgnome @danslerush

Absolutely. This is a fantastic advert for FOSS. I permanently ditched Windows a couple of years back when Windows 11’s AI freak show direction of travel was clear (and it’s entirely arbitrary block from being “compatible” with my laptop for the crime of being 1 year too old) and it's been liberating. Thanks to Steam's Proton there is not one single thing I could do on Windows that I can't do as well, or better, under Linux.

Wiredfire May 17

@linuxgnome @danslerush
NB: I appreciate Steam and Proton are not open source

Phil Thane ✅May 16

@danslerush
The guy is a UK citizen and his UK bank have rolled over for Trump and blocked his access to his account. Time these corporate cowards told Trump to fuck off. What's he going to do? Get rid of all the Microsoft products in govt offices? Even Doge isn't that stupid. Boycott a British bank? Why would it care?

@pthane @danslerush MS may get to make a choice between the US threatening to move, or the rest of the world actually moving. Nothing in the US can be seen as reliable anymore.

@pthane @danslerush

Anyone know which UK bank?

I'd like to formally complain.

I can't change much but evidence of warnings in written form might make some of them nervous from a legal and historical perspective.

Sebastian Gogola May 16

@danslerush I will be very curious to see what Protonmail does if pressured by the Trump administration to shut down accounts as well. If they do Im jumping ship.

Little Art Histories May 16

@sebgogola @danslerush Proton is Swiss. Why should they listen to what Trump wants? The US has no jurisdiction there.

J.R. Cruciani May 16

@art_histories @sebgogola @danslerush As long as you have a US presence you need to comply with US rules. Proton is not US independent.

J.R. Cruciani May 16

@art_histories @sebgogola @danslerush @Linux has compiled a list of https://codeberg.org/Linux-Is-Best/Outside_Us_Jurisdiction companies and you can read a better explanation of why Proton does not qualify on his profile

Outside_Us_Jurisdiction

Digital Service Providers outside the jurisdiction of the United States of America.

Codeberg.org

Little Art Histories May 16

@canrith6696 @sebgogola @danslerush @Linux Thank you, I will have a look into it.
Besides, I don't really care about Proton as I have read some shady stuff about them already. I was just wondering because they are Swiss and not US based.

@art_histories @canrith6696 @sebgogola @danslerush @Linux There is nothing shady about Proton.

@rejzor @art_histories @canrith6696 @sebgogola @danslerush @Linux other than making completely tone deaf political statements and an inexplicable decision to pivot to blockchain in *2025*

Sebastian Gogola May 16

@canrith6696 @art_histories @danslerush @Linux thanks for sharing. So if Im reading this correctly then Proton mail is shit now and falls under US jurisdiction:

https://codeberg.org/Linux-Is-Best/Outside_Us_Jurisdiction/src/branch/main/Privacy_Focused_Email.md

Making sure you're not a bot!

MOVED to: @Linux@mastodon.au May 16

@sebgogola @canrith6696 @art_histories @danslerush

Unfortunately, yes.

A company can start in another country, Switzerland for example, but if it registers itself in the United States, has offices, and in the case of Proton, now even has US Trademarks, they fall under US Jurisdiction.

mimiimim May 16

@canrith6696 @art_histories @sebgogola @danslerush excellent! My daughter and I were researching some of these yesterday! Thank you for creating and sharing this index!!

tessarakt May 16

@canrith6696 @art_histories @sebgogola @danslerush Extraterritorial sanctions of the US violate international law. I hope the EU soon extends the scope of the Blocking Regulation.

tessarakt May 18

@canrith6696 @art_histories @sebgogola @danslerush https://finance.ec.europa.eu/eu-and-world/open-strategic-autonomy/extraterritoriality-blocking-statute_en

"The European Union does not recognise the extra-territorial application of laws adopted by third countries and considers such effects to be contrary to international law."

Not sure if the @EUCommission can amend the scope on its own via a delegated regulation, or new primary legislation by the Council is required.

Extraterritoriality (Blocking statute)

Protecting EU operators, reinforcing European strategic autonomy.

Finance

Eric the half-a-bee May 16

Probably the most calamitous Trump news of the whole damned month!

This is really really bad people. Don’t you think it’s time you all did something about it?

Alexander Dyas May 16

@danslerush If I were speculating I’d be seriously looking at investing in European based IT service alternatives. The dependence on US companies has been unhealthy for a long time, now it’s biting.

@danslerush Personally I don't use anything from MS since win xp. All big corps will side with whoever is in power to keep roi rolling, it's hardly surprising.

Dr. Christopher Kunz May 16

@danslerush As bad as this is, it follows "due process". Khan has been assigned a "Specially Designated Individual" by US OFAC (by order of the 🟠) and as a US corporation, MSFT was legally required to sever any and all contractual connections with him. The guy probably doesn't even have a Netflix account now.

This is the same legal process that is used for, say, ransomware dudes or russian presidents.

If the chief prosecutor of the ICC can be arbitrarily put on the SDN, everyone can.

adingbatponder May 16

@danslerush Sad misuse of power. Now they are forced to use other tools. Might be a long-term benefit. I wish they would do that to my employer. We normally only stop using #windoze when forced. In any case it shows that anyone and everyone needs to have redundant #resilient #IT systems to prevent bullying and data loss.
What would happen if #apple suddenly shut its #icloud ?
Need by law to know where in the computer our raw data is & by law to be able to back it up using 3rd party systems.

Abram Kedge 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇨🇦May 16

@adingbatponder

> Need by law to know where in the computer our raw data is

This is my biggest issue with Apple when I try to help Mrs Kedge with her Mac. It is infernally frustrating to have to go through the official app for a given file type to achieve anything, and for the files to be completely hidden away.

It didn't used to be this way. I switched to Linux in 2008, but used a Mac for four years before that, liked it a lot.

adingbatponder May 16

@AbramKedge @danslerush My son used #freeform for his school notes and to back up his work in a fail-safe manner has to manually export the pages as pdf sheet by sheer and we have no idea if time machine is backing up the work at all. A total and utter nightmarish disgrace: one cannot know if a backup works because one cannot SEE the raw data in the backup copy. Makes me potty. Apple is a scourge that is impossible to comprehend if you know what a file & directory is. Rant
Rant
Rant
sorry

Abram Kedge 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇨🇦May 16

@adingbatponder @danslerush Totally justified rant. Apple Knows Best™. Allegedly.

@adingbatponder @AbramKedge @danslerush You can see the files in an Apple backup. The command is called "show package content".

Raimund Eder May 16

@danslerush @eingfoan

Queen 1066 May 16

@danslerush I’m in the process of getting rid of Microsoft in my life….so …there you go.

llanciawn May 16

@danslerush If there were any doubt that The United States had become rogue fascist state, it is now gone.

FediThing 🏳️‍🌈May 16

@danslerush FOSS and self-hosting are becoming more crucial every day. They aren't tech nerd things, they are a question of human rights and freedom of nations.

Susan Ville May 16

@danslerush My comment: https://mastodon.social/@villebooks/114516826807022610

Ignacio (he) 🇪🇸🇺🇦🇪🇺May 16

@danslerush My organization uses #Microsoft services because some contracts or deals made between the big tech and the Spanish government. Open source software has a very marginal presence, and #Linux is nowhere to be seen.

Januschka Abroad May 16

Bad choice of tools. There were signs on the wall. Which precautions were taken?

And yes, shame om MS.

Sweet Home Alaberta 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ 🇲🇽May 16

@danslerush
FU to MS.

PypeBros May 16

@danslerush I hope they were smart enough not to have critical files in non-owned cloud ! ...

Ruud Steltenpool May 16

@danslerush Not only predictable, but predicted. Wasn't there an explicit threat even?

tessarakt May 16

@steltenpower @danslerush Three months ago. They could have easily migrated in that time.

Anarchic Teapot ⚧️May 16

@danslerush *points silently to bank accounts frozen in collaborationist UK*

Toni Aittoniemi May 16

@danslerush An organisation set up the US, no less!

The very unholy #Connection between #BigTech and the #fascist #Trump-#Administration. They will endanger their own #Business-#Model with these #Actions, because #People are neither #blind, nor #dumb.

VessOnSecurity May 16

@danslerush Out of what? As you yourself said, the ICC has no presence in the USA.

While disgusting, the whole story was entirely predictable:

The ICC issues arrest warrants for a key US ally => The US sanctions the ICC => US companies (Microsoft) are forced to stop serving the ICC, just like they can't serve any other sanctioned entity. More interestingly, UK companies (banks) have done the same - although unlike Microsoft, they had no legal obligation to do it.

Mastodon's Billionaire Owner May 16

@danslerush --> Linux and Libreoffice! Bugger using that MS fascist crap.

Baron Vonskinnback May 16

@danslerush time for the rest of the world to take this as an act of digital imperialism from a fascist authoritarian regime. I think it's time most governments around the world de-leverage from any Microsoft products and going forward only implement their own open source products that will allow them a degree of control over their own infrastructure, data and security. Turns out America owns the means of global communication and intends to weaponize it & turn it off whenever it chooses to do so

Annius Hoornstra May 16

@danslerush The mission of Microsoft is We empower the world. NOT

Bruno BEAUFILS May 16

Even if I agree with the danger and seriousness of that move as well as with your advice, your sentence "#Microsoft has blocked the International Criminal Court's access (#ICC) to its services on the orders of the #Trump mafia." is misleading.

The article did not state that they block #ICC to its services but that they block the personal email of their chief prosecutor.

Let us not use the same lies or approximations as those fascists.

#Fascism #Autocraty #Criminal #BigTech

Bruno BEAUFILS May 16

From the article point of view the rest of, and main, trouble of #ICC running their services is mostly due to #Trump mafia threats on people working for #ICC

In that aspect #Microsoft is no more guilty than all americans people who voted for this new #Fascist party and its leader.

#Fascism #Autocraty #BigTech #Criminal

tessarakt May 16

@danslerush It's incredibly stupid and unprofessional that an international organisation would source such services from anywhere else than its member states who have granted it the appropriate privileges and immunities.

John Caveney woke is me🛠️May 16

@danslerush Hitler was dangerous, but didn’t have this kind of access to the world.

SpaceLifeForm May 16

Petty bullshit by trump and cowardness by ms.

The lesson to learn is to never get dependent on ms in the first place.

Frank Heijkamp May 16

@danslerush If this is not a wakeup call I don't know what is. What else do we let happen before we move away from all American tech platforms?

Anthony David May 16

@danslerush
Reason No. 285 never to use MS products.

Rui Seabra May 17

@danslerush
The USA never subscribed to the ICC. You only found that out today?

@danslerush #microsoft deals even with the devil if it’s profitable So working on behalf of fascists is no problem for them. If it was 1943 they would help the nazis running the gaschambers.

Fae Empress Jun 23

@danslerush That makes complete sense honestly. Why would a non US organization have any rights to use a US company's services?