For many people, the #Linux vs #Windows vs #Mac debate is a privilege — it assumes you can choose. But working with the Computer Upcycle Project, I've seen the real choice is often Linux vs no computer at all.

~95% of donated computers are "too old" for Windows 11 or macOS. Linux installs on them anyway, adding 10+ years of life to machines #Microsoft and #Apple called trash.

This isn't Linux vs Windows. It's Linux vs e-waste.

It feels like Proton are being intentionally misleading in their statements. They know that most of their customers aren't familiar with how legal process actually works, so are happy to spread half-truths.

Under US law, a US law enforcement agency (LEA) typically has to apply for a subpoena or search warrant with a US court. The court is then responsible for deciding if the legal bar for search a request has been met, then either grants or denies it.

The problem is, if a company has no real US footprint (no US corporate entity, offices, servers, etc.), then a US court typically doesn't have the jurisdiction to compel the company to hand over customer data (except in some rare circumstances). Even if the court approved the warrant anyway, it wouldn't really be legally binding.

Which is why the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) exists. MLAT enables law enforcement agencies in one company to send requests for information to law enforcement agencies in another. Switzerland has such a treaty with the US. This means that the FBI can request that Swiss authorities hand over a Swiss company's data on their behalf.

Any country requesting information held by a company in a foreign jurisdiction would typically do so via MLAT. Which means from Proton's perspective, the legal request would appear to originate from their local law enforcement, not the FBI. Which they clearly understand based on their Reddit post.

Saying "we don't respond to legal requests from anywhere other than Swiss authorities" seems very intentionally worded to give the impression that the company does not cooperate with foreign law enforcement. But since it'd be the Swiss authorities handling any such requests, they'd have to comply, since as they admitted, they have to comply with local laws.

There is, however, some useful (but more nuanced) information here:

Firstly, MLAT requests are handled by local law enforcement according to local law. So if there is a difference between the law of the sending and recipient country, that might mean the MLAT request is denied. That probably doesn't mean much, because if you're on the FBI's radar, the chances are you did something that is also massively illegal in Switzerland too.

Secondly, they are 100% correct in saying that no other service provider is going to do any better. They're all beholden to local laws, and the ones that think they're not tend to get their doors blown off by SWAT like CyberBunker did. The only exception is if the company resides in a country which does not cooperate with US law enforcement (which Proton does not).

But the part that's extremely disingenuous is that the "we only respond to requests from the Swiss authorities". That statement is likely intended to imply they don't cooperate with law enforcement in any other countries, which is simply not true. Switzerland has MLAT agreements with over 30 counties.

People really need to understand that no company is going to shield you from the FBI (or any reputable law enforcement agency). They'll use misleading statements to make it sounds like they don't cooperate with law enforcement, but they do. They have to.

Alright. Here's another #tetra teardown!

Bit of a mystery model this time. I can tell you it's made by Greek company OTE. OTE's TETRA stuff has since been merged into/sold to Selex. Unsure where this device would have been used. Internals indicate it's 380-400MHz band so possibly public safety? I found some discussion on forums of handsets that look like these being used by Gas/Oil firm Gazprom but nothing really definitive.

Either way, this terminal dates around 1999-2001, making it a pretty early TETRA MS. The various COLLAUDO (Italian - test/inspection/trial) labels kinda indicate this was already in the Selex era.

Not a hope in heck for cables or software for this one, so it's a purely ornamental addition to the collection I'm afraid!

On arrival it also showed signs of battery leakage... gloves on for this one 

#hamradio

So this is a good reminder : what ever you got on Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta & co is not your property. It is theirs.

And they can remove the whole of it in the flash of an eye for whatever reason appears to occur ⬇️

20 Years of Digital Life, Gone in an Instant, thanks to Apple

https://hey.paris/posts/appleid/

ACARS Message From: N310FR / F94345

Message: HELLO... ANYBODY THERE..

Track Aircraft

Area: Los Angeles, CA, USA

#acars #vdlm2 #N310FR #F94345