Reddit removes the ability to opt out of ad personalization based on Reddit activity but says users will still have opt-out controls in "select countries" (Ivan Mehta/TechCrunch)

https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/28/reddit-is-removing-ability-to-opt-out-of-ad-personalization-based-on-your-activity-on-the-platform/
http://www.techmeme.com/230928/p15#a230928p15

Do read this new investigatory piece on the web of money, AI companies, and shadowy “foundations” bankrolling the EU anti-encryption proposals. TL;DR this is the terrifying thing you get when you combine law enforcement, money and AI. https://balkaninsight.com/2023/09/25/who-benefits-inside-the-eus-fight-over-scanning-for-child-sex-content/

In the spirit of "this talk could've been a tweet", I just pushed a button:

#BinDiff is now open source.

- This is a snapshot release, no major new functionality
- Release binaries will follow later today or tomorrow
- This is my 20% and I won't we able to act on PRs until end of Q4 (OOO traveling)

Thanks everyone for making this possible!

Shout out to @HalvarFlake, ObfuscaTHOR, Nils, Tora,
@shanehuntley, @erocarrera, 0xfffffffe

Happy diffing!

https://github.com/google/bindiff/releases/tag/v8

unity’s own explanation for deleting the ToS off their own website is… it wasn’t generating enough engagement

https://twitter.com/unity/status/1705317639478751611

PSA: Google has now begun to roll-out the Ad Topics "feature" onto Android itself. It's not just in Chrome you have to disable the settings. Please #Boost to spread awareness.

If you didn't get the pop-up screen on your Android device (it looks like the first two screenshots), to opt-out of these settings:

1. Go to your device Settings
2. Press "Google"
3. Press "Ads"
   • While you're here, press the "Delete Advertising ID" button and delete it
4. Press "Ad Privacy"
5. Review: "Ad Topics", "App-suggested ads", and "App Measurement". Make sure all are labelled as "OFF". (This page will look like the third screenshot)

If you don't see "Ad Privacy" in Step 4 then it means that it hasn't been rolled out to you yet. You might need to wait and check back in a couple of days to see if/when it has been implemented to disable these settings.

EDIT: There's another setting to review. In step 2, scroll to "Personalize using shared data". Turn everything off.

Pt. 2 in Replies

#Android #Google #Privacy #AdTopics

#RightToRepair has no cannier, more dedicated adversary than #apple whose most innovative work is dreaming up new ways to sneakily sabotage repair while claiming to be a caring environmental steward, a lie that covers up the mountains of #ewaste that Apple dooms our descendants to wade through.

--

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/22/vin-locking/#thought-differently

1/

Can we just not process weird file formats people receive by iMessage/text?

I created a game where you are a computer's operating system and you have to manage processes, memory and I/O events. The goal is to survive as long as possible without the user rebooting you because your processes are idling for too long. Probably the nerdiest thing I've ever done!

Anyway, you can play the game here: https://plbrault.itch.io/youre-the-os/

Ever heard of Kati Kariko?

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/08/health/coronavirus-mrna-kariko.html

🤣

Funny-not-funny that the author of Musk's hagiography issues a correction (on the deadbird site, of course) for what Musk told him during the reporting for the book.

Also a reminder that the author withheld a huge story from the public for more than a year in order to have a scoop in his book.

Remembering Dennis Ritchie, born this day 1941. I had the great privilege of working with Dennis during my summer at Bell Labs. This is his "What am I doing in a suit?" photo. #UNIX #BellLabs

We need an EU regulation to mandate that all internet-connected devices must have a mechanism to disable internet access entirely and remain functional indefinitely, at whatever capacity is technically possible.

Want to have an app to control your dumb gadget? That fucker can use bluetooth, there is no legitimate reason to require an account on the vendor's website, which they can block at any time, harvest data from at any time, get hacked, and also make your lightbulbs unable to turn off if us-east-1 is down.

I want an apology from all the mansplainers that mocked my belief that privatizing NASA and relying this heavily on SpaceX would undermine the national security policy of the United States.

https://t.co/WoMI4XEPhE

did you know that 100 years ago there were *electromechanical* radio transmitters?

these things are so crazy, you just have to read this

Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft

These are the first 6 companies designated as ‘gatekeepers' under the Digital Markets Act.

They have 6 months to ensure their core platform services comply with our rules, including:

✔ Allowing users to unsubscribe and remove pre-installed services
✔ Allowing the download of alternative app stores

❌ Banning tracking outside of their services without consent
❌ Stopping ranking their products more favourably

➡ https://europa.eu/!NbfBbn

#DMA

Techbros: self driving cars are inevitable!

Also techbros: prove you are human by performing a task that computers can’t do, like identifying traffic lights.

#software #unexplained