0x815

joined 6 months ago
 

Here is the report (pdf).

A joint report published by five rights group from Germany urges the European Union to ban advertising.

The EU has established important cornerstones to protect online users in the shape of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). At the same time, the reactions of large corporations to this legislation show that a paradigm shift in the online advertising market is still needed, as the advertising industry is persistently undermining efforts to prevent manipulative practices, the rights group Germanwatch writes on its website.

Alternative (e.g. contextual) advertising models create opportunities for reaching people beyond the omnipresent tracking and targeting, and thereby protecting them in data processing operations. To bolster alternative advertising models, the new European Commission should take digital fairness seriously and push for a ban on personalised advertising.

 

A Hong Kong court harshly sentenced 45 prominent pro-democracy figures on November 19, 2024, on baseless national security charges that underscored Hong Kong’s abysmal human rights situation, Human Rights Watch said today. The Hong Kong government should quash the convictions and immediately release all of those convicted.

Three judges handpicked by Hong Kong’s chief executive sentenced 37 men and 8 women to prison terms ranging from 4 years and 2 months to 10 years. The defendants were earlier convicted of “conspiracy to commit subversion” under article 22 of the National Security Law for helping to organize or run as candidates in an informal primary election in 2020 aimed at winning seats in the then-semi-democratic Legislative Council.

“It’s now a crime carrying up to 10 years in prison to try and run in and win an election in Hong Kong,” said Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch. “The cruel sentences for dozens of prominent democracy activists show just how fast Hong Kong’s civil liberties and the rule of law have nosedived in the four years since the Chinese government imposed the draconian National Security Law on the city.”

[Edit typo.]

 

The Danish military said on Wednesday that it was staying close to a Chinese ship currently sitting idle in Danish waters, days after two fibre-optic data telecommunication cables in the Baltic Sea were severed.

Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 was anchored in the Kattegat strait between Denmark and Sweden on Wednesday, with a Danish navy patrol ship at anchor nearby, MarineTraffic vessel tracking data showed.

"The Danish Defence can confirm that we are present in the area near the Chinese ship Yi Peng 3," the military said in a post on social media X, adding it had no further comments.

It is quite rare for Denmark's military to comment publicly on individual vessels travelling in Danish waters. It did not mention the cable breaches or say why it was staying with the ship.

The Chinese ship left the Russian port of Ust-Luga on Nov. 15 and was in the areas where the cable damages occurred, according to traffic data, which showed other ships to have been in the areas too.

One cable running between Sweden and Lithuania was cut on Sunday and another one between Finland and Germany was severed less than 24 hours later on Monday.

The breaches happened in Sweden's exclusive economic zone and Swedish prosecutors started a preliminary investigation on Tuesday on suspicion of possible sabotage.

Swedish Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said on Tuesday that the country's armed forces and coastguard had picked up ship movements that corresponded with the interruption of two telecoms cables in the Baltic Sea.

[...]

 

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4928706

Archived link

While developed countries have used the majority of this budget, the analysis shows that China’s historical emissions reached 312GtCO2 in 2023, overtaking the EU’s 303GtCO2.

China is still far behind the 532GtCO2 emitted by the US, however, according to the analysis.

The findings by Carbonbrief come amid fraught negotiations at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, where negotiators have been invoking the “principle of historical responsibility” in their discussions over who should pay money towards a new goal for climate finance – and how much.

[...]

Historical CO2 emissions matter for climate change, because there is a finite “carbon budget” that can be released into the atmosphere before a given level of global warming is breached.

For example, in order to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, only around 2,800GtCO2 can be added to the atmosphere, counting all emissions since the pre-industrial period. (This is according to a 2023 study updating figures from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.)

Cumulative emissions since 1850 will reach 2,607CO2 by the end of 2024, according to Carbon Brief’s new analysis, meaning that some 94% of the 1.5C budget will have been used up.

[...]

 

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4928706

Archived link

While developed countries have used the majority of this budget, the analysis shows that China’s historical emissions reached 312GtCO2 in 2023, overtaking the EU’s 303GtCO2.

China is still far behind the 532GtCO2 emitted by the US, however, according to the analysis.

The findings by Carbonbrief come amid fraught negotiations at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, where negotiators have been invoking the “principle of historical responsibility” in their discussions over who should pay money towards a new goal for climate finance – and how much.

[...]

Historical CO2 emissions matter for climate change, because there is a finite “carbon budget” that can be released into the atmosphere before a given level of global warming is breached.

For example, in order to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, only around 2,800GtCO2 can be added to the atmosphere, counting all emissions since the pre-industrial period. (This is according to a 2023 study updating figures from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.)

Cumulative emissions since 1850 will reach 2,607CO2 by the end of 2024, according to Carbon Brief’s new analysis, meaning that some 94% of the 1.5C budget will have been used up.

[...]

 

Archived link

While developed countries have used the majority of this budget, the analysis shows that China’s historical emissions reached 312GtCO2 in 2023, overtaking the EU’s 303GtCO2.

China is still far behind the 532GtCO2 emitted by the US, however, according to the analysis.

The findings by Carbonbrief come amid fraught negotiations at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, where negotiators have been invoking the “principle of historical responsibility” in their discussions over who should pay money towards a new goal for climate finance – and how much.

[...]

Historical CO2 emissions matter for climate change, because there is a finite “carbon budget” that can be released into the atmosphere before a given level of global warming is breached.

For example, in order to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, only around 2,800GtCO2 can be added to the atmosphere, counting all emissions since the pre-industrial period. (This is according to a 2023 study updating figures from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.)

Cumulative emissions since 1850 will reach 2,607CO2 by the end of 2024, according to Carbon Brief’s new analysis, meaning that some 94% of the 1.5C budget will have been used up.

[...]

 

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4918199

Archived link

Swedish authorities say they have detected a Chinese ship moving near two telecoms cables that failed within hours of each other on the Baltic Sea bed in recent days.

Prosecutors in Stockholm have launched a preliminary investigation into suspected sabotage, hours after Germany dubbed the cable failure part of a “hybrid operation”.

On Sunday morning at about 10am, Swedish authorities registered problems with a data cable under the Baltic Sea from the Öland island to Lithuania. At 4am on Monday, telecoms operators in Finland and Germany reported problems with another cable called C-Lion-1.

Both cables were damaged in the Swedish economic zone, prompting prosecutors in Stockholm to take the investigation lead.

 

Archived link

Despite Beijing’s efforts to dismiss the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) expert findings, the UN’s Xinjiang report remains a central reference point in discussions on China’s rights record at the UN. Released in August 2022, the report found that Beijing may have committed, and may continue to commit, international crimes, including crimes against humanity.

During the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council held in September 2024, ten countries composing the ‘Xinjiang Core Group’ – initially formed in September 2022 to table a vital motion on the Xinjiang report – spoke jointly to regret that China has continued to reject the OHCHR’s impartial findings and failed to engage meaningfully with the United Nations.

The joint statement urged China to release all people arbitrarily detained in the Uyghur region, clarify the status of missing persons, facilitate safe contact and reunion, and uphold its international obligations.

More than a dozen countries – including the Netherlands, Lithuania, Finland, and Japan – also spoke individually to call on China to implement the recommendations outlined in the OHCHR report on Xinjiang. Several countries also addressed the erosion of freedoms and human rights abuses in Tibet and Hong Kong, with particular emphasis on restrictions on civic space, arbitrary detentions, and the suppression of independent media.

To date, the OHCHR report has been referenced over 150 times at the Human Rights Council sessions, with repeated calls for China to take actions.

[...]

 

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4917821

The Czech secret service has blamed Russia for a series of bomb threats against schools in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, placing more pressure on already strained ties between Prague and Moscow.

Hundreds of Czech and Slovak schools were forced to close for several days in early September due to unprecedented bomb threats via email, according to local media. Nothing came of the threats and no evidence of explosives was found near the schools.

The head of the Czech Republic's secret service, Michal Koudelka, warned the country's parliament on Monday about cyber attacks against Czech entities.

"For example, the threatening emails in September about the placement of explosives targeting a number of schools in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, behind which there is also a clearly visible Russian trace," Koudelka said.

"We are witnessing a kind of globalisation of evil, where the countries of the axis of evil — Russia, China, Iran and North Korea — support, complement and help each other achieve their goals. We are therefore witnessing a phenomenon that is very serious and dangerous," he added. Related

 

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4918199

Archived link

Swedish authorities say they have detected a Chinese ship moving near two telecoms cables that failed within hours of each other on the Baltic Sea bed in recent days.

Prosecutors in Stockholm have launched a preliminary investigation into suspected sabotage, hours after Germany dubbed the cable failure part of a “hybrid operation”.

On Sunday morning at about 10am, Swedish authorities registered problems with a data cable under the Baltic Sea from the Öland island to Lithuania. At 4am on Monday, telecoms operators in Finland and Germany reported problems with another cable called C-Lion-1.

Both cables were damaged in the Swedish economic zone, prompting prosecutors in Stockholm to take the investigation lead.

 

Archived link

  • CEOs of European technology companies told CNBC at the Web Summit technology conference this week that the continent should adopt a “Europe-first” approach to tech, after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.
  • Andy Yen, CEO of VPN maker Proton, said Europe should “step up” and “be aggressive” to counter U.S. Big Tech firms’ tight grip on many important technologies, such as web browsing, cloud computing, smartphones — and now artificial intelligence.
  • Thomas Plantenga, CEO of Lithuania-based used clothing app Vinted, urged Europe to take the “right choices” to ensure it doesn’t get “left behind.”
 

Archived link

Swedish authorities say they have detected a Chinese ship moving near two telecoms cables that failed within hours of each other on the Baltic Sea bed in recent days.

Prosecutors in Stockholm have launched a preliminary investigation into suspected sabotage, hours after Germany dubbed the cable failure part of a “hybrid operation”.

On Sunday morning at about 10am, Swedish authorities registered problems with a data cable under the Baltic Sea from the Öland island to Lithuania. At 4am on Monday, telecoms operators in Finland and Germany reported problems with another cable called C-Lion-1.

Both cables were damaged in the Swedish economic zone, prompting prosecutors in Stockholm to take the investigation lead.

[–] 0x815 0 points 1 month ago

No stress. I guess things like that can't be posted often enough as more people (hopefully) sign the petition :-)

[–] 0x815 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I guess the agenda of X, WeChat and Douyin, as well as of the of Chinese Communist Party that usually censors everything which is remotely critical of the Chinese government, is obvious.

[–] 0x815 0 points 1 month ago
[–] 0x815 3 points 1 month ago

Yeah, it's not easy. But is there another option?

The German state of Schleswig-Holstein is doing the same. Here is also a good podcast by Nextcloud (one of the state's partners) if interested.

Open source and Nextcloud in government: Insights from Sven Thomsen, Schleswig-Holstein’s CIO -- (podcast, 55 min)

They also discuss Munich in the podcast.

It is certainly a long way, Schleswig-Holstein says it's a "10-year journey into open source", but there is no alternative imho.

[–] 0x815 5 points 1 month ago (4 children)

There is a thread on this already: https://feddit.org/post/4415864

[–] 0x815 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Yeah, I didn't want to change the original title, but it is right. In the EU the public debt remains quite stable.

[–] 0x815 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

A related article on what is known regarding Russian sabotage activities in Europe:

How and why Russia is conducting sabotage and hybrid-war offensive -- (Archived link)

Across Europe, we’re seeing more confirmed or suspected instances of Russian sabotage. It is part of a broader hybrid war campaign against NATO countries, aimed at eroding support for Ukraine and damaging Western cohesion [...]

Russia has conducted arson attacks in Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia and Czechia. Other reported sabotage attempts include flying drones over Stockholm airport, jamming of Baltic countries’ civil aviation GPS systems and disruption of French railways on the first day of the Paris Olympics. Facilities linked to supplying Ukraine have also been targeted: a BAE Systems munitions facility in Wales, an air-defence company’s factory in Berlin and a Ukrainian-owned logistics firm in London.

Authorities have arrested suspects for plots to bomb or sabotage a military base in Bavaria and a French facility supporting Ukraine’s war efforts. Agencies disrupted a plot to assassinate the CEO of German arms maker Rheinmetall, a supplier of artillery shells to Ukraine. Latvian authorities tracked down saboteurs dispatched to several countries on paid missions. Norway’s domestic intelligence service warns of the threat of sabotage to train lines and to gas facilities supplying much of Europe.

[...]

The West is running out of non-military options for response, since it is already imposing extensive economic and diplomatic sanctions against Moscow and has limited capacity or opportunity to retaliate in kind inside Russia. Still, a more strenuous response by Western governments is needed.

[Edit typo.]

[–] 0x815 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I understand. You are right and everyone else is wrong. Classic.

[–] 0x815 1 points 1 month ago (3 children)

https://feddit.org/u/Deceptichum@quokk.au

I know exactly how the terms are, and I know there is overlap in the exploitation game.

This is apparently not the case. The 'exploitation game' is not unique to any of form of capitalism (there are many) as there has been exploitation of large groups of people also in the pre-industrial feudal system, just to name an example.

Unfortunately, we see similar over-simplified narratives all over the web spaces, also on the Fediverse. This is not a grave issue in itself, we all can be mistaken, but very often these narratives are communicated in a very dogmatic and offensive way. This is unnecessary and not very smart, especially as you are wrong here.

[–] 0x815 2 points 1 month ago

You could short individual stocks.

[–] 0x815 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I can't elaborate on the Dutch, but I feel that your prediction that they won't hire native speakers/chartered translators will hold true not only for the Netherlands. I used to work for international publishing houses in various roles and guess I have some idea of this industry, and I think they won't hire experts just for saving money (not because they overestimate their language proficiency). They won't care about quality as long as the financials are fine, even if such a commercial success has a short life.

The only exceptions I see at the moment are some small media organizations and/or grassroots media. But large publishing houses will use AI to further drive down costs, no matter what.

A user in another thread on this topic has guessed that there will be a 'parallel economy' (their word) dedicated to human-made goods, while the rest is AI generated. Maybe that's the future?

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