#cyber security vs it

[just-another-starfish]

Not me poking a buffer overflow lab while watching Chat have a breakdown. Good to see I'm not alone returning things back to memory (but wrong)

[code-of-conflict]

The Intersection of AI and Geopolitics: India-China Relations

Introduction: The Intersection of AI and Geopolitics

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the global landscape, especially in the realm of geopolitics. By transforming the way nations project power and compete, AI is ushering in new strategies in international conflict. The integration of AI into military, economic, and governance sectors has opened up new fronts, with the ability to conduct cyber warfare, enhance surveillance, and revolutionize decision-making processes. In this evolving geopolitical theatre, AI stands as a critical component in determining global dominance, reshaping not only international power dynamics but also introducing ethical challenges.

In the context of India-China relations, AI plays a pivotal role. Both nations are racing to harness AI's transformative potential, yet their strategies are distinct. While China focuses on AI as a tool for global supremacy and internal control, India aims to leverage AI for inclusive growth, addressing societal challenges and fostering innovation. The friction between the two reflects broader geopolitical concerns, where technology, data, and governance models shape the future of conflict and cooperation between these Asian giants.

How AI is Changing the Rules of International Conflict

The integration of AI into warfare has expanded the concept of conflict beyond physical battles. Nations now contend in cyberspace, utilizing AI for espionage, cybersecurity, and information warfare. AI can process vast amounts of data to identify vulnerabilities, predict attacks, and even automate military responses. China's AI ambitions, as seen through its "New Generation of Artificial Intelligence Development Plan" (2017), highlight its strategic objectives to lead in AI technology by 2030, leveraging AI for military and industrial dominance​. This push underscores how AI is central to China's broader geopolitical goals.

India, on the other hand, focuses more on the societal applications of AI, aiming to solve problems in healthcare, agriculture, and education while also addressing security concerns. India’s AI strategy is grounded in fostering inclusive growth, underpinned by the #AIForAll vision, which emphasizes AI as a tool for economic and social development rather than solely a means of global dominance. Despite differing approaches, both nations recognize AI's transformative impact on national security and the need to protect data, control information, and outpace rivals in technological innovation.

Overview of the India-China Geopolitical Landscape

The geopolitical rivalry between India and China is shaped by historical tensions, territorial disputes, and their contrasting visions for global leadership. China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea, its Belt and Road Initiative, and the boundary disputes with India have heightened tensions in recent years. At the same time, both nations are key players in the global AI race, seeking to bolster their technological capabilities.

China’s AI strategy is a direct reflection of its ambitions to establish technological supremacy. The country has invested billions in AI research, development, and infrastructure, and aims to integrate AI into both civilian and military sectors. China’s AI-enabled surveillance state has raised concerns globally, particularly its mass surveillance programs targeting ethnic minorities like the Uighurs, demonstrating how AI can be employed for authoritarian control​.

India, while lagging behind China in terms of AI investments, is steadily advancing its AI capabilities. India's approach to AI is more aligned with democratic values, with a focus on responsible AI development that respects privacy and data security. This reflects India’s broader geopolitical stance, positioning itself as a global leader in ethical AI and as a counterbalance to China’s more authoritarian approach.

Conclusion

The intersection of AI and geopolitics is creating a new paradigm of international relations, where technological supremacy may determine future global leaders. India and China, as key players in this race, present starkly different approaches to AI governance, security, and ethics. While China seeks dominance through AI-driven surveillance and military applications, India’s focus on inclusive growth and responsible AI positions it as a democratic alternative in the global AI landscape. However, as AI continues to shape the rules of conflict and cooperation, the India-China dynamic will remain a critical focal point for understanding the future of global power.

[computerhackers]

Cyber Security Salary in India vs US: Which IS Better?

[alertachiapas]

¡Cuidado! No caigas en esta nueva modalidad de fraude

El "Smishing" imita un SMS del banco y te solicita información para solucionar algún tipo de problema.

El “Smishing” imita un SMS del banco y te solicita información para solucionar algún tipo de problema. Tuxtla Gutiérrez.- Se han registrado nuevos casos de fraude mediante mensajes de texto, también conocidos como SMS, enviados “supuestamente” por entidades financieras que informan de retiro de dinero de cuentas bancarias o compras, solicitando al usuario responder el mensaje para detener la…

[ratwithhands]

1 - Diantha security detail comic

2 + 3 - Emmet's UDF uniform vs Kalosian Guard uniform

4 - Lore/Background comic

Hooo boy ok so this idea has been simmering on the backburner for a while now. So Legends Z-A had its trailer released a few days back and I figured I'd make something around it. I know logically it's going to be a game set in the past but I found myself wanting to work on something more futuristic/sci-fi which is why we have our little Cyber Emmet here.

There's a lot of different things to mention so I'm just gonna break them down by the images.

1:

Diantha is attending a conference/ceremony where she will be discussing the plans for the urbanization of Kalos with the assistance of neighbouring tech giant and long time trade partner Unova. As a sign of goodwill, the Unovan Defense Force sent several people to either work as security or to help organize and prepare the ceremony. Among the list of people is Emmet, who was recently "working with" the UDF, and who is going to serve as Diantha's bodyguard for the event

Emmet's uniform was made by a mix of Unovan and Kalosian designers. It's meant to mimic the shapes while still keeping aspects of his Unovan uniform (mainly the collar, cuffs, and silver trim). He is carrying a handgun from his UDF uniform, however due to the public nature of the event, he is using his charge pistol instead of his wired pistol. He's also using a different face shield, using a silver one as opposed to his black one, since it better matches the uniform he's wearing for the event

Diantha's fur coat still has the angel wing shape. This isn't lore relevant I just couldn't fit the full thing onto the panel but it's definitely there

2 + 3:

Emmet uses a wired pistol (left side holster) and a charge pistol (right side holster). Both are standard issue firearms used by the UDF, however charge pistols are more common thanks to them being easy to hold and carry. A wired pistol connects to a battery pack of some kind to fire at a greater speed, whereas a charge pistol will generate its own power but take longer to fire and load. Emmet's wired pistol connects to the battery network that powers his body, allowing him to take advantage of his fast reflexes by using his faster weapon

Emmet doesn't get anything to wear for his Unovan uniform! Part of the contract he signed for his cybernetics states that he can't cover the prostheses unless it could lead to a breach in confidentiality (such as going to a foreign region or appearing in public outside of work reasons) since he's meant to effectively advertise the quality and construction of the body built for him. Of course he refuses to go outside completely naked to fight so the UDF got him a cropped version of his coat and shoes so he can have some more cover

The face shield is meant more for form than function. Technically the only purpose they serve is to cover his face when he's out on patrol, though it can also act as a screen to show him information about what he's seeing (kind of like an AR headset). He could technically get the screen function though cornea implants but he's not doing that + he wants the anonymity provided by the shield

Sections of the body can split open or be removed. The front abdominal panel can do both due to the different processing mechanisms inside needing easy access for repair/maintenance. Limbs can be swapped for different prostheses provided they have a compatible socket

The sockets in Emmet's back can be used to power other weapons/devices if he has a compatible cable. Emmet was given a bag of different attachments and cables to hook into his back so he can power a range of things from phones to laser rifles

He has removable skin. Any shot of him with the black body is the body without skin. In situations where he could possibly have skin showing or he is required to wear something that shows more skin, he'll have material rolled over the sections of his body that will be visible so they look more normal

4:

Emmet got run over by a train ♥ long story short is that he went to rescue a passenger who had fallen off the platform and miscalculated how much time he had before the train pulled in. Once he got stabilized in the hospital afterwards, he only has around 30% of his original body intact, along with some sections they were able to somewhat repair but required new hardware being installed in order to return their function. Anything under the waist and a large portion of his arms were crushed beyond repair and as such, he's been connected to different machine to mimic the functions of his organs

The UDF (in a rather scummy play) contacted Emmet for business, asking him to sign a contract that would ensure he would live by letting them test their confidential new tech on him. He is the only ethical candidate they have for testing such prostheses so to get him to agree, they offer to cover the cost of everything relating to his health and work, as well as paying him a salary for the trouble. Since the only other options are "die slowly" or "lose all self sufficiency and go bankrupt living in hospital", he agrees, and so begins his second job as a living experiment and tool for the UDF

I think that's the most I've written for one post yikes. This isn't even everything but I'll cut it here because my hands are not pleased with me typing.

I still have a lot to think about for this concept, mostly what kind of work Emmet will do while overseas in Kalos and whether something dangerous enough will happen to warrant him using his body for what it was made for. That might be funny, only two settings and they're "I love macarons :)" and bloodshed.

Anyways hope you guys enjoyed this dump, feel free to ask on anything (it helps me write too ^^). See you later and have a nice day!

[mariacallous]

The winner of the 2024 US presidential election will confront complicated questions about whether the government is doing enough to protect the country from cyber threats. But one leading conservative group is sidestepping those questions and pushing to shrink the government’s main cyber agency, calling it a bastion of far-left tyranny.

Project 2025, a widely circulated playbook from the influential right-leaning Heritage Foundation, takes aim at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on several fronts, especially its efforts to reduce dangerous online misinformation. If former president Donald Trump wins the election and appoints officials who follow the playbook’s recommendations for CISA, the five-year-old agency could face an unprecedented crisis.

Trump has disavowed Project 2025—a 900-page document full of controversial proposals—but its authors have close ties to his former administration and his campaign, and many of its recommendations align with Trump’s agenda. If he wins a second term, Trump is likely to embrace Project 2025’s combative approach to CISA, whose director he fired for debunking his lies about the 2020 election. That makes the 2024 election an existential moment for CISA.

“If every recommendation in this proposal were accepted, this would significantly weaken CISA as an agency,” says Steve Kelly, a former special assistant to the president and senior director for cybersecurity and emerging technology at the National Security Council.

“It would essentially see CISA cease functioning as a principal element of cybersecurity,” says John Costello, a former chief of staff to the national cyber director at the White House. “It really takes out many of its central functions.”

Missing the Mark on Misinformation

No aspect of CISA’s work has sparked as much GOP ire as its efforts to combat online falsehoods destabilizing American society, and Project 2025’s most substantial recommendation for CISA concerns this work.

“Of the utmost urgency,” the plan says, “is immediately ending CISA’s counter-mis/disinformation efforts.”

During the 2020 election, amid conspiracy theories and hoaxes about Covid-19 and the presidential election, CISA flagged state and local officials’ concerns about online falsehoods to social media companies. This practice, dubbed “switchboarding,” outraged conservatives, who accused CISA of suppressing their speech. House Republicans produced a report on what they called “the weaponization” of the agency, two GOP-led states sued the government (the US Supreme Court dismissed the case), and CISA and its federal partners all but froze their conversations with social media firms.

“CISA has devolved into an unconstitutional censoring and election engineering apparatus of the political Left,” Project 2025 declares. After dismissing Russian interference in the 2016 election as a “dirty trick” by Hillary Clinton’s campaign (despite it being extensively documented, including in a lengthy bipartisan Senate report), Heritage’s policy proposal recommends that the military and the intelligence community take over the responsibility of combating foreign propaganda.

CISA and its defenders maintain that the agency never pressured tech companies to delete posts, but regardless, the agency’s current counterpropaganda operation is a shell of its former self. Talks with tech firms have resumed, but in the election space, the agency is now relying solely on its “Rumor vs. Reality” fact-checking page.

Cybersecurity experts say the government needs to be debunking harmful lies, especially those spread by foreign adversaries.

“There's a role for CISA in mis- and disinformation, but they'd be wise to keep it cabined and narrow,” says Kelly, who is now the chief strategy officer at the nonprofit Institute for Security and Technology.

Costello calls Project 2025’s proposal “deeply problematic.”

The report fails to acknowledge the seriousness of adversaries’ efforts to sow chaos in the US, according to Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a conservative-leaning think tank.

The document “appears blind to the fact that Russia, China, and Iran are weaponizing social media networks to create a false narrative that weakens US national security,” Montgomery says.

Project 2025’s leaders did not respond to inquiries for this story. Ken Cuccinelli, a top Department of Homeland Security official in the Trump administration and the author of the report’s DHS chapter, declined an interview request.

Vague and Contradictory

Most of Project 2025’s proposals for CISA are difficult to decipher and reflect what experts say is a misunderstanding of the agency’s activities.

The plan envisions CISA helping local election officials “assess whether they have good cyber hygiene,” but it warns that “CISA should not be significantly involved closer to an election” and should not engage in any “messaging” work.

“It's unclear to me what a statement like that would mean,” says Kiersten Todt, a former chief of staff to CISA’s director, “because as the elections approach, the need to ensure the safety and security of those elections is even more urgent.”

Indeed, Costello says, the run-up to Election Day is “when misinformation [and] disinformation upticks the highest” and when it’s most important to debunk lies about things like polling places and voting times. “That's when [we’re] most vulnerable. And we saw that in 2016.”

Muzzling CISA during this crucial period, Costello says, “runs the risk of creating a bubble where Russia or China or any other nation-state threat actor could have a safe space for a massive disinformation campaign.”

If Trump wins and adopts this approach, Todt worries that CISA’s locally deployed election security advisers will be pressured not to offer help in a campaign’s closing stage. CISA’s empowerment of its field force is “one of the great achievements and successes of the past few years,” she says.

Project 2025 also vaguely decries what it characterizes as CISA’s overlap with other agencies. The report says CISA “should refrain from duplicating cybersecurity functions done elsewhere at the Department of Defense, FBI, National Security Agency, and US Secret Service,” but no cyber experts consulted by WIRED could figure out what that means.

If the idea is that the military, not CISA, should be defending critical infrastructure operators from hackers, that’s “a fundamental misreading of US law … about who's allowed to do what,” Costello says. “CISA helps facilitate things domestically that DoD can't touch and NSA can't touch.” That includes direct monitoring of intrusion-detection sensors on critical infrastructure networks.

If anything, the military has impinged on CISA’s territory—not the other way around—out of exasperation with the civilian agency’s constrained resources, says Montgomery, a retired Navy rear admiral.

“The Department of Defense would say, ‘We're having to do things that we think CISA should be doing,’” Montgomery says, which has meant “slowly creeping outside the base fence to make sure that electrical power grids, water systems, [and] telecom systems [near bases] are properly protected in case of a crisis.”

Department of Dubious Moves

Of all the CISA proposals in Project 2025’s plan, the most ambitious one is highly unlikely to succeed: moving the agency into the Department of Transportation as part of a broader initiative to dismantle DHS.

The recommendation reflects conservatives’ desire to shrink the overall size of government, but it may also suggest a belief that moving CISA would curtail its scope and make it “a little more manageable,” says Brandon Pugh, director of the cybersecurity and emerging threats team at the center-right think tank R Street Institute. Pugh says some Republicans believe the agency “went beyond its original mandate and [has] become too bloated.”

But this idea is a virtual nonstarter because the congressional committees with oversight of CISA won’t give up their power in a rapidly growing domain. “There's no way that would ever work,” Costello says.

Apart from being infeasible, the proposal would undermine CISA’s effectiveness.

Cybersecurity fits squarely into DHS’s homeland-security portfolio, so moving CISA into a department with a different mission “doesn't make a lot of sense” and “would undermine some of the organizational logic,” Kelly says. “I don't actually understand the rationale of that.”

DHS is also better-suited to facilitate the kind of cross-government collaboration that CISA relies on for its twin missions of protecting federal computer systems and helping companies and local governments defend themselves.

“Giving CISA to Department of Transportation would reduce the cybersecurity of our national critical infrastructure for some period of time,” Montgomery says, adding that Transportation is “one of the last places” he’d put CISA and calling the proposal “nonsensical.”

Still, observers say it might be worth reviewing the structure of DHS, which has steadily accumulated functions since its post-9/11 creation and is now considered something of a Frankenstein department. But that review has to be “well thought out,” Todt says. “Reorganization of government should never be taken lightly.”

Squandering a Moment

Even as Project 2025 appears to misunderstand some aspects of CISA’s mission and focus disproportionately on others, the document also misses opportunities to recommend meaningful reforms.

Congress has spent years waiting for CISA to complete a “force structure assessment” that would better define its mission and the resources and organization needed to accomplish it. But even beyond CISA, there are serious concerns that the government as a whole isn’t coordinating well on cyber issues.

Pugh says it’s worth examining whether the system is working well. “Do we need to take a harder look at who's responsible for different leadership aspects of cyber?”

For now, though, experts agree that Project 2025 misses the mark. The document, Montgomery says, is “full of little tantrums” and “shows a lack of understanding of how federal government works.”

Costello says it’s “embarrassing” to see Project 2025 “call for essentially the hollowing out of CISA,” and he worries that its implementation could create a perilous feedback loop for the agency.

“If you were to reduce the mission scope and importance of CISA,” he says, “morale is going to drop, people are going to want to leave, and Congress is going to be less willing to fund [it].”

[litrpgburrito]

Motoko Kusanagi: A Cybernetic Force to Be Reckoned With

Let’s take a dive into the fascinating world of Motoko Kusanagi, the central character in the iconic anime and manga series, Ghost in the Shell. 🤖🔍

Background

Ghost in the Shell is a futuristic cyberpunk universe set in the mid-21st century (around 2030 AD).

The story revolves around Public Security Section 9, an anti-crime/counter-terrorist unit specializing in cyber-crimes.

Motoko Kusanagi, often referred to as “Major,” is the second-in-command of Section 91.

Abilities and Skills

Superhuman Physical Characteristics:

Major’s cybernetic body grants her enhanced strength, agility, and endurance.

She can perform feats that surpass human limits, making her a formidable combatant.

Thermo-Optical Camouflage:

Major can become invisible using therm-optic camouflage technology.

This ability allows her to blend seamlessly into her surroundings or surprise enemies.

Cyber Mind and Expert Hacker:

Her cyberbrain enables her to interface with networks and mimic various powers:

Telepathy: Communicate mentally with others.

Possession: Control other cybernetic bodies.

Illusion Creation: Manipulate perceptions.

Memory Access: Retrieve information from databases.

Offensive Mind Control: Influence others’ thoughts.

Leadership and Tactical Intelligence:

Major’s experience and strategic acumen make her an effective leader.

She excels at analyzing complex situations and devising optimal solutions.

Strengths

Combat Prowess: Major’s martial arts skills and combat experience make her a force to be feared.

Invisibility: Her therm-optic camouflage provides a tactical advantage.

Cybernetic Adaptability: She can use other bodies or objects as duplicates.

Weaknesses

Humanity vs. Cyberization: Major grapples with her identity as a cyborg—balancing her human consciousness with her cybernetic enhancements.

Vulnerability to Hacking: Despite her hacking abilities, she’s susceptible to skilled hackers.

Existential Questions: Her search for purpose and self-awareness adds depth to her character.

In summary, Motoko Kusanagi embodies the fusion of human and machine, navigating a complex world where technology blurs the lines of identity and power. Whether she’s infiltrating enemy lines or questioning her own existence, Major remains an enduring symbol of cyberpunk resilience. 🌟🤖

[russilton]

i am genuinely so curious about your opinion as to why you think merc likes george as much as williams. not to cause discourse but i would actually love to change my mind if george is going to be there for god knows how long.

my impression has always been that merc likes george, but williams loves george. that he is merc's guy but williams' BABY.

(like ngl they didn't make any effort to stop the cyber bullying during the season on his own team's page, which might be minor but it rubs a lot of people the wrong way)

I think it comes down to less weighing up social post vs social post, which is what people often do, and more remembering that both Williams and Mercs socials function fundamentally differently.

Also you can still like whatever teams you want- this post is not me arguing to not support Williams, I still support Williams, I’m just gonna talk about some ways Merc HAVE supported George, and Williams have been the less idealised version people sometimes remember.

We have for a while seen more jokey silly, vloggy content from Williams socials (at least from 2019 on), while we are still, STILL, teaching Merc to pull the stick out of their ass and stop holding themselves to such an aloof standard from 2020 on- compared to other teams. Merc were winning for a long time, they didn’t need to appeal to people they way they now have to as a team winning less and advertising a new driver.

Meanwhile Williams had NOTHING going on for a long time, they were fighting for 19th/20th, all they could do to sell their team to sponsors was provide content people talked about. Mercedes had the name power of Lewis Hamilton, Williams only had George and Nicky for two years- two junior drivers people didn’t know.

I also just… I personally don’t gauge love based on social content alone, since it’s usually run by 2-3 people who have to put out positive content, it’s designed to make you think they love them as much as they can.

Arguably Williams never HAD to defend George the way people want Merc to, vitriolic fan tweets scaled up massively in the 2021 season and Williams was a back of the field team, plenty of people barely knew George existed. George entered Merc at the most controversial time he could, when Max fans were filling their replies with slurs and Lewis fans demanded to know why the fuck we weren’t fighting for a reclassification at the championship- something we now know why they couldn’t but still hurt. When you watch an entire sport break the rules to fuck you, you start making unreasonable demands to do anything to get back at them and make it hurt less. Merc will never satisfy them, and if anything when Merc DID step up to defend George in Singapore and Qatar- people just got madder at George.

When you look down at the team behaviour as a whole… I would really counter your point about George being Williams baby- because he’s been Merc’s baby for double that time.

George was beloved by engineers, drivers, mechanics and upper staff alike, including Nicki Lauda who notoriously used to go to George’s junior series podiums when they supported F1, took him to a black eye peas concert, and called him the future of Merc. He was coached by Val and particularly Lewis on how to drive, George still mentions Lewis’ coaching as what secured his f2 championship and had him coming back from the summer break reborn. The likes of shov, Bono, James v and Mike Sansoni used to tease George lovingly when he did rookie tests for Merc, invited him to run club and team dinners, George even went to the Merc team bowling nights Lewis organised.

My point is, all of the ways Williams yes, does show public past support for George… Merc were doing that behind the scenes. It may seem like they don’t share stuff from George’s Williams past- they don’t have the licenses to show some of those photos, and given that socials are a brand promotion exercise that just serves to promote a team that’s not your own. But in a practical sense they were inviting George into their family and making sure he always felt at home.

You just have to listen to George himself- he said so often last year how he didn’t feel much like he had to settle into Merc because he’d always been with them, long before he was an F1 driver. They are his family, and this is always what HE wanted.

I also have to look at how they treated George trust wise. In 2020 Mercedes trusted George to drive the fastest car in the sports history, Lewis’ car, when he was sick. They skipped over their TWO reserve drivers, Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck De Vries, to give George a shot, and had to bargain with Williams to borrow him for Sakhir, when arguably Stoff and Nyck would have done more sim work than him.

At the same time, Jost Capito and Williams were trying to find a way to get out of their contract with George for 2021, because they were annoyed George was planning to leave them for Mercedes, and wanted to start working with someone “committed” to them, to the point they approached Kmag about the seat (in his book, Kmag says he called them idiots for it).

It’s theorised George only kept his seat by virtue of the incredibly strict contract Claire Williams tied him into, and Toto/James Vowles threatening Williams within an inch of it’s life. It wasn’t lost on me in the 20/21 season how Jost tended to not always blame their dog shit car for the poor performances, but George and Nicky for not doing more. Hell the way he portioned money in the team was so poor JV is appealing to the FIA for a special grant to upgrade their factory. In 2021 George DNF’d SIX times, mostly mechanical, you can see him disparing in dts about their borderline undrivable performance, but very little changed- but when a fuck up happened they looked right at the drivers.

Meanwhile, Mercedes saw exactly the kind of driver George was trying to be even through the worst car on the grid, and hired him anyway. I’ve seen teams outright throw drivers to the curb for performances they had very little fault in. You can feel how you want about Nicholas Latifi’s confidence in his driving in 22, Williams gave him a car even George struggled to place in for two fucking years, one year with a car Alex just about got by in, and then replaced him with Sargent, who placed lower in F2 than Nicky did.

Nicky has moved on, Williams ARE doing right by Logan now, but a lot of people are only seeing the Williams James Vowles has run. James Vowles who was at Mercedes… longer than Toto. If you want to base Williams current love of George on him, you’re basing it in a reflection of the James who worked with Gwen lagrue to support George for Merc.

You can still love how Williams love George! I do! I like current Williams and I miss James Vowles at Merc so much, but he’s flourishing leading Williams and it’s incredible. I like how silly Williams are sometimes, how they put themselves out on a limb more- but ultimately they have had to make less hard and controversial choices than Merc has, and the one time they did (Hungary 21) George took the choice from them and asked them to prioritise Nicky. Merc has had make choices nobody wants to make- and often panicked and straddled the line in a way nobody was happy with. But to call back to a post @ininininininstayoutstayout made once- when both sides come out of a choice complaining they got fucked over, ultimately you have to reevaluate what the team really could have done because nothing would have pleased everyone.

You can be upset with some of the choices Merc made with George on track over the last couple years, I have been mad at them myself. You can be angry at the mistakes they made with the sakhir pit stop and countless other strategic fuck ups- but none of those were intended results. Nobody at Merc has deliberately targeted George (OR Lewis) for poor treatment, nor did they WANT to make the boys a shitty car.

At the end of the day Merc as a brand poured hundred of thousands or maybe millions into supporting George as a Junior, Toto lead him the the Williams seat, the engineers and mechanics continued to develop him and train him and invite him into the factories and their travel team. He went out to dinner with them, tested their cars. They chose him over Valtteri, who was arguably the safe choice, trusted him, and now George is on their team they support him. Sometimes at a booming volume when George was adjusting, or then punishing himself for things like Singapore or possible controversies like Qatar.

Arguing Merc don’t adore George is like arguing that they don’t love Lewis- if you only look at specific circumstances you can build that idea- but if you look at the longer history it’s abundantly clear that Merc’s employees do fucking love them, they’re just an organisation not a monolith, and really stupid choices happen. And as much as I hate Jost capito, Toto is just as prone to bullshit, just with less “funny”stories about sexually assaulting his employees.

People who want George to go back to Williams are covering over just wanting him to face less backlash, and have less eyes on him, gatekeeping him almost for comfort. I get the impulse, but it’s not what George wants, what he’s fought for, for almost a decade.

Merc are giving him a chance at what he wants, and as bumpy as it’s been it’ll only pave his story as an underdog fight rather than a gifted ride, and they’re doing all that they can to put he and Lewis back up there.

[adventure-showdown]

What is your favourite Doctor Who story?

ROUND 2 MASTERPOST

synopses and propaganda under the cut

Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children

Synopsis

In a galaxy still dealing with the aftermath of the deadly Cyber-Wars, the Thirteenth Doctor and her companions are separated both from each other and from the TARDIS. Banding together with the last dredges of humanity, they must all attempt to find Ko Sharmus and the Boundary before Ashad, or any other remaining Cyberman forces, can locate them. And who is Brendan, the abandoned baby?

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Spyfall

Synopsis

The security of the entire world is at stake, so the head of MI6, C, enlists the Thirteenth Doctor and her team to investigate former agent spy Daniel Barton to see if he's been turned against them. Meanwhile, an alien threat that can pass through walls, even those of the TARDIS, known as the Kasaavin is wiping out spy organisations all over the planet. Can former MI6 agent "O" help them, or is he not who he claims to be?

Having been separated from her friends, the Doctor must figure out a way of stopping the Kasaavin and a familiar foe before their plan is put into action. Can she reach her friends and save the world with only a sonic screwdriver to help her?

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

[bugkrumch]

Physical media discourse on here feels... weird (this is a long post)

I agree on a fundamental level that the move towards drm-based streaming licenses is bad, and that the perpetual-personal-content license (read: the license most DVDs are under) is a thing we should maintain, at least as a stopgap until the vanguard of communism empowers us to rewrite IP law.

That said, the language positioning Physical vs Digital, the insistence that anything other than physical media is bad, and the upholding of DVDs as a gold standard, all read to me as kinda tech-iliterate, and thus ignorant of the real issue at hand.

The primary issue with streaming, which folks on Tumblr *have* correctly identified, is to do with Access control.

The primary issue with streaming is that it requires a regular subscription payment, to exclusively view content under a license that can be revoked at any time for any reason.

This is the mechanism by which Netflix can kick you off your friend's account, this is also the mechanism by HBO can scrub Infinity Train from existence as a tax write-off.

This system is unequivocally bad, and the reason it's bad is because of DRM and Access Control. This may seem pedantic, but is an important distinction.

Let's take a look at DVDs now. Most DVDs are distributed under a license that grants you perpetual access to view in a private setting, but not to redistribute the content.

This is what that FBI warning that plays at the top of every DVD is trying to tell you, and is why ripping a DVD, while simple, is technically illegal.

Because the video file is hard-encoded into the DVD, and its proliferation largely predates the IOT zeitgeist, *most* DVDs don't contain any access control measures beyond that legal text, but this is not universal.

This is a great video outlining FlexPlay, an ill-faded technology that used a disk with light-sensitive material, that over the course of about a week or two, blacked out the disk rendering its contents un-viewable.

I bring this up because it highlights two issues.

One, DVDs aren't a physically resilient technology.

Disks are fragile, and even moderate scratches or damage can render a disk unreadable. This is a point of contention retro gamers have had for years, because while their NES cartridges still work, their PS1 disks don't.

This is not even to mention how the plastic of every broken disk still exists somewhere in the world, and will for centuries.

Two, it shows that IP conglomerates, have been at this for years, and won't be stopped in putting Access control into DVDs.

This means that buying DVDs of new shows forever is not an end-game solution. Unless you are content to stop consuming new media, eventually you're going to encounter a DRM protected disk.

To use another more recent example, remember when the Xbox One came out? They had this giant controversy over how playing a game locally on the disk still required online access to Microsoft's servers.

Your physical media could be locked right up for any reason by the platform itself. How can we trust that if DVDs or Blu Ray made a comeback that they would not suffer the same fate?

So where do we go from here, if physical media isn't safe?

Let's consider what digital video *is*. It's a file, same as any other. .mp4 .mov

Some, like .mp4 support DRM-encryption (although don't always contain any). Others, like .ogv exist free from DRM, thanks open source software developers.

Likewise, with a DRM encrypted digital file, because all of the data is hosted locally, just encrypted, there are ways to remove or bypass that encryption, because the VAST majority of cyber-security depends on a lack of knowledge.

This website has a number of very good resources both on drm-free digital storage mediums, and the process of removing certain types of DRM from digital files, (and was my primary resource for this paragraph)

https://www.defectivebydesign.org/so_youve_got_some_questions_do_you#:~:text=To%20avoid%20DRM%20and%20other,webm)%2C%20or%20Daala.

Storing your media as unlocked files presents the best of both worlds.

You have full control over access to your media, you own those files just as much as you own the hard drive you store them on.

You can buy media online, so long as the distributor gives you a media file instead of a streaming portal. You can also choose to obtain media files through other means, that's none of my business.

And you can do some really cool stuff like setting up a self-hosted media server, allowing you streaming-like remote access to all of your media, without ceding any ownership over that media. (Jellyfin is the most popular open-source solution but there are others) https://jellyfin.org/

And absolutely none of this is to mention the ways in which you can SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY, WHO MOST LIKELY HAS STREAMING OPTIONS.

In the US most public libraries maintain Kanopy and hoopla memberships, allowing you to access streamed content from your local library.

This has the added benefit of keeping the library's usage statistics up, which often helps them with securing more funding.

While you don't own the media, you also don't have to pay for it, and you crucially don't have to give your money to streaming services and IP hoarders.

It requires 0 technical background, and presents a more sustainable and equitable view of what streaming can look like.

So in conclusion:

Make sure you own the content you're paying for, and accept nothing less.

Don't be convinced that your DVDs are immune.

Learn some basics about networking, filetypes, cyber security and self-hosting if you really care about this stuff.

Support Open Source Software

Support Your Local Library

[siderealscribblings]

Devil Summoner: Akechi Goro vs the Phantom Thieves Chapter 14: Suffer for Your Art

The Residence of Madarame Ichiryusai Akasaka, Tokyo

"Madarame-san? It's Officer Yoshizawa with the Cyber Security Task Force…are you home?"

Sumire's knuckles ached from rapping on the door so much without answer. The longer she and Shiho stood on the stoop, waiting to be allowed inside, the more she had to pretend to ignore the flurry of questions coming from reporters over her shoulder.

"Miss, have you spoken with Madarame-san?"

"What is his reaction to the Sayuri's change?"

"Is this disappearance part of the exhibit? Did Madarame-san plan this in advance?"

"Are the Phantom Thieves responsible for this?"

"Remain calm," Morgana purred from the backpack on her shoulder. "You don't have to give them an answer."

"I know," Sumire muttered, trying to ignore the flashing camera lights coming over her shoulder. "Can't the police move them back a little?"

"There's no room on the street," Shiho sighed, slamming her palm hard on the door. "Madarame-san, our colleague is meeting with the prosecutor to determine how to proceed with this case; he will either give her your explanation for the Sayuri's transformation or ours !"

"What's our explanation?" Sumire whispered.

"That's for Madarame to worry about," Shiho said, perking up as the locks clicked open. "See?"

A slim, dark-haired teenager stuck his face through the crack in the door, carefully hanging in the shadows to avoid the lenses of the cameras. "A-Apologies…sensei isn't feeling well enough to answer the door at the moment."

"We can come in if that's easier," Sumire suggested, offering her badge. "But I'm afraid this is official business; your master's painting has been defaced, and-"

"Sensei is already aware of that," the boy mumbled, eyes trained on the stoop beneath Sumire's feet. "H-His lawyers are reviewing his statement; please be patient as we…as we consult our counsel."

Those aren't his words, Sumire thought, trying to see into the darkness of the house behind him. Someone told him to say that…

"Put me down," Morgana whispered from the bag. "I have an idea."

"We have reason to believe the Phantom Thieves will make another move tonight ," Sumire lied, lowering her backpack to the ground behind Shiho's legs. "If there is any information your sensei can give us; anything to suggest why he was targeted like this-"

"Thank you for your work, officer," the boy mumbled, moving to close the door. "W-We will make our statement when we are ready…"

"Wait." Shiho's hand slammed on the door as it started to close, badly startling the boy in the process. "Look at me for a second."

The boy's jaw quivered, and for the first time Sumire noticed how tired he looked. The skin on his fingers was puffy, red, and cracked where it wasn't completely stained with white paint. For a moment, it looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could work up the courage, he slammed and locked the door again.

"...he's scared of something," Shiho said with absolute certainty.

"How can you tell?" Sumire asked.

"I know what scared kids look like," Shiho said softly. "Something or someone is terrifying him…and he feels like he can't even ask for help."

Something seemed to lend weight to Shiho's theory; something that concerned Sumire but not quite enough to ask about it. As she bent down to pick up her sack, she found it curiously several pounds lighter.

Where did he...no, he didn't.

"That old painter is really gonna make us get that warrant, isn't he?" Shiho sighed.

"Maybe we won't need it," Sumire said, nodding at a cafe across the street. "Let's get some tea while we wait."

"For what, Madarame to have a change of heart?" Shiho asked.

"No…for Morgana-senpai to finish his investigation," Sumire murmured, glancing back at the house behind her.

Read More >>

Start From the Beginning >>

[spotlightstudios]

Ideas for AUs for the dca that I've had but didn't do anything with part 3! (Eclipse × Reader, implied Sun/Moon × Reader)

Y/n is a freelance coder/engineer. They used to work for Faz-co, a large tech industry in the cyber-punk future, but quit after seeing shady business dealings and realizing how much they price-gouged. Now they make/repair prosthetics and robots made with faz-tech for much cheaper + better quality than the company. They go to steal badly-needed supplies from a warehouse, but are caught by the security bot, Moon, and detained because they're someone wanted by the company. Of course, doing a little digging into y/n's tech, Moon and Sun find messages from Eclipse and help y/n escape in order to find their brother.

(More under cut)

Think the difference between taking ur car to the shop (you'll probably fix the issue you paid for, but they'll have broken something else in order to make u cone back and pay for more repairs soon) vs a family friend (cheap pay, and it's probably gonna be quality). That's what y/n is for all of their customers.

After Faz-co threatened to fire them if they didn't mis-wire or poorly code sonething for every repair they did, Y/n was on their final straw. The only reason they stayed as long as they did was the pay, and Eclipse, the plant manager + security bot.

One day, faz-co announced that Eclipse had been terminated, and y/n had found him badly damaged in the back alleyway. They chose to leave that very moment. Instead they found an abandoned mall to take up work in, and with a few more trips back to the facility, pretty much clearing out their work space, they had enough untracked faz-tech to last them a few years worth of working order. Their first project was to repair Eclipse.

Then their own prosthetic needed fixing (left left was amputated in an accident from the knee down), and they realized they could simply take calls from past clients to the mall so they could get actually good repairs. It worked for a few years, and y/n would simply steal from shipments incoming every few months.

Y/n and Eclipse have a very married-couple vibe going in these years. He ensures y/n gets rest and is safe in their searches, and y/n keeps Eclipse running smoothly and shows him the outside world.

Then y/n needs to make a risky run into an actual facility to get specific gear, and their tech *should* disguise their signal as a staff bot. But, they trip, it glitches, a security-bot catches them and dismantles all their tech before locking them in a test room for new products, a temporary holding cell.

Y/n is a wanted persons, and their file says not to call authorities, instead contact the higher ups, because it's an ex-employee that they need to get ibfo from, then terminate. And Sun and Moon try to keep y/n objectively imprisoned, but Moon hacks their tech and accidentally contacts Eclipse, and after a brief chat, the twins realize y/n can get rid of the part of their endo that tracks them and shuts then down if they leave the facility.

Y/n disables that feature abd the twins help them escape w/ the supplies they need, and reunite w/ Eclipse.

And of course faz-co is pissed and hunting for them, probably cue some like, bounty-hunter Vanny being sent out, but generally I think the rest of the AU would be heists and Y/n helping Sun and Moon adjust to life outside, and just a lot of fluff, a lil angst.

Love this concept, but not enough brainpower to draw for it

[tr-favoritism-contest]

Round One; Part Three

Aness Idris, the Ultimate Cyber Security Officer, who’s first appearance was Danganronpa: Wonderful Despair, VS. Kenneth "Keith" Luck, the Ultimate Lucky Student who’s first appearance was The Ultimate Academy killing game.

[mariacallous]

Last month, the FBI raided the homes of Scott Ritter, a former United Nations weapons inspector and critic of American foreign policy, and Dimitri Simes, a former think tank executive and an adviser to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. In late August, The New York Times reported that these searches were part of the U.S. Justice Department’s “broad criminal investigation into Americans who have worked with Russia’s state television networks.”

In the past two weeks, U.S. officials have taken numerous measures against Russia Today and its affiliates and accelerated police actions against Russia-based individuals and entities accused of covert influence operations, including money laundering, sanctions violations, and unregistered foreign agent work. For example, the Justice Department announced the seizure of 32 Internet domains used in Russian government-directed foreign malign influence campaigns (colloquially referred to as “Doppelganger”), alleging that Russian companies used online domains to impersonate legitimate news entities and unique media brands to spread Russian government propaganda covertly, violating U.S. laws against money laundering and trademarks. 

That same day, the Justice Department indicted two Russia-based employees of RT for conspiring to commit money laundering and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act in a $10-million scheme to fund and direct a Tennessee-based company to publish and disseminate information “with hidden Russian-government messaging.” A day later, officials charged Dmitri Simes and his wife with participating in a plot to violate U.S. sanctions and launder money obtained from Russian state television.

About a week later, the U.S. State Department issued a special “alert to the world,” declaring that new information obtained over the past year reveals that Russia Today has “moved beyond being simply a media outlet” and has become “an entity with cyber capabilities” that’s “also engaged in information operations, covert influence, and military procurement.” Washington claims that the Russian government embedded within RT in Spring 2023 an entity “with cyber operational capabilities and ties to Russian intelligence.” Based on these allegations, Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — soon announced that it had banned Russia Today and its affiliates from all its platforms. 

A day before that big announcement from the State Department, a jury in Tampa, Florida, convicted four American citizens of conspiracy to act as agents of the Russian government. Case evidence first reported by RFE/RL shows that the activists on trial secretly coordinated their activities and received funding from “Anti-Globalization Movement” head Alexander Ionov, who acted on orders from Russia’s Federal Security Service.

To discuss this recent explosion of American police and diplomatic activity targeting RT and Russian covert influence operations in the U.S., The Naked Pravda spoke to RFE/RL journalist Mike Eckel, who coauthored the September 6 report on how Ionov and his FSB handlers “chatted and plotted to sow discord in the United States.”

Timestamps for this episode:

(5:54) The U.S. government’s coordinated campaign against Russian covert influence operations

(7:18) Legal strategies when prosecuting Moscow’s malign activities

(8:37) Alexander Ionov and the FSB

(15:11) American activists and Russian covert operations

(18:52) “Foreign agency” in the U.S. vs. in Russia

(32:12) Dmitri Simes and Channel One

(36:18) Scott Ritter and Russia Today