this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2025
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[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

France is about to amend a bill against drug trafficking, the “Narcotrafic” law,

Oh, that's original. In the US, the rationale has traditionally been child molesters and terrorists.

[–] Iseja 15 points 13 hours ago

Don't know how this could be the worst when Sweden is literally trying to do the same. Signal messenger threatens to leave the country if they install backdoors in their app. Even the Swedish Armed Forces is flagging that this might be a bad idea since they are using Signal. But we also have other interesting privacy laws such as the "FRA-law" that enables the government to listen to all incoming and outgoing data to and from Sweden.

[–] [email protected] 54 points 16 hours ago (5 children)

it will be funny when they will impose those backdoors to Matrix... France like Germany use Matrix for their diplomatic communication. If they add these backdoor to the project, it will be like: "Hey world! You know this very strong and very secured app we use to discuss important geopolitic matters that could trigger wars around the globe? Well, because we are soooo stupid, you can access it too... All our most top secrets message at your fingertip... Have fun!"

edit: typos

[–] [email protected] 18 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I had no idea they used Matrix. That's beyond hilarious. Surely they'll just make an exception for themselves or something.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Sounds like it's called "Tchap".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrix_%28protocol%29

In April 2018, the French Government announced plans to create their own instant messaging tool.[26] Work on the application based on Riot and Matrix protocol—called Tchap [fr] after French scientist Claude Chappe—had started in early 2018,[27] and the program was open-sourced and released on iOS and Android in April 2019.[28]

https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/open-source-observatory-osor/document/french-government-launches-house-developed-messaging-service-tchap

The Tchap project created a new open source encrypted communication tool for French public agents in order to improve information dissemination and ensure the security of the French government communication network.

At present, only agents of the central administration can create an account on Tchap, but the code source of the application is available for anyone under an open source license. Gradually, its use will be extended to all members of the French administrations, including regional and local administrations. According to Jérôme Ploquin, Tchap Project Manager at the Interministerial Directorate for Digital Affairs (DINUM), the French administration wanted to “deploy a messaging service which is secure and contains the professional features adapted to the work of a professional organisation or a public administration”.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 15 hours ago

As far as I know from working in one of those administrations previously, the adoption of Tchap failed because of the bad UX around key exchange and people went back to Microsoft Teams. I couldn't find any recent news about it in the French news. I would be curious to hear about someone using Tchap today.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

it will be funny when they will impose those backdoors to Matrix

How do you even impose backdoors onto an open source service that can be hosted decentralized?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

by saying "accept this MR or we will ban any app using your code"... :/

[–] [email protected] 1 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Yes, but when I am running my own server, what can force me to build a binary that contains the backdoor?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

1.5 Millions Euros if you are caught :/

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 hours ago

Yeah, I'mma have to see that before I believe that. Otherwise I'd drop anonymous hints left and right for every single bit of IoT that runs against an MQTT or XMPP server hosted and forgotten somewhere back in 2018. That backlash would shake them awake.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 16 hours ago

I think deploying this backdoored version without publishing the code for it would violate elements new agpl

[–] [email protected] 9 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

Well, we already did basically that quite successfully in the past. Wikipedia.org – Operation Rubicon

[–] [email protected] 1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Looks like I will have to move away from tedomum.net

[–] [email protected] 3 points 13 hours ago

I wish I'd known about them earlier. Their services look awesome. Are there any alternatives that you know about?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

Great article but is there a petition to sign?

Or anything else I could do?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 16 hours ago (5 children)

How long will it take until we reach the surveillance like in 1984? 5 years? 10 years? What's going on everywhere?

[–] raspberriesareyummy 6 points 12 hours ago

We're past what 1984 could even imagine.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

Capitalism is failing and the world is tightening it's grip on the masses. They know an upheaval is imminent.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 16 hours ago

They know an upheaval is imminent, so they tamp down more ... making an upheaval even more imminent.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 13 hours ago

Hence the rise of the far right.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

1984 was a great book, but its Brave New World that captures the current state of things a bit better. The main difference being that in Brave New World people welcome the technologies as conveniences, ignoring the implications until it’s too late.

That has already begun, we are at least 10 years in.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 hours ago

If we're going to have the Brave New World, at least let me have my soma and orgy-porgies. This version sucks.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 16 hours ago

Probably about 10+ years...

...ago.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 16 hours ago

It’s already 1984 when you shop at Walmart.