- nexa - server-nexa.polito.it

In Moscow, Big Brother Is Watching and Recognizing Protesters - Bloomberg
by J.C. DE MARTIN May 3, 2021

May 3, 2021

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-02/in-moscow-big-brother-is… (Sent from my wireless device; please excuse brevity and typos (if any))

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NYT: "How Big Tech Won the Pandemic"
by J.C. DE MARTIN May 2, 2021

May 2, 2021

*How Big Tech Won the Pandemic* /A year ago even the tech giants were anxious. Now they have so much money it’s awkward./ By Shira Ovide April 30, 2021 [...] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/30/technology/big-tech-pandemic.html

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NYT: "Apple’s App Store Draws E.U. Antitrust Charge"
by J.C. DE MARTIN May 2, 2021

May 2, 2021

*Apple’s App Store Draws E.U. Antitrust Charge* /By forcing app developers to use its payment system and comply with other rules, regulators said, Apple broke European Union competition laws./ By Adam Satariano April 30, 2021 LONDON — European Union regulators on Friday accused Apple of violating antitrust laws by imposing unfair rules and fees on rival music-streaming services that depend on the App Store to reach customers. [...] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/30/technology/apple-antitrust-eu-app-store.…

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The city of Helsinki, Finland has put over 65K historical images under Creative Commons
by J.C. DE MARTIN May 1, 2021

May 1, 2021

*The city of Helsinki, Finland has put over 65K historical images under Creative Commons* The city of Helsinki, Finland has unveiled a collection of more than 65,000 historical images captured in and around the city that are now free to download and use however you see fit. You can also order prints directly from the site if you wish to support the collection directly. [...] https://www.dpreview.com/news/4163142919/the-city-of-helsinki-finland-has-p…

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Alphabet beats Q4 estimates, Google Cloud revenue climbs
by Giuseppe Attardi May 1, 2021

May 1, 2021

"For Q4 2020, Google Cloud -- which includes Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) -- brought in brought in revenue of $3.83 billion on losses of $1.24 billion. " È scandaloso e anche gli iperliberisti e fanatici della libera concorrenza dovrebbero chiedere interventi. I sussidi incrociati sono vietati. Mi chiedo anche cosa stia facendo Google per avere tali perdite, quando invece AWS ha profitti da record del 30% netti (dato che paga 0 tasse). https://www.zdnet.com/article/alphabet-beats-q4-estimates-google-cloud-reve…

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Designing my own 32-bit CPU (a 19 anni)
by Giacomo Tesio May 1, 2021

May 1, 2021

# Designing my own CPU [...] Me being me, I started making my own RISC-V CPU implementation in a program called Logisim-Evolution. Again I set my goal not use ANY microcontrollers or FPGAs in my build - just basic discrete logic components. So, what exactly am I going to build? I needed to NOT set too a high goal for myself, so I would be able to finish this project in *relatively* short time (Is 2yrs short enough? :-) ). The most basic RISC-V CPU, that is supported by compilers, must include the extension "I" (Integer) and it must be at least 32 bit. So now I had all the information I'm going to need, so it was time to start building. Oh, and did I mentioned that I was going to put a VGA output card on as well? [...] # Prototype I knew that this project would be large and I would almost certainly make some mistakes (we are talking about 230+ ICs), so I've decided to start with a prototype, where I have access to all signals and can easily debug the whole thing - I'm not (yet) an electrical engineer and I'm only 19, so this seemed to be a good idea (and it really was). [...] When I was ready to put it all together, I've spaced out my modules onto a piece of wood and secured them with a 3D printed spacers. I then uploaded a test program and begun testing. This is where the fun begins. [...] It is no surprise, that It din't work on a first try, even though I've tested every single PCB individually. It took a loooot of work, until I found all the little things that were wrong. For example, there was a timing problem, which was very hard to find. # Input/Output My CPU has a two 8-bit input and two 8-bit output ports, that you can access on the front panel via RJ50 connector. [...] VGA output resolution is 200x150 pixels, black and white (I've tried to add colors, but I would need to use larger V-RAMs which are significantly expensive). [...] I've also created some I/O modules for demonstration (They all have RJ50 connector at the end). PS/2 decoder has a store-bought decoder - I was short on time to develop my own # Final version Getting the prototype to work wasn't easy (like - at all), but after about 5 months of work I managed to to that. I then redesigned all my PCBs to repair my mistakes and to make them stackable in a tower-like structure, so every module can be connected only via pinheaders. This wasn't that hard compared to what I've already done. This redesign took about three months and then I've ordered my final PCBs. I've design an enclosure and printed it on a Prusa i3 3D printer. [...] # Programming Finally, after hundreds of hours of designing, soldering and debugging, I could finally see the light at the end of a tunel. Jan Vykydal helped me with setting up a compiler to work properly, so I could write my programs in C [...] # Conclusion I am VERY happy to see it finally running, it wasn't easy, but I made it. There are many things that could be improved, but we'll see. Continua con tanto di dettagli, schemi e foto su https://hackaday.io/project/178826-pineapple-one/details ____ On Fri, 30 Apr 2021 09:49:57 +0200 Antonio Iacono wrote: > Caro Giacomo, la battaglia per la semplicità la stiamo perdendo, > perché la semplicità porta alla trasparenza e la trasparenza > all'onestà (e non intendo solo l'onestà intellettuale). Caro Antonio, in guerra la vittoria più grande e definitiva consiste nel convincere il nemico che non avrebbe mai potuto vincere. Soprattutto se PUO' vincere. La battaglia per la semplicità è appena cominciata. E mai in passato ho visto tanta consapevolezza a riguardo. Tanta consapevolezza della sua fondamentale importanza POLITICA. Possiamo vincere. Basta davvero quasi solo provarci. On Thu, 29 Apr 2021 10:22:41 +0200 Giovanni Biscuolo wrote: > Io SO che NESSUNO sulla faccia della terra, nemmeno il più geniale > dei programmatori, è in grado di scriversi (e correggersi) da solo il > software che usa Io invece SO che questo ragazzo, a 19 anni e sulla faccia della terra, ha costruito tutto l'hardware su cui gira il proprio software. Ci ha messo circa 2 anni (del proprio tempo libero, ovviamente). L'ho già scritto che ha 19 anni? Beh, comunque ha 19 anni! :-D Sarà pure più brillante e motivato della media, ma ciò che lui ha fatto può farlo qualsiasi adolescente, se solo la scuola fosse in grado di insegnargli come. E potrebbe metterci molto di meno, se disponesse di materiali, guide ed istruzioni più strutturate. E di solide basi informatiche. Per la verità, Filip Szkandera ha dimostrato molto di più della fattibilità di una CPU RISC-V a 32 bit in casa. Perché la sua è una CPU didattica, ma se è possibile costruire una CPU così in casa a 19 anni, significa che è possibile costruire CPU assemblabili molto più potenti in una fabbrica europea. Giacomo

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Seminario "Spazi virtuali" | Juan Carlos De Martin | 3-5 Maggio 2021 | Ore 16
by Nexa Media May 1, 2021

May 1, 2021

Gentilissimi, vi segnaliamo il seminario “Spazi virtuali” organizzato dall’/I//stituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici/, tre lezioni tenute dal Co-Direttore del Centro Nexa Juan Carlos De Martin, “La rivoluzione digitale” , “Lo scenario attuale” e “Futuri possibili”, che avranno luogo rispettivamente lunedì 3 maggio, martedì 4 maggio, e mercoledì 5 maggio, alle ore 16:00. Per maggiori informazioni sul seminario e sulle modalità di partecipazione online alle lezioni vi invitiamo a consultare la seguente pagina: https://www.iisf.it/index.php/attivita/programmi/calendario-dei-seminari/ju… <https://www.iisf.it/index.php/attivita/programmi/calendario-dei-seminari/ju…> Si allega al messaggio la locandina dell’evento. Grazie per l’attenzione, Cordiali saluti,   -- Anita Botta Communication Manager Nexa Center for Internet & Society Politecnico di Torino – DAUIN Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24 - 10129 Torino _web:_ https://nexa.polito.it/ <https://nexa.polito.it/> _mail:_anita.botta@polito.it <mailto:anita.botta@polito.it> tel: 011 090 7219

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Workshop sullo studio degli enti di standardizzazione
by Riccardo Nanni April 30, 2021

April 30, 2021

Care e cari, Spero di fare cosa gradita condividendo questa opportunità. Insieme ad alcune colleghe e alcuni colleghi di GigaNet (Global Internet Governance Academic Network), sto co-organizzando un workshop sui metodi di studio interdisciplinare dei lavori degli enti di standardizzazione. Attualmente, è aperta la call for contributions: https://enquetes.univ-rennes2.fr/limesurvey/index.php/927992?lang=en A breve comunicheremo le date e altre info utili! A presto, Riccardo Nanni

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How I Fought To Graduate Without Using Nonfree Software
by Giovanni Biscuolo April 30, 2021

April 30, 2021

Buongiorno, uno studente polacco che ha lottato con le unghie e coi denti per laurearsi senza usare software proprietario. ...e a uno studente così non gliele vogliamo dare un paio di lauree ad honorem in «Diritto» e «Scienze Politiche»?!? Professori di informatica cosa rispondete a questa constatazione: «As I mentioned earlier, despite being highly knowledgeable computer scientists and experienced in informatics, many academics demonstrated a generally poor understanding of the politics and ethics around software.» ? «How I Fought To Graduate Without Using Nonfree Software» by Wojciech Kosior https://www.gnu.org/education/how-i-fought-to-graduate-without-using-non-fr… --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8--- Because I refuse to use unethical software, the complete reliance on proprietary platforms has created an ethical conflict. My aim has been to complete my university degree without surrendering to the imposed nonfree services, by convincing my professors[2] to allow me to use only free-software replacements to proprietary applications. I didn't expect to win a fight against such power, but now, through polite but firm action, I think I may have prevailed. Hopefully this story will help you resist too. [...] Replies urging me to “run the program in a virtual machine” or saying that I “don't need the source code to use the service,” made it clear that some of my professors didn't understand, or understood only part of the issues. Had I been studying anything other than informatics, I suspect the fraction of those who understood the problem would be far smaller. [...] Not knowing whether the university would recognize my principles was a cause of ongoing stress. [...] I believe every class should at minimum be offered ways to interoperate with libre tools so that students can at least read class assignments on free platforms, and upload their answers from them. Unless universities offer interoperability, the reliance on proprietary software costs both students and professors time and headaches. At one point I emailed two professors about the use of nonfree platforms for lectures. One didn't respond and the other replied rudely. They seemed not to understand, but I suspect they were avoiding any extra work. This had a corrosive impact on my engagement and I stopped caring about lectures. Avoiding a language-specific package manager that I felt put me at risk of security and freedom issues cost me considerable time and delayed my studies. Time is precious for us all. [...] It is not necessarily the functional aspects of the software that creates friction around lack of software freedom. During the summer I had to do an internship. I backed out of a paid offer after learning that the employer would make make my code nonfree. I eventually did another, unpaid internship. [...] Before the winter semester, a list of allowed videoconferencing platforms that comply with the data protection law was given to professors. It contained Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, ClickMeeting, and Google Meet. You will surely see the irony here! [...] As I mentioned earlier, despite being highly knowledgeable computer scientists and experienced in informatics, many academics demonstrated a generally poor understanding of the politics and ethics around software. [...] Later, one professor who didn't agree to let me pass a course without using Teams wanted to fail me for my “absences,” despite my uploading homework throughout the semester. After a protracted argument, I was offered an option to meet online on January 8th... on Teams! I politely refused again, and reiterated my points. The professor eventually CC'd the Associate Dean in an email. In the meantime, the deadline to upload my thesis for a January defense expired. After many reminder emails, a response finally came, and through the Dean's intercession I got a grade, passed my seventh semester and successfully defended my thesis in March. [...] We can see some people are intolerant to software freedom principles, but in the end those were few and most university staff at the AGH were actually kind to me. Thanks to them I now have a proof that it is possible to study, graduate... indeed to live without relying on proprietary software. After all this hard experience, I feel more independent than ever, and I even received appreciation from the well-known RMS. Hopefully, my story will help more students get to where I am. Struggling to run only libre programs forced, and continues to force me, to gain new skills. I now know enough about web technologies to make several sites function without JavaScript. But what is best about my experience is that I will be able to share my fixes with others and eventually make a subset of the World Wide Web usable in freedom. --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8--- RMS in persona è rimasto impressionato https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/info-gnu/2021-04/msg00005.html Saluti, Giovanni. -- Giovanni Biscuolo Noi, incompetenti come siamo, non abbiamo alcun titolo per suggerire alcunché.

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Italy wins: DPA blocks facial recognition system and MP proposes moratorium - Reclaim Your Face
by Alberto Cammozzo April 29, 2021

April 29, 2021

<https://reclaimyourface.eu/italy-dpa-blocks-facial-recognition-system-mp-pr…> By Laura Carrer (research & advocacy – Italian campaign lead organisation Hermes Center, and Riccardo Coluccini – Italian campaign contributor) On Friday 16 April, the Italian Data Protection Authority (DPA) rejected the SARI Real Time facial recognition system acquired by the Police. The DPA argues the system lacks a legal basis and, as designed, it would implement a form of mass surveillance. Two days earlier, on 14 April, a member of the Italian Parliament, Filippo Sensi, proposed a moratorium on the use of video surveillance tools that use Facial Recognition. The Automatic Image Recognition System (SARI) was initially acquired by the Italian police in 2017 and, according to the police, the real-time version has never been used. The system was under investigation by the DPA since November 2017, after a news article prompted the Authority to open an investigation, and Hermes Center’s pressure for the Authority to promptly conclude this investigation. Recently, this system was at the center of a new public tender with the aim of upgrading, and employing it to monitor arrivals of migrants and asylum seekers on the Italian coasts. The recent opinion published by the Italian DPA highlights the fact that *“SARI Real Time would carry out a large-scale automated processing of data that may also concern people attending political and social events, who are not the object of ‘attention’ by the police forces.”* In addition, the Authority points out that although in the data protection impact assessment “the Ministry explains that the images would be immediately deleted, the identification of a person would be achieved through the processing of biometric data of all those present in the monitored space, in order to generate patterns comparable with those of the subjects included in the watch-list.” The Authority adds that this kind of biometric surveillance would signal a shift “from targeted surveillance of few individuals to the possibility of universal surveillance for the purpose of identifying certain individuals.” According to the Italian DPA, right now, the Ministry of Interior lacks a legal basis that would allow processing of this kind of biometric data as collected and analyzed by SARI Real Time, thus the MoI cannot use this live facial recognition system. The DPA also pointed out some critical aspects to be taken into account for any future attempt to regulate similar live facial recognition technologies. The Authority stressed the importance of the “criteria for identifying the subjects who can be included in the watch-list or those for determining the cases in which the system can be used” and the “possible consequences for the interested parties in case of false positives”—including also concerns towards people belonging to ethnic minorities. In addition, on Wednesday, April 14, facial recognition entered the Italian political debate. Italian deputy Filippo Sensi presented a new legislative proposal for a moratorium on the use of facial recognition technologies in public spaces, both by public and private actors. In the proposal, reference is made for a suspension until December 31, 2021 pending the introduction of an adequate national legislative framework to regulate the use of such technologies. Although the Hermes Center considers such a short timeframe inadequate and would also like to see all sorts of biometric surveillance technologies included in the law, we welcome this legislative attempt and we will closely follow its developments.

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