How do you use Linux? What are the less obvious ways that Linux is used?

[Iamgeese]

In light of recent events I am writing to my local MP concerning the insaine levels of government overreach, one of which highlights issues trying to force I.D at the OS level which happened recently on Iphones. I think our government is an idiot and doesnt know what Linux is, I suspect the fools proposing the bills dont have a clue either and think the world is Windows, Mac and Google. I also supspect that they just recently discoverd where the power button is on their PC.

I know that Linux is use on Servers, its used in cars, cybersecurity, printers ect. Is there anything else I am missing that I could point out this this would be a crap idea apart from it being blatantly undemocratic?

 

[CaffeineAddict]

Linux is open source so there will always be people to modify and distros or packages that came without this.
However certain OS's like those installed in cars or commercial OS's will likely have to follow the law.

While it's easy to bypass this with OS on PC by simply installing what you want, it won't be easy or possible with other types of devices, mostly due to technical skills required.

 

[Iamgeese]

Linux is open source so there will always be people to modify and distros or packages that came without this.
However certain OS's like those installed in cars or commercial OS's will likely have to follow the law.

While it's easy to bypass this with OS on PC by simply installing what you want, it won't be easy or possible with other types of devices, mostly due to technical skills required.

could some people try and flash their own bios chips? I wonder if this could end up being a cat and mouse game where the more spying governments want the mosre insaine the work arounds get until eventually you just have people going into the motherboard physically and altering hardware.

 

[CaffeineAddict]

could some people try and flash their own bios chips?

Hardware is not like software to be easily modified, however careful user can detect and immobilize hardware based malware with custom routers and inspecting the traffic.

There already exist software for remote control of intel system, I guess there will be more to it in the future.

 

[Iamgeese]

Hardware is not like software to be easily modified, however careful user can detect and immobilize hardware based malware with custom routers and inspecting the traffic.

There already exist software for remote control of intel system, I guess there will be more to it in the future.

I just found on this site on the front page that there is a thing called a Bananna Pi. I wonder if someone could tell it to trick any website into faking their age.

 

[CaffeineAddict]

I just found on this site on the front page that there is a thing called a Bananna Pi. I wonder if someone could tell it to trick any website into faking their age.

That's not what routers are for, you can use VPN to appear like from some other country if the web site requires verification based on where you're from.

If the web site requires verification because it's UK site you're powerless, avoid the site is the only option.

 

[osprey]

In light of recent events I am writing to my local MP concerning the insaine levels of government overreach, one of which highlights issues trying to force I.D at the OS level which happened recently on Iphones. I think our government is an idiot and doesnt know what Linux is, I suspect the fools proposing the bills dont have a clue either and think the world is Windows, Mac and Google. I also supspect that they just recently discoverd where the power button is on their PC.

I know that Linux is use on Servers, its used in cars, cybersecurity, printers ect. Is there anything else I am missing that I could point out this this would be a crap idea apart from it being blatantly undemocratic?

On the more general matter of freedom in computing, it's well to note that it's been a contentious subject for some time, and has been so long before the current matters of governmental interest in controls.

One area of significant debate has been the intel management engine (ME). Every intel chipset motherboard since about 2008 has a small autonomous operating system embedded in the motherboard that runs it's own kernel on its own processor and has root permissions over numerous areas of processing. It has functions to do with booting, secure boot, power management, and access to the computer's main memory, cpu and network. Basically, if configured so, it can run one's computer independently of the user, but it's controlled and totally private to intel. Here is a quote from an informative article from the Free Software Foundation found here: https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/the-management-engine-an-attack-on-computer-users-freedom:

Over time, Intel imposed the Management Engine on all Intel computers, removed the ability for computer users and manufacturers to disable it, and extended its control over the computer to nearly 100%. It even has access to the main computer's memory.

It now constitutes a separate computing environment that is designed to deny users the control of their computer.

AMD introduced a similar internal operating system integrated in their CPU in around 2013 called the Platform Security Processor (PSP), so one cannot escape this phenomenon by eschewing intel for AMD.

Wikipedia has an item on the the ME here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Management_Engine, and there's lots more online for the interested reader to follow up. Computer users are perhaps not quite as free with their machines as they might imagine in the privacy of their homes and offices.