Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · 4h

@djoerd @SLURF @wlaatje Just to be sure before we start this project: there is no way to see the institutional credentials behind a social.edu.nl account?

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · 1d

@djoerd @SLURF @wlaatje Right, so we could old-school check the veracity of an account, for example physically. And we could have a page on our website where we connect a username to an actual name (for example for group accounts like ours).

1

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · 1d

@SLURF @wlaatje We are thinking about manually curating Mastodon list of accounts of AUC students and staff, whose feed we want to show on a screen in the building. To avoid this from becoming a space for trolling etc. we would like the accounts to be transparently tied to actual people. But […]

Original post on social.edu.nl

social.edu.nl

1

Reposted by OpenTech(AUC)

jaz :twt: :wales_flag: @jaz.toot.wales.ap.brid.gy · 6d

@hetzner now listed on https://jaz.co.uk/projects/orgs-using-ap?

Do you know a company or organisation running their own Fediverse service? let me know!

1 18

Reposted by OpenTech(AUC)

Rop Gonggrijp @rop.gonggri.jp · 6d

We all knew this was coming. Next one needs to be a PWA with on-screen install help. ("Add to Home Screen")

Apple removes ICEBlock and similar tracking apps from the App Store | TechCrunch

Apple has removed ICEBlock and other apps from its App Store that allow users to anonymously report sightings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, following pressure from the Trum...

techcrunch.com

1 4

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · 7d

BBB staatssecretaris #EugèneHeijnen decides to move all Dutch #tax data to #microsoft servers in the US.

Whoever is, or will be in charge of the US government will soon have a complete overview of all tax records in the Netherlands.

That includes the records of you and me.

The incompetence […]

Original post on social.edu.nl

social.edu.nl

2 10 1

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · 10d

Anyone else having issues connecting to the #nextcloud app store?

Our community is indirectly involved in three separate Nextcloud instances running on different OS's (NixOS and Ubuntu) and using different installation set-ups (Nix, LEMP), and they seem to have the same issue?

Screenshot showing that Nextcloud is unable to connect to the app store.

1

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · 14d

While over here in Amsterdam we are fighting for our independence from toxic networks like WhatsApp, many countries in the Global South are only getting further locked-in. This is a dimension of #digitalsovereignty that we do not talk about enough.

@Mathrubhumi_English […]

Original post on social.edu.nl

social.edu.nl

4

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · 20d

@SURF Can anyone for example guarantee that the essays we write (as students), and the feedback we give (as lecturers) are not stolen to train the models that - in some time - will be pushed down our throats as replacement for authentic critical thinking?

3/3

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · 20d

Our somewhat rhetorical question for @SURF and the academic community at large is:

... given the ongoing frontal attack on democracy and human rights in the United States

...given the narrow connections between OpenAI and the Trump regime

...given that guarantees by Microsoft regarding […]

Original post on social.edu.nl

social.edu.nl

1 6

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · 20d

The so-called "Learning Management System" (LMS) that we use at the University of Amsterdam and Amsterdam University College is called "Canvas".

Canvas is owned by Instructure, which in turn was bought in 2024 - for 4.8 billion USD - by a US "private equity and growth capital firm" based in […]

Original post on social.edu.nl

social.edu.nl

1 1

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · 20d

"Google is tightening its policy regrading the display of advertisements in the educational sector, and will start to display advertisements and recommendations in YouTube videos that are made available via Canvas or Kaltura."

Yet another reason to stop using […]

[Original post on social.edu.nl]

Important update: Advertisements in YouTube Videos

Google is tightening its policy regarding the display of advertisements in the educational sector. As a result, from 22nd September, (unwanted) advertisements and recommendations may appear in YouTube videos that are made available to students via Canvas or Kaltura.
We therefore recommend sharing these videos with students through alternative methods. More information about alternatives can be found in the Canvas for Instructors course.

Google is tightening its policy on displaying advertisements within the education sector. As a result, from 22 September 2025, (unwanted) advertisements and recommendations may appear in YouTube videos that are made available to students via Canvas or Kaltura. We therefore advise against sharing videos with students via YouTube.
Below, you will find some YouTube alternatives.

YouTube video alternatives

Do you own the rights of the YouTube video?
Download the material from YouTube and upload it as a video in Kaltura My Media or the Media Gallery.

Don’t own the rights to the YouTube video?
Ask the owner for permission to use the video file for educational purposes. Once you have received permission, upload the file as a video in Kaltura My Media or the Media Gallery.

Is the YouTube video not your own and you do not have permission to use it?
Edusources by SURF is a platform for open digital educational resources. Among other things, it offers videos created and shared by lecturers in higher education. On the Edusources website

Links to an external site., you can search for alternatives to YouTube videos, download them, and upload them as videos in Kaltura My Media or the Media Gallery.

If the above alternatives are not feasible, please be aware of the potential impact of advertisements and recommendations in YouTube videos on students. Additionally, there is always the risk that a YouTube video may suddenly become unavailable.

1

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · 21d

https://www.surf.nl/podcast/wat-je-moet-weten-over-nextcloud

Goed nieuws in deze korte Podcast: https://surfdrive.surf.nl/ gaat eind dit jaar overgezet worden van Owncloud naar Nextcloud 🥳

En @SURF werkt aan een pilot om meer functies van #nextcloud breder uit te rollen, zoals videobellen en […]

Original post on social.edu.nl

social.edu.nl

1

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · Sep 9

Protect your right to determine who gets to read your messages, and who doesn't.

https://fightchatcontrol.eu/

#chatcontrol #lemmy

https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/pictrs/image/cf7f8b72-17e8-4d3b-b911-455f1525a12b.webp

Map showing which countries oppose #ChatControl and which do not.

4 1

Reposted by OpenTech(AUC)

jonny (good kind) @jonny.neuromatch.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 19

Last week trump announced plans to "review" 8 Smithsonian museums. Today he doubled down, very explicit about the intent to revise history to reflect the ethno-nationalist fantasy of US history.

You can do something about that! We are backing up the digital archives of those museums on sciop […]

Original post on neuromatch.social

neuromatch.social

3 120 14

Reposted by OpenTech(AUC)

Bert Hubert NL 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 @bert-hubert.mastodon.nl.ap.brid.gy · Aug 19

Veel EU-lidstaten pleiten er voor om WhatsApp/Signal/etc te dwingen al onze foto’s en links te inspecteren met behulp van AI. Als de AI ook maar enige “twijfel” heeft of iets kinderpornografie zou kunnen zijn, worden je foto, locatie, telefoonnummer en andere gegevens doorgestuurd naar Europol […]

Original post on mastodon.nl

mastodon.nl

1 15 2

Reposted by OpenTech(AUC)

Leon Bambrick @secretgeek.mastodon.cloud.ap.brid.gy · Aug 15

Walking through a second hand book store should feel like you’re flying through the trench run on the Death Star.

A book store with full shelves and stacked high right down to the floor on both sides of the aisle

61 490 1.8K

Reposted by OpenTech(AUC)

Ruud Steltenpool @steltenpower.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · Aug 11

Please share this to everybody who goes to a school, has a kid that goes to a school, or works at a school: https://media.ccc.de/v/why2025-243-digital-sovereignty-and-the-foss-stack-at-school

Digital sovereignty and the FOSS-stack at school.

The need for digital sovereignty has always been great, but now there is an autocrat in the White house that is fighting everything he de...

media.ccc.de

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · Aug 7

@dangillmor

Get a Nextcloud account somewhere, start maintaining your calendar there, and regain your Digital Sovereignty!

We would be happy to help you find your server and make the move!

Reposted by OpenTech(AUC)

Julia Evans @b0rk.social.jvns.ca.ap.brid.gy · Jul 31

do any of you have organizations in your city that help people install Linux on old unused computers to give the hardware a new life? would love a link to their website!

also curious about what people end up using the machines for in practice, especially if they’re used by non-programmers

16 79 14

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · Aug 1

"Dat organisaties massaal hebben gekozen voor Amerikaanse clouddiensten bestempelt Van der Ziel ook als ‘naïef’. Hij noemt het voorbeeld van de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen die mailverkeer, dataopslag en andere digitale diensten bij Google heeft ondergebracht. Van der Ziel: ’Er zijn genoeg […]

Original post on social.edu.nl

social.edu.nl

2

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · Jul 22

"Possible End to End to End Encryption: Come Help"

@bert_hubert writes:

The European Commission is honestly asking for experts to advise them on ways to institute “effective and lawful access to data for law enforcement”. If you are an expert, I urge you to apply to join this group. You have […]

Original post on social.edu.nl

social.edu.nl

1 14

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · Jul 18

"Microsoft can't protect French data from US government access"

"The Senate hearing exposed tensions between sovereignty rhetoric and practical implementation. While French officials promote digital independence, procurement decisions consistently favor non-European solutions for critical […]

Original post on social.edu.nl

social.edu.nl

1 29

OpenTech(AUC) @opentech-auc.social.edu.nl.ap.brid.gy · Jul 10

@mnagenborg

Sounds interesting! Maybe these articles we wrote can come in handy:

https://opentech-auc.org/posts/2024-02-28-auc-and-whatsapp/

https://opentech-auc.org/posts/2024-03-23-whatsapp-is-a-bad-deal/

AUC and WhatsApp

A sort summary

opentech-auc.org

1 1

Reposted by OpenTech(AUC)

Rop Gonggrijp @rop.gonggri.jp · Jul 8

Bert Hubert wrote about getting to European cloud services, and it's a hopeful guide to help get things done.

Given that he sees the same world as all of us, I suspect he's hopeful in the daytime and screaming in his pillow at night. But given what happens if Europe fails at this... I'll take it.

European Cloud Modules - Bert Hubert

Advanced cloud services are based on good hardware, decent software, and surrounding infrastructure that combines these both into solid solutions that can be provided as a business activity. Europe is...

berthub.eu

2 14 39