this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2024
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Proton Mail goes AI, security-focused userbase goes ‘what on earth’ (pivot-to-ai.com)
submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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we appear to be the first to write up the outrage coherently too. much thanks to the illustrious @self

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

fuck, the pure PR fluff they’re posting in response to “hey fucknuts, this thing breaks your fucking security model”. I’ve dropped other companies for doing this “uhh no it doesn’t, trust us” shit before. if they had proof this thing’s secure they would’ve posted it by now, but they don’t (because it isn’t, it’s broken by design) so instead they have to post this horseshit

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

I highlighted another nice dig by weizenbaum this afternoon which your "broken by design" reminded me of:

"These gigantic computer systems have usually been put together (one cannot always use the word designed) by teams of programmers, whose work is often spread over many years. By the time these systems come into use, most of the original programmers have left or turned their attention to other pursuits. It is precisely when such systems begin to be used that their inner workings can no longer be understood by any single person or by a small team of individuals."

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I think that sequence of events happens sometimes but not all the times. the generational-departed programmer thing happens more in bigger orgs or teams with a bit of a more established presence/footprint. and I don't really get the impression proton is that big yet

this one smells more like the other kind of ratfuckery I've seen in shartups: some particular bugbear/feature-idea "driven" by a C-level/owner/teamlead (where "driven", n.: "someone said go do it"), enabled by complicit PM/POs doing some goalwashing, with devs either just keeping their head down, or actively participating in creation