Posted by Jack
I received this in the email today and it’s really making its way around the web…so, beware:
HOAX: “The MAYOR REFUSES TO REMOVE PORK FROM SCHOOL CAFETERIA MENU and EXPLAINS WHY:
Muslim parents demanded the abolition of pork in all the school canteens of a Montreal suburb.
The mayor of the Montreal suburb of Dorval has refused, and the town clerk sent a note to all parents to explain why.
“Muslims must understand that they have to adapt to Canada and Quebec, its customs, its traditions, and its way of life, because that’s where
they chose to immigrate.
“Muslims must understand that they have to integrate and learn to live in Quebec. They must understand that it is for them to change their
lifestyle, not the Canadians who, so generously, welcomed them.
“Muslims must understand that Canadians are neither racist nor xenophobic. Canada accepted many immigrants before Muslims showed up…blah, blah, blah
The City of Dorval Denounces False News Circulating on the Internet
Dorval, January 27, 2015 – For a number of weeks now, false news has been circulating on social networks, as well as via a string of emails, about the Mayor of Dorval having allegedly refused to follow up on a request from Muslim parents asking him to remove pork from the City’s school cafeterias. The story also quotes speculative comments from the Mayor in regards to Muslims.
The City of Dorval wishes to denounce this false article and resents this identity usurpation. Internet users across the world have published this false news as it was true, and the Mayor would like to set the record straight by saying that, on no account, he, nor any the City’s representatives, have made such comments.
Albeit difficult to track the origins of this hoax, our research has led us to believe that it started in the United States. A similar hoax about a Mayor in Belgium had traveled the Web in 2013.
Hadn’t seen this. Thanks for the debunking.
Some more computer stuff to be aware of—
Carl emails to point out some posts he’s put up on his blog about security. Now I’ve repeatedly advised readers to make sure that they have Windows automatic updates turned on, because Windows has a pretty bad security track record and this is an easy way for people to do something that helps out their security.
Except maybe Microsoft is abusing that trust:
I would hope all Windows users are aware of the deliberate snooping built directly into Windows 10, and know not to “upgrade” to it. If not, the short form is that MicroNSA believes so strongly in the future of “cloud computing” that it’s going to make Win10 users do it whether they like it or not.
That’s bad.
Worse: It now appears that wasn’t good enough for the NSA’s corporate buttbuddy. They’re pushing a set of updates to Win7 and Win8 that implement some of the same file, email, browsing, and search data snooping to be found in 10.
If you must run Windows, do not upgrade to Windows 10. If you are running 7 or 8, turn off Automatic Updates immediately. Check your system (Control Panel=>Windows Updates=>View Update History) for the following updates:
•KB3068708
•KB3022345
•KB3075249
•KB3080149
Disable them.
If you aren’t on automatic, check the list of “Updates to install.” If you see them there, right-click on them and “Hide Update.”
These “security” updates are the ones that collect your browsing and usage history and send it to the Borg cloud. This is a terrible, no good, very bad thing for a security tool to do. And quite frankly, this is something that security guys have discussed for years, going all the way back to Ken Thompson’s Turning Award speech Reflections On Trusting Trust. For a Turning Award lecture, it’s pretty accessible even to lay persons – just skip over the code bits to this part:
The actual bug I planted in the compiler would match code in the UNIX “login” command. The replacement code would miscompile the login command so that it would accept either the intended encrypted password or a particular known password. Thus if this code were installed in binary and the binary were used to compile the login command, I could log into that system as any user.
It’s an undetectable security backdoor introduced from a trusted source – trusted source code, in Thompson’s thought experiment. Microsoft has done something very like this. “Trust us,” they said. “We will keep you secure if you just turn on automatic updates.” And then that trusted channel becomes the means that your privacy is raped and pillaged to fatten their bottom line.
At this point it’s clear that most people simply will not be able to keep their Windows computer secure. People like Carl and myself certainly can, although it looks like we both run Linux Mint (and you should, too). But people who aren’t computer security nerds simply won’t have the background to examine every single Microsoft security update and make a rational decision about the risks of installing it vs. the risks of not installing it.
Bottom line: as a security professional I cannot recommend that anyone should run Windows if they care about their security and privacy. Trust can no longer be trusted, at least from Microsoft. If there are certain Windows applications that you absolutely cannot live without, then keep a dual-boot system where you can boot up Windows for those times you absolutely need that app, but only run that app. The rest of the time, run Linux, which won’t sell out your privacy to fatten its bottom line. It will never do that, because Open Source has no bottom line.
Link:
http://borepatch.blogspot.com/2015/09/microsoft-security-updates-violate-your.html
Thanks RHT447! I am in the middle of a Windows 8.1 rebuild and upgrade to 10. Windows 8.1 is so godawful (even with Classic Shell) that 10 looks like an oasis (with Classic Shell.)
I will build a Unix based machine later, something I have always wanted to do. Any suggestions?
Link saved.
You’re welcome. Glad to help. Sorry to say I know nada about Unix. I ran Win XP until the wheels fell off. Am now running Win 7 Pro. Started with Win 95 and have always held off on any OS upgrade for at least a couple of service packs, seeing as how I never got a check from Mr. Gates to help de-bug his new products.
I’m all for free markets, but this crap really grates on me. Its just one more example freedom of choice and self sufficiency being chipped away all the while being sold under the guise of convenience. Probably part of the reason I have an affinity for old Chevy C-10 pickups that you can keep running with a screw driver and a decent socket set (and M1 Garands, and 1911A1’s).
Here is another recent hoax as it pertains to “facebook” ….. just be aware people.
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/29/