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Software engineer, Debian developer, and recognized Free/Open Source Software innovator Daniel Pocock scratches the surface on the 2016 explusion of journalist, security researcher, and hacker Jacob Appelbaum from Debian. He asserts that the leadership in Debian at the time falsified evidence and hid conflicts of interest when dealing with the allegations against Appelbaum.
In 2016, there was an enormous amount of noise about Jacob Appelbaum from the Tor Project and winner of the Henri Nannen Prize for journalism.
An anonymous web site had been set up with allegations of harassment, abuse and rape. Unlike the #MeToo movement, which came later, nobody identified themselves and nobody filed a police complaint. It appears that the site was run by people who live in another country and have no daily contact with Appelbaum. Therefore, many people feel this wasn't about justice or immediate threats to their safety.
Long discussions took place in the private mailing lists of many free software communities, including Debian. Personally, as a I focus on my employer, clients and family and as there are so many long email discussions in Debian, I don't follow most of these things. I've come to regret that as it is now clear that at least some claims may have been falsified, a serious injustice has transpired and this could have been easily detected.
I don't wish to discount the experiences of anybody who has been a victim of a crime. However, in the correspondence that was circulated within Debian, the only person who has technically been harassed is Jacob Appelbaum himself. If Appelbaum does have a case to answer then organizations muddying the waters, inventing additional victims, may undermine the stories of real victims.
He then goes on to provide supporting evidence — including what was falsified and how the falsifications were used by the press — and then, from there, used against Appelbaum.
Previously:
(2016) Jacob Appelbaum Leaves the Tor Project
(2014) Hackers Replicate NSA's Leaked Bugging Devices
(Score: 2, Flamebait) by driverless on Friday August 28 2020, @06:34AM (7 children)
No, it's the Applebaum fanboys back again trying to convince everyone that a poor innocent sexual predator is just misunderstood and was framed by all sorts of nasty people conspiring against him. Just like that nice man Epstein, and the charming Mr. Weinstein, both just poor misunderstood victims.
I've interviewed one of Applebaum's victims. There's no way she was making things with that specific amount of accurate detail up.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by canopic jug on Friday August 28 2020, @06:39AM (6 children)
I've interviewed one of Applebaum's victims. There's no way she was making things with that specific amount of accurate detail up.
But not in the context of the Debian project, which is what the article is about. As one of the other posts here pointed out there is no reason why it can be true that both the Debian material was falsified and he was a real creep. However, falsifications are not the way to go about things. If those in the Debian project had wanted him out because of his behavior in other projects, then they probably could have arranged that. Lying and falsifications are not helpful to anyone in the long term.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by driverless on Friday August 28 2020, @07:04AM (1 child)
You also need to look at Pocock's comments on this. I'll admit I couldn't force myself to plough through all the drivel although I tried really hard... it's just paragraph after paragraph of unsubstantiated whining and moaning, he said, she said, on and on, there's nothing there apart from one person's endless whine. It's like a 1980s Fidonet squabble, each side digs up mountains of minor trivia and tries to bury the other side with it while trying to maintain the rapidly-dwindling interest of a bunch of bored bystanders.
Is there any part of that screed that actually makes a valid, substantial point supported by real evidence? Just so I can skip to it and read that bit.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 28 2020, @10:38AM
>It's just paragraph after paragraph of unsubstantiated whining and moaning, he said, she said, on and on, there's nothing there apart from one person's endless whine.
So, iow, just like the victim you interviewed? It works both ways with these things.
The guy can drivel all he wants, what matters (at least for me) is not even whether he is right or not. What matters is that he raises awareness on how debian handled this. And it looks not good for debian (regardless on whether it is correct, this should have been handled differently to avoid exactly the doubt that he is raising in his "drivel"). I hope Debian learns from this, rather than tries to bury it (like you do). But I jumped ship long ago (because I bet they will not learn and try to paint this guy black instead).
(Score: 2) by driverless on Friday August 28 2020, @07:07AM (3 children)
Argh, hit Submit too soon: In particular if there's a third-party source of information on this that's a bit more coherent and to the point it'd be interesting to see it. I agree that if they cooked up something in order to get him out it's not good, but Pocock's rambling screed isn't helping him make his case.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by canopic jug on Friday August 28 2020, @07:27AM (2 children)
I meant "... there is no reason why it can't be true that both the Debian material was falsified and he was a real creep." Damn typos.
There is another summary based on Pocock's post [debian.community]. However, you'd have to look to see if it adds in any additional source material. It looks like Techrights has some more specifics about the abuse by the Debian project [techrights.org].
The whole thing is so messy that it turns people off from the project, which is what IMO one of the things the strife is intended to do. It's also so convoluted and filled with intrigue and lies that no one "on the spectrum", which means most developers, will be able to follow all the details and see who has been behind the power grab.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by driverless on Friday August 28 2020, @09:47AM (1 child)
Yeah, I've never been much of a fan of Debian's politics, which is why I use it via one level of indirection (Ubuntu). It's meant to be a fricken OS distro, not a political/social justice movement.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 28 2020, @03:43PM
Yes, democratic processes (eg. Debian) are messy and can be chaotic. A lot of people prefer the stability of an autocratic regime (eg. Ubuntu), so that all the big decisions are handled for them - even if it means fewer choices and less freedom.