TROM Search (searxng), and Translate (lingva) are trade-free (TF) interfaces for trade-based services. And they may or may not work. Now we make sure people understand that:

Bibliogram (TF for Instagram), Teddit (TF interface for Reddit), and Invidious (TF for Youtube) were also removed in the past, because they either didn't work at all, or it was nearly impossible to keep them functional.

All of these TF interfaces are either a pain to develop, deploy and maintain, or they do not work anymore. Our server IP is getting limited or blocked by these big companies, so it is not a good idea to try and host them. Simply put these companies want for people to use their platforms to see ads and collect their data, or sell shit to them. If you still use them, then you should considering ditching them!

In the end these are not alternatives to trade-based services, they are interfaces for these services. So for example we rely on Friendica instead of Facebook, because Friendica is a true alternative. A different social network! Same when we rely on Peertube instead of Youtube. Or Nextcloud instead of Google Drive, and so forth. These and more, are the true services that we provide via trom.tf/ !

Yes, most videos are on Youtube and it will take a long time until we could match that on Peertube, so for now keep calm and use FreeTube (local TF interface for Youtube), and keep on posting on Peertube!

Yes Reddit has a lot of interesting content. So use an ad and tracker blocker! And give Lemmy a try!

In the near future we will replace the TROM Translate with a proper Translation engine that we run on our server. As for a search engine it is damn tricky....we do not know what alternative there is.

And please consider supporting us here tromsite.com/donate/ so that we keep on providing real Trade Free alternatives to what has become a cancer of the Internet world: Google, Facebook, Twitter and the like.

#tromlive

I've been struggling these days with the work on TROM. I worked in parrallel on TROMjaro, to find a way to make TROM.tf sustainable in terms of the server and specifically diskspace, and I also work on an article about the ZDay experience. Oh and I tried to improve the ZDay audio and all that...

And I did not have too much success but I am progressing. TROMjaro ISO released, 30% of the ZDay article done, but the solution for TROM.tf is still floating in mid-air....

The main issue is that we are running out of diskspace. So we urgently need to do something about that. Peertube eats by far the most, around 800GB and the saner solution is to move the storage to an Object Storage. I tried and tried and tried and had partial success.... So it is either that I will move our Peertube to an Object Storage or I move the entire TROM.tf server to a server that has more storage space. Problem is, I found such a server, and would be cheaper overall, but it is from Contabo and they seem to refuse to sell me any new service because of the conflict we had a while back.

I got kinda tired these days. My eyes hurt. I even forgot to mention that I've also tried to test stuff for the Friendica YNH package and submit issues/changes/ideas to the devs to make sure we make the YNH Friendica reliable.

Too many things man....and a lot of computer-things that is....and with computers and so many projects there is ALWAYS something to fix/improve. IDK if I like this....I LOVE the end result tho. Us having our own video platform, social network, OS, and so forth...

Well, keep calm and work. Try not to stress. Go out sometimes. Thanks for the advice :)

#tromstuff

TROM

2022-08-24 21:34:03

Removal of https://bird.trom.tf/BancoPacificoEC

Our first example of forced takedown has to do with our Nitter instance. Nitter is a front end for Twitter, a proxy service. All it does is requesting a page from Twittter on your (the visitor) behalf. It will only display the Twitter content, without trackers and using its own (more humane theme). It is not storing any data on the server.

Our instance: bird.trom.tf/

No page on bird.trom.tf/ exists unless you visit it to generate it. Remember this.

On 11/8/22, 17:35 we have received this from our hosting provider:

Dear ******,

We have received complaints about your VPS XL SSD, specifically about the following IP address(es):

*******

Please see the forwarded e-mail below for more details. Apparently, your VPS XL SSD is used for phishing which is strictly forbidden by our ToS.

Abuse is a serious threat in the Internet and can cause a huge amount of damage; thus, we ask for your understanding that once an ABUSE case is reported to us, we must handle abuse strictly and with no tolerance.

Please take immediate action to stop the ongoing server misuse. It is required that you solve the problem within the next 12 hours, and that we receive your reply within this period, too. Your reply must contain all information which enable us to understand exactly which measures you took to stop the abuse and prevent such or similar incidents in the future.

We will suspend access to your VPS XL SSD if we do not receive your reply within the given time frame, and if the problem is not solved in due time; both is essential - the solution and your response. The reactivation of a VPS XL SSD always demands a reactivation fee of at least €36.30. Please respond in due time to save these expenses.

We would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter.

Original complaint from tfp.report.ctac@appgate.com
Subject: Unauthorized Use of Trademark

The original complaint that was sent to our hosting provider was this:

Greetings,
This is an official message from AppGate, on behalf of our Banco del Pacifico G.F.
We need your cooperation in the removal of the content located in the site:
bird.trom.tf/BancoPacificoEC
The target site is the following URL(s):
twitter.com/BancoPacificoEC
We kindly ask you to shut down this content as soon as possible. We expect a prompt and affirmative response.

Thanks for helping make the Internet safer.

Sincerely,

DTP Team - Appgate

We replied:

Dear Contabo,

For one bird.trom.tf/BancoPacificoEC is a front-end access to the twitter page twitter.com/BancoPacificoEC. It is not a content that is available on our server. We are using Nitter a Twitter front-end github.com/zedeus/nitter . Like thousands do. How can we be responsible for the Twitter content now? This is not something we can ever remove since it is not on our server. Please understand.

Second, did you check to see if this bank account is phishing? bancodelpacifico.com/ - they have a verified Twitter account and all that. They seem like any other bank...

Please get back to me on this or put me in contact with the ones who filled the complain.

Cheers!

I thought for sure that they accuse us of mirroring a real Twitter phishing account.

But well, we were worried that they will shut down our entire server that hosts 20+ Open Source services that thousands of people use, so the same day we sent another email because no one would reply:

So this is a proxy service, mind you. If the ones contacting you are the owners of that Twitter account please make them aware that it is legal to host proxies and we do not host any materials from this proxy on our server. Here is a discussion about Nitter and DMCA github.com/zedeus/nitter/issue…

Sent one more because we were stressed by the 12 hour deadline they gave us:

Hello,

bird.trom.tf hosts Nitter, a private Twitter front-end, meaning it is simply a proxy to access Twitter assets and user generated content without tracking from Twitter. Thus, all content is proxied from Twitter and is not stored on our servers and if Twitter chooses to remove an asset, it will no longer appear on our site.

Our bird.trom.tf is hosted in the European Union, so the European Union's laws apply. Under the directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 on the harmonization of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society, "temporary acts of reproduction referred to in Article 2, which are transient or incidental [and] an integral and essential part of a technological process and whose sole purpose is to enable: a transmission in a network between third parties by an intermediary" is allowed, and legal.

As such, all takedown requests must be sent to Twitter, as we don't have any control on the data that they have on their servers.

Thank you,

After several hours of no reply we sent one more:

So please be mindful and do not remove our server. The link bird.trom.tf/BancoPacificoEC is not phishing. You gave me 12h to fix the problem and since you have not replied for the past hours I am concerned about that short deadline. I may not be available for the next 10 hours from now on, simply because I may be asleep, so please do not remove our server as it has not breached any of your ToS.

We got no reply until 22/8/22 10:46. 11 days later! We got this:

Dear ****,

So, where is the final solution? We will give 12 hours to finally close this case.

If you have any questions or need help, please do not hesitate to contact us.

And we replied:

Hello,

bird.trom.tf hosts Nitter, a private Twitter front-end, meaning it is simply a proxy to access Twitter assets and user generated content without tracking from Twitter. Thus, all content is proxied from Twitter and is not stored on our servers and if Twitter chooses to remove an asset, it will no longer appear on our site.

Our bird.trom.tf (Nitter) is hosted in the European Union, so the European Union's laws apply. Under the directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 on the harmonization of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society, "temporary acts of reproduction referred to in Article 2, which are transient or incidental [and] an integral and essential part of a technological process and whose sole purpose is to enable: a transmission in a network between third parties by an intermediary" is allowed, and legal.

As such, all takedown requests must be sent to Twitter, as we don't have any control on the data that they have on their servers.

I am waiting for your response.

Cheers!

An hour later, no reply. We emailed again:

Please reply today so we can settle this. If you want you can even call me. My phone number is in my account details. I would be illegal under the EU law to remove my server because of a legal service. A proxy one that does not store any data on your servers.

I am waiting for your reply!

2 hours later, no reply, we emailed them again:

I could also seek the advice and involvement of the Electronic Frontier Foundation about this case, because if you decide to remove our server for something that is legally protected, then the precedent is dangerous and needs to be addressed.

I have contacted you a few hours ago and you did not reply, yet you gave me 12h to solve this issue and/or to contact you, which I have done.

So please reply to me and please do not remove the server.

Two more hours later, no reply. Being concerned that they will remove our entire server we decided to make that Nitter link not accessible via Nginx. That's the best we could do. We were forced to do that because no one at Contabo would even engage with us over this. We had no options. It was a mafia style "non-discussion", "do as I told you" approach by the Contabo company.

We emailed:

The URL bird.trom.tf/BancoPacificoEC is now gone. This is an illegal request and I felt bullied into removing a link that did not host anything phishing related and no content at all. This is not ok and I will contact several organizations to help me with this abuse.

You should understand that what the complaint requested was an illegal request, but since I was threatened with the closure of my entire server in less than 12h, and thus over 20 websites hosted there, I was forced to remove that URL.

Now that the URL is gone, you can close this case. I will contact you soon in regards to this decission.

And emailed again:

Tomorrow I will not be home for most of the day, and now that the link has be removed (unfairly) you have no reason to delete our server. I hope you are reasonable people and act the same. And not forget that I've been forced to remove a link that was neither phishing, nor did it store any content. It was a proxy link from a very popular proxy service called Nitter.

They replied:

Dear ****,

Thank you very much for your response.

The complaint seems to be solved; thus, we have closed this case and no further steps are requested from your side at the moment. If we should receive further complaints about your used services, we will contact you again.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Fuck them! "thank you for your cooperation"....motherfuckers. There was no cooperation. It was them forcing me to remove a URL that was not a phishing URL as it was claimed to be, nor did it store any content.

I replied:

Dear Contabo,

This was far from "cooperation", I was forced by you to remove a link that was not phishing, nor did it contain any content. You refused to reply to any of my arguments or look into this.

I am terribly disappointed in you, and I will stop recommending Contabo to anyone.

I will do my best to forward this case to different organizations that could help me pierce through your silence, because you have been bullied by whatever company contacted you, to remove a legal link, and thus abuse people like me who are paying for your service.

Do you have any comments in regards to your decision to force me to remove that URL?

And now I will try to contact EFF or other similar organizations about this issue. If anyone can help, please let me know. If this becomes the norm, then any link from any of our website, can be subject to removal.

This is unacceptable.

UPDATE.

25.08.22

The company:

Thank you for your response.

There are new changes in Germany regarding copyright violations that forced us to remove all domains from our network that are providing protected contents.

Either you provide for us and every visitor the declaration of consent of the right holder to each individual product or its confirmation that you are the right holder. Otherwise, we will be forced to remove this website. This comes also in action for redirections, quotes and shared posts.

We know that this is strict, but we are bound by the law and hope for your understanding.

Us:

Would would be kind to tell me what set of laws we are talking about? This is extremely strict. Sounds like you are not allowed to host anything but your own personal photos for example.

Second, are these laws only applying for the servers hosted in Germany by Contabo? Would it be better to migrate to a different region?

Them:

Thank you for your e-mail.

Yes, the German copyright law is really very strict, and affects all companies based in Germany, including in our case our data centers in other countries.

The copyright law states that content may only be uploaded if its creator or owner has explicitly confirmed this.

Us:

Hi,

I felt like I was given no chance to defend myself when you contacted me. And I contacted others for legal advice and I was given some, but you had ignored it. You did not address it at all. I showed you that proxy services are legal in all of the EU "Under the directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001". So how am I going to know if what you did was legal or not if I am not provided any details about your decision?

Do you understand my frustration?

Right now, based on my experience with Contabo, you guys can any day ask me to remove any link at your will, and I cannot do a thing about it. This is truly disturbing to me.

Now can you please take your time and explain to me under what exact law does it say it is illegal in Germany to host a proxy service that uses the official API of Twitter, which allows exactly for what we are doing with bird.trom.tf (Nitter).

Please take your time and explain to me. I think it is fair towards me to have an explanation of this.

Thanks

Them:

we don't have to have a legal debate, because I don't think there's a lawyer sitting on either side right now. It is also completely irrelevant: We don't want our network to be affected, by repeated complaints. We are allowed to protect our reputation, and that is what we are doing here. Besides, it's perfectly clear that you can't use someone else's copyright.

It is clear by now that they just bend to whoever contacts them with an abuse report. They do not want or have the resources to do anything more than bully their "clients" into taking down whatever it is requested. Not surprised...

Chili/Chile communiqué international FR, ES, EN

Contre l'héritage de la dictature et le réformisme, guerre de classe et pouvoir populaire

À l’occasion du 50e anniversaire du coup d’État civil-militaire dans les territoires dominés par l’État chilien, qui a donné libre cours au terrorisme étatique-patronal et a signifié pour les opprimé.e.s des années de persécution, de torture, de viol et de disparition, nous continuons aujourd’hui à résister à l’oubli et à maintenir vivante la mémoire de notre classe.

Dans notre volonté de nous battre pour la mémoire, nous reconnaissons qu’il est essentiel de rendre visible et de ne pas oublier le processus qui se tissait en dehors des directions partisanes de l’Unidad Popular et de son projet de modernisation capitaliste ; ce processus qui défiait l’institutionnalité bourgeoise et qui était soutenu par les habitant.e.s des quartiers, les ouvrier.e.s et les paysan.ne.s à travers des expériences organisationnelles que nous caractérisons aujourd’hui comme des expressions du pouvoir populaire depuis la base, autogestionnaire et révolutionnaire.

De plus, il est essentiel de ne pas négliger la réponse du projet de la gauche parlementaire qui, face aux expériences de pouvoir autogestionnaire et de rupture révolutionnaire, a opté pour l’institutionnalisation des luttes, la cooptation et la répression, favorisant ainsi la conciliation des classes. La leçon que nous tirons de ce processus est qu’aucune force sociale ne peut se mettre au service du cadre gouvernemental, il est donc nécessaire de dépasser et de déborder les propositions politiques qui cherchent à dynamiter le rôle du peuple et à tout orienter vers les lignes directrices institutionnelles. Aujourd’hui comme hier, nous devons faire face à ces projets qui ne font que renforcer et alimenter la domination avec des agendas précarisants, extractivistes et répressifs.

Notre commémoration implique de développer une force sociale organisée capable de rompre avec le cours historique actuel, qui ne se laisse pas tenter par les raccourcis institutionnels et les prétendues solutions rapides, qui dépasse les messianismes et fait reculer les idées et pratiques promues par la bourgeoisie, que ce soit dans sa forme fasciste, libérale ou progressiste.

Enfin, depuis l’anarchisme organisé et social, nous identifions comme prioritaire de contester le présent et l’avenir à partir d’un projet révolutionnaire anti-étatique, anticapitaliste, antiraciste et antipatriarcal qui récupère les précieuses expériences de lutte et de résistance qui sont aujourd’hui accumulées dans la mémoire digne du peuple organisé. Nous avons confiance que cette voie de mémoire, de lutte et d’organisation nous rapproche davantage de notre émancipation.

¡Arriba lxs que luchan!

Signataires :

☆Federación Anarquista Santiago (FAS) – Chili
☆Coordinación Anarquista Latinoamericana (Federacion Anarquista Uruguaya [FAU], Federación Anarquista de Rosario [FAR], Coordinación Anarquista Brasileña [CAB])
☆Organisation Socialiste Libertaire (OSL) – Suisse
☆Embat, Organització Llibertària de Catalunya – Catalogne
☆Black Rose Anarchist Federation / Federación Anarquista Rosa Negra (BRRN) – United States
☆Libertäre Aktion (LA) – Suisse
☆Union Communiste Libertaire (UCL) – France
☆Grupo Libertario Vía Libre – Colombie
☆Die Plattform – Allemagne
☆Roja y Negra Organización Politíca Anarquista – Argentine
☆Anarchist Communist Group (ACG) Grande Bretagne
☆Alternativa Libertaria (AL/FdCA) – Italie
☆Organización Anarquista de Córdoba – Argentine
☆Organización Anarquista de Santa Cruz – Argentine
☆Organización Anarquista de Tucuman – Argentine

A 50 años del golpe cívico-militar en los territorios dominados por el Estado chileno, que dio rienda suelta al terrorismo estatal-patronal y significó para lxs de abajo años de persecución, tortura, violación y desaparición, hoy seguimos resistiendo al olvido y manteniendo viva la memoria de nuestra clase.

En nuestra apuesta por disputar la memoria, reconocemos que es imprescindible visibilizar y no olvidar el proceso que se tejía por debajo de las direcciones partidarias de la Unidad Popular y su proyecto de modernización capitalista; aquel proceso que desafiaba la institucionalidad burguesa y que fue sostenido por pobladorxs, obrerxs y campesinxs a partir de experiencias organizativas que hoy caracterizamos como expresiones del poder popular desde abajo, autogestivo y revolucionario.

Asimismo, es preciso no pasar por alto la respuesta del proyecto de la izquierda parlamentaria que ante las experiencias de poder autogestivo y de ruptura revolucionaria apostó por la institucionalización de las luchas, la cooptación y la represión, impulsando, de esta manera, la conciliación de clase. La lección que nos deja este proceso es que ninguna fuerza social puede ponerse al servicio del marco gubernamental, por tanto, es preciso rebasar y desbordar las propuestas políticas que pretenden dinamitar el protagonismo popular y volcar todo a los lineamientos institucionales. Hoy como ayer debemos hacerle frente a aquellos proyectos que solo fortalecen y alimentan la dominación con agendas precarizadoras, extractivistas y represivas.

Nuestra conmemoración pasa, entonces, por desarrollar fuerza social organizada capaz de romper con el actual tránsito histórico, que no se deje tentar por los atajos institucionales y las supuestas salidas rápidas, que supere los mesianismos y haga retroceder las ideas y prácticas promovidas por la burguesía, ya sea en su modalidad fascista, liberal o progresista.

Finalmente, desde el anarquismo organizado y social, identificamos como prioritario disputar el presente y el futuro desde un proyecto revolucionario antiestatal, antiracista, anticapitalista y antipatriarcal que recupera las experiencias invaluables de lucha y resistencia que hoy son acumulados en la memoria digna del pueblo organizado. Confiamos en que esta senda de memoria, lucha y organización nos acerca más a nuestra emancipación

¡Arriba lxs que luchan!

Adhieren:

☆Coordinación Anarquista Latinoamericana (Federacion Anarquista Uruguaya, Federación Anarquista de Rosario, Coordinación Anarquista Brasileña)
☆Organisation Socialiste Libertaire (OSL) – Suiza
☆Embat, Organització Llibertària de Catalunya – Catalonia, Estado español
☆Federación Anarquista Santiago (FAS) – Chile
☆Black Rose Anarchist Federation / Federación Anarquista Rosa Negra (BRRN) – Estados Unidos
☆Libertäre Aktion (LA) – Suiza
☆Union Communiste Libertaire (UCL) – France
☆Grupo Libertario Vía Libre – Colombia
☆Die Plattform – Alemania
☆Roja y Negra Organización Politíca Anarquista – Argentina
☆Anarchist Communist Group (ACG) Gran Bretaña
☆Alternativa Libertaria (AL/FdCA) – Italia
☆Organización Anarquista de Córdoba (Argentina)
☆Organización Anarquista de Santa Cruz (Argentina)
☆Organización Anarquista de Tucuman (Argentina)

Against the Dictatorial Legacy and Reformism – Class War and Popular Power

Fifty years ago, the civilian-military coup in the territories dominated by the Chilean state gave free rein to state terrorism and meant for those from below years of persecution, torture, rape, and disappearances. Today, we continue resisting oblivion and maintaining the memory of our class.

In our bid to contest historical memory, we recognize that it is essential to make visible and not forget the process that was undertaken out of site of the party leadership of the Popular Unity government and their capitalist, modernizing project; that process which challenged bourgeois institutionality and was sustained by slum dwellers, workers, and peasants from organizational experiences that we call today self-managed and revolutionary popular power from below.

Likewise, it is necessary not to overlook the parliamentary left’s response which, in the face of the experiences of self-management and revolutionary rupture, opted for co-optation, repression, and the institutionalization of struggle, thus promoting class conciliation. The lesson learned is that no social force should be subordinated to the government, making it necessary to go beyond and overcome the political initiatives that undermine popular protagonism and follow institutional guidelines. Today, as in the past, we must confront projects that only strengthen and feed domination with extractivist and repressive agendas.

Our commemoration, then, depends on the development of an organized social force capable of breaking with the current historical trend, one that does not give in to institutional shortcuts or quick and easy solutions, one that transcends messianic pretensions, and pushes back the ideas and practices promoted by the bourgeoisie, whether in their fascist, liberal, or progressive forms.

Finally, as organized and social anarchists we believe that disputing the present and the future from an anti-statist, anti-capitalist, and anti-patriarchal revolutionary project is a priority. This project must reclaim the invaluable experiences of struggle and resistance that are today honorably preserved in the memory of the people. We are confident that this path of memory, struggle, and organization will bring us closer to our liberation.

Long live those who struggle!

Signatories:

☆Federación Anarquista Santiago (FAS) – Chile
☆Coordinación Anarquista Latinoamericana (Federacion Anarquista Uruguaya [FAU], Federación Anarquista de Rosario [FAR], Coordinación Anarquista Brasileña [CAB])
☆Organisation Socialiste Libertaire (OSL) – Switzerland
☆Embat, Organització Llibertària de Catalunya – Catalonia
☆Black Rose Anarchist Federation / Federación Anarquista Rosa Negra (BRRN) – United States
☆Libertäre Aktion (LA) – Switzerland
☆Union Communiste Libertaire (UCL) – France
☆Grupo Libertario Vía Libre – Colombia
☆Die Plattform – Germany
☆Roja y Negra Organización Politíca Anarquista – Argentina
☆Anarchist Communist Group (ACG) Great Britain
☆Alternativa Libertaria (AL/FdCA) – Italy
☆Organización Anarquista de Córdoba – Argentina
☆Organización Anarquista de Santa Cruz – Argentina
☆Organización Anarquista de Tucuman – Argentina

unioncommunistelibertaire.org/…

Journées d’été rouge et noir 2023

L’Union communiste libertaire a de nouveau tenu ses journées d’été au Hameau de Bécours des Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs de France, dans l’Aveyron. Cette édition 2023 a réuni entre le 13 et le 20 août entre 100 et 140 personnes chaque jour.

Syndicalisme révolutionnaire, antipatriarcat, antiracisme, antifascisme, internationalisme — avec la présence remarquée de représentant·es du mouvement kurde et de l’organisation allemande Die Platform —, écologisme, librisme : le programme était dense et y figuraient les principaux secteurs d’intervention de l’UCL. Des bilans de la mobilisation retraites et de la révolte suite à l’assassinat de Nahel étaient particulièrement attendus. Pour préparer une actualité sociale de la rentrée, un débat peut-être plus inattendu sur l’euthanasie et le suicide assisté a également été organisé. Comme chaque année, des temps informels sportifs, culturels, festifs entouraient ces ateliers. Pour la première fois cette année, le Réseau de Ravitaillement de Rennes s’est chargé de la préparation des repas et a régalé les participant·es de sa cuisine végan.

Les participant·es étaient pour beaucoup des sympathisant·es abonné·es au journal et des militant·es membres de l’organisation depuis moins de deux ans. Si la faible part de camarades plus expérimentés a pu être regrettée, ce renouvellement témoigne aussi d’une organisation vivante, en mesure de former les révolutionnaires de demain. Malgré une vraie vigilance collective, ces journées n’ont pas su esquiver la résurgence du covid-19 de cet été. Nous espérons que les camarades touchés se sont bien rétablis et que nous en tirerons des leçons pour l’avenir.