
Alexander is a writer, traveler, and serial digital entrepreneur. He’s the founder of the Tushi, the Gen X personal growth newsletter Further, and offers small business advice at Unemployable.

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Director and Chief Evangelist

Alexander Hipp


Anil is a content-obsessed marketer who loves driving organic traffic for outstanding companies. He is also the creator of Hack the Content, co-host of The Runner, and owner of several digital commerce sites.

Managing Partner

Anil Vugels


Monika is a writer, musician, and content strategist with a passion for language. When she isn’t helping clients, you can find her writing songs, hiking in a northern forest, or furiously journaling.

Director of Operations

Ann Monika

Programmer / Founder / Student

Tim Schupp



In light of Twilio Video Calls reaching its end of life, the quest for a new video call service provider - for our startup [Little World](https://little-world.com) - is essential for seamless communication experiences. This comparison focuses on technical capabilities, overlooking aspects such as server hosting locations and GDPR compliance which are beyond the scope of this review.

I've experimented & compiled the following table, to compare various services based on criteria essential for React-based web and native applications. These criteria include unique authentication for rooms, server-side token generation, webhooks, device detection and permissions, compatibility across platforms, mobile redirection capabilities, pricing, React SDK availability, self-hosting possibilities, and practical implementation tests.

| Feature / Service | [LiveKit](https://docs.livekit.io/realtime/) | [Dyte.io](https://dyte.io/) | [Jitsi Meet Self Hosted](https://jitsi.org/) | [Jitsi 8x8 Conferencing](https://8x8.vc/) | [Zoom](https://zoom.us/) |
|-------------------|:--------------------------------------------:|:-------------------------:|:-------------------------------------------:|:-----------------------------------------:|:-----------------------:|
| Unique Authentication Required Rooms | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Server-side Token Generation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks (Join/Leave) | Yes | Yes | [No #1](#1) | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in Device Detection & Permissions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cross-Platform Compatibility | [Yes (React Native) #2](#2) | [Partially (No WebView) #3](#3) | [Yes #5](#5) | [Yes #5](#5) | [Partially #5](#4) |
| Mobile Redirect for App Calls | No | [Uncertain #5](#5) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Affordable & Scalable Pricing | Yes | Yes | Not really (Consider Maintenance) | [No #6](#6) | [Yes #7](#7) |
| React SDK Availability | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [No #8](#8) |
| Self-Hosting Capability | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Practical Implementation Test | Not yet | No | Yes but no sockets! | Yes | Yes |

###### Notes:

- <a id="1"></a>**#1 Jitsi Meet Self Hosted**: Webhooks would require custom implementation.
- <a id="2"></a>**#2 LiveKit**: Exclusive React Native integrations for Android and iOS.
- <a id="3"></a>**#3 Dyte.io**: Limited to native apps, lacks in-browser video call support.
- <a id="4"></a>**#4 Zoom**: Compatibility issues noted with WebView; [native or react-native Zoom clients necessary](https://developers.zoom.us/docs/video-sdk/react-native/)
- <a id="5"></a>**#5 Jitsi**: Even has mobile webview / capacitor support ( no need for native / react native )
- <a id="6"></a>**#6 Jitsi 8x8 Conferencing**: Expensive for broader usage.
- <a id="7"></a>**#7 Zoom**: Pricing model based on usage; but specificly low entry pricing / many free minutes per month
- <a id="8"></a>**#8 Zoom**: The SDK constrains customization options, offering default Zoom UI.

For developers seeking to replace Twilio Video Calls, this comparison sheds light on several viable alternatives. Each service offers a unique blend of features and constraints, making it crucial to align the choice with the specific needs of your application and user base. 

Further exploration and prototypes are valuable steps toward identifying the most suitable video call service. Additionally, reviewing discussions and feedback, such as those found in [community forums](https://www.reddit.com/r/node/comments/18bain4/list_of_top_twilio_video_alternatives/), can provide insights and considerations from a broader development community.

#### Conclusion

To me, it seems that LiveKit is the most promising solution. It allows full UI customization, has the required socket integrations, React Native SDKs, and can even be self-hosted. I was surprised to see how difficult and annoying it is to use the Zoom SDK with a custom video call UI; other than that, it's probably the best in terms of pricing. Jitsi is also quite good in this regard, but the missing WebSocket integrations (offered by 8x8 Conferencing) make it hard to use for web applications.

Dyte also looks fairly strong, but I haven't investigated it as much. In my opinion, it loses to LiveKit for not being open-source or self-hostable.

This comparison is not exhaustive in any regard, please contact me for comments or improvements!


#### Additional Options To Consider:

- https://docs.videosdk.live/
- https://www.daily.co/


A comprehensive comparison of leading video call service providers focusing on cross-platform compatibility for React-based web and native applications.

Comparison of Video Call Services for Cross-Platform React Web/Native Apps


# Solid Authentication Overview

> A presentation prepared for the
> 'Data Ecosystems Lab'

## Content

This blog article delves into several key aspects of Solid authentication and OpenID Connect, providing insights into the mechanisms and practical implementation details:

- **Introduction to Solid and OpenID Connect**: An overview of the Solid framework and how OpenID Connect (OIDC) serves as a foundational technology for secure authentication.
- **The Solid Community Server's Authentication Process**: A closer look at how the Solid Community Server implements OIDC and the intricacies involved in user verification.
- **Reverse Engineering Authentication with Python**: Step-by-step guidance on how to reverse engineer client authentication processes using the Python `requests` library.
- **Jupyter Notebook Demonstration**: A practical example showcasing the authentication flow within a Jupyter notebook, accessible for interactive learning and experimentation.
- **Flow Charts and Visual Aids**: The inclusion of original and comprehensive flow charts to visualize the authentication sequence as defined by the Solid project.

> If you want to deploy solid on a self hosted kubernetes cluster [checkout this blog post](todo)

## Presentation Slides

<iframe src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vR9IbBdC5t9iGfPpiIm6voYEIJvfLBghO4rQoI1J57_cqfim40nndh1kjCajXyoTt77bQVvMgLaLkDJ/embed?start=false&loop=true&delayms=5000" frameborder="0" width="960" height="569" allowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe>

## Flow Chart

- To view the original flow chart as published by the Solid project, please visit this link: [Solid OIDC Flow Chart](https://solidproject.org/TR/oidc)
- For a full-size preview of the flow chart, click here: [Full Size Flow Chart Preview](https://viewer.diagrams.net/?tags=%7B%7D&highlight=0000ff&edit=_blank&layers=1&nav=1&title=diagramm.xml#R7V3bcptIGn6WuVDV7oUozodLW46SbM3UeOKkUnuVQqIlsUFqBpDszNNvNydB8yNAAoRkchHbTQMN%2Ff3nAxNptn376Jnu5g9sIWci8tbbRHqaiKKgqgb5QUd%2BRSOywUcDa8%2B24knHgRf7HxQPJtP2toX83MQAYyew3fzgEu92aBnkxkzPw6%2F5aSvs5O%2FqmmtUGHhZmk5x9LttBZtoVFf44%2FgnZK83yZ0FPj6yNZPJ8YC%2FMS38mhmSPkykmYdxEP22fZshh7685L1E581LjqYL89AuqHOC%2BYfh%2FTpIbwdNdP%2FGb389ffn0YRpf5WA6%2B%2FiBJ6LqkOs9rjC5LHlh5jI6oP69pyt9nOHtCnuBaR6H6PaagTmlp0x9b5mbvwkCulUPdGHinE7xuTXGaweZru1zS7wlw0ufTJmvzK3tUJyA91DX9Oc3H3nJEuPrJYfi1xz8SvaOvHGX%2FrrfOr%2FbK%2BTYO%2FLXo4s8e4sCchnpyYmHn49jj68bO0AvbvTcrwTV4UNsHfKXQH4lQAtMcgo9nSd%2FWx52v5reGgXxwBI7jun69iJcBh3x0HLv%2BfYBfUF%2BBHA6ivcBvfUsBS4ddMljkxE%2F8Mg96CAy%2FeAV%2BfT5duj1g0XAmTyg9nh8PSg9cHxj9J2nx50Fzpydea0zZlLJBQ7IC2xCFiWnkgc8ICt3Lp%2Bb4OH9zirM0J4yh6L3W4R1glGyAvSWGYph%2FhFhsnXeLzIlPipLnCBFJyVcJ6bB1yMJp4S6yZCvnhCrGbONdXrxI2WRX2LiakBoIkBoDFwzIHMx2f1wCcrjRHliUEswssFrvDOdLG5BPAUhMl8oIfhFSniHYCvC6yRfrI85JQc4DQJcEW%2Ba0hXelCrG3gPHrik8Iu79SGX1yNvvjNxa5%2B0iL3K6UMncxV6Zu3ZrxEbePyU1%2FjtafLbqklyGUBLEPDj2ekfGFjgIyErpha0HqnXTMQcvf%2BbgSxCfh2oCS%2BkphWAKt5i8Uvzwp%2FDj470XP%2F1J8RskxFw2T43m0TWfRKOHHDMgVJ%2B3NwBcxac%2BU4F%2BRLFg5MWFIDHQjB4oPuuITvJuzV%2BZabGeUHqfVOgk91EYG4Fdl8rMl0%2FPT2kPvj75JVoxc3ayfLxa%2BSiYsOSXvufzKVJvpG7VgTN20Y6KBNPfpPyMHI4tVv0KQN8j5eXpBf81fVlMZ%2Fajo60%2B4uTBuwawqDIAVhkAR5R2MYAlFpBqLYAlSplYscoSMjsDhac243bkQiwP%2BGcPH2zrqI0tvGTGw57IWJF%2FQQS7wGGiBUUILZ8yanh3rOHFb0g5ycQaWFWyxuVJGFL2JEjZ41tQ9kCiNhqJltGS78%2BSP8mDa2OOlThGPVNeEFoA3M7531ravL18M5T%2FPqFv%2F3w7vO6nYjNlZkRct4grIKkuCE8gjpPyJq0hJmyvAnWJ26l1LidADstB6y4e%2BntP8ZdatfwTXu63KFQx7t7AjQ3XrIF7kpn0biCwns6WLFxJOcsCLTMQ2FWWmDEdmbIwJd6cd%2BlIiX9%2BnpFTaHB2Za%2FPNwXujDBPqZWd06WWpxexK7pkPENihSdJUhRwXTXpmL3bEOm40htAbE%2Fs5YhsIkp8%2BC9Hi0fKSAYj4g9tL0LrvMC7bxF5NSXg%2FgL5Hz98nVCH%2FNxCWzx1MRHYc9fDK5tqffOl6ZEBaYuaegsIiZqOgxy89swto%2FvmjjVwGqzsN5Q4%2BqK%2FHWeW7pW00pdouaTGb%2BDhnyhzZKErclumsGjAgi6rIYpQTLsNuwQEtHiDgmlt%2B1HkY%2BbYGc1wFEkDEklSR8EQiYnRJ%2Fc5T1UsrHIAIqahp%2BCOwh5GEdLXjO%2BxTqRUG2o7PMJoTZLcCNISfHZf4ZGEgkaNKJQxz3%2B%2BxCoRh%2B0l1YeIvBr1nwTqYomUyKV9pOGCXjQgSaoCcBPtxN7ZgenQ10yAH6snvBnG2zrRSXY49OS2yL99wtYCVuUJB%2Be2kyyNrCD%2Ba1gpHTHOeI7n4yVcmuTBM4g1utFrROY%2BMl%2BR5CE2nK8p4HPUEzKiUvEWBqA3SVBMrz9BNDQzKX9XHzu2pXA%2BYSSmMyX35Sx0CA%2BNkimiH0HnGBKBYoZ6v7JJrpRN7wrTzLMP9ZmixXIcV0pdt%2B8vsxSkWzJElbq4kFT1QqpM%2FGPCAGhQbosGz4G675q7M6EeXSjYutO9701DCTCR%2Ba1pO1wgbLktPfMr8gNBlH7LIC6643lpXvcHxPjoVJBY8SDLxei%2BmJnWCzgVyPpuxaLox1mUMzZiN1XW1uDr2xqMbVDDqBDhLb%2FQYmCywuWaqnJTg0HQNPA%2BdRX6Qk5eTcOmLXVdaZaCdztuzu7dkuzW1Q2UNve1S%2BB96kFMYSzaukHq1vzorTkmh6MGV%2BsBRokakEZquVfy7qY%2Fd%2FiVSPk5JRnbmka5HXuP4BLvbkDo9xSt1QtCH0pd7ixgC%2Bd%2BVaH6ltCql6A1ahBAKxioaURYVL7IrXmkN5%2FgXgG%2BEpwAaCp3dKscE2rUgVzQEm2xjRJHEDuV3oQ7ws4HWh1JkfM7XtvUhJp5yPJvCEHF%2FgcqYAx3CKFTjvgxjX0QaeyXibeCDSCI9RLWRa2rjHV5LMy5Y3zJIsDBIOWJLfFsD18j%2F7obfCl8AV9gi6Be8VWZTtnECUwAsfO3Nj3NibUYqqF1lEoQxvq%2Fbuxdu46SnIsvdi6Wu%2FhOdhjp37Ui6zSVIPNPzV%2BzraxGNvofOxFLE%2B2ZlhCyXjHfYOc38%2BQUnYWMAjCA%2BL9y3Vjp0BLRyGTbcsn%2FMecYQ%2F3HVJsCnFVI7%2B01jlMZZOwyeFhmStM%2BEeQ9Ex4f0Hy2bNtG0IA%2BJ3R4hl19YV%2FB%2FN6nburs3iu97v1YUwQyrtAp7W1H1nWKdSlQhkRXrMvfLIld8pNoerP51zfnO7%2F7tAe7z16miA4yjpdPZgXfhNSRUlqIQiiSwWmMJto45leqLCp8rRt2HR%2BubH55DYn4Ja2KnkXcKY6Y8XNMnc5JQRr%2FsFwi%2F7S3%2BSaEpViEAuTD0cCUrDac0CChiW1CIxUz79SorizLSnyylaWGcm%2BFWUVU1mwK19gwl%2FKGs6JVVMDrOiugGzW7g3hvza58HdnaIAEOkjd%2F3tmBHdbeWGTWV6KF0ct9QZbtUUfszfNiRWBjyooG2K2i2FV6LAiFcoenZR9qb%2FHCXP5ch290Ghs7dKftaEcjAyQz7q0X%2F4o8zXzy49%2BxMUOhklgZD6GYTnB3PF4ja3aiPEq8RF3%2BSS2ftSQ%2Fo0IuYo%2FIE%2B0xKu%2F64cUA%2B7H3bOrbPo0qEH65N%2FXebBpB4TlVqsR1NqWin84ILX1Wo2UmZ1GHzIo8nmpu6XbuFj79kWqeX8L2CEkmF%2F9hZ7mRWLgpZifoeU4H9uKHvDRt6Jxw55cbasbfBryStk%2BffX9%2FSQfYayNHAJEDJTV0lXVVzkdccKtoVHiarCzcLLIyBRZT12dIrofoflGpbO4simR%2BohJhbaEfyw2VSjtiDFAVlieHo4PEUAnoGEfVtE2opS32tkOPJmHOvedcrrClw26b6Lwoq4tFpwQ0AAL5GtuopD0xN5YYMmSRJC9kBOkPdBSjxxOG7pO2TKSvQP1NXeposWqJ4WqFXFewdFbtrGwP5Lo31NfqfOb7gpzQtOXnYQUpMW%2BoF3LvOti0ehXZLSdLaxCA%2Bs6Wruwn0ISvuB7euuFJ0U754c5lqi067142oE4hhdBKfay019mDqdPTtG48iIIgc%2FCdyr%2FfYrBnNPIhFvMuC8%2FWrwsR1orfaeXqOdhvGel6PxWpWqMkMwC17DrbizjCiIRyg89m%2BDGfT2Qxb1Fwjry%2BtTZRoDPa6Et2sDxd7yj%2BxLaF0qu%2B%2FSXI4LpOyJpT129Ms4X3MIDEULHSc3dnlisNVqRuu9sxV1VZU3UNMlclQZYUOd6WbIAi%2FNeOGctSGvjJGOiLlJ1ZsNW9xocGQTuNwGZceRMxjN5BvRBvt2PzFbQ4oDghcRS23mOZFW%2FJnc6uF2BXOgQD5C4akAwDiGq97W3eGbkARPVCILIr7dimAIPIo5Xbg5UrCwaX9K%2FpuvXS8VZnd18CVttxgq1cmd%2FQWuCn2JRmcKpLU4vgOo%2FUQmvXpC15ksokzeM8phAsp5pWDsdS6CkxSSwk3MlAv3LR6DewlUiQdtxUx898HTX0XO766Jmq9kxdw%2BPUVcazYLDRB6XKhyQ0PkMrPM2FfqcrJ0nDhAplVoy6X8GTe73enErNuNilCiJTNdAc3TVjk60hF6pGvkPTuE7xi9oJEKkNrec%2FF6wkdTatG9ECl7StYG5V14qWyy7QASDLKyvHCmmgQnoZ6mxjhfSJCmnoG0P9Vkg3UwTGplMDbzrFMG4NBFgRX%2ByH2doLFDUT1yO%2BusXXRbmQRZe1XrOpWWfV1mNLxiGh6%2BKWjAz3UsEGIgC82uiZB%2BKrWUvGgRob59sWBUOlh4Cd0tFHKYoBO6XRZykUvmKdHdsZQke%2B1cSlygdRVfo7bTXRB9ALypnBaUItEDUFuyzznFR6t9IOEUrxLKX6LKF4llx9lnjWCjWt%2Bl6VhGywPgNoJwbQyqK6rvdd%2BRZy3y8Oex40Yll3718Q9CKwIQ1K7jMkCNl%2F91Nh7JF3ZKMDzSmcqLEo%2FRGh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## Jupyter Notebook

- For a hands-on demonstration of the reverse-engineered authentication using the Python `requests` library, access the Jupyter Notebook here: [Presentation: Reverse-Engineered Authentication Notebook](https://colab.research.google.com/drive/17H9eaPhxgqb4yonFpfEle39pQjWghL_o?usp=sharing)


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Exploring the workings of OpenID Connect, the Solid Community Server implementation, and reverse-engineering client authentication with Python requests.

Understanding Solid Authentication


> Discover the cheapest and easiest way I've found to create personal Kubernetes clusters.

This blog post provides a step-by-step guide to setting up a private Kubernetes cluster on a Virtual Private Server (VPS), with the following features ready and configured:

- VPS firewall setup to expose HTTP/HTTPS & kubeapi server
- MetalLB configured for load balancing and exposing VPS IP
- Ingress and cert-manager setup for quick & automatic TLS management
- Kubeapi server configured for restricted remote access

The **prerequisites** for this tutorial are: **A VPS with a Public IP**, **A domain with a configurable DNS**.

## Step 1: Create a base user

Connect to your VPS. In a terminal, create a user and add them to the sudoers.

```bash
adduser <user-name>
usermod -aG sudo <user-name>
```

## Step 2: Create SSH keys

On your local machine, create SSH keys to access the server.
Set a secure password for the key.

```bash
ssh-keygen -b 2048 -t rsa
chmod 600 <key-file> <key-file>.pub
```

Copy the content of `<key-name>.pub` to your VPS at `/home/<user-name>/.ssh/authorized_keys`.

Now we edit the ssh config to require the ssh key, edit `/etc/ssh/sshd_config`

```bash
PasswordAuthentication no # yes before
PubkeyAuthentication yes # no before
```

Then restart the ssh service `service ssh restart`

> Note: these are minimal ssh setup setups and depending on the environment extra steps should be taken to make ssh more robust agains outside attacks.

## Step 3: Set up and enable the firewall

Set up the firewall to allow SSH, HTTP, HTTPS connections and also expose port `16443` which will be used to access the Kubeapi server.

```bash
ufw allow ssh
ufw allow http
ufw allow https
ufw allow 16443
ufw enable
```

Now disconnect from your server and reconnect as the new user:

```bash
ssh -i "<private-server-key>" <user-name>@<server-IP>
```

## Step 4: Install and set up microk8s

```bash
sudo snap install microk8s --classic --channel=1.28
sudo microk8s enable rbac
sudo microk8s start
microk8s enable ingress dns hostpath-storage cert-manager
```

If you want to use the current user to manage microk8s; this is not recomended for production clusters

```
sudo usermod -a -G microk8s <your-user>
```

Now we create a default cluster issuer: `letsencrypt-prod`:

```bash
microk8s kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
---
apiVersion: cert-manager.io/v1
kind: ClusterIssuer
metadata:
 name: letsencrypt-prod
spec:
 acme:
   email: <your email>
   server: https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/directory
   privateKeySecretRef:
     name: lets-encrypt-priviate-key
   solvers:
   - http01:
       ingress:
         class: public
EOF
```

We also need to enable some additional rules for the firewall ([see this github comment](https://github.com/canonical/microk8s/issues/2418#issuecomment-877350375)):

```bash
sudo ufw allow in on cali+
sudo ufw allow out on cali+
```

To check for general configration issues use `microk8s inspect`
This can give you some easy setup configuration infos and warnings such as:

To enable ip forwarding:

```
sudo iptables -P FORWARD ACCEPT
sudo apt-get install iptables-persistent
```


No to konfigure kubeserver access through the host dns, edit `/var/snap/microk8s/current/certs/csr.conf.template`:

```bash
[ alt_names ]
DNS.1 = kubernetes
DNS.2 = kubernetes.default
DNS.3 = kubernetes.default.svc
DNS.4 = kubernetes.default.svc.cluster
DNS.5 = kubernetes.default.svc.cluster.local
DNS.6 = k8s.<your-domain>
```

Refresh the server certificate:

```bash
sudo microk8s refresh-certs --cert server.crt
```

View the updated client certificate: `microk8s config > kubeconfig.yaml`.
Open the `kubeconfig.yaml` and edit the `server:` entry.

```bash
...
- cluster:
    certificate-authority-data: XXXXXXXXCENSOREDXXXXXXX
    server: <pub-IP> <---- put k8s.<domain> here
...
```

Now you can connect to the Kubernetes cluster from your local machine:

```bash
KUBECONFIG="./kubeconfig.yaml" kubectl get pods --all-namespaces
```

## Step 5: Setting Up MetalLB

First, prepare `<your-domain>`. 
Create a specific or one wildcard DNS entry:

```bash
<your-domain> -> <vps-ip>
*.<your-domain> -> <vps-ip>
```

Enable `metallb` via `microk8s enable metallb:<your-ip>-<your-ip>`.

To make `metallb` work correctly, apply the patch described in [this GitHub comment](https://github.com/canonical/microk8s/issues/824#issuecomment-1003284063).


```bash
#!/bin/sh

command -v kubectl > /dev/null 2>&1 && KUBECTL=kubectl
command -v microk8s.kubectl > /dev/null 2>&1 && KUBECTL=microk8s.kubectl

INGTMPFILE=$(mktemp -t ingress_daemonset.XXXXXXXX)

trap "rm -f ${INGTMPFILE}" 0 1 2 3

${KUBECTL} -n ingress get daemonset nginx-ingress-microk8s-controller -o yaml | \
    sed -e 's|- --publish-status-address=.*|- --publish-service=$(POD_NAMESPACE)/ingress|' > ${INGTMPFILE}

${KUBECTL} diff -f ${INGTMPFILE}
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "No changes need to be made"
else
    ${KUBECTL} apply -f ${INGTMPFILE}
fi
```

You can now use LoadBalancer nodes that distribute the `<VPS-IP>`.

## Some Tips

#### Enabling tab completion for microk8s

`vim ~/.bash_aliases`

```bash
# add the fllowing
alias kubectl='microk8s kubectl'
export LC_ALL=en_US.utf-8
export LANG=en_US.utf-8
source /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion
source <(kubectl completion bash)  
```

#### Patching External Traffic Policies

```bash
kubectl patch svc nodeport -p '{"spec":{"externalTrafficPolicy":"Local"}}'
```

#### Testing the preservation of client IP adresses

```bash
kubectl expose deployment source-ip-app --name=loadbalancer --port=80 --target-port=8080 --type=LoadBalancer
```

## Conclusion

You now have a Kubernetes cluster with services that can be exposed via ingress, have a load balancer, and cert manager ready. You should be able to access these services through a host domain. 

> The possibilities are endless from here ;^)

You even have the option to connect this to multiple VPSs to extend your cluster. More on that in a future blog post.


A step-by-step guide to setting up a fully configurable private Kubernetes cluster

Setting up a Private Kubernetes Cluster on Your Own VPS Using Microk8s


This list is in no way exhaustive, nor does it deeply analyze and or compare.
The list is meant for later reference and comments, if you find factually false information, please contact me `tim+blog@timschupp.de`.
If you have comments are discussion points, also contact me. For a [change log, check the github history of this article](https://github.com/tbscode/tims-blog-posts/).

The developments in Surveillance are related to the power exercises of a few,
there are many more laws and regulation being instated that don't directly foster surveillance but ensure retention of power and ongoing corruption in governments and state actors. This goes so far that we pass many laws that have 'seemingly good intentions' but contain many causes that directly consolidate power of a few companies and actors, **this is a whole topic in itself and thus will receive it's own blog article in the future**.

<p style="text-align:center;">
  <img src="/static/assets/ClippyTimDark.png" alt="Clippy and Calvin" />
</p>

#### Why this list?

I'm convinced that misinformation and surveillance are some of the biggest Threats to democracy our way to live and our freedom to manage and control the live we lead. Especially currently I feel that a lot of the privacy protections the EU had in place are weakening and we are rapidly making steps towards surveillance.
Therefore I created this curated list, so I can share it when this topic is touched in a conversation.

Some quotes:

- `"[NSA] surveillance… threatens the core principles of a democratic society."` — Sir Tim Berners-Lee (2013)
- `"Spying on individuals on a massive scale, without strict legal rules and democratic oversight, ... harms freedom of speech, association and participation."` — Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights (2013)

## `#UK-1` Online Safety Act

Under the umbrella of 'protect children online' the UK-Online-Safety-Act enables nationwide censorship of content.
It enforces age-checks on any publicly accessible web-page in the UK that host content which is 'age-restricted'.
The UK's Office for Communications (Ofcom) is enforcing the law by fining website owners that don't introduce age verification.
Age verification 

Additional Concerns are that the Online Safety act also contains status around *Encryption & client-side scanning*,
which some argue could enable even further reaching surveillance.

**Tim's Comment**: The enforcement hits the wrong target here. If it were actually fulfilling the goal of online safety, it would be no issue at all to enable global authentication at carrier level, thus restrict children's access without enforcing change with the platform owners. The way the law is currently set-up it allows for targeted censorship, which use we have already seen (3). Also forcing plattform owner to perform the age verification on their plattform but trough a 3rd party ventor, opens up many new angels for internet usage tracking of individuals.
The EU's Digital Services Act is a somewhat 'weaker' but well better designed law that enforce similar but more controlled measures to protect against similar dangers.

#### Reference:

1. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_Safety_Act_2023)
2. [Discord Data Breach](https://proton.me/blog/discord-age-verfication-breach) Though this is only indirectly related to the safety act it clearly shows the danger of processing and storing ID's.
3. [Safety Act Used For Censorship Instead Protection](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/aug/04/social-media-battles-and-barbs-on-both-sides-of-atlantic-over-uk-online-safety-act?utm_source=chatgpt.com)


## `#EU-1` Chat-Control

Since 2022 brought to the EU courts multiple times, a law under the name "Chat-Control" Proposes measure toward ensuring child safety, combating [CSAM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_pornography) online, targeting specifically messaging services.
 
The proposal calls for scanning messaging content for CSAM or abuse, many experts have noted that this crashes with end-to-end-encryption on a technical level, and thus would only be feasible with client side scanning, which in turn bypasses the whole concept of end to end encryption.

**Tim's Comment**: Again, enforcement seems misdirected. If the actual goal is protecting children, this can be pursued with targeted, court-supervised investigations and better cross-border policing **and especially better education and measure for parents to protect their kids**. But not through normalizing client side bulk scanning. Mandating mechanisms that break or bypass E2EE opens the door to selective filtering and abuse. As with many other these, we know **existing capabilities WILL be abused**.

#### Reference:

1. [Wikipedia: EU regulation on CSAM detection/"Chat Control"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chat_control)
2. [EDRi: Why client-side scanning is a threat to privacy and security](https://edri.org/our-work/chat-control-what-is-actually-going-on/)
3. [Signal: Scanning content on your phone breaks end-to-end encryption](https://aboutsignal.com/news/the-end-of-private-conversations-signal-threatens-to-leave-the-eu-if-chat-control-becomes-mandatory/).
4. [Bugs in our Pockets: The Risks of Client-Side Scanning](https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.07450)


## `#EU-2` Facial Scanning and the EU-AI-Act

The new EU-AI-Act contain several regulation in terms of use and application of facial recognition - which can be in-part seen as positive protection - of application for facial scanning, and the use of biometric data.
If compared to several other countries this law is very careful and mandates regulatory oversight and allows use only in narrowly defined scenarios, but regardless it mandates the use of facial scanning in several scenarios. It gives the regulatory decision power to the member state in question and enforces reporting and self-regulation.

**Tim's Comment**: Forbidding facial scanning in many scenarios is a step in the right direction! But the effectiveness and the bias of regulatory oversight for the cases where it will be permitted is to be questioned. Also the member state enforcement or actions if these rules are broken aren't defined well. Thus generally more options for surveillance are given and roll-out of these systems will be supported by these regulation existing.


#### Reference:

1. [EU Parliament](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20240308IPR19015/artificial-intelligence-act-meps-adopt-landmark-law#:~:text=Law%20enforcement%20exemptions%20The%20use,linked%20to%20a%20criminal%20offence)

## `#GOGL-1` Mandatory developer verification coming for all APP's

Starting in September 2026 (with rollout stages beginning March 2026), Google will require **developer verification** for **every app** installed on certified Android devices—including apps from third‑party stores and direct APK installs; ADB installs are the notable exception (1)(2)(4). Any install outside Play (F‑Droid, other stores, direct downloads) must be tied to a verified legal identity and registered package names, extending Play‑style checks to off‑Play distribution (1)(3).

Practically, anonymous or hobbyist distribution becomes much harder: unverified installs ( which they want use to call 'sideloads' ) will fail on certified devices, and third‑party stores can only ship apps from verified developers (4)(5). Google presents this as curbing PHAs and ban‑evasion while "keeping Android open and safe" (1).

This coincides with broader use of Play Integrity, where apps check "installed by Play" and device/strong integrity. That tends to exclude non‑certified OSes like GrapheneOS despite strong security properties, leading to breakage in banking, payments, transit, streaming, and games when developers enforce those verdicts (5)(6).

**Tim's Comment**: Useful against re‑uploads, but it centralizes control and blurs certification with security. Prefer **hardware key attestation** for stronger, targeted trust—and treat "installed by Play" and device/strong integrity as advisory, not hard gates, so secure alt‑OS users aren’t collateral (6)(5).

#### Reference:

1. [Android Developer Verification Policy](https://developer.android.com/developer-verification?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
2. [Android Developers Blog: Rollout Timeline](https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
3. [The Verge: Google Verification Requirement](https://www.theverge.com/news/765881/google-android-apps-side-loading-developer-verification?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
4. [Hackaday: Non-ADB APK Installs Require Registration](https://hackaday.com/2025/10/06/google-confirms-non-adb-apk-installs-will-require-developer-registration/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
5. [Play Integrity API Overview](https://developer.android.com/google/play/integrity/overview?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
6. [GrapheneOS: Attestation Compatibility Guide](https://grapheneos.org/articles/attestation-compatibility-guide?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
7. [F-Droids statement](https://f-droid.org/en/2025/09/29/google-developer-registration-decree.html)


## `#MSFT-1` Windows Recal + MSA tied TUID

Windows 11 develops in a similar way as Android and IOS with their device integrity apis.
With Win11 TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are enableed by default and and siginifantly harder up to impossible to circumvent.
This plus moving windows towards being usable with Microsoft Account, Any attestation, any system callback, anything that leaves a trace really, can easily be linked to your microsoft identity. And even worse with the Mandatory Roll-Out of Windows-Recall, which is supposed to take screenshots every 5 minutes, even apps that try to protect your privacy will be exposed. All Security Prommises microsoft makes are directly hiding a pricacy concession, microsoft also joins the companies normalizing hardware-rooted, cloud tied attestation.

TPM 2.0 + Secure Boot are the default for supported installs, while setup heavily steers you into a Microsoft Account. The TPM isn't "spyware"; it's a secure coprocessor (keys, PCR measurements, sealing, attestation). But combined with Windows' security stack (BitLocker/Device Encryption, VBS/HVCI, Windows Hello) and the cloud defaults (OneDrive/Store/Widgets/Copilot), it makes proving "this exact machine, in this exact state, used by this signed‑in person" easy—when services choose to enforce it. That's great for stopping disk theft and some malware; it's bad for staying low‑friction anonymous. Remote attestation can become a gate: prove genuine Windows and an unmodified boot chain or get blocked, a model already used in enterprise and increasingly mirrored by anti‑cheat/DRM‑like systems. With MSA, devices are registered, encryption keys may be backed up, and telemetry/online features link behavior to account and hardware; Pluton on some CPUs further centralizes the root of trust. You can still go local‑account, trim telemetry, avoid MS services, use a VM, or switch OS—but these are now "advanced user paths," and the trend is to narrow them.

**Tim's Comment**: The mechanisms (TPM, Secure Boot) are genuinely useful for security, but the risk is how they're combined with mandatory online identity, opaque telemetry, and attestation used as an access/lockdown weapon. This shifts power from the device owner to the platform vendor. Remote attestation can become "show me you're running unmodified, approved software or you're out"—already happening in enterprise and anti‑cheat scenarios. The MSA requirement + TPM‑backed identity + telemetry systematicly threaten user anonymity and privacy. As with other surveillance capabilities, we know **existing capabilities WILL be abused**. The trend toward narrowing local‑account and offline paths, while pushing cloud‑first defaults, makes truly anonymous, de‑tethered usage more work than on older Windows—and Microsoft keeps closing workarounds.

#### References:

1. [The Hidden Spy in Windows 11 (TPM Chips)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1eX_vvAlUc)

### More to check-out

This Post isn't finished, nor does it contain really much, just contains what I was able to write down in a few hours.
I strongly encourage everyone to do their own research on the topic, circle back, comment, [and maybe also help me extend this post, simply open an issue on my github with your proposed changes.](https://github.com/tbscode/tims-blog-posts/issues/new/choose).

##### Reference:

1. [The Survailence Report](https://surveillancereport.tech/)
2. [Missfits: Enshitification](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374619329/enshittification/)
3. [Manufacturing Consent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Consent) A book more relevant then ever. 
*Quick Call-out: 🔩 you Studien Stiftung Deutschland for discrediting 'Manufactoring Consent' as globally not relevant topic in 2017*
4. [Consumer Rights](https://consumerrights.wiki/w/Main_Page)
5. [Flock Safetly Cameras](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a14lplBg2Y)

A quote from the Party in George Orwell's 1984. Indicators for increasing Surveillance, just a curated reference list, with some comments.

Programming

Comparison of Video Call Services for Cross-Platform React Web/Native Apps

Understanding Solid Authentication

Setting up a Private Kubernetes Cluster on Your Own VPS Using Microk8s

'War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.'