Today I learned a lot about #passkeys, part of which is that there is a lot of misinformation about passkeys going around.

Mostly I learned that passkeys are VULNERABLE to misrepresentation because so few people actually understand how they work. 😂

But the video I just boosted was really helpful, as were the voluminous replies in various threads in my feeds today.

I am feeling confident enough in my understanding now to try creating my first one 😬 in a password manager, of course.

Thanks, fedi, for teaching me!

RE: https://sfba.social/@announcements/117429255373652468

Just a reminder to set up a small recurring donation to your Mastodon server team, if you’re able. There are real people donating their real time and energy and emotional/technical labor so that you can have the experience of “federating” with all the other weirdos who also care about strange things like that/this.

I appreciate the sfba.social team for their clear communications and efforts keeping this place running smoothly. ❤️

Someone on the #BayArea #meshcore #mesh set up a bot that responds to commands, like `!test` or `!path`, to which it will respond with the repeater path via which it received your message.

But today I learned it will also accept `!joke`, to which the bot responds with something like:

🤣 I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down!

Hey #SanFrancisco what are your preferred cafes for laptop work on the north side of town (Richmond, Presidio, Marina…)?

EDIT: Or coworking spaces, or secret underground lairs with wifi…

#AskFedi

#California residents: DROP data broker removal requests start processing today. This is an amazing free service for you, with big penalties for brokers who do not comply. Submit your DROP requests anytime, but the sooner you do, the faster your data will be scrubbed. Think of it as a #privacy bath! 🧼🐥

https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/

Overly pleased that there was not a single firework to be heard or seen at this remote location in the #SierraNevada mountains yesterday. 💪

“The phishing exfiltration scam is coming from *inside* the House!” 😮

Got my first @oolie orders flagged as "high risk" this week. At the recommendation of our ecommerce platform, I cancelled both orders, refunding the money to the credit cards. Weird, but end of story, right?

Well one of these fraudsters had the gall to initiate a chargeback with the credit card company *after* I'd already processed a refund! Their card company is demanding double the amount of the original charge.

WTF? We have never faced this before. Maybe this is a common scam, but it seems totally deranged to me.

Also, if you're going to live your life this way, scamming funds out of businesses, maybe don't pick on small, independent family businesses.

What office suite do people like these days?

Must work on both Mac and Linux (Mint), so we can share docs. Need primarily word processing & spreadsheets. Open to locally run or also web-based (self-hosted).

(I don’t actually know how to tip my @moderators. 😬 But I do contribute monthly to cover costs!)

“Interface design is my passion”

#LiquidGlass #iOS26

Nice, if brief, profile of @Cdespinosa, Apple employee #8.

Yet… what in the world is this photo, allegedly of an Apple IIe, but with a Mac-style mouse and a Lisa-like windowed GUI showing an application similar to MacPaint. I am fairly certain nothing like this ever ran on a IIe. Everyone my age knows that the IIe only ever ran BASIC and Oregon Trail! 😜

NYT credits Apple for the image, but to me it looks fishy. The windowed GUI (and Lisa) came later.

Okay, nerds, explain this! 😅

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/01/technology/apple-employee-50-years.html?unlocked_article_code=1.X1A.tdvt.toSsZaZ8yEG9&smid=url-share

#SF folks, you will be able to get today’s Waldo on the first try (it’s timely, for tonight)

https://waldo.tanay.app/

RE: https://mastodon.social/@twostraws/116193795618720400

Downloading now… 🤓😎

So I asked #CalPrivacy if my various identifiers are sent bundled together (which could enable linking them) or somehow disaggregated.

Good news! Their GREAT response:

***

CalPrivacy collects the minimal amount of information from consumers and, currently, the data is "debundled" and divided into 6 separate lists: email addresses, phone numbers, MAIDs, ConnectedTV IDs, VIN + Name, and (name, date of birth, zipcode).

Data brokers must select the list(s) that will make the most matches within their data bases. For example, some data brokers may only need the email address list, while others may need MAIDS and (name, date of birth zipcode). When data brokers pull the hashed list(s) of identifiers from DROP, each identifier is pulled separately. Therefore, they will not be able to link identifiers to other personal information that you submit to DROP.

Data brokers are legally obligated to only use the information provided by CalPrivacy to effectuate a deletion request and no other purpose.

***

🤓🎉 🏆

Hey #California — you already know about CalPrivacy’s new Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) that will scrub your info from data brokers’ lists starting Aug. 1.

https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/

When submitting your request, some info is optional. For example, in addition to name, email, DOB… you can provide vehicle VINs and smartphone/TV tracking IDs.

It's all optional, but the more you provide, the more thorough the scrubbing! 🧼

HOWEVER, I was concerned: What if I provided ALL of this info, and then an unscrupulous data broker (hahaha, they are all unscrupulous) actually used all that info to link me to my devices and vehicles, when they had not yet previously.

#Privacy nightmare, right??

1/

#SilentSunday

RE: https://sfba.social/@drahardja/115976358602850208

OK but call me when the inflatable frogs start ribbiting at council meetings 🐸🧑‍⚖️

When you write a thread of toots on #Mastodon, how do you it?

(I make the original toot, then have to navigate to find it, then hit “reply”. Rinse and repeat. It’s a bit clunky; I am hoping for a smoother way.)

#AskFedi

Can someone remind me how to block *all* Bluesky and Bridgy accounts/domains?

Thanks.

#AskFedi