Daily Archives: October 5, 2025

UK government says digital ID won’t be compulsory – unless you want a job. Even Palantir steps back from this one.

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The British government has finally given more details about the proposed digital ID project, directly responding to the 2.76 million naysayers that signed an online petition calling for it to be ditched.

This came a day after controversial spy-tech biz Palantir said it has no intention of helping the government implement the initiative – announced last week by prime minister Keir Starmer but not included in his political party’s manifesto at last year’s general election.

It is for this reason that Louis Mosley, UK boss at Palantir – the grandson of Sir Oswald Mosley – says his employer is not getting involved, despite being mentioned as a potential bidder.

“Digital ID is not one that was tested at the last election. It wasn’t in the manifesto. So we haven’t had a clear resounding public support at the ballot box for its implementation. So it isn’t one for us,” he told The Times

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Following in the footsteps of Estonia and other nations, including China, the UK government wants to introduce a “free” digital ID card for people aged 16 and over – though it is consulting on whether this should start at 13 – to let people access public and private services “seamlessly.” It will “build on” GOV.UK One Login and the GOV.UK Wallet, we’re told.

“This system will allow people to access government services – such as benefits or tax records – without needing to remember multiple logins or provide physical documents.

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The card, scheduled to be implemented by the end of the current Parliament, means employers will have to check digital ID when going through right-to-work checks, and despite previously saying the card will be mandatory, the government confirmed: “For clarity, it will not be a criminal offence to not hold a digital ID and police will not be able to demand to see a digital ID as part of a ‘stop and search.’

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Big Brother Watch says the national ID system is a “serious threat to civil liberties.”

“Digital ID systems can be uniquely harmful to privacy, equality and civil liberties. They would allow the state to amass vast amounts of personal information about the public in centralised government databases. By linking government records through a unique single identifier, digital ID systems would make it very easy to build up a comprehensive picture of an individual’s life.”

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Source: UK government says digital ID won’t be compulsory – honest • The Register

It also creates a single point of entry for anyone willing to hack the database. Centralised databases are incredibly broken ideas.

Also see: New digital ID will be mandatory to work in the UK. Ausweiss bitte!

And a quick search for “centralised database”

This is why people hate woke: some moron decided to remove the guns from James Bond. And Amazon Agreed.

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Last year, for April Fools, we ran a spoof news story about cigarettes being digitally removed from the James Bond films due to pressure to distance the character from smoking. It touched a nerve, and many commented that this could happen in the future.

In a disappointing case of fiction becoming fact, Amazon has decided to remove guns from the key art used on all the James Bond films on Prime. Whilst it may be appealing to have a unified look for the series on streaming, removing the Walthers has left Bond with some awkward poses.

Some covers have been achieved by cropping the image so the gun is outside the lower edge, but in some cases the images have been digitally manipulated to varying levels of success, including: Dr No (awkwardly folded arms), A View To A Kill (long arms), GoldenEye (contemplation), and Spectre (clumsily shortened empty holster).

 

Source: Disarming – Amazon has digitally removed guns from James Bond film key art – James Bond 007 :: MI6 – The Home Of James Bond

Which fuckwit thought this was a good idea, and which bunch of morons agreed to this?

Unity Real-Time Development Platform Vulnerability Let Attackers Execute Arbitrary Code

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Unity Technologies has issued a critical security advisory warning developers about a high-severity vulnerability affecting its widely used game development platform.

The flaw, designated CVE-2025-59489, exposes applications built with vulnerable Unity Editor versions to unsafe file loading attacks that could enable local code execution and privilege escalation across multiple operating systems.

The vulnerability stems from an untrusted search path weakness (CWE-426) that allows attackers to exploit unsafe file loading mechanisms within Unity-built applications.

With a CVSS score of 8.4, this security issue affects virtually all Unity Editor versions from 2017.1 through current releases, potentially impacting millions of deployed games and applications worldwide.

Local File Inclusion Vulnerability

The vulnerability manifests differently across operating systems, with Android applications facing the highest risk as they are susceptible to both code execution and elevation of privilege attacks.

Windows, Linux Desktop, Linux Embedded, and macOS platforms experience elevation of privilege risks, allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access at the application’s privilege level.

Security researchers at GMO Flatt Security Inc. discovered the flaw on June 4, 2025, through responsible disclosure practices.

The vulnerability exploits local file inclusion mechanisms, enabling attackers to execute arbitrary code confined to the vulnerable application’s privilege level while potentially accessing confidential information available to that process.

On Windows systems, the threat landscape becomes more complex when custom URI handlers are registered for Unity applications.

Attackers who can trigger these URI schemes may exploit the vulnerable library-loading behavior without requiring direct command-line access, significantly expanding the attack surface.

Risk Factors Details
Affected Products Unity Editor versions 2017.1+ and applications built with these versions across Android, Windows, Linux, and macOS
Impact Local code execution, privilege escalation, information disclosure
Exploit Prerequisites Local system access, vulnerable Unity-built application present on target system
CVSS 3.1 Score 8.4 (High)

Mitigations

Unity has released patches for all supported versions and extended fixes to legacy versions dating back to Unity 2019.1.

The company provides two primary remediation approaches: rebuilding applications with updated Unity Editor versions or applying binary patches using Unity’s specialized patch tool for deployed applications.

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Source: Unity Real-Time Development Platform Vulnerability Let Attackers Execute Arbitrary Code

vitamin D2 supplements could weaken your immunity – take D3 instead

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Taking vitamin D2 might lower the body’s levels of the more efficient form of vitamin D, vitamin D3, according to new research from the University of Surrey, John Innes Centre and Quadram Institute Bioscience. Many people take vitamin D supplements to support their bone and immune health and meet the UK government recommendation of 10 micrograms (µg) each day, especially during the winter months.

There are two forms of vitamin D supplements available: vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. Researchers have found that taking vitamin D2 supplements can lead to a drop in the body’s concentration of vitamin D3, which is the form our bodies naturally produce from sunlight and use most effectively to raise overall vitamin D levels.

The study, published in Nutrition Reviews, analysed data from randomised controlled trials and found that vitamin D2 supplementation resulted in a reduction in vitamin D3 levels compared to those not taking a vitamin D2 supplement. In many of the studies, the vitamin D3 levels went lower than in the control group.

Emily Brown, PhD Research Fellow and Lead Researcher of the study from the University of Surrey’s Nutrition, Exercise, Chronobiology & Sleep Discipline, said:

“Vitamin D supplements are important, especially between October and March, when our bodies cannot make vitamin D from sunlight in the UK. However, we discovered that vitamin D2 supplements can actually decrease levels of vitamin D3 in the body, which is a previously unknown effect of taking these supplements. This study suggests that subject to personal considerations, vitamin D3 supplements may be more beneficial for most individuals over vitamin D2.”

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Further research into the different functionalities of vitamin D2 and D3 should be a priority in deciding whether vitamin D3 should be the first-line choice of vitamin D supplement, subject to individual requirements.

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Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Surrey. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

  1. Emily I G Brown, Andrea L Darling, Tracey M Robertson, Kathryn H Hart, Jie Li, Cathie Martin, Martin J Warren, Colin P Smith, Susan A Lanham-New, Ruan M Elliott. Effect of Vitamin D2 Supplementation on 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 Status: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrition Reviews, 2025; DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuaf166

Source: The vitamin D mistake weakening your immunity | ScienceDaily

Scientists discover hidden protein that switches off hunger

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Researchers at Leipzig University and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have discovered a key mechanism for appetite and weight control. It helps the brain to regulate feelings of hunger. In a study, scientists from Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1423 – Structural Dynamics of GPCR Activation and Signaling – found how a protein called MRAP2 (melanocortin 2 receptor accessory protein 2) influences the function of the brain receptor MC4R (melanocortin-4 receptor), which plays a central role in appetite control and energy balance. Their findings have just been published in the journal Nature Communications.

MC4R is an important receptor activated by the peptide hormone MSH. It plays a major role in Collaborative Research Centre 1423, where it is being characterised both structurally and functionally. Mutations in MC4R are among the most common genetic causes of severe obesity.

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Setmelanotide, an approved drug, activates this receptor and specifically reduces feelings of hunger. “We are proud that CRC 1423 has now also contributed to understanding receptor transport and availability,” says Professor Annette Beck-Sickinger, spokesperson for CRC 1423 and co-author of the study. A total of five projects within the Collaborative Research Centre were involved in this interdisciplinary research.

Using modern fluorescence microscopy and single-cell imaging, the team demonstrated that the protein MRAP2 fundamentally alters the localisation and behaviour of the brain receptor MC4R within cells. Fluorescent biosensors and confocal imaging showed that MRAP2 is essential for transporting MC4R to the cell surface, where it can transmit appetite-suppressing signals more effectively.

By uncovering this new level of regulation, the study points to therapeutic strategies that mimic or modulate MRAP2 and hold the potential to combat obesity and related metabolic disorders.

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Story Source:

Materials provided by Universität Leipzig. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

  1. Iqra Sohail, Suli-Anne Laurin, Gunnar Kleinau, Vidicha Chunilal, Andrew Morton, Alfonso Brenlla, Zeynep Cansu Uretmen Kagiali, Marie-José Blouin, Javier A. Tello, Annette G. Beck-Sickinger, Martin J. Lohse, Patrick Scheerer, Michel Bouvier, Peter McCormick, Paolo Annibale, Heike Biebermann. MRAP2 modifies the signaling and oligomerization state of the melanocortin-4 receptor. Nature Communications, 2025; 16 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63988-w

Source: Scientists discover hidden protein that switches off hunger | ScienceDaily

Outrage That NL Tax and Customs Authorities will give all data to US by switching to MS 365: ‘Insult to Parliament’

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‘An insult not only to the House of Representatives, but also to Dutch and European businesses’, says GroenLinks-PvdA MP Barbara Kathmann about the switch of government services to Microsoft. Earlier today, outgoing State Secretary for Taxation Eugène Heijnen (BBB) informed the House of Representatives about the switch of the Tax Authorities, the Allowances department, and Customs to Microsoft 365. This means that these services will become dependent on this American software giant for their daily work.

Outrage over Tax Authorities’ switch to Microsoft: ‘An insult to the House of Representatives’

Over the past year, there have been frequent debates about the digital independence of the Netherlands, and the call to become independent from American companies is growing louder. The fact that the State Secretary is now announcing that three government services will still switch to Microsoft is causing a lot of anger among Kathmann. ‘They are essentially just ushering us into the American cloud during this caretaker period, and that is really not necessary.’ Bert Hubert, former supervisor of the intelligence services, previously stated that Dutch tax data could end up on American servers via email contact.

Cluster of European companies

Kathmann emphasizes that it would be naive to think that we could be independent of Microsoft tomorrow, but that Dutch and European businesses are capable of a lot.

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According to the State Secretary, this is not possible because there are no comparable European alternatives. Kathmann explains that the intention is precisely not to become dependent on one supplier.

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Stimulate development

Last week, caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof called on executives of large companies to become independent from non-European suppliers. Schoof also emphasized in the House two days ago that this is a priority.

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the government can play an important role in stimulating the development of European and Dutch technology. ‘The government is the largest IT buyer in the Netherlands. If it becomes the largest buyer of European Dutch products, then it will really take off.’

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Source: Kagi Translate

It really is amazing how at a time when everyone is talking about digital sovereignty, the Tax people – responsible for handling extremely sensitive data – decide to give it all to an increasingly untrustworthy ally.