Intro WIP

chapter-introduction/chapter.tex

@@ -4,8 +4,51 @@
     are going to be required to do this thing—to build tech that rejects surveillance and centralized control—whose
     necessity is now obvious to everyone.
 }
+
 \chaptertitle{Introduction}
 
+All Cops Are Bastards, or ACAB is a slogan popular in far left and anarchist circles since the mid-twentieth century
+that expresses a rejection of state authority~\cite{constantinouAppliedResearchPolicing2021}. While politically, this
+blanket rejection is a fringe viewpoint with no mainstream acceptance, there exists a strange parallel between this and
+modern cryptographic best practice. In modern cryptography, it is generally seen as best practice to have the least
+amount of keys possible involved in any computation, and cryptographers have time and time again strongly rejected
+attempts by states and other authorities to insert backdoor access mechanisms into cryptographic systems.
+
+%In cryptography, Kerckhoffs' principle, named after Dutch military cryptographer Auguste Kerckhoffs, expresses that 
+
+
+%In the early days of mass-market computing, the expectations towards this new tool were high. Even before people
+%realized the potential of computers and the internet for commercial gain, there was widespread optimism about the
+%potential of globally networked computing to liberate ideas and better humanity. People imagined a future where any
+%information would be available at a mere thought, where cultural and language barriers were eroded by technological
+%advances, and where technology served as a universal equalizer, narrowing socioeconomic gaps and enhancing the quality
+%of life for everybody.
+%
+%Needless to say, things did not turn out that way. After initially, home computers and the internet were briefly the
+%domain of a particular brand of free-spirited enthusiast, it did not take long until the domain was captured by
+%commercial interests. The dotcom bubble inflated and burst, and the introduction of smartphones catalyzed the rise of
+%the social web, bringing computing to the masses. While by itself the democratization and the widespread adoption of
+%computing is a good thing, the capitalist environment caused it to coincide with an overal drift of the industry away
+%from the libertarian principles that were characteristic for its beginning. 
+%
+%Specifically, throughout the past thirty years, computing ecosystems have continued a gradual evolution into walled
+%gardens, primarily serving not their users anymore, but the interests of whoever owns the place that hired the place
+%that made them. While in the 90ies, owning a computer meant you would be able to run any piece of software on it,
+%today's platform business model means that every program requires prior approval by the platform's owners. The publicly
+%stated motivation for this gradual creep invariably is security or protection from harm by bad people writing software,
+%while the actual motivation is without doubt the tremendous monetary gain an operator can obtain by seeking rent for its
+%platform.
+%
+%The platformization of computing has captured all levels of the industry, from backend systems running on hyperscale
+%cloud platforms, through desktop computers running only vendor-approved operating systems through secure boot chains, up
+%to low-cost smartphones containing highly secure enclaves tasked with the protection of Digital Restrictions Management
+%(DRM) keys aimed at stopping the user from copying media played back on the device. Increasingly, this trend towards
+%platform owners having the ultimate authority on users's computers is becoming a practical issue in high-risk settings.
+
+
+
+% Cypherpunks
+
 \section{Centralized Authority}
 % ACAB is a anti-authoritarian sentiment
 % In anarchist discourse, "cops" are not just policemen and -women, but also other means of centralized control.

main.bib

@@ -1393,6 +1393,21 @@
   file = {/home/jaseg/Sync/Research/Zotero/Cominelli et al_2020_Even Black Cats Cannot Stay Hidden in the Dark.pdf}
 }
 
+@book{constantinouAppliedResearchPolicing2021,
+  title = {Applied {{Research}} on {{Policing}} for {{Police}}: {{The}} Case of {{Cyprus}}},
+  shorttitle = {Applied {{Research}} on {{Policing}} for {{Police}}},
+  author = {Constantinou, Angelo G.},
+  date = {2021},
+  series = {{{SpringerBriefs}} in {{Criminology}}},
+  publisher = {Springer International Publishing},
+  location = {Cham},
+  doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-76377-0},
+  url = {https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-030-76377-0},
+  urldate = {2025-08-15},
+  isbn = {978-3-030-76376-3 978-3-030-76377-0},
+  langid = {english}
+}
+
 @online{CorningSMF28Ultra2024,
   title = {Corning {{SMF-28 Ultra Optical Fiber Product Information Sheet}}},
   date = {2024-02},