Why Ubuntu 23.10 ISOs Have Been Temporarily Withdrawn
Ubuntu 23.10 “Mantic Minotaur” was just released and eagerly awaited by all fans of this widely popular and used distribution. Sadly, this moment was marred by an incident that no one would have predicted.
The discovery of hate speech within the translations of a widely-used operating system like Ubuntu is not only surprising but deeply concerning.
Due to an oversight, the Ubuntu 23.10 “Mantic Minotaur” desktop version installer was allowed to include phrases containing hate speech with obscene messages that had nothing to do with the installation process.
Based on an initial examination, these are related to the installation’s Ukrainian translation. Due to their highly unacceptable messages, we are unable and unwilling to go into further detail about their content.
Update
Also in OMG Ubuntu:
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Why You Can’t Currently Download Ubuntu 23.10
Today, Ubuntu 23.10 is available to download — or rather it was.
If you’re only just waking up/getting around to downloading Ubuntu 23.10 you’ll have noticed that you can’t actually download the main Ubuntu 23.10 desktop ISO from the Ubuntu website, despite the fact it has been released, and blogs like mine are telling you it’s out.
There is a reason for it — and no, it’s not because we all got the release date wrong!
BetaNews:
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Canonical withdraws Ubuntu Desktop 23.10 ISO after discovery of hate speech in translations
Friday 13th has indeed proved unlucky for anyone looking to download the Ubuntu Desktop 23.10 ISO -- it is currently unavailable having been pulled just hours after launch. The decision to withdraw the Mantic Minotaur ISO was taken after it was discovered that a contributor had inserted malicious translations into the installer. Although Canonical has not revealed the content of the user-submitted translations for the Linux distro, it has been described as "hate speech". See also: Canonical says that there is no reason for anyone who managed to download the ISO before it was pulled to be concerned.
A few more:
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Ubuntu 23.10: Minimalism and Hate Speech
Listen now (18 mins) | Lunduke's Big Tech Show - October 14th, 2023
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Malicious Translations Target Ubuntu 23.10 Launch
Just mere hours after its release, Ubuntu 23.10 was pulled for download due to malicious translations handled by a third-party.
Liam Dawe:
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Ubuntu 23.10 download got pulled down due to a malicious translation | GamingOnLinux
Canonical announced shortly after the release of Ubuntu 23.10 that the official downloads were pulled, as there was hate speech identified from a malicious contributor in some of their translations.
They posted the announcement on X, with a link to their Discourse post that gave a bit more info. In the post they mentioned it affected a "specific set of translations of the Ubuntu Desktop installer UI" and so they've taken immediate action to sort the situation with the translations being removed and replaced.
Microsofters:
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Ubuntu discovers 'hate speech' in release 23.10 — how to upgrade?
Ubuntu, the most popular Linux distribution, has pulled its Desktop release 23.10 after its Ukrainian translations were discovered to contain hate speech.
According to the Ubuntu project, a malicious contributor is behind anti-Semitic, homophobic, and xenophobic slurs that were injected into the distro via a "third party tool" that lives outside of the Ubuntu Archive.
Late coverage:
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Ubuntu 23.10 launch hit by malicious translation changes | TechRadar
Ubuntu users were treated to the 23.10 update, codenamed Mantic Minotaur, on October 12, but only for a few hours before the ISO files were removed from the site.
The Linux distro creator said in an X post: “We have identified hate speech from a malicious contributor in some of our translations submitted as part of a third party tool outside of the Ubuntu Archive.”
The Ukrainian translation file was affected by malicious hijackers, and slipped completely under the radar, prompting Ubuntu to carry out a thorough investigation.
More late coverage (IDG):
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Ubuntu Pulls Its Latest Desktop Release Over Hate Speech Concerns
Ubuntu has pulled its latest desktop release, 23.10, after discovering that its Ukrainian translations included hate speech.
Ubuntu is the most popular open-source operating system based on the Linux kernel. It is developed and maintained by a global community of developers and is released as free and open-source software.
According to the Ubuntu project, a malicious contributor added homophobic, antisemitic, and xenophobic slurs to the distribution via a third party that exists outside of the Ubuntu Archive, Bleeping Computer reports.
In a tweet, Ubuntu notes that it discovered the hate speech in some of its translations and has taken the release down. A new version will be available once the translations are restored.
Revolved by now:
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Ubuntu 23.10 Downloads Are Back Online
Ubuntu 23.10 is once again available to download — hurrah!
If you haven’t kept pace with the drama, the Ubuntu 23.10 download went live on October 12 but was pulled a few hours later.
Turns out the main ISO (the one using the Flutter-based installer) included a set of offensive user-contributed translations, which were shown to those installing the release in the Ukrainian locale.
Once aware of the incident Canonical pulled affected ISOs from its release server and Sid it would prepare a set of corrected images.
Announced again:
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Ubuntu 23.10 (Mantic Minotaur) released
Ubuntu 23.10, codenamed “Mantic Minotaur”, is here. This release continues Ubuntu’s proud tradition of integrating the latest and greatest open-source technologies into a high-quality, easy-to-use Linux distribution. The team has been hard at work through this cycle, partnering with the community and our partners, to introduce new features and fix bugs.
Liam Dawe:
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Ubuntu Desktop 23.10 now available again after the recent hostile translation
Good news for those looking to download Ubuntu Desktop 23.10, as the recent issue involving a hostile translation has been solved and so the downloads are up again.
Where to get it: