It's no secret that 2016 has brought a lot of change to the world. The political destinies of both Europe and America have shifted in ways that seemed almost inconceivable just a few years ago, and that's without mentioning the scores of beloved celebrities that are no longer with us. Here in the UK there's been yet another political shift this month, though one we've long seen coming. We've followed the progress of the Investigatory Powers Bill (also known as the Snooper's Charter) with dismay since it was first proposed just over a year ago. On November 16, 2016, the act passed through the final chamber of parliament and only waits for the Queen's signature before becoming law. The UK is now poised to invade privacy by digitally tracking every citizen, and the government has the right to hack into our devices. Digital security has always been important, but now it's more so than ever. This month Valentine Sinitsyn looks at auditd, and I take a look at intrusion detection.

Even our cozy Linux world hasn't escaped the perversions of 2016. November also brought the shocking news that Microsoft joined the Linux Foundation. It's a little hard to process information as absurd as this, so we've harnessed the finest minds we could find (Simon Phipps and Andrew Gregory) to bring a little sense to this madness.

Not everything has changed (not yet, at least, but 2016's not over), and there are still few better ways to survive the cold, dark winter months than settling down with a good game, immersing yourself in a different reality. In Gaming On Linux this month, we take a look at the latest triple-A masterpiece to come to our platform – Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Alongside all this, there's plenty more Linux goodness to help banish the 2016 blues, so turn the page and get stuck in.

– Ben Everard