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this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2025
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Privacy
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A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.
Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.
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Reading stuff like this reminds me of why I have been a linux user for over 20 years.
Its why I only use AOSP roms on my phones.
Its why I have never used any USA surveillance companies. No one needs any of that shit!
Its why I get in my car, and visit people I care for, and not send them a message or use facebook to see what they are having for dinner.
I wouldnt even know how to turn a windows machine on. My last windows experience was with windows 95.
Do you still press a button?
I am a retired psychotherapist, 69 years old now, and have seen the devastating loss of our freedoms in my lifetime.
we all need to get back to being human again. We are human beings not human doings.
My display avatar is in fact a photo from a StoneHenge free festival in early 1980's. A time when we actually used the word freedom and meant it.
I do fear for you younger people and what lies ahead. What will be like in 20-30 years when I am long gone.
As someone born in the early 2000s, I can only say that there will be a divide of the informed and the uninformed. The true tragedy of my generation, to be honest, will be the people who have the tools and information at their disposal to actually understand the world, but opt instead for the comfort food of AI, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon's services.
I am an electrical engineering student, hopefully about to graduate in the near future, and I can tell you that some of my peers have the same thought process you and I have. We're willing to do the research, understand the pros and cons of convenience, and adjust our lives in the best ways we can. I switched to the FOSS ecosystem as much as I reasonably could. (Barring LTSC windows 10 for some program compatibility)
The majority don't care, however. In non-technical fields it's worse, many following the "I have nothing to hide and nothing to fear" argument. They use ChatGPT on a daily basis, are more than happy to upload photo after photo on Meta's suite, and complain about Windows 11 without bothering to consider alternatives. Any attempts I've had at explaining the reality of their "free" services gets just a weird look and them walking away.
The irony of ironies is that I was born, raised, and educated in Silicon Valley, ground zero, and will likely graduate into working at a company that makes this issue worse. But at least my private life, my friends, and those I've helped will have a lifeline.
Hey Truscape
Thank you for the wonderful thoughtful reply.
I particularly liked "the informed and the uninformed". This is true
Being a retired psychotherapist, I have known for all my professional life how easy it is to manipulate people. This is why, all practicing psychotherapists have to have, one hours supervision for every five hours of client work they do. This is to protect the clients from us, the therapist. There is no protection like that in the tech world.
My heart sinks everytime I see some shill promotimg online therapy. without ever understanding the lasting damage that they will do to the human being.
I do agree with all that you write
So is your car 15+ years old, such that it doesn't phone home on you?
And do you know the locations of and avoid all ALPRs (automated license plate readers)?
This is why I ride a ebike LOL
I'll see your ebike and raise you a non-electric bike.
I can ride quite a bit faster with my ebike than I can analog. Locked 28mph vs. 15-17.
Where I live, they're only allowed to assist to up to 25km/h (about 15.5mi/h), so I can ride a lot faster with a normal bike.
What kinds of limits are there for (e)bikes where you are?
Here, for electric bikes, they have an age limit of 15 years and a BAC limit of 0.5‰.
That's a shockingly low speed limit for pedal assist tbh
You can blame the EU for that:
Bikes that do not comply with that are classified differently, and at least here, have to be registered as motorcycles/mopeds. Which won't go through, as, for example, the brakes are typically not motorcycle-grade.
source
So you can ride any bike on the road that is class 3 (<750w/<28MPH). No license, no insurance, and as far as I know, you can be as drunk as you like. Although the Surron-style e-motos are a rampant problem around here. Cops don't do much around here.
That's quite fast, do they cause many accidents?
I don't have any statistics. They certainly can. These are the rules in most of the world in regards to ebikes.
I do like surprises.
I am a retired psychotherapist, so I value all person to person contact.
Anything else is just not human nor fulfilling for me.
you are correct.
here on Airstrip one, we are the most monitored country in the world, with one cctv camera for every 14 people. very scary indeed.
I am an old geezer, nearly 70, so my car is very old, no tech.
Second one rides a fine line between privacy and practicality, but better to be tracked for a few frames every 10 minutes than continuously
Turning a machine on has always been the same no matter what OS is on it. What is this even asking?
its called irony