49
How can one consume media these days with any sort of privacy? (feddit.nl)
submitted 3 days ago by fort_burp@feddit.nl to c/privacy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
26 comments fedilink hide all child comments

With a privacy protecting setup, the mainstream internet is almost unusable. To sign up for social media or even a gmail account, one has to provide a phone number for verification. Youtube doesn’t work when not signed into a Google account, or if one is connected to a VPN. Even downloader programs like yt-dlp and freyr have been rendered useless by the strict access controls of the major platforms. There is a vast amount of community, DIY, and educational material of all sorts behind these platform walls, so how can someone who doesn’t want to be tracked access any of it these days?

There are alternatives like archive.org and peertube which are wonderful but have nowhere near the amount of content that people have been uploading to YouTube over the years. For example, if I need to fix a washing machine and there is a tutorial on YouTube, how can I see it while still preserving a modicum of privacy online?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] slazer2au@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago

Install jellyfin on your computer, Buy second hand DVDs from people who are selling them, rip them onto your PC.

[-] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago

I boosted my self-hosted movie collection with about 800 DVDs I bought off a guy for something like $100 😂 Totally doable if you don't want to pirate.

[-] fort_burp@feddit.nl 4 points 2 days ago

That's a good strategy if you're into movies but I'm looking for more DIY/repair videos, mostly about tech.

[-] ScoffingLizard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 days ago

I have been tossing around the idea of hosting a peertube instance for DIY.

[-] fort_burp@feddit.nl 1 points 1 day ago

Would it be possible to host all the terabytes of DIY videos that are on YouTube currently or would it be more of a "start from scratch" situation? And as an aside- is it legal to do so or is there an issue with copyright and ownership? I doubt that the videos on YouTube belong to the creators but hopefully I'm wrong.

[-] grue@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

That doesn't help for the Youtube-first (or rather, Youtube-only) media OP is actually complaining about:

There is a vast amount of community, DIY, and educational material of all sorts behind these platform walls, so how can someone who doesn’t want to be tracked access any of it these days?

There are a few channels using things like Nebula or Floatplane, but for most Youtube channels, if you can't watch them on Youtube you're shit outta luck.

[-] harsh3466@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 days ago

Thrift stores are also a great way to pick up DVDs and CDs. My server is loaded with music and media. We don't use any subscription services. Everything we watch or listen to we own and enjoy without any third parties spying on us.

this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2025
49 points (100.0% liked)

Privacy

3661 readers
22 users here now

Welcome! This is a community for all those who are interested in protecting their privacy.

Rules

PS: Don't be a smartass and try to game the system, we'll know if you're breaking the rules when we see it!

  1. Be civil and no prejudice
  2. Don't promote big-tech software
  3. No apathy and defeatism for privacy (i.e. "They already have my data, why bother?")
  4. No reposting of news that was already posted
  5. No crypto, blockchain, NFTs
  6. No Xitter links (if absolutely necessary, use xcancel)

Related communities:

Some of these are only vaguely related, but great communities.

founded 9 months ago
MODERATORS
fxomt@lemmy.dbzer0.com
otter@lemmy.ca
shaytan@lemmy.dbzer0.com
fxomt@piefed.social