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this post was submitted on 19 May 2026
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Privacy
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I don't have a smartphone and I keep running into more and more of these QR codes. If I, as a citizen, am required to get a smartphone for these QR codes, to do citizen-like things, then it should be a utility and prices for hardware and services should come way down.
Not even way down, actually provided. You dont pay for wheelchair accessibility or braille on the signs.
I mean we all pay for it with taxes and increased prices, but the wheelchair user isnt forking out personally.
My entry level job requires that I use 3 separate apps. How do you get around that?
Probably by not having an entry level job. The companies love to make money off people any way they can, but potentially losing a highly skilled, long term trained employee would be worse than losing the income from the apps' data they can sell.
In china it's the norm. And I was feeling the same way, until I realized china takes way better care of its citizens vs USA. Everything is convenient, healthcare, etc.
https://youtu.be/nRW_wh5mIek
This YouTuber goes into pretty good daily life of avg Chinese users.
In rural areas, don't many Chinese not have running water? That doesn't sound like they are taken care of.
The great Chinese achievement last century was lifting hundreds millions out of people poverty. That wont be everyone and some will still be living rough.
I don't know the answer to that, I've only been to Beijing.
But overall, id argue with healthcare, public transit, building a new hospital when covid hit specifically for it, it seems like they're doing better than nickel and diming them to death like USA. It costs money to breath here. Their EV setup is off the charts too. Even Ford CEO complimented it and drives a Chinese EV.
https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-ceo-jim-farley-xiaomi-tesla-chinese-ev-2026-4
Chinese new chargers - https://youtube.com/shorts/KhoRJQUA6dA
https://youtu.be/TKMWZ5c1PMQ
I know a few people that live in rural USA and tap the ground for free water. Waste water from shower goes on random land and brown water into septic and get emptied when full.
Super cheap compared to my city water.
On the flip side they have complete shit internet access while I got fiber.
They have to drive a ways (1 hr) for groceries and I got like 5 within 10in drive. Hell I could walk 20min to a convenience store or two.
You get by without a smartphone? I was really late to get one but you just can't function in today's society without one where I'm at. In the Heart of Darkness here.
You can function in today's society just fine, it's just less convenient.
But the problem here is not only that you need a smartphone to begin with, but also one specifically from either Google or Apple. Having something else (like a phone with Sailfish or GrapheneOS or any other custom rom) also doesn't work.
I am switching to graphene OS first chance I get, it should be this summer, damn the consequences.
I lived most of my life without any type of cell phone let alone a smart one. I'm going back to our roots, to reject this techno fascist bullshit it's only downhill from here on their gear.
Welcome to the resistance
Switch to GrapheneOS anyway. If a website forces verification with a phone that passes strict Play Integrity with no other options, then don't use it, or use a $30 Walmart phone if you must.
Yes, please. The more users we have on Graphene the harder we are to ignore as a user base.
The general crowd doesn't seem to care about the trends that make graphene common sense and I suspect that Google would take measures if it ever did like they're currently doing to fdroid.
In at least some sectors, even this enshitified EU should be forced to stop Google from being anti-competitive towards graphene to some extent.
The US is fucked but I don't know about the rest of the world necessarily, kind of a free-for-all right now.
They are working on their "own" phone which should alleviate a fair number of concerns with what Google might be doing to sabotage them.
Yet, will they be able to develop their own OS when google stop sharing the code with them ? I do hope so...
I hope and think so. They're already way better and faster than Google at patching bugs and vulnerabilities on Android.
i'm glad to know this!!! do you have any more info?
They're working with Motorola.
https://motorolanews.com/motorola-three-new-b2b-solutions-at-mwc-2026/
oic, i was already aware of motorola's partnership; i thought you meant that graphene was going to make their own phone.
thanks anyways, though; it's nice when people respond in good faith.
Same here. I'm waiting for Motorola to join in.
Just like they did with automobiles!
That's actually a really good point! 🤔