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Originally this was a reply to this article about a Windows feature called Recall, but there's a good argument the author's concerns resonate far beyond Windows and Meta to proprietary generally.

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[-] Tenderizer78@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago

Just deleted my Facebook account. Now I just need any of my friends to install Threema (or maybe Revolt?).

I just finished my accounting course yesterday, but I'm not sure my assignments met the training guidelines so I'm hesitant to uninstall Windows if I may be asked to come back and redo some assignments (not sure I even need Windows for that though).

Reddit is still an issue, can't find Twitter manga and de-Americaification advice on Lemmy.

YouTube I've reduced my engagement on but haven't deleted. Discord I'm lurking in some essential group chats. Still on an 10-year old iPhone, gotta get a new open-source one. I'm sticking with Steam for games.

[-] TootTootComingThru@lemmy.world 38 points 3 days ago

If this is the same person I think it is, I would take their comments with a huge pile of salt. Not saying they're wrong, but...

A couple years ago this Linux-Is-Best dipshit somehow got onboarded as a mod of the /r/massachusetts subreddit, started banning a ton of users for pretty unreasonable reasons, brought a few other seemingly random moderators on board and almost nuked it out of existence by being an unhinged little weirdo. They claimed to have worked at Facebook/Meta and I forget which, but they were found out either to have made it up or they were just a bottom tier content moderation employee.

You can go find some posts about it, but this person's not well at all even if you happen to agree with them. If this is the same person. They're not trust worthy. Privacy's important, big companies are creepy, do what you can to protect yourself and use linux if that's what gets you there, but again I would take anything this dipshit says with a grain of salt.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SubredditDrama/comments/11wsnla/mod_of_3_months_in_rmassachusetts_purges_members/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Massachusetts_US/comments/11wnjsk/removed_by_reddit/

https://www.reddit.com/r/massachusetts/comments/11xw44r/linux_is_gone/

[-] Allero@lemmy.today 22 points 3 days ago

The Linux Foundation itself is in the US jurisdiction - just sayin'.

Which is why I repeatedly called for the Foundation to move into Europe, potentially into Finland, back to its roots.

[-] Rhaxapopouetl@ttrpg.network 13 points 2 days ago

He clearly says "You need to try, Linux". He's talking to someone named Linux. Someone that needs to try.

[-] Paddy66@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 days ago

https://distrosea.com/ this is amazing for previewing linux OS flavours right in your browser, no need for a USB stick or installation! Linux Mint, Zorin, Ubuntu and Fedora are the winners for me in terms of being normie friendly.

[-] woop_woop@lemmy.world 230 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

"im a henchman for a bad guy....and lemme tell you...I think we might be starting to do bad stuff...not sure yet..."

Thanks bud

[-] irotsoma 29 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Unfortunately, not everyone has a choice in who they work for in end-stage-capitalism. Work is about survival, not ideology. The majority of Americans are not far-right capitalists, but the vast majority of CEOs are, and it's not really possible to survive long enough to start a small business in most of the US without investment from a far-right capitalist or inheritance (usually also from a far-right capitalist family member).

[-] ArtificialHoldings@lemmy.world 21 points 4 days ago

If you have the skillset and CV to work at Meta, you have a choice to work somewhere slightly lower on the scale of exploitation.

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[-] ShrimpCurler@lemmy.dbzer0.com 28 points 4 days ago

People gotta earn money to survive, I don't blame the employees for this. And this is not just a case of Meta's privacy being bad. This is close government involvement with potentially serious impacts and implications across all US based platforms.

[-] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 20 points 4 days ago

"I'm only following orders!"

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[-] zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 112 points 4 days ago

It's funny how they're saying "You need to use Linux" and not "You need to get off Facebook". How's Linux going to save you from Facebook spying on you?

[-] ShrimpCurler@lemmy.dbzer0.com 53 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I think the be careful what you do on Facebook is implied. He's highlighting something that's less expected, where you may need to be careful what you do on Windows systems.

[-] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

They mentioned Microsoft updating privacy agreements at the same time as other companies, and OP mentioned that the context was a discussion of a Windows ultra-keylogger type of feature, the implication is they're in on this shit too, and Linux is a way to not use Windows.

[-] NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml 15 points 4 days ago

Back in 2020 when I took my class for my A+ cert I remember the instructor directing us to a Windows 10 debloating video tutorial to speed up a Win10 computer. If I recall correctly In that video the host point's out that one of the Microsoft services that ran in the background of every standard distribution of Windows 10 was a keylogger. It was one of the many things that got permanently turned off in the in the tutorial.

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[-] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 23 points 3 days ago

Do, or do not, there is no try.

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[-] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 38 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

One should be have been assuming since Windows 7 and automated online updates that the Microsoft key used to sign OS updates is in the hands of at least the NSA (and hence probably the Israeli equivalent) and they can push whatever they want to your computer as an OS update, bypassing all protections.

In fact the same applies to Linux updates of certain distros - if they're maintained by a company based in the US they can be forced by FISA courts to provide the signing keys to the US Government.

More in general, just go read about FISA courts and their secret court orders - companies based in the US or hosting things in the US can be secretly forced to just "give the keys of the Realm" to parts of the US Government.

Since things like the Patriot act one should be treating companies based in the US as just as untrustworthy as companies based in China.

(By the way, some other supposed Democratic countries have similar or worse systems - for example the equivalent of FISA courts in the UK have things like secret court sessions were the side which is not the State is not authorized to have a legal representation, see most of the evidence or even know the decision of the court).

Have people already forgot most of what came out in the Snowden Revelations?!

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[-] youngalfred@lemm.ee 81 points 4 days ago

That first comma is a bit out of place - 'why won't you just try, Linux?'
'seriously Linux, just try your vegetables'.

[-] InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 18 points 4 days ago

It can't. Its just a kernel. Maybe with the right gnu core utils...

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[-] upstroke4448@lemmy.dbzer0.com 80 points 4 days ago

Its a bit odd to see an employee of a company that has always had a terrible privacy policy now be suddenly alarmed.

[-] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 61 points 4 days ago

Things have changed. Before, the worst Facebook could do to its critics was ban them and those that they knew. Now Facebook can have ICE turnover your house without a warrant for a troll post. A private company is now working to suppress a specific kind of conversation that questions the judgement and actions of those in power. It's a subtle but very dangerous difference in why a bad EULA may not have previously caused concern but the new one is.

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[-] Tapionpoika@lemmy.ml 11 points 3 days ago

Funny how much longer my phone's battery lasts now after I flashed /e/ to it. No constant net traffic anymore.

[-] diskmaster23@lemmy.one 5 points 3 days ago
[-] Tapionpoika@lemmy.ml 4 points 3 days ago

Sorry. It's a bit offtopic but in the same mission. /e/ is French AOSP fork, which cuts off Google from my phone. Google, Microsoft and META are the biggest root of evil in privacy world, META being worst.

[-] jaredt@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 days ago

A deGoogled smartphone operating system

[-] untakenusername@sh.itjust.works 11 points 3 days ago

I thought it was a 4chan board for a moment lol

[-] dogs0n@sh.itjust.works 9 points 3 days ago

I believe in the underlying message (use linux), but doesn't practically every big company change their privacy policy or tos every 10 minutes.

[-] Apocalypteroid@lemmy.world 28 points 4 days ago

To all the people who are criticising this guy for working for Meta, I would like to remind you of the phrase, "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer".

I am very much a left-winger, but I still read right-wing papers and articles, I like to know what the other side is thinking.

[-] ameancow@lemmy.world 18 points 3 days ago

Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer”.

Bruh, it's not game of thrones. People just need to work.

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[-] umbrella@lemmy.ml 42 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

imagine how great it feels to say this for like 10-15 years while getting dismissed as a conspiracy nut.

and then having it happen exactly as you said it would.

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[-] hansolo@lemm.ee 42 points 4 days ago

I've done OSINT research and that alone converted me into a privacy advocate. Seeing how Alphabet, Meta, and MS have allowed creep to get training data... Whew. It's breathtaking and complicated beyond the ability to explain in 114 characters.

Y'all, we are cooked. Currently. Present tense. If you aren't freaked out already, you're missing about 85% of reality.

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[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 40 points 4 days ago

Switching from Windows to Linux isn't going to block them from monitoring your use of online services. Facebook doesn't even do anything in the OS space.

[-] illi@lemm.ee 43 points 4 days ago

I think what they are getting at is that Meta does this and they find it likely Microsoft might be doing something similar.

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[-] bipedalsheep@programming.dev 17 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I switched from Fedora to openSUSE recently and it has been painless. Would recommend to anyone who are looking to get away from US companies and US jurisdiction. Edit: note that it uses RPM package manager though, I don't know yet if that is problematic or not. If someone knows then please elaborate on that.

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[-] array@lemm.ee 10 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

YEA I'M GONNA DO IT BASED ON FUD AND NO CITATION BECAUSE SOMEONE ON THE INTERNET SAYS THEY WORK AT FACEBOOK

lemmy users just pretend to be intellectuals

[-] the_q@lemm.ee 14 points 3 days ago

YEA I'M GONNA CONTINUE TO USE PLATFORMS AND TOOLS THAT EXPLOIT MY PRIVACY AND INFO FOR MONETARY GAIN WITHOUT QUESTION BECAUSE I'M A GOOD LITTLE CONSUMER

sheep pretend to be wolves

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[-] olafurp@lemmy.world 20 points 4 days ago

FUCK YEAH, YEAR OF THE LINUX DESKTOP

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this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2025
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