Libb

thank you :)

The only spyware we own are our phones and we completely distrust them, barely using them for what we’re required to use (security apps, and pro apps, stuff like that). At home there is no TV (would there be one, it would not be a smart one and if would there be no alternative it would just be a computer screen), no smart appliances, not even one of those hellish doorbells, or light bulbs. Our computers are wired to the network and the WiFi is off (we really barely use our phones) unless we have a specific need and it’s temporarily turned on.

What really worry us, my spouse and I, is the realization that sooner than later, we won’t have the choice of not using spyware riddled device anymore, as there will not be any alternative left.

Maybe it is not that huge of a deal for ourselves, we are getting old enough to not worry about buying the latest whatever, we also already focus a lot of our attention on analog tools and analog/low tech ways of doing things. But it still is a real worry.

Even more so for I (my spouse will surely tell you I’m kinda paranoid, but she is wrong she may even be part of their attempts at keeping me silent :p), as I have little doubt legal spyware could be enforced upon us by governments, say:

• to ‘protect children’ by monitoring real time what’s going on in the privacy of our homes. And since all citizen must be treated equally under the law (save members of said governments and their powerful friends), even homes without children would be submitted to that ‘protective measure’.
• to ‘protect the environment’ and ‘fight climate change’, say, by closely monitoring all our activities energy-wise (to reduce wasted energy). Monitoring it closely enough that they would also be able to precisely know what we do, and when.
• to reduce health risk and the health deficit too. Here again, by closely monitoring the things we buy and eat, what we drink, what we do and when… all in the hame of tracking what would jeopardize our health… and make us cost extra money to the society. And that would be made a lot simpler, and so much more tempting, like a lot, the moment we switch to a fully digital currency: no cash? no anonymity anymore.

Dear citizen,
One of our algorithms noticed your purchased a cake two hours ago and your real time Health Companion noticed after your latest pee that your sugar level was too high. Reaching a level that matches the exact sugar intake of that cake. . This goes against your medical condition. As a result:
Since it is a 333 Calories intake above your scientifically allowed daily food intake we will take back those 333 Calories from your next daily allowance.
Since it was your second time violating the Happy Healthy Habits program you agreed to by using our the mandatory Happy Health Department insurance, we will hold 50 times the cost of the cake from your wallet.
If you were to ever violate that rule again you will be definitely suspended from all benefits, your employer will be notified and required to withhold any advancement or promotion, and your entire wealth will be confiscated to reimburse the cost such egoistical behaviors like yours cost to the collectivity, and to the planet.
There will be no further warning.
Be happy, be healthy.
Your caring partner from the Happy Health Department.

FYI, it doesn’t auto play tha video (I hate what that happens) using Waterfox, a Firefox fork, with uBlock Origin.

Deletion is best-effort, not guaranteed. You’re effectively trusting a network of operators, not just one. I dunno whether that makes it better or worse.

Any deep thoughts on this conundrum?

I love the Fediverse for it’s respect of privacy, for its no-tracking and no-ads. And for that alone I would have zero desire to ever go back to Reddit or to any corporate-owned social platform, no matter how much more users and content they can have.

Back then on Reddit, I did not care about deleting my content. I still don’t care about that since I moved here.

I very regularly edit my posts, for correcting typos (adding informations) and stuff like that, but I don’t think I have deleted any, save a couple in the very early days that I published by mistake before they were finished. In other words:

• I’m 100% fine with the idea that I’m not the smartest dude (nor the prettiest ;) and what I say can be goofy at times… even more so every time I don’t write in my native French.
• Like you said, I tend to avoid saying anything online that would drag me into court… which may explains why I worry not much about deleting anything… which is a shame but not on Lemmy/Piefed or the Fediverse specifically (quite the opposite, I’m thankful to the people who created them and gave us access to these great alternatives to corporate-owned spaces), it’s a shame on our societies and they’re so-called respect for the freedom of expression.

and in that regard, privacy is only one aspect of the ‘problem’, imho. Censoring of ideas and persons, and self-censoring, is at least as important. At least.

After I started using the Fediverse, I quickly realized there were ideas and thoughts that were OK around here, and many more that were not. As well as ways of saying things. I also quickly realized I would rather not talk about some of those topics, and not use certain words… which, this time, is saying something about our own willingness to respect freedom of speech, and is saying at least as much about my own lack of courage, I suppose.

Every time I notice this (self)censoring happening, and it’s not hard to notice or rare, I can’t but wonder in what way are we acting differently or better than what we denounce? Also, it makes me wonder if we really are that fragile?

And it makes we wonder when this ‘childification’ (‘you must be kind to the others’, ‘you can’t use that naughty word’, and so on) of our conversations/debates/interactions and of our ability to confront ideas and people became our norm?

I’m confident enough in my own ideas and personal values to not fear being confronted with opposing peoples and ideas… even when they are salty. To a certain limit, obviously. And when that limit is reached I don’t call for those people/ideas to be censored/banned: I block them, without feeling any guilt about it: I preserve their right to express their salty ideas while also preserving my own right to not be willing to listen to their salty (and often sad) ideas. (do keep in mind I’m only considering ‘legal’ topics being discussed in the limits of what the law consider a civil discussion: calls to any form of violence are not ‘salty’ anymore, they’re threats and they’re illegal, and they should be dealt with accordingly.)

Hi,

Filen.io, they have a free 10 Gb plan and it’s end to end encrypted.

And all my best wishes for you journey.