The one thing I miss in not being able to get a data plan on my iPad with Consumer Cellular is the maps when I’m going somewhere new.
And even with my cheapy flip fone, registering my own domain for email, using Firefox and the different search engines suggested here, I’m still sure they’re able to find out anything they want to about me.
They’ve had my fingerprints and DNA since the 70’s when I enlisted in the Navy.
I’m sure of it too. I won’t pretend that I’m escaping it. But no sense in rolling over for them either if we can help it. The more people who make it harder to harvest data and know everything about us the better.
I agree.
I did what I could, and I tell everyone who will listen to get off that stuff.
Too bad all those tech companies aren’t run by conservatives. The liberal media would be shouting all the creepy shit they’re doing from the rooftops. 
Yup, the noises to break up Big Tech seemed to have been subdued when Big Tech went all in for the Democrats in 2020. These people are so easily bought.
Don’t discount the value the US Government receives from what these private companies do. Lot’s of things like Google Street View and Geo Fencing that the government could never do on it’s own is done by private companies and made available to government.
On things like this, I always go back to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the Patriot Act after 9/11. Two massive bills where, for the most part, the details are so secret that even the members of Congress voting on them had no idea what was in them.
Yes, it does seem to be one of those opposition positions that nobody changes when in power. You wonder what Trump would have done if he’d won 2020 after getting deplatformed. Probably still nothing after a word in his ear.
Especially since it appears hi tech has now surpassed the Trial Lawyers Association as the biggest lobby in DC.
Interesting non-root Android privacy guide over here: https://www.reddit.com/r/privatelife/comments/rohq46/100_foss_smartphone_hardening_nonroot_guide_40/
It’s worth going through even if you are rooted. I’m trying out Mull as a privacy alternative to stock Firefox, leaving Firefox installed for problem sites.
Do any of you use something for maps/driving directions other than google maps? Anything dependent on Open Street Maps is still fail for addresses (has been forever); Osmand, Qwant Maps, etc.
I haven’t seriously depended on OSMand so don’t know what the limitations are. I’ll need to play with it some more.
Biggest limitation is lack of addresses, which is pretty major. It’s an Open Street Maps limitation. The workaround seems to be using, Address to GPS, then tossing the result into Open Street Maps based apps. And I think it gets the addresses from Google Maps.
Asking Presearch how Google gets addresses for coordinates. https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/56lzrs/eli5_how_does_google_maps_know_where_an_address_is/
Nuts. It’s looking like the desktop is pretty doomed in the longterm. Windows sitting at 30.1% according to statcounter. https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop-mobile/worldwide/
And good ol’ Linux, holding down that bottom line like a canoe pro. 
Curious to know what is included in ‘other’.
Android is a Linux based OS too. It looks bad for Windows, but numbers of mobile users have skyrocketed so the actual numbers might have increased for Windows. Probably not though.
Linux also runs in loads of routers, TVs, TV dongle doo dahs, servers, cloud instances, home automation setups etc etc. I’d say 95% of people who use tech use Linux. 100% if we include the internet in general.
BSD should get a credit for being part of macOS and iOS.
Yea, I was referring to the Linux desktop of course. Linux is in everywhere at this point. I had a conversation once with a nice guy who said that Linux will never be used on phones. When I told him that most phones are running Linux his brain couldn’t accept it and he kept going on why no companies would ever use Linux for phones.
It would be interesting to see if the absolute number of Windows users has increased, not relative market share.
Btw the new Gnome desktop with some funky tweaks and Materia-dark theme is what I have on the laptop at the mo, it’s by far the nicest looking desktop env I’ve used. Beauty in the blah blah etc, but it’s very clean.
Screenshot please. I’m pretty OK with the ultra ugly XFCE. But it never hurts to look.
Yeah, I havn’t seen Gnome for a year and it was purdy back then
