Libb

My bank offers both an app and a website which is nice, but the app is mandatory for doing any kind of operation involving money (which is not that uncommon when logged-in in your bank accounts ;) even when connecting through their website, as the app is used for some ID-ing process.

Then, there are a few not-mandatory but such-an-effing-pain-to-not-use apps, say to ID oneself with some (public) services.

I use a dumbed down iPhone (like, really: no social, no games, no whatever not even email is configured on it) just so I can access those few apps.

Oh, thx a lot for the tip. I was not aware of that at all.

I just rechecked and I can now see those two posts too, without subscribing myself: probably someone else from here had subscribed first ;)

Just had a look, there is no post at all for the moment?

Edit a bit later: there are a few posts already, see @threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works answer just below my comment.

(and I subbed ;))

Maybe you should post something(s) right now and not wait until January if you want people to sub or, like you mentioned, to start suggesting ideas.

Imho, the perspective of facing an empty community with zero discussion going on until next January will not encourage participation.

I’ve been using Firefox since it was called Netscape, and before that I was using Mosaic. Nowadays, I’m also using Safari (and Vivaldi) but I still can’t imagine not using FF as my default browser. More exactly, FF with the uBO extension, which is another nice gift to all of us — a bit like FF pop-up blocker was back then.

I would have loved if they had released an anniversary icon for FF. Too bad they did not, but that’s probably just me getting old, all nostalgic and sentimental :p

I refrain from participating in and even from looking at any community that generates anxiety and/or anger, or that encourage or don’t oppose what I consider destructive or hostile behaviors. I consider time too precious to waste mine with the kind of persons who enjoy those things.

It is not related to any specific place, though. It’s mostly a question of the persons participating and of the moderators.

The same reason I care about a working democracy. You can’t have one without the other.

I am going to quote myself here:

Allow me to quote myself too, then:

That’s not the point.

I do not disagree with your remarks (I do not use Telegram), I simply consider it’s not the point or that it should not be.

Obviously, laws should be enforced. What those laws are and how they are used to erode some stuff that were considered fundamental rights not so long ago is the sole issue, once again, im(v)ho ;)

Well, except Telegram isn’t a good tool for privacy.

That’s not the point. The hunting down on tools and their creators (and on our right to privacy) is the issue here. At least, imho.

You mean, something like this? https://www.youtube.com/feed/subscriptions

Clever 8^)

But I still have to install FF from time to time, like I did today — best way to spend one’s Sunday, reinstalling the Mac :/

Speaking installation, whenever I do an installation Firefox is always the second app I install on fresh machine. The first one being my password manager.

I don’t really understand all these articles explaining how to switch to Firefox. You install firefox and use it, that’s all.

They don’t give a crap about the article usefulness, that’s just more ads to sell.

Why do you think the web is so much riddled with crap content? More and more of it generated by clueless AI? It’s not to be helpful to their readers, that I can tell you ;)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_web_browser ;)

Sorry, I can’t switch to Firefox, as I’ve never not used Firefox.
I used it already when it was called Netscape. Before that I used Mosaic, which itself is not entirely stranger to Netscape creation.

Also, FF is not “a great alternative to Google Chrome”. FF is a great browser in its own right. (Almost) always has been. And how could it be considered an alternative to anything when it was there first (or second, right after Mosaic)?

This. We have not owned a TV since the very early 00s, when we realized they wanted us to pay in order to watch… ads. More and more of them.

If you’re interested, I’d be open to DMing about privacy and security. I would like to learn more about your situation and your threat model and what measures you’ve taken

Not sure to understand your question, my situation is nothing special. I’m a dude that cares about what I consider a fundamental human right, as essential as is/should be the freedom of expression: privacy. A right I certainly don’t want to see thrown away for a few already very rich people to be able to make even more crazy profit, nor in the name of convenience (including my own) not even for my own ‘security’ or well-being, for that matter.

Is there anything in what I wrote that made you believe my situation was somewhat special?

As for the ‘measures’ I have taken. I try to be careful & lucid when I use any app/services/device and I do as much as I possibly can without using them at all, aka offline and the analog or IRL way, which is not that hard for me as I often work much better using analog tools.

If you have any specific question feel free to PM me, I can’t promise you an answer but at the very least I will let you know I’ve read it and can’t answer it.

Like did we forget about the whole “respect other people’s opinions” thing?

I cant say if we have forgotten it or not, but it sure looks like we don’t want to hear about it very much.

It’s all turned binary (pun intended): you’re with us or you’re against us, either you’re good or you’re evil (and then, you deserve to be eliminated). Which is as saddening as it is is… stupid.

So I am looking for generic communities that focus on mobile privacy that doesn’t have drama or toxicity or “extreme opinions”. Any suggestions?

the excessive and constant noise a limited number of people is making, their rage when it’s not pure hatred against whatever they don’t like or whoever they don’t agree with, is the main reason why, a Linux user worrying about privacy myself, I decided to stop wasting my time online with any such ‘tech’ communities. It has become almost impossible to have an open and calm discussion on any topic without someone jumping in and barking like some crazy dog — because reasons.

No matter what their reasons or motivations are to be angry or hateful, I have zero desire to listen to endless rabid barking. There isn’t much to learn in that, at least when you’re not a dog.

And I have no time for that either: we only have a limited amount of time to live before the game is over and there is no extra life to get, no second chance. I realized that a few years ago and decided I would not waste a second more of my time dealing with those constantly frustrated or hateful people. In tech or elsewhere.

Tech-wise, I have had much more stimulating and enriching discussions in communities that are not tech (or privacy or security or Linux)-related but communities where tech can still be discussed and debated (including by very competent tech people) just always in a broader discussion that don’t focus on tech itself.

Not the OP, but I tried encrypting my files before uploading them to OneDrive. Microsoft did not liked that and was constantly bugging me regarding potential threats.

For the moment, lacking any better solution/knowledge, I put DIY encrypted cloud backups on hold (and went back to using iCloud which as far as I understand is encrypted, and as I’d rather not have MS nor Google constantly sniffing my personal files at all) but I will have a look at Hetzner offering. If it’s doable for a non-geek like myself to configure a Storage Box for automated backups, I may decide to use that instead. Being EU-based makes it a + as far as I’m concerned.

I’ve been using Kagi for a little over a month now and I would not want to go back to before that time. As a matter of fact I switched to their yearly paid-plan less than a week after I started using their free trial version. I was hooked.

Next to an iPad I use as one would expect, I also use a Kindle I disconnected from the Web (and Amazon) many years ago. It doesn’t get updates (no need in order to read ebooks) and I have to manually load ebooks, which is fine by me. The battery is still great. And I know nobody is sniffing my reading habits.

I’ve been reading ebooks since I owned a Palm Pilot (yep, that was quite some time ago) and have always privileged digital over print since then: it’s just more convenient.

But a very surprising thing started happening to me recently: tired of having to fight big tech to get some privacy and to avoid updates with always more useless ‘features’ pilled over my reading experience (I don’t like at all how Apple Books is changing), I started purchasing print editions. Instead of the ebooks, I mean. More and more. To the point that last month and the first two weeks of December I purchased zero ebook, only print.

It’s a a nice experience to be certain that no one is profiling my reading habits (I can still purchase books paying in cash if I want to), or enter my house to remove it from my bookshelves. I like it so much that I’ve also started using my notebook and fountain pen much more for note-taking instead of the iPad. Curious to see where it will lead me, if anywhere ;)