I don’t mean this to be rude, but wake up and smell the coffee already.
The reason why Silicon Valley has got to where it is with the complete erosion of user privacy is naive individuals not being able to see far in front of them. Recall isn’t just one event, it’s an accumulation of a thousand tiny events to the point where Microsoft are so up their own arses that they assumed this would be an easy hole in one. Because it usually is.
And they will just slip it in regardless. This is just a PR thing. Mark my words, Recall will be back with a new name and slipped in with an update at some point and it will be enabled without the user even wanting it. Or coerced out of the user. Microsoft want people’s data, whether for their own greed or because they’ve been asked to by the NSA. Regardless, Recall is coming, and the public will be naive about its true intentions. Microsoft will win this in the end.
“Even if they say that they’ll be abandoning this idea as they have ‘listened to user feedback’ or some other bull, the complete damage has already been done here.
Thank the lord there are an abundance of excellent OS alternatives.”
After what happened with Adobe, Microsoft and Sonos this past week, I have decided to try limit my use of American products. Don’t get me wrong, I love the USA - I have tonnes of family there and I have met some super nice people on my months long holidays there too…
But.
There is just too much poison coming out of Silicon Valley in my view. Awful choices in pursuit of our personal information, ‘Recall’ demonstrates how Silicon Vally is sick in their pursuit of trying to get even more stinking rich.
So yeah, I decided to try to remove as many American products and services from my life. It’s going to be tough. I have invested 5 digits in Apple tech over the past couple of years. It’s all to be sold now.
Switched Microsoft for Linux and OpenBSD, and I have a lot more tech to get rid of.
I know this sounds extreme, but I don’t want to fund these companies. I am partly responsible for funding then as it is, and I am out now.
Real. I am a long term Linux user (first downloaded Slackware over a 2400 baud modem - you can ask your grandparents what that is) and in principle I would like to do what you have done, basically do a “100% Richard Stallman” but my productivity is higher when using specific tools on macOS/iPadOS/iOS.
I fight back a bit by leaving my iPhone at home unless I want to take pictures. Instead my Apple Watch is my main driver when I am out in the world. It is fairly unobtrusive, in spite of the mountain of distributed tech behind it.
BTW, I don’t think you sound extreme at all. After reading good books like Privacy is Power and The Surveillance Capitalism, you approach sounds real to me.
I remember my Grandad ranting about the wonders of the 5600K modem back in the day. He introduced me to Doom back in ‘96, then showed me BASIC in ‘98. Without him, I’d have never have got into computing. So I bet he knows the 2400 baud modem well.
I used to be Google’s biggest fan boy once upon a time. I thought they were the bees knees, then 2006 came and they began using email content for targeted ads (this was when I used googlemail) and I knew they turned bad.
Every American tech company gets corrupted in the end eh.
It's called late stage capitalism and the scary thing is I think we still have a way to go. Check out the explosion of PE into our healthcare system recently if you really want to feel some goosebumps.
Healthcare should be run by the government, PE is about as far away from that ideal as possible. Profit motives should rarely (if ever) mix with healthcare
As I only just recently found out about Boeing’s involvement in making missiles which Israel uses in Gaza, it would unfortunately not surprise me if these particular conspiracy hypothesis are more than just hypothesis.
At least for Boeing, they’ll be benefiting from the fear other potential whistleblowers may have.
But it’s also possible that Boeing don’t know about the deaths because someone else has done it for them. But that’s when we start going down the rabbit hole of suspects from Mossad to the CIA!
Regardless, the big question is: Would they have the stomach to do it if they they could get away with it?
…to ME, that has a very easy answer.
Edit: Why the downvotes? Not rational enough? Or too rational?
a) Defence? Sorry to be nitpicking here, but most of the world would say those missiles are being used for anything but defence.
b) So tell me, would Boeing benefit from whistleblowers being too scared to blow their whistles? If I am wrong to make that assumption, then please tell me why? AND for a business which provides the actual missiles which have wiped out around 15000 children, would that company have any qualms about a threat to their business disappearing?
What I said was logical. And there is no way you will be able to provide anything which is more logical and SANE than what I have said. But, I am OPEN to think about whatever reply you have.
In American English, "defense" is commonly understood as "the military-industrial complex".
Your opinion can be logical, but everyone has their own opinion.
If you want suggestions, I'd recommend taking an approach of "What are you including in your comment that would interest or inform someone, versus the other millions of opinions on the internet?"
Also, while we're at it, 'Please don't use uppercase for emphasis. If you want to emphasize a word or phrase, put *asterisks* around it and it will get italicized.'
I’m not from the USA nor am I going to be hoodwinked by American double think of ‘defense’. Batter in though.
Yes, opinions are like arsehole’s… everyone has one. However, for lack of logical opinions like mine in a sub thread relating to thoughts of conspiracy, I personally feel that mine does have the ability to spark a second thought about a situation. If you don’t agree, that’s your opinion.
And thanks for your tips on emphasism - highly interesting and informing.
Good on Japan. Please create lots of competition, I am utterly FED UP with Apple and Google and bloody American companies ruining all that is fucking decent with the world.
I’m just fed up with subpar and locked down hardware.
Give me hardware that I own when I buy it. Fully open it up to the end user. No need to hide or gimp it’s power behind proprietary APIs (ie, Metal, lack of OpenGL).
For me the worst is that everyone copies them and there is not a single one opting for openness as a selling point. Policies that are objectively batshit insane are now accepted as 'the norm' because they are 'good for shareholders' (but this only works for google + apple)
I'm not optimistic. Korea's Naver has added zilch to overall consumer choice.
None of these countries do software very well Japan included which makes no sense, modern manufacturing and speedrunning was invented there.
What's obvious is Japan's extreme care for privacy opting for the security of paper based document storage/retrieval.
Also don't like seeing the minting of tech bros that is prevalent in America not really creating value for consumers but wealth for a small group of people.
