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Time to start de-Appling

heatherburns.tech

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Re: Time to start de-Appling

#421

Post by NetMageSCW »

einpoklum wrote: post #228
TexanFeller wrote: post #225

Unfortunately the user friendly non-Apple alternatives like Google devices and services are dramatically worse than Apple’s when it comes to privacy. Years ago when I was still giving Android a chance I found that things like banking apps refused to work if I loaded a custom ROM or IIRC even if I enabled superuser access on the stock ROM. Those things are probably even more tightly controlled now, so de-Googled Andro…

Both Apple and Google guarantee you a total _breach_ of your privacy: They are known to share most or all of your data, that's on their servers / comm lines, with branches of the US government, en masse, pursuant to agreements or compelling arrangements. This is the PRISM program, revealed last decade by CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden. As for other uses of your data, and what they "send back home", there you might…

Citation needed.

Re: Time to start de-Appling

#422

Post by phyzix5761 »

zmmmmm wrote: post #227

I know this is a tangent but honestly, this is why the Google decision to de-openify Android is insane even from Google's point of view. Who would want to be an iron clad gate keeper when the world is descending into authoritarianism? You just paint a giant target on your back for the authoritarians to come after. If Apple had supported open iCloud alternatives for backup and other services from day one, it woudn't e…

People unknowingly help big corporations destroy smaller competitors by demanding more regulations. In reality, those same corporations often fund the very laws and "anti-corporate" movements that claim to restrain them using lobbying and fake grassroots[1][2] campaigns to shape rules that raise costs for smaller rivals and secure more market share.

This shouldn’t be surprising. Political competitive advantage is even taught in business schools, as Michael E. Porter explains in Competitive Strategy.

The only way to counter it is through competition: support companies that offer substitute services and stop playing into Google’s and Apple’s hands by calling for more regulations.

[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/30/how-google-and-amazon-bankro...

[2] https://www.iccr.org/resolutions/lobbying-expenditures-discl...

Re: Time to start de-Appling

#423

Post by tedd4u »

alistairSH wrote: post #401
thw_9a83c wrote: post #29

From the article: > Otherwise, please make sure you de-Apple, de-Google, and de-American Stack yourself when you have time, clarity, and focus to do it. Start today. I don't understand the core of this advice. So if you're in the UK and do all the above, can you suddenly get similar E2EE cloud storage from a different provider without a UK government-mandated backdoor?

Of the major consumer tech companies, isn't Apple still the leader in terms of privacy? (yes, that's a low bar) And, it's just ADP being affected by the UK mandates? What % of users bother enabling ADP? I probably should, but haven't bothered (am I being foolish?).

I guess it depends on the individual’s threat model. If government is the primary concern and they are a UK person, then maybe not. If it’s their employer or random hacker then maybe so.

Re: Time to start de-Appling

#425

Post by 8fingerlouie »

gtirloni wrote: post #392
8fingerlouie wrote: post #390

If you still want/need cloud storage, but don't want to roll your own (with the warts that brings), Cryptomator is an excellent tool for source encrypting your data before uploading them. It works transparently, and has clients for Mac/Windows as well as iOS/Android. It's also open source, and "free" (IIRC there's a one time fee for the mobile client). https://cryptomator.org/

There's also the `crypt` remote for rclone: https://rclone.org/crypt/

Rclone works fine, but the main difference to Cryptomator is that their mobile apps integrate well into the phone filesystems, essentially allowing you to modify the contents of an encrypted vault from mobile, desktop or wherever.

It’s basically cloud storage (works on local drives as well), but fully source encrypted.

Re: Time to start de-Appling

#426

Post by fsflover »

NetMageSCW wrote: post #421
einpoklum wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Both Apple and Google guarantee you a total _breach_ of your privacy: They are known to share most or all of your data, that's on their servers / comm lines, with branches of the US government, en masse, pursuant to agreements or compelling arrangements. This is the PRISM program, revealed last decade by CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden. As for other uses of your data, and what they "send back home", there you might…

Citation needed.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26639261

Re: Time to start de-Appling

#427

Post by fsflover »

whstl wrote: post #319
celsoazevedo wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's easy to use a different calendar, search engine, etc, but it's far from easy to use an Android device without Google Services. Can be done, but banking apps, contactless payments, etc, become painful or impossible.

The point is that avoiding Android is also easy. I never had an Android device and have no interest. Once again: The only problem is avoiding both platforms.

I avoid both platforms. Librem 5 is my smartphone.

Re: Time to start de-Appling

#428

Post by Fischgericht »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #394
mistercheph wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yeah guys, we don’t win by using free and open technologies, we win if we all buy {NAMECORP} devices, that’s true victory right there, backed by a real warranty, that’s what grandma wants

I've had files in Apple's iCloud for 14 years now (had to look that up) and they're still there. I have no reason to believe that they won't still be there after I am dead. Apple is a big company with a big reputation to protect. I can't say the same for the smaller services. I don't have any grandmothers still alive but would certainly suggest iCloud for all family members. (But, FWIW, I copy down everything from iC…

I don't know in which part of this planet you are living in, but: 14 years ago you might have lived a free society where your ideas and thoughts could not cause you to get arrested, deported or killed.

Yeah, back then Apples iCloud might have been the best suggestion.

If you are trying to extrapolate from the past - which is a good thing in general - do not go back ONLY 14 years from now, but try a bigger time span, too.

I was born in Germany. When I extrapolate from the past on ANYTHING, I at least always start in the year 1933.

No, not a good idea if you expect that within your lifespan some entity might be able to be forced to tell a regime where you are hiding right now.

Taking control of your own data is shitloads of work, I and understand people do not have time it, and have other priorities.

I am just making my point here on how to better extrapolate and project from the past towards the future.

Re: Time to start de-Appling

#429

Post by efreak »

fwip wrote: post #33
spankalee wrote: post #2

Something's wrong with the CSS on this page. The end of every line is cut off.

If you resize the window to a narrower width, it will wrap more normally.

I've seen a number of websites that don't like being in windowed mode on desktop, and the very occasional website that doesn't like my tablet (which has a custom width/dp size set). I always assumed they were related to media queries that were set incorrectly, as zooming or resisting the window (or on my tablet, toggling desktop view) nearly always fixes it.

Then there's the websites that have a menubar or other UI floating on top of the content it takes you to (this is far more common, and incredibly frustrating as I'm usually using either a toc or a search function and unable to see the content I'm looking for at all)

Re: Time to start de-Appling

#430

Post by potato3732842 »

Atlas667 wrote: post #282
chongli wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who would want to be an iron clad gate keeper when the world is descending into authoritarianism? Powerful people don't think this way. They think they can leverage the authoritarian regime to their own advantage. They're biased to ignore risks and seek out opportunities. That's what got them to their position of success!

They ARE the authoritarian regime. This myth that capitalist perpetuate that the rich are not the government is the best lie out there. The rich are the government. They are the national interests, countries' industries' is their property.

Both opinions are so lacking in nuance as to be effectively useless. The rich and their interests are in some contexts the the government, in other contexts they're competing with it.

Look at how Bill Gates relationship with government changes by the year and by the subject for a great example.

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