@kirkmahoneyphd Now that they are not part of the EU, I guess they feel like they don’t have to follow any rules.
All this kind of nonsense is why I always use content-blockers (“ad blockers” / “tracking blockers”), and why I avoid proprietary software whenever I can, even if the alternative is inefficient or inconvenient (it’s usually more efficient and more convenient anyway).
Firstly - you can’t trust proprietary, closed-source software. The presence of a button in the interface which says “turn off spying” / “don’t track my location” / “don’t listen in on me” means absolutely nothing. There’s no guarantee it will do what you instruct it to. A prime example is that Google-infested Android has been proven to track your location even when you thought it was turned off. To the best of my knowledge, AOSP doesn’t do this. Similarly, Microsoft still performs a lot of unnecessary phoning-home even with as much of its built-in spyware “turned off” as possible. The source-code for proprietary, closed-source software is unavailable for you to study, to verify that it does what it says it does, and it is often against the EULA to reverse-engineer it. Maybe the developers have something to hide. Either you have control over your devices, or they have control over you. If it’s in any way crippled or restricted (think “unrooted”, “not jailbroken”, or “has apps that use DRM”), then you don’t have control over the device you paid for, and you are being subjugated and abused.
Secondly - I disagree with surveillance capitalism, spying, and being traded as a commodity. I therefore opt-out of it, even if it costs me. Plus, ads are a proven vector for malware. Therefore, if a site cannot exist without ads, and asks me to disable my adblocker, I always navigate elsewhere. Let the site either accept donations, sell a product to “make ends meet”, or just die. If I need to use a piece of proprietary software or spyware for some task in every day life, I just don’t do that task. I am not willing to trade my freedom for perceived convenience, or the illusion of “cheap” or “free” stuff.
I’m willing to use “Open Source” software, even if it’s not entirely free (either as in “freedom” or as in “price”). I don’t mind a modestly restrictive (non-free/libre) licence, or paying a bit for some software, where the developer has enough confidence and transparency to make the source available. I still favour truly free (as in “freedom”) software wherever a free/libre tool exists to do the job.
This might be too difficult or restrictive for some people, but I do really hope it inspires the confidence in others to do the same. That said, the above is just my stance and reasoning. If Microsoft Windows, and Apple Macintosh, and tailored ads work for you then great.
For me, one of the big attractions of the Pure, besides the main features (e-ink, low-SAR, simplicity etc), is that the software source-code is available. Circumstances don’t allow me time to look at it and contribute at the moment, but this is something I definitely intend to do in the future.
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I’m curious what the “new” privacy relay option (currently in beta mode on iOS and macOS) actually do. It’s not a VPN but according to Apple they can’t see what websites you are visiting. Or anyone else.
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I’m having trouble entering some random websites, and I had to deactivate it while navigating. However, as they claim, I see it as a good feature since it is in a BETA version. I also use Adguard in my Safari and Apple’s native tracker’s blocker.
I’m not obsessed with privacy, but some things are too much.
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Facebook might have to pull out of Europe?
I think this best sums up my reaction:
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@kirkmahoneyphd This is absolutely VILE & super invasive.
A few years ago, I read an article about how AMAZON was sharing data with Data Brokers & using AI track changes in a person’s life. There was one example they gave about a woman who was looking at some self-help books & purchased some titles. Then, she was browsing some plus-sized clothing & the AI figured out that she was depressed, gained weight & now was looking to deal with it privately, but somehow that info got back to her health insurance providers & her premiums went up. Super scary stuff.
Here’s an interesting article
https://www.cairn-int.info/load_pdf.php?ID_ARTICLE=E_RINDU1_201_0053&download=1
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By the time a child reaches 13, online advertising firms hold an average of 72 million data points about them, according to SuperAwesome, a London-based company that helps app developers navigate child-privacy laws.
^ From this:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/09/apps-kids-privacy/
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I saw this segment on the news yesterday:
Amazon is Ring doorbell footage to law enforcement without the user’s permission.
Does anyone have one of these cameras? Are you concerned?
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@roberto It gets creepier & creepier. However, sometimes, I get this feeling that many people don’t really care where their data ends up. I recently had a conversation with an acquaintance & he said that he leads such a boring life & he’s not doing anything illegal, so he’s not worried that his data is harvested. 
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@kirkmahoneyphd My friend was just visiting from the US & we were JUST talking about this VERY article! We started talking about the popularity of DNA/GENEOLOGY testing services, such as 23&Me etc & how so many people we know are doing this. I stated categorically that I would never do this because of privacy reasons & that’s when she told me that it goes WAY BEYOND just privacy. She then proceeded to show me this article & my jaw dropped.
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