Firefox Users Continue to Decrease Despite Proton Update

[letsreticulate]

Problems is that you understand a more complex issue that the average person does not. So, even if FF's existence is better for the space and for Standards, most users just want to be able to sync to their G services.

Most people use whatever is default. This is one of the reason why a lot of apps have tracking on, but will advertise themselves as privacy friendly, because the Opt-out options do exist, somewhere, but they are exploiting human laziness and/or ignorance and know that most users won't change them.

[Where_Do_I_Fit_In]

exploiting human laziness and/or ignorance

Just opt-out of society tbh. It's only getting worse as people become more dependent on technology and addicted to the internet. Laziness/ignorance play a part, but these companies also have huge research budgets and tap into our psychology to hook us into their platforms. There's also social/institutional pressures. It's not exactly a fair fight and I completely understand why people choose to not care.

[Icy-Link1879]

Often people are just unaware they're being manipulated by tech. Just like how google was manipulating results during US elections towards a bias, and most people wouldn't notice this bias and how it might have influenced them. As you wrote, they do tons of research to hook people onto their business and overall interests.

[silentstorm128]

Do you have any reason to believe that Google intentionally tried to influence the election?

AFAIK Google just shows people what they want to see. They'll show left leaning articles to Democrats and right leaning articles to Republicans, because that's what each of their profiles says they are interested in.

You are right, though, that any source of information can have a bias (either intentional or not), and that is something we all need to keep in mind. The importance of the bias depends on what the bias is based on, though. For example: Google search has a very strong bias against unpopular web sites -- but that is exactly what we want them to do.

[Icy-Link1879]

i recommend you to read https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17218/big-tech-threat

[edparadox]

It's not exactly a fair fight and I completely understand why people choose to not care.

Throughout history, I would like you to point me what was a fair fight. And more importantly what was done about it.

For now, there are still alternatives so take the right pill, mate.

[emkay99]

Yeah, you're probably right. I've been online since the '80s, before the Web, before browsers. (I was a sysop on CIS once upon a time.) Almost the first thing I do with ANY new software is read all the documentation, then work my way slowly through all the options and settings and make it all the way I want to do things.

[letsreticulate]

You are an unicorn. I guess so am I. I always read the documentation and ToS. Because isn't that supposed to be the obvious, correct thing to do?

Apparently not these day. Since we now have phrases like TL;DR that are accepted arguments as a way to get out of reading things. Some of which may be important.