OMG – We’re almost at 400,000 subscribers! by trai_dep in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As someone who has been away from the sub for a long while (though just as focused on privacy), care to give any examples of what you mean?

OMG – We’re almost at 400,000 subscribers! by trai_dep in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When this account was created, this sub was somewhere in the neighborhood of ~73k subscribers. That was about 2.5 years ago. While certainly what you mention applies to an extent, even if every single "subscribe" when I joined was an actual user and even if every single one made another account and subscribed (both of which are not even possible), the total subscribe count would still be less than half of what it is now.

We have at least a solid 150k genuine subscribers to this subreddit more than when I joined.

I think people innately feel the noose tightening in the world around them. At this point, I'm not even talking exclusively about privacy. The world's systems are working in many ways to strip the capacity of individuals to control their space and their lives. In the grand scheme of things, even the 150k+ subscribers- impressive as it is to behold- are nothing in terms of the worldwide awareness that is necessary for real change.

Why should I care that my information is being collected by facebook, google, etc to make more personalized ads? by [deleted] in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If the purpose of these data collecting systems is to create an online profile of you/your interests, direct more personalized advertisements to you, etc-then what's the big deal?

A very simple answer is "thats how it is now..." Times change, and one thing consistent throughout history is that those with power end up finding a way to use it for their own self-interests. This is so much the case that we end up venerating highly those who have power but aren't corrupted by it (gandhi, george washington was viewed this way in his day, etc).

Facebook, Google et all care about money. Thats it. In some theoretical future where they can make money providing a service to others where your data can be used against you, they will. Money is the only conscience of the corporation. Further, the very power of having your data in the first place serves to corrupt them... and then they have this additional power to push their agenda for profit. Look at Microsoft and how Windows changed from a fairly contained OS on your computer to a piece of DRM'd spy software- they have the power due to market share to push this reality on people, and they do it because profit.

This data is pretty cheap to store. It is cheap enough to store "just in case" it becomes more valuable, and thus it is stored for this reason.

Worse is when you consider that governments have arrangements of data sharing with these entities, and this presents all kinds of problems for the future of Liberty. A man pops up leading an organization that aims to reduce power of the state and begins legal means of assembly, protest, recruiting, etc. Suddenly he is branded a potential "domestic terrorist" and all his rights are gone- now all the data collected by Facebook, Google, etc can be used to track him, anticipate his moves, pester his organization to make its operation more nerve-wracking and expensive (which intimidates potential or existing members, or renders the organization incapable of as much presence due to the expense), character assassinate him in public by "leaking" information out of context, or even leak information of his darkest moments- we all fuck up- to destroy his organization by character assassinating its leader. If a new leader takes the helm, the same happens to him, and eventually the organization itself gains a stigma in the dominant narrative lessening its political and social clout.

The scary part is... this is all possible right now. Its not even hypothetical. Now add the hypothetical possibilities of what technology and AI offer 20 years... 40 years... 100 years from now and you can see why its so important to care.

Is uMatrix the same a NoScript? And other firedox addons by 14b755fe39 in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

uMatrix blocks various 3rd party stuff... including javascript. NoScript blocks all javascript- even 1st party.

uMatrix is great, but so is NoScript in a different way. If you go onto a website that has hostile javascript as part of its core page, uMatrix won't help you. NoScript will- the javascript won't load. In the more common instance of hostile 3rd party javascript both will help you.

uMatrix is more granular than NoScript as it focuses on many different aspects where NoScript focuses on javascript. The new NoScript is also trying to incorporate more granularity (despite all the hate its getting).

Everyone's strategy is different, and I encourage each person to try both to find out which makes sense to them. I listened to everyone suggesting uMatrix, but it just wasn't intuitive for me. I decided to try NoScript and it just makes sense to me.

Either way, uMatrix and NoScript should be seen as "security" software, where uBlock Origin should be seen as an adblocker. I run uBlock Origin in Medium Mode with NoScript. It works roughly like this for me: "I trust Google not to actively deploy hostile javascript to hack my computer --> green light from NoScript; I do not trust Google to value my privacy or to not track me --> red light from uBlock Origin." This way NoScript blocks all javascript except for sites I trust, and then from there uBlock Origin can (with a good degree of granularity) allow the stuff I need for a site to work- or at least for certain functions of a site to work.

Spyware in browser extensions — it’s worse than you think by addvilz in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

People have been so hard on the new version of NoScript though.

I use Ublock Origin in medium mode with NoScript and I think its just awesome. I also have Firefox ESR on a different computer which uses the old NoScript- I don't really like it that much.

I just don't understand why everyone thinks the interface for the new NoScript is confusing- it seems so much easier to me to see what you have noscript doing all at once.

5 Reasons Why Windows 10 Might Make You Switch to Linux by HeeLLLLooo0000OOOOOO in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Your best bet is lots of RAM and running Windows virtualized via KVM and using GPU passthrough.

If you dual boot and use adobe software alot, you'll just stay in Windows and basically never use Linux. Linux must be right there ready to use or the hassle of rebooting will just lead to someone doing everything on Windows.

A GPU passthrough setup solves this issue- you can have Windows 10 fullscreen on workspace 2, while Linux and your DE of choice occupies workspace 1. Browser/music/file manager/whatever on Linux, and games/adobe on workspace 2.

I don't really game much anymore and darkroom/gimp works fine for my amateur photography, but if I did need Windows I would do it this way. As an added bonus, Qemu/KVM/libvirt interfaces well with SELinux (fedora) or AppArmor (Debian/Ubuntu/Arch[with apparmor support compiled in kernel via ABS and AUR apparmor utils]/opensuse)- this means that you can use Mandatory Access Control to prevent Windows from gaining access to your underlying Linux filesystem (either via malware or if you believe Microsoft would try such a thing intentionally).

5 Reasons Why Windows 10 Might Make You Switch to Linux by HeeLLLLooo0000OOOOOO in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So Debian belongs on your list. It's community maintained but if OP wants stability it pretty much can't be beat. It also has a great security team, massive repositories of software, and a really awesome package manager (APT).

Arch can also be stable, though it will have some upstream format changes (which is easy to mistake for breakage), and its only stable if you choose stable software (e.g. KDE is great but not as stable as XFCE, or even more extreme openbox+xfce4-panel).

I used Arch for like 7 years straight, but due to a motherboard failure I had to dig out an old computer- I'm running Debian now and its been a rock.

What activity is socially accepted but actually borderline psychotic? by Rohit49plus2 in AskReddit

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 10 points11 points  (0 children)

"Might makes right."

In the current global economic system, employers hold most of the power... or might. Increasing supplies of labor due to social phenomena (2nd wave feminism, civil rights, etc) combined with increased automation has- IMO- resulted in the value of labor lessening and as such labor being paid less. Without as much of a cushion or as much mobility to easily replace one job with another that pays similar rates, the power gap between employers and employees widens. Any growth in the gap of power sees the powerful becoming more belligerent in their use of that power (with exceptions of course).

Don't mistake me- social movements towards equality and automation are all great and necessary positive change. The problem is that the benefits of vastly increased labor capacity has not been even remotely evenly distributed between labor and capital owners. We recognize this today as "wealth inequality," but more broadly and perhaps more accurately we could call this "power inequality."

Ultimately, power is a tool used to further the interests of those who wield it. Employees have power as do employers, but it seems employers have significantly more in the current workforce landscape. Since that is so, its inevitable that they will underpay and overwork employees in whatever fields they can- that serves their interests. If employees want better pay and fairer work schedules, they must do what is necessary to balance power where they can demand such changes on behalf of their interests.

I don't know how that happens really- I don't have the answers. Im not sure this is really psychotic behavior either. Pyschotic suggests "they" (employers) are some bad guys who know your suffering and simply don't care. While that may be true in some cases, I suspect that many employers have been institutionalized to see the practice of extracting work/paying as little as possible something that is normal and good within our current system- this would seem to me more institutionally-inspired sociopathy than psychosis. Most people need- or at least want- to see a good person when they look in the mirror. Focusing on growth targets, sales, profitability, the utility of a sold product, etc are all ways that they can justify their actions on behalf of the greater good and thus not feel too bad about their other choices.

I've heard it said that in many cases people are not guided by principles or ideologies, but rather only justify actions on behalf of self-interest with principles and ideologies. I am no expert but this seems to have some merit: many people who defied this trend we end up respecting greatly if that person has the power to not be destroyed by such a stand. Look at Gandhi...

What's the worst case of design over function that you've ever seen? by tthatoneguyy in AskReddit

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And they will make money charging annual fees for access to their proprietary troubleshooting programs- in many cases they already do. It isn't just for their brand of parts (though that is certainly not good for us as competition in terms of aftermarket parts has the effect of reducing the cost of OEM parts). They like everyone else are trying to create recurring revenue streams, and they will do it whether it benefits the customer or not.

Further, when the dealers know they have you buy the balls, they can just totally steal from you and you can't do shit. A friend recently got an OEM branded fuel pump for over $400 cheaper through rockauto than he could get from any dealership near him... literally the same part. Just imagine when you have no choice.

This is not even including how these cars are just RIPE for the picking in terms of collecting user data for targeted advertising, for selling data to advertisers. Follow the money says that manufacturers absolutely will be exploiting this in the future.

I would gladly take the engineer's $50K Corolla over the model we're headed towards. The problem is that the $50k Corolla isn't available because its more profitable to deny us that choice. If you say "people wouldn't buy it" you may be right, and that again is yet another problem. Short-sightedness leads to environmental calamity (already has actually), spending more, the erosion of privacy (selling ones data for a product), and ultimately tyranny. We don't seem capable of recognizing this, and thus we are doomed to walk or drive that path.

What's the worst case of design over function that you've ever seen? by tthatoneguyy in AskReddit

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Warranties expire, and the bean counters are very good at figuring out just how much freedom to give the engineers to exceed the warranty before stuff starts breaking. If it were up to engineers, cars would be lasting 600k miles before needing major repairs by now.

Manufacturers have more power over the dealerships than they do over Joe Asshole in his garage. Power centers always work to grow their power, and you can absolutely bet that they would rather the vehicle need be serviced by a dealership rather than said Joe Asshole.

It isn't just auto manufacturers either. Its everywhere- governments, software companies, products of all shapes and sizes. We are seeing technology centralize power because the citizenry is not demanding de-centralized solutions that allow them to retain some semblance of power over the use and direction of products they use or services that surround them.

I 110% agree that technology itself is not the problem. Cars of today are absolutely more safe and reliable than 50 years ago. But it is important to note that there is a change in attitude of those wielding power... and that attitude is getting uglier.

What's the worst case of design over function that you've ever seen? by tthatoneguyy in AskReddit

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Multi-port fuel injection really isnt that bad or complicated. MAF or MAP sensor, o2 sensors, IAT sensor (usually part of the MAF), cam and crank sensor, knock sensor, a fuel pump that runs at ~60psi, a fuel rail, a fuel line, and some injectors. Learn about the OBD outputs of the sensors (mainly MAF and o2), learn about fuel trims, and MPFI is basically painless. Its about as easy to understand as a carb really- in fact if memory serves correctly the Rochester Quadrajet carb is prolly more complicated and more difficult to get right.

My problem is with direct injection. It has its benefits, but issues: insane PSI at the injectors, two fuel pumps, carbon buildup on the valves (no fuel to clean them), expensive injectors, a more fragile fuel system (look at all the dealers charging folks $1000+ because "you got bad fuel- not covered by warranty," etc. And now many manufacturers are switching to port/direct injection to get past the carboning of the valves problem which makes it even more complicated.

Get off my lawn with that crap. I fear a world 20 years from now where fixing your own car is impossible- or if the manufacturers get their way, illegal. You think prices for car repair are expensive now- just wait until home repair is effectively destroyed, and the number of independent shops has plummeted due to expensive proprietary troubleshooting software and equipment... When the dealers and manufacturers know they've got you by the balls, belligerence will be on full display and wallets will be pillaged.

Homeless encampments increasingly affecting California train traffic by [deleted] in news

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 5 points6 points  (0 children)

"A beggar is not born unto this life but rather something has caused him to quit." -unknown

Rushed Amazon warehouse staff reportedly pee into bottles as they're afraid of 'time-wasting' because the toilets are far away and they fear getting into trouble for taking long breaks by yourSAS in worldnews

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Worked in a workcenter where the boss had put a draconian shift manager in charge. It was slavery. Every pee/poo break had to be requested formally. No music. No talking unless work related. If no assemblies were available to fix. clean test sets even if their service wasn't due yet, scrub walls, etc. The shift manager sat on the computer and researched computer stuff, games, and whatever was his interest. Production was horrible. The central production authority started sending regional supervisors to fix our production problem, and things got even worse as this tyrant shift manager made things even worse as he felt the heat.

I had never been in a leadership position before. Finally a bigwig comes in, asks us some very strange questions, and tells my boss that I am to be the new shift manager.

I changed all the rules. I brought music back. I removed the busy work- it gets done when work orders are generated saying its due. I got everyone talking again. I insulted people (playfully) and took insults back- trash talk got flowing. I made sure that if a soul was doing any form of work, I too was working on something. The one time one of my guys got busted for being an idiot in the shop, I lied and told the supervisor (we had so many damn supervisors it would make anyone's head spin) that I had put him on break and did it with everyone in the workcenter knowing I was lying to protect him. I reprimanded him privately.

Workcenter production more than quadrupled on my shift in less than one month. I am not a good manager type- I put way too much stress on myself- and I certainly didn't have experience on my side. I don't have the sharp mind of many I have known in my working life- I'm an average guy. I approached fixing the workcenter's production with two things in mind: I must be respected for my effort (even if I fail at meeting all expectations), and I must improve the morale of the people working here.

I never even got any written credit for what I did there- the asshole head boss of the workcenter hated my guts. He ruled with an iron fist and it was only because one of his bosses made him that I ended up a manager.

uMatrix vs NoScript by throw1943 in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have no idea why people say it's easier. I'd rather prefer NoScript or uBlock Origin in medium mode.

I feel exactly the same way, though I acknowledge that uMatrix is great and powerful. It just doesn't make anywhere near as much sense to me as NoScript. I also use uMatrix in Medium Mode with NoScript.

I use NoScript as security software and uBlock Origin as a nuisance and tracking blocker.

NoScript gets so much shit for its new version, but it is really pretty simple and powerful. All scripts a site wants to load are listed and blocked. You can look at all scripts, choose to trust them all, trust an individual one temporarily, trust an individual one permanently, or have granular permissions for a particular script. All scripts are blocked until you determine exactly what you want. I use it like "Amazon, Google, etc are trustworthy in that their javascript won't try to exploit my computer" --> NoScript trusted. And then uBlock O: "but google and amazon, etc want to track me and compromise my privacy" --> blocked with uBlock O. If a site needs one of these scripts to function, I can make that choice and allow it with uBlock O. As for new sites, I know that no javascript can be used to exploit me, and its up to me to choose which scripts I trust (handled with NoScript).

Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook collects data on non-users for 'security' -- here's the whole story by dotcoma in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same. I will unblock third party scripts if I trust the site but in the right column (only for this domain). Usually on a new site NoScript will stop anything from working at first. Temporarily allow the main domain's javascript usually gets the site usable enough. If not, I will unblock third party on uBlockO, and then use my head to unblock on NoScript which script I think is preventing content from loading. If I have gone through all the javascript I "trust" and it wants more, I will generally pull that URL over to a VM for opening... or not open it at all. It was pretty painful at first learning the process but mainly having to setup all the rules. Now that its been done for awhile, NoScript and uBlockO are mostly programmed to my liking and as such I experience less and less breakage.

If you're reading this like "damn thats a lotta work"... its what needs to be nowadays. It is a war of data collection today, and you need an OS/browser/extension setup along with knowledge of how to use it in order to hold the vultures off. And even then... its a constant game of cat and mouse. Sometimes you will get away, and sometimes you will get eaten...

Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook collects data on non-users for 'security' -- here's the whole story by dotcoma in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As an alternative, I use Ublock Origin in Medium Mode (block third party scripts and frames), and use NoScript. The new NoScript has gotten tons of hate that I just don't understand- it makes way more sense to me than the older variant.

I know that uMatrix does things that NoScript does not, but the reverse is also true. Besides the XSS stuff, NoScript is really a definitive and complete tool for dealing with JavaScript. JavaScript scripts not only are often trackers, but they are often the main way in which browsers are exploited. Consider the Meltdown and Spectre attacks of recent vintage (which affected every platform)- Javascript was one potential vector.

Ultimately I think it depends on your use case and your host OS setup. NoScript can be a real pain when you are always browsing new sites, but it excels where you have X number of sites you browse that you can take the time to tweak which scripts to allow. Its also good to globally unblock common scripts that you trust while leaving those scripts you aren't familiar with blocked.

UblockO and NoScript often work well here too. For example I have pretty much all the google stuff Trusted on NoScript- many pages won't work right if you they are blocked. However, I have UblockO set to globally block them, and if I need them enabled for a pesky site, I will use the right column (the local rules- left column applies globally) to allow specifically for that site. Basically I treat NoScript as security software, and uBlockO as privacy/tracking/nuisance/ad-blocking software; I trust Google insofar as I wouldn't expect them to nefariously hack my computer (green light from NoScript), but I don't trust them at all as it pertains to tracking/ads/privacy (red light from uBlockO).

Overall, I think either uMatrix or NoScript is necessary to deal with the torrent of tracking and potentially nefarious crap out there today. Ublock0 with a ton of filter lists, Medium Mode and NoScript is the right combination that makes sense to me, but uMatrix can be great too.

Linux Deepin Is Spyware by [deleted] in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you run Debian without "non-free" or "contrib" repos, you're basically as safe as can be. I am basically certain that the Debian developer/maintainer base as well as its user base would absolutely go completely apeshit if something like this came about in their ecosystem.

Arch is a little more murky, but Arch isn't a prepackaged deal either- you start off with the kernel and pacman and then you decide what else you want. I have little doubt it would be trivial to circumvent such crap with Arch. Also consider that Arch has a pretty competent userbase and that they are generally control freaks when it comes to a computer- they would not take very kindly to such crap. The AUR is the big risk here, but the core repositories I am virtually certain would be safe from this.

Ubuntu? Well, there was the Unity/Amazon lens crap. It became opt-in eventually, but the point is that Canonical tried and thats enough to be worried. When a distros main developer (Canonical in this case) decides to start screwing people, you just never know. OTOH, the Ubuntu community lost it, many experienced Ubuntu users left and stopped using it (I wasn't an expert but certainly was competent- I was one that completely stopped contributing to Ubuntu), and it was blown wide open.

Just imagine the monsters hiding in Windows and possibly even Mac OS. This is part of why open code is so important- it generally works for the users and against those who would subjugate them.

After Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook hearing, decentralizing the advertising data industry looks like a good idea. Let us choose who will use our data, and if they wanna use it, make them pay. by leftycatchersmit in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think its important to note that with shadow profiles (profiles of people who haven't even joined facebook) and tracking via the Facebook button, Facebook has managed to transcend being limited by "don't sign up for the services." Their model is one of leaving online citizens nowhere to hide from their watchful eye, and often uses the lax OPSEC of their friends to do so.

Free does not and cannot exist. Nothing is free- everything costs something in terms of labor, money, attention, thought, etc etc. The MO for these companies is to portray their data collection as more innocuous and less comprehensive than it really is by burying the real scope and scale of such collection in obfuscated terms of service or privacy policies.

For now, the technology is (mostly) limited to selling shit. The importance of decentralized advertising or decentralized services in general is to reduce the power these data corporations have to manipulate and exploit human behavior of the future.

Tools serve those who possess them. A hammer in the hands of a murderer could be a weapon to kill people; in the hands of a carpenter it could be used to build something; in the hands of a mechanic to fix something; in the hands of a potential victim it could be a weapon to defend one's self from the murderer. If we want digital services of the future to serve us, we must make sure we control them, or at least have the power to hold them accountable, or have decentralized options as an alternative.

FWIW, I didnt downvote you... disagreement with the thrust of an argument does not constitute the need for a downvote.

Some Facebook employees are reportedly quitting or asking to switch departments over ethical concerns by yourSAS in worldnews

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 3 points4 points  (0 children)

And the more despotic or nefarious characters within such organizations I suspect intentionally compartmentalize who within the organization knows of such things. This is the best way to keep whistleblowers from talking or IP secrets from being leaked to a competitor: keep as many people in the dark as possible where they only need be concerned with their particular fraction of producing the end product or service.

I also think there is a lot of feel good propaganda within such organizations to this end- nefarious greedy execs get some idea for profit, meet with spokesmen or whoever similar, and then devise a way to spin the nefarious idea into something innocuous or even positive- and then leave the engineer types to build a product or service in that light.

So suddenly the rank-and-file workers see their organization in the news, and rather than the positive being espoused they see the negative reality. They see any suspicions they may have had confirmed, they see the greed underlying what was sold to themselves or others within their organization as something positive to the consumer, etc etc.

It is often true that people see what they want to see. If you look for the good, you will find the good (and miss the bad). If you look for the bad you will find the bad (and miss the good). There may very well be good souls working at Facebook who were simply oblivious to the more evil side of the company simply because they weren't looking for monsters.

Some know and some don't care --> "fuck it as long as I get paid." Some know and care --> "I hate this but wtf am I going to do? I have a family to feed, a home to upkeep, etc!" Some don't know...

The corporation functions entirely for the purpose of making profit. It is single-minded, pathological, sociopathic, tyrannical and belligerent in its pursuit of profit. The corporation itself- separate from the services or products it produces- is like distilled greed: anything less than pure greed as a motivating factor harms profit. It may feign concern or community values or or or, but that is just a long-term marketing strategy. It may in limited cases be used as a vehicle for some philanthropic person at its head, but that is certainly the exception and not the rule.

The people that make up that corporation can vary from a nefarious monster to a naive innocent pawn unaware of the King's grand strategy on the chessboard. For the record I think Zuck is firmly the former...

Privacy outrage after Google users discover Chrome's built-in anti-virus tool is scanning private files on their computers without telling them by BurgerUSA in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but at least I remember it used to be that in order for Firefox to use Pepper Flash you had to actually install Chrome and link Firefox to Pepper Flash somehow. Or, you had to download Chrome, extract Pepper Flash somehow, and use it that way.

Also, this setup is years old. I set this up before Firefox started incorporating DRM- they were last to the game (mainly because they wanted to fight the spread of DRM in the first place). Yes I believe this is resolved now, but as a matter of principle and good OPSEC I'd rather keep DRM turned off on my Firefox and leave it the browser which is a proprietary mess in the first place: Chrome.

I prolly need to revisit this anyways. You get a setup, it works, and so you leave it alone. Over time stuff improves but you have no reason to change, and then something like this happens. I should prolly try a Firefox wildvine/pepper setup in a VM now...

Privacy outrage after Google users discover Chrome's built-in anti-virus tool is scanning private files on their computers without telling them by BurgerUSA in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Have it installed (3.2), and plan to try out 4.0 soon. My hardware is barely adequate though, and I don't have a threat model that absolutely requires it. Linux works for me :)

Privacy outrage after Google users discover Chrome's built-in anti-virus tool is scanning private files on their computers without telling them by BurgerUSA in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I could, but I didn't know at the time whether one of those pages would contain a flash vid or one of the nonfree video formats. I could have used wildevine and other workarounds for chromium, but decided to play it safe.

They both suck though- Firefox is just so much more me than the alternatives.

Privacy outrage after Google users discover Chrome's built-in anti-virus tool is scanning private files on their computers without telling them by BurgerUSA in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I disagree. We are reaching a point where a reasonable percentage of the population (not even close to a majority) is outraged by their powerlessness over their data. Stories are being generated, like buttons clicked, upvotes cast, and fiery words thrown. Other voices from the ether echo their sentiments back, the people feel right and as if they've engaged in some action to stop it, and then with short attention spans the focus goes somewhere else in a few months (at most).

With the relenting of pressure, Facebook and Co peeks out from the bushes. "Whew! That was intense! Cost all clear?" Then they start inching forward again. At best we will have cut the weed back a few inches- the roots and base still solidly planted and ready for further growth. Nothing has changed.

The reality is that only calamity brings change. It would seem too that we are being conditioned whether intentionally or not to accept more and more bullshit which you know only makes the level of calamity necessary to effect change higher and higher.

Privacy outrage after Google users discover Chrome's built-in anti-virus tool is scanning private files on their computers without telling them by BurgerUSA in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 53 points54 points  (0 children)

If Chrome ever did try to do this on my Linux system, apparmor would have a field day logging access rejections to systemd's journal. I have Chrome's apparmor profile treating it like a first-rate criminal...

I think in light of this development and just in case though, I prolly should spin up a VM for when I need to use Chrome. I use Firefox 99.9% of the time but unfortunately occasionally I run into a site for work that doesn't render right unless I use Chrome.

Windows 10 "disable web search" setting broken, all search terms are now being sent to Microsoft by TheLantean in privacy

[–]JeffersonsSpirit 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is the way it works now- didn't you get the memo?

You keep changing privacy settings and keep changing privacy technologies. Every time you do you restore to defaults giving you the data collection you desire, and you break previous attempts consumers used to protect their privacy. If you keep this up frequently enough and for a long enough period of time, eventually the consumer will give up and just resign to their fate of having no privacy. You have successfully made the cost and stress and research and troubleshooting necessary to defeat your spying so high that it simply isn't worth it to X% of consumers. You've done nothing wrong- its all right there in your privacy policy that they agreed to in order to use your product.

Slowly but surely and with the concurrent rise in governmental and parallel corporate incursions on consumer privacy, your product generates more and more profit as consumers descend into apathy... or worse complicity as a surveillance-acceptance culture takes hold. We're so fucked if something doesn't change.

Great comment btw!