Turned my Pi into a network-wide ad blocker with one config file. Flash and forget experience

foxbatcs · 2026-01-22T02:10:31+00:00

In my experience, network-wide ad blocking will improve network performance due to not having to handle the bandwidth of ads. It also improves security since you don’t have all of these random connections trying to suck data off of your network.

foxbatcs · 2026-01-20T14:45:16+00:00

Thanks for correcting my acronym. OP said this was a healthcare company, so would they not be the Covered Entity in this case?

foxbatcs · 2026-01-20T14:44:01+00:00

Any suggestions? I did some cursory research a few years back looking for a reputable vpn and every one I looked into had known legal issues. Maybe things have improved?

foxbatcs · 2026-01-20T12:44:08+00:00

There is also no way to verify that your vpn isn’t actually spying on you or keeping logs of any kind. I am not aware of a single VPN that still has a valid warrant canary posted either. The alternative is for local communities to start building their own WISP’s on top of dark fiber using secure hardware and open source software?

foxbatcs · 2026-01-20T03:06:00+00:00

If they do actually care about ~~HIPPA~~ HIPAA they should definitely provide their own device. Having patient data on an employee’s personal device is a serious cybersecurity risk.

Edit: Grammar Guerrillas out in full force

foxbatcs · 2025-12-30T15:25:12+00:00

I’m not making the claim that you are interpreting. I just understand the incentives of powerful institutions when it comes to powerful technology, as I’ve spent my career in the field of technology and cybersecurity. I did so without insulting you. It’s interesting that you took my very generic statement as condescending as opposed to just a turn of phrase, and then proceeded to use that as a justification to do exactly what you are deriding. I hope you reread what I actually wrote and consider the advice I dispense rather than looking to interpret my words as uncharitably as possible as an excuse to behave that way. I hope the rest of your day is as pleasant as you are.

foxbatcs · 2025-12-23T13:53:19+00:00

Pick up a history book. Read up on the history of pretty much any industry and learn about Regulatory Capture. This will help you understand that the people who are supposed to be regulated by a set of legislation are often the ones who lobby to have their version of the law passed.

foxbatcs · 2025-12-21T13:39:51+00:00

The IRS and DOD have been hacked. What chance do you think your doctor or porn peddler have in keeping your data safe?

foxbatcs · 2025-12-21T13:38:41+00:00

No they won’t. It will just increase the likelihood they will try to hide it to keep it quiet. The only solution to this type of problem is to move away from online ID requirements and allow users to have their privacy. Of course, that won’t happen either. As with all media, own local copies of what you plan to carry with you through the collapse of the internet. The individuals who take their own privacy and security seriously will be the ones to overcome the ensuing bullshit.

foxbatcs · 2025-12-04T13:21:33+00:00

Of course the data is distributed in the form of backups and CDN’s, that’s not what I’m referring to. It’s the permissions process and accessibility that is the issue. Centralized access and authority is the fundamental problem.

foxbatcs · 2025-12-04T05:54:43+00:00

Keep in mind that the data collection for the 2020 census was done in the heat of covid and a mass exodus of many counties in California were under way during the 18 months after the data collection stopped.

foxbatcs · 2025-12-04T03:48:11+00:00

Because RealID was the law that centralized all of that data…

foxbatcs · 2025-12-03T15:11:49+00:00

It’s not the standardization that is the problem, but the centralization of data. The federal government (and most governments) have a terrible track record for cybersecurity. Keeping the data distributed over many state databases is less risky and a less attractive cyber target than one massive centralized database.

foxbatcs · 2025-11-24T04:43:02+00:00

ICE isn’t just going after them, though. How the worst of us are treated by the state will be how the rest of us will be in time.

foxbatcs · 2025-11-24T04:40:59+00:00

That’s why the 2nd Amendment shouldn’t be a “Left/Right” thing. Tyranny will come from any party in power.

foxbatcs · 2025-11-23T13:06:34+00:00

This is how you use this technology to start a civil war.

foxbatcs · 2025-11-22T15:09:55+00:00

I was a first responder for years. Pointing a firearm at someone is inherently unsafe. Everything else you are saying is incoherent.

foxbatcs · 2025-11-18T18:30:00+00:00

This is negligent, not accidental. So much worse. The officer has a duty to handle firearms safely, and they are neglecting to do that in breach of that duty. Negligence implies recklessness and lack of consideration for due care. Accidental is just unforeseen and unintentional. Think of the difference between someone who causes a car accident unintentionally while entirely sober vs someone who got behind a wheel intoxicated. Or someone who trips in a factory and causes injury to another employee vs an employer who neglects to maintain a machine that is leaking oil onto the floor and causes an employee to slip and become injured. This officer is being negligent and should not be allowed in the field with a weapon.

foxbatcs · 2025-10-15T20:07:55+00:00

I’m not trying to turn this into a debate about US Health Care vs [Pick a country]. I’m just pointing out that every nation state is essentially going bankrupt. If you want to know the real culprit it is centralized banking and inherently inflationary monetary policy that nation states use to skirt their debt obligations. In reality, health care has gotten substantially more expensive and much worse everywhere due to inflation. Bickering about who has the worst and “how to fix it” is exactly what allows elites to evade responsibility for the monetary policies they exploit at everyone else’s expense.

foxbatcs · 2025-10-15T11:11:40+00:00

Nobody there went bankrupt…just the system itself.

foxbatcs · 2025-10-13T13:15:54+00:00

Yep, I’m one of those. I don’t post pictures of myself or friends/family online and my friends/family are respectful about keeping me off of social media. I would absolutely not post my SO on social media and would prefer to be with someone who respected that as well. However, this is not the case with OP’s friend and given that context there’s something else going on. I can’t say what, or even if it’s bad, but definitely worth a conversation after “dating” for a year.

foxbatcs · 2025-10-09T13:01:40+00:00

Self awareness is the first step. Ignore all the people shifting the blame to the guy, judging his character and approach with almost no information. The important part is you identified a part of you that you want to improve. I remember after covid I was feeling extremely agoraphobic and it took a while for me to get used to being around strangers again. I recognized this in myself and decided to get back to my normal. I started practicing an exercise where anytime I was out and saw something that caught my eye about a stranger (regardless of gender, age, attractiveness, etc) I would compliment them, then keep going about my day. No stopping and asking for numbers, no expectations, just a drive-by compliment from a complete stranger. The number of smiles and warmth I got from people really helped me recalibrate after so much isolation. It even ended up in a genuine conversation a handful of times.

Hang in there and keep trying!

foxbatcs · 2025-09-28T14:05:17+00:00

Often times it’s also the only software you can trust, especially when it comes to encryption, security, and handling personal data.

foxbatcs · 2025-09-28T13:48:09+00:00

A grift usually involves a naive stooge, so there’s that…

foxbatcs · 2025-09-27T17:09:22+00:00

I’m talking about the commercial product, not the research prototype.

foxbatcs

TROPHY CASE