this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2025
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Privacy

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Originally this was a reply to this article about a Windows feature called Recall, but there's a good argument the author's concerns resonate far beyond Windows and Meta to proprietary generally.

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[–] rottingleaf@lemmy.world 2 points 30 minutes ago

(Also this won't really help you because Linux is a mainstream system with big corporate input. Backdoors hidden in plain sight are a thing.

This will make you feel better though, Windows sucks.)

[–] wheeldawg@sh.itjust.works 1 points 33 minutes ago* (last edited 32 minutes ago) (1 children)

If your posting a message that has any importance at all, at least pretend to try to fix your before sending it.

"try, Linux"

"working closing"

I mean come on.

There's more but you get the point.

[–] muusemuuse@lemm.ee 1 points 1 minute ago

"try to fix your before sending it." uh huh

[–] index@sh.itjust.works 14 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Protests crack down on the internet has been going on for quite some time, don't just blame it on trump but on the whole government and its infrastructure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_Wall_Street

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 7 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

And Facebook as an integrated part of the international surveillance state has been firmly established since Snowden leaked the PRISM program.

Like, there are a lot of reasons to switch to linux and plenty of them are compelling. But its an absolute fantasy to believe you're somehow immune to surveillance because you're using the same software as Amazon's EC2. Does anyone really believe the NSA hasn't cracked Linux Mint yet?

Or, for that matter, that using a linux desktop is going to insulate you from being spied on via a public facing 3rd party social media forum?

[–] ReakDuck@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 hour ago

You mean with the USA Intel or AMD CPUs?

Think that it doesn't matter what you use as OS as the microchip inside the CPU chip can read anything it wants

[–] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 26 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (2 children)

One should be have been assuming since Windows 7 and automated online updates that the Microsoft key used to sign OS updates is in the hands of at least the NSA (and hence probably the Israeli equivalent) and they can push whatever they want to your computer as an OS update, bypassing all protections.

In fact the same applies to Linux updates of certain distros - if they're maintained by a company based in the US they can be forced by FISA courts to provide the signing keys to the US Government.

More in general, just go read about FISA courts and their secret court orders - companies based in the US or hosting things in the US can be secretly forced to just "give the keys of the Realm" to parts of the US Government.

Since things like the Patriot act one should be treating companies based in the US as just as untrustworthy as companies based in China.

(By the way, some other supposed Democratic countries have similar or worse systems - for example the equivalent of FISA courts in the UK have things like secret court sessions were the side which is not the State is not authorized to have a legal representation, see most of the evidence or even know the decision of the court).

Have people already forgot most of what came out in the Snowden Revelations?!

[–] theblips@lemm.ee 4 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Would stuff like Fedora be in danger, in this case? I couldn't find if Red Hat was US based

[–] mlg@lemmy.world 6 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

In theory yes since they're essentially sponsored by RedHat. (RedHat is owned by IBM)

Which is funny because the Snowden leaks actually showed the NSA likes using Fedora for their fancy spy tech lol.

I guess a good alternative would be OpenSUSE.

[–] N0x0n@lemmy.ml 6 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 32 minutes ago) (3 children)

Yep... Snowden, Chelsea* Manning, Assange and an older whistleblower who died recently but I forgot his name... They also forgot what Cambridge Analytica was about. They just need to throw some bread and games at us and we go one living as nothing ever happend.

[–] AntiOutsideAktion@lemmy.ml 2 points 51 minutes ago (1 children)

Chelsea Manning

Fuck is wrong with you

[–] N0x0n@lemmy.ml 1 points 28 minutes ago* (last edited 25 minutes ago)

Sorry I got It wrong on purpose... Would you ever accept to change your sex to get out of jail? I mean... Dafuck is wrong in our system ?!

But hang on a minute... THAT'S NOT an anti LGBTQ what ever thing I don't care what you like or your sexual orientation... I just don't give a fuck !

However, they must have laughed their asses off when he/she was proposed this get out of jail card...

What ever !

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 14 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

Chelsea* Manning

But, yeah, most people just do not care if they are spied on because they don't think it will be used for anything besides advertising. Trump is going to wake a lot of people up to the immense power we've handed over to our tech overlords.

[–] N0x0n@lemmy.ml 1 points 18 minutes ago

Yeah, sorry it seems I offende the LGBTQ community by typing it wrong... What ever ! As I said above, I really don't care what you like or your sexual orientation.

However, I find it quite profound that this get out of jail card is used as good faith while it was just another piece of their game.... People who think it was a personal choice are either blinded by the journalistic manipulation or LGBTQ partisans (again nothing against any community, gay, lesbian,queer,straight,hetero what ever !).

We are fooled again and again and again by the same lies over and over again... 🤔😮‍💨

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

They just need to throw some bread and games at us and we go one living as nothing ever happend.

I mean, there's not a whole lot of alternative. It seems like the only two "valid" avenues of resistance are retreating from society into a hermetically sealed bubble and starting a podcast.

[–] bipedalsheep@programming.dev 12 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

I switched from Fedora to openSUSE recently and it has been painless. Would recommend to anyone who are looking to get away from US companies and US jurisdiction. Edit: note that it uses RPM package manager though, I don't know yet if that is problematic or not. If someone knows then please elaborate on that.

[–] pmk@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Tumbleweed or Leap or something else?

[–] kylian0087@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

Most likely Tumbleweed. As it is the most modern of them. Because it is rolling.

[–] bipedalsheep@programming.dev 5 points 4 hours ago

Correct, Tumbleweed is the one I started using.

[–] pmk@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 4 hours ago

As a long time debian user, I have my eyes on Leap. I value stability (in the unchanging functionality sense) over latest versions.

[–] Apocalypteroid@lemmy.world 28 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

To all the people who are criticising this guy for working for Meta, I would like to remind you of the phrase, "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer".

I am very much a left-winger, but I still read right-wing papers and articles, I like to know what the other side is thinking.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 1 points 53 minutes ago

Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer”.

Bruh, it's not game of thrones. People just need to work.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 4 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Less criticism and more pity.

Sheryl Sandberg seems like a Grade A asshole to work for - possibly the only woman CEO I've ever heard of getting #MeToo'd. Zuckerberg is an absolute baby-brain completely up his own asshole with delusions of grandeur, outright comparing himself to Roman Emperors.

But if you get into the tell-all released by Sarah Wynn-Williams, all you really take away from it is that this company is as corrosive to the body public as it is ravenous for economic expansion. There's no "keeping close" that's going to be good for you in the long run. Might as well try to keep a rabid dog on a short leash.

I am very much a left-winger, but I still read right-wing papers and articles, I like to know what the other side is thinking.

I'm not above peaking in on Citations Needed or QAnon Anonymous to see how the other side lives. But the actual right-wing material itself is really ugly stuff, particularly in the modern moment. When it isn't nakedly xenophobic or Mean Girls callously cruel, its just pumping your eyeballs and ear holes full of the dumbest fucking advertisements imaginable.

Its just not good to ingest that stuff.

[–] RandomVideos@programming.dev 8 points 6 hours ago (2 children)

What does linux need to try?

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 1 points 52 minutes ago

To stop insisting upon itself for like, five fucking minutes.

[–] foiledAgain@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago

To stop overachieving

[–] datendefekt@feddit.org 9 points 6 hours ago

Was considering migrating from Fedora and getting a MacBook, but this is making me reconsider.

[–] tiny_hedgehog@lemm.ee 9 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

I use Ubuntu. Can someone tell me if that’s “independent and outside US jurisdiction”? I know it’s made/maintained by canonical.

What are some Linux distros that we should avoid? What are some that are independent?

[–] eleitl@lemm.ee 11 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Debian is a community distro. Ubuntu is downstream of it.

[–] albert180@piefed.social 4 points 6 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Scrollone@feddit.it 2 points 4 hours ago

I don't trust the UK either after they left the EU.

[–] Wanderer@lemm.ee 7 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (4 children)

I want to get into Linux and I need a new laptop. I'm happy to go secondhand but I actually want a half decent thing that can play some games, not the cheapest box I can put Linux on and use fake word.

Am I best off just buying a new windows laptop than I can dual boot? Or any other suggestions?

Windows is US$ 139.00. So I figured if I buy a laptop without windows it will be 139 less but I guess manufacturers get windows for like $20 so there are no saving anyway.

Edit:should probably add I'm from to UK I that's relevant

[–] gamer@lemm.ee 1 points 6 minutes ago

There are a lot of options if you're experienced with Linux and know how to get things to work/are willing to do research. However, if you are new, then you should definitely play it safe to avoid frustration.

My current laptop is an Asus PX13, which is an awesome value and probably the most powerful machine you can buy at its size. Unfortunately, Asus does not support Linux on its laptops at all, and any support that exists comes from volunteers. I'm very happy with my current setup, but there are some rough edges that come from the lack of official support.

[–] skeesx@lemm.ee 7 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

Yes, at least Lenovo Linux laptops are 140$ cheaper.

Take a look at Framework, or System76 for Linux first hardware.

[–] Wanderer@lemm.ee 1 points 12 minutes ago

Thank you. I didnt know about lenovo so that's good to know.

System76 seems especially out of my price range. I haven't bought a computer for 12 years, can't believe laptop's cost more now (even accounting for inflation) than they did back then. It's unbelievable. Might have to work out if I want a good one to last a long time (which is risky) or to get a cheaper one and expect to replace earlier.

By thank you that is helpful.

[–] HokaPsice@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 hours ago

i would recommand also tuxedo computer, they based in Germany, their laptops offer various keyboards layout, and if you need cheaper option, refurbished pro laptops are a good options, look for informatic broker : they buy by lots from enterprises and the quality is overall good, maybe the battery will be a bit less consistant.

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