It's time to say “No” to Big Tech and “smart” appliances that are, in reality, data thieves attaching themselves to us and our homes like blood-sucking parasites
Seriously, we are the commodity and have been for quite some time. In China the government does this and gives you a Social Credit Score. With all the bad behavior in the States lately, I'm pretty sure our Social Credit Score would be in the dumpster.
And speaking of credit scores, it's all the same thing. Those have been used against the poor for decades. Here the government doesn't have to do the dirty work, corporations do it for them.
Being an activist, I have often joked that I want them to listen in. Maybe they will learn something. But it's not funny, because I know people who are already struggling or at a disadvantage are often the ones that are harmed. The devil is in these details and how they are used.
Any device that uses Wifi is vulnerable to hacking, including your smartphone at a Starbuck's store. Better whenever possible to use Bluetooth which has a range of 30 feet and is far less likely to get hacked. One should also decide whether to buy a "smart" device in the first place as they cost more and are much more prone to failing and there is the potential of the data being sucked up and fed to the feds and policing agencies and their private contractors.
When Microsoft released Windows 10 and provided it for free what was missed was that the licensing agreement changed a great deal and users were giving access to Microsoft and the right to sell the data the was collected. The profit model for Microsoft is based on the revenue from selling user activity data to third parties. With Windows 11 this license to steal is greatly expanded and the ability of users to operate privately has been eliminated completely, at least in the Home version. Time will tell the Enterprise or the Pro versions will also prevent users from protecting their privacy.
I buy software that does not require an internet connection which is why after 20 years I stopped using any Adobe software applications. I use Word 2003 on all my computers and it still functions perfectly with zero issues or limitations. There is also Open Office which is free and actually functions better on the Apple operating system than Microsoft Office.
When a swat team invades a family's home at 3 a.m. because the father had done a search for a pressure cooker and for a backpack online, then one realizes both that Amazon is sending search data to the feds and that law enforcement people are some of the dumbest people on the planet. After 9-11 the lack of data was the scapegoat for the failures of every law enforcement agency involved and stupidly the data collection increased exponentially. When looking for a needle in a haystack the last thing one should to is add more hay but that is exactly what these stupid people have done - although providing great profits for the spy companies involved.
Thank you. Our world is lost in complexity, almost entirely driven by the false gods of money and power. May we return to the greater truths of simplicity and connection for the good of all, where even tech could greatly help, used properly.
Funny title for the rant. Tuesday was Christmas for us because we can finally use a dishwasher. It wasn't that the parts finally came in for the old one - it's that we had to settle for no parts and, after 6 months of hand washing (yeah, I know, a first-world problem), chuck the old one (after only two years) and somehow find the new one we wanted. Tip: don't shop the big stores - find the smaller, independent one. There's a good chance that you'll actually find what you want and get a better deal!
BTW: nothing in our house turns on or off without us - including this new Bosch.
The EU's privacy laws are way ahead of the rest of the world. When the Internet of Things craze was taking off, everybody had an idea for embedded devices collecting data and sending it to the mothership. But the ideas about what to do with that data were naive or in most cases it was just "feed it into neural nets" which is what we have now - machine learning systems that provide scoring on as many data points as can be collected - where the scoring is used for whatever can turn a profit. China's government uses the data to centrally control society.
Corporations are using it in a less direct, much less noticeable way. Everyone should read that report:
Which reminds me: HomeDepot was touting its project with Verint to spy on employees in around 2002 or so:
"As for the future, The Home Depot looks forward to using actionable intelligence generated from video to improve customer service and increase productivity."
Now there are more and more software startup companies looking to capitalize on the new at-home workforce by providing employee monitoring systems for managers. Everyone I know would quit if they had to submit to being spied on at home.
A spectacular and imperative piece. This is Thom outdoing Thom.
666
Seriously, we are the commodity and have been for quite some time. In China the government does this and gives you a Social Credit Score. With all the bad behavior in the States lately, I'm pretty sure our Social Credit Score would be in the dumpster.
And speaking of credit scores, it's all the same thing. Those have been used against the poor for decades. Here the government doesn't have to do the dirty work, corporations do it for them.
Being an activist, I have often joked that I want them to listen in. Maybe they will learn something. But it's not funny, because I know people who are already struggling or at a disadvantage are often the ones that are harmed. The devil is in these details and how they are used.
Any device that uses Wifi is vulnerable to hacking, including your smartphone at a Starbuck's store. Better whenever possible to use Bluetooth which has a range of 30 feet and is far less likely to get hacked. One should also decide whether to buy a "smart" device in the first place as they cost more and are much more prone to failing and there is the potential of the data being sucked up and fed to the feds and policing agencies and their private contractors.
When Microsoft released Windows 10 and provided it for free what was missed was that the licensing agreement changed a great deal and users were giving access to Microsoft and the right to sell the data the was collected. The profit model for Microsoft is based on the revenue from selling user activity data to third parties. With Windows 11 this license to steal is greatly expanded and the ability of users to operate privately has been eliminated completely, at least in the Home version. Time will tell the Enterprise or the Pro versions will also prevent users from protecting their privacy.
I buy software that does not require an internet connection which is why after 20 years I stopped using any Adobe software applications. I use Word 2003 on all my computers and it still functions perfectly with zero issues or limitations. There is also Open Office which is free and actually functions better on the Apple operating system than Microsoft Office.
When a swat team invades a family's home at 3 a.m. because the father had done a search for a pressure cooker and for a backpack online, then one realizes both that Amazon is sending search data to the feds and that law enforcement people are some of the dumbest people on the planet. After 9-11 the lack of data was the scapegoat for the failures of every law enforcement agency involved and stupidly the data collection increased exponentially. When looking for a needle in a haystack the last thing one should to is add more hay but that is exactly what these stupid people have done - although providing great profits for the spy companies involved.
Thank you. Our world is lost in complexity, almost entirely driven by the false gods of money and power. May we return to the greater truths of simplicity and connection for the good of all, where even tech could greatly help, used properly.
Not to mention that Xfinity insists that I “upgrade” every day.
Funny title for the rant. Tuesday was Christmas for us because we can finally use a dishwasher. It wasn't that the parts finally came in for the old one - it's that we had to settle for no parts and, after 6 months of hand washing (yeah, I know, a first-world problem), chuck the old one (after only two years) and somehow find the new one we wanted. Tip: don't shop the big stores - find the smaller, independent one. There's a good chance that you'll actually find what you want and get a better deal!
BTW: nothing in our house turns on or off without us - including this new Bosch.
...well, maybe the A/C and heating, but, you know...
The EU's privacy laws are way ahead of the rest of the world. When the Internet of Things craze was taking off, everybody had an idea for embedded devices collecting data and sending it to the mothership. But the ideas about what to do with that data were naive or in most cases it was just "feed it into neural nets" which is what we have now - machine learning systems that provide scoring on as many data points as can be collected - where the scoring is used for whatever can turn a profit. China's government uses the data to centrally control society.
Corporations are using it in a less direct, much less noticeable way. Everyone should read that report:
https://www.representconsumers.org/surveillance-scoring/
Which reminds me: HomeDepot was touting its project with Verint to spy on employees in around 2002 or so:
"As for the future, The Home Depot looks forward to using actionable intelligence generated from video to improve customer service and increase productivity."
Now there are more and more software startup companies looking to capitalize on the new at-home workforce by providing employee monitoring systems for managers. Everyone I know would quit if they had to submit to being spied on at home.