What?
uBO absolutely helps against tracking. It is at least half of its reason for existing.
The two primary lists are an (1) an ad block list (2) an anti-tracking list.
And used in medium or hard mode uBO categorically blocks many methods of tracking.
But also, if you use Firefox, this is layered on top of Enhanced tracking protection, blocking of 3p tracking cookies, and total cookie protection (dfpi)
I got stoned enough to forget my age a few months ago… not like for a moment… I consciously focused on it for 15 minutes, couldn’t figure it out, kept pondering the rest of the night and couldn’t remember until the next morning…
I am old enough to occasionally forget my age, not to literally not be able to recall it… so I can empathize if bro is just waaay too stoned to comprehend the concept of a bra haha
Make:
It’s a word that has become popular in general in the last year-ish. But if you hear it more here. It is likely because it is a term used to describe the dynamic that pushed people from Reddit and other platforms to Lemmy. So you will here it more here, since pretty much everyone here has been personally affected by it.
Basically we are a self selecting group of people who chose to leave (or minimize use of) big tech platforms. And are therefore much more likely to be aware of the problems with those platforms.
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Sounds more like a backwards medieval society than a ‘sane society’.
Most modern and sane societies have a concept of rehabilitation and have found that we are all better off when a justice system is centered on rehabilitation and addressing the roots of crime at a deeper level, beyond just punishment, punishment is not very effective on its own.
Flatpak is not designed to solve all the same problems as snap they have very different scopes and goals. It’s really only Linux hobbyists that see these as comparable technologies.
Also the Steam flatpak is unofficial just like the snap, they would be unwilling to support flatpak issues as well.
I think there is no “we” and there is no “them”
It’s an arbitrary distinction between two groupings that are too broad to meaningfully judge.
There is also no point or honor in judging on its own. If you dislike Greenpeace’s approach, find another approach and devote yourself to it, put your money where your mouth is.
Activism is in reality often a choice between choosing the least worst strategy in a context where you have limited power and control, and any decision you make will alienate someone. Particularly the armchair-sitters who believe they are “in the middle” and who’s only contribution tends to be saying empty things like “I believe in their mission just not their tactics” but don’t put forward a practical strategy of their own. This applies to most activism, particularly direct action.
What you are feeling is natural and relatable. You need to find a balance and define your threat model.
Privacy maximalism and/or FOSS maximalism etc is natural impulse when you first begin to grasp just how quietly exploitive, invasive, and commoditized the modern internet is. But it also leads to burnout and can be isolating if you are too rigid about it.
Define your threat model, and your priorities. Accept that perfection is not attainable and do the best you can. It’s less overwhelming.
My advice:
I agree with your critique of both the algorithms today and the often relatively low-effort, unoriginal, self-interested, and self-absorbed people that tend to rise to the top of these systems. (While still acknowledging there is a lot of great content as well)
I try my best not to let the Algos shape/direct my viewing.
With respect to YouTube, I:
It’s certainly not a perfect approach, but it does a lot to focus my attention on things I actually care about and minimize the effect the algorithm has on what I see or view.
You seem to be spamming this reply as widely and as often as you can.
Nobody said that… but have fun arguing with your own little straw man.
I think you are falling into whataboutism.
Just because they expressed skepticism of one sides propaganda doesn’t mean they would accept the other side’s propaganda at face value.
Yeah the fact that OP calls systemd “new” or even knows what systemd is makes me doubt the authenticity of the original post (or more likely I just misinterpreted the top post).
I read it as an excited new Linux user who “Doesn’t know how to use Debian” and is enthusiastic about MX Linux. But there is no way in hell someone who doesn’t know how to use Debian would have a preference for alternative unit systems and definitely wouldn’t be calling systemd new
I think Signal won’t leave unless they have to (have to meaning if the only alternative to leaving is to undermine user privacy/security which they will not do)
And if Signal has no other alternative than I can’t see how every other e2ee messenger wouldn’t also face the same difficult choice.
Edit: also what does exiting the EU actually mean? Like what would prevent you from just continuing to use the app?
Debian is far from difficult but it is certainly not as easy and beginner friendly to install as Ubuntu, Fedora, or Mint or any other mainstream distro (unless I’m using the wrong iso or something). Debian is a great intermediate distro, but I can’t feel comfortable recommending it to newbies until there is a proper beginner friendly guided install process.
I understand and respect the choice of some distros to not go the guided installer route and go with approaches that are more traditional, flexible, and better suited for more advanced users. And I don’t want to see these options go away. But I don’t recommend these distros to beginners unless they express interest in learning/DIY
If it works for you go for it. I don’t hear much about it, and haven’t encountered anyone using it. I know it is one of few Debian based distros that is based on Debian itself and not Ubuntu, that is about all I know about it.
What attracts you to it? What are its selling points and what makes it different from Debian? Do you know anything about the developers.
Goood god 😮
I think you may have an unhealthy relationship with Extensions. 🙃
Remember that everytime you install an additional extension you are effectively expanding your circle of trust, giving some company or developer privileged access to your browsing. The only extensions vetted for security by Mozilla are the ones with an ‘Recommended’ badge next to the name. Each additional extension increases the risks to your privacy, your security, and just generally increases the potential for issues.
At least some of the extensions on your list are violating your privacy/exist to harvest your personal data, profile you, or sell you things.
That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use extensions at all. But it does mean you should be thoughtful about what you install. Should do your due diligence, look into extensions before you install them, and understand the developers motivations for giving you something for free which costs them time and sometimes money (There are legit reasons but also common malicious reasons). And it means you should be cautious and reluctant to install too many new extensions.
If I were in your shoes with this many extensions, I wouldn’t be asking which individual extensions to get rid of, I’d start with a fresh Firefox profile, configure it roughly like this, get rid of all the extensions except uBlock Origin and Bitwarden and maybe violent monkey if that is something you rely on. And then slowly reads extensions as needed, one at a time, spending time to research it a bit before installing and researching if there is a better way to accomplish it.
With no other extensions Firefox + uBO can be really powerful and flexible, you’ve just got to spend some time learning how to use them. There are a few others on your list that I use also, but I’d say start with the basics and build from there. Also if you feel you need the shopping and deals extensions at least consider putting them in their own profile that you use only for shopping.
That’s true, but this feature doesn’t involve your browser tracking you or profiling you. It only relates to anttribution. And if you don’t trust that, it’s an easy 1-click opt out.
There is a good high level explainer here: https://andrewmoore.ca/blog/post/mozilla-ppa/