This is original content. AI was not used anywhere except for the bottom right image, simply because I could not find one similar enough to what I needed. This took around 6 hours to make.
Transcription (for the visually impaired)
(I tried my best)
The background is an iceberg with 6 levels, denoting 6 different levels of privacy.
The tip of the iceberg is titled "The Brainwashed" with a quote beside it that says "I have nothing to hide". The logos depicted in this section are:
- Apple
- TikTok
- PayPal
- Google Chrome
- CashApp
- Samsung
- Steam
- Microsoft Windows
- Ring (Security Camera)
- YouTube
- Amazon
- Discord
- Gmail
- ChatGPT
The surface section of the iceberg is titled "As seen on TV" with a quote beside it that says "This video is sponsored by...". The logos depicted in this section are:
An underwater section of the iceberg is titled "The Beginner" with a quote beside it that says "I don't like hackers and spying". The logos depicted in this section are:
- Telegram
- Authy
- Brave Browser
- Privacy.com (Virtual Cards)
- DuckDuckGo
- iMessage
- Proton Mail
- AdBlock (Browser Extension)
A lower section of the iceberg is titled "The Privacy Enthusiast" with a quote beside it that says "I have nothing I want to show". The logos depicted in this section are:
An even lower section of the iceberg is titled "The Privacy Activist" with a quote beside it that says "Privacy is a human right". The logos depicted in this section are:
- Monero
- GrapheneOS
- Vanadium (Web Browser)
- KeePassDX
- SimpleX Chat
- Accrescent
- SearXNG
- Aegis Authenticator
- OpenWrt
- Mullvad VPN
- An illustration of physical cash
The lowest portion of the iceberg is titled "The Ghost". There is a quote beside it that has been intentionally redacted. The images depicted in this section are:
- A cancel sign over a mobile phone, symbolizing "no electronics"
- An illustration of a log cabin, symbolizing "living in a log cabin in the woods"
- A picture of gold bars, symbolizing "paying only in gold"
- A picture of a death certificate, symbolizing "faking your own death"
- An AI generated picture of a person wearing a black hoodie, a baseball cap, a face mask, and reflective sunglasses, symbolizing "hiding ones identity in public"
End of transcription.
Tried the Privacy Activist and Enthusiast section. Was not really fun and you loose connection to most of your friends and family. Now I have a balanced setup with something out of each layer. Perfect balanced, as things should be
I have taken my own approach; there are things from each layer that I use. Some begrudgingly but others gladly.
The problem I faced when starting this journey is it does cut out a lot of people. And it becomes isolsting. So I did reel back a bit.
It's equally frustrating to talk to people who're completely entrenched in the Enthusiast / Activist section. The utter disconnect when it comes to what's viable for most people is annoying to deal with sometimes. Statements like "Everyone who is able to read can easily learn to use Arch Linux" or "Everyone can flash their phone" do give me headaches. Was there, did both, wouldn't recommend to my less nerdy family.
The FOSS circlejerk for lack of better term is very loud on Fediverse as a whole. It's tiring when each time anyone mentions using Windows, or Apple there's at least one fucker telling you to swap to linux lol...
It's very loud so I have thought at times to switch back to reddit, where it's at least less pervasive.
yeah honestly i really think that you should swap to linux!
I can totally understand where you are coming from.
I do hold the view that if you can read, you too can install GrapheneOS, or try Linux; but that doesn't make it right for everyone. It's a self imposed journey. I can't expect everyone to make the same choices I do.
That is where I will educate people as to why I chose what I chose; however I will not try to force someone down the same road.
So totally understood.
Giving it a try is most of the time the first step. I tried GrapheneOS , used it until my device no longer received updates. Then Google Pixels got disappointing and iOS 14/15 got out with big privacy changes, so I switched the first time to Apple. I know, ironic , but it works for me. I remove most permissions from apps, use my own DNS block list enforced by MDM and if possible, self host my apps and services or use paid / open source ones. I am here on Lemmy instead of Reddit or Instagram…. I also tried Jollas SailfishOS v3 , it was ok, but this was back at the time very limited for social interactions, now with v5 it would have been better. Also good to know, at my place , Apple Pay is one of the most secure and private pay systems…. I hate that, this feels wrong.
i also hate the idea of giving up apple pay when testing graphene. i really hope to find a somewhat ok alternative, but from what i’ve heard it seems to be the best there is atm :(
I used to run LineageOS with a lot of my own tweaks to meet my privacy needs; however I reached a point I decided it didn't fit my needs for security. So, I went back to GrapheneOS. Which, I am 1uite haply with. Ultimately, I dream of a fully operational Linux phone of sorts; but we aren't there yet.
I ditched reddit, and most centralized social media. I ditched many big tech services in place of self hosting my own. And even that is mostly locked down. Very little exposed to the web. Ad blocking, as well as my own underlying upstream DNS, with a fallback that isn't Google or Cloudflare. Services being firewalled off. Reverse proxy setup limiting access via IP:Port while also including SSL certs for local only https.
And this list goes on; it's a constant journey. But the hard part is to still be social. Hahaha
Did you look at SailfishOS (Linux Smartphone) It supports Android App virtualization.
Cant say that I have, but will now!
Yea, being able to and actually doing so are very different. Reading is the barrier to entry for most everything. Time and energy are the missing resources, though. I am a tech enthusiast, and I struggle to find time to do all the things I want.
I get that. We all make choices to decide what we do with our time.
It's easy, just don't have any friends or family! /sad panda
Totally agree with this, two steps forward one step back basically
Everyone's personal comfort level.
Give tech classes to elderly. Explaining to them the iphone photo face recognition saw several of their eyes bug out of their head. Some loved it.
Totally agree about the self ostracization. While I agree with the sentiment you'll cripple yourself socially.
Finding your personal comfort zone is the tech journey
Heeeey it’s me. Totally socially crippled.
I don’t even know how to maintain relationships, don’t have an interest in trying. There’s something wrong with me.
My only friend on this planet is my uncle.
I get it. Am this way to an extent. Mom for me.
Recently attempted to be social at work. Out of the 5, 1 is worth spending additional time with.
If you are comfortable with yourself and who you are, it may take a bit to meet people you actually enjoy.
If you feel like something is wrong with you therapy would not hurt. Reccomend it for everyone to get them the self care tools they need/want.
In my experience I was attempting to be social out of obligation and why it always felt like pulling teeth to do anything is because I didn't really like the people I was with.
Wish you luck bb 🙏
I’ve done the whole therapy thing, I just do not have it in me to have friends.
I haven’t had a desire to make a friend since I was a kid.
I do get lonely. I’ll have a thought that I’d like to share and I know I drive my wife crazy.
I wouldn’t even care if I could find a way to make some money. Right now I’m a stay at home dad. That’s what my wife wanted me to do. I was making money on the stock market, not taking big risks, just making above minimum wage. Then the election happened and now that’s over.
Thank you for caring.
Being social is pretty similar to exercising. When you first try to do it after a while, it's usually painful and not enjoyable. It isn't until practicing and keeping at it that it will get easier and you can actually feel the benefits. Finding someone that you can actually share your hobbies with can go a long way, especially if they are able to give some sort of input as well that is beneficial to what you're working on.
I live deep in the Appalachian mountains and I haven’t met a single person interested in the things that I am since I was a kid.
I’m so bad and hate socializing so much that I recently got the Mortal Kombat II deluxe arcade cabinet, the same dude kept joining my match every single time I played so I just stopped going online haha.
He contacted me and we talked once, and that was that.
I really like him too, I just can’t handle it. Even that tiny little bit of it.
I don’t know why I’m like that. I’m not bad at talking to people. I’ve been told I’m damn good at it. I’ve been told I’m charismatic and all that. There’s just something broken in me.
Probably comes from the abuse I suffered as a kid if I’m being honest. It was rough, and it trained me I guess.
But then again, my whole family is like me. I don’t even know 90% of them, but I can tell you that 90% of them do not have Facebook. The ones that do, they don’t ever post, they don’t ever like, nothing. It’s like it’s just who we are or something.
I have brothers who grew up in different households. Two of them never experienced any abuse as children, they were spoiled. They are just like me. They talk to no one.
Wife not fren, fren?
Vibe