this post was submitted on 22 May 2026
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Privacy
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i wholeheartedly agree with you. my great question is how.
how the fuck we take computing back and convince a critical mass of people this is wrong as fuck? because it looks like we are barely able to resist.
I would say liberate yourself first. Buy computers that can or already are liberated (that is to say computers running libre software). Once liberated you will understand how it is done and can then teach others how to do it too.
You should not be concerned about politics here. Already the people are rendered mute under Western democracies.
Even if you don't think it's folly to persuade others, what are you persuading them of? To use software that you yourself don't use? Build it. Use it. Promote it. Can't write software? Donate to the orgs that are writing libre software. Can't run it? Haven't you liberated your computer? If you have you can run it. Can't promote it? Are you not able to communicate?
Ditch Apple and Google. Use GrapheneOS. Use a linux powered mobile-computer like Pine Phone. Use encrypted overlay networks to communicate over the internet like i2p (it has a Java implementation and a C++ implementation), tor, hyphanet or my personal favorite: GNUnet. Heck, use all of them!
I will preemptively address an infantile critique of GrapheneOS: it uses Google branded hardware. File off the logo if it disturbs you so much. This critique fails to address the reality: hardware is subsidized by technological behemoths like Google because their product is not the hardware, but the software that is built off data collected by the hardware. An argument could be made that taking advantage of that subsidization maliciously damages Google more than purchasing non-subsidized hardware. Something to think about. Regardless, Foxconn makes both Google Pixels and Apple Iphones. The branding blinds people of the reality.
Anyway... rambles, rambles. It's not about convincing others, it's about you doing what you think is the correct thing to do.