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I've had it up to here with Proton.

I'm an Unlimited subscriber, but even so I receive promotional ads in the Proton VPN app for Android (e.g., "Limited time offer..." or "x% off..."), which is something I find distracting and weird, since my subscription is active. These promotions don't always appear in the app, but it was really bad around the turn of the new year. It made me feel like I was using some sketchy crapware I accidentally downloaded from the Play store vs. a legitimate VPN app.

Let me make this clear: I am not talking about emails! I know how to manage emails, but for some weird reason, it's all anyone ever responds with. If one more person replies with information on how to manage email subscriptions, so help me...

I am specifically talking about promotions that appear to be baked into the app itself and are indismissable and perpetually visible within the app. (See my examples above, if you're still confused by what I mean. I wish I'd taken screenshots last time it happened.)

Another issue I've had with Proton is that occasionally I will receive popups on their web site that entirely obstruct the screen and have no way to bypass them. Here's an example of one advertising Proton Pass, that has no x button and nothing to click except "Start using Proton Pass now," which is not something I want to do!

If you check my comment history, you can see multiple instances of my asking the Proton fediverse account (I think they're on Mastodon) about these things, and every time without fail, they reply telling me how to manage email subscriptions, which (to be clear) IS NOT AT ALL WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, IN FACT I WAS VERY EXPLICIT ABOUT THIS.

So I finally contacted them via support. Here's what I said:

How can I disable notifications for promotions on your web site? (See: https://i.postimg.cc/FsvxM5CH/proton-Copy.png)

How can I disable notifications for promotions in the Proton VPN app for Android?

I'm not talking about emails, but about the "50% off now!!!!" or "Try our new product!!!" style advertisements that I keep seeing.

I am a subscriber to Unlimited, and I do not want to see these self-promoting ads from Proton.

Let me just quote this one more time. I said:

I'm not talking about emails

So here's the response I got:

I ... I can't fucking believe it.

I've sent one last message about this, but I don't feel very hopeful at this point. If they replied with something like, "Unfortunately, we don't allow users to dismiss promotions," I could probably live with that ... but this total dodging and ignoring simple questions is a huge red flag. Do I trust these people with my privacy when they can't even answer a simple question?

Fortunately, all of these services have viable alternatives, so if they are unable to answer me this time, then farewell to Proton. I'm sick of this shit.

Edit: PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME ABOUT EMAIL PREFERENCES

I read an article about ransomware affecting the public transportation service in Kansas, and I wanted to ask how this can happen. Wikipedia says these are "are typically carried out using a Trojan, entering a system through, for example, a malicious attachment, embedded link in a phishing email, or a vulnerability in a network service," but how? Wouldn't someone still have to deliberately click a malicious link to install it? Wouldn't anyone working for such an agency be educated enough about these threats not to do so?

I wanted to ask in that community, but I was afraid this is such a basic question that I felt foolish posting it there. Does anyone know the exact process by which this typically can happen? I've seen how scammers can do this to individuals with low tech literacy by watching Kitboga, but what about these big agencies?

Edit: After reading some of the responses, it's made me realize why IT often wants to heavily restrict what you can do on a work PC, which is frustrating from an end user perspective, but if people are just clicking links in emails and not following basic internet safety, then damn.

Hi, I'm on Windows 10 at home and Windows 11 at work. I'm going to migrate to Linux for my next PC (might eventually do it on this one, though I've currently done so many tweaks that I intend to keep this for gaming for now). Our two laptops and mini-PC already run Linux Mint, but I digress... (I just don't want anyone to think I'm totally unaware of the problems with Windows and Microsoft.)

My uses for a webcam are:

• Streaming with friends (sharing games and video feed, playing Jackbox games, chatting, etc.)

• Playing Magic the Gathering via Spelltable (so it needs to be able to be positioned facing my playmat and good enough quality to detect the cards)

• Video call with family and friends

• Occasional use for presenting professional webinars (during occasions when I have to work from home)

• Occasionally pre-recording work-related content that will be publicly viewable

• Use with OBS virtual camera

At work, I use a Logitech camera that my employer provided me with OBS software. It's an older model, but I'm not sure of model number or anything off the top of my head. It's not the best, and I'd like something a bit better at home.

At home, I was using a similar Logitech camera, but a year ago I decided to upgrade and purchased the Razer Kiyo Pro. What a mistake! Every time this camera gets plugged in, it prompts me to install Razer Synapse. It even puts the installer directly on my hard drive without my permission!

I've saved up a bit, and I'd like to try again with a different camera, one that doesn't push its proprietary software on me. I was considering Logitech, but iirc Logi's newer models also do the same thing. Or is this wrong?

Either way, I'd be so grateful if someone could recommend a reasonably high quality budget camera in the ~$100 range. I could go up to maybe $125, but after that it would start to really hurt.

I've done a lot of searching myself, but it turns out it's pretty hard to find a camera that doesn't either require or constantly push its proprietary software, and apparently some people [checks notes] like the proprietary software being shoved at them???

Anyway, I'd be so thankful if you could help. This community helped me so much before when I needed a modem and router to escape the clutches of my IP, so I thought maybe someone would have some advice.

Almost every jar of pickles claims a serving of pickles has zero calories. Now clearly, this is incorrect and the result of exploiting some ridiculous FDA loophole, since anyone knows that cucumbers provide calories.

So let's say you're in a situation where you lose all access to food, but you've got effectively unlimited access to pickles -- like, you're trapped inside a recently abandoned pickle warehouse.

Could you conceivably eat enough pickles to survive for a month? Two months? Or would your body just shut down from all the sodium and acid?