The promise of technology was to expand our horizons. In many ways, it kinda did. We got a lot of awesome shit. But we also got {waves hands vaguely at everything} this dystopia.
I love tech! But I hate techno-surveilance. There are things I don't do b/c of it. Or things I do less now.
For example. I wanted to volunteer on a trail maintaining crew. But they're all TF over FB and Tiktok. They put everyone's photos on there. Vids of ppl working. They coordinate on FB groups.
I give up conveniences like google maps. Esp when those conveniences come with baked in surveilance. My friends mock my paper map. But w/e.
I take less road trips than I want. I hate having all my travel logged by ALPR. Even driving an old ass car without onboard GPS.
Are there things you would do, but you don't, b/c of techno-dystopia? Or you do them less?
For now, your encrypted messages have a lock on them.
Only you, and the person you're talking to, hold the key. Not the app. Not the company. Not the government. You probably don't think about it. That's the whole point — it just works.
Until, possibly, the end of this summer. Every messaging app in Canada would be required to build a second key.
With Bill C-22, the government would hold the copy. The lock you trust would no longer be a lock only you can open. It would be a lock the locksmith was ordered to duplicate.
Find and email your MP here to voice your opinion.
Bill C-22 would force every messaging app in Canada to build a backdoor — and track all your activity for one year. Apple says no. Signal says they'll leave.
You disable the VPN, they show "unprotected", come on, I'm not really unprotected, why such a dramatic word, I just disabled the thing a little, I'm "disconnected" but it doesn't mean I'm actually unprotected, the same way it doesn't mean I'm actually protected if I'm using a VPN.
Starting September 2026, a silent update, nonconsensually pushed by Google, will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with Google, signed their contract, paid up, and handed over #government ID.
Tips needed: Privacy-first keyboard app for iPhone?
I've been using Microsoft's Swiftkey which, unfathomably, is a really good keyboard, but MS is SO FUCKING HORNY!! for feeding my input into their AI, I just have to ditch 🙄 obviously, since autocorrect is already AI, asking for an AI-free keyboard app is pro'lly a fool's errand, but... well, I'm asking 🙏😊
Pandora's iPhone, by Stuart Carlson, 2016. Still spot-on in 2026:
A backdoor for the good guys simply does not exist. Once you build it, hackers walk through, authoritarian governments walk through, and the rest follows.
The UK is pressuring for chat control right now. EU Chat Control initiatives keep popping up. We need to keep saying NO to this!
To be clear this is not a real product or whatever I would just be interested in people's thoughts.
Do you think you would like privacy focused smart goggles? Eg: no camera/hardware camera lock, all on device intelligence, signal support, idk what else you guys can leave ideas in the comments.
I would not be against digital transparency (on social media etc., not your search history or private communication), if we lived in an utopian society, but as things stand, the "system" is abused by the elites & corps.
Therefore if, if this were to pass now & you did anything they don't like, they will be able to stop you even easier & likely fully. It would completely rob us of the ability to fight back. E.g. posting something about a politician being corrupt or a corp evil & instantly getting sued for reputational damages, insulting an official etc.
Restrictions under consultation include curfews for young users and wider restrictions on children’s access to online services, with implications across internet services from video games, VPNs to even static websites.
Age assurance mandates risk cementing the dominance of gatekeeper app stores, operating systems, and platforms’ walled gardens.
@samuel I would not be against complete digital transparency if we lived in an utopian society, but as things stand, the "system" is frequently abused by the elites & corps.
Therefore if, if this were to pass now & you did anything they don't like, they will be able to stop you even easier & likely completely.
It would completely rob us of the ability to fight back.
Memdeklaro - Self declaration of identity (memdeklaro.org/) empowers people to self-declare their own identity, without third parties, surveillance or censorship. Aiming to present an alternative to the exclusionary state monopoly on identity, Memdeklaro is accessible to everyone, and is a non-government and non-corporate project, similar to Garry Davis’s World Passport and Digitalcourage’s ID with self-chosen data. Memdeklaro’s self declaration generator, ebook, presentation and webpage are in the public domain: github.com/memdeklaro
Memdeklaro (Self declaration of identity) empowers people to self-declare their own identity, without third parties, surveillance or censorship. Aiming to present an alternative to the exclusionary state monopoly on identity, Memdeklaro is accessible to everyone, and is a non-government and non-corporate project, similar to Garry Davis's World Passport and Digitalcourage's ID with self-chosen data. Memdeklaro's self declaration generator, ebook, presentation and webpage are in the public domain: github.com/memdeklaro
I feel like this is a hack that is rarely talked about. And it's the most reliable method I've found for getting an email account that I can use for signing up to other websites.
Imagine you want to create a completely anonymous account on some website. Most websites require an email account to sign up. if you're lucky you can use one of those a temporary email services, but many websites block those nowadays. They only accept trusted email providers like Gmail, Protonmail, etc. And trying to make an anonymous account on those providers is difficult. Even Protonmail, surprisingly. If you try to sign up for Protonmail using a VPN or Tor, they will ask for a phone number or a second email account. So now you have to get a phone number anonymously (very difficult), or get another email account anonymously, back to square one.
Darknet markets solve this problem. Pay a bit of Monero, and you get an account. Completely anonymous. Now I won't pretend it's easy. Even just signing up for a darknet market often requires learning how to PGP encrypt/decrypt messages. But it only t
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I feel like this is a hack that is rarely talked about. And it's the most reliable method I've found for getting an email account that I can use for signing up to other websites.
Imagine you want to create a completely anonymous account on some website. Most websites require an email account to sign up. if you're lucky you can use one of those a temporary email services, but many websites block those nowadays. They only accept trusted email providers like Gmail, Protonmail, etc. And trying to make an anonymous account on those providers is difficult. Even Protonmail, surprisingly. If you try to sign up for Protonmail using a VPN or Tor, they will ask for a phone number or a second email account. So now you have to get a phone number anonymously (very difficult), or get another email account anonymously, back to square one.
Darknet markets solve this problem. Pay a bit of Monero, and you get an account. Completely anonymous. Now I won't pretend it's easy. Even just signing up for a darknet market often requires learning how to PGP encrypt/decrypt messages. But it only takes an 30 min or so to figure it out and sign up, and it opens up a new world of tools to use for privacy. There are many other types of accounts that you can buy aside from Protonmail, and many other products in general that you can buy.
I don't get why Protonmail doesn't just accept anonymous crypto as an option during signup, but until they do this is honestly the most reliable option I've found. I really wish more websites just accepted crypto for account creation. It's understandable that in order to prevent spam accounts, account creation has to cost something, and crypto allows it to cost something without costing your privacy.
Anyways, here's a quick guide to get started. I'll avoid direct links since I don't know if those are allowed. 1. install Tor Browser Bundle, and use it for the following steps 2. search for websites like Daunt, Dread forums, and Tor Taxi. Darknet markets change all the time so use those websites to figure out which ones are currently active. Cross-check links across multiple websites to make sure they are trustworthy, since often scam websites will try to pose as legitimate ones 3. look for markets that let you search for the product you're interested in before signing up, to save you time 4. some markets require you to load funds into the market and then pay using those funds. Avoid loading more than you need, since some markets have "rugpulled" before (aka taken everybody's funds and disappeared. This is the risk of an anonymous market).
Edit: also if for some reason a seller doesn't accept Monero, you can use a crypto swap. Basically you send the swap service some Monero, tell them what crypto to convert it to (like Bitcoin or Ethereum), and where to send it to. Many can be used anonymously, without signup
One line tucked into a federal highway bill would strip funds from cities and states unless they kill their automated plate tracking programs—effectively banning the tech for all but toll collection.
I’m looking for recommendations for an Android Fediverse client that does not send user-agent information (device or client details) to servers. Ideally, it should support both Mastodon and Lemmy, or other Fediverse platforms as well.
Lawsuit in California, plaintiffs vs the Mouse, about facial recogmition in theme parks.
“When American families and their children visit a theme park, let alone a brand that’s as ubiquitous as Disney, they shouldn’t sacrifice their privacy rights when they enter,” Yagman said in a statement. “And as facial recognition becomes more common, and it proliferates in public places, especially, it’s more important than ever that we protect people’s privacy rights, because there are civil rights implications and privacy implications to collecting someone’s biometric information, especially without adequate consent, which is what we’ve alleged.
Seems to be.. the Mouse provides a way to bypass those lines. But that way is obscure and unclear to guests. So most ppl don't even know it is hapepning. Let alone which lines can bypass it.
the park has small signs at some security checkpoints notifying guests of the facial recognition policy, “but the sign is adorned with red, gree
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Lawsuit in California, plaintiffs vs the Mouse, about facial recogmition in theme parks.
“When American families and their children visit a theme park, let alone a brand that’s as ubiquitous as Disney, they shouldn’t sacrifice their privacy rights when they enter,” Yagman said in a statement. “And as facial recognition becomes more common, and it proliferates in public places, especially, it’s more important than ever that we protect people’s privacy rights, because there are civil rights implications and privacy implications to collecting someone’s biometric information, especially without adequate consent, which is what we’ve alleged.
Seems to be.. the Mouse provides a way to bypass those lines. But that way is obscure and unclear to guests. So most ppl don't even know it is hapepning. Let alone which lines can bypass it.
the park has small signs at some security checkpoints notifying guests of the facial recognition policy, “but the sign is adorned with red, green, yellow, and blue Mickey Mouse silhouettes and is very easy to miss.”
This tech is also common, maybe unavoidable? at many sporting events in the US now. Major stadiums, that sort of thing.
A Texas councilmember will propose “a total ban on all cellular and GPS-capable devices for all operations within city limits" and"a total termination of all internet services."
I wanted to contact the owner/administrator of a website. Unfortunately, they didn't provide any means of contact ( email, phone number, online form, simpleX whatsoever).
So the only alternative that I had thought was to create a Mastodon account and publish an open communication with them tagged. ( who know with a bit of luck. )
Unfortunately, to create a Mastodon account, you have to provide an email 📧 address 😞 The problem with email address is that it can be correlated to track you down and more.. there are so many examples online, I will not cover this here.
So the workaround is to create a new email address dedicated just for that usage or service. But it's becoming merely impossible to create a free email account somewhere without giving up your identity. (phone number, ISP1 email address, paying online with Fiat2
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Hi,
I wanted to contact the owner/administrator of a website. Unfortunately, they didn't provide any means of contact ( email, phone number, online form, simpleX whatsoever).
So the only alternative that I had thought was to create a Mastodon account and publish an open communication with them tagged. ( who know with a bit of luck. )
Unfortunately, to create a Mastodon account, you have to provide an email 📧 address 😞 The problem with email address is that it can be correlated to track you down and more.. there are so many examples online, I will not cover this here.
So the workaround is to create a new email address dedicated just for that usage or service. But it's becoming merely impossible to create a free email account somewhere without giving up your identity. (phone number, ISP1 email address, paying online with Fiat2 , Cloudflare or whatever trick )
I've seen already few posts about this subject on lemmy and other platforms
Like it or not, email is a critical part of our digital lives. It’s how we sign up for accounts, get notifications, and communicate with a wide range of entities online. Critics of email rightfully point out that email suffers from a significant number of flaws that make it less than ideal, but that doesn’t change the current reality. In light of that reality, I believe that an encrypted email provider is a must-have for everyone in today’s age of rampant data breaches, insider threats, warrantless police access, and targeted advertising.
All the providers listed around the WWW are wrong ! Either they ask to identify yourself, or if you use Tor, you are blocked, or you cannot use it to register to any service online (third party).
See the table below \
Do not hesitate to propose any other, or maybe you have another solution ? Like self hosting email service ? I already dig up a little bit, but I found this and it looks scary. Thank you GAFAM...
So maybe it doesn't look like much? But actually, it's blocking me more and more. I cannot move/interact on internet or in real life ! because I get often "You have to register online" and that registration come with mandatory email..
Where I live, you better stay anonymous. Because what you say can definitely strike back to you. There is no freedom of speech. Please help to make internet free again.
Because we need it in our daily life and social interactions...
Thanks
mailbox•org 🤔
not free, ~~only accept Fiat~~
last check: 2026-05-21
Which payment methods can I use?
Cash by post (By letter and EURO banknotes only - no cheques)
Cash deposit into our bank account
disroot•com ❌
Require a identification email address
gmx•com ❌
various blocking methods ( depending on IP )
last check: 2026-05-20
inleed•com ❌
Require a identification email address
last check: 2026-05-21
mailo•com ❌
Do not accept 3th-party registration email for an unknown period
Bekijk je favoriete video's, luister naar de muziek die je leuk vindt, upload originele content en deel alles met vrienden, familie en anderen op YouTube.
Contrast the nonsense coming from politicians -- aimed at people with little time to assess tech issues -- on how tech should figure out or 'nerd' its way to age verification ('to keep us all safe'), with the ease with which children and youth can get their hands on assault weapons in the USA.
GDMR: The regulation EU citizens deserve.
No, you didn’t misread it and, no, it’s not a typo. GDMR – the General Data Minimisation Regulation – can end surveillance capitalism in the EU.
The problem is that no such regulation exists.
GitHub confirms breach of ~3,800 repositories after one of its employees installed a malicious VS Code extension; TeamPCP claimed responsibility for the hack (Sergiu Gatlan/BleepingComputer)
When you hear that someone is a “privacy professional”, you know two things about them:
1. That they work in the field of privacy 2. That someone pays them to do that
So ask:
Who is paying you?
(Always follow the money.)
Based on the answer, you’ll know whether their job is to protect your privacy or to find ways of legitimising their employer’s business model that’s predicated on violating your privacy.
Also, ask yourself: who has the most money?
Then you’ll know who can afford to hire the largest number of “privacy professionals.” Hint: trillion-dollar corporations are called trillion-dollar corporations for a reason.
(Wait a minute, am I really saying that most “privacy professionals” are hired to help corporations violate your privacy, not protect it? That’s a yes.)
Finally, have a little read up on “revolving doors” to understand that for some of these “privacy professionals”, a job is just a job and they will happily flip between
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When you hear that someone is a “privacy professional”, you know two things about them:
1. That they work in the field of privacy 2. That someone pays them to do that
So ask:
Who is paying you?
(Always follow the money.)
Based on the answer, you’ll know whether their job is to protect your privacy or to find ways of legitimising their employer’s business model that’s predicated on violating your privacy.
Also, ask yourself: who has the most money?
Then you’ll know who can afford to hire the largest number of “privacy professionals.” Hint: trillion-dollar corporations are called trillion-dollar corporations for a reason.
(Wait a minute, am I really saying that most “privacy professionals” are hired to help corporations violate your privacy, not protect it? That’s a yes.)
Finally, have a little read up on “revolving doors” to understand that for some of these “privacy professionals”, a job is just a job and they will happily flip between the two because, really, it’s all just a game to some people when you have a certain level of privilege.
I was once censured by the Nordic Privacy Arena – a conference that “aims to be part of the privacy professional’s journey” where I was presenting a keynote – for criticising the keynote by a Facebook employee (a lawyer who was a “privacy professional”). What was that Facebook employee’s previous job, you ask? Oh, he worked at the French data protection office (CNIL). And that, kids, is what we call a revolving door.
(Last year, Nordic Privacy Arena had four speakers from Google as well as a speaker from Capgemini – whose US subsidiary has a contract to provide surveillance and tracking services to ICE* – and Salesforce**. Not to mention a representative from the Irish Data Protection Commission. You know, the folks who enforce GDPR to the extent that they’re sued by @noybeu to do so. If you don’t know how corrupt Ireland is on this, read the excerpt from the Facebook whistleblower’s book, Careless People, that I quote in this post: ar.al/2025/03/21/careless-peop…)
And none of this is going to change if we continue with the framing of “data protection”. We must make this whole business model illegal.
We must go beyond GDPR to GDMR: General Data Minimisation Regulation.
"Age verification is an impossibility, and an impossibly terrible idea with impossibly vast consequences for privacy and the open web..." - @pluralistic
I used to have uMatrix runing on my browser. It basically works like a firewall, preventing cookies, scripts and other stuff running on your browser without your consent.
It gives you much more control than uBlock, but it is also known for breaking websites if you don't set what you allow the browser to run properly. I remember it being quite tedious, as I had to go through the process of setting those things properly on each new website I was visiting.
Maybe some of you use it already, and would like to share the experience. Maybe others didn't know about it and would like to give it a try. Either way, I don't hear that many peopl talking about this tool, so I thought of sharing it here.
Trump on Tuesday signed an #ExecutiveOrder that requires banks to take a closer look at the citizenship of their customers, a new measure in his admin’s push to clamp down on people living in the country illegally.
The order directs #bank regulators & government depts to look for signs that people without legal status are opening accounts or obtaining #loans or #CreditCards.
A while back I started on this journey, and as most people did, I've had my ups and downs and went through the learning curve, I've now reached the point of so much knowledge that I truly know, I dont know shit. People of Lemmy I come to you today because idk what to do, I recently made a free account with proton, their subscription is fairly cheap so idm paying the monthly tier of 15GB so I can have control over ending it whenever I please instead of being locked in for a year. Now, I heard about Tuta but never dived much into it, i know Proton has had its controversies (Don't be shy of reminding me of what they were), but what are my options here truly for a proper FOSS email provider? I can negate the free part for a reasonable price, but truly private AND secure is a must.
Self Hosting isn't an option yet for personal reasons unless it's completely free.
"Object permanence": the ability to understand that things still exist, even if you can't see 'em. Kids acquire a thorough sense of object permanence by the age of two. But when it comes to technopolitics, object permanence eludes full-grown lawmakers. These motherfuckers would lose a game of peek-a-boo.
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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read/share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
I’m excited to introduce Paperweight, a local-first open-source desktop app I’ve been building to help people understand and reduce their digital footprint.
Your inbox is a paper trail of every company that has ever had your data. Every account you created, every service you tried, every online purchase. It’s all connected to your email. Most people have 100+ accounts they’ve forgotten about, each a potential security, or privacy risk. For me the final push was the Odido data breach in the Netherlands. I hadn’t been a customer for more than 8 years, but all my data was still in their systems.
What it does:
Account inventory — Maps every company that has ever emailed you, with risks classifications and recommendations for action.
Bulk unsubscribe — Find and unsubscribe from any marketing and mailing lists (auto RFC 8058 where supported).
Breach alerts — Alerts when any company you’ve been in contact with has been breached (via HaveIBeenPwned).
GDPR requests —
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I’m excited to introduce Paperweight, a local-first open-source desktop app I’ve been building to help people understand and reduce their digital footprint.
Your inbox is a paper trail of every company that has ever had your data. Every account you created, every service you tried, every online purchase. It’s all connected to your email. Most people have 100+ accounts they’ve forgotten about, each a potential security, or privacy risk. For me the final push was the Odido data breach in the Netherlands. I hadn’t been a customer for more than 8 years, but all my data was still in their systems.
What it does:
Account inventory — Maps every company that has ever emailed you, with risks classifications and recommendations for action.
Bulk unsubscribe — Find and unsubscribe from any marketing and mailing lists (auto RFC 8058 where supported).
Breach alerts — Alerts when any company you’ve been in contact with has been breached (via HaveIBeenPwned).
GDPR requests — Generates pre-filled GDPR requests in multiple languages.
Supports Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, Proton (via Bridge) and any other email provider via IMAP.
Privacy approach:
Everything runs on your machine. Email content, credentials, and connection details never leave your device. No telemetry, no cloud sync, no analytics. The code is fully open source and auditable on GitHub.
Most alternatives in this space all require your to share your data through their services. Some of them have actually been caught selling your data. Paperweight is the only tool I’m aware of that does this entirely local and is open-source.
Paperweight scans your inbox to map your digital footprint, then helps you take back control and delete your data. Local-first and open source. - wslyvh/paperweight
