iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Just one example: the piece includes a ominous reference to Signal and your metadata. Signal has almost no metadata to give away. WhatsApp's entire business model is profiting from all the metadata it collects and uses across Meta. But try getting Europeans or Africans or whoever off WhatsApp.

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I will say it's hard enough to get people to care about the direct harms of their apps (tracking, environmental harms, owned by evil oligarchs), that I don't expect a complex web of vaguely shady connections will move people.

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To me, this piece makes points that are true and valuable but also misleading, obvious (i.e. your phone is insecure and meeting in person is better), and conspiratorial. I don't have the bandwidth to detangle all of it but it's always worth challenging our assumptions, so thanks for sharing.

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I think we're already there. Young people especially have to assume they could be being recorded at any time, usually but not always by their peers.

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For sure the EU is much better at the moment, and all US tech should be treated as suspect. Signal and DuckDuckGo are the rare safe, ethical examples.

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The dark clouds are Chat Control of course. CC 1.0 gets the EU closer to what the US is already doing in terms of big tech scanning our messages. 2.0 would be worse, mandated harvesting of metadata, arguably worse than even the US. Fortunately it's not looking likely to pass, at least not soon.

I love Threema too, it's just as good security-wise as Signal. Possibly better since they don't even require your phone number. I think the one-time fee is a fair tradeoff. The problem is that in the US no one has heard of it, none of my friends are there. Slowly they are coming to Signal at least.

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Well, Signal is a non-profit with high integrity of leadership, and in theory should be well-insulated against government intrusion. Until it's not, of course.

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Bookshop.org: Buy books online. Support local bookstores.

Indeed. People don't understand how invasive Uber is and that Curb might be better. Or bookshop.org instead of Amazon. Or why to use Ghost or Beehiv instead of Substack. For web conferencing, both Proton Meet and Infomaniak's kMeet (both Swiss) are good privacy options. Big Techbro, good one!

bookshop.org

A better way to buy books online. Every purchase financially supports local independent bookstores.

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Do you mean something like self-hosting AI? Because I'm talking about the average person simply switching to, say, Proton email or DuckDuckGo browser or HERE maps, which are all pretty frictionless to start using.

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Good stuff. I think ethical tech is already out there, we need to help people choose it, be willing to make intentional choices rather than stick with what they know. They may understand there's a problem but don't want to think too much about tech stuff, and/or switching feels daunting.

I recently hosted a film club series in our home in Nairobi. In each film we remarked about the moral ambiguity of the characters. It was a big part of what made it interesting art.

Wait... what's that word... a consequence??

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With that said, yes, most US big-tech options are terrible for all those ethical criteria I mentioned. For now at least, non-US is usually better. But keep your eyes on the EU privacy landscape as well, there are some dark clouds.

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Geography/jurisdiction is important but not a magic bullet. The best ethical messaging option imo is US-based Signal. DuckDuckGo, also US, is a great non-tracking option. In the EU, the way the winds are blowing, soon you might see mandatory back doors and metadata being given to the government.

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I'm very happy with kMail so far.

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For any app, data privacy, environmental protection, and integrity of ownership should be the non-negotiables in the ethical-tech revolution. Thanks for getting so much of that right, that's a big reason why I'm with you.

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Why why why would anyone use this? We need a broad-based 'ethical tech revolution' that demands data privacy, environmental care, and ownership integrity from all our apps and platforms. Should be the non-negotiables right at the top of the manifesto.

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I suggest talking to trees as a friend. Very therapeutic.

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I started on plastic reels, wonder if I still can. I spent the last 15 years teaching kids how to use the steel ones.

Just started using it, will see how it goes.

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So now AI is supposed to offer us moral guidance?

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Why am I not holding my breath?

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Art is supposed to help us believe in the future. It did for me.

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For the love of all that's holy, stop using Amazon to buy books.

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A bold but straightforward demand. It may seem like folly in today's political landscape. Until it works. We must stake out a clear, positive, sensible vision instead of pre-crippling ourselves on the assumption the world isn't ready for it.

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I was an arts teacher in a private school for 15 years until 2023. I saw the steady creep of screens year by year. At first kids themselves resisted it, at least somewhat, then they gave in entirely. I could see what it did to them, including reduced creative energy and connection to the real world.

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Agree. I'm becoming monk-ish with food. Keeping it simple and unprocessed: sourdough bread, lentils, eggs, sardines (and other fish), nuts/seeds, yoghurt, fruit/veg, oatmeal is like 75 percent of my daily diet. Plus tea, coffee, and plenty of water.

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@rebeccasolnit.bsky.social We need to spread an 'ethical tech revolution', with the non-negotiables of data privacy, environmental protection, and owner integrity. No more empowering our tech bro oppressors. There are great options, that meet those criteria, for apps we've gotten way too comfy with.

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