brunchyvirus

I haven’t had Facebook in I dont know how many years. It was really depressing for a few years afterwards, since I didn’t get the constant stream of updates from friends.

Facebook basically turned into the largest database of personal information of everyone on the planet. I mean remember those security questions like your mother’s maiden name, or town you grew up in, first girlfriend…Yeah I’m sure they have it.

What annoys me the most though is how so many communities still rely on Facebook/Twitter for official messaging. If there is a wildfire and I go to my counties website to look for updates, it points me to Facebook which I can’t check without an account. I bought ham radios because when there is an emergency mostly older people are on their giving updates from different cities.

Most countries are trying to move away from depending US technology companies, in my opinion if there was even some online message board local governments started for providing announcements, and had groups for like a marketplace, or just other things that would be a good step.

Wonder how long before Russia decide they want Alaska back.

I recently heard of it and was looking to try it. Someone else mentioned Snikket which is open source allows you to self host and has both android and iPhone apps for it.

I think right now companies are competing until they’re only 1 or 2 that clearly own the majority of the market.

Afterwards they will devolve back into the same thing search engines are now. A cesspool of sponsored ads and links to useless SEO blogs.

They’ll just become gate keepers of information again and the only ones that will be heard are the ones who pay a fee or game the system.

Maybe not though, I’m usually pretty cynical when it comes to what the incentives of businesses are.

I think one the biggest sells, especially for these custom rom’s is privacy to be honest. I don’t really trust Google or Apple with the data they probably collect. During COVID parents were being reported to law enforcement for CSAM when sending pictures of there kids medical issues to doctors(Archive Link).

One I guess could argue that sure shit happens when it comes to that scenario, but with the political climate in America combined with the fact that some of the largest tech companies seem to be kowtowing to whatever the current administration is doing, probably makes a lot of people rethink privacy and to find alternatives.