Status on 2021/03/30, 03:14

Some of us like to say they "left" the reach of Social Media because they don't participate in those surveillance-laden websites, but in reality, they're still in the net and they just don't realize it. How?

Messaging apps.

You can't name a single major messaging app nowadays that is not tied in any way to a major tech giant, which means that any time you use it, you are providing them with your data one way or another. And what's worse, this is a much harder trap to escape from because they have pretty much all the people you care about held in ransom (family, friends, potential employers...). And let's not forget that all messenger apps today are some sort of a social network themselves (status, follows, broadcasts...)

This is an ugly, but important truth that exists nowadays that we don't like to admit: unless we quit messaging apps as well, we'll remain in the hands of surveillance capitalists. I am yet to find a solution for this, but it seems pretty clear that asking people to use proper messaging solutions that respect your freedom is a losing battle - they won't switch.

In the meantime, I'm letting everyone else know that I'll be on my email address. No privacy? None in those "encrypted" messaging apps either, so might as well.