Notices by Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)

“How many ad blocks could an ad slinger block if an ad slinger could block blocks?

Google engineers have proposed changes to the open-source Chromium browser that will break content-blocking extensions, including various ad blockers … Adblock Plus will most likely not be affected”

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/01/22/google_chrome_browser_ad_content_block_change/

PS. Guess who gets millions from Google not to block Google?

Hint: A_block _lus.

#SurveillanceCapitalism #Google #Chromium #Chrome #ChromeOS #Chromebook

Think about how many times in a day on the Web you click “I agree” when you really don’t agree just so you can get on with your day and use an everyday thing.

This is not how consent is supposed to work.

#SurveillanceCapitalism

Copyleft Conference… sponsored by Google.

https://2019.copyleftconf.org/sponsors/

Kindly go die in a fire.

#SurveillanceCapitalism HT https://mastodon.social/@desikn/101381009594236926

Awesome-Selfhosted

https://github.com/Kickball/awesome-selfhosted/

#SelfHosted #FOSS #EthicalTechnology

Very interesting… SnapOnAir: a tiny Lora communicator.

http://www.snaponair.com/index.php/the-communitycator/

“…You spoke about Privacy Settings. The setting you do not have is ‘private from Facebook, Inc.’ It seems to me the only honest presentation on Privacy at Facebook would be a single slide: ‘You have no privacy on Facebook.’ What are your thoughts on that?”

Wasn’t allowed to ask the question so tweeted it instead (Twitter has its uses sometimes):

Facebook just presented a keynote titled Privacy at Facebook at #NordicPrivacyArena.

Here’s the question I would have asked if I had been allowed to: “Privacy at Facebook is an oxymoron; it is a contradiction of terms. Facebook’s business model is based on violating privacy…”

Facebook guy literally selling Facebook ads at #NordicPrivacyArena

Wow.

If your event is sponsored by Facebook or Google, it’s not about freedom or human rights. Events that are are not sponsored by corporations that make money by restricting the former and violating the latter.

# SurveillanceCapitalism #whitewashing

Not honoring Do Not Track (DNT) is a #GDPR violation. If you receive a DNT signal, you must turn off all tracking. Furthermore, as the person has made their choice explicit and clear, you must not ask them again (via popovers, modals, etc.)

How do we get this enforced. The first part seems like it is already covered by GDPR. Would the second half we enforceable under the current framework?

Thoughts?

You know, if this is how folks are implementing #GDPR compliance, we’re going to start removing these pop-ups in @better – and this isn’t the worst; some lead you down labyrinthine meanderings in order to opt out, employing every psychological darkpattern known to hominids (and some household pets) to get you to sign away your right to privacy. Maybe we’ll make it an option you can switch on or off.

@rhiaro Here’s the response to this argument that I use:

You have two kidneys. You only need one to live. Yet no one can force you to give up the other – even if it could be used to save someone else’s life – because that would be an infraction into your person and an abuse of your human rights. The same goes for your data; which is part of who you are.

Protip: no organisation that actually values your privacy will have a popup that says “we value your privacy” on their web site.

#SurveillanceCapitalism

Number of accounts is the wrong success metric for the fediverse; number of instances is the correct one.

Absolute failure state of the fediverse is 1 billion accounts and one instance.

Just for the record: I love Mastodon.

Is it the end-game of the peer-to-peer, decentralised, end-to-end encrypted personhood-protecting platform(s) we need? No. Is it fucking awesome? Yes.

(Do I love you, @Gargron? Yes, I do) :)

It’s a beautiful brick on the bridge we must build between the centralised and peer-to-peer worlds.

Now let’s use it like the stepping stone that it is, be thankful that it exists, help make it even better, and interoperate with it on the road to greener pastures.

It’s not AI vs people
It’s not Big Data vs people
It’s not robots vs people

It’s corporations vs people.

Roomba maker iRobot plans to sell digital maps of your home

Robot vacuum cleaner company iRobot “reportedly has a new strategy in place: providing Roomba-gathered maps of your home to other smart device makers.”

https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/24/roomba-irobot-sell-digital-maps-home/

#SurveillanceCapitalism https://mastodon.ar.al/media/yL2DER2YFgHcc9Gs5rw

Facebook wants to analyse your emotions as you browse

“A patent has revealed that the company would like to discreetly take control of the camera on your phone or laptop to analyse your emotions while you browse, serving you ‘uplifting’ adverts or posts when you are feeling down.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/facebook-wants-to-analyse-your-emotions-as-you-browse-8wrlb2hhb

#SurveillanceCapitalism https://mastodon.ar.al/media/Uss5lSPiZawUQCaxSU4