So, this is a somewhat sad moment, as FireFox used to be the one browser that was not actively trying to sell you out and that used to be all about free speech. Now that is no longer the case, and it’s time to see FireFox out as my browser.
Continue readingAccording to an article published by the Wall Street Journal today, Apple is working on methods to detecting mental illness manifesting itself iPhone users. To me this represents a no go zone for phones. The data will probably be used for a lot more than just telling you, the user of the phone that you’re not well.
Companies which rely on advertising to function their are immoral. The reason why is that they hide the true cost of work from the customers of that company. They misrepresent the work done in order to render the service or create the product they offer. This in turn devalues work and the appreciation of the value created. It also obfuscates the decision process required to make an effective decision in regard to the value to the user. Both of which I think are immoral.
From what I’ve been hearing, TTIP seems to be a pretty bad deal for the EU. I fail to see why we should enter in an agreement which will cost us more than it will deliver us. This is especially true for IT related matters, such as privacy related matters. It will effectively enforce the more lax US law on the EU. I’m not at all eager to let that happen.
If you didn’t know it already, the internet age has a major achilles heel. It is called identity theft. ID theft boils down to someone taking your credentials, and using them for whatever pleases them, which usually means they abuse it for criminal affairs. Many companies and governments deal with ID theft as if it is the fault of the client, not theirs. This is weird because ID theft is usually carried out without the knowledge or consent of the owner of that ID. Continue reading
If you look at the way modern society is operating, it is eerily familiar with what was described in 1984. If you’re not familiar with the book ‘1984’ by George Orwell, you should read it. I read it for my English literature list at my secondary school, and it has stuck with me till this day. It describes a dystopian society in which the government and the elite that forms it totally control society though propaganda and oppression techniques. Continue reading
Today I learned that the EU is postponing the introduction of new privacy regulations that would make our on-line lives a bit less hostile than is currently the case. They claim to need more time, but yesterday a letter from a group of lobbyist organizations was made public that puts pressure on the European leaders to lessen regulatory pressure on companies operating in the EU. To me, the timing of the delay is therefore suspicious. Continue reading
I’m going to clean up my digital life. No more google, facebook, gmx, linkedin and hotmail. From now on I’m going to be in control about who controls my data. (to the extent possible)
I’ll update this article with my progress so far.
Step 1: notify everyone that I’m leaving facebook. — in progress
Step 2: notify everyone that I’m leaving linkedin.
Step 3: end the FB and LI account –done for FB
Step 4: clean up subscriptions on my previous mail addresses.
Step 5: clean up all mail addresses.
Step 6: Annoy the hell out of FB and LI for retaining my data. (optional)
If you want to know why, read on: