Back in the covid lock downs, I went down a rabbit hole with alternative operating systems. I found TheHatedOnes video on GrapheneOS, got the cheapest pixel from a pawn shop, and started experimenting on the mobile side of things

As for my PC, I’m not sure if this video exists, or it did and its gone, or I was just dreaming, but I’m sure there was a SomeOrdinary Gamer video about how windows 10 wanted a 1080p webcam.

That was the final straw for me, and I started duel booting to get used to Linux. I knew back then I would never go to windows 11, so I knew the sooner I start switching, the more comfortable I would be when windows 10 reaches EOL.

I’ve always been concerned about it but never got around to making big changes until recently. Deleted my Facebook ten years ago but held on to IG so that says a lot about my priorities at the time. Tried a Linux dual boot but went back to Windows because Linux gaming support was almost non-existent (granted I did routinely run the Shut Up 10 tool at least).

Ten years later, I buckled down and changed everything I could. I haven’t cut everything out (i.e. still on Google Fi because of costs and coverage, still on discord because no one wants to go anywhere else). But now I’ve been running GrapheneOS for a year, run CachyOS on both my desktop and steam deck, moved from gmail to tuta, set up an entire home server to get away from google services and media streaming platforms, etc etc. This whole year has been the bulk of it for sure.

Honestly the biggest inspiration for finally getting it done was seeing all the tech oligarchs at the nazi inauguration last year, and knowing sooner or later they’re gonna start coming for communists too. Is all this gonna be enough to save my ass if they do? Probably not, but better now than never.

By working as a data engineer in ad-tech companies and seeing how big is actually an amount of information collected about you.

I don’t really remember TBH, I got into Linux at a pretty young age, but that was more about hating Microsoft than privacy. Then got into VPNs because of downloading stuff, gradually drifted down the Ubuntu > Manjaro > Arch pipeline, started hanging out on privacy forums and now I’m one of those people who needs a Yubikey to decrypt a chain of LUKS-encrypted drives to boot into a laptop that has nothing of any value on it at all lol.

I was always raised not to share personal information with complete strangers on the web. I overlooked that rule for a time, but between that and the revelations by Snowden and then Cambridge Analytica I’ve gradually taken increasing steps towards a more privacy-oriented internet experience. I do take some pride in my tech knowledge but when I have to resolve an issue with a family members’ device I have to mentally switch gears because they are set up for a completely different kind of experience.

Entirely accidentally. My clinical colleague had an “odd looking” laptop screen. It was Ubuntu. He’s a genius level clever lad, and after some questions, he helped me to set up dual boot on my windows machine. Within 5-months, that was an Ubuntu only machine. Now on Debian, still can’t do anything much more than basic with the terminal, but the roads led here very naturally.

Group read on “Surveillance Capitalism” but in truth…

• tinkered with Linux as a kid
• contributed to Mozilla
• loved the ideal of free software relatively early on

… so it was rather coherent with related yet orthogonal efforts.

A long time ago. I’d guess it was around the time Facebook became popular, because it was inconceivable to me that people were just sharing their private info online, and treating people who didn’t as the odd ones. Later on my I was vindicated, but I’ve been wary of Google and Microsoft’s data hoarding from the beginning I think. It has been frustrating to see tech go this way, and people just accepting it, gleefully.

I like knowing what my computer is doing and that was noticeably less and less the case as I went from Windows 98 to 10 and all the major versions in between. Before learning about Linux, simply going through the options in debloat scripts made me realize how invasive Microsoft was behind the scenes.

I know that he’s not necessarily the best resource, but Rob Braxman’s videos were first to bring mobile privacy concerns to my attention. Also, while his promotion of his custom phone didn’t lead to me buying one of them, it did lead to me learning about custom Android ROMs and eventually buying a Pixel for GrapheneOS.

By installing linux, and then rabbit hole came by itself

Check each app for a libre software license text file, do we control the app or not? Easiest way to purge 99% of scams and abuse. Then, check for an libre app to replace each online service.

Probably around the time when the internet became a thing. I’ve always lived a rather private life. Not a lot of fanfare, I just need the basics. Then I started a fully licensed internet radio station, promoting indie music. At the time I probably had 4k - 5k listeners a day. This was back in the pre-Napster era and Napster was just starting to get popular. So, I self hosted and automated the entire set up. When I was at work, everything operated like a terra-radio station would, with announcer drop ins, promo drop ins, multiple playlists that would randomly select maybe 5 songs from the top 50 list, 5 or 6 songs from the ‘b’ side and deep cuts, etc. I honestly had a blast and I was doing it all out of my own pocket. I personally feel enriched by the experience. I got to work with a lot of companies like the now defunct MP3.com, and others.

Then the RIAA got involved and deemed internet radio the same as illegal downloads off of Napster, even tho we paid ASCAP, BMI, SESAC et al, licenses. and fees A bunch of us went to Washington to plead our case for internet radio in front of a special panel, but in the end, the RIAA made it so difficult, with fees that didn’t even apply to terra-radio. A big swath of us just went dark. We just couldn’t cough up the additional required fees and such. That was by design tho from the RIAA itself. I will say tho, that if Shawn Fanning had not have scripted Napster, I think the music industry on the internet would look quite different than it does today. He pushed the envelope.

I started my privacy journey last year. My gf at the time, was really into privacy and told me all about data collection and selling. I bushed it off, justifying it as the cost of a using a free platform, until I noticed that topics from our Discord convos would appear on my YouTube recommendations (or I Googled something similar, still creepy none the less). It was so oddly specific that I freaked me out and I almost immediately changed my search engine, browser, email, etc.

I was wondering if my VPN works basically, from a young age. This led me to reading about Cold War intrigue and assassinations quite a bit, everyone was recommending NATO’s Secret Armies in 2016 for some reason, which is a solid Gladio book. You come to the conclusion that any intelligence agency tied to the US or unable to defend against it makes any server, manufacturer, person etc in that country potentially compromised pretty easily

If you’re only worried about the privacy concerns of a commercial IT guy you’re just not seeing the big picture