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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 5th, 2023

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  • I really appreciate this post since I think many discussions about VPNs are misleading or treat them as a magic solution to all problems.

    I think you’ve given a fair outline of what a VPN.

    But, being the Internet, I have a few thoughts,

    Hiding your IP address: VPNs will replace your IP address with a random IP address assigned by the VPN provider.

    I don’t think the word “random” is needed. The IP address a VPN assigns is no more random than the IP address your ISP assigns. I think someone could see random and assume more security, which would be incorrect.

    IP addresses are usually static, meaning it never changes, but sometimes your ISP may assign you a dynamic IP address, which will change every few months or so.

    Last I knew ISPs still charged for static IP address, so most would be dynamic. Although often times a dynamic IP address is de facto static, since an ISP will never change it.

    If you open up ports on your router (for various purposes), it can leave your network vulnerable to certain attacks as long as the attackers know your public IP address.

    I think this should be a separate bullet point, since this is clearly security and not privacy. I think as a security point it needs further discussion. Really I imagine this only comes up in peer to peer connection scenarios. I don’t know if the denial of service attacks of old are still relevant.

    Encrypting your traffic: VPNs can allow your traffic to be encrypted, so that your ISP or other people connected to the same network can’t see which sites you visit or (in some cases) what data is sent. The reasons why this is important are too long to list, but you can work it out on your own.

    I think it’s important to clarify who you are encrypting your traffic from. Generally your traffic is already encrypted. DNS is often not encrypted.




  • I had to look up dynamic lock screens, but it looks like it just changes your wallpaper? That might be neat but doesn’t seem that exciting.

    In terms of AI I’m not aware of anything AI on my phone.

    Honestly I feel like phones have stagnated. I’ve had the “same” phone since 2016 (if not before). The fingerprint sensor, that’s probably the last thing that made me excited, was that 2016? Obviously screens have gotten better and battery life has gone up, but it’s the same phone.

    I’d like to see ports added back to mainline phones. I’ve only ever bought a phone with a headphone jack so it makes my options limited. I’d like to see headphone jacks, SD cards & quickly replaceable batteries come back.


  • For posts, upvote means I want more of this, that’s some good content. Downvote means I want less of this, that’s some bad content.

    For comments, upvote means good point, good joke, excellent addition to the conversation. Downvote means bad point, bad joke, poor addition to the conversation.

    Now I admit I have a hard time upvoting a comment that adds a good point to the discussion, but I personally disagree with.

    I do wish we had a way to separate good/bad content from agree/disagree. I know Reddit defaulted to hiding downvoted content, a default that I found reasonable. However using Lemmy, that wasn’t the default, and I’ve grown to prefer seeing all content. Don’t get me wrong, I see some garbage, and I see stuff I disagree with, but I think it’s useful.


  • Re verification per AP,

    The amendments passed on Friday bolster privacy protections. Platforms would not be allowed to compel users to provide government-issued identity documents including passports or driver’s licenses, nor could they demand digital identification through a government system.

    So it sounds like an ID will not be a requirement.

    I suppose a face scan is possible, but I find it unlikely. Obviously if it heads in that direction then the law should be amended to clarify that is also not acceptable.

    In terms of selling information I assume that just clarifies the status quo and isn’t new. Not that that makes it acceptable, it just means that’s something to tackle.



  • Oh I agree. I wouldn’t want a stronger law. I’m just not too concerned with this one. I think if there are concerns with social media we should discuss how to solve them for everyone.

    We generally say 16-21 you are an adult so fuck it, whatever happens to you is your fault and ignore the predatory nature of organizations.

    We should outline the specific concerns and determine what, if any, steps we can take.

    As an example, gambling. I think it’s fair and reasonable to allow gambling. I think ensuring gambling isn’t predatory is a reasonable limitation. I expect for most people it isn’t a problem but I think providing help to gambling addicts is also reasonable. Social media should be viewed through a similar lens.


  • I mean YouTube has educational content, but that is far from its primary purpose. Assuming YouTube is completely unrestricted it wouldn’t be hard for Facebook to add enough content to be arguably educational.

    Hell plenty of people use TikTok for educational reasons. I’m not saying it’s right, but you could argue TikTok is educational in the same way you can argue YouTube is educational.

    Now if YouTube is forced to classify it’s educational content the same way they classify children’s content (aka poorly), maybe that’ll work.


  • the rules are expected to apply to the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, per the Prime Minister.

    Sites used for education, including YouTube, would be exempt, as are messaging apps like WhatsApp.

    The law does not require users to upload government IDs as part of the verification process.

    Sounds like a pretty weak law. It will require a birthday when creating an account and accounts under the age of 16 will be restricted/limited. As a result users (people under 16) will lie about their age.

    Companies don’t like this because it messes with their data collection. If they collect data that proves an account is under 16 they will be required to make them limited/restricted. However they obviously collect this data already.

    I wonder if Facebook and other apps will add/push education elements in order to become exempt.