FutileRecipe

FutileRecipe , 3 months ago to Privacy in Google's new AI search results promotes sites pushing malware, scams

maybe $1. That's way more than the ad revenue search engines get

And where did you come up with this info? Source? Do you really think that search engine ad revenue (for the engine itself, not what one measly advertiser gets back) tops out at "way below" $1 per person?

In 2023, Google's ad search revenue amounted to 175 billion U.S. dollars.

FutileRecipe , 3 months ago to Selfhosted in Recommendations for a video doorbell?

You don’t need a video camera pointed out towards the public 24/7.

Depends on where you live. Being notified of packages at your door is handy before they get stolen.

And being able to see who knocks on your door is also handy without exposing your eye to the tiny (and glass) peephole.

As well as being able to see who approaches when you're not even there.

FutileRecipe , 3 months ago to Privacy in Google's new AI search results promotes sites pushing malware, scams

The old saying goes: if you don't pay for the product, you are the product.

FutileRecipe , 3 months ago to Selfhosted in What Router can you recommend?

If you want to start small, I'd go with one supported by Asuswrt-Merlin, "a third party alternative firmware for Asus routers, with a special emphasis on tweaks and fixes rather than radical changes or collecting as many features as possible." Keeps it close to stock with minor upgrades, and a faster release cycle for fixes. The RT-AX88U_PRO is one of the higher end routers that is supported by Merlin.

FutileRecipe , 3 months ago to Privacy in What phone brand do you like the best?

I think if Fairphones get GrapheneOS support...

Then Fairphone needs to up their hardware security and software support. GrapheneOS has minimum requirements that vendors must meet for GrapheneOS to support them, and Fairphone doesn't measure up. Only Pixels do, at the moment.

FutileRecipe , 4 months ago to Privacy in Question about using default router and modem

Comcast/Xfinity has been my least favorite ISP.

FutileRecipe , 4 months ago to Privacy in DuckDuckGo Introduces E2EE Backup and Sync Feature on Browser

Why does Kagi Search require an account?
Kagi Search requires an account only because it is a paid service which requires an account for the transaction. Note that Kagi does not collect any personal information for billing and that you can even use an anonymous payment card such as Privacy if you want to.

I'm not terribly thrilled with it, but a lot of VPNs do as well. Plus, this is their business model. If you're not paying for the product, you are the product. If they're caught double dipping (taking our money and lying about logging to sell), they'll be out of business shortly.

They do claim to log practically nothing.
https://kagi.com/privacy

FutileRecipe , 4 months ago to Privacy in DuckDuckGo Introduces E2EE Backup and Sync Feature on Browser

If you search a lot, you should really look into Kagi Search, "a highly accurate, lightning-fast, user-centric, 100% privacy-respecting search engine with results augmented by non-commercial indexes and personalized searches." Much better than the ad-supported ones, or even DDG, in my experience.

FutileRecipe , 4 months ago to Privacy in What PC is like the "thinkpad" of PCs?

I can confirm HP is still the WORST.

Well, I haven't been in an HP in a long time, but them forcing proprietary ink in their printers or bricking it is enough for me to not buy their computers as well (laptops or desktops).

FutileRecipe , 4 months ago to Privacy in Update: I made a spreadsheet that ranks messaging apps for privacy

allow to display it without having to download?

I can view the site without having to download with the below link. So not sure what you mean?

https://privacyspreadsheet.com/messaging-apps

Edit: this is with Vanadium in incognito, if it matters.

FutileRecipe , 4 months ago (edited 4 months ago) to Privacy in Update: I made a spreadsheet that ranks messaging apps for privacy

No Molly, an independent Signal fork for Android, listing? Among other things, Molly handles data encryption at rest better and also has Tor support...which your spreadsheet doesn't even list Tor support.

I can understand not wanting to including Molly due to it being only on Android (though I think/hope a lot of privacy enthusiasts run GrapheneOS on Pixels) even though it currently rides the Signal servers so in compatible with other Signal clients, but at least add Tor compatibility, please.

FutileRecipe , 5 months ago to Privacy in Google Update Reveals AI Will Start Reading All Your Private Messages

There are three big reasons why we’re removing SMS support for the Android app now: prioritizing security and privacy, ensuring people aren’t hit with unexpected messaging bills, and creating a clear and intelligible user experience for anyone sending messages on Signal.

To me, all of those reasons are BS and easily gotten around. "Unexpected messaging bills?" Have a popup that warns you that this user doesn't have an account and is about to send a SMS, potentially incurring a cost, as an example.

They just didn't want to maintain the code and chased some users away. https://www.signal.org/blog/sms-removal-android/

FutileRecipe , 5 months ago to Technology in Apple is finally allowing Firefox to use its own engine on the iPhone (but only in the EU)

The fuck would I want to actively give all that data to Google for?

Heard of GrapheneOS on the Pixel line? "GrapheneOS is a privacy and security focused mobile OS with Android app compatibility developed as a non-profit open source project." https://grapheneos.org/

fairly old Samsung tablets to use at work, and they’re absolute shit to set up when compared to an iPad. There’s all the stock Google apps, and all the stock Samsung apps that offer the same fucking features, and they keep bugging you to set them up.

Samsung is not the best manufacturer, plus you said old. Either one is bad, but that's a terrible combo. And all the Google apps and OEM bloatware is fixed (gone) with a deGoogled OS like Graphene's.

FutileRecipe , 5 months ago to Privacy in What are your thoughts on the Arc browser?

Not really. DQ is a fairly large chain.

FutileRecipe , 5 months ago to Selfhosted in So SBCs are shit now? Anything I can do with my collection of Pis and old routers?

I guess people just started to realise that mini x86s exist too

People always knew x86s existed. I think the main culprit is the price gap between them and Pis is decreasing. Pis used to be around $35, which has skyrocketed to 3-5x MSRP, plus they were unavailable for a long time. Now the Pi's performance to price ratio isn't justifiable to most, so people pay a little more for the x86 but get so much more capability.