Getting rid of MS, Google, Apple etc

[Mr_Average]

For the PC, I'll keep W7 but only for Elite and games. Any other web based activity (mail, browsing, grabbing torrents, listening to music) I'm going to do through a VM running some Linux - not decided which Linux to run yet. Maybe Mint maybe Ubuntu. This systemd politics scares me though.

PC
Browser : won't be Chrome, probably Opera with Duck Duck Go as my search engine of choice.
Mail : I need to quit Gmail and find something else web-based that offers as much storage. Not Outlook nor Yahoo. May use my ISP's email. Torrents and music is covered. If necessary I'll use Firefox plug-ins for Torrents.

Phone
Really very tempted to put Ubuntu on my Nexus 4, but then I want another phone soon. Someone told me about an Android ROM that had no Google stuff, which means missing out on the Play Store. This would impact me for some of the software that I have for flying (working towards my PPL). iPhone is out (as is any Apple email or iCloud), Windows phone is out.

Tablets
I have 2. Kids have stolen one and hold it hostage when I threaten them. No sign of life in the last few months. I have a Nexus 7 (old model) that I love. Perfect size for reading ebooks and browsing when on the settee.

I don't do facebook or Twitter or any other social networking stuff.

Anyone else gotten rid of the Big Brothers?

[Jack Shaftoe]

I can understand someone not wanting certain businesses to have your information, and I feel pretty similar about the government. I'm a big fan of Google's products, and guess I just don't have a problem with them knowing what they do about me. Sure, there's probably some stuff that I wouldn't want them to know, but what they do know I'm pretty okay with. I know you're ditching Chrome, but I kind of like Chrome's "incognito" mode.

[GlobusDiablo]

.........Anyone else gotten rid of the Big Brothers?

I'm curious as to why you feel the need to get rid of Big Brother. I don't mean these questions in a provocative sense, merely curious, so please read them as such.

I mean everyone in the modern world has been registered and monitored since birth. Companies (government or private) wanting to know your habits so they can target their products easier at you has also been going on since the dawn of man (in this case the dawn of the internet ).

So what's the problem. Unless of course you're into illegal activities.

"The System" can monitor me all they want. "They" can know which pc's I buy, which porn sites I watch, which banks I use, and so on. So what? I have never had any real intrusion in my private life because of this.

Personally, I'm for more registration and more monitoring. I know this is controversial to some, but I just can't see the problem. Unless you have something to hide of course. If you're breaking the law, be prepared to get caught, or go live somewhere else, where dogs eat dogs, and find out if you have the minerals.

We're all bound by the codes of our society whether we like it or not. Trying to run from them seems a bit paranoid or criminal. Which is fine by me by the way. People can do or be as they please, as long as they can face the consequences. "If you can do the crime, be ready to do the time". Don't whine about it after.
And if you have a medical condition (like paranoia), you're excused, and I'm sorry. That sucks.

I hope you don't feel my post is inappropriate. It's just an issue that interests me, as well as you I understand.

So back to the original question: Why do you feel it necessary to avoid "Big Brother"?

[Mr_Average]

I'm curious as to why you feel the need to get rid of Big Brother. I don't mean these questions in a provocative sense, merely curious, so please read them as such.

I mean everyone in the modern world has been registered and monitored since birth. Companies (government or private) wanting to know your habits so they can target their products easier at you has also been going on since the dawn of man (in this case the dawn of the internet ).

So what's the problem. Unless of course you're into illegal activities.

I have no problem with answering your questions, and I haven't taken them as provocative don't worry. I'll try not to use anecdotes in my response.

The dawn of the Internet did not have the Facebooks, Googles and Netflix. 94 – Yahoo, 95 – Amazon, 98 – Google, 2001 – Wikipedia, 2005 – Facebook + Flickr, 2005 – YouTube, Reddit. The internet was about sharing information - but between individuals not corporations.

A recent article that I found interesting :
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2 ... rnet-dream

You talk about illegal activities. I'll retort with a recommendation that you read some articles by someone called Bruce Schneier, a search for “nothing to hide” will bring up some of his writings.

Even if you aren't into IT stuff, his Crypto-gram newsletter is very interesting.

"The System" can monitor me all they want. "They" can know which pc's I buy, which porn sites I watch, which banks I use, and so on. So what? I have never had any real intrusion in my private life because of this.

Thats good. I wonder if your Facebook postings about how much you drank the other weekend haven't been sold to insurance companies. You did know that Facebook owns data about you? An example : your mum searches for herbal tea to sleep better at night. Your dad sends an email to his health insurance company about his heart pills. You try to get a mortgage. Your rate is higher because you are more risky (since your parents are stressed and have heart problems).

Send an email in Gmail and see if the ads that come up don't have some of the keywords that you've used in emails. Gotten what looks like an email but is in fact an advert? Why did that advert get sent to you?

Personally, I'm for more registration and more monitoring. I know this is controversial to some, but I just can't see the problem. Unless you have something to hide of course. If you're breaking the law, be prepared to get caught, or go live somewhere else, where dogs eat dogs, and find out if you have the minerals.

We're all bound by the codes of our society whether we like it or not. Trying to run from them seems a bit paranoid or criminal. Which is fine by me by the way. People can do or be as they please, as long as they can face the consequences. "If you can do the crime, be ready to do the time". Don't whine about it after. And if you have a medical condition (like paranoia), you're excused, and I'm sorry. That sucks.

See above for nothing to hide.

I hope you don't feel my post is inappropriate. It's just an issue that interests me, as well as you I understand.

So back to the original question: Why do you feel it necessary to avoid "Big Brother"?

I don't Facebook. I don't Blog. I don't share photos of my kids to people that I don't know. I don't join forums using my real name. I don't have my name and address printed on paper and pasted to a window in my car. I don't answer phone polls at home. These are my choices.

When I use the services of certain internet companies, I no-longer have a choice in how information about me is used. I cannot control information about me or my family. While I understand that there is no perfect solution, it is my opinion after spending 42 years on this planet and nearly 20 years working in IT, that not using the services of the 'Big Brothers' will enable me to better control information about me and my family.

[Mr_Average]

Not that I recommend believing everything that you read in the Guardian, but here is another good article : http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2 ... er-privacy

[GlobusDiablo]

......I don't Facebook. I don't Blog. I don't share photos of my kids to people that I don't know. I don't join forums using my real name. I don't have my name and address printed on paper and pasted to a window in my car. I don't answer phone polls at home. These are my choices.

Neither do I.

I understand that you feel just as passionately about the issue as I do. And I can agree to disagree. For me it's just part of modern life, and I don't find it concerning. I can think of many other things that are, but not this. Annoying at most.

The money/power wheel keeps turning, whether we fight it or not. It's bigger than any individual. It's human nature I think.

In the end, all anyone can do is what they believe to be right for themselves. Diversity is one of the human races strengths.

Fly safe Commander. And thanks for an invigorating post.

[Flip]

So what's the problem. Unless of course you're into illegal activities.

https://www.google.com/search?q=arrested+for+researching+pressure+cooker

[Avago-Earo]

I've nothing to hide this year as I can't afford to buy any X-Mas presents