Say No to Privacy Defeatism

I think the current situation needs no introduction if you've found yourself here. Internet privacy is in danger with ID verification being strongarmed into just about every public service on the internet whether by law or by corporations themselves and, understandably, people are pissed. Moreover, both big tech and our governments are increasingly hellbent on destroying our digital freedoms with every year, extending well beyond just ID verification. Many people, including a very statistically likely you, are trying to find out what to do now, whether to comply with our digital overlords or get themselves started on a long-overdue journey of reclaiming their freedom.

For many of you, it's hard to come to terms with how bad things are in terms of internet freedom and privacy. At this point, some of you probably weren't even born yet when the Snowden files were released. As you're probably aware of in at least some capacity, our digital activity has been watched for decades at a scale probably incomprehensible to us by now by both our governments and the Big Tech corporations. Try PRISM, XKEYSCORE, BULLRUN, or DISHFIRE on for size. All of these are warantless surveillance programs concocted by the USA's very own National Security Agency under the guise of "preventing terrorism" while also flying in the face of every US resident's 4th amendment rights, while partnering with other intelligence agencies to surveil their countries too. The time for all of us to start protecting our privacy and freedom online came long ago but it's not gone. Not yet.

"But I have nothing to hide!"

First off, you do have things to hide. If you have nothing at all to hide because you're such a good person, send me all your login creds, all of your personal documents, your phone number, your address, credit card(s) and so on. I'll update this page when one of you proves you truly have nothing to hide.

More importantly, warrentless dragnet surveillance doesn't really help anyone, especially when virtually all global law enforcement is corrupt to the core. Remember that the governments telling you to think of children's internet safety are doing absolutely fuck all to prosecute Epstein's clients in one of if not the biggest child sex abuse cases of the century. Remember that the biggest player in this astroturfed lobbying movement (a more digestible version if you don't need full detail) to destroy any digital rights you have left is none other than Meta themselves. If you somehow don't recognize them somehow, that's Facebook Meta. Instagram Meta. WhatsApp Meta. Constantly under fire for failing to protect users and especially children on their own fucking platforms Meta. Same company that thinks it has ANY right to dictate your digital life in the name of protecting children.

And even if the governments of the world and our Big Tech overlords at the likes of Meta are the benevolent forces defending end user safety by any means necessary, do you trust that data to stay in their hands only? There is no such thing as a back door or point of data for only the good guy, and when we already have a new breach resulting in identity theft and credit card fraud just about every week, I know I wouldn't. Either you or somebody you know is extremely likely to have had their information leaked in a company's security breach. Security breaches will always happen, for as long as there is software. There is no way around this, and when there's more breaches than ever in the world, do you really want to be putting out even more information to get stolen?

The more you comply with the destruction of internet freedom, the more it will get worse. The slippery slope is real. Just because our governments and tech companies operate under the guise of protecting children and defending against terrorism doesn't mean it's justified. They start with "protect the children". Then they move to "stopping degeneracy" by making pornography more difficult to access (see the UK's OSA, effectively creating/pushing users into an unregulated market). Then they slowly start putting it into everything else once it's become more accepted, as if nothing happened. It never was about protecting the end user and it will never stop getting worse as long as people keep complying. There is no acceptable amount of warrantless surveillance and there is no reasonable level to which IM platforms can introduce ID verification and mandatory data collection.

"It's not like we can even do anything"

I understand most of you will begin to violently convulse at the mere thought of changing any of your daily habits, but please, stay with me here. If you want change, YOU must help make it happen. Instead of using spyware platforms like Discord and Windows, consider a switch to XMPP and Linux. Keep in mind that you don't have to throw away your audience on the platforms you leave. If anything, it's better to keep it! One of the most common reasons I see people giving for staying in their mainstream, surveillance-addled ways is that there's nobody they know on the privacy-respecting platforms. You're allowed to be in more than one place at once and you dont have to lock yourself in with network effect. Instead of going scorched earth on your mainstream presence, use it to your advantage and convince your friends to follow you to the new places, advising them to do the same as you've just done and take as many pepole as they can with them too. Rome wasn't built in a day.

And if it wasn't already obvious, PARENT YOUR FUCKING KIDS! It isn't the state's nor any tech company's responsibility to parent your child for you. They obviously should be taking measures to keep underage users safe by removing predators where possible, but not in lieu of parents actually doing their job and not leaving their children completely unsupervised online and uneducated on internet safety.

Conclusion

Remember that perfection is the enemy of all progress. Things aren't going to immediately become great, but it's on YOU to help push us there. I'm sorry for the condescending tone in some parts of this but people like me have been trying to get people to care about this to no avail and it sucks seeing people only wake up after it's too late.

Also, don't be afraid to ask for help! We were all new to caring about privacy at one point, and most people would be happy to help you out in reclaiming your digital freedom. If you have questions join my group (Discord, XMPP, IRC) and ask away. You should join the Non-Compliance Pact too if you have a website.

Also also to all zero people that check this site regularly or subscribe to the feeds, I swear I'll start writing more interesting things soon instead of just articles about tech freedom. I have limited time to write blog posts with and when things keep coming up in terms of privacy infringements with so few good places to start for normal people, that kinda has to take priority over me writing out and uploading 2000 words about why the PlayStation 3 is the Second Coming of Christ or why GTA IV sucks.