I hear that TerraBox has 1TB accounts for free. /s
irmadlad
joined 8 months ago
I cannot change the world, I am but one man. I can only try to influence and guide those around me. They influence and guide others around them. So you pick up a few new converts and that may seem pointless until you realize the global impact of your actions.
the tone changed
It does, especially when you make it a personal connection to their daily lives, which I always try to do. The vast majority of people don't really think in terms we as privacy advocates do. There are many factors. As I mentioned, shit's very complex. People are very busy now days just to make ends meet. Usually both parents work, come home, spend a little time with the family and collapse in bed only to do the same tomorrow, until the weekend when they catch up on household chores, spend time with their children, try to rest up for the next 5 or 6 work days. They don't have the time to read the Unix manual, much less understand it. So I try to break things down in digestible bits so as not to overwhelm.
I find that people who say 'I've nothing to hide' haven't really thought it through. Mainly because, in most of the general public's mind, there is a disconnect between their daily lives and their online lives. Instead of being condescending to them, run through a couple of obvious scenarios with them:
- You have keys and locks they go to. Maybe they go to your car, front or back door, or tool shed. Why? Keys and locks prevent unauthorized access. They do not portend guilt in any way.
- You have window blinds and even black out curtains covering them. Why? What would be your reaction to a law that made window blinds and curtains illegal because the authorities having jurisdiction can't see what you are doing in your house?
- Would you be ok if a live feed of your bathroom or bedroom be broadcast to the internet for all to see? Why not?
Usually, running through daily things people do and contrasting them with privacy, security, and anonymity, I can get them to realize that yes, they too enjoy, nay, demand privacy, security, and anonymity in their daily lives, and that their online presence should not be any different.
The average Joe citizen really has no idea what goes on behind all those pretty pictures on their screen, and they could almost be forgiven for that. I've had a computer in front of me since the mid 70s and I openly admit, computers and networking are complex beasts. Even I have not plumbed the depths. Someone here made a comment once that if their knowledge was a 25' tape measure, they might know an inch, and I think that is applicable.
We, as the stewards of the secret knowledge, should not brow beat those who may be unenlightened. They are not sheep, they are not normies, they are not idiots. They just have no clue, so it behooves us to educate and assist those who do not understand, without making them feel like they're stupid. The more educated the populace, the further our privacy, security, and anonymity mission is spread.
These things change.
In the words of George Harrison: All things must pass, all things must pass away
I just use reddit as reference anymore, usually through redlib. Reddit became a seething cauldron of festering carcasses a long time ago, and I have no desire to jump through all their hoops just to use their servers, much like YT and a growing number of other sites. I just don't have the patience to reconfigure my network just so I can use those outlets. Sad tho. It used to be a decent social media platform until it wasn't. C'est la vie. Such is the way of the internet.
Aww shucks. Glad to help. Pay it forward.