US #BigTech is an implement of Imperialism.
Old hunger, new methods.
We were deceived into our dependence upon these platforms, offered largely unconditionally - gifts unbound to an agenda, we thought. Later, as dependence deepened, we came to think of access to them as a fundamental right.
Yet today, as this tech forms the nervous system of an ultraviolent, planet-eating, supremacist regime, we must make a choice, even if inconvenient.
Bc to use these platforms is to support that regime
@JulianOliver When I was informed that Spotify CEO supported war-efforts and AI for military uses instead of paying artists, as a musician I had only one choice - I cancelled my Spotify entierly and never used it again.
@bojanlandekic Good on you. I have never used it myself, and on reading about all that I was glad for it.
@JulianOliver I wish the Norwegian "digitalization" ministry for example would understand this because it is becoming very hard to be a citizen without using "apps" and I mean that services are provided via an app and the alternative if it exists at all sucks.. and this means, among other awful things, being a client of either google or apple...
@sifr yes, grim.
It is to say most interactions with the state are mediated, in some form, through a US corporation & under a US jurisdiction. A broad metadata harvest too, providing insights into population movements and patterns, demographics and cultures.
Never, ever - even prior to the current US administration - would the US gov accept the same for itself and its own citizenry. It is too much power to give away. A needlessly foolish & dangerous dependence.
@JulianOliver I was ok with a lot of it, as long as what we got out of the deal was commensurate with what we gave. I became a lot more wary once they started charging money *and* all our data for what we used to only provide some of our data for. Then they started reducing what they provide. And now they've started including features that have no benefit to users and all benefit to them.
That said, those of us that've lived long without US BigTech, or mostly, can be too quick to urge others off it, even throwing shade. Rather, we would do well to learn a little patience and take the time to help others transition from their engineered dependence. With a bit of openness and care you'll find many simply don't know where to start.
Guiding folk off a toxic BigTech stack need not be solely online. It can take the form of install parties, monthly meets, community center standups etc.
@JulianOliver
#PostOfTheWeek (season 3):
The recent US invasion of Venezuela and the saber-rattling toward many other countries, including Greenland and Denmark, have given new energy to concern about dependence on the United States and how governments should react. Given that I am Canadian, I’ve been thinking a lot about what this means for my country over the past year, given its close proximity and deep ties to our neighbour to the south.
The ideal here is to provide folk alternatives to BigTech on a trusted & safe home, on well designed & administered community-owned #selfhosted infrastructure.
But to do that we first need to decenter the expertise to deploy, secure & administer server infrastructure - skills near-captive to the gov, mil & corp sectors - & put it in the hands of communities, giving them infrastructural agency.
To this end, ICYMI, here are some intensives that teach you how to do that:
