Kyle Rankin @kyle@librem.one

It was a pleasure (as always) to be on @reality2cast. In this episode I talk about why past promises of mobile convergence were disappointing and what real convergence looks like (hint: a Librem 5) and also how I manage my child's digital persona. https://reality2cast.com/38

Due to FB and app developer pressure, Apple changed their mind about mandating apps ask permission before tracking users in iOS 14. That lobbying power should tell you everything you need to know about how much money is made through tracking in iOS apps: #privacy

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/09/facebook-complains-apple-responds-ios-14s-big-privacy-change-gets-postponed/

@ajmartinez So far in my career I haven't found that a computer science degree has any bearing of the quality of software development, systems administration, or security work someone does. I *have* found that people who transfer from other disciplines tend to be better at learning *new* things, which IMO is the more important skill for these fields.

@ajmartinez I am working toward firing Google myself. As I wasn't going to use an Apple product, it had to wait until I could fully switch over to my Librem 5 as a daily driver. It's almost to that point now, but I also sadly use Google Fi as a carrier so I will have to change that as well.

"Google is a popular target for this kind of request because almost everyone uses Google products in one way or another ... Moreover, Google frequently has GPS data that places a user's phone to within a few meters" #privacy https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/09/feds-cant-ask-google-for-every-phone-in-a-100-meter-radius-court-says/

It's so interesting that #privacy concerns over public health apps mean that you must opt-in to be tracked with built-in coronavirus features, but still must opt-out of all of the even more intrusive tracking that already happens on the phone by default: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/01/apple-google-will-build-coronavirus-contact-tracing-software-right-into-your-phone.html

I can't overstate how influential Penny's computer book was on my ideals for computers: portable, always with you, flexible, extensible, easy to reconfigure/reprogram. It's why my first laptop was a Libretto and why my next personal computer will be a Librem 5 w/ a laptop dock.

I mean, come on...

Ok so not as accurate as Back to the Future 2, but close.

Some say that people don't care about #privacy, but Facebook is convinced that enough people won't opt into being tracked that they are removing tracking by unique phone identifier entirely before opt in gets implemented in iOS 14: #powerofdefaults https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/08/ios-14-privacy-settings-will-tank-ad-targeting-business-facebook-warns/

One promise of neural tech is to supplement humans w/ apps that provide instant skills/knowledge. Imagine Apple and an app company get in a dispute, Apple removes the app, and you lose the ability to speak Mandarin/drive/cook/play guitar/write software?

If a computer can read/write directly to your brain, does it change how you feel about vendor control of which software you can use or whether you can see the code? What about subsidizing hardware/software w/ ads or selling data they access through the computer?

Given what you know about the current state of phone technology and Internet #privacy, which tech company would you trust to control your neural implant? https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/26/21402240/neuralink-august-2020-event-brain-machine-interface-working-demonstration

It reminds me of standard NSA denials on spying in a particular way "in this program" because they use a different program to do that.

In essence, Google's privacy policy allowed Google app A to grab location data from Google app B, even if you disabled location services from A but not B.