GNOME is shaping up really nicely for privacy
• Background App indicator
• App permissions
• Device Security Settings
• Mic / Camera* Indicators
• Screen Sharing indicator
• Remote Desktop indicator
• Incrementally better app sandboxing
• VPN (incl Wireguard) support
• Quick Network Toggles
Made possible by #Flatpak #Wayland #PipeWire and our talented community.
#Linux #privacy #WireGuard #VPN
* Available in the upcoming GNOME 45 release
@sonny GNOME first of all needs to kick out Google from its "Advisory Board", if GNOME wants any credibility regarding privacy issues. https://wiki.gnome.org/AdvisoryBoard
Having Google there looks really, really bad. It makes me sick thinking about the kind of "advice" Google can provide.
How does GNOME leadership not see how inappropriate that is?
@eliasr @sonny as a member of the advisory board, I can share: Google hasn’t sent a representative for *years,* and even when they have, I believe it was more in the context of them having their own Gubuntu or whatever that Linux-using Googlers use internally.
I actually wish we had *better* dialog with folks at Google because we frequently hit issues with users who expect Google services to work with GNOME, and it is notoriously hard to actually talk to a human at Google.
@eliasr @sonny so, if Google wants to keep writing a zero-strings-attached check because they use GNOME internally, you are asking us to take away someone’s salary because someone who doesn’t understand how the Advisory Board actually works thinks it takes away 100% of the credibility of a non-profit with decades of exceptional transparency and a record of active privacy protection.
Can you replace that spot on the Advisory Board with one or more organizations that can help fund GNOME?
For Google, it is clearly a good deal: very small amount of money (for Google with hundreds of billions of dollars in yearly revenue, money which they make by their aggressively privacy-invading business) buys Google the appearence of being a friend to privacy and freedom. But Google is in reality a very dangerous company that is very bad for privacy and freedom. You should not be helping Google in that way.
I am asking you/GNOME to take a stand on principle.
2/2
@cassidy look, I appreciate you taking the time to answer me here, and I'm sorry if I have expressed myself too bluntly.
I like GNOME, that is also why I am so sad to see GNOME being associated with Google.
My main point is that when you say you care about privacy, and at the same time your advisor is Google, then there is a strong dissonance there. I think if you ask other people who care about privacy they till agree with me here: Google is not a good partner in that regard.
@eliasr @sonny you conveniently skipped two of the three of the things I mentioned:
>it was more in the context of them having their own Gubuntu or whatever that Linux-using Googlers use internally
>I actually wish we had *better* dialog with folks at Google because we frequently hit issues with users who expect Google services to work with GNOME
Sorry to hear you find that unacceptable.