If you read this two news:
- Hackers are using leaked NSA hacking tools
- GobRAT malware written in Go language targeting Linux routers
As a REAL case and “proof of theory” example to understand what you said:
ME therefore disabled, but having security flaws with ancient cpus and no microcode updates
The end point for me is flashing core/libre boot are more enhance security + privacy because you use BIOS design with less used by majority, so less get impacted by mess vulnerable system from hacker. The impact are mid to low (from the case above), unless you are highly targeted by. For the flaws with microcode updates, is not really easy to break as we think AND if it’s already there by IT team backed from government or hacker gang, still its only happen if we highly targeted only. You can check this video (34C3 - Intel ME: Myths and reality) for deep explanation about Intel ME cleaner on Coreboot.
If yoiu watch Ithaka documentary movie (2021) about Julian Assange father, you can see one moment where Assange’s Wife still using Thinkpad x220 as her daily driver for communication. I think such as Julian Assange, where know more about privacy and security system than us because many top experts around him also, have high change that the laptop possibly installed with Libreboot / Coreboot / Wikileaks own BIOS design imo.
If new high end device like you said, are more secure and private than custom BIOS from old thinkpad, why Julian Assange still using old Thinkpad x220? Of course he can’t because highly targeted by government in the world. But why he choose laptop that so old to use and pron to vulnerable? There’s a reason for him to choose old thinkpad rather than new one I think. Only from this information, I validate that using core/libre boot can enhance security and privacy our digital system based by reality case, deep explanation standpoint, and used by highest end user in privacy and humanity advocator (Julian Assange).
For me, privacy in digital world is pratical of self awareness. You do everything cautiously (means constant effort like you said), aware and take care about all technique and information gathering about us from big corps to not let them run free unconsciously in our mind, have self esteem to control what we can control so we’re not overboarded by information overload, regain ourselves as full human beings with reason “there’s a thing I need to hide” that keep us sanity hygiene, and deep thought about every platform we used + calculate the impact from that.
Everything what we carefully plan will not according to that in digital or real world forever, and that’s how this world works. But as an individual and human beings, we have a choice on what we stand for. The word “Privacy” for me is just a pop culture in digital world after whistleblowers become trend (Julian Assange and Edward Snowden case for example). But essentially, “Privacy” is our human rights and “self defense mechanism” as a total individual to stand for our rights when some group with scale of power using that position only for their own good rather than for the good of masses.
There’s a distinction between “for own good and for the good of masses” that basically return on how we perceives our own needs to not over-have something that only can controlled by self awareness and self control according from life experience and the knowledge we have. By means, regain our privacy is to regain our human rights.