I have Tails on a USB for temporary use , I don’t think it’s supposed to be used as a full time OS with persistent storage though.

Yep, software dev here for a static marketing site for a product. We are in a constant battle with PMs and SEO who want Google tracking, Facebook, TikTok, A/B testing, cursor tracking, etc. We’re trying to keep page-speeds fast while loading megabytes of external JS code…

Luckily all that can be blocked by the end user without affecting the site though, all you’d lose is some carousels and accordions etc that are done with a few lines of code.

Yeah don’t worry I have no social media accounts other than Lemmy

I did try to install Qubes recently for this purpose but it’s not well supported on my laptop hardware.

My bank only has an app, no website option, but luckily it works just fine on GrapheneOS with no Google Play. I barely use it anyway as I pay cash everywhere possible

I don’t entirely agree with this: I know there are no ANPR cameras within my town for example. There’s a speed camera that only takes photos if you’re speeding, but ANPR cameras are limited to motorways and trunk roads, I can move around my town and the surrounding ones without clocking ANPR. Of course I’m still on regular CCTV and cell towers triangulate my phone, but that requires authorities actively looking into me which I doubt they are.

I tend to use an eBike where possible but again the phone triangulates if I have it on me, and it wouldn’t be too hard to follow on cctv if you really wanted to. Everyone and their mother has a doorbell camera now

My ebike comes with a GPS tracking app to locate it. Luckily it’s optional but it’s already begun

Another awful “innovation”. The screen in my 2016 van just does maps, music, and radio. I can swap it out no issue if I want (but I don’t want android auto so I don’t). The climate controls are still physical knobs thank god.

Holding onto my 2016 van with zero telemetry for as long as possible.

Probably vaguely similar from when I’ve visited

Tesco now even has stores in the UK where you scan your loyalty card on the way in, pick up items off shelves, and walk out and it charges you accurately. The amount of cameras and sensors on the ceiling was uncanny. So not only do they have your purchasing profile but they now know what you look like, your gait, and any other identifying information they use to make that work

(OK it might be just lads in the Philippines following you on CCTV like Amazon did but still)

As an aside, this is why I recently degoogled, having been all in on Google products for 10 years. 10 years ago you got amazing value for your data from Google but now every single useful product has been enshittified or shut down and they collect more data than ever. The sums just don’t add up any more.

Indeed. Its very uncommon to get flat cashback options in the UK for this reason. I think I had AmEx that gave me 1% for a year and nothing after that.

This is one thing the UK is really good for, all bank owned ATMs and most public ones are completely free to use for any cardholder of any bank. My bank doesn’t even have physical branches but I can still use the ATM of any bank lobby for free. There are some paid ones run by private companies but the fee is usually a flat £1-2 max. I’ve been to ATMs in Europe that have tried to charge me something like 10EUR to take out 30.

It’s a private contract between the business and the customer, you are supposed to ensure you have means to pay beforehand.

Interesting, we have £50 notes in the UK but they essentially don’t exist for most people. No cash machines will give you one, and shopkeepers mistrust them, although generally accept. 20s are the highest people deal with here usually.

That’s actually illegal in the UK, to charge a fee for card use. Just means everyone pays more in increased prices, although most people in the UK use card for everything so for the population as a whole its probably a money saver, if not a privacy saving policy.

This decision was helped by moving to GrapheneOS and losing Google Pay, definitely. (And Degoogling for other reasons at the same time). If I have to carry a card I may as well carry cash, a few folded notes are the same footprint as a card and as I mentioned, I try not to break notes if I don’t have to, so I’m not carrying change often.

Anyone in a 14 eyes country is essentially impossible to achieve zero footprint, but assuming they’re not actively looking into your network packets or searching for you on CCTV its feasible to have a relatively low footprint. I’m essentially trying to eliminate as far as practical, any data points I’m just giving away for free for no reason, especially to corporations and advertisers.

Least edgy libertarian. Hope you don’t like driving on roads or using the internet fibres

No, same in the UK. How could you force them to take cash if they don’t want to?

I’m interested in this, I did buy a small amount but struggling to spend it anywhere? Even when I bought a Trezor hardware wallet I had to use LTC… I know I can pay for Mullvad with it when my subscription expires in two years lol

I also can’t find any no-KYC place to buy it now LocalMonero is closed.

They use mobile data over here so it can be very slow in spotty areas, but most populated areas in the UK have full 4G/5G.

Yeah I always use throwaway cards from my bank online, game changer. Even if just free trials so they can’t charge me if I accidentally don’t cancel

Plenty of cash only businesses in the UK that engage in this, although of course just because a business is cash only, doesn’t mean they’re a tax dodge.

IMO the two things are separate: it should be the tax office that does audits to catch this. It’s not very hard to see a vape shop that makes £500 a month with two top model BMWs outside might be dodgy.

I’m finding supermarkets locking their regular prices behind an app or loyalty card is getting out of control. Out of all the major supermarkets, ONLY Aldi has nothing of the sort currently.

Tesco and Sainsbury’s will often have a £3 item that costs £6 without their loyalty card. Of course it’s £3 in every other shop: it’s not a special offer for members, it’s a punishment price for those who don’t give away their data.

Yes, even the buses and vending machines and car park meters and public toilets have tap to pay. It is certainly very convenient but I think it does encourage spending more, and of course it means literally everything you do is tracked. Luckily I’ve found that most places still do accept cash but there are definitely a few who don’t.

Its trivial to run Invidious through a VPN via Gluetun if you use Docker.

When I’m on Invidious, all my requests come from one of Proton’s IP addresses, amongst everyone else using YouTube on that Proton server. I’m not logged into YouTube and Google cannot load their ads, trackers and other spyware in my browser.

All they have to go on is the Proton IP, searches, and watched videos

Invidious will show you related videos to the one you’re watching but not the suggested tab of YouTube. I see it as a good thing though, I really don’t need another black box algorithm controlling me.

I really want to buy a Fairphone but even the new one would be a downgrade from my P7Pro at a high price.

Hoping they can make the next one a bit more competitive with current flagships.

GrapheneOS is the most secure mobile OS except things like Ubuntu Touch, or using throwaway phones etc which obviously don’t support the apps you need to exist in society these days.

As far as I know it can’t be done.

Look at the watches on here: https://gadgetbridge.org/gadgets/

I have Amazfit Balance and it works very well, all the data is locally synced to my phone, none of it goes to Google or China.