Black belt in Mikado, Photo model, for the photos where they put under ‘BEFORE’
It is a big difference to confuse the lack of privacy when an gov can access userdata in the case of an court order with the lack of privacy when private companies can spread and sell userdata. The difference is the right of the user to access and delete his data, which exists by law in the EU, but not in the USA. The EU is far from perfect, but lightyears better in questions of privacy
Microsoft US
Microsoft EU
If a soft or service is trustworth or not, only depends on the author and the community behind. Nothing worse and dangerous than a software unattended or abandoned by the author, more so if it is OpenSource, where it is easier than in closed source that an asshole add or modify some lines as a little gift,when there is nobody to control it. FOSS is great in new projects, because allow to an coope developement and the access of needed resources, but it isn’t necessarly sinonym of privacy and security, most APIs included in a huge amount of soft are OpenSourcemade by big companies, like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon and others and not precisely because privacy. Adding also a huge amount of FOSS made by these companies. The normal user only can relay on the TOS and PP, or audit the product with Blacklight, WebbKoll, DomainDigger and similar.
The first and best measures are not only privacy apps, but a good security education, explaining well the risks and a correct use of the mobile. The biggest segurity hole is ignorance. You can’t avoid with apps the missuse of the Phone by an teen with nonsense in the head. Establishing a strict Kiosk mode on the mobile is not the right way. A localisation app is of course a good idea, also InviZible Pro with permanent enabled DNScrypt is a good protection
The first I remember is Odysee, Vimeo es often used by the Vivaldi blog.
Every OS nowadays need a good DNS server and better DNScrypt above. An app to control the traffic, like Portmaster or Pi-Hole is also recommended, irrelevant in which OS. Most activity of everyone is online and there is important to protect the privacy, because there is the biggest privacy hole, not in the OS but PEBCAC
I use PC before MS DOS times and I also used several Linux distros in the past, last Kubuntu and Mint, always in dual boot. But I never saw big advantages above a gutted Windows, but problems with a lot of apps which I needed. Currently I’m on a heavy cleaned W11 which works fast, stable and exactly how I want 100%, why because of this I have to change it, installing another OS? There are no practical reasons for it.
That is the point, but Linux, as said above isn’t for everyone an option.
Comments in the web:
**Linux faces several key challenges that limit its broader adoption and effectiveness: **
Software Compatibility Major commercial applications like Adobe Creative Suite and industry-standard business software often don’t run natively on Linux[1]. While alternatives exist, they frequently lack feature parity or full compatibility with industry file formats.
Hardware Support Complexity Device drivers and hardware compatibility remain inconsistent. According to ZDNET, even basic tasks like printer setup can require manual configuration[2]. Multiple competing package formats (deb, rpm, flatpak, snap) create confusion for software installation[3].
Fragmented Development Focus The Linux ecosystem suffers from too many competing distributions and desktop environments. As MIT researcher Jonathan Birge notes, “It’s downright laughable that an OS with single digit market share would further dilute its market share by having two competing desktops”[4].
Learning Curve Despite improvements in user-friendly distributions like Ubuntu, Linux still requires more technical knowledge than Windows or macOS for many tasks[1:1]. The command line remains necessary for certain operations, intimidating new users.
*(With this point I am not in total agreement, Windows with its plug & play and intuitive UI only SEEMS more simple, but to remove the bad habits, bloatware, telemetrias and other crap, are required a more advanced user to get it, entering quickly into Comanche territory. I think that Windows need a more advanced user as modern Linux distros) * 5. Support Structure Unlike commercial operating systems, Linux lacks centralized support. Users must rely on community forums and documentation that can be overwhelming for beginners[3:1]. Enterprise-level support often requires expensive consulting contracts.
Summary: the best OS is allways the one which best fits the individual needs, a perfect OS for everyone don’t exist. Every OS has its drawbacks, certainly Windows the most, but at least it’s possible to fix.
Yes, dual boot is an option, but for certain things user need to use Windows. But you can make Windows a valid, fast and private OS, not so easy but possible. Telemetries re a minor problem and easy to avoid not needed. My W11 instalation has less than 1 GB and there is nothing working in the background which I don’t want. Certainly I don’t use any of the default Windows apps, nor the infame powersHell. Only the Defender and security updates.
InviZible Pro is a good option. Download from F-Droid
How do you want to read this Brick above without bleeding eyes?
Andi Summary:
How to Upgrade to Windows 11 While Maintaining Privacy and Control
Before You Start
Most Efficient Method
Privacy-Focused Settings
Maintain Control
Recovery Options
Sources:
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I’ll add also WindHawk, which is imperative in W11
Vivaldi is an employee owned cooperative
The problem is privacythis don’t change if the AI uses sources from big bompany - Google GPTs. I tested several free AIs from Hugging face, Futurepedia and Futuretools, and since over two years I use Andi as main search, I didn’t find anything better. It use an own LLM, because Andi was the first AI search ever, former LazyWeb, long before the others released AI searches.
Yes, you can use an locally hosted LLM, but these never can be so powerfull as an AI with a lot of servers supporting. We have to difference it, between mere Chatbots, relying on its own database, often outdated and with the tendece to invent answers, and AI supported search engines, like Andi, You, DDG AI and others, which retrieve informations in realtime from the Web. But there is important that these are capable to difference trustworth sources from those which are not. Andi does a very good job here, because compare informations from several sites for the answer.
Use Andisearch, there are zero privacy concerns and it’s apart the most accurate (independent Benchmark)
But it’s always better to seem less suspicious possible
Wearing an red MAGA hat
Andisearch admitts, among other commands, also !bangs
Andi is 100% free and anonymous, no logs, no ads, no tracking, random proxie, sandboxed results.
Yes, this was the the sense of FOSS in origen, buy not since big US companies, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, META, etc., appropriated FOSS, offering most of their products, even implementing their FOSS APIs in others (see Mozilla). Google with its Google Code and Experiments, Microsoft in Github…this is dominance and FOSS gives them a cheap method in achieving it. I speak of independence of the US market, outside its influences, especially these globalplayers. This is why it is necessary to promote EU products, preferable FOSS, yes, but even if not, it is way better in privacy and user rights, by law, non existent in US products. I am already bored of seeing in FOSS, which requires an account, the poster “Log in with Google”. The time of My little Pony under the FOSS rainbow has gone since time, now it is Google and the US which control 80% of the web and with this hegemony it is urgent to end.
It’s good to name OpenSource alternatives, but currently it’s more important to push generally EU products and services. The EU need to get independent as much as possible from the US IT hegemony. There are published several webs with EU alternatives, eg. this one from Portugal
Yes, in an dictatorship where the gov have always access to your data and activity, but in the EU they need for it an court order to access the data from an individual. Meanwhile US companies like Google, are even reading your mail.