nobody's foolJan 10, 2023
Will Oremus
at this point, signing up for pretty much anything "digital" or "smart" that doesn't have to be digital or smart to perform its basic function is just asking to be surveilled by someone https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxn9vx/researchers-track-reviver-digital-license-plate-gps-location
Researchers Could Track the GPS Location of All of California’s New Digital License Plates

After gaining access to a powerful administrative account, the researchers could perform all sorts of tasks inside Reviver, the sole company that sells the digital plates in California.

Jan 10, 2023 at 3:14pmWeb
Show threadAlaric Aloor🐕🏎⚽️🥃Jan 10, 2023

@willoremus

"smart" with a subscription thrown in.."Innovation" at its very best 🙄

Show threadKeith 🇺🇸🇪🇺🇮🇪🇺🇦Jan 10, 2023

@willoremus

Maybe someday we could have license plate numbers that change on a daily basis to improve our privacy.

Show threadNickJan 10, 2023
@willoremus I may be missing something, but I don't understand the advantages that digital license plates have over physical plates 🤦‍♂️
Show threadEvan AshcroftJan 10, 2023

@willoremus

Our new wifi enabled stove will be delivered today.

The wifi will not be connected.

It's a stove.

Show threadMorbeynJan 10, 2023
@CrashTack @willoremus I have two wifi ovens, a wifi microwave, wifi fridge, three wifi TVs, and a VLAN with no route to the internet because if I don’t connect them to a network THEY ALL BROADCAST THEIR OWN SSIDS AND FUCK UP MY WIFI.
Show threadnonlinearJan 10, 2023

@willoremus they say smart we hear snitch.

Smart means "depends on talking with motherboard constantly" which translates into "bricked if company goes under"

Show threadHollieKJan 13, 2023
@nonlinear @willoremus Exactly. And vulnerable to being hacked; which is not something I need to worry about with the dumb version that I can't find because everything now *has* to be smart.
Show threadnonlinearJan 13, 2023

@HollieK72 @willoremus things are smart for the same reason they are monthly subscriptions: it tells potential investors that they have a captive audience they can profit from.

It's literally rent-seeking.

I have devices that sell themselves as "use our app" and all I think is, "this shit is a brick the minute you'll go under"

It benefits financial class, not us.

Show threadHollieKJan 13, 2023
@nonlinear @willoremus Yes, you're tied in and held to ransom if you try to go elsewhere, even temporarily. Everything benefits the financial class, not us.
Show threadf*cking b*tch clubJan 10, 2023
@willoremus
Why would someone *need* digital plates, except for tracking?
#toocreepyforwords
Show threadwoolieJan 13, 2023
@grammasaurus @willoremus Cars are incredibly dangerous objects that kill and maim tens of thousands of people per year. They should be tracked.
Show threadLGsMomJan 10, 2023
@willoremus We just renovated our house and refused to install any smart features. Then our new stove showed up and you can ONLY use one of the features if you do it digitally.
Show threadRoy Brander🍁Jan 10, 2023

@LGsMom @willoremus
I'm sorry you bought a stove, at all. Our problem with computerized appliances is that the computer is the first thing to break. Perfectly good range, with a computer that refuses to tell the just-fine heating elements to run.

So, we gave up on a "range" at all, and saved about a thousand bucks, have been really enjoying this modular system:
https://brander.ca/dora/20201027.html

Dora's Page

Show thread3nzof3rrari3Jan 10, 2023

@willoremus, watching you trying to avoid surveillance and personal data mining through your pee pee, and having a laugh 👀 ... we were gonna call it the I.C.U.P. but didnt want to blow our cover 👓

https://iuflow.com/

iUFlow Uroflow and iUFlow Bladder Diary app — Urine Flow Test at Home

Bladder Monitoring 👩🏻‍⚕️ Uroflowmetry. iUFlow Uroflow and Bladder Diary app (Android / iOS) for perfect bladder urine flow tracking @home

iUFlow
Show threadNichol BrummerJan 10, 2023
@willoremus the word 'smart' should be reserved for unconnected decentralized gadgets with their own local algorithm running on local data. So no sluicing off data to a server, where central gathering, manipulation and combination is done.
Show threadLonewolfJan 10, 2023
@willoremus check your Google location history
Show threadAZcoigreachJan 10, 2023
@lonewolf @willoremus fuck no. They are spying on me.
Show threadLonewolfJan 10, 2023
@willoremus
I saw this yesterday
Crazy the lengths they went to back then
These days we all basically carry trackers and listening devices
https://youtu.be/kNiATmQkKJY
How The CIA Trained Cats To Spy On Communists

YouTube
Show threadillspiritJan 10, 2023
@willoremus I wish we could go back to a cash society. Convenience won.
Show threadDominic 🇪🇺 🏳️‍🌈 🇺🇦Jan 10, 2023
@willoremus s/someone/everyone/g
Show threadJamie DyerJan 10, 2023

@willoremus

The emails from my toaster make me less alone.

Show threadChrisJan 10, 2023

@willoremus @aral Also, reminder that "digital" or "smart" _by no means_ has to be connected to and locked into some online service vendor.

Devices can perfectly well be smart and digital and still leave you fully in control (and work offline, too!).

Show threadHeatherJan 10, 2023
@willoremus finally, a number plate that can be hacked! Imagine the fun you could have programming it to tell other drivers not to tailgate … or other things
Show threadAdam PanzerJan 10, 2023
@willoremus More surprising is that this shit costs 25 bucks a month!
Show threadCruiserenJan 11, 2023
@willoremus @JakeOrlowitz Let's keep things analogue and also remove the Automatic Licence Plate Scanners mounted at poles and bridges, video surveillance cameras at every corner, wifi/bt device recording devices at centres and sim tracking from telco's just to a few things 😷 #privacy #surveillance #orwell #bigbrother
Show threadMark HurstJan 12, 2023
@willoremus have been saying for years on Techtonic that we shouldn't call anything "smart" - instead we should replace that word with "surveillance." Surveillance license plates, for example...
Show threadHollieKJan 13, 2023
@willoremus Also, how distracting is it going to be when someone inevitably decides that they can put ads in your digital license plate?
Show threadwoolieJan 13, 2023
@willoremus hopefully they can give speeding tickets if they can track location.
Show threadDarwin WoodkaJan 13, 2023
@willoremus yeah, my toaster doesn't need to be smart. Neither does the coffee maker, washing machine, oven, microwave, etc, etc...
Show threadCatherine is not complacentJan 14, 2023
@willoremus as far as cars and appliances go I don’t want or need features that don’t improve performance.
Show threadWndlBMar 16, 2023
@willoremus I don’t think there is such a thing as a new car that ISN’T a professional snitch; the data is too valuable to OEMs.