Mastodawn

arclight Nov 28, 2024

I picked up a nice four probe wireless thermometer today. The big advantage is a long-range base station with an actual display and controls that work without a phone app. I tried to connect their phone app to the actual device and it wanted me to set up an online account.

No.

Let me make this real fucking clear: THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO GOOD REASON THE INTERNAL TRMPERATURE OF THE TURKEY IN MY OVEN NEEDS TO BE SHARED WITH A SERVER OUTSIDE MY HOUSE. NONE FUCKING WHATSOEVER.

"What harm is there if...?"

Wrong answer. This information is not relevant to anyone but me. Not every moment of my life, not every data point around me needs to go beyond my property line. This telemetry does not need to exist and it's taken for granted that it should by people who do not act in my interest.

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arclight Nov 28, 2024

It's not paranoia, it's just basic autonomy and privacy. No, seriously, nobody besides this household's residents need to know the temperature of food in this house. This shouldn't be a controversial stance, much like nobody besides the phone owner has any need to know the geographical coordinates of their phone. Heresy!

If your hardware device doesn't work without an app or the cloud, it's junk, full stop. Full. Fucking. Stop.

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AlgoCompSynth by znmeb 🇺🇦Nov 28, 2024

@arclight Well ... OK ... but you and I and every other cell phone user pays a tax every month to support 9-1-1 service, and part of that is that your phone must track its location and make that available to fire/police/ambulance if you call for help.

The rest of it is surveillance capitalism, yes, and some would like to eliminate the 9-1-1 connection on ideological grounds. But it's there until the law changes.

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AlgoCompSynth by znmeb 🇺🇦Nov 28, 2024

@arclight If I wake up at 5 AM having a heart attack I want the ambulance crew to know where I am.

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Thilo, EE 🤘🏼⚛️ 🇪🇺🎗️🇺🇦🇵🇸Nov 28, 2024

@AlgoCompSynth @arclight Well, counter-point from an EU perspective:
Yes, you could technically be located during an emergency call, but it still is illegal to do so. Thus, it is an opt-in thing based on GDPR.
We also have a specific state-operated app that preemptively activates location services if you call 112 (our 911). Using it counts as you declaring that you want/need to be located.
If you're not able to decide, the first responder will have to make a decision. which, in turn, is covered by our first aid legislation.
I think that's a good system and it's proven to work.

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AlgoCompSynth by znmeb 🇺🇦

@VintageProject Yeah, somehow the EU has managed to rein in the worst parts of surveillance capitalism without, you know, injuring the fragile egos of billionaires, breaking monopolies up into their components, or causing a depression.