Search independently - on a decentralised index, not Big Tech’s leash. No data mining. No bias. No gaslighting.
"Digital sovereignty" is a myth, but digital autonomy isn't.
Full independence from Big Tech? Not possible. The dependencies run too deep: cloud, AI, hardware, software ecosystems.
The real question is: how much freedom to operate do you actually have?
An interesting take on what is possible in the sovereignty v autonomy debate
itbrief.co.uk/story/why-digital-sovereignty-is-a-myth
Sometimes small things seem big. On its face, the administrative review tribunal decision to overrule the privacy commissioner’s finding that Bunnings’ use of intrusive, high-impact AI was unlawful is a technical call. But the impact will be material.
Australia, like many countries, is underprepared for the impact of AI and the capture of personal data. When we read stories like these, it steals our resolve. Privacy is a right, not granted after the fact.
The Super Bowl. Half-time shows (Bad Bunny....) and half-time ads. The cost of an ad this year was estimated to be $8m.
Our good friends https://mastodon.social/@eff picked up on something that should send shivers down the spine of everyone from a seemingly harmless Super Bowl ad by Ring.
Amazon Ring’s Super Bowl ad offered a vision of our streets that should leave every person unsettled about the company’s goals for disintegrating our privacy in public.
Read more here 👇
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/no-one-including-our-furry-friends-will-be-safer-rings-surveillance-nightmare-0
So advertising is coming to ChatGPT. Sam Altman was quoted in 2024 saying "he hates ads," and that combining ads ads wth AI is "uniquely unsettling"
We have been here before with Big Tech, though, patterns repeating themselves - Start off free, make yourself ubiquitous then monetise the data.
The test will sit below responses and "not affect ChatGPT recommendations".....and if you believe that, then....well, you know the saying.
Was this inevitable? Will it impact AI use?
Search changed; it was reshaped around ads, tracking, and incentives you never agreed to. This piece, written by Timpi founder Gareth, breaks down how algorithmic control crept in, why “free” search isn’t free, and what digital freedom actually looks like.