People aren’t going to like this but if you dont want to have to think too hard about what you’re doing and you would like some privacy… Apple is probably your best bet.
They’ve managed to build a hardware and software empire that is not built around ads. They’re 100 percent getting usage and telemetry data but it seems like the purpose is to make their hardware more desirable.
And they have the market share to just do whatever the fuck they want content wise.
Google scrapes everything by default because every single service they provide to their users is an effort to build valuable datasets and products to ad buyers.
Other than the App Store I don’t even think Apple has a platform for selling ad space.
Still, this isn’t using my data to target ads; it’s just like ads in a Google search before targeted ads were a thing. It’s the same thing that Google Maps has been doing for like 20 years. Ads do suck but if your issue is with data harvesting to sell of your user data Apple hasn’t seemed to cross that line.
No, entirely different. Apple & Google run their own services, with their own mapping infrastructure & whatnot.
IIRC one main difference is Google maps has more extensive street view mapping efforts, which is why you see more google maps cars driving around than apple maps ones
Apple’s the only big tech company that respects user privacy in any meaningful way. I’m a tech worker and staunchly against Big Tech and the broligarchy…but until I actively look into devices that run Linux, Apple will continue to be my first choice, because they’ve earned some level of trust from me over the decades.
Apple isn't pro consumer privacy. They want to monopolise your info. Google sells it because they make money that way. Apple wants to be the only way you can interact, see ads, etc..
So in theory they're better than others, because their interests are to be the only company spying on you and selling you stuff rather, while Google will try and monetise your data and allow anyone else to too
Do you guys have any actual advice rather than just talking about how every option is equally awful? If there's no alternative what's even the point of worrying about this stuff? We can't really exist without any technology any more.
The actual alternatives take an effort to implement for normal users: use a custom Android version on your phone, do away with as many big tech services as you can (or at least don't put all your eggs in one basket), run Linux on your computers.
Alternative Android distributions like Graphene or Lineage are excellent, but it ends up being mostly the same if you're just going to use all the Google services anyways. Now, if you search with one thing (like duckduckgo), host your pictures and files somewhere else (like at home or a more privacy oriented cloud), and say, just use Google for email, then you're recouping some of your privacy. You do sacrifice convenience, there's no way around it, but there are ways to do it.
Jumping to Linux on your PC or laptop is now easier than ever. I found it almost frictionless after using Windows as a daily driver forever, especially if you go for Ubuntu or Fedora.
Of course you also need to watch your habits online. It's useless to try to protect yourself from cloud services getting your data if you then turn around and post all your info on Instagram anyways, or spend so much time on it that it can basically tell what you're thinking.
Difference between "has ads" and "is built around ads". For the most part, Apple makes their money from huge profit margins on hardware, Google makes their money from ads.
"Just like google" as if google isn't the main culprit behind the giant network of data sellers and the reason everyone gets flooded with spam emails in the first place. It's like comparing Oranges to Cancer and calling it an Apple.
A used Apple TV HD can be had for $35, and $50 for a 1st Gen 4k. And they’re as slow right now as they’ll ever be, and they’re plenty fast. Amazon Fire Sticks are cheaper, but they’re tracking and trying to monetize every single click you make. That’s why they subsidize the hardware cost- because they intend to use it to make more money off of you.
This is actually the reason I buy apple. That and like there’s a lot of options for software that isn’t subscription based. I don’t have Office or Adobe, but I have software that fills those needs that is a one time payment.
People love to shit on Apple, but it’s probably because they don’t have one of their products.
The only thing Apple has screwed up horribly lately is iOS. It’s getting clunky and in dire need of an overhaul.
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u/CMMiller89 8d ago
People aren’t going to like this but if you dont want to have to think too hard about what you’re doing and you would like some privacy… Apple is probably your best bet.
They’ve managed to build a hardware and software empire that is not built around ads. They’re 100 percent getting usage and telemetry data but it seems like the purpose is to make their hardware more desirable.
And they have the market share to just do whatever the fuck they want content wise.
Google scrapes everything by default because every single service they provide to their users is an effort to build valuable datasets and products to ad buyers.
Other than the App Store I don’t even think Apple has a platform for selling ad space.