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by jkl32 4699 days ago
Anyone still using Google services since the NSA revelations is an idiot. I'd like to see them bankrupt after their betrayal of their do-no-evil and open source roots.
3 comments

What open source roots? Their core software was always proprietary; if anything, with Android and Chromium, they're more open source than ever.

And frankly, I don't see great changes in the "don't be evil" policy either. When has Google been a great champion of users' privacy? Targeted advertising has always been their business model.

Frankly, the only thing I see is people's rose-colored glasses about the early Google.

I still use google services.

I'm conscious of what happens, much before the NSA revelations this year.

I use 8.8.8.8 for DNS on some networks (for external resolution and for nagios) knowing perfectly that each request is registered and extrapolated.

I use an apple macbook air for some tasks, even if I know I've no control over many privacy issues in such machine.

On the other side, I've had offline networks for some data I didn't want never go out of my firewall. The only conection of such networks, was a 2TB USB disk, to update the mirrors of the software that such networks did need.

When I want to make something online not related to myself, I start from the beginning: using hardware not related to me or my credit card, and using an internet connection not related to me or my bank account.

I trust certain things, don't care about certain things, and care about others (i.e. my webcams and micros are always with duck tape, since invented, bluetooth? disabled, 3D in the browser? disabled, external fonts in the browser? disabled, etc).

Should I wear an "I'm an idiot" t-shirt ?

Yes. It's worse that you don't even have ignorance as an excuse.
I don't seek any excuse.

I don't like cars, but I need to use one. I don't like the effects of our civilization in the nature, but at the end I'm part of it to cover my basic needs. And the same happens with internet and widely known services.

I don't approve unconstitutional surveillance, but I, from Europe, can't change such _facts_

You may think I'm an idiot because I don't have ignorance as an excuse for use certain services. I may think I'm not, because I don't need the media and news to know what is going really.

You may feel superior just by calling people idiot. I respect your though level, it's your life.

We think in different ways.

>>Anyone still using Google services since the NSA revelations is an idiot

Care to name a good alternative then? And a good way to notify hundreds of people and companies to change my address to a new one,and convince dozens of friends to stop using hangouts and use X instead?

Sure, no problem.

Gmail: Self-hosted qmail or exim

Google Maps: OpenStreetMap

Hangouts: Jitsi

Android: Firefox OS

Search: Startpage

Chrome: Firefox

Google Drive: ownCloud

> Gmail: Self-hosted qmail or exim

Suggesting people use a self-hosted email server in place of gmail is trolling on the level of "Install Gentoo".

Sorry, I thought this was _hacker_ news. Setting up self-hosted email is utterly trivial.
You said "Anyone still using Google services". I took that to mean that anyone should self-host email.