Privacy
A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.
Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.
In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.
Some Rules
- Posting a link to a website containing tracking isn't great, if contents of the website are behind a paywall maybe copy them into the post
- Don't promote proprietary software
- Try to keep things on topic
- If you have a question, please try searching for previous discussions, maybe it has already been answered
- Reposts are fine, but should have at least a couple of weeks in between so that the post can reach a new audience
- Be nice :)
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[Matrix/Element]Dead
much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)
Go away, batin!
Very much unrelated but I recently read samsung's smart monitor/tv privacy policy and it says they can record EVERYTHING you do on it and devices connected to it including programs or games you use and you can't opt out of this short of foregoing smart features (except screen casting) altogether. There's also an option (that doesn't look optional in their ui) that lets them automatically process that data.
I'd heard those things were ridiculous but didn't imagine this much
"each new connected TV platform user generates around $5 per quarter in data and advertising revenue."
Sounds like a pathetic amount of money for betraying your customers with a shitty ad infested smart tv
Now multiply $5 by 1.75 billion...
But televisions cost hundreds of dollars at least
I don't see your point
The profit they get from the sale of the television should be enough that they don't have to make the television shit to get slightly more profit, why do people even buy these
The profit they get from a tv is a single sale. The way they want to make money nowadays is as passive income, that's why they're pushing all the subscription services everywhere. It's a lot more money for them.
Think of it like this: a $500 tv can earn them $50 profit, but $5/quarter for the same tv means they get double that profit in 2 and a half years. And they'll probably make triple or quadruple that, so they get 4 times as much money for the same tv sale.
Na, I'm still using a TV from 2009.
Recently had to buy a new TV due to a lightning strike (surge protector did nothing) and I never let my new "smart" TV communicate with the internet and it becomes a "dumb" TV and I feel pretty good about that.
The annoying thing is that even without it connected to the internet, it's still slowed down by the OS. I did the same and it's still not as responsive to things like switching inputs as the projector I was using before it.
This is the way to do it. Sadly, my wife really wants to use the Roku remote. I must oblige her.
Pi Hole successfully blocks all that.
Note I have my router redirecting all requests to port 53 (DNS) to the pi hole for those things that don't obey the DHCP DNS. Not sure if Roku is one of those offenders, but I haven't seen a Roku ad in years.
Pfft, speak for yourself 😏I'm too poor to afford a TV.
In all seriousness, I can't afford a TV but wouldn't buy one if I could because the dual monitor setup I have + a mini projector > modern TV nonsense. My projector isn't anything fancy-- just a 720p bulb projector but I'm convinced that 4K, maybe/probably 8K laser projectors will be the endgame for many people, simply because at that point the resolution to screen size ratio for most people will be where the law of diminishing returns really starts to kick in.
In 2024, nearly 60% of Steam users are still using 1080p monitors-- myself included. The shift for the average person from 1080p to 4K is taking considerably longer than the shift from 720p to 1080p. 1080p came out in 2007, 4K came out in 2012. Only a 5 year difference but 1080p remains king for the time being specifically because 4K is too expensive for the average person and harder to justify, particularly for computer monitors.
For TVs, I think there's always going to be the core chunk of people who just mindlessly buy smart TVs without putting any thought into privacy but I really do think that long term, we're going to see a shift towards laser projectors that just accept video inputs from whatever source a person's using, i.e. a Kodi box, PC, etc. Part of why I think this is because laser projection even during daytime is amazing.
I'm rambling away but yeah, I think at a certain point between the ads and the fact that most people don't care that much about 4K over 1080p (especially considering the enormous price difference), people are going to tap out soon.
Sceptre TVs. All dumb, affordable and are great in terms of panel. That's my next brand now that my old LG Nanocell is already showing dead pixels.
https://www.sceptre.com/TV/4K-UHD-TV-category1category73.html
They do sell smart TVs too, but that's not what any of us is looking for.
I just got one of these last week for $150 new. The panel won't be winning any awards for visual quality, nor will the speakers be lauded by audiophiles, but it perfectly serviceable and affordable.
Yeah. At the end of the day, for the price and the privacy, I'm totally willing to add a dumb soundbar to it as well 🤣
The Yamaha Audio SR-C20A seems like a good option.
This isn't a new concept and it's really stupid that Ars is presenting it that way.
If companies didn't know this, then they are already out of business. If the viewers didn't know this.. well.. I can't help you.
You can help them by telling them? Like the most obvious thing? But if that is to big of a leap for you... well.. I can't help you.
"Your TV has become a digital billboard."
It's been a digital billboard for at least 40 years of my life. Radio was no different, so be sure to drink your Ovaltine.
Have you never seen a commercial before? Cheap subsidized hardware? Bloatware loaded on phones? Bloatware on TVs? Games that require 5 mins of ad time? Google's crippling of Chrome to break ad blockers? Unskippable ads on YouTube? Sponsored ad spots in YouTube videos? All the 3rd party logos on Smart TV boxes? Product placements in movies? Ad placements before the movie starts? The list goes on.
The entire entertainment industry is based around advertising. Every delivery platform is designed to show you ads first and entertainment second.
People have problems figuring that out?
Oh I didn't know that. Sorry I was living my life to the fullest sailing the high seas 🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️
There a manufacturer called Spectre that has very good TVs of all sizes, at great prices and no smart features whatsoever.
what the hell guys, it's not even free and i am the product anyway ?!