In this post I’ll talk about non-free things, I apologize…
Sometimes you are somewhat forced to use non-free software/services just because the majority of your friends do.
Years ago I signed up for a Facebook account. Then I was able to opt out and I don’t miss it, not even a little. Something like 1.5 years ago I bought my first smartphone (yeah, I lived well without it for a loooong time), an android powered one. And just like years before with facebook, I was somewhat “forced” to install Whatsapp (you know, all your friends use it, even if SMS are almost always free it seems like they “stink”, and everyone tells you “Hey! Install whatsapp” or more simply they don’t answer you if they have to use plain old SMSs or even worse, xmpp or email).
Then facebook buys whatsapp. I then tried to opt-out from whatsapp for the less bad telegram (yes, it’s not perfect, but it has, at least, end-to-end encryption for secret chats, the client is open even if the server code is not, etc etc).
In the last days things got worse and worse: first this article that tells that the last version of facebook app has a really creepy and, let’s be serious, useless “function”: it can recognize what song or what tv series episode you are listening to/watching, “just to ease the sharing of the information with your friends” (sic.).
Then whatsapp tells me that if I don’t upgrade it in the next few days, it will stop functioning. Well, let’s go on the play store to upgrade it. You know what? It asks for a new permission:
For the non italian-speaking of you, where it says: “Nuove: Modifica impostazioni audio” it means “New: Change audio settings”.
- Whatsapp is owned by Facebook
- Facebook app recognizes audio around the smartphone, and it needs the permission to do that (and after that? what will be the next step? Voice recognition? Other reasons even more creepy?)
- Whatsapp forces you to upgrade or it will cease to work
- Whatsapp asks for a somewhat related new permission
Well, I decided: I’ll delete my whatsapp account and remove the app from my phone. Enough is enough. What is the price of our privacy? Give it away one little step at a time, for what? For stupid and useless “functions” in our “smart”phones? Thanks, no.