Roku sent me one recently and I decided to try it to see if I could express my displeasure with their enshitification regarding ads. They did have responses to some questions to indicate I wasn't happy with ads, but follow up questions focused on whether the problem was they weren't relevant enough or other things that assume all is fine if they can make the ads "better" for me.

There is no "better". Years back they were my choice independent of services like apple and google. They've since made tweaks to cram in more ads (and yes, recommended shows/apps on my home screen are ads) and are clearly looking to get more in.

I put a comment in "other" explaining there is no level of ads I will be happy with and not being able to disable them, plus their track record of trying to add more, means I will likely not look at Roku when I need a new device. I'm not sure whatever AI summarizes "other" answers for them will capture that.

Forgot to note my initial search turned up:
https://vehicleprivacyreport.c... and
https://www.mozillafoundation....
which has a car section too, https://www.mozillafoundation....

Is there a site that keeps track of which products are tracking what, what is "opted in by default" and how easy it is to opt out of and disable it? I'd like to make sure my money goes to the least shitty option, since we hardly get shit-free options in the US with no data privacy laws / enforcement.

I will continue using Firefox as long as I can use uBlock Origin, NoScript and others. The web is not usable to me without.

It's had some bumps along the road but nothing enough to make me switch to an ad company's offering as my primary.

It ruins everything and pollutes everywhere.

Yes, review here: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/..., particularly the section Use a "Throwaway" Validation Domain.

The parent domain can just set up the acme challenge CNAME for your subdomain and point it at some domain you do control.

I'm in that boat. I've stuck with Synology NASs since a 211j. That one is still running fine for the basic tasks but from drive age and health reports I just started looking into replacements. I have another that will move into the 211j's role when *its* replacement is set up.

I've looked at QNAP, TerraMaster, and other commercial options over the years, as well as setting up FreeNAS/TrueNAS CORE. The reliability, ecosystem (easy SW and apps on devices), security, and the amount of work I'd need to put in had kept me on Synology. I'll need to see if this tips that balance. I was looking at their current models but wondering if they were due for a refresh.

Don't worry, eventually the ad revenue will subsidize a cellular modem in the device so they won't need your help to spy on you.

Lovable should refer them to their law firm, Ligma.

Opt-in, and that preference sticking, is critical. I'm all for Apple taking a different approach from the "if you haven't completely prevented me from getting your data it is mine to use however I want" style generally in use.

I wonder how much of the phone resources/battery life this on device processing will use.

An airline where "bags travel free" is another way of saying if you don't use your luggage allotment you're subsidizing other passengers. The lowest fare option should always be al-a-carte. And Southwest will no doubt continue to include a bag on any premium service.

That's just like, your opinion, man.

I book trips well in advance and am not always sure if I'll need to check a bag. I'll carry on if I can after having lots of lost/delayed luggage experiences. Sometimes I have something that is not allowed in a carry on, and sometimes various sports equipment takes too much room to fit in carry on.

I don't know that I've ever needed both checked bags, yet I still leaned towards Southwest when booking. Subsidizing others, I guess. I'm happy with a base fare including some things I may or may not use for the peace of mind of not worrying about it later. The fee-for-everything-we-can-think-of model adds stress and requires more planning.

It's unfortunate that is what air travel has become. What used to be a fun part of a trip in its own right is now just a hassle to deal with on both ends that you hope does ruin the rest of the trip. And it is why I end up driving most trips that are under ~8 hours in the car.

Best not to rely on Google, they can change their policies and be opaque. I just lost access to my Google Voice number - I've had it for a decade or so. I used it to make internet-based calls internationally, for websites requiring a phone number for SMS verification, to give to restaurants with messaging-based waiting lists, etc.

I stopped being able to send messages and logged in to the website to find my account had been suspended. I filed my appeal and got the auto denial. They said I violated the terms of service, but scanning it I can't see how. I tried my second (and final) appeal and was told I violated some terms they will not tell me and that was that.

So even services they don't outright kill can't be counted on to not be turned off for individuals without explanation or detail.

Lock all of these features behind a paywall! Even to install related components! Internet access for notepad and any other basic app should definitely be a paid feature!

A good rule of thumb is to ignore anything posted with emotion baiting, drama-manufacturing headlines.

I'm sure she had a principled stance she was mum as a monk, and something big and important changed for her to finally break that silence.

Maybe soon she'll "clap back" about something.

Not sure the exact issue, but the setup that was working before upgrade no longer does. I used the built-in Remmina/VNC desktop sharing, tunneled through OpenVPN SSH, as a way to get on and help my mom with issues on her laptop. After moving up to 24.04 that broke. Initial poking around looks like an issue with SSH in the version included with 24.04, but I've not had a ton of time to work on and don't want to rush in and break something since she is hundreds of miles away. I can still SSH to her machine over the VPN so that will have to suffice for now.