5 big steps to digital freedom (Step 3)

Photo by Piero Nigro on Unsplash

What would happen if you woke up one day and found yourself locked out of your computer because you did not have a Covid19 Vaccine Passport or some other requirement the oligarchs at BigTech think you should have. Maybe they do not like the social media posts you are writing or the people you are communicating with, so the BigTech oligarchs decide society would be better off if you could not use your computer.

Well at the moment most of us use either Apple or Microsoft Windows as the operating system we run on our computers. We are totally at their mercy. In the past we have trusted these companies, but times have changed and many of us do not trust them anymore. Worse we fear what these companies could do tomorrow.

Remember the operating system has control of your:

• computer,
• the software that runs on it,
• the data that is stored on it,
• can turn your camera on and off,
• can turn your microphone on and off, etc.

And we get these automatic updates without really knowing what they are updating or the implications of the changes being made. Apple is talking about scanning our files. Who knows what Microsoft is doing. Somehow we discuss something with our family verbally and we are suddenly served ads about that thing. What is going on?

BigTech believes they can do whatever they like because everybody is locked into them and has no choice. They seemingly collude together and impose their will without consequence.

Sound far fetched?

Think back 10 years.

• Did you really think Facebook and Twitter would censor your posts?
• Did you think they would throw the President of the United States off their platform?
• Did you think Apple and Google would de-platform a social media App like Parler? Both of them making the decision suspiciously close together?
• Did you think Amazon would suddenly evict a thriving business from their cloud and give them virtually no time to transition to an alternative platform?
• Did you think payment providers would stop businesses they don’t like accepting credit card payments?
• Did you think Amazon would remove books they do not agree with from their online bookstore?
• Did you think fund raising platforms would block causes they do not agree with from raising money?

Do you really think the BigTech oligarchs would have any qualms about locking little old you out of your computer?

Alternative A — Stick with Apple and Microsoft Windows

We are all so busy and sometimes it feels easier just to go with the flow, to put up with that nagging fear in the back of your mind.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

Alternative B — Linux — the alternative operating system to Apple and Microsoft

I tried switching to Linux about 10 years ago and it was a total nightmare — difficult to use and lots of problems with not being able to find drivers for my computer, printers, etc.

Well times have changed. Linux has been transformed from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan.

I switched over to Linux Mint (Cinnamon edition which is a lot like Windows) a couple of weeks ago and it has been a wonderful surprise. Yes it took me an afternoon and a bit of head scratching — but it is much easier to use. I think I bumped into the same issues I would have if I switched from Windows to Apple or visa versa, just need to learn how to do a few key things, but once you do — it is sweet.

You think I am crazy, don’t you?

Stay with me.

What if I told you, a guy started a social media group to help ordinary people switch to Linux less then a month ago. And today — less then a month later — that group has 40,000 very active members from all walks of life. Young and old. Tech savvy and the not so savvy.

It’s true. His name is Jeffery Peterson and you can find his group on Telegram at https://t.me/jeffrey_peterson

You want to know what is even more crazy, he set up a chat group on Telegram at https://t.me/jptchat so people could ask for help as they make their change from Microsoft Windows or Apple to Linux. It has 4,000 members asking questions, answering questions, sharing success stories, and just having a good time.

Don’t take my word for it — go check it out yourself.

If nothing else, you will see how angry ordinary people are at the way they are being treated by BigTech. More then angry, they are highly motivated to do what they can to reduce the influence of BigTech in their lives. More importantly, they are taking action, making the change, and succeeding. Seeing their success sure makes you feel good and is motivating in itself.

Changing operating systems is a much bigger commitment then sending a angry tweet or unliking a page on Facebook. These people are serious and are proud of how much they are learning and accomplishing.

This is a snowball. The more people that change the easier it will get, the easier it gets the more people tell their friends, The more friends that tell their friends the bigger the impact it will have.

Do you think BigTech would treat plain folk a little differently if they were scared of losing their business because all of a sudden those plain folk discovered they were not locked into BigTech?

Message to BigTech — once people go through the trouble to switch their operating system to Linux — they are not going back and you will not only loose all the revenue from the operating system, but also all the software that runs on top of it. Think Microsoft Office, etc.

Saving money and the environment by using old computers

Even better, many are loading Linux on older computers that ground to a halt under Windows — saving them money by not having to buy a new computer, saving the environment, helping solve the worldwide microchip shortage, and costing BigTech lost sales from the new computers they would otherwise have had to buy.

If you are ready to fight for your digital freedom, go check out Jeffery’s group and see if switching to Linux is right for you. Help make they snowball a little bigger.

The 5 Big Steps to Digital Freedom

1. Protect your IP Address (it can be used to track you and also link all your computer activity together)
2. Store you email and photos, videos, files at home instead of with Gmail or on Google Drive or One Drive
3. Started using Linux as your preferred operating system helping break the stranglehold of Microsoft and Apple
4. Ditched the iPhone for a degoogled phone
5. Established newsfeeds direct from your trusted sites using RSS Readers. Giving you communication channels independent of Big Tech and Social Media.
6. Extra Bonus Step — Can now charge you cell phone safely, keep spying eyes out of your camera, protect your password and valuable docs, and finally probably never use an anti-virus product again.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Writer and family members do not hold any financial interest in the businesses developing and selling any of the products or services mentioned in this article. Nor are we compensated in any way e.g. commission or affiliate program if you decide to purchase these products or services.

5 big steps to digital freedom (Step 3) (text only — excluding videos and images) © 2021 by Beating Big Tech is licensed under CC BY 4.0