RE: https://social.vivaldi.net/@Vivaldi/116212671551431361

Here is the hard truth — this will happen.

Why?

It’s state-sponsored. The United States government wants this to happen, and Google is more than happy to go along with it because it benefits them too.

I love that Vivaldi and others have signed a letter. I love that people have even created petitions against this. But we’re not the ones who will decide this future.

#Google #Government #UnitedStates #StateSponsored

China.Gamer.Guy 神州电玩游士 boosted

Vivaldi Browser » 🌐 2026-03-11 / 2026-03-11
@Vivaldi@social.vivaldi.net

Big Tech is at it again.

Some of you might have seen this already. Google has announced a new policy for Android app developers, which would require them to seek Google’s permission if they want to distribute their apps outside of the Google Play Store (on their own website or on alternative app stores). This would entail:

1) agreeing to their terms and conditions
2) paying a fee
3) uploading a government ID

Which is wrong on so many levels. Nobody should be forced to register with Google if they don’t want to use their services.

In doing so they would be extending their gatekeeping (tentacles) into distribution channels where they’re just not a legitimate authority.

At Vivaldi, we believe you have the right to run whatever software you want on a device you own. That’s why we’ve co-signed this open letter, together with other 53 organisations, requesting Google to back off on the proposed policy before it enters into force.

(Plus, they have have a pretty cool logo 😄)

https://keepandroidopen.org/open-letter/

On March 20 2020, as Boris Johnson scrambled to close down pubs, gyms and theatres, Matt Hancock took a snapshot of all our health data. The NHS# COVID-19 Data Store was created to help politicians and health professionals struggling to contain the outbreak.

Working with #Microsoft, #Amazon, #Google & #Palantir Hancock used emergency powers to ride roughshod over legal protections on sharing our data

https://goodlawproject.org/duncan-mccann-streeting-has-betrayed-us-on-health-records/?utm_medium=mastodon_fediverse

#privacy #HealthCare #DemocracyNOW #corruption #greed #England

[2/2]

Zweiter Teil der kritischen Textreihe zu #KI von Capulcu

Die Goldgräber der künstlichen Intelligenz
"Spätestens mit der Veröffentlichung von ChatGPT hat KI den #Mainstream erreicht und genießt die volle Aufmerksamkeit der Medien. Die Leistung dieser Software scheint eine Schwelle überschritten zu haben. KI wird jetzt nicht mehr als belächelnswerter netter Versuch wahrgenommen oder als beachtenswerte Leistung in einer nerdigen kleinen Nische, sondern ist in ihre Gegenteil gekippt; eine Technologie, die auf dem besten Wege sei, die Menschheit in Sachen Intelligenz zu überflügeln. Das geht soweit, dass ein an der Entwicklung beteiligter Ingenieur bei Google nicht von der Behauptung abzubringen war, dass “seine” KI ein Bewusstsein entwickelt hat. #Google war das augenscheinlich so unangenehm, dass die Kündigung folgte.
#ChatGPT als textgenerierende KI und andere bildgenerierende KIs (z.B. Midjourney) sind Schaufensterprodukte der Branche. Ohne sie hätte die teils enthusiastische, teils beunruhigte Reaktion der Öffentlichkeit auf KI nicht stattgefunden. AlphaGo, eine KI, die den amtierenden Weltmeister im Spiel Go wiederholt geschlagen hat, hatte dazu noch nicht ausgereicht. Die apokalyptischen Warnungen aus der KI-Szene greifen genau diese Stimmung auf."

https://capulcu.blackblogs.org/2023/10/20/die-goldgraeber-der-kuenstlichen-intelligenz/

Office.eu launches as 100% European-owned alternative to Microsoft 365/Google Workspace, built on Nextcloud/Collabora with EU-only data centers. 🧩

Aims for digital sovereignty amid Big Tech data scandals and US CLOUD Act risks, offering docs, email, calendars, and video on open-source stack. 🛡️

🔗 https://www.siliconrepublic.com/enterprise/office-eu-and-the-want-for-a-digitally-sovereign-europe

#TechNews #OpenSource #Privacy #Security #Government #Europe #EU #IT #Microsoft #Office #Tech #Cloud #FOSS #Linux #OfficeEU #DigitalSovereignty #Nextcloud #US #Google #BigTech

@catsalad

Only reason SEO is shit because #Google kept moving goalposts and hiding them 😢

Up to 30% of traffic is now #Ai *)

The good news is most of the things for AI work for SEO still.

---
*) Allegedly

Really pleased that quite a few people seem to be interested in extracting their data out of the Big Tech ecosystems and bringing it back under local control. The tools for both extracting data and actually *working* with it locally are getting better and better.

Today's discovery:
https://www.msgvault.io/introduction/

#email #gmail #google #selfhosted

Motorola partners with GrapheneOS at MWC 2026 to bring the de-Googled, privacy-hardened OS to future phones beyond Pixel exclusivity. 🔒

Ends Google's hardware monopoly for serious privacy users, with joint work on security features and pre-installed GrapheneOS devices expected 2027. 📱

@GrapheneOS

🔗 https://itsfoss.com/news/motorola-grapheneos-team-up/

#TechNews #Privacy #GrapheneOS #Motorola #Android #Google #DeGoogle #Security #OpenSource #Smartphones #Pixel #MWC #Linux #FOSS #Data #Freedom #Mobile #Security

@nextcloud_main

Gotta say, it feels great being able to promote @nextcloud@mastodon.xyz 's posts at long last now that they're POSTING THEIR VIDEOS ON PEERTUBE!!! (On their own instance no less!)

I've yelled at them for... a long time, so now it's time to give credit where it's earned. It's great to see y'all living up to the values of privacy, data control and decentralization with your videos.

Way to go Nextcloud! 👏 👍

PS If you haven't subscribed to Nextcloud's peertube channel yet, show them the effort was worth it and FOLLOW THEM NOW! It's at @nextcloud@peertube.nextcloud.com (you can follow from Masto or any Fedi client, too)

#NHextcloud #Privacy #Decentralization #Google #Youtube #Alphabet

When I see art, I wonder what the artist was experiencing. What were the struggles and influences? With "AI art," the only question is "Was the model hallucinating?"

There is nothing else to ask because there is no struggle, no experience, and no intent. The artist's life is what makes a piece art, not just the pixels. With AI, you aren’t looking at art, you’re looking at a processed product.

#NoAI #Art #ChatGPT #Gemini #OpenAI #Google

Is anyone else sick of living in a reality which is nothing but all the #dystopian #fiction from 50 years ago?

We have #JamesBond villains ( #Musk )

We have #InvasionoftheBodySnatchers zombification ( #MAGA )

Etc, etc.

And now we have #Wargames:

" #AI s can’t stop recommending #nuclear strikes in #war game #simulations

Leading AIs from #OpenAI, #Anthropic and #Google opted to use #nuclearweapons in simulated war games in 95 per cent of cases"

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2516885-ais-cant-stop-recommending-nuclear-strikes-in-war-game-simulations/

KDE supports the "Keep Android Open" campaign

#Google will cut off independent developers to #Android if they do not register with Google first. This will kill independent platforms like @fdroidorg and severely impede FLOSS devs from creating apps for Android.

https://keepandroidopen.org/

Many KDE apps are deployed for Android: KDE Connect, Itinerary, Tokodon, and there's even a test version of Krita for Android.

KDE calls on Google to reverse course and @keepandroidopen.

https://keepandroidopen.org/open-letter/

Alt...

The logo of the "Keep Android Open" campaign is an Android robot dressed as Darth Vader. Across the top it says "I AM ALTERING THE DEAL" in all caps, and below the robot it says "Pray I don't alter it further". This is a reference to how Android acquired a massive catalog of apps be making access open to the platform back in the day, and Google assuring it would remain open, as opposed to the iOS platform which was (and still is) very restricted. And, of course, Star Wars.

#Google Wants to Control Your Device

https://blog.jmp.chat/b/2026-google-wants-to-control-your-device

#Sideloading #FOSS #Android

#AI can’t stop recommending nuclear strikes in #wargame simulations
Leading AIs from #OpenAI, #Anthropic and #Google opted to use #nuclearweapons in simulated war games in 95% of cases
The scenarios involved intense international standoffs, including border disputes, competition for scarce resources and existential threats to regime survival.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2516885-ais-cant-stop-recommending-nuclear-strikes-in-war-game-simulations/

What could go wrong?

How US Big Tech is doing in our 🇬🇧 house:

#Google ➡️ Proton 🇨🇭

Google Maps ➡️ #CoMaps 🇺🇳

#Chrome / #Edge ➡️ #Vivaldi 🇳🇴

Stock #Android ➡️ #GrapheneOS 🇨🇦

#Windows ➡️ #LinuxMint 🇺🇳

#WhatsApp ➡️ #Signal 🇺🇸 (Non-Profit)

#Facebook / #Twitter / #Discord ➡️ #Mastodon Green 🇩🇪

#Amazon ➡️ Currys / John Lewis / HMV / Qobuz / Waterstones / local shops 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

#eBay ➡️ Vinted 🇱🇹

It can be done people! Slowly but surely...

#LeaveBigTech #US #BigTech

Best phone review. Under a minute!

They should all be like this. Same phone as last year, no reason to waste your viewers time.

#android #google #pixel

https://youtu.be/DhjOgzBxu1w

Contactless Payments with GrapheneOS

Google's monopolistic stranglehold on Android results in poor experience for power-users, and artificially restricts choice for those who have older phones. For example, Google Wallet is the de facto way to use NFC payments on Android. There's one problem though - it only works with Google's Android. If you have the temerity to install a 3rd party Android OS - like the hyper-secure GrapheneOS - you'll be locked out of it.

First of all, Google is lying. It does meet security standards and it is not rooted. I get that I have no right to run someone else's software in an environment they don't like, but this is just misinformation. 3rd party OSes are often more secure that a stock OS which has been left to rot by an unresponsive manufacturer.

Anyway, here's how you can use contactless payments on Graphene.

Prerequisites

I'm going to tell you what I did. If you found another way, leave a comment or write your own blog post.

I'm using the latest version of Graphene (2025062000) with Play Services installed. The app is running in my main profile. None of the advanced app protection has been toggled for the app. NFC is on.

You will have to agree to Curve's privacy policy. And the privacy policy of your credit card. Look, if you're using Graphene, you're probably overly privacy sensitive. If you're concerned about The Man™ knowing that you used your card to buy a breakfast beer and then sharing that with 958 trusted partners, just use cash instead.

Install Curve

Here's a referral link to install Curve - join and you get £10. Or, you can install directly from the Play Store.

You'll need to create an account and pass KYC / AML checks. Curve are regulated by the FCA so you should feel safe giving your details to them.

Add a card

Curve is a virtual card provider. So add your existing Visa or MasterCard to the app (no Amex). When you spend on Curve, you're actually spending on the underlying card you've added. Curve promise cheaper foreign exchange fees and a few other perks. But what we're really interested in is NFC payments.

Set up Curve Pay

On your app's dashboard, you should see a banner saying "Curve Pay is good to go!". If not, head into your account and set it up there.

If it has all set up, you should see a welcome tutorial explaining how contactless works.

Set your default wallet

On your phone, go to Settings → Connected devices → Connection Preferences → NFC → Contactless Payments.

Or, search your settings for Pay.

Select your default wallet app - in this case, Curve.

Pay for something

You need to make sure NFC is turned on before you can use NFC payments. I know that sounds obvious, but I forgot to do it the first time and got very confused.

Go to a local shop, pick up something, hand it to the merchant, wave your phone over the payment terminal like you are a technowizard from the future.

Enjoy eating whatever you paid for!

That's it!

Once you're done, you can turn of NFC if you're paranoid.

Apparently, Curve also works with Garmin Smart Watches - but I don't have one to test out.

If you've found this blog post useful, I'd be grateful if you signed up with my referral link for Curve.

What codebase is the Vivaldi browser based upon?

#LLM #generated #Slop #AI #Mozilla #Firefox #OpenSource #configuration #technology #programming #Google #Alphabet

@keydelk @rl_dane

Thunderbird next?

Based upon the track record of Mozilla it's just a question of time before the programmers find a way of integrating large language model slop into the beautiful and elegant Thunderbird

Look closely; every time Mozilla is begging for money when you start up Thunderbird after 2 or 3 days of not having used it. It's annoying I haven't looked for a way to turn it off I stopped being annoyed about it after having faced it for sixteen times

This happens cross platform which means it is baked and hard coded into Thunderbird

@Cosmosis @rl_dane

#LLM #generated #Slop #AI #Mozilla #Firefox #OpenSource #configuration #technology #programming #Google #Alphabet

Up to now, with all LLM things that Mozilla has done, you can just turn them off. I just shrug and turn them off

How is it in this case?

Can you turn this feature off, if so where?

You do realize that because Google literally funds Mozilla, they will keep doing these bad things, opting in users without permission
Maybe you should not use anything that the Mozilla makes anymore, otherwise you will just be annoyed and disappointed Time after Time. The Mozilla team is literally choked by Google, financially choked.

Wishing for their destruction is deeply emotional

These annoyances disappointments & irritations are not good for your health, my internet friend.

IMHO you should leave all Mozilla products behind, then be in Peace again.

Sending you
🦋💙❤️💋 #UniversalLove 💙💕🌹💐💙🦋

@rl_dane

#LLM #generated #Slop #AI #advertisment #Mozilla #Firefox #OpenSource #configuration #technology #programming #Google #Alphabet

I don't think #Google ever recovered from the botched launch of Wave.

As Mark Zuckerberg prepares to testify in a landmark social media trial, here’s a deep dive into how these platforms keep you clicking, the potential harms to children, and how a ruling could reshape how social media companies operate around the world.

https://flip.it/tvj3_j

#Technology #SocialMedia #MarkZuckerberg #Google

If I know someone here who works at #Google or can tell me a working way to report phishing mails sent via Google services, please send me a DM with how to send full headers and content of such phishing mails to Google so they can take appropriate action. It seems the phishers have found a reliable way to send these mails without Google noticing and the numbers are rising steadily. Please no replies of how Google is bad etc. I just want to get this solved.

Attackers prompted Gemini over 100,000 times while trying to clone it, Google says
Distillation technique lets copycats mimic Gemini at a fraction of the development cost.
BENJ EDWARDS – FEB 12, 2026 2:42 PM |

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/02/attackers-prompted-gemini-over-100000-times-while-trying-to-clone-it-google-says/?utm_source=bsky&utm_medium=social

#AI #Google #Gemini

Inc: Google Nest Just Revealed It Keeps Video You Thought Was Deleted https://www.inc.com/jason-aten/google-nest-just-revealed-it-keeps-video-you-thought-was-deleted/91301163 @IncMagazine #Google #privacy

I've had admin powers at 5+ companies' Google Workspace/G Suite over the past decade or so. Every single one had groups which were misconfigured, often so anyone in the whole company could join without approval or see the message history at https://groups.google.com without being a member at all.

This is because for any sensible configuration of Google Groups when using it for email groups you have to use the "Custom" permissions mode. The default Public mode doesn't allow external people to email the group, but does allow the whole company to see all the messages. The default Team mode, has the same problem of everyone being able to see all the messages.

Also let's not forget that dangerous little "Anyone in the organisation can join" toggle at the bottom which is on by default. So any random new starter can join your confidential company directors group and get all the emails sent to it.

Giving Google the benefit of the doubt here, I think the reasoning might be that Google Groups is intended as a kind of company forum, not for private email groups. However that isn't how anyone uses it in my experience...

#security #infosec #google #googleworkspace

Alt...

Screenshot of the default Google Group settings for team mode

Alt...

Screenshot of the default Google Group settings for public mode