freedomPusher

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/37823770

Every bank, shitty giant social media platform and countless websites demand a phone number. It’s foolish to give them a voice number (esp. mobile) unless you actually welcome calls from them, their partners, whoever they sell your data to, and whoever exfiltrates it. The best move with all these untrustworthy data-sharing-happy businesses is to give them a pure fax number which is answered only by a fax machine.

In the rare case where reaching you is so important that they would use the number to send you a fax, then it’s probably a message you want to receive anyway (and best to have it in writing). I kept a gratis fax number for decades and never got fax spam.

One extra perk to this is if customer files have fax-only numbers, it could give some pause before a company decides to ditch their fax line.

My unsolved problem:

J2.com no longer gives free fax numbers. I can only find providers who charge a flat subscription of ~$15—25/month (which includes an allowance on outbound faxes). I don’t really need a fax sending svc. I wouldn’t mind paying <$10/year just to have a number that emails faxes to me, even if there is some small measured rate when it actually gets used. A pay-per-fax service like that is hard to find. Any tips would be appreciated.

Every bank, shitty giant social media platform and countless websites demand a phone number. It’s foolish to give them a voice number (esp. mobile) unless you actually welcome calls from them, their partners, whoever they sell your data to, and whoever exfiltrates it. The best move with all these untrustworthy data-sharing-happy businesses is to give them a pure fax number which is answered only by a fax machine.

In the rare case where reaching you is so important that they would use the number to send you a fax, then it’s probably a message you want to receive anyway (and best to have it in writing). I kept a gratis fax number for decades and never got fax spam.

One extra perk to this is if customer files have fax-only numbers, it could give some pause before a company decides to ditch their fax line.

My unsolved problem:

J2.com no longer gives free fax numbers. I can only find providers who charge a flat subscription of ~$15—25/month (which includes an allowance on outbound faxes). I don’t really need a fax sending svc. I wouldn’t mind paying <$10/year just to have a number that emails faxes to me, even if there is some small measured rate when it actually gets used. A pay-per-fax service like that is hard to find. Any tips would be appreciated.

℻ numbers are dropping like flies. This is a disaster for the very few of us who will not lick the boots of Microsoft or Google, unlike the 99%¹ of the population who is happy to use email (which traverses MS or Google servers in a vast majority of non-p2p comms).

So FAX numbers are disappearing. Some are removed from websites and stationary (letterheads), but still exist. Some fax numbers persist in publications, but the plug has been pulled. Not enough people are using fax to say “please plugin your fax machine”.

the race condition

Corps, NGOs, and govs likely ditch the fax after it idles for a long time with no activity. It’s a use-it-or-lose-it scenario. Part of the problem is someone’s rare will to send a fax is hindered by lack of info. If we had reliable access to fax numbers, we could do our part to keep them active.

open data remedy?

When a gov has an open data policy, one possible solution is to make open data requests for the fax numbers of gov offices.

previous posts

• https://sopuli.xyz/post/12970199

¹ made-up figure obviously, but likely accurate enough nonetheless

Is there a legit security risk with Afgan immigrants in the US? Or is the US policy just xenophobia motivated collective punishment to hit back because one of them happened to be a violent nutter?

This question was answered by Ben Johnson, Executive Director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) in the linked article.

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/37371338

The question can be broken into two parts:

1. would people use it?
2. is it appropriate for a library to have a media room?

I have no TV and I suspect with so many people subscribing to streaming services lately as their sole source (from surveillance capitalists), probably not many people even have antennas to pick up local broadcast TV anymore. Is that a safe assumption?

A couple years ago I setup a MythTV for someone. Their local broadcasts were completely different from what I recall from decades past-- mostly educational (documentaries and how-to shows) and mostly commercial-free. It seemed to be largely fed by tax-funded public broadcast service. It used to be rife with commercials but commercial interests seem to have abandoned it.

Where I live now, I am offline and also lack equipment to see what’s broadcast locally. Not sure it’s justified to buy gear just to see what there is. And I have never seen what free satellite signals are like anywhere.

On the one hand, I could see it turning into an entertainment/cinema type of space with people bringing in popcorn.. which is perhaps a deviation from the library’s purpose. OTOH, it could be information focused to give access to locally aired educational broadcasts and to (perhaps more importantly) show people what content exists locally and to experience MythTV. Library users could even schedule shows to be recorded for them (as the library is not open 24/7). The MythTV PCs would of course be running Linux, which would be a covert way to promote the escape from proprietary OSs.

As I ask myself whether this is all crazy talk, a local library has Arduinos for people to experiment with.. which has nothing to do with books or media.

A parallel mission could be to get the library to run an Invideous instance to try to liberate people from Google’s stranglehold and their ads. Google would probably block the library’s instance but the blockade would then serve to inform people about Google’s politics. I guess the question is whether Invidious is too much in the legal gray area for libraries to seriously consider.

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/37371338

The question can be broken into two parts:

1. would people use it?
2. is it appropriate for a library to have a media room?

I have no TV and I suspect with so many people subscribing to streaming services lately as their sole source (from surveillance capitalists), probably not many people even have antennas to pick up local broadcast TV anymore. Is that a safe assumption?

A couple years ago I setup a MythTV for someone. Their local broadcasts were completely different from what I recall from decades past-- mostly educational (documentaries and how-to shows) and mostly commercial-free. It seemed to be largely fed by tax-funded public broadcast service. It used to be rife with commercials but commercial interests seem to have abandoned it.

Where I live now, I am offline and also lack equipment to see what’s broadcast locally. Not sure it’s justified to buy gear just to see what there is. And I have never seen what free satellite signals are like anywhere.

On the one hand, I could see it turning into an entertainment/cinema type of space with people bringing in popcorn.. which is perhaps a deviation from the library’s purpose. OTOH, it could be information focused to give access to locally aired educational broadcasts and to (perhaps more importantly) show people what content exists locally and to experience MythTV. Library users could even schedule shows to be recorded for them (as the library is not open 24/7). The MythTV PCs would of course be running Linux, which would be a covert way to promote the escape from proprietary OSs.

As I ask myself whether this is all crazy talk, a local library has Arduinos for people to experiment with.. which has nothing to do with books or media.

A parallel mission could be to get the library to run an Invideous instance to try to liberate people from Google’s stranglehold and their ads. Google would probably block the library’s instance but the blockade would then serve to inform people about Google’s politics. I guess the question is whether Invidious is too much in the legal gray area for libraries to seriously consider.

The question can be broken into two parts:

1. would people use it?
2. is it appropriate for a library to have a media room?

I have no TV and I suspect with so many people subscribing to streaming services lately as their sole source (from surveillance capitalists), probably not many people even have antennas to pick up local broadcast TV anymore. Is that a safe assumption?

A couple years ago I setup a MythTV for someone. Their local broadcasts were completely different from what I recall from decades past-- mostly educational (documentaries and how-to shows) and mostly commercial-free. It seemed to be largely fed by tax-funded public broadcast service. It used to be rife with commercials but commercial interests seem to have abandoned it.

Where I live now, I am offline and also lack equipment to see what’s broadcast locally. Not sure it’s justified to buy gear just to see what there is. And I have never seen what free satellite signals are like anywhere.

On the one hand, I could see it turning into an entertainment/cinema type of space with people bringing in popcorn.. which is perhaps a deviation from the library’s purpose. OTOH, it could be information focused to give access to locally aired educational broadcasts and to (perhaps more importantly) show people what content exists locally and to experience MythTV. Library users could even schedule shows to be recorded for them (as the library is not open 24/7). The MythTV PCs would of course be running Linux, which would be a covert way to promote the escape from proprietary OSs.

As I ask myself whether this is all crazy talk, a local library has Arduinos for people to experiment with.. which has nothing to do with books or media.

A parallel mission could be to get the library to run an Invideous instance to try to liberate people from Google’s stranglehold and their ads. Google would probably block the library’s instance but the blockade would then serve to inform people about Google’s politics. I guess the question is whether Invidious is too much in the legal gray area for libraries to seriously consider.

Full quote from EFF a few days ago:

“Free expression is the lifeblood of democracy. As more of our lives take place in digital spaces, EFF’s work grows more relevant and urgent to ensure everyone’s right to free speech.”

At the same time, EFF turns a blind eye to Cloudflare, who:

1. impedes petition signing on change.org, moveon.org, and actionnetwork.org. Voters who are blocked by CF’s access restrictions are effectively denied participation in democratic processes.
2. blocks voters from accessing information about candidates published on sites like www.opensecrets.org.
3. suppresses voting: CF impedes voter registration, disenfranchising voters in 8 US states (16% of voter registration sites).

The EFF is apparently okay with forcing people to choose between the privacy of the Tor network and democracy.

The problem:

CAPTCHAs put humans to work for machines. That’s the wrong way around. When you solve a CAPTCHA, you become the pushover who supports adversaries for humanity.

The fix:

Exploit the fact that boomers are still living and some of them need analog ways of functioning. So go boomer and use snail mail or whatever the CAPTCHA-free way is.

If it’s a private sector business, fuck them. Don’t even give them your business in the first place. They are confused about who serves who and they hope you will get that backwards too.

If it’s a public sector service, there must be an analog way. Find it. Or sue them if you can’t find an analog way - don’t be lazy.

The problem: white goods (e.g. washing machines) are going further into the enshitification direction. The Internet of Shit is becoming unavoidable for new appliances. Your washing machine will likely depend on Internet and connect to a server that tracks your usage.

For the past 20 years or so they already have kill switches where they refuse to function if an error occurs. The manufacturer conceals from consumers the procedure to reverse the kill switch. So even if you can fix your machine, you can’t.

The fix:

Stop supporting the motherfuckers. When your machine breaks down, try to fix it. If you fix it mechanically but the kill switch blocks you from starting it again, don’t repeat the same stupid decision to buy a new one.

Instead, wash your clothes by hand until you find a dumped machine. Then fix the dumped machine, if you can. If it has a spinning drum, give it a hand spin and make sure the ball bearings are good before going further because they have made those irreplacable in recent decades. Repeat as needed.

If you’re just starting out and have not had a machine previously, don’t make the stupid decision of buying a machine that is made to exploit you. Look for a dumped one and own that shit.

Hand-washing isn’t as bad as bending over and and helping the predatory motherfuckers eat your soul. If you want easier hand-washing, buy a washboard from Ohio (USA); those probably never break down. Or this repairable machine from India \url{www.thewashingmachineproject.org}.

“But my addiction to convenience is too overbearing - I must buy”

Try this before you do that:

1. Find the model you would normally buy.
2. Write to the manufacturer and falsely state that you have that model and ask for the service manual (not the user manual), and ask for the software reset procedure. Or call them but be ready to give them a fake story of breakage to legitimise your request.
3. Watch as the mfr ignores you, evades, or tells you to fuck off and buy a new machine.

You will not get the svc manual from the manufacturer. Still feel like buying it after knowing how they treat customers after they think you bought their product?

Most people probably do not realise that most email to and from government agencies, NGOs, and corporations traverse the servers of Microsoft Corporation, in the clear.

How would you know, you ask? Do an MX lookup.

$ for type in mx txt; do torsocks dig @"$dnssvr" -t "$type" -q "$domain_portion_of_email_address" +noclass +nocomments +nostats +short +tcp +nosearch; done

The best exploit is if you live in the same area as the destination. Lucky for me, this is the case for most of my recipients. So I can cycle to them and drop off the correspondence without postage. And because I withold an email address from them, their response imposes postage costs on them -- which is exactly what I want. They should be penalised for their poor choice of e-mail suppliers.

Danish people are screwed

I have no idea how a Dane can partake in this because national postal service is eliminated in Denmark. You can possibly drop off the correspondence but I suppose post boxes are going away which means you need to get it in recipient’s hands during opening hours. But then how can they respond? Would they have to use FedEx? That backfires because FedEx should also be boycotted and so it ultimately helps another shitty corp. And you have no control over who the recipient will choose to carry the response.

Germans have an extra cost or inconvenience

In Germany, some recipient’s postal boxes are publicly accessible and some are not. When they are not, only the postal worker has a mail room key. And you probably have no way of knowing in advance if the recipient’s mailbox is accessible.

Perhaps the best workflow in Germany is to print the letter, stuff the envelope, and cycle to the destination. If you’re locked out and there is no one to tailgate in, then you have to accept that you lost the gamble and put a stamp on it and post it.

Americans somewhat screwed - but FAX is quite useful

In the US, it is illegal to directly put mail in a postbox that is not your own. USPS is a gov-imposed monopoly. Every city is so sprawled out you’re probably best off buying postage and using USPS anyway.

Consequently, fax is still very useful in the US -- see below.

Why faxing is great

If the recipient still has a FAX number, use it! FAX numbers are dying like flies because people don’t use them enough. It’s a way to send correspondence gratis without revealing your email address. So fax gives you more control over your data than email.

It’s worth noting that the recipient’s fax may be a service that repackages the fax as an email that traverses MS servers anyway. But it’s still more private than email because you need not disclose an email address and also MS would have to run OCR on the payload to snoop on it.

It’s a crapshoot but the odds are in favor of fax (vs email).

The extra benefit to hand delivery: a poor man’s registered letter

You can print a form and ask the recipient to sign for the delivery. Most will sign. Some will not. But when they do it gives you some proof of delivery that may help in court if anything goes sideways. I have actually used this kind of proof of delivery in court before.

The EFF wrote in their most recent newsletter:

… Because it's your rights we're fighting for.

• Your right to speak and learn freely online, free of government censorship
• Your right to move through the world without being surveilled everywhere you go
• Your right to use your device without it tracking your every click, purchase, and IRL movement
• Your right to control your data, including data about your body, and to know that data given to one government agency won’t be weaponized against you by another
• Your right to do what you please with the products and content you pay for …

Cloudflare has been DoSing the whole Tor community for over a decade now. Those who are not excluded from CF sites (over ⅓ of the web), who are free to move around only have that liberty because they submit to surveillance and give up their privacy.

EFF has ties to the Tor Project that are closer than most people realise. At the same time, Tor Project itself has submitted to licking Cloudflare’s boots. TP has quietly removed material from their blogs that criticises Cloudflare.

Searching EFF newsletters for Meta, Facebook, Google, Amazon, etc has no shortage of hits. But not a word about Cloudflare -- the most direct adversary of what EFF claims to fight for.

People are already aware of Google and Facebook. If they choose to pawn themselves to those platforms, they know what they are signing up for. It’a waste of energy and resources to fixate on those known evils. EFF is doing a gross injustice by not informing people about Cloudflare.

Cloudflare is one of the few tech giants that wise users cannot escape. In some US states you cannot even register to vote without Cloudflare knowing. You can submit a paper registration but then the data entry worker still submits your personal data to a Cloudflare website.

It’s relatively trivial to escape Google and Facebook and protect yourself. Most of that battle is a matter of not registering and not accessing the services, and watching out for a few corner cases. Cloudflare fucks everyone by compromising websites whose admin doesn’t even know what they are signing up for and the fact that they are pawning all their own users. When your gov publishes legal statutes exclusively in Cloudflare’s walled garden or puts gov services inside CF, we’re fucked to an extent that is much more beyond our control.

I will not donate to EFF until they get their priorities straight.