Post #3249001

2026-05-28 22:19 UTC

@mclare@recurse.social @pluralistic@mamot.fr let me start by saying it's unconscionable that we have to treat items we ostensibly own as hostile. These types of situations are a good use for those old phones you've got kicking about. Without a SIM/service, they'll have difficulty sending surveillance data back to our corporate overlords. That may not work in this instance, but for a lot of things you just need the app to control the device. #InfoSec #BigTech

Replies (1)

@vpz@infosec.exchange 2026-05-28 22:39

@allpoints@mstdn.social @mclare@recurse.social @pluralistic@mamot.fr 100% agree. Everything has moved to a license to use. You may own the hardware, but not the software. Which often means the hardware is limited to unusable for the average person without consenting to the software's demands. A modern iPhone is a good example. While you may own the hardware from a legal claim perspective, Apple controls the bootloader, application signing, etc. Even after they have said the hardware is out of support, they offer no capability for the hardware "owner" to run anything on the device other than what they provide. For an old Android phone that may be different depending on the unit. There is generally more support for alternatives OS and application stores with certain models.

Open ##3249002