Whether it’s SimpleX, Signal, or even Protonmail, why do so many tech normies seem so averse to anything “encrypted.”
If you have a choice between encrypted and non-encrypted communications, why lean toward favoring non-encrypted? Makes no sense.
A video channel I like watching, called “Predator Poachers,” features Alex Rosen catching online predators who try to lure people who are too young for them to be talking to. I’ve noticed that many of the bad guys he catches use apps like Telegram, Signal, Viber, Session, etc., to conduct their evil activities and trade evil images. (I’ve never heard SimpleX mentioned, but I keep listening for it! It’s pretty much my favorite messenger.)
But when I use SimpleX or Signal or XMPP, it’s not that I’m doing evil – it’s that I’m talking to my wife about plans, or sharing passwords, or griping about something at work, or talking to my brother about politics or religion, or sending pics of vacation or food or a special beer to a friend. Just normal stuff meant only for the eyes of my intended recipient. Nothing nefarious.
I wonder if “privacy” just has a bad name simply because bad guys prefer to hide their evil.
But good guys also value privacy, because even wholesome or neutral communications are not always anyone else’s business.
It’s hard to talk someone into using a private messaging app when they resort to “Why can’t you just text me?” or “I have nothing to hide” or “I’m too boring for others to spy on my texts or emails.”
I guess normies just gonna normie.
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No ones afraid of encryption. The average user will use what most of their friends use, and many don’t want to use multiple texting app.
I agree. But then why am I OK with having (and using) XMPP, SimpleX, Session, Signal, and Matrix? I have friends and family who prefer different ones, and that doesn’t bother me. Maybe it’s because I don’t chat with 100s of people on a phone? It’s never been burdensome to me using multiple messengers. But you’re right – I’ve heard that: “All my friends just use regular texting” or “FB Messenger,” etc.
Removed by mod
I’ve seen this from people too and I have no idea why they have such a problem with using more than one app.
Because they don’t understand why it’s important and don’t care.
Its important to highlight the type of don’t care.
There is not caring while having a full understanding of the topic, and there is not caring while being ignorant.
Most people fall into the latter camp. Privacy enthusiasts consistently say “Normal people don’t care about privacy” but I have yet to see them acknowledge that most people don’t know what you know.
Computer privacy? How should I care if I don’t even understand how a computer works, privilege levels, the power an operating system has?
Educating people about this is an important step. If we just give up on ignorant people, we are losing out on people who are just not informed.
most people don’t know what you know.
How could they not know? It’s in the media every day.
I gave up a long time ago when an entire crowd of people laughed at me when I explained why I don’t have a Facebook account.
If only I had the magic “argument” for them!
Share if you have one!
I show them the fucking Minority Report videos from the Institute of Justice where Pasco county buys up data about people, feed it into an algorithm, and it spits out “potential criminals” and then they harass them day and night for months until they either commit a crime or leave town. That’s our future.
I tell them about how “anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law”. I tell them about whether or not you actually committed a crime doesn’t really matter in a court of law, you’ll be judged by what kind of person you are.
I tell them about The Innocence Project that highlights how DAs give absolutely zero fucks about whether or not you’re guilty, they just want another “win”.
I tell them about the protestors who are being targeted RIGHT NOW as “domestic terrorists”.
I tell them about the man who sent medical photos of his son to his pediatrician and how Google flagged those as CSAM and he was charged with a crime and how he’ll be forever known as a pedo.
I tell them about the messages Facebook turned over to law enforcement that was used to prosecute a woman for the crime of seeking women’s healthcare.
I tell them about dragnet warrants obtained from Google where hundreds of people can suddenly become suspects in a crime they had nothing to do with.
Then I ask them to question what kind of things may be illegal tomorrow under an authoritarian President who no one seems intent on stopping?
Is that a good start?
It’s not about whether you have anything to hide, it’s about how much faith you have in our criminal justice system.
Some interesting points there.
Do you find much success that way in converting normies? Or do you just let them norm and talk only to more sensible people? Or do you compromise?
I find it difficult when the normies are family members and close friends that I don’t want to ignore.
No dude, no one cares.
It’s hard to get a human being to change a formed habit. It’s called behavioural inertia and it’s the reason why people still continue to drive, and will actively argue for it, despite all the destruction it causes.
wholesome or neutral communications are not always anyone else’s business
i’d argue that it’s never anyone else’s business
You would be right.
Strawman.
Who’s “afraid” of Simplex?
Poor framing, I didn’t even bother reading past that strawman.
Basic psychology is why people don’t switch. They have no compelling reason.
Why would anyone listen you with your condescension? That’s just no way to get people to see the problem.
Whooa, easy there, champ.
I didn’t mean to trigger your hypersensitivities to strawman arguments with just one word in my title of the post.
If you actually read the body of the post, I was speculating on the nature of the psychological obstacle (which can easily be a “fear,” though obviously not in the sense of sheer terror). It could be the fear of change, or of too many apps, or of the reputation of privacy apps as being tools of wrongdoing.
People DO have a reason to try SimpleX – when asked to – but what are they afraid of (if I may use that word again)? And how do we get them to overcome their hesitation?
I didn’t even bother reading past that strawman.
Yes, clearly.
Why would anyone listen you with your condescension?
Ironic
