With reliance on overseas components, shipping embarg…I mean “supply chain interruptions”, smart-dust, facial-recognition tech (that darn Binance account!) - the mission of Librem 5 becomes less possible every day. And it’s our fault for handing over the keys to our lives for a dopamine hit.
If mine ever arrives, and I’m around to receive it, I’ll put it in the “Cigar Box of Lost Dreams” in my battered, post-Apocalyptic rucksack.
These developments make the librem more crucial, not less. Privacy and freedom are worth fighting for, and the effort to create a device with hardware kill switches, FOSS, IME neutralized, (some models) not made in China, etc, that all has great potential to do good.
Look at Linux for an example. I think the hope that Linux would become the dominant desktop OS has been mostly dead for a long time. Nevertheless, Linux has continued to generate tremendous benefit to the world.
Don’t view the fight for freedom and privacy as a binary switch, “win” or “lose”. On the contrary, we have a world to live in, so we might as well make it good to the extent that we can. The librem 5 can help with that 
I think their mission is worth fighting for, and it is achievable. That is, you and some people will be able to own devices that don’t spy on them and all the other benefits. There is a problem though, you don’t own most devices that spy on you…
Does it really matter if you use Facebook or Google from a Librem device? They spy on you anyways. Sure you can use open alternatives, and escape some of that form of spying. These companies have their cancer-tentacles everywhere on the internet, and it is quite difficult to avoid them for most people, even if not used directly.
If most of people still use these services, then some of your freedoms are lost even if you don’t use them. You may have freedom of speech on some sites that no-one uses, but not on Youtube or any of those other censoring platforms, where most people hang out. Sure, you have freedom of speech but no-one is listening.
The cameras that are put up everywhere you don’t own either. And since you don’t control them it really doesn’t matter if they are open-source or not. They still record you and perform some bio-metric measurements. What about all the other IoT sensors? Same thing goes there.
I think, in reality we can only try to not be the slowest gnu 
in the herd. Most things are outside of our control, unfortunately or luckily. To affect other peoples or companies devices we have to go the political route and I think Purism is doing a good job there too.
Thanks for the reminder. “…we might as well make it good to the extent that we can” is probably the best advice one can offer.
Now,if only my car’s navigation system had a “kill” switch.
Last year I deleted my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts and this year I began my De-Google quest by buying a De-Googled phone, ordering a Librem 14, and starting the migration away from all Google services. After that is accomplished, then the longest pole-in-my-tent will be to wean the rest of the family off of all Apple products! I regret allowing them in my compound, but after banning all things Microsoft, I figured it was the lesser evil option; after further review, Apple has far surpassed Microsoft in anti-privacy evils, AFAIC. SMH
Fingers-crossed that I’ll eventually get that Librem 14 soon!
Ive been asking around like a regular noob on social sites, reddit, hacker forums, etc. . . and most people seem to be rather down about privacy and what not. Surely, most weren’t very open to resistance or had much fight for freedom in their voice. In some cases I got called out or banned simply for voicing a defiant attitude against corrupted systems. If the FBI can sniff your ram from a van across the block cause you used BTC some time ago and are now a TARGET … I mean that’s pretty fucking lame. This isn’t about money. Its about control. Keeping people in a cage, a mental prison, spiritual prison. Making you feel like it really is like the movies where they watch you cross the fuckin street from mcy d’s to the post office, zooming in you as you take a drag of your smoke.
TBH I don’t think more technology is going to help us. We don’t want the change, so we don’t make the changes that need to happen to free ourselves from the tools used to confine us. When something controls your life, and you obsess in either fear or greed over it, you are literally a slave.
I am learning how to protect myself cause I am purely interested in the tech, the attitude and lifestyle. I am interested in privacy, passionately. But not to the point I am hiding in a sewer pipe or living in the woods to evade social interaction. I do feel this way a lot though, and Im open to sharing that. Its always there, can always leave, just leave all this shit and head into the mountains. No one said we have to live the live we choose to live.
I want a change, I am willing to sacrifice.
Ever rung of the latter I have climbed I give a little piece of myself. I cannot speak for others. Nor can I walk the path for you. But I can walk beside ya but where I am, there is no one. Everyone is programmed and running on auto pilot cause the next person to them is. Monkey see monkey do. Its sad. Its why intelligent folks really struggle to fit in, to want to be apart of society at all, when that society is toxic and parasitic.
What a great reply. It seems we’re on borrowed time with tech - I’m just trying to borrow a little more while I get mentally and physically prepared for the unknown. Sometimes it feels like we’re running down the road, being chased by a tank. Some stupid scene where the audience is screaming “Get off of the road!!”
If you give up on the goal of privacy and security then you will lose for sure. If you continue to fight and claw for what privacy and security you can get then you still may lose but maybe, just maybe you’ll win. Don’t forget that a Librem 5 is just one path to more privacy and security. There are lots of others that are still better than going to buy an off the shelf Android or iOS device.
Without gaining some IT skills, I’m limited in my ability. All I can do at this moment is to keep the paths to my life to as few as possible. Been thinking about hiring someone to get my current computer and phone converted to Linux.
Which phone?
Moto G Stylus 5G. I don’t think the stylus would work without the Gboard keyboard function
Not sure you can puy Linux on that phone, though there’s a lineage OS port for it.
I just keep trying to normalize privacy with the people I’m close with. One way is to try to get friends and family to communicate with me on an E2EE messaging platform, Signal, instead of SMS. I’ve had fairly good success. If I’m close enough with them, if they know how important privacy is to me, and if that is my only request of them, then they begin to not see me asking them to download Signal as such a big deal.
When I am asked why I care if my messages are able to be read by the carriers, or others, I turn it around and just say why would I allow those strangers to be able to see my private conversations when Signal is easier to use, has more features, and is private. Again, normalize privacy.
Some people just don’t want to bother, but I don’t make a big deal when they don’t want to install Signal. I try to be as kind and as understanding as I can, with the hopes that maybe someday in the future they’ll change their mind.
See, this is what pisses me off about Signal dropping SMS support. By being an “all in one” solution, it was easier to convince the less-technical people in my life (such as my wife) to use it. Frankly, I think their excuse for dropping SMS is BS; a simple UI update would fix the concern about users not knowing if their message is secure or not.
Signal is more secure than SMS. But for privacy, i would run own Matrix or XMPP with OMEMO Encryption or better gpg Encryption, hosted by your own Hardware. Its cause you have none shared Meta-Information, only the Providers talking about encrypted Messages and Times over IP.
You can encrypt the Communication to the Server with LetsEncrypt, which is good to hide Meta-Information after MiTM Attack. However, in most Cases, Information on the Smartphone like Android and Apple will sell the clear Text Information of some Receptionists to 3erd Party. So: Do not use it for important Dialog.
Better: Set up a Linux Computer with good encryption on SSH and tell your Children and Friends how to Log in there and scp Data or Text files for the Secure usage - … without Smartphones. Like a VPN Laptop, Ebook, Linux Phone or Camera with Pictutres of Nots, could save Store in real Time.
Privacy is likely extinct… if we do not change this. It is like we become slaved by our devices, cause we missed private communication. Data is the new Oil so privacy is like a secure bank account or wallet.
Here’s anothor tip for trying to convert friends and family to Signal (or any E2EE messaging platform). Whenever possible, I wait to make the request one on one. I have had better success that way.
When I have been in social situations with a group of friends and have brought up moving Signal, the group has had the tendency to joke about it and not take it seriously. So, one on one requests have had more success in my experience.
Also, when you do get someone to switch, keep in contact with them on the new platform. Reply to them quickly. “Reward” them for helping you stay more private.