This long-form series of special reports, investigations, and shorter format feature updates goes deep with the privacy violations and overreach of modern consumer electronics, including Smart TVs and other devices. We’ll explore LG’s WebOS, LG Smart TV vulnerabilities and exploits, first-party ACR (automated content recognition) behaviors, and other concerns. Alongside that, we’ll dive deeper into ALPRs and Flock cameras as we fight their rollout in at least one small town. We’re also digging deep into the data exchange practices between large AI companies, looking into how data sucked into data centers can be exploited for training and profit.


The original comic is referring to cars and iPhones (or smartphones more broadly). Basically, things you absolutely need to “participate in society” for most people. YouTube is very much not one of those things.
I know plenty of people without cars or smartphones that still participate in society. This is a terrible argument.
It’s not a terrible argument for people who have adequate reading comprehension.
I have multiple young-ish (30s) friends that don’t own a phone (not just smartphone; any phone), and basically all people I know above 80 years don’t own one either.
You can absolutely live a perfectly fine and good life without a smartphone. You’re just drawing the line where it’s convenient for you.
Or let’s put it in more familiar words…
Your personal anecdotes aside, myself and many others literally cannot . Modern society expects you to own one, including organizations like banks, healthcare, and, possibly most importantly, employers. It’s literally mandatory to participate in much of society.
Similarly, my local city has nothing representing public transportation or safe routes for walking or cycling. In addition, in areas where many of the jobs are, housing is obscenely-priced, and completely unaffordable for “normal” people, so living close to work isn’t an option either.
No job is going to require you to watch YouTube news.
It may be initially inconvenient, but you can choose a bank that offers 2FA/TAN beyond the smartphone app.
Not sure what healthcare apps you mean. There’s lots of categories, so won’t comment without clarification.
Same for employers tbh. Would love an example. (Besides: work apps can’t be forced on your private phone in most places.)
I live in “modern society” and do own a smartphone, but I’m aware that it’s a convenience, not a necessity.
For you. For many people it is not. You’re projecting your personal experiences onto the rest of the world.
So you’ve moved the goalposts from “that’s not just participation, it’s [things that participation entails]” to “well this doesn’t apply unless you need it to exist”*. GN needs a major platform like YouTube to actually reach an audience.
* By the way, the comic is illustrating a man with a car that’s seemingly from the 1920s or 30s, so there goes that tenuous argument.
I haven’t moved anything, and you know I haven’t. I’m not going to continue engaging in bad faith discussions.