Best of Privacy — August 2024

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    Video
    Avatar of fireshipFireship·2y

    Paying for software is stupid… 10 free and open-source SaaS replacements

    Software subscription models are often costly and come with privacy concerns. To avoid these issues, many free and open-source SaaS alternatives exist. LibreOffice can replace Microsoft Office, while ERPNext serves as a CRM and enterprise resource planning tool. For note-taking, AppFlowy presents a viable option and tools like Mattermost and Jitsi can substitute Slack and Zoom, respectively. Self-hosting solutions using tools such as Kifi or Daku can also help in reducing software costs.

  2. 2
    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·2y

    Zen Browser

    Zen Browser aims to transform your web experience with features like split views, workspaces, and profile switching. It offers a customizable theme store, advanced security technologies, and a compact mode for smaller screens. Zen prioritizes both speed and privacy, presenting itself as a superior alternative to other Firefox-based browsers.

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    Article
    Avatar of itsfossIt's Foss·2y

    13 Best Open-Source Google Chrome Extensions

    Google Chrome, holding over 60% of the market share, offers a variety of open-source extensions that enhance user experience. This list includes 13 top open-source extensions such as Dark Reader for eye protection, GitOwl to optimize GitHub usage, DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials for privacy, Simple Translate for multilingual browsing, Page Assist for AI integration, and many more. These extensions serve a wide range of purposes from privacy protection to development tools, all with the added benefit of being open-source.

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    Article
    Avatar of communityCommunity Picks·2y

    Why Students Should Use Pieces for Developers

    Pieces for Developers is an AI-driven tool designed to aid computer science students in managing their workloads and enhancing productivity. It offers features like local storage for data security, quick code snippet saving, Copilot Chats for generating code and debugging, and comprehensive privacy measures, including SOC 2 compliance. The tool is free and easy to install, providing students with customized exercises, installation guides, and real-time document summarization—making it an invaluable resource for coding practice and study enhancement.

  5. 5
    Article
    Avatar of lobstersLobsters·2y

    The Dying Web

    The post discusses the dominance of Chrome in the web browser market and its impact on web standards and privacy. The author advocates for using Firefox, highlighting its superior customizability and commitment to open standards and privacy. The author reminisces about past browser wars and draws parallels with the current scenario, urging readers to reconsider their browser choice for a healthier web ecosystem.

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    Article
    Avatar of notedNoted·2y

    Medama - Simple Self-Hosted Analytics

    Medama Analytics is an easy-to-install, open-source, self-hosted website analytics solution focused on privacy. It features a lightweight tracker, real-time analytics, and an OpenAPI-based server for easy integration. Installation can be done using Docker Compose, and tracking requires adding a simple script tag to your website.

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    Article
    Avatar of dhhDavid Heinemeier Hansson·2y

    Cookie banners show everything that's wrong with the EU

    The post criticizes the EU's approach to tech legislation, using cookie banners as an example of bureaucratic inefficiency that annoys users without significantly improving privacy. It argues that Europe's legislative failures hinder its ability to foster tech innovation and compares it unfavorably to other regions like the US. The author calls for a radical rethink of how Europe legislates technology to avoid wasting the potential of its smart and capable entrepreneurs.

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    Article
    Avatar of nuxt_sourceNuxt·2y

    Introducing Nuxt Scripts · Nuxt Blog

    Nuxt Scripts, a collaboration between the Nuxt team and Google's Chrome Aurora team, aims to improve the handling of third-party scripts in web applications. The new module enhances performance, privacy, security, and developer experience by providing features like script loading management, full type-safety, script registry for common third-party scripts, and advanced triggers for consent management and user interactions. Nuxt Scripts also mitigates security risks by allowing scripts to be bundled and loaded from your own domain.

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    Article
    Avatar of infoworldInfoWorld·2y

    Why I don’t buy Apple products

    Apple products are well-engineered and user-friendly, appealing especially to non-technical users. However, the author prefers Windows and Android due to their flexibility, lower cost, and customization options. Concerns include Apple's closed ecosystem, privacy practices, developer restrictions, and the high App Store take rate. Despite recognizing Apple's success and innovation, the author finds these issues too significant to overlook.

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    Video
    Avatar of lowlevellearningLow Level Learning·2y

    are we seriously STILL talking about this?

    Microsoft's Recall program, initially released as a preview, is a controversial software that captures screenshots every 5 seconds, storing metadata locally. While there are new updates improving security, it remains concerning for privacy advocates. The program is now opt-in and uses Windows Hello for authentication, but potential security risks and unauthorized activation issues persist. Critics argue the underlying data collection remains problematic, despite assurances of better security measures.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·2y

    markqvist/NomadNet: Communicate Freely

    Nomad Network provides a platform for off-grid, resilient mesh communication with strong encryption and forward secrecy. It operates without needing connections to the public internet and can run over various media like packet radio, LoRa, and serial lines. Built on LXMF and Reticulum, it offers zero-configuration, minimal-infrastructure communication, with features like encrypted message storage and node-hosted pages. Installation is available via pip or docker, and the system supports Linux, Android, and macOS, with additional graphical interface options provided by Sideband.

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    Article
    Avatar of bytesdevBytes by ui.dev·2y

    Yo' Momma, Ollama

    Ollama is a platform that allows you to run over 100 open-source AI models locally, providing better privacy, security, and speed compared to cloud-based services. It supports a CLI for downloading and serving models and an OpenAI-compatible HTTP API. Notable use cases include using it as an alternative to GitHub Copilot and leveraging its API for various applications. Additionally, coding tips and new library releases, like HotScript for TypeScript, are discussed.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·2y

    Signal Is More Than Encrypted Messaging. Under Meredith Whittaker, It’s Out to Prove Surveillance Capitalism Wrong

    Signal has evolved from a small encryption app into a mainstream secure communication platform under the leadership of Meredith Whittaker, a prominent tech critic. Whittaker aims to keep Signal independent and sustainable without compromising privacy, emphasizing its role as a nonprofit alternative to the surveillance-driven business models of Big Tech. Her leadership reflects a different approach from the traditional Silicon Valley model, seeking support and growth while maintaining its core values of privacy and security.

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