this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2024
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Has Techlore sold out? (lemmy.sdf.org)
submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 

I like Techlore (https://www.techlore.tech if you don't know) and I usually regard them as one of the most impartial and most trustworthy Youtubers out there. But for the past few months, I couldn't help noticing their somewhat heavy bias towards some of their video sponsors. Still, everybody has to eat right?

This time though, it looks like Synology flew them over to Taiwan, and if you watch their video at the event, it's wall-to-wall Synology shilling. I'm really disappointed.

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I lost interest when they moved from matrix to discord

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Oh I didn't know that. Privacy-wise, Discord is... suboptimal to say the least.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 5 months ago

I used to like his content and still like Surveillance Report but Henry always talks about how Apple is so private and a good option for an OS ecosystem. It's closed source, it looks like they (Apple) push "privacy" so they can have a monopoly on the data, and are anti consumer in many ways. Now his push for Synology has been growing.

Seems like he takes the easy way out with privacy. I understand life is busy (as he mentions a lot) but in order to make positive change you have to believe in and follow values that give power to open source tech and not the giants who steal your data, monetize you, and are in bed with the government

[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Since you noticed the bias, let me give you the real dark history of both Techlore and PrivacyGuides ( Jonah Argon ) and how they took over Privacy Tools.io and closed their subreddit.

https://www.privacytools.io/guides/jonah-aragon-privacyguides-failed-attempt-to-takeover

Don't trust Privacy YouTubers, trust experts who know what they're talking about

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (2 children)

privacytools.io doesn't even list NordVPN as an ad anymore...

Is there another trustworthy site which compares different platforms?

[–] [email protected] -2 points 5 months ago

Instead of searching for a "trustworthy" source... whatever that means... Learn about which criteria you should look for when choosing a VPN.. learn who are the creators of such service and their experiences..

And then you won't need to trust, you'll be able to evaluate

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Wait, I'm confused. Why would privacytools.io host this article?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I'm not sure, maybe they thought it'll be more visible for the website followers..

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I think I got confused by this Lemmy post claiming it was taken over, not "attempted". If it was taken over, then why would they shoot themselves in the foot?

This is all really insane. But there are people here saying that privacyguides are reputable.

Privacytools seems shadier though, even if they're claiming to be victims.

This is all too much drama.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

I think I got confused by this Lemmy post claiming it was taken over, not "attempted". If it was taken over, then why would they shoot themselves in the foot?

They stole their funds, git repos, subreddit.. they might as well declare it's the end of the website even though they still hold ownership to some extent ... That's my understanding of it at least

Privacytools seems shadier though, even if they're claiming to be victims

I agree

This is all really insane. But there are people here saying that privacyguides are reputable

It is indeed insane, at least PrivacyGuides doesn't push for shitty products and insult his followers for not supporting him, however toxicity towards other projects ( especially GrapheneOS ) is completely allowed on their channels...

I'm not saying we should cancel them and never speak about them again, but if you're a fan of PG you should hold them accountable, because they can do better

As for Techlore, 😮‍💨..I don't think there's hope for Henry... he went too far, he earned the title of a "privacy scammer" for me... and the sad part is that he knows it, he knows he's in it for a quick buck not to spread the message

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Thanks for the detailed breakdown, I think I get the broad strokes now.

It's difficult to parse when your brain defaults to "one of these parties are unfairly maligned" - when the truth is they're both shitty.

It's a shame. Some years ago I got a lot of value from both websites, but haven't really followed digital privacy trends lately. It's such a time sink to gauge the value of everything by yourself.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It's difficult to parse when your brain defaults to "one of these parties are unfairly maligned" - when the truth is they're both shitty.

Oh, glad someone said it.. this is a common theme on the Internet 😭.. It's okey

It's a shame. Some years ago I got a lot of value from both websites, but haven't really followed digital privacy trends lately.

when you're a beginner you tend to accept advice from anyone in the field, this makes sense because you don't know which advice to trust, but once you understand the principle, you look back and just know instantly who gave you bad advice vs good advice..

If someone tells me to use a degoogled phone and later I see they're using an IPhone, it's not great look.. ( for them ).. It's disappointing ( just an example )

It's such a time sink to gauge the value of everything by yourself.

Whatelse you can do ? Not much.. accept keep on learning, I enjoy these kind of stuff, and the more I learn the more I realize the tools we use aren't perfect and they have many flaws... in technology I learned to be careful before adopting new technologies and not just jump on the hottest thing, I have to resist the Tech enthusiast within me if I wanna satisfy the privacy advocate ( the opposition within me )

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

I used to watch Techlore too, but the final nail in the coffin for me was saying he was using stock Android

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That's pretty sad to see, Techlore is one of the main ways how I got into digital privacy and security, but ever since they removed GrapheneOS from the mobile OS recommendations section on their resources page, I don't feel like it's a trustworthy source anymore. Removing the most private and secure mobile OS from your OS recommendations, while claiming to give people privacy and security-focused recommendations is pretty hypocritical. Instead they recommend CalyxOS which rolls back default AOSP security features, LineageOS which doesn't even work with a locked bootloader and microG which requires root access. It just feels like a bad joke.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago

I was very surprised about the Synology video too. There was no critical word about anything in it.

Sure they offer a selfhosted sollution for things but their software is closed source for example.

[–] user 9 points 5 months ago
[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

that has been the case for a long time. there was a time there he was recommending google services, saying apple services are private, etc.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I lost interest in them after they had their beef with GrapheneOS and stopped recommending them. I get it, they hate the old lead dev cause he was a jerk but how are you going to spread the word of privacy and not recommend the most superior OS in privacy and security? If you truly want to help people achieve the best results with their privacy and security then you should be unbiased with your recommendations. They are doing the privacy space and all the new people looking for advice a disservice because they hold a grudge. Now they're taking free trips to review products? Sounds like they're using their subscription count to spread their own agenda.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I don't have any issues with people not recommending Graphene OS but they also suggested Google Android which is very bad for privacy.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

Enshittification can apply to content creators too it seems. Sad, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't see it coming.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Privacy guides and intel techniques ebooks are my main 2. Techlore is just an extra info for me.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Can you give me the link of these sources , I enjoy reading about privacy.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Thanks man just got a copy of 1 of their book, after reading it I may buy more of them, deponds.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

This and https://www.privacyguides.org/en/

Don't buy all the ebooks. Unless you really want to. But the big 2 ebooks, extreme privacy 4th edition and Resources for Uncovering Online Information - 10th Edition (2023 are the best ones cause they cover a lot. But they are currently being updated and going to be re-released next year.

The smaller ebooks are for specific topics. Monthly updated forever. You may find these ebooks online. Very hard to find. I have linux devices, don't mind doing swaps for 'Leaks, Breaches, & Logs - Digital Edition (2024)' and or 'The Ultimate Virtual Machine - Digital Edition (2024)' if somebody has them. We can do a simplex chat. Well done on your journey op. It's a rabbit hole.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

He's also kind of a Brave fanboy

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

I think you have to be exceptionally strong to resist this sort of thing. You can justify sponsorship in a hundred ways - not least to yourself. But in every case, it changes everything. That, of course, is why companies spend money influencing the influencers.

Buyer beware, as always.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

They are good and bad. I think they have some good intentions but it gets lost sometimes in the form of bad advise. I do like that they have a Matrix Space and a Peertube instance.

Also I agree with them on Graphene OS. People need to realize that by just not using Google Android they are much more private. I think there is to many fans. They are almost as bad as Apple fans.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

My biggest problem with not using android is the last 3 phones I've had are pretty much as far as I'm aware unsupported by 3rd party ROMs in general. While yes it is my fault for getting phones that are more budget phones, it'd be nice to see support or ROMs focusing on lower end budget phones instead of mostly just the major flagship models. That, and US model sams*ng phones not being the devil to root, if even possible on any US model.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Well depending on the device you can port Lineage OS. You need an unlocked bootloader and the GPL source code.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Tried unlocking the bootloader on my current Samsung after it arrived in the mail. The best I got was it not unlocking after leaving it for a few hours. No screen changes or prompts appearing on screen. Nothing.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Samsung is famous for being bad from a software perspective. They also make a lot of money from bundling software so it isn't in there interest to let you get out of the ecosystem.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Yeah man! same I loved his content but recently he has been taking side with colgomarates.