#digital-dependency — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #digital-dependency, aggregated by home.social.
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It's fascinating how AI has made everyone aware of the dangers of digital dependency. Yet most governments still rely heavily on U.S. big-tech software and Chinese hardware.
#digitalsovereignty #digitaldependency
https://www.tribune242.com/news/2026/aug/13/sebas-warns-govt-against-modern-digital-colonialism/ -
Google enshittifying Thread
So, because I am cheap as heck, I wanted to give some of the IKEA smart stuff a go. It's still manufactured in China, but a wireless temp/humidity sensor with display that only lights up on a button press (the case is the button) seemed to be a no brainer, especially at 7,99 per unit. Also, it takes dual AAA instead of stupid CR-anything batteries and if your fingernails are strong enough (mine are) you can plop off the back cover just so.
The downside is that I had a really, really hard time to set up the devices. And it's all Google's fault.
Intermission: I worked at Google for almost eight years. That's more than a decade ago now. Even then, back in the day, the answer to many problems people had with Googles products, hardware or software, was "give up and use multiple devices", primarily because many Google products were designed by people that could not imagine crossing borders would be a regular occurrence, or living in places with weather. California is a hell of a place that messes with people's heads.
So, I have a HAOS install on a dedicated machine, not even virtualized, and I have a NabuCasa ZBT-1 with Thread firmware, and my system looks like everything is fine and dandy. Only if I try to comission a device via the Companion App, well, it tells me to add a thread border router.
It's right there.
So I go complain on the Home Assistant forum, and I learn the following:
Be careful to define the correct network as preferred network before doing the sync, and don't delete that network afterwards! Android does NOT allow you to delete the Thread credentials (there are work arounds by deleting Google Play Store storage, but it has side effect like lost wallet etc.!)
Once again, Californians cannot fathom people owning multiple identities, maybe even being in multiple places that may have separate networks, or any other thing that makes it an IDEA SO STUPID IT MUST BE MALICIOUS (this is Google, so the saying does not apply here) to tie a thread credential so deep in to Google Play Services that you need to break half your account to reset it, and well, yeah, I don't know if I may or may not have a Thread network's credential from earlier experiements that didn't pan out as expected.
I am lucky. I am privileged. I happen to have an iOS device. With that, comissioning works. But do not be mistaken, this is using Apple's implementation for comissioning a matter device, including blacklists for devices deemed uncouth (just like Google).
So yeah, if you are after home automation solutions you own, stick with ZWave, Zigbee, WiFi (tasmota and esphome do just fine), or BLE.
Also, the automatic routing through the Thread network? It works like shit in my place, compared ot all the other solutions.
Matter over Thread is a real proper downgrade over Zigbee, Zwave, WiFi, or BLE. It's too much magic and zero facilities to debug, and at a critical junction (device comissioning) wholly dependend on exactly the big tech companies you want to avoid when deciding to run with Home Assistant.
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Once you put numbers to it, it becomes astounding how much digital dependencies cost a country's economy. No wonder Big Tech is fighting Digital Sovereignty with teeth, nails, and ballrooms.
#digitalsovereignty #digitaldependency #economy
https://businessday.ng/technology/article/nigerias-digital-identity-gap-costs-economy-850m-per-year/ -
Kein Toter ist so tief begraben wie eine erloschene Leidenschaft.
https://videopress.com/v/n1TPFM0Q?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffraumutterrenateblog.wordpress.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F04%2Faz2cwbr50bpgo1jmp93m-a-az2cwbr5rnc5e7dx_bydyw.png&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true Kein Toter ist so tief begraben wie eine erloschene Leidenschaft - Maxie Wander - Vor ein paar Jahren stieß ich auf Instagram auf ein Video einer Frau, die erklärte, wie man mit Canva und ChatGPT bei Amazon KDP Geld verdienen kann. […]
