Alt Text:
Google photos on ios is literally a hostage situation. Remove key functionalities like copying an image or editing an image unless you give them full unrestricted access to your entire photo library. (The holy grail of surveillance capitalism data). Data extortion masquerading as a service.
Similar situation with WhatsApp on Android: you can't share images or videos without giving the app full access to your entire filesystem. You also can't video or voice call without giving the app full phone permissions.
Other apps happily let you do all of those things. You can just Share an image from some other app. But nope, WhatsApp just refuses.
WhatsApp is awful with permissions. I couldn't find a way to use it without giving it access to all my contacts. I installed it on the work profile and uninstalled it as soon as I didn't need it anymore.
In many countries around the world it's the only way people communicate. If I want to keep in contact with my family (and I do), I have no choice but to use it.
I've tried to get them on Telegram or Signal, no luck.
If they won't convert to signal then oh well.
People got along fine before what's app. Just don't use it.
making me repeat myself... grumble...
If I want to keep in contact with my family (and I do), I have no choice but to use it.
You have a choice. You don't have to use it. People managed for thousands of years, you can too.
Have some principles. If they can't or won't change, don't make it your problem.
They will come around if and when you take it seriously. Or they won't, and then well, fuck em.
I have family around the world. Some said they can't change, that's on them. Others did and that's fine. But nobody is going to if you cave and enable them to just keep doing it.
I'm sorry that your relationship with your family is so unimportant to you that you think it's better to cut them off entirely from your life than to use something you dislike.
Its fine. In sorry you are so unimportant to your family that they don't care about anything but themselves.
In the end though, there are lots of ways to communicate, and making a stand for something causes change.
Being unable to change from a data harvesting societal ill is troubling.