February 1 was global switch day. Did you?

steven 4 February 2025

Note: This post was originally posted to the previous version of this blog, which hard URL cards. I don't think Drupal does, so I just inserted the links into the post. If I find cards in the future I may edit this post again to make it more visually pleasing.

Yeah, I'm a little late. February 1 was global switch day, a day dedicated to switching away from big tech platforms and moving to more privacy-friendly platforms.

https://networkcultures.org/geert/2025/01/30/join-global-switch-day-on-february-1st-2025/

This is a big year for US citizens, and it's more important than ever that we protect our data. I spent my weekend moving websites from a server hosted in a data center in the US to servers hosted in Germany. More on that soon.

People started flocking to Mastodon when Elon bought Twitter in 2022. And since Zuck made announcements to allow hate-speech on Meta platforms, more users have been closing their Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp accounts making the switch to Signal, Mastodon, Pixelfed, Loops, Ghost, PeerTube, and more.

https://nypost.com/2025/01/07/business/metas-mark-zuckerberg-wears-rare-900k-swiss-watch-to-announce-new-meta-policy-report/

I've been on the fediverse for some time, both hosting my own accounts but also being part of the DMV.community (DC, Maryland, Virginia) Mastodon server.

https://dmv.community/explore

There are plenty of other special interest servers, including those dedicated to careers, fandoms, and hobbies.

https://joinmastodon.org/servers?ref=stevenbrady.com

Linux_is_best on Misskey.de: Anyone who goes through my post history, knows I work for Meta (Facebook). I am "Consumer Content Administrative Manager". My primary duties include content appeals, account appeals, account reviews, and some peer review. It is no surprise that my job depends on people using Facebook. Today, I am going to suggest, you not do so. I can make that suggestion because we have a user base of billions, and I know most people would keep using Facebook even if the Devil ran the company. People are strange. But if you feel you can truly live without Facebook, do so. Internally, things are changing, and not for the better. You should especially consider leaving Meta if you are a minority, woman, LGBTQ+, trans, or identify as progressive, politically. If facts matter to you, and misinformation is something you do not want to be subject toward, you should especially consider leaving, Facebook. You have no privacy from Meta, while using Meta. None. I do not care if you believe you disabled a "feature" or "opt out" of something. You only seem to have done so. And even if you're going to continue to use Meta, uninstall the app (all of them). We collect data on you, even when you're not using the app. #Meta #Facebook #Instagram #WhatsApp #Threads

The above post originated here, on a Misskey instance, another software powering the fediverse.

It really might be time to think about what you share and where you share it. Maybe uninstall some apps. Move some of your personal data away from the big clouds and put your files and communications somewhere more private. Change isn't easy, but it'll be worth it.

And whether your recently joined the fediverse and Signal, or have been here a while, feel free to connect.

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