I like Techlore (https://www.techlore.tech/videos 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 sponsor. 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.
Oh I didn't know that. Privacy-wise, Discord is... suboptimal to say the least.
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
privacytools.io doesn't even list NordVPN as an ad anymore...
Is there another trustworthy site which compares different platforms?
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
I'm not sure, maybe they thought it'll be more visible for the website followers..
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.
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
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.
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 )
I used to watch Techlore too, but the final nail in the coffin for me was saying he was using stock Android
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
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.
Enshittification can apply to content creators too it seems. Sad, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't see it coming.
that has been the case for a long time. there was a time here he was recommending google services, saying apple services are private, etc.
Privacy guides and intel techniques ebooks are my main 2. Techlore is just an extra info for me.
I really would like to start a YouTube channel to get free stuff but I dont want to put my face on YouTube.
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.
