Call it BRAVE...or call it creepy

Quite a few people think our devices can listen to our conversations. You can find loads of articles that cover it true or false. Of course it has something to do with the informed consent and the rights that you give to certain apps. But it doubts me sometimes. And might it just be listening through your microphone or is it also spying through your camera. Should we be afraid when we watch certain websites? The main browser that I just surprised me several times this year, but yesterday...

What a Brave dog...

The browser that raises your eyebrows
I've been using different brands of smartphones and laptops and also used most browsers. My personal experience, most of the devices become pretty slow within a year and most browsers are browsing slow. Yes, I like speed and quick reaction. Although I do slow down myself these days. With smartphones my favorite brand was probably LG, but they stopped making smartphones. For laptops I have to say the MacBook Pro is still up to speed after 7 years and a screen replacement. 2 years ago my Hive-buddy @vincentnijman conVINCEd me to use Brave as a browser. After adjusting all the settings it was quite a good browser. Quick and no more annoying pop-ups and ads all the time. Recently it shows some changes. It blocks more pages, no matter what I change. Certain pages don't open at all. Several links are blocked. And it turns pretty slow from time to time. It actually starts to behave like the internet banking of the Dutch bank with a similar logo: ING. A bank that has serious errors from time to time and internet banking can not be used and the app is down. Unfortunately it's not only seen at centralized banks, several crypto exchanges have the same issue (but that's another topic).

One of the similarities between ING and BRAVE

But recently Brave is becoming a bit too close to my conversations and even further. I used to see landscapes and stuff when I opened the browser. Only now it shows me from time to time stuff that I discussed the past 24 hours. You might think it's that so called confirmation bias. Recently while I was busy at my MacBook, IO had a chat with someone about LHBTQIA+2sS, the next time I openen up my browser I had all kinds of backgrounds about Queer and that kind of stuff. Strange, and didn't pay too much attention to it. 2 days ago I had a chat about ugly annoying dogs and I am working behind my laptop with my new glasses with a classic look. Guess what?! This alien-look-a-like-white-puppy-trying-to-look-cute is now the thing that pops up when I open up my browser. Wearing classic-style glasses and having a cup of coffee next to it (like I had). That's not conformation bias, that's fucking creepy!

I tried to look just as weird as the AI-dog

Secure or not
Is it all the extra safety stuff that slows things down? 2FA, VPN etc. It's ridiculous these days, even logging into your e-mail or shop online. I get through it with a bit more effort, although my older mom doesn't. If you already have an account full off your details and a password, why is it mandatory these days to have an extra security check and receive an extra code on your phone, do a stupid puzzle 8 times and tick that you are not a robot. What's next, a scan of ur anus?! I've seen exchanges with the craziest KYC process. ByBit for example, after all checks and documents they even want to have a video call. Well, I am out. I've had issues with companies that said I was not honest about my address, because they could see in my IP-address I was not close to my official residential address. WTF?! Conspiracy theory my ass, we are living is a state of control. And still the majority is not knowing what is coming with the CBDC. Being not part of the 'system' anymore, makes me feel more free and not being a 'work slave'. You need to be BRAVE sometimes to continue. I want to keep control of my life and decide my level of security. The same with my devices and the companies that keep some of my assets.

Easy navigation
The other reason why modern devices and algorithms seem to know exactly what you're doing. Location sharing permission. Google Location Tracking is off and still you receive messages on your device "How was this garage?" Huh?! It was only in my Outlook agenda and that one was set to private. How do they know. Ah fuck, Insta has permission to see where a photo was taken exactly. I know, it's nice when you travel a lot and when you search back in hundreds of pictures...you know where that beautiful spot was. You like to share it with other travellers and friends (or just look back at it yourself). But you share a lot more than you think. Easy to locate you, when you need help some might say. The only time I needed to know exactly where I was (and I needed help), when I called the Yellow Angels (how they nicknamed them in Germany) for roadside assistance. And they didn't really help me out that time 😂 I don't like to be tracked and followed all the time, I am not a penguin and also not a sheep. My Insta is private, because I don't need to sell anything. I will go through the settings of my devices again, to stop the constant spam.

Stop complaining you old fart
I seem to complain a lot about modern technology right? With this navigation thing I also think back to the 90's when we went out for partying. Start up a huge computer with the oldschool modem. Search Yahoo for the route. Go to the Dutch Yellow Angels website, print 20 pages (single sided print) and give it to the navigator in the car. Well, this turned out fun when hardly anyone in the car was even sober enough to read. Getting lost was hilarious these days, I miss it sometimes. Roadtrips with huge folded maps, traveling abroad with just a Lonely Planet. Technology has its advantages, but we get lazy and dumb.

While writing something about an ugly coffee drinking AI-created dog, I feel like going into a long post about modern security and technology. Let's give it a rest and relax. The sun is shining in my face after a few days of grey rainy darkness, I am out. This time I am outside, ciao!