Potentially turning a negative of Google's tightening restrictions into a positave
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Hi
I keep reading the myth that nowadays you need a smartphone.
Let's be honest, if everyone stopped using these services and instead did everything at the counter or in the store, then neither the tech giants nor the authorities would have so much power.
Incidentally, the authorities seem to fear the people more than the tech giants, which is really worrying.
Greetings
Mario -
@Mario.CH said in Potentially turning a negative of Google's tightening restrictions into a positave:
Let's be honest, if everyone stopped using these services and instead did everything at the counter or in the store, then neither the tech giants nor the authorities would have so much power.
How do you do your banking at the counter if your bank has no physical locations?
Is currently using an Op5t
Also owns an Op1, a BQ E4.5 and an Xperia X, as well as a BQ tablet and a Pinetab2. Please, someone... make it stop. -
Well I'm very sorry that you seem doomed in sweeden.
Honestly in France you can still live without a smartphone.
I would say the main limitation is Whatsapp (and possibly Signal and Telegram) which is more and more used in social groups. You could still use it on a computer, but you would miss infos while you're on the go. Apart from groups usually people would accept to communicate with you in one-to-one by SMS if you prefer so.
The second limitation is whenever you buy a ticket (train, concert, event), then you get a PDF with a Qr-Code. If you don't have a smartphone to display the pdf you have to print it every time which is annoying.
Also nowadays you're kind of expected to be able to navigate fast to any physical address, and not having a GPS app could be problematic in some situations, especially if you are in a city that you don't know perfectly, and you would need to organize yourself in advance.
But apart for those 3 annoyances, it remains perfectly feasible to not have a smartphone (only a dumbphone), all vital services (like state services, shopping and banking) will offer you options.
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Hi @Moem,
Is that how it is in your country? Not even a post office bank?
So before the age of the internet, home computers, and smartphones,
there were (I think in every country) banks with counters, but people started to get lazy, going to the bank is like that, isn't it?
Here in Switzerland, you still have the option of going to the counter.And thanks to our political system, we will also resist such changes.
We must not allow cash to be abolished, because when paper money was introduced, our ancestors did not abolish gold. Both existed side by side in order to stabilize the currency.Greetings
Marioš± Oneplus Nord N100 UT20.04 (OTA9); then Xperia X (since 2020) at last UT 20.04(OTA9), now out of service due to defective camera
š When you realize you are riding a dead horse, get off!
My languages skill: šØšš¦š¹ š©šŖ, and only orally: š¬š§ š¹š -
@Mario.CH said in Potentially turning a negative of Google's tightening restrictions into a positave:
Here in Switzerland, you still have the option of going to the counter.
I seem to remember that the Swiss central bank had toyed with the idea of using free (not as in beer!) money.
Wait, it seems to have actually happened already:https://news.itsfoss.com/gnu-taler-swiss-operations/
Possibly this kind of system could be used to minimize risks involved in using such a vulnerable device as a phone (while being also privacy friendly of course). Wish my country could be so forward thinking.
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hi @gpatel-fr,
My main concern is that we ordinary people should get more involved instead of just consuming.
Keyword:
Democracy => Get informed and use your own voice (not the opinion of a relative, colleague, acquaintance, and for heaven's sake, not your boss) and take to the streets if it is necessary.Market economy => Get informed and act immediately (change providers, shops, telecom's, and of course banks and insurance companies, etc.).
Greetings
Mario -
@Mario.CH said in Potentially turning a negative of Google's tightening restrictions into a positave:
Is that how it is in your country? Not even a post office bank?
Yes, it's true that some of our banks do not have physical locations at all anymore.
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@Moem
ATM's, online, telephone, post? There are fewer and fewer banks in UK towns, but that doesn't mean you have to have a smartphone for banking. I guess we use plastic cards a lot more nowadays, but I don't feel any problem in not being able to run banking apps on my phone -
@ancientsounds said in Potentially turning a negative of Google's tightening restrictions into a positave:
I don't feel any problem in not being able to run banking apps on my phone
Neither do I. I do my banking at home, on my laptop.
But then I use a bank that still allows customers to not use the app! Those are getting scarce here. -
@Moem The banks in the UK are really pushing you to use their app. For example if you log in on a browser, it will push you to authenticate with your app on your phone or tablet. The banks have close the vast majority of counters and now run a service (no cash withdrawals) where a van goes from community to community on set days for all banks to cater for those who don't online bank. Likewise if you do need a big cash withdrawal (i.e over 1000 euros) then they question you like you are a naughty child. (Think of Greta Thunberg saying "how dare you withdraw your own money, how dare you!).
Then to work you now have to have an authenticator app and I have to have the M$ authenticator, no choice. If I don't have it I cannot get into works systems!
The UK is really going to rack and ruin......
