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+#import "/global/common.typ": *
+
+#let doc = [
+My reasons for self-hosting.
+
+= Digital freedom/independence
+
+#fig("self-host/freedom.jpg", alt: "Freedom pic")
+
+To put it simply, if you use a service such as Lastpass, iCloud, Dropbox,
+GDrive, OneDrive, etc. to store your data, *you do not own it*.
+
+You are _trusting_ corp. X to store it, secure it, and make it available to
+you. Beyond the obvious privacy pitfalls with this, there are many other things
+that could go wrong with your data being stored this way:
+
+- Corp. X could vanish/close/"declare bankruptcy" (as with many crypto corps.
+  lately), and you lose your data.
+- Corp. X could make a policy change and lock you out from accessing your
+  account.
+- Or you could "forget" to pay the bills a few times and get locked out.
+- Corp. X could get hacked, and your data gets stolen. This is the latest
+  trend!
+- Many other doomsday scenarios.
+
+Personally, I don't feel comfortable depending on the existence of corp. X
+_for data that is important to me_ i.e. a lifetime's worth of documents,
+memories, and passwords etc. I sleep much better at night knowing I am avoiding
+most if not all of the risks above.
+
+= Privacy <privacy>
+
+Normies often ask me some variation of:
+
+- Why do I care if corp. X has my data? I have nothing to hide!
+- Since I'm aware of targeted advertising, it won't work on me, so why should
+  I care if corp. X has my data?
+
+#fig("self-host/why.jpg", alt: "my pic", width: "75%")
+
+To such questions, I follow-up with:
+
+#quote(block: true)[*Do you want to contribute to a dystopian
+    (#extlink("https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orwellian")[Orwellian]) future?*]
+
+#fig("self-host/police.jpg", alt: "thought police", width: "75%")
+
+If your answer is _yes_, then no need to read further, the following will not
+change your mind.
+
+If your answer is _no_, but you aren't convinced that/how these are related,
+then the _argument goes something like this..._
+
+- We live in a world of mass data-collection/surveillance.
+- This enables corp. X to use techniques such as ML (Machine Learning) to
+  build/train models (or "AI" - Artificial Intelligence) that aim to predict
+  human behaviour.
+- That by itself is not a problem here.
+- The problems arise when corp. X use these techniques for profit without
+  regard for the harm they cause at a _population level_.
+
+I have unfortunately lived through enough of these cases to be able to cite a
+few recent examples:
+
+- Instagram (etc.) designs its apps/products optimizing for maximum addiction
+  (see
+  #extlink("https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/dopamine-smartphones-battle-time/")[Smartphones
+    and dopamine]). Think slot-machines. You might think you are "too smart"
+  to fall for these tricks, and you might be right, but what about the millions
+  of adolescents using these platforms who aren't as wise as you? The data
+  collected, and techniques developed from _your usage_ enables platforms to
+  target not only you, but _all_ users on the platform, including the most
+  vulnerable.
+
+  Unfortunately, many of these kids will end up suffering from mental-health,
+  body-image, self-esteem issues (see
+  #extlink("https://onlinedegrees.unr.edu/online-master-of-public-health/impact-of-social-media-on-youth-mental-health/")[Mental
+    health and social media]), and for some it *will be fatal*. I do not
+  think this is morally acceptable, and is primary reason I refuse to
+  participate in social-media platforms.
+
+  #fig("self-host/6imv05.jpg", alt: "Depression")
+
+You could say "well that's due to bad parenting", but the point remains that
+more and more of the digital world is having _real world_ negative consequences
+regardless of your individual participation level. Another example:
+
+- By now its well known that Facebook's (etc.) targeted advertising played a
+  significant a role in the 2016 US Elections (see
+  #extlink("https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/11/16761016/former-facebook-exec-ripping-apart-society")[Excerpt
+    from Facebook ex-exec]). Facebook was able to do this thanks to its users
+  voluntarily giving personal information for two decades. However, the
+  policies that come out of this election has real world consequences to
+  millions (if not billions) of people, regardless of their _individual_
+  Facebook usage, which undermines the very purpose of a democratic republic.
+  Regardless of your political affiliation, it should worry you that this
+  _can_ happen.
+
+  #fig("self-host/elections.jpg", alt: "Elections")
+
+To summarize, it might not be a problem if individuals disregard their privacy
+at the individual level, but in aggregate, a _population-wide_ disregard has
+dystopian consequences.
+
+So the question you have to ask yourself is:
+
+#quote(block: true)[*What can I do?*]
+
+Start by *valuing your privacy*. Then, follow some of these tips to _say no..._
+
+- *Limit your exposure to these services.* If a friend stops talking to you
+  because of this, then congratulations, you've just gotten rid of a fake
+  friend. You're welcome.
+- #extlink("https://wiki.r-selfhosted.com/getting-started/what-is-self-hosting/")[Self-host]
+  as much as you can. You can see how I
+  #extlink("https://gitlab.com/kdam0/vps")[implement] this and replicate it
+  yourself, though it is a bit involved for normies.
+- If neither of the above work for you, then you'll need to do some research to
+  find an alternative source that you can trust isn't doing the same thing. Use
+  #extlink("https://github.com/awesome-selfhosted/awesome-selfhosted")[this]
+  as a starting point and try to search (Ctrl+f) for your service. For eg.
+  Twitter, and Instagram both have popular options available.
+- *Stop using Chrome.* If you must use it, use
+  #extlink("https://brave.com/")[Brave] instead. I advocate for
+  #extlink("https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/?redirect_source=firefox-com")[Firefox].
+  Neither are perfect, but both offer privacy respecting options in their
+  settings. Specifically disabling cross-site tracking is important. Beyond
+  that, install an ad-blocker extension such as
+  #extlink("https://ublockorigin.com/")[UBlock Origin] on both of them. Don't
+  forget to do the same on your mobile device!
+- Things get more complicated on cell-phones. I suggest switching to a privacy
+  respecting operating-system such as
+  #extlink("https://grapheneos.org/")[GrapheneOS]. Short of this, you can only
+  limit your usage.
+- Support government policies that respect user-privacy.
+
+#fig("self-host/office.png", alt: "office pic", width: "75%")
+]