In any given field nowadays, we need internet-connected devices to do our work. In this day and age of mobile access in our pockets, we still do much of this work on laptops and desktops. For the vast majority of us, these will be Macintosh or Windows PC’s. For years, our relationships with our computers have been a transaction of some relatively small concessions for general functionality, freedom and privacy. It used to be that between a solid local file system, a desktop email client, a hosted website, a browser, and a handful of connected but ultimately optional services, you could accomplish basically everything from basic desktop publishing to a full digital enterprise – but now the arrangement we have with our PC’s is up to constant debate, a sea of sands shifting as quickly as the endless barrage of new End-User License Agreements we’re forced to sign. Sadly to say, if these virtual monopolies ultimately have their way, this digital ecological landscape will only continue to degenerate. My brother, who got me interested in computers originally as a creative medium, used to say “when the going gets weird, the weird become professionals.” In these strange and uncertain technology times, those of us with uniquely helpful alternative knowledge need to help those who are still attached to the old paradigm to also adapt and survive.

With the rise of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and cloud computing, the virtual scene has changed to one where subscription fees hold the key to our everyday functionality, and data constantly flies through the servers of at least one of the “big three” – Microsoft, Apple, or Google. (Westrick 2016) Our PC’s are a constantly-shifting bloat of automatic updates, cloud syncing, and official spyware. In the old days, you could politely refuse the official online account integration on the typical Windows installation. The links to do this progressively got smaller and harder to find with each iteration of the platform, but now you literally don’t even have the option. On Windows 11 setup – if your PC hasn’t been left in the dust by Microsoft’s proprietary arrangements with the CPU manufacturers, and you can install it (yes, the days of backwards compatibility are officially over as of this edition) – you must literally hack the software through the command console in order to stop your precious data from being connected to the central server at all times. Unless you do this, the second you begin to use your new computer, your data is automatically stored in a connected OneDrive folder which, after a certain size – you guessed it – is subjected to a monthly fee. This configuration is possible for the average user to change, but it’s difficult, and most people aren’t even aware it’s a problem.

And if you think Apple is innocent, you’d be wrong – they are up to the same games as well. Their embedded iCloud software, built into all their devices, has recently come under fire for allowing AI to scan your pictures for potentially illegal content without your consent. This is currently being sold as life-saving software to stop human trafficking and child pornography – important goals – but similarly-emotionally-triggering use cases are almost always offered at first when a potentially channel of power abuse is announced, and seldom is the use of these features limited to that particular application for long. (Whittaker 2021) It’s only a matter of time before this software is used by bad-faith actors such as authoritarian governments to digitally stamp out dissent before it can even materialize. This system also has similarly-draconian inroads to a pay-as-you-go file hosting system which eventually demands that you, the free citizen who paid possibly thousands for the very hardware you’re using, to be able to move and store your own data. The ramifications here are clear – we must resist the cloud, and other big tech services, if we want our data (and the lives it catalogs) to stay free and protected.

Add to this draconian software backdrop the new reality of chip shortages, inflation, and the effective end of silicon doubling, and you have a situation where the dominant tech companies that control the market are releasing machines that are less powerful for price and more bogged-down from the get-go than ever before. Have you noticed that the prices of average laptops have gone up, while the average quick memory (RAM) available in these units has gone down? Have you noticed how quickly the newer computers get slower, as they accumulate updates and data you never agreed to – as they sync that data across massive, invisible, unaccountable networks?

If you feel like the slowly-boiling frog that just woke up to find themselves in a pan of hot water, you’re not alone, and there are many ways we can fight this technological totalitarian tiptoe:

– Explore Open-Source Alternative Operating Systems – Linux is much more robust and user-friendly than ever before, with an abundant library of apps and drivers. There are countless ‘distributions’ of the OS for every use case you can imagine, but my own flavor of choice and the one I think fits the greatest need out there is Mint (available for free at https://linuxmint.com). Please reach out to me over email if you are interested in installing or trying out Linux – you can even try it from a thumb drive to see if you like it before installing it on your computer’s hard drive. Because Linux typically has less of the junk and more of the functional software you really need – and all of it completely free, to boot – it’s generally much faster and lighter to run, giving older machines a new life. Of course, if you’ve made sure your hardware and use cases will be fully supported and you’re ready to make the switch and reformat your computer’s hard drive to Linux, make sure to back up all your passwords and important files first.

– Control Your Own Files and Back Up Locally – We have gotten complacent as computer users, and we’re all guilty – even me. It’s easy to ‘set it and forget it’ and let big tech monopolies shunt our files and data around seamlessly. One of the advantages of these services is automatic online backup. To get out of depending on these services, set up local internal and/or external automatic backups to physical drives. Your backup drive should be equal to the sum of all your other drives. There should be at least two physical copies of all your important files at all times. Some systems have the ability to store staggered backups by age, so you can go back in time to restore older file versions if you made a mistake or deleted something along the line. Reach out to me directly if you need any support with this.

– Clear Out Your Bloatware, Disable Syncing and Spying – Go through your apps even on a new machine and uninstall as much preinstalled software as you can get away with. Disable automatic spying and syncing features wherever you can find them. Meticulously track the options on every single software install, especially the ones from the big three, for secret “riders” that can compromise your integrity, and – even when you think you’ve done everything right – look back through your installed applications to make sure nothing unwelcome made it through. Following this super-cautious “less is more” approach to software can make even aging computers seem brand new, and if you stay consistent, they will continue to function that way.

– Upgrade and Repair Where Possible – New hardware inevitably comes with new software, and new software has more of the junk in it. We’ve been sold a false bill of goods where it comes to buying new technology – not only has Moore’s Law failed and the rate of silicon chip advancement drastically slowed (Krewell 2015), making the constant replacement of technology unnecessary, but also, older more established devices are more field-tested. The used or refurbished laptop you buy from a few years back that’s still running is much less likely to be a lemon, and much more likely to have a solid track record, as well as parts and support available for it. Also, the incremental creep of ever-more-complex updates on your systems and applications steadily require more RAM than they once did even a handful of years ago. Do a search of your computer’s make and model number + “memory upgrade” to see how much RAM it can fit – and how much the upgrade will cost. Chances are, it’s well worth the price tag compared to that of a new computer. Also, Linux is more likely to work on older PC’s because open-source developers have had more time to make drivers for it! One of the most powerful hardware upgrades for an older desktop PC is to add a dedicated internal graphics card – this takes pressure off the computer’s other hardware for graphics processing, freeing more system resources to tasks. This also opens new computing avenues to you, such as using high-end simulations, or being able to quickly process video edits.

These and other solutions are all available to you, so you can cut the digital cord with the big tech monopolies completely, or at least get some measure of control back on these platforms. Don’t listen to the big box store salespeople who tell you this or that model is the bee’s knees, or the coercive persuasions of OS updates that promise you sweet thoughtless synchronicity as long as you just trust your memories and freedoms into their hands. When they tell you, again and again, that you’re unsafe without them, remember that you never really needed them in the first place, and they know it – which is why they set up so many seditious mechanisms to get you enrolled in their services from the get-go. They know that it will be harder for you to quit, and much easier for you to pay the monthly storage fee, once you’re all set up and syncing on easy street. Once you have explored some of these other options, however, you can start to reclaim your literal power, and secure your online future in a more regenerative way.

References:

Westrick, Tom. July 5, 2016. Decentralize Today. Apple vs. Google vs. Microsoft: which company handles your data better? https://medium.com/decentralize-today/apple-vs-google-vs-microsoft-which-company-handles-your-data-better-a7022bd452b1

Whittaker, Zack. August 5, 2021. TechCrunch. Apple confirms it will begin scanning iCloud Photos for child abuse images. https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/05/apple-icloud-photos-scanning/

Krewell, Kevin. July 30, 2015. Forbes. The slowing of Moore’s Law and its impact. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tiriasresearch/2015/07/30/the-slowing-of-moores-law-and-its-impact/?sh=1f4dfc661ac6

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