this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2024
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Privacy
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Ok, let me just cut off my entire family and friend circle out of my life just to stick it to some corpo that doesn't even care about me. I sure showed 'em!
I mean god forbid using regular text and phone with them is out of the question.
It is for most scenarios in my life. And in many peoples' lives I will wager.
For the people that are abroad I'd have to pay to call/text them each time, and I can't even send them pictures/videos in a convenient way (no, convincing everyone to use signal just to talk to me is not happening)
And when my family/friends share photos/videos of important events in their lives that I care about I'd just have to accept I'll be the only one missing out and be that awkward guy at family gatherings that's all out of the loop.
And when my family is organizing events I would be the only one left out and have to convince someone to text/call me because I don't want to be in the chat, being an inconvenience to everyone and also losing much of my input.
And I'm not even gonna mention how most workplaces and business expect you to be on WhatsApp.
And what would I get in return for being off WhatsApp? Nothing, that's what. I'd just be seen as the weirdo that never wants to interact with anyone online.
Do I like meta? No. But avoiding everything they touch is not worth being a nuisance to everyone else around me. I've just learned to suck it up like most people do. It's not ideal but it's absolutely unrealistic to expect most people to get off whatsapp/messenger when everyone has been on it for like a decade now. It's unfortunate but it is what it is.
That's rich as you posted this in a privacy sub... lol
It is unfortunate that in my country, you pretty much have to use WhatsApp as it's so common there.
While friends and family points are valid....
What sort of clown job requires you to use whatsapps lol
Are they supplying you with a device when they "require" this?
Almost all jobs in which you have to interact with people, so most of them. I work in an office and i need it to communicate with clients, with my boss or coworkers, or with a government agency. You have to understand that WhatsApp is ubiquitous outside of the US. Here we never got free SMS, so WhatsApp became the default way of texting. Even people on iphones use WhatsApp here
If it is required for a job, then why is the job not providing it
Because not everywhere works exactly like the US? Besides the point, if you work at a McDonald's, they are not going to give you a phone so you can text your manager. If you don't have a means of communication you are not getting the job.
SMS is less secure and arguably less private.
And RCS on top of not being available in a lot of places, is a closed standard, no matter how Google tries to spin it.
No it's not. Get the spec here: https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/technologies/networks/rcs/universal-profile/#download
Okay, and now find a messaging app that supports RCS that isn't Google or Samsung messages.
Being stuck to 2 apps, one of which is OEM exclusive sure defeats the point, now doesn't it?
Here's a demo one that works on rooted Android: https://github.com/Hirohumi/RustyRcs/
(Also iOS 18+ Messages lol)
It's not RCS's fault Google locks down the API on their OS.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/ios-18-beta-delivers-rcs-messaging-heres-how-to-enable-it/
No it's not. Get the standard here: https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/technologies/networks/rcs/universal-profile/
Signal.
Signal...what? The Android version hasn't supported SMS for 2 years at this point.
The only SMS I've gotten in the last 5 years are the double authentication ones. WhatsApp is the default way of texting in many countries. Outside of the US, when you ask people to stop using WhatsApp, chances are you are asking them to give up texting entirely. Which you must realize is complicated to say the least