this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2023

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I hate how everything requires you to download a shitty proprietary data harvesting app nowadays when everything can be done just fine without an app. (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by MagneticFusion@lemm.ee to c/technology@lemmy.world

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I have recently started a new position and am required to use an app that has three Facebook trackers, one of them being a Facebook location tracker according to Exodus App Privacy in order to get your food when it would literally work perfectly fine ordering to a real cashier or shit even a website rather than having to download an app.

I have also read many stories of people that live in apartments that require them to use a mobile app for god damn LAUNDRY. All you need, is a card reader, and it will work perfectly fine like it has been for the longest time.

Privacy concerns aside, it is just annoying that you need this app and that app and this app and that app and it just clutters space on your phone. Security concerns too as now they have all of this additional info on you online, such as your phone number your email your real name, instead of just your credit card info like a card reader would have. And I am willing to guarantee that their security model is absolute horseshit because they have such a small team of engineers working on the app and the servers.

Literal enshitification

Magne

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[–] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 43 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Funny you mention enshittification, I just watched a talk from Cory Doctorow who coined that term and he pointed out the reason for insisting on an app is that it means you can’t block ads without violating the DMCA. Browsers can have adblocker extensions, apps cannot (unless you hack them.)

[–] flumph@programming.dev 33 points 1 year ago (4 children)

it means you can’t block ads without violating the DMCA. Browsers can have adblocker extensions, apps cannot (unless you hack them.)

I imagine this is just going to lead to more people using DNS ad blockers. My phone literally can't access your ad server, sorry.

[–] DAMunzy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Private DNS FTW!

dns.adguard.com

On Android:

Swipe down and select settings (the gear)
Search for: DNS
Select Private DNS.
Select Private DNS again.
Select Private DNS provider hostname.
Enter: dns.adguard.com
Select Save
Enjoy most ads being blocked in apps.
Might work poorly on public wifi (Walmart wifi for example doesn't work with a private DNS set).

On Apple:

Fuck if I know.

[–] Borkingheck@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Everytime I use this my WiFi stops working on my mobile.

[–] flumph@programming.dev 2 points 1 year ago

Have you tried other private DNS servers? Curious if your Internet provider is blocking specific servers or DNS over HTTPS.

[–] Pretzilla@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

For me it works 95%, then throws that error randomly.

[–] DAMunzy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 year ago

Not sure why that would be. 🤷

[–] TruTollTroll@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Same here... I had to go turn it off... why is that...

[–] Pretzilla@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I heard there are security concerns with this as adguard cannot be fully trusted. Anyone got the scoop?

Ed: as in didn't adguard get bought by some questionable company?

[–] DAMunzy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 year ago

Your traffic is going through them instead of your ISPs DNS. Which do you trust more?

[–] ThisIsAManWhoKnowsHowToGling@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago

You are doing the lord's work

[–] treefrog@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago

Thanks!

[–] MyNameIsIgglePiggle@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 year ago

As an app developer some people just get hard for an app and don't know why they would want one.

It's rarely some big plan just an ego thing

[–] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Unless someone makes a router that does that in firmware, there’s a lot of people who won’t bother.

[–] SmashingSquid@notyour.rodeo 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Eero does but you have to pay a subscription fee and it’s an Amazon product.

[–] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 year ago

So, blocks all ads but Amazon ads?

[–] flumph@programming.dev 1 points 1 year ago

Honestly, the thing keeping me from rolling it out to my family is that it isn't easy to override when you do want to see a site. Folks understand turning off uBlock Origin (or clicking proceed). I've only used Pi-Hole and NextDNS, but they really need a browser extension that will provide a better error message and an option to allow with a DNS cache clear.

[–] Serinus@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

If DNS ad blockers get popular enough, there are easy enough workarounds. The workarounds have tradeoffs such as security or stability, but they'll serve the ads for at least the current year.

[–] Pretzilla@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

This one? It came up as the next post on sync:

https://lemmy.ml/post/5431352

[–] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 year ago

That’s the one!

[–] _number8_@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

oh noo not the dmca. i love following the dmca with all my heart

[–] YurkshireLad@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

That’s why I use the browser for pretty much everything.