Modern Data Ownership: Local
kennebel
Overview
A guide to this segment of the series:
- Your Home Computers
- Browser
- Multimedia (music, movies, TV shows)
- Your devices (TV, fridge, other smart devices)
- Home Automation
I’ll present each section with a description of a part of your digital life (you may or may not have thought about), and then a solution that I have explored myself.
My Home Setup
I have a couple of laptops, some TV streaming devices, and a refurbished corporate desktop computer that functions as my home server. (the desktop-turned-server is in no way exposed to the internet, I am not a cybersecurity expert and am not going to risk exposing my private network like that)
Your Home Computers
Starting at the beginning, if you still have a laptop or desktop computer, is the operating system that you use to access everything. I have very little experience with Apple computers, and can only speak to Windows and Linux.
Starting with Windows 10, they ramped up the data being captured, and the advertising intrusion compared with previous versions. Windows 11 puts all previous efforts to shame. Advertising is being done in the start menu and elsewhere, there are regular articles about how to turn off the data being captured and sent back to Microsoft, and the latest nail in this data privacy coffin are the AI training and agent.
The most recent AI additions to the operating system are so dangerous, that for now they are not turned on by default and they come with warnings about how they can be used to upload all of your data to hackers, install viruses, and there is no way for Microsoft to protect against it. (but they still deployed the feature to millions of computers…)
Link to article: https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows-11/microsoft-warns-security-risks-agentic-os-windows-11-xpia-malware
THe solution, Linux, requires being willing to learn new computer skills and new ways of using your computer to take control of your privacy. There are many user friendly versions of Linux, and installation is usually just a few technical steps, and surprisingly little time. Installing Windows 11 on one of my laptops took me several hours even though I’ve done it many times before. Installing a Linux operating system was under 20 minutes on the exact same computer.
Don’t be worried if changing the operating system is a step too far beyond your comfort zone, it is not for everyone. Most, if not all, of the relevant open source options discussed in this series can be achieved on Windows (and probably Mac). There are many articles online about locking down Windows as much as you are allowed to. Most people do not want to change how they use a computer, for example, even switching between the maor players of Windows and Mac. You just have to be aware of the privacy trade offs involved and staying vigilant with whatever option you choose.
Browser / Search
One of, if not the most, used application for people is a browser. Unfortunately, the people that make browsers know this, and are continuously adding in tracking features. Some browsers give you settings to control the tracking and AI features, but usually only after the community calls them out. Then you have to remember to go in each time there is an update to verify the settings stay the way you want.
Here is a brief list of browsers that put privacy first:
- Vivaldi – A lot of features, based on the same technology as Chrome and Edge, which makes it very compatible with most of the internet
- Waterfox – This uses the same underlying technology as Firefox, but has a focus on privacy
- DuckDuckGo – This is only available for Windows and Mac, no Linux unfortunately, made by the same people as the DuckDuckGo search engine
Searching is another important item to watch out for. The activity can be tracked, reported to authorities, and sold all without your knowledge, permission, or any compensation back to you.
Here are a few search engines you can try out that do not track your search activity. (you can change your browser default search engine in the settings):
Multimedia
Most people, including myself, switched to streaming services over physical media over the years. The convenience, the large selections, the ease of switching between movies/shows, the platforms remember where you left off, and many other features.
Disclaimer: Please be sure to follow the local laws where you are regarding copying discs.
A number of challenges have arisen with streaming platforms:
- Limited catalogs depending on your interests (have to subscribe to several for a complete list of items you want to watch)
- Platforms take shows offline, or only put shows up during certain times of year
- Watching history is tracked (and probably not kept to themselves)
Enter an open source project I found that gives you a streaming platform like interface that you can host yourself: Jellyfin
- The catalog of movies/shows is exactly what you want (based on your disc collection)
- You control if something leaves
- What you watch is not tracked by anyone (except yourself)
There is some set up work that you need to do of course, but being in control of your own media is great.
- You need to have somewhere to host the Jellyfin software, a computer with a lot of available hard drive space
- You will need a disc drive, something that can play DVD and Blu-Ray if you have both types of discs
- You will need to install some software to “rip” (copy) from the disc to the computer:
- You will need your physical discs
- Thrift stores can be good for picking up inexpensive movies and shows. One thrift store near me has a tiny handful of options. Another has many ahelves of discs, quite a variety.
As you convert your discs to digital format, and rename/relocate the files according to the Jellyfin requirements, you will start to build your very own streaming platform in your home. The interface should feel very comfortable for anyone that has used the major streaming platforms.
Jellyfin is capable of hosting movies, TV shows, music, and eBooks. There are native client programs for Linux, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Roku, Chromecast, and others. AppleTV doesn’t have a native client oddly, but there is a commercial/paid tool called Infuse that can run on AppleTV and connect to Jellyfin.
Disclaimer: Please be sure to follow your local laws regarding copying discs.
Your Devices
Many devices are starting to demand wifi access after you open the box. WHile I cannot advise on individual products, I would urge caution on connecting anything to the internet that you don’t absolutely need to. Carefully weigh the benefits they claim you will get, with the knowledge that the device will report data back to the manufacturer.
The devices will want updates over time. Many of them will even have time delay updates. TVs have been known to operate one way for 90-ish days (past a return date), then run updates and the user interface becomes more hostile to use (ads and so forth).
Devices with microphones or cameras send data back to the manufacturer. A popular doll with a micrphone and “speak back” features was discovered to be saving recordings of children on a central set of servers. A robot vacuum with a camera for obstacle avoidance, was saving photos of people’s houses and sending the information back to the manufacturer, as well as a certain car company that has a car with cameras all around was sending images of garages back.
Home Automation
Several months ago, i received a notice that the smart outlets and switches i was using around the house were going to be discontinued because the manufacturer got bored of running the servers they set up to handle the automation schedules. That meant every single one was about to become e-waste, and i’d have to go without or buy a whole new manufacturer (and possibly face the same situation again later).
Fortunately, after some digging around, i discovered an open source project called: Home Assistant
Once I installed this on my home server and completed the set up, it immediately found my smart switches and outlets. It also found some other devices on my network and provided automatic control options for them.Then it was just a matter of recreating my automation schedules, and all of my switches were working normally again.
An amazing side effect that I hadn’t considered before I transitioned to my local server… The old software connected to the manufacturer’s servers, most likely hosted in a data center thousands of miles away on the internet somewhere. THe new software is inside of my house on the same wifi network. Before, when i would tap the button to manually turn a switch on or off, there would be a few seconds delay (sometimes making me think it didn’t work, so i’d tap again right as it switched, so I’d have to hit it a third time). Now the result is nearly instant, much better experience! (I wish i had found and switched a long time ago)
Navigation Links
First overview article can be found: here
Next article about online items will be found: <here eventually>
Final summary article will be found: <here eventually>
