Ah, see, ok, that makes sense. I forget most everyone else in the real world isn’t obsessed with ad-blocking like me. So, this one is Roku but I have others that are Fire TV and Android (all TCL). None are connected online, and honestly it’s creepy as FUCK that the fire TV has never been connected to the Internet, yet still somehow has its own ads for shows update every so often. IDK if they’re cross-communication like a mesh network of TVs so if one is offline it can still get some sort of content refresh, or what, but I don’t like that it knows to update/refresh with no network.

I honestly don’t mind TCL, they’ve really come a long way, especially for the price! I have the 2022 TCL 85R655 that was rated extremely well, and supported all the Series X features (ALLM, VRR, 4K/120, HDR10 +DV gaming, etc for $1800) and that only replaced my 2016 LG 65UH8500 because, well, way better specs (minus no 3D anymore lol).

I had an issue with the PCB 12 months into warranty (literal days left) and I got a full refund because they had already replaced that model with the next Gen and didn’t have the proper parts available or something to fix.

The picture quality, when calibrated, is pretty damn good despite not being OLED.

I’m not meaning nobody owns them, just a lot of the people I knew back in the day who were die-hard Sony fans, have moved on due to price or quality or both. My dad was one of them with a full high end Sony TV (36" CRT Trinitron series) and receiver, dual cassette deck, CD player, etc lol. Yes, this was the 90s, but still.

Makes sense, bc idk anybody with a Sony TV anymore. Even loyalist fans friends of mine from the CRT days switched.

They can afford it after all the price gouging

Aharr, ye be right!

Well crap my username announces my age, lol.

There, fixed it for you, lol

That’s hilarious. Definitely worked with a few like that!

I’ve been casually spending weeks deGoogling and deMSFTing my life. I say casually because I’m not rushing to wipe it all out. I’m also not super paranoid about fully self-hosting, I’m using what seems to be a mix of convenience plus privacy.

I deleted all social media a decade ago, I use a generic Google acct for my phone, I use Proton for email (generic as can be info) and a few other services for convenience without feeling like it’s selling/hoarding all my info. I’ve got all family using at least RCS if not Signal.

I also don’t use fingerprint, facial recognition, or any smart speakers with live mics. I have my home network pretty locked down, with most devices segregated that is anything “smart”.

I feel I’ve accomplished quite a bit having done this, but I know there’s so much more I’d like to clear. My biggest downfall is credit cards. Sucked into cash back and perks, but looking to move to prepaid/reloadable debit cards so that I can still buy online as guests with minimal info. I mean, they might have my physical address, but I don’t feel like paying for a PO Box at the moment. “Credit” is such a fucked system. I don’t care if I run my credit closing these accounts, maybe keeping 1 for emergencies. That’ll take time too.

I mean, technically they asked for a SPAM filter, but in reality, when they’re subscribed to emails and lists they’ve signed up for, they’re marketing emails. Spam would be unsolicited and usually come from their data being sold off. The very fact those notification emails or marketing have the "unsubscribe"button lowers their spam score so they hit the inbox.

So, Proton, for example, claims to not sell off or monetize your data based on strict privacy laws from Switzerland. You don’t have to believe their claims, fine. They’re derived from scientists though, not businessmen. Didn’t seem like they’re prioritizing big money. So keeping spam away, this is a good way to do it. Doesn’t mean all the other companies OP has subscription emails for hasn’t sold their info, so it won’t be a fix-all.

OP sounds like they need to go through their emails occasionally to just unsubscribe to help clean it up lol. Really, using rules to filter key phrases would be easiest. The reason the aliases are suggested to help, bc the emails you really want to prioritize from any friends, family, or services you want to focus on, use the primary address. All others, like shopping for insurance, retail accounts, etc, use a junk one so you’re not bombarded. You’ll get a ton of marketing regardless, so that’s a great way to cut out the “spam” notifications.

I would go one step further and give banks/credit cards their own alias too, to avoid reusing the same address to help cut back on data breach info. I exclusively have a login email address and an alias for everything else. That way no one will ever know my login address to get to my account, unless the hosting company themselves are breached.

Why would they be sus? They’re a Switzerland based company which means really good privacy laws in regards to keeping your data out of the wrong hands. They’re not going to monetize your emails or information, which is a big deal!

Incogni, you’re right, give us your data so we know what to scrub? No thanks lol. Feels like the wrong approach lol

Damn I’ll check that out

Yeah, same. I setup an Orbic with RayHunter exactly for this reason. I took that with me when I’ve gone by protests just to see if there’s one present. Then, if in the clear, shut down my personal devices and attended. I’m paranoid like that I guess…