Public Enemy Exposed

Consumer infringements, dark patterns, roadhogs and other nasty stuff in Africa.

Public Key

npub1d242amth5rk5sjcq460dpnaa36flpptdrfxm6ch9wdq4qtj8pu2q28j7ed

NIP-05 Address

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsx424wa4m6pm2gfvq2a8kse77caylss4k35ndavtjhxs2s9ers79qpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsekmavf

Publishing to

relay.snort.social

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1d242amth5rk5sjcq460dpnaa36flpptdrfxm6ch9wdq4qtj8pu2q28j7ed

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Last Notes

2026-03-15 06:36:02 UTC

@npub1854…hexw
Just wondering why there is no way to stop downloading maps on Linux.
Erroneously double-clicked the top most 'countries' and now I need to download, what 90GB maps, only to delete them again. 🤦
Or is the cancel button hidden somewhere?
#CoMaps

2026-02-28 08:18:11 UTC

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I can read, just assuming that nearly all foodstuff in the US is contaminated with GM, hormones, antibiotics, birdflu etc. and who knows where your Raspberries originated - you did not mention that. Got to be careful you don't get a copyright or trademark infringement lawsuit, these days.
That's why a lot of US foodstuff is largely banned in EU and other parts of the world.
Oh and there's a lot of GM fruit in circulation worldwide - not sure about .../2
@npub1ekj…wjxt

2026-02-28 02:26:19 UTC

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perhaps a hardened GM variety, that is adapted to your conditions?

2025-10-16 03:23:31 UTC

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I largely agree with your thread and points made, however it's not a good thing at all that it is by
G👀gle and I hope Apple never adopts it.
Anything G👀gle is evil and designed to collect even more data. As we have seen of late, that data is used for war, training their AI and other nefarious projects.
This is something that needs to be out of the hands of the private sector and just like physical ID, issued by the relevant authorities.
@npub1ply…q6e0

2025-09-27 23:45:45 UTC

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I’m curious to know who you communicate with when no one, and I mean even much fewer people than those who use Signal or Threema or Briar or SimpleX, use XMPP. I had an account for a while, but no one to use it with. What really got me is that media and attachments aren’t encrypted, at least on the community servers I came across.
I don’t use WhatsApp or any of the big social networks and am a big user/supporter of FOSS, but XMPP is REALLY niche.

2025-08-03 11:40:33 UTC

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don't forget #SodaStream.
Although you cannot compare the quality, I deliberately purchased Aarke instead of a SodaStream.

2024-12-28 09:44:00 UTC

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our community municipal service-delivery-group rules 👇👇🤣@npub16z2…mqty
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/729/799/211/763/730/original/8a60ab5f3d3cb0bf.png

2024-12-20 18:30:05 UTC

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each token is allocated to a specific meter, why don't they fo after the culprits and shut down their connections? @npub1tdp…hx5s

2024-12-14 18:56:38 UTC

🙏more possible relief to stay sane. https://mybroadband.co.za/news/cellular/575722-r1-million-warning-for-spam-callers.html #SouthAfrica #ConsumerRights

2024-12-11 21:35:08 UTC

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I'd be careful with drinking harvested rainwater https://www.nature.com/articles/s41545-019-0030-5 @npub1f3r…vgjc

2024-12-07 22:07:07 UTC

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gees, you better be wide awake with that one. Did you hover over the link and check the headers? Strangely at the correct time too - insider job or is their call-center compromised as is happening in the US?

2024-12-06 14:23:18 UTC

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would be amazing if someone would write a FOSS App - just wondering if it may eventually become susceptible to spyware, especially to state actors, if on the same device?

2024-12-06 12:04:44 UTC

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iMazing is a desktop App for Mac & Windows. Kaspersky has also developed a FOSS solution, which is on Github - but that is then more complicated.

2024-12-05 21:43:51 UTC

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my issue with that App is that it sends the Data to iVerify, who I don't trust - their Terms are a nightmare and the CEO's CV makes me uncomfortable. If you use iMazing, it's done locally.

2024-12-05 12:18:08 UTC

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Kieswetter se Push! It's an audacity to say the least - they can threaten, set deadlines and do whatever they please, when you don't comply. But what about them - we need laws to defend ourselves against SARS, against their incompetence to provide taxpayers with a decent service, we paid for with our tax money and which we need to comply in the first place.

2024-12-02 12:25:35 UTC

anyone else feeling it? That's in the shade!
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/583/214/826/299/347/original/bf7bb0f91f335123.png

2024-11-23 00:42:50 UTC

Bouncer: SMS Filter for iOS. Unlike other SMS filtering apps, Bouncer does not share, upload, or send any of your personal information or SMS messages to a remote server. All filtering processes occur locally on your phone, ensuring data privacy and security. #Bouncer #iOS #OSS #OpenSource #SMS #Spam #Filter https://github.com/afterxleep/Bouncer/blob/main/README.md#bouncer-sms-filter-for-ios
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/529/506/047/077/973/original/ea5c85b18e1f5027.png

2024-11-20 12:12:24 UTC

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I would certainly not replace a real tree in an urban setting for something like that - more if you have a farm with open space. Shade is far too precious these days.

2024-11-14 15:17:18 UTC

Very impressed and very surprised, one of my service providers sent me a spreadsheet in '.ods' today. 👏👏. #SouthAfrica #LibreOffice #OpenOffice #Collabora #OpenSource #FOSS

2024-11-09 17:30:23 UTC

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I tried AirMobile and the service in general is good. MTN's network however does not work where I live - 1 bar only + they don't have WiFi-calling for iPhones. I lodged a complaint and MTN replied that there is no problem with their network and aerials 🤦. I only do Prepaid, as I don't want to fall victim to any network-scams, like you mentioned. Most calls are anyway VoIP these days and I just bought a recurring, monthly internet bundle.

2024-11-09 17:03:07 UTC

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possibly, but the shop was branded as Vodacom - not one of the other two franchises I am aware of: Vodacom-Chatz nor Vodacom-4U.

2024-11-09 03:16:51 UTC

So I walk into a Vodacom Shop in an upmarket mall and this woman tells me that my eSim, which I bought two days previously for a sim-swop, is only valid for 24 hrs and that she cannot assist with a sim-swop in-store - that I need to call customer care. I walk into another Vodacom Shop and the process is done in under 4 minutes. The incompetence and laziness, impacting and inconveniencing customers, is beyond incredible. #Vodacom #SouthAfrica #Vodafone #Consumer

2024-11-09 03:02:11 UTC

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good thing - I read about some Apps that grab all the data to profile users and sell it. What is beyond me though, is why anyone needs an App for that in the first place and why would anyone want to record that data.

2024-10-23 15:48:32 UTC

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also check out Portmaster. https://safing.io/

2024-10-22 18:32:37 UTC

This is great news 🤣 #SocialMedia https://therecord.media/lawmakers-ask-doj-to-prosecute-tax-prep-firms-sharing-data-meta-google

2024-10-22 18:05:32 UTC

🤦 is there no Sales Tax or VAT on #SmartPhones in the #US? I don't think that the 15% VAT in SA can be taken to account for part of the price difference. #iPhone #Consumer #Prices #SouthAfrica https://mybroadband.co.za/news/smartphones/566120-south-africans-pay-r6700-more-for-iphones-than-in-the-united-states.html

2024-10-22 07:13:50 UTC

#corruption #SouthAfrica https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadcasting/566187-ramaphosa-greenlights-sabc-eskom-probe.html

2024-10-18 20:17:53 UTC

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is that a stock OpenWRT Firmware, or did they doctor it like GL-iNet does?

2024-10-10 12:50:44 UTC

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I'm speculating, as they did not mention which service they use and I wrote 'if'. And if it is G**gle Analytics/Firebase, it's highly invasive, including my IP address being transmitted to G**gle for other malicious activities. The best to have Apps that do not collect any data or it is disabled by default. Besides, I am giving them constructive criticism, how they can improve. .../2

2024-10-10 12:02:03 UTC

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you could build a relationship with your users and ask them through surveys, social media or other means like Codeberg/Github to voluntarily comment on your App, instead of invasive user tracking and surveillance in the App. Or disable it by default and users can activate it, if they wish so. Especially so if you use the bad ones like G**gle 🤮. That's how other open-source projects like Nextcloud do it and it's a win-win @npub1t4g…z58f @npub142a…95sc

2024-10-10 11:05:55 UTC

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that's the Server, not the App. Only talking about the App here.

2024-10-10 10:19:54 UTC

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for me it's opposed to the stock Mastodon App, which does not collect anything 👇. All the other 3rd party Apps do collect or are shamelessly expensive - at least for us SA people. If they do use Firebase, G**gle Analytics etc., then one may as well use Threads 😉
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/282/614/725/582/551/original/3dcf69b202d3dd32.png

2024-10-10 06:51:33 UTC

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nice find. My only issue 👇👇👇
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/281/799/878/179/938/original/dad91f901e7edb76.png

2024-09-18 11:59:44 UTC

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you can have your own Nextcloud. Calendar via CaldDAV, Contacts via CardDAV and Cloud Storage via WebDAV. Works on iOS and all other platforms.

2024-09-17 11:48:14 UTC

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that I have not seen before - the only thing I have noticed that some Apps (very seldom) don't 'register' in iOS and you cannot change any settings. Same as happens in Linux sometimes, when you have to manually register an App - like Tor.

2024-09-16 23:16:13 UTC

The new UI in #iOS18 is just horrible - looks like the experienced staff with an eye for aesthetics have all left #Apple. Things are all over the place. 🤦🤬 Take the 'Settings Menu' - the indents are way too big and it feels like everything is meant to squeeze into a phone with a narrower screen. #iPhone
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/149/775/495/565/587/original/5df16560ec4f6409.png

2024-09-04 21:24:08 UTC

To verify your Email Address on the Home Affairs website just be patient please and stop clicking 'resend verification Email'. The Email and ALL of the ones you have 'resent' do arrive - about 12 hours later. 🫣 #SouthAfrica #HomeAffairs 'We're experiencing a high volume of Emails - you're number 105,000 in the queue. We're experiencing a high volume of Emails - you're number 104,999 in the queue...'
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/081/404/636/015/830/original/4b3095eb2e61fb82.png

2024-08-09 05:27:37 UTC

Is the Home Affairs 'dha.gov.za' site down too 🥹? I'm going on a Business Trip next week and just realised that my Passport has expired 🤦. How to get an Emergency Travel Document now is the million-rand question - has any Fedizen ever applied for one? Any advice, besides "renew your Passport on time"? https://techcentral.co.za/sita-upgrades-long-weekend-impact-govt/249382/ #SouthAfrica #HomeAffairs

2024-08-03 09:51:01 UTC

Braai Season has just opened. Smell the smell and infect your neighbour 😋 #Braai #BraaiSeason #SouthAfrica #BBQ
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/897/462/424/309/760/original/bbefb293ef4de1d1.png