3 ms·

Does anyone else think it's crazy that in order to participate in modern life you have to have an account with one of two massive American companies - Google or

• theamk 4y ago
  No, because this is simply not true. I am not sure what "participate in modern life" means for you, but I have no personal Apple devices, so no Apple account for me; and I use Fastmail as my primary email. Granted, there are some groups which use Google Docs or such to coordinate, so I still have to have a Google account, but this is somewhat optional. And Google Play is pretty nice if you have a cellphone -- but on the older Android tablets I keep them account-less and use F-droid/random APKs from the web instead. A much concerning thing IMHO is a Facebook requirement -- I am missing a number of events when I tell people I don't use Facebook. Hopefully it will change one day, but I am not holding my breath. (And re the original article, you only need Google/Apple account if you want to use cloud sync. I am not quite sure how the system will work, but I suspect that with Android, you might either have alternative clouds (like Samsung's cloud), or may be able to use your own service, or sync via wired cable to PC)
  • uuee 4y ago
    >I am not sure what "participate in modern life" means for you... Probably things like needing a (google/apple) smartphone for mandated vaccine passports / coming digital ID's, digital currency etc.