Facebook Domination vs. Self-Determination

We're months removed from the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the public outrage of #DeleteFacebook, and new information continues to surface about Facebook's sloppy handling of data and hunger for surveillance. Last month, we learned about an Orwellian patent that might allow Facebook to track you via mobile microphone. Though some have cast doubt on the reports, mobile spyware like the now-infamous Alphonso do track mobile devices via sound emitted by TVs.

Yale Privacy Lab has been warning about proximity tracking via mobile sensors and microphones, and Exodus Privacy's excellent scanner will help you find nasty trackers that utilize similar spy methods. The only way to really dodge Facebook's lidless eye, however, is jumping ship from the social network to a privacy-respecting replacement.

There is no shortage of alternatives, but you won't find surveillance sanctuary in Facebook-owned Instagram or ad-powered, centralized networks like Nextdoor. Instead, you'll have to jump into the "Fediverse", a constellation of Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) replacements.

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