User empowerment – Purism https://puri.sm/ High-quality computers that protect your freedom and privacy Wed, 01 Oct 2025 18:29:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.28 https://puri.sm/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/cropped-purism-logo-rectangle-1-32x32.png User empowerment – Purism https://puri.sm/ 32 32 Apple’s Latest iPhone: Sleeker Walls, Same Garden https://puri.sm/posts/apples-latest-iphone-sleeker-walls-same-garden/ Wed, 10 Sep 2025 17:43:14 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=84301 Yesterday, Apple unveiled the latest iPhone lineup adding an iPhone Air — described by them as their thinnest, lightest yet. The headlines were predictable fanfare while missing the larger points.

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]]> The Quiet Revolution: GNU/Linux Crosses 6% Desktop Market Share—And It’s Just the Beginning https://puri.sm/posts/the-quiet-revolution-gnu-linux-crosses-6-desktop-market-share-and-its-just-the-beginning/ Fri, 29 Aug 2025 01:21:31 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=84000 For decades, the phrase “Year of the Linux Desktop” has been tossed around like a tech industry punchline. But now, it’s no longer a meme—it’s a movement. According to the U.S. government’s own analytics, GNU/Linux has officially crossed the 6% threshold in desktop usage. That’s not hype. That’s hard data.

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]]> Instagram’s Mapping Feature: A Privacy Wake-Up Call https://puri.sm/posts/instagrams-mapping-feature-a-privacy-wake-up-call/ Wed, 13 Aug 2025 01:38:59 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=84003 Instagram’s latest update introduces a mapping feature that quietly turns your location into a public breadcrumb trail. While it may seem like a harmless way to tag your favorite coffee shop or scenic overlook, the reality is more insidious: this feature keeps your location sharing always-on by default. That means every time you post, you’re potentially broadcasting your whereabouts—not just to friends, but to advertisers, data brokers, and anyone else watching. It’s a textbook example of how convenience is weaponized against privacy.

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]]> Fairness Isn’t Just a Feature—It’s the Future https://puri.sm/posts/fairness-isnt-just-a-feature-its-the-future/ Wed, 06 Aug 2025 14:48:03 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=83942 The European Union is making bold moves to reshape the digital landscape—and if you're a consumer, developer, or platform operator, you’ll want to pay attention. Two major regulatory shifts are now underway: the proposed Digital Fairness Act and the activation of key provisions in the EU AI Act. Together, they signal a new era of transparency, accountability, and ethical design in the digital economy.

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]]> AI and Data Privacy Under Scrutiny https://puri.sm/posts/ai-and-data-privacy-under-scrutiny/ Wed, 06 Aug 2025 14:33:24 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=83938 The promise of AI is seductive: instant answers, personalized insights, and a frictionless interface with the digital world. But beneath the surface of convenience lies a growing privacy crisis—one that’s now impossible to ignore.

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]]> AI Puts Your Personal Privacy at Risk https://puri.sm/posts/ai-puts-your-personal-privacy-at-risk/ Wed, 30 Jul 2025 16:44:20 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=83733 The proliferation of AI models across consumer platforms has ushered in a new era of convenience—but it’s also accelerated the erosion of personal privacy.
Large language models (LLMs) are trained on staggering volumes of data, including publicly available content and, in some cases, personally identifiable information (PII). That means sensitive metadata—everything from search history and location trails to voice recordings and biometric markers—can be folded into systems that behave like omniscient assistants, but without full user transparency or consent. In the monolithic culture of big tech, “innovation” often comes at the cost of ethical boundaries.

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]]> Privacy on Trial: Meta’s DOJ Battle vs. Purism’s User-Centric Philosophy https://puri.sm/posts/privacy-on-trial-metas-doj-battle-vs-purisms-user-centric-philosophy/ Tue, 29 Apr 2025 20:12:46 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=83000 The Department of Justice's (DOJ) current lawsuit against Meta spotlights a crucial discourse in the tech world, highlighting the fundamental right to privacy in the digital age.

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]]> Freedom of Choice vs. Oppression of Big Tech https://puri.sm/posts/freedom-of-choice-vs-oppression-of-big-tech/ Wed, 06 Nov 2024 17:13:31 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=82572 The modern smartphone landscape is dominated by a handful of technology giants, whose influence extends far beyond their own ecosystems. Unlike in the heyday of the PC revolution where multiple companies fought tooth and nail for market share by differentiating on feature functionality as well as price – offering a plethora of alternatives – today’s smartphone landscape is dominated by two main players: Apple’s IOS and Google’s Android.

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]]> Purism Puts You in Control of Your Smartphone! https://puri.sm/posts/controlling-you-by-smartphone-is-a-reality-but-not-with-purism/ Tue, 05 Dec 2023 15:31:58 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=80936 There is a good reason why Purism does not require PureOS end users to click “I Agree” to accept intrusive terms of use that give up all control to either Google (for Android) or Apple (for iOS). When you buy a smartphone manufactured by Purism, such as the Liberty Phone (with Made in USA Electronics) […]

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]]> 3D Print a Modular Librem 11 Back Cover https://puri.sm/posts/3d-print-a-modular-librem-11-back-cover/ Tue, 05 Dec 2023 14:59:34 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=80832 Take Control Purism makes products that put you, the customer, in control. Generally, Librem devices are easy to disassemble for access to their internals. For the Librem 11, our focus in the first iteration is on the interior components rather than the chassis itself, which means it has an adhesive back. If you or a […]

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]]> PureOS 10.3 Power Optimization https://puri.sm/posts/pureos-10-3-power-optimization/ Mon, 12 Jun 2023 16:51:02 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=79637 With PureOS 10.3, power saving and new goodies is the name of the game. Most companies abandon hardware soon after launch, but we have a different approach with the Librem 5.  With every upgrade to PureOS we push on the Librem 5, the more the device can do and the more efficient it gets. One […]

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]]> Is Advanced AI A Reason To Decouple From The Centralized Internet? https://puri.sm/posts/is-advanced-ai-a-reason-to-decouple-from-the-centralized-internet/ Tue, 16 May 2023 19:20:27 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=79270 With the recent advancements and proliferation of AI (such as ChatGPT and other probabilistic algorithms), it may be time for individuals, companies and governments to consider exiting the centralized internet. There is high concern over security, privacy, and safety threats exposed by artificial intelligence pioneers and industry voices who have recently come forward including Alphabet’s […]

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]]> Purism Offers Secure Private Voice & Data Services For Smartphone Owners https://puri.sm/posts/purism-offers-secure-private-voice-data-services-for-smartphone-owners/ Wed, 10 May 2023 17:23:02 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=79236 Purism is excited to announce that anyone who owns a qualified smartphone can port their voice and data services, including their existing phone number, to Purism by purchasing the Librem AweSIM, a VPN for cellular like service. Unlike AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, MetroPCS and Cricket, Purism’s Librem AweSIM does not support unified customer identifiers based on customer […]

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]]> Expand the Librem 5 Hardware with The Breakout Board https://puri.sm/posts/expand-the-librem-5-hardware-with-the-breakout-board/ Mon, 06 Feb 2023 18:05:47 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=77031 The breakout board for the Librem 5 is a great way for hardware hackers to add functionality to your phone. When attached, you’ll have nicely exposed programmable pins. This allows you to use I2C, serial, and many digital sensors, much like you would on a single-board microcomputer. With this setup, you can add ambient temperature, […]

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]]> The Danger of Focusing on Specs https://puri.sm/posts/the-danger-of-focusing-on-specs/ Tue, 31 Jan 2023 20:39:11 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=76952 Many years ago I was a sysadmin for a medium-sized tech company, and a fringe benefit of that role was getting first choice at stacks of “obsolete” computers that were about to be thrown away. They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and that is even truer when the first man ran […]

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]]> Swinging Back to Open Standards https://puri.sm/posts/swinging-back-to-open-standards/ Thu, 17 Nov 2022 17:01:18 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=76401 History is a series of pendulum swings between opposite extremes. A generation moves in a certain direction, and the next generation reacts based on the consequences (often rejecting it). Eventually a new generation appears that never directly experienced the consequences and lessons from the previous generations, who then moves back toward that direction and the […]

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]]> Google Ads, Apple Ads, while Purism Adds https://puri.sm/posts/google-ads-apple-ads-while-purism-adds/ Thu, 18 Aug 2022 16:12:00 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=75724 Google has long abused digital rights through its tracking, privacy invasion, and ads business. Apple—while inaccurately claiming they care about privacy—has seen significant growth in its own ads business. Most recently this was highlighted how Apple utilizes anti-competitive language to promote their own ads business over third parties. Apple uses a loophole in the ATT […]

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]]> Privacy in Depth https://puri.sm/posts/privacy-in-depth/ Thu, 14 Jul 2022 15:52:51 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=75493 In the security world there is a concept called “Defense in Depth” that refers to setting up layers of defense so that if an attacker bypasses one layer there are other layers they must contend with. In physical security this might take the form of a lock on the outside door of an office building, […]

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]]> Free Software Support Is Critical to Its Success https://puri.sm/posts/free-software-support-is-critical-to-its-success/ Tue, 17 May 2022 18:37:49 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=73053 I’ve been in many “Linux on the Desktop” debates over the years and my stance today is largely the same as two decades ago: if you want free software to succeed, it must be pre-installed on hardware where all hardware features work, with a hardware vendor that supports it. It doesn’t matter nearly as much […]

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]]> Why I Support Purism, A Tech Company that Respects Digital Rights https://puri.sm/posts/why-i-support-purism-a-tech-company-that-respects-digital-rights/ Wed, 04 May 2022 17:54:46 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=74913 I started working with personal computers over 40 years ago, back when an IBM desktop computer with 64KB of RAM and two 360KB floppy disks cost almost CAD$10,000. I bought the first Macintosh computer sold in Canada from the Hudson’s Bay Company in Montreal. I bought the first iPhone in Buffalo on the day the […]

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]]> Privacy Washing: Do As I Say, Not As I Do https://puri.sm/posts/privacy-washing-do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do/ Fri, 29 Apr 2022 15:16:18 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=74866 People care about their privacy. Some have doubted this in the past, pointing to the amount of personal information people willingly shared, often in exchange for free software or services. Yet I’ve long thought that many people simply were not aware of the privacy implications of sharing their data and how it could be misused […]

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]]> Security Self-Sufficiency https://puri.sm/posts/security-self-sufficiency/ Wed, 23 Mar 2022 17:29:09 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=74446 “Put all your eggs in one basket and then watch that basket.” — Andrew Carnegie Many people take Carnegie’s advice to heart when it comes to security. They anchor almost all of their security with a single vendor, and the vendor is more than happy to oblige. Most infosec vendors seem incapable of designing security […]

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]]> Shields Up: Flexible Security for Changing Threats https://puri.sm/posts/shields-up-flexible-security-for-changing-threats/ Mon, 28 Feb 2022 22:35:29 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=74187 People often ask me for security advice, but before I can offer any recommendations usually I need to ask people specific questions about themselves to understand the threats they face. That’s because the security measures you take depend on your threats, and because everyone faces different threats, there are few one-size-fits all recommendations. When I […]

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]]> About Face: IRS Backtracks on Biometrics After Backlash https://puri.sm/posts/about-face-irs-backtracks-on-biometrics-after-backlash/ Tue, 08 Feb 2022 00:30:46 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=74014 Recently the IRS announced a new facial recognition system that would require customers upload videos of themselves to access certain IRS services. Over the past couple weeks the system has faced backlash online, bi-partisan backlash in Congress, and a lot of media attention, and this week the IRS announced they were transitioning away from the […]

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]]> You Should Be In Control of Your Tech https://puri.sm/posts/you-should-be-in-control-of-your-tech/ Sat, 29 Jan 2022 00:57:35 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=73943 How much of the technology that you own is actually under your control? So much of the technology available for consumers today intentionally puts all control into the hands of the vendors, not the customer. What happens when vendors have control? They make technology decisions that run counter to the customer’s wishes, because the customer […]

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]]> To Byzantium and Beyond https://puri.sm/posts/to-byzantium-and-beyond/ Mon, 24 Jan 2022 17:59:57 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=73762 PureOS has had some major changes in 2021 PureOS 10, codename: Byzantium, is the new stable release of PureOS. PureOS 10 is likely not a newcomer to everyone, it’s been around for a while as a rolling release or a “testing” release. It has been shipping on Purism’s new hardware. We’ve moved our kernel forward. […]

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]]> The Beat of a Different DRM https://puri.sm/posts/the-beat-of-a-different-drm/ Sat, 15 Jan 2022 02:40:10 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=73683 Canon made big news this past week when it started telling customers how to defeat the Digital Rights Management (DRM) in its toner cartridges because of supply chain issues with the chips they normally use to enforce it. That Canon explained how to bypass the DRM when it suited them, and that it didn’t negatively […]

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]]> Beyond Right to Repair https://puri.sm/posts/beyond-right-to-repair/ Mon, 01 Nov 2021 20:31:26 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=73010 Pick a random consumer device lying around your house and imagine someone coming across it after 70 years of neglect. Part of the device no longer works. Would they be able to fix it? Today, devices are designed to be cheap, short-lived and disposable. The assumption is that if something you buy breaks, the only […]

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]]> Locked In Your Home https://puri.sm/posts/locked-in-your-home/ Fri, 01 Oct 2021 16:26:57 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=72927 What brand is your home? Do you live in a Google, Apple, or Amazon house? Because in a modern “smart home” you may choose only one, and that choice locks you into dependence on only that vendor and its approved partners for any future appliances and home gadgets. Your “AI” voice assistant may talk to […]

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]]> Microsoft Ruined Passwords, Now Aims for a Passwordless Future https://puri.sm/posts/microsoft-ruined-passwords-now-aims-for-a-passwordless-future/ Mon, 20 Sep 2021 18:21:29 +0000 https://puri.sm/?p=72836 There’s no shortage of security people who will tell you that passwords are broken. It’s also not a coincidence how many of them sell products to supplement or replace passwords. Microsoft just announced that the passwordless future is here. In their announcement they make it clear that passwords are broken, and they should know–they broke […]

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