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Maybe it's time for lots of little indie AIs to take over - Anil Dash
a day ago
- The article suggests that instead of a single dominant AI, many small, responsible indie AIs could be a better alternative.
- Big AI companies are criticized for corruption, conflicts of interest, and cultural pushback, leading to user guilt and resentment.
- Users often feel forced to use big AI despite disliking its harms, similar to social media usage.
- Small, community-driven AI tools are emerging as genuine alternatives that avoid the harms of big AI.
- The goal is to shift the narrative from avoiding bad AI to actively choosing good, small-scale AI.
Who Controls the Internet? And should they? - Bert Hubert's writings
a day ago
- Governments like China, Russia, the UK, and the US attempt to control the internet through censorship, legislation, or sanctions, but with varying effectiveness and often limited due process.
- Big tech companies (Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple) operate opaque 'kangaroo courts' that arbitrarily block content or services without transparent appeal processes, shifting control away from accountable institutions.
- Increased encryption and privacy measures make it harder for less sophisticated governments to control the internet, but also empower tech firms to hide their actions from users and regulators.
- The speaker warns that unaccountable mega firms are gaining more control over the internet, replacing democratic due process with arbitrary private decisions that can lock users out of essential services.
Digitale autonomie - Bert Hubert's writings
a day ago
- Digital autonomy in the Netherlands is eroding due to heavy reliance on American Big Tech, exemplified by government email migration to Microsoft and inability to adjust tax systems.
- Autonomy has three key aspects: agility (control over systems to make policy changes), confidentiality (secure communication without foreign surveillance), and resilience (ability to repair and maintain infrastructure locally).
- Citizens and politicians show little concern for privacy and autonomy, preferring convenience over control, which allows Big Tech to dominate.
- Current trends predict 98% of government email will be hosted by US corporations by 2026, with no alternative plan B in place.
- A proposed solution is a government-owned communication cloud (Rijkscommunicatie Cloud), built and run by Dutch civil servants, offering secure email, chat, and file sharing for public institutions.
- Investing in local expertise, open-source alternatives, and cultural support for smaller platforms is crucial to regain digital autonomy.
Open Source on its own is no alternative to Big Tech - Bert Hubert's writings
a day ago
- Open source alone is not a direct alternative to big tech; it's like comparing an oven to a restaurant.
- Big tech provides well-supported services, while open source software requires additional work and services to become usable.
- Failed experiments, such as the European Parliament's attempt with Nextcloud, highlight the need for proper support, training, and infrastructure.
- Successful open source adoption requires achievable scope, change management, training, abundant resources, and a skilled helpdesk.
- Open source can be cheaper than big tech, but it still demands comparable investment in services and support.
- Don't mistake free software for free services; users need mountains of services around the software.
Manifest Big Tech Alternatieven: Wat moet er beter - Bert Hubert's writings
a day ago
- User experience and ease of use are critical; open source or European origins do not earn leniency if the product is less polished than big tech alternatives.
- Offer services (SaaS) with full support, onboarding, and training, not just software that users must self-host.
- Avoid mimicking American big tech's privacy-invasive practices (tracking, cookies, shady conditions); build privacy-first solutions.
- Have real-world experience in the domain your software targets; understand existing workflows and pain points.
- Know the features of incumbent big tech solutions thoroughly before claiming to replace them; underpromise and overdeliver.
- Address necessary but unglamorous aspects: backups, archiving, compliance (e.g., ISO 27001), accessibility, and multilingual support.
- Ensure high quality, robust monitoring, security teams, and protection against account takeovers and DoS attacks.
- Invest in sales, marketing, and professional branding; make it easy for users to start with demos and frictionless sign-up.
- Collaborate across organizations, have a clear business model, and clarify ownership to prevent acquisition by big tech.
- Stay true to open values: data portability, inclusivity, and building on existing open source components.
De gietijzeren pan en big tech - Bert Hubert's writings
a day ago
- Cast iron pans last longer and avoid harmful PFAS chemicals found in non-stick pans, but require more care and maintenance.
- Despite superior cooking results and durability, non-stick pans dominate in the Netherlands due to habit, convenience, and resistance to change.
- People reject cast iron with excuses like heaviness or no dishwasher use, even after solving those issues—mirroring reluctance to switch from big tech.
- Both cast iron pans and open-source alternatives suffer from a monoculture where lack of exposure and fear of change prevent adoption.
- The author recommends specific cast iron pans and encourages trying alternatives with small effort for long-term benefits.
Do not invite big-tech to join your digital autonomy discussion - Bert Hubert's writings
a day ago
- US big tech companies (Microsoft, Google, Amazon) should not be invited to discussions on European digital autonomy because their interests conflict with reducing dependencies.
- Their representatives often repeat misleading talking points, such as claims that they can protect European data from US laws, despite counterexamples like Microsoft complying with US sanctions against the ICC.
- Including them wastes meeting time on debunking their narratives and creates a false impression of legitimacy through 'both-sidesing' the issue.
- Big tech's goal is to preserve their market share, so they cannot genuinely help Europe achieve sovereignty; their participation only raises doubts or offers pseudo-solutions.
- Analogous to excluding tobacco and alcohol companies from health discussions, big tech should be excluded from autonomy-focused events due to inherent conflicts of interest.
- Beware of European industry groups or think tanks that have been co-opted by big tech funding.
Pluralistic: Jailbreaking isn't theft (25 Jun 2026)
a day ago
- Jailbreaking an iPhone is not theft; it enables users to install software from alternative sources, which is a legitimate right for device owners.
- Canada's digital sovereignty is threatened by reliance on US tech services like Microsoft 365 and Apple, which Trump can terminate, paralyzing the country.
- Canadian law criminalizes jailbreaking, a holdover from trade agreements with the US that Trump has violated, costing Canada billions in potential revenue.
- Legalizing jailbreaking could allow Canadian businesses to compete with US tech giants, reducing 30% app store fees and boosting local economies.
- Apple's founders used illegal circumvention devices (Blue Boxes) to finance their company, yet Apple now uses similar laws to stifle competition.
- Canada should focus on becoming a 'disenshittification nation' by legalizing jailbreaking, not on building its own AI, to enhance resilience and profit.
Pluralistic: How US states and international trustbusters can beat Big Tech (07 Jul 2026)
a day ago
- International trustbusters and US state attorneys general can collaborate to fight Big Tech as Trump's administration merges with tech giants.
- Modern tech monopolies use the same anti-competitive playbook globally, making international cooperation more effective than during the Gilded Age.
- The Marshall Plan spread US antitrust laws worldwide, so many countries have similar statutes that can be jointly enforced against Big Tech.
- Trump's capture of federal enforcers leaves a void that state AGs can fill, using their power to enforce federal antitrust laws.
- State enforcers can partner with foreign regulators, leveraging ex-employee testimony and shared evidence to break Big Tech's power.
- Joint hearings that challenge Meta's gag orders on whistleblowers could be a key starting point for coordinated enforcement.

big tech

Maybe it's time for lots of little indie AIs to take over - Anil Dash

Who Controls the Internet? And should they? - Bert Hubert's writings

Digitale autonomie - Bert Hubert's writings

Open Source on its own is no alternative to Big Tech - Bert Hubert's writings

Manifest Big Tech Alternatieven: Wat moet er beter - Bert Hubert's writings

De gietijzeren pan en big tech - Bert Hubert's writings

Do not invite big-tech to join your digital autonomy discussion - Bert Hubert's writings

Pluralistic: Jailbreaking isn't theft (25 Jun 2026)

Pluralistic: How US states and international trustbusters can beat Big Tech (07 Jul 2026)