Replying to Avatar Final

Reflecting on this, likely given the poster, bait tweet, but a good discussion to be had:

You should be free and able to use what you want. What's not valuable to somebody may be valuable to somebody else. I'm a complete nobody with a normal life and I use GrapheneOS, Monero, I2P, LUKS etc. like this picture says.

However, there is a different conversation to be had that you could use this same image with. Many people treat software choices like a subculture purity test. Software choice is treated like Console Wars or sports teams.

There are certain groups of people who use things simply to be performative rather than just being honest that it is a preference. It serves no relevance in their threat model to use what they have to (counterargument: threat model doesn't need to be your sole reasoning to use something anyway). Some like to believe you need to be part of a certain group and you need to follow the rest of the trends of that group to fit in. Used Linux? Now you got to use Firefox.

It's fine to say GrapheneOS is superior to something (we say that a lot). What is not fine is believing you are a superior person for using it, same with any other software. Classical FSF bros, Reddit users, and performative activists stink up discussions like skunks with this attitude. Every major project has this problem.

If I had to TLDR this, then: Don't be sheep. Use everything in your preference, not to just reflect looking like others. You shouldn't see all these and be like "I want to use all of this!!", because really, you likely do not.

I can't disagree with either of OP's points 😂

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I'm neutral on it. I wouldn't say his anecdote is made up. Most people are using GrapheneOS just for simple reasons like more security.

I do know people in NGOs relying on GrapheneOS for their operations because they've told us though. Edward Snowden (who I would say is both *less* and *more* targeted than people think) also admits he uses it every day.

I wouldn't be shocked if employees of major cyber operations agencies is using GrapheneOS on their personal devices too. We aren't exactly unknown.