When I announced I would be closing my communities earlier this year, a curious thing happened: a surprising number of regulars replied with some variation of “I think this is my exit.” While some were specifically talking about Matrix, claiming that mine was the only room they were really active in and therefore they saw no point to having a Matrix account anymore, at least one specifically announced they would be quitting privacy entirely, save for a few basic techniques like using a password manager and being mindful of what to post online. While I didn’t expect the number of people responding that way, I was expecting that response from one or two people. If you check any given privacy forum – especially the ones with a heavy overlap of mainstream users such as Reddit – you’ll find no shortage of people asking “is all this work worth it?” and/or announcing that they’re giving up privacy because it’s too much work. So what gives? Is privacy worth the work?
I love my private lifestyle. I feel like I actually control my own life, that I’m not being held at gunpoint or dependent or actively surveiled 24/7 by 100 different soulless corps. it feels so peaceful. The parts I cannot control, like cellular, I always treat like an open public square.
So yes, when you just get into a routine, instead of making everything into a fucking war, it’s quite nice. people who say it’s exhausting try to do too much at once or just let fear rule them. Privacy, especially technologically, has honestly never been easier than it is now.