Folks, I have finally figured it out.
Have a baby.
Since having a baby a week ago, all of a sudden everyone is willing to install a decent messaging app in order to receive pics of the baby.
We explained that we weren’t ready for images of our child to end up in the wrong hands via non-private apps. Another thing was telling them that the one single friend who had already got on board with this had already been recieving pics…
It’s been a conversation starter for many and I think seeing privacy from the point of view of a newborn has helped our family and friends understand it a bit more easily. Plus they’ve had to put up with it if they want any photos, so they will see it working firsthand.
So, if you want to have a baby, know that it can be a wonderful opportunity to help loved ones communicate more privately.
It also increases the sum total of love, community and compassion in the world and in your own life but that’s a conversation for another community :)
Edit: If anyone has good tips on how to share a little one’s journey more privately with those that care about them, please post them in the discussion.
I have two kids. I asked people to use signal to send and receive the photos. Asking people to follow your requirements only works for the direct immediate communication. The photos of my kids were sent by the recipients I sent them to (over signal) to other members of the family, over gmail (unencrypted), WhatsApp, Instagram, etc. I learned that years after.
This was in direct violation of my express requests. When I confronted them, they played dumb.
So, not to be a buzzkill here OP, but if you did this to get more people to use your messenger of choice, good job, it worked. If you did this so the pics of your kids stayed on safe apps, don’t fool yourself. They didn’t.
That’s OK, I understand that unfortunately it’s only a matter of time until images of them end up somewhere I don’t want want them, either through ignorance or a difference in values. That’s the world we live in right now sadly. But hopefully I can delay and minimise it a bit, open a better channel of communication with a few friends and relatives and perhaps raise some awareness in the process.
I’m genuinely sorry to hear about your experience, especially with the pictures of them ending up on instagram. At least you were responsible as a parent and tried to do your best.
Its important to share and celebrate the birth of a child with your community. Yet another part of our lives that has been compromised by the degradation of our privacy unfortunately.
But hopefully I can delay and minimise it a bit, open a better channel of communication with a few friends and relatives and perhaps raise some awareness in the process.
Absolutely.
Yeah, my strategy is to not share pictures of my kids at all. I can hold my phone up in front of people’s face so they can look if they want, but that’s it.
My relatives hated this strategy, and I wasn’t the only one who suffered from it. They guilted me for it, but also guilted my parents and siblings. As if they are entitled to the details of my daughter.
People could handle (though they were vocally unhappy about it) is keeping the baby off Facebook. They could not handle me not sending pics on (Facebook) messenger, and they couldn’t handle me not telling me the birth weight.
Multiple boomers got very upset that I wanted to keep that information private.
Man that sounds really horrible. I’m sorry to hear your relatives were so unsupportive. I hope everyone gets along now.
My immediate family was all on board, so no big worries. It was the Grand parent level that thought I was being unreasonable with the privacy stuff. None of them ever be brought it up directly to me, just to my husband and my parents, so I could never really address it.
Could I simply purchase a baby?
Just be careful with the return policy, if your past the 60 day window it locks in a multi year contract.
Ugh, everything is a subscription service now. Even babies!
You might want to start with a lease, with the option to buy out, or trade-in, after the original terms are up.
Not sure, but I’m sure you could hire one on a barter basis. Offer to cook a few meals and change a few nappies.
I discovered that it doesn’t work if the baby’s other parent is an avid Facebook user.
Oh dear. I’m sensing a deep backstory here…
I sympathize with you, as this is where I’m at as well. I’ve lost that battle. Everything is Google, Snapchat, and Facebook.
Genius idea. Is there an app that reverses a vasectomy and twenty years of aging? But seriously, this idea has got legs, I love it. Congrats with your baby. Have you made a Facebook account for them yet?
Haha. Thanks :)
No, if they want a facebook account they will have to wait until they are 18!
I’m not arguing with your parenting style or saying you’re doing it wrong etc etc, I agree with it in theory but I’d like to share my younger sisters story.
My mum decided she couldn’t have social media until she was “old enough” to protect her, this however caused her to end up getting a secret phone and create secret social media accounts. This eventually led to her being cyber bullied by students at her school who’s parents were less cautious. But because she was doing all of this secretly as her mum had said no to social media, she didn’t feel like she could get the support she needed. Fortunately she had an older brother who could help her, but I couldn’t go to the school for her as I’m not her guardian.
I personally after this would lean into the world of not necessarily supervised social media usage, but educating and cautioning what it means to post on social media. How it will never go away and when it’s there, it’s there forever.
My sister fully understands this now and is doing alot better, but ultimately the damage is done.
I fully understand the point of view of no social media until 18, I just want you to be aware of potential consequences of being strict on it.
deleted by creator
I don’t think you can really control kids after 12-13. If they really want something or their friends are all doing something then they can figure it out at that age, whether it’s the internet or drugs or whatever
6402373705728000 is a lot
Based. This is something I may do down the road since it may be the only way I can get my friends and family on Signal.
I usually phrase it as “it’s one more app on your phone and it doesn’t ask you for anything, it’s really not that big of an ask”.
We explained that we weren’t ready for images of our child to end up in the wrong hands via non-private apps. Another thing was telling them that the one single friend who had already got on board with this had already been recieving pics…
This really is the best way. Once there’s a REASON for extra security, people understand and want to learn more. Once it’s installed, other day or day conversations can take place there
If you start off with low priority / day to day conversations, they aren’t as willing to put in the energy
This really is the best way. Once there’s a REASON for extra security, people understand and want to learn more.
No one cares. Nobody around you understands the security, the need for it, and the requirements. They will pretend, to see your kid. And then immediately and completely stop caring. It works for making people adopt your favourite messenger, yes. But nothing else.
No one cares. Nobody around you understands the security, the need for it, and the requirements.
Well, I disagree based on personal experiences. It doesn’t work for everyone, but I’m not trying to help everyone through this method
I too, like OP, thought I found the grail when I got my kids. People suddenly accepted using my communication preferences. Only to find years later that they didn’t. They didn’t care, understand, or respected my wishes. Don’t fool yourself: some people do care, but that is 10% tops.
Yes, this exactly what has happened with one of my friends - after installing Session for the pics he is now messaging me on the app about unrelated stuff instead of using SMS in whatever his preinstalled iOS app is. Win!
It’s what I did 5 years ago. All family and friends now on Signal.
Awesome, well done!
They also still use WhatsApp for their wider connections, but still, progress.
We created a WordPress (installed on our server) blog which requires logins we have to approve. We share this with family members, with an email notification to them when something new is posted. They can post comments to the site.
We really actually did this for ourselves, as a kind of family photo album/blog, and so would have it even if no one else was invited :-)
Awesome, I was thinking about doing this on my VPS!
We have been thinking about doing this as well. I am also tempted to try installing Pixelfed and see how that is
Interesting story. t y for sharing. And what did you push this crowd of people into ? :) Signal, Matrix, XMPP, Briar, Session ?
We got them using Session. My girlfriend and I currently use Jami for text/calls/files but I found that Session worked more reliably with my friend who uses an iphone, so we went with that. So far so good!
In case you don’t already know, to make voice calls with Session you have to enable it in the settings. I also recommend changing the theme from the stock ‘bio-hazard’ one!
I thought signal is better than session, they’re basically the same but signal has a larger userbase.
Signal feels like you’re still using a texting app. Session feels like a modern (post-2000) messenger.
Doesn’t seem like a big deal, but people react to it.
Yes I think Session is in fact based on Signal but it has implemented some other technologies like a distributed network, as opposed to Signal’s, which I believe is centralised. There’s also some blockchain stuff involved, which I normally find a turnoff but I’m not an expert. Rob Braxman has a good review of it on YouTube and Odysee.
Only the texting side of Session is decentralized. Everything else goes through Oxen’s servers.
Some people are actually interested in seeing pictures of someone else’s baby?
Everyone is being polite, while we are the only ones who are amazed by our newborns 😀
Nah they really like it, it’s making me feel like a weird uncaring sociopath that I’m just really not that interested in the multiple daily photos, but the rest of us around the person sharing can’t seem to get enough of it. I don’t know why I don’t care so much, I’ve met the kid and they’re nice enough, I hope I’m someone they’ll be glad to have in their lives and form an affection for but you can’t really convincingly fake intense interest and emotional investment and much as I’d like it to be, that just isn’t my natural reaction. I like to think if I have ever have kids it’d be different otherwise the poor kid would have to deal with someone totally uninterested for the rest of their lives.
Everyone is a winner!
Yes, that’s how it works with people who have families. They usually want to see their new relative.
No but it is the propper thing to say/do
Who’s down to make babies?
A cat is fine too
So, xmpp or matrix ?
We’re using Session with friends and family because I think it works most reliably with people who use apple devices out of the box. We use Jami for each other because it’s p2p (distributed) and endorsed by the FSF. I set up Jami on my mum’s phone too. You can use your own push notification provider with it or simply let it run in the background if you want to run your phone without google or apple servers but still want instant notifications for messages and voice calls. Jami is the app I would most like to see succeed. I believe you can also use it on internal networks, which is a pro in terms of independence future-proofing
Thanks, I didn’t know about these two !
Time to have a baby then.
Always.
If anyone has good tips on how to share a little one’s journey more privately with those that care about them, please post them in the discussion.
Signal has stories 🙂
Anti Commercial AI thingy
