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Price hasn't been the main problem in years. Everyone likely has a cousin or friend with an old smartphone collecting dust in a drawer that could be had practically free.

The biggest problems are loss of autonomy, privacy, and redundancy. Whole life dependent on G and A corps? Accounts that can be banned on a whim with no recourse? No thank you. ((extends middle finger))



But you’re okay with using a credit card - controlled by Amex, Visa and Mastercard


Reading comprehension is important and must be developed and tended like a garden.


> The biggest problems are loss of autonomy, privacy, and redundancy. Whole life dependent on G and A corps? Accounts that can be banned on a whim with no recourse? No thank you. ((extends middle finger))

This all applies to credit card companies. Try running a porn site and accepting payments with credit cards


I'm not okay with that either. (Although PCI DSS and banking regulations do present a limit to their potential shenanigans.)

A secondary in any case, as issues have well-developed remediation strategies. Few regular folks are banned from the financial system without recourse.

I get it. You wanted to be edgy and shoot from the hip, but this time pulled the trigger too fast.


> secondary in any case, as issues have well-developed remediation strategies. Few regular folks are banned from the financial system without recourse.

Here is where you are wrong

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/banks-keeping-closer-tab-repu...

Try running a perfectly legal porn website or anything controversial and try getting a merchant account.

I had a friend who ran party buses that catered to the LGBT community and had a hard time getting a merchant account while others in her same industry didn’t have a problem.


Digress much, to your favored point that affects not even 1% of the population?


Yes and the number of college students in the United States who don’t want to use a smart phone affects how many people?


Everyone is going to be affected by the growing requirements to have a smartphone. Don’t want to be in bed with G/Apple? Battery dead? S.O.L.

Try going to a big name concert without one—can’t be done thanks to Ticketmaster.


92% of the US population has smartphones.

A quick Google search shows that even 94% of the homeless have a cell phone.


> an old smartphone collecting dust in a drawer that could be had practically free.

Needed to use an old smartphone in a drawer recently, due to current one failing.

Unfortunately they tend to be too old to install current apps. Good for calls, text and web, but not for random laundry app of the week. Same with friends' old drawer phones.

If you're poor the phones you buy are often second hand too, which exacerbates the problem of the old one in the drawer being out of date for current apps by the time you need to get it out again as a backup.


My 6s was supported for seven years or more. While what you say is true, it seems a bit overstated. When an individual is motivated, they will find one cheap if not free.




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