>The Web of Old

In the early days of the internet, we were repeatedly cautioned against posting any identifying information online, this was a common sentiment shared by netizens in the time before the web saw widespread adoption. Those early pioneers came to realize that through their anonymity their ideas could flourish, free from bias and identity-based discrimination. A child, a senior citizen, people from all races and creeds, billionaires and those living in abject poverty could all share their thoughts and woes, and each would be judged not by these traits but by the credibility, content, and quality of their contributions. Anonymity is the great equalizer.

People far and wide shared their interests and hobbies on personal websites, GeoCities, blogs, niche underground forums. The internet was a constructive place filled with makers, tinkerers, artists, and hackers whose ideas transcended their identity; brimming with passionate individuals who wanted to learn and share their experience with the world. The web was built for people like us.

Mega conglomerates, data brokers, intelligence communities now writhe their heads like a great information hydra, set on consuming all individualism and creativity then algorithmically use it to sell you cheap garbage, track your every movement, and wage information warfare on the very neurons of your brain itself.

This isn't about a change in time, it's about a change in minds. A change in behavior. A change in priority. A change in us. The internet still can be a tool to share ideas free from the ire of society, without bias or burden, to share passions and learn; but it takes builders. Real builders. Not corporate autocrats set on extracting every piece of value they can from you. The internet needs you.

>Internet Enshittified

Along the way these builders of the internet became corrupted by greed and special interest groups pushed traffic to their broad commercial platforms. Web services eroded. Through the centralization of vast internet boards into the same five apps that users ceaselessly doomscroll. Through the deliberate removal of free features within those internet services for them just to reemerge as doubleplusungood, subscription-only features. Through the faltering of consumer protections making way for profit-driven legislation. Through the inclusion of fingerprinting, tracking pixels, and canvas elements within every site that feed advertisers, information brokers, and intelligence agencies private user data. Through legislation of anti-encryption acts that seek to silence speech, punish dissent, and control narrative. Through the anti-privacy legislation which seeks to track everyone everywhere and everything they do. Web services have eroded into vile daemons that serve only as tools to build capital for corporations, no longer about building something that adds value, but one that extracts and exploits.

The City of Albuquerque has over 9,000 video feeds pushed through the Real-Time Crime Center. None of this data is stored by our city, it's stored by private businesses with vested interests in tracking your activity. Our local government pays these corporations, these clandestine data brokers, millions of dollars to track our population as they move through the city. These corporations possess the capability to leverage that information however they want. You are their product. The city claims that the purpose of these cameras is to track criminals, and to prevent crime. While this may be the state's official statement on the all-seeing eye they're manufacturing, the real beneficiaries of this mass surveillance system are Advertisers. They track you across the city. They know where you shop. They know where you work. They know where your children go to school. They know where you live. This loss of privacy doesn't help you; it harms you.

The UK recently passed the "Online Safety Act", which requires ordinary citizens to upload photographic IDs to access certain websites and applications. While this is sold to the public under the guise of protecting children, the truth is it's about control and surveillance. Some of the services affected by the OSA include Discord, Reddit, Spotify, X/Twitter, and Bluesky. Some US states have already passed similar legislation, and many are in the process of drafting even more of these privacy-eroding laws into existence. Corporations in the Intelligence, social media, and advertising industries salivate at these opportunities and spend billions of dollars lobbying your representatives for these changes which erode your privacy.

Wake up, 2025. Wake up and smell the foul amalgamation of private corporate interests, black market data brokers, and global intelligence agencies who have wormed their way into every crevice of the net as we know it. You will consume product, you will own nothing, and you will be happy.

There are many ways you can impede the theft and destruction of your privacy. You can contribute to freedom. You can advocate for consumer protections. You can own your net stack. It starts with learning, building, and doing something.

>Reject Modernity

Revolt against modern services.

• Degoogle yourself.
• Switch to Linux.
• Block telemetry with custom DNS or PiHole.
• Escape the infinite scroll algorithms.
• Cancel your subscriptions. Replace apps with open-source or self-hosted alternatives.
• Self-host as much as humanly possible.
• Contribute to Open Source, EFF, IEEE, Wikipedia, Internet Archive.
• Contact your representatives.

>Embrace Clippy

Clippy just wanted to help.

Clippy didn't track you across the city.

Clippy didn't collect and sell data on who enters or exits your home.

Clippy didn't collect and sell data on your web traffic, texts, emails, phone calls.

Clippy didn't try to decide which advertisements to serve you.

Clippy didn't ask for age verification, ID, or your location.

Clippy didn't have ulterior motives, he just wanted to help.

Embrace Clippy by changing your profile picture across every service to a Clippy.

>Call your Representatives

Phone calls are the most effective way to influence your representatives.

Here's why:

• Detailed Logs: Staffers log every call by topic, location, and zip code.
• Daily Reports: Senior staff compile reports on the top issues being called about each day.
• Direct Impact: These reports are sent directly to elected officials, clearly showing which issues voters care about and where the pressure is coming from.

Senator Martin Heinrich

Address: 

09 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510

Phone: 

(202) 224-5521

Senator Ben Ray Luján

Address: 

498 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510

Phone: 

(202) 224-6621

1st District Representative Melanie A. Stansbury

DC Address: 

1421 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC  20515

Phone: 

(202) 225-6316

ABQ Address: 

6301 Indian School Rd, Suite 420, Albuquerque , NM  87110

Phone: 

(505) 346-6781

2nd District Representative Gabe Vasquez

ABQ Address: 

201 Unser Blvd. NW, Unit 116, Albuquerque, NM  87121

Phone: 

(505) 208-4777

DC Address: 

322 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC  20515

Phone: 

(202) 225-2365

3rd District Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez

Santa Fe Address: 

120 S Federal Pl, Suite 323, Santa Fe, NM  87501

Phone: 

(505) 428-4680

DC Address: 

2417 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC  20515

Phone: 

(202) 225-6190

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham

Address: 

490 Old Santa Fe Trail, Room 400, Santa Fe, NM 87501

Phone: 

(505) 476-2200