How You Can Stop The Cyber-Pandemic & Prevent Your Computer From Spying On You

90% of computers spy on their users. If you use Windows or macOS, yours is one of them.

Ramiro Romani of The Greater Reset & Freedom Cell Network is raising awareness about the extent of this spying, and what we can do to protect ourselves.

Liberate yourself by installing a free & open source system on your computer.

Its never been easier, and #TakeBackOurTech will help you migrate to Linux over the next 2 weeks

Read the launch article!

Every 2 weeks we announce a new learning challenge & prize. We cover open-source software, networking, privacy, phones, and much more.

Follow us here:
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OS CHALLENGE: Install Linux on as many community computers as you can. Share with us on our private social network.

The biggest migrator wins a De-Googled GrapheneOS Pixel4, supplied by Above Agency.

Welcome to the #TakeBackOurTech community.

If you haven't already, please signup to the mailing list on the blog, and our private social media platform.

This week we will preview the three operating systems that we're going to explore, and also go over how to install each of them on our computers.

Pop_OS!
KDE Neon
Linux Mint

You will need the following:
- a USB flash drive that can hold 2GB or more
- a windows computer (not a Mac) that is 64bit (most computers made after 2008 are 64 bit)

~ Our connection is sacred.

Having trouble finding a suitable computer for Linux? We'll be posting a buyer's guide today at 10 AM UTC-6 with affordable options, and some higher end machines designed specifically for our purpose. :)

Where To Get A Linux Ready Machine
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New users to Linux may be concerned with how well their laptops and desktops are supported - or they may not have an old PC laying around. For these users we recommend looking at machines that are renowned for running well with Linux, or are even designed for it.

In this article we'll share the models of machines that run Linux well, these machines have all been Ubuntu certified, and since the OS' we recommend are all based off of Ubuntu, everything should run out of the box.

Our Recommendations
- If you're using a computer you already have, check if it exists on the Ubuntu certified list or the Linux on Laptops reports.
- Go for a slightly older model, this gives the Linux community enough time to patch bugs on newer hardware
- If you want affordability, buy a refurbished or pre-owned laptop on a reselling site like Ebay. Your new laptop could only be a few hundred dollars only. Here's a buying guide for the Lenovo T-series.
- If you have more money to spend, you can get a laptop pre-designed pre-installed with Linux. We have included some vendors below.

Lenovo
- The X, T, and W lines are recommended, the older years have better build quality.
- Thinkpad T480
- Thinkpad T495
- Thinkpad P51
- Thinkpad X220
- Thinkpad X440
- Thinkpad T14 (newer)

Dell
- Dell XPS 13"
- Dell XPS 15"

Linux Laptop Vendors
https://www.thinkpenguin.com/catalog/notebook-computers-gnu-linux-2
https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/Linux-Hardware/Linux-Notebooks/
https://laptopwithlinux.com/linux-laptops/
https://clevo-computer.com/en/laptops-configurator/purpose/linux-systems/

Even More Vendors
https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxhardware/wiki/vendors#wiki_pre-built_systems
https://linuxpreloaded.com/

Conclusion
For those out there that are looking for laptops, we hope this points you in the right direction in finding the laptop that is at the perfect price, performance, and just works for you!

If you're unable to get our emails, it is because our email server is being blocked from sending mail to Microsoft email servers. It wouldn't surprise us to see other big email providers follow suite. After all, we are attacking them head on. 🤷‍♀️

We'll need to hurry up and get to the email module soon ;)

Operating Systems Series Schedule
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Let's keep downloading and uploading.

July 15th: Installing Linux From Scratch
July 17th: Take A Tour Through The Best Features Of Three Awesome Operating Systems
July 19th: Installing Programs on Linux And Getting A Free & Open Source Application Tool Suite

Tomorrow we will be sharing 'Installing Linux From Scratch' the end to end guide on installing 3 different operating systems in an easy manner. It will take the form of a long-form article with screenshots and a 30-minute video.

Later this week we're going to do a feature tour of each operating system individually, followed up by Linux basics and putting together a suite of awesome applications for Linux.

~ Our connection is sacred.

Installing Linux From Scratch, Releasing Today!
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Is today the last day you use a non-free operating system? We hope so.

All you need is a USB, a PC, a choice of OS and to follow along with today's article.

If you're not sure why you would switch to Linux, get it explained here.

If you don't have a PC, check out getting a Linux Ready Machine.
If you haven't picked an OS, check out:

Pop_OS!
KDE Neon
Linux Mint

We will be releasing a feature tour of each of these later in the week. You can even choose to install one of these today for practice, and you can always reinstall later in the week after learning more about them.

Remember,
~ Our connection is sacred

Installing Linux From Scratch To Save The World
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Stand up to abusive software services and the entities behind them that track and control us. This is the year for a mass exodus to free & open source operating systems and software, where we get to shape technology as a force for good, so it benefits our communities, and doesn't hinder our individual freedom & privacy.

Today's article is 2500+ words accompanied with a 30+ minute walkthrough video. Our team is been working non-stop on this because we need to get this message out there.

Read the article.
Watch the video.

Follow along, you should have a beautiful new free & open source PC within 2 hours.

Later this week we learn about Linux and install some awesome software.

OS Challenge: Install Linux on as many computers in your circle (friends, family) as you can, share with us on our private social media channel. The winner will win a free De-Googled Phone from Above Agency

Is The Freedom Phone Legit, Scam, Or a Honeypot?
@neo_network | @neo_network_chat

FULL DISCLOSURE: You may know that our company, Above Agency is preparing to launch its own series of phones that are pre-installed with GrapheneOS. When I saw that there was another phone announced with little details about its underlying operating system and promoted by conservative pundits, I knew I had to dig in a little more, in the case it was a scam or a honeypot.

Here's what I found:

By now you've probably heard of the Freedom Phone, a phone that has been making waves on 'conservative' channels through an advertising campaign.

Behind it is an Erik Finman, a bitcoin investor since 11 years of age,who took a $1,000 gift from grandma and invested it directly into Bitcoin. This lead to a series of investments that made him a millionaire before the age of 18. At first glance, his story is a feel-good story of a prodigal kid stumbling into fortunes, and now making his way into the phone market, but could there be something more lurking?

How did he hear about Bitcoin?

Finman said his older brother brought him to a protest following the financial crisis of 2008. He recalls running from the police and seeing a man wearing a bitcoin shirt, and then asking him what bitcoin was.

"He's like a hippie, he's like, 'Man, I think it's gonna end Wall Street, all the corruption, and all the bad things.'"

—
Interesting story there. Erik's background gets more interesting when you realize both of his parents work for the military industrial complex.

Paul and Dr. Lorna Finman met at Stanford, Lorna was a former astronaut candidate, and Paul was an electrical engineer. Lorna also was also the technical directory of Raytheon's multi-million dollar R&D program. Together, they founded LCF enterprises - winning contracts from the Department of Defense. LCF Enterprises manufacture RF amplifiers utilized in military communication, airborne and aircraft applications, jamming systems, electronic countermeasures technologies, UAV's, SATCOM and other national security measures across the globe today." (source)

More recently, Erik has worked with NASA (this program was co-sponsored by his mother) to have teenagers launch satellites into space.

I'm glad that Erik is ambitious and takes on these sorts of projects, but we can't ignore the support and government connections he has on account of his family.

Do these connections somehow extend to conservative media as well?

The American flag-branded phone was immediately promoted by a wide range of right-wing figures, including former Trump adviser Roger Stone, Jan. 6 rally organizer Ali Alexander, and pundit Dinesh D’Souza.

“I’m holding a freaking phone that is not controlled by Apple or Google,” conservative personality Candace Owens told her fans in an Instagram video. “We made the switch immediately.”

—
Somehow the conservative media picked up the phone immediately in a coordinated marketing campaign. I have the feeling this is part of the larger disinformation campaign tying the issue of freedom of speech and fight against censorship as a conservative talking point, when it is something effecting us all.

Is this a scam? Probably.

❌ No source-code auditability - the promoters that market the freedom phone can't even tell you anything about the operating system
❌ No details on specifications - no details about the phone were presented publicly, although it was discovered it was a rebranded Chinese phone
❌ Rebranded cheap hardware, a Chinese made Umidigi A9 Pro that can be purchased for $120.00

—
Whether you decide to purchase a phone from an individual, or even flash it yourself, make sure you can answer basic questions like what operating system it runs or what security features it can provide.

The people who promoted this phone exposed themselves as scammers for promoting a product they know nothing about (that no one knows anything about) and as dis-information agents for spreading the message that censorship only happens against Republicans...

I just installed Pop on an old Lifebook T which must be about 10 years old - left partition with documents on and just installed in on c drive. Very easy and quick.

🎉 we've got our first migration to Linux! Let's change the world. One computer at a time.

You can do it too, just in a few hours.

Follow the guide
Watch the video

Share your journey with us in @takebackourtech_chat

Our First Week & NEWLY UPDATED Operating Systems Series Schedule
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We've come so very far this first week, reaching thousands of people across several platforms with our message.

People are ready to #TakeBackOurTech .

Linux newbies around the world are sharing how easy their installs were and long-time Linux users are here to encourage and support. Join the discussions on our official private social platform and Telegram group.

Sign up to the newsletter with your email and get first access to our guides - here's a preview of next week's schedule.

We've given ourselves a few days between each segment to ensure our guides are of the highest quality, so they can be a resource you can learn from forever.

Since we just finished the easy install process , we'll follow-up with our first steps in Linux, covering basic Linux skills, exploring the features of 3 operating systems, and learning how to install an awesome set of programs.

Tuesday, July 20th
Files & Folders, Terminal Usage, and User Accounts

Thursday, July 22nd
Finding Programs
Installing Programs
Intro & Feature Tour: Pop!_OS
Intro & Feature Tour: Feature Tour: KDE Neon
Intro & Feature Tour: Feature Tour: Linux Mint

Monday, July 27th
Open Source Software Survival Kit

In the following weeks we'll continue to strengthen our defenses, learning about de-googling our own phones and privacy measures we can take on our new systems.

~ Our connection is sacred

Celebrating @neo_network's 1,000th subscriber and @takebackourtech's 600th!
@neo_network | @takebackourtech

A few years ago, when I worked as a software engineer full time - I felt lonely. Despite the high levels of intelligence around me, It felt as if people in my industry could not think for themselves. They were unaware of the immoral sociopolitical, financial, and medical systems in place, and even if they were aware - all it took for them to not act was a cushy salary. Or worse yet, they were aware and excited for the dystopian future.

I wanted to be a part of a better system.

Through chance, I ended up here, having the opportunity to find truth in technology, and to use it as a power for good. And I saw this goodness travel from the digital messages of The Freedom Cell Network and The Greater Reset, and manifest out into the real world, helping families, communities, and individuals take action.

I started @neo_network back in February after the first The Greater Reset. Through a few posts, we shed light on companies that fake privacy - (ProtonMail, Brave, Matrix, Mozilla Firefox), betting that you'll never dig into the dirty details.

I give thanks to have this opportunity to share what I have learned, and to promote research & critical thinking along with it. The message is resounding with the ones out there that value their privacy and freedom. Those who are ready to take action, to take back their technology.

I am lonely no longer. I've found the technologists & creatives that are awake, and am working with them. And I predict this is just the beginning, and more technologists will come, away from the smart cities, and into happy homesteads, where they will live free & self-directed lives.

I imagine a future where we don't worry about censorship, because we communicate on platforms we manage ourselves. A future where we have real smart technology. This technology will automatically water our victory gardens at sunset, rather than tell us to restock our fridge. It'll manage our security cameras, and alert only us when there is something there. A world where we don't worry about whether we can trust email providers, because that email provider is us, or someone we know directly.

If we want freedom at a grand scale, this is what it will take. Let's figure it out together.

~ Our connection is sacred

First Steps In Linux: User Accounts, Files & Folders, and Using The Terminal
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Welcome back to another week of #TakeBackOurTech!

Last week after publishing our Install Linux From Scratch article we saw people all around the world get migrated successfully on their machines. If you haven't already, please watch this video and get migrated to an operating system that doesn't spy on you!

This week is focused on getting comfortable through learning
the very basics of our Linux environment. Today we'll start with three important things that take few minutes to learn, but serve you for the rest of your journey.

- User Accounts
- Filesystem
- Using the terminal

Read the article.
Watch the video.

#TakeBackOurTech: Installing Applications On Linux From Decentralized Sources
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Read the article.
Watch on Odysee.
Find more applications.

This morning we saw centralized software infrastructure get taken down (Akamai CDN), taking down large portions of the internet with it.

Its never been more obvious that we need to #TakeBackOurTech, and install free & open source applications locally on our machines, without external dependencies to services that may go down.

In today's article/video #TakeBackOurTech will show you how to install apps in three different decentralized formats, that enable Linux users and developers to share tens of thousands of Linux apps directly with each other.

We've also released another article with more resources on where to find applications!

Also for those who were looking forward to the Feature Tours for our three distributions, we have postponed that series to next week.

above.phone: Pre-Orders Now Open. 12 Phones Available

Happy Friday! Are you ready to secure your mobile device?

Above Agency's new shipment of phones just arrived. Upon your order, they will be de-googled and replaced with your choice of secure operating system. (CalyxOS or GrapheneOS)

Beautiful, performant, and secure.

Would you prefer a minimal installation?

Or would you prefer a phone pre-configured with privacy services, custom launcher, and a suite of useful applications?

Minimal or pre-configured, each phone is $500.00 + shipping.

Crypto & card are accepted. Pre-orders open now, phones ship end of July within the United States.

Email phones@above-agency.com for more information and to reserve your order.

Want to DIY? @takebackourtech's guide to De-Googling your own phone launches next month.

~ Our connection is sacred

Persistence is key. Another person migrated to a free & open operating system.

SUCCESS!!!!!!!! Took all day but I finally did it! Typing from my newly installed linux laptop. Thanks Ramiro and everyone that helped me out. You guys are the bomb diggity.