I’m not a moonlanding conspiracy theorist myself, but in their defense I think the main critique wasn’t that it isn’t possible, but that NASA didn’t have the technical prowess to pull it off in 1969

If nothing lasts forever then the Fediverse will also have its downfall.

This game isn’t exactly niche, but Red Dead Redemption II is a really good one. You play as an outlaw on the run from bounty hunters while your gang is falling, their ideals are crumbling, and society no longer wants them. Arthur Morgan is part of a dying way of life.

The game also has an honor system where your status is determined by how evil or good you are. Help strangers = high honor. Rob and murder indiscriminately = walking nightmare

Close. The deep web is any part of the internet not indexed by regular search engines. The dark web is a subsection of the deep web which is only accessible through a certain browser.

I have mixed feelings when it comes to keychains. Big keychains give you something to grab which is practical, especially when wearing gloves. But keychains also add more weight and bulk.

Fair enough. Manual labor jobs do tend to have a “If it works and no one dies, we’ll call it safe” attitude. Thanks for clarifying that.

Surely there are OSHA guidelines regulating that. I’m not calling you a liar. I’m just saying that pulling a 100lb chain 100ft vertically repeatedly would be brutally inefficient without mechanical advantage. If i’m not mistaken, riggers rarely use brute force alone for that kind of task.

Have we considered the possibility of multiple shooters? The gun that killed Kirk may not necessarily have been the one that was found.

Just trying to avoid jumping to conclusions.

Tell me you don’t lift for your job without telling me you don’t lift for your job. Your back will start to hurt after 5 minutes if you bend over like that. Loading trucks for your job grinds you down like sandpaper on your joints.

You don’t. If their mind is already primed to fall for this nonsense, there isn’t much you can do to help them.

I agree with your point that people should get to decide for themselves. But not if their beliefs are hurting others. Historically, religion has done more harm than good.

It’s probably not you who is controverial. In my experience, a lot of Lemmy subs/pages seem to be echo chambers and circlejerks. Don’t worry too much about karma. Lemmy is a whole different ecosystem. Sounds like you’re trying to bring status into a place that doesn’t value it. You’re either preaching to the choir, or speaking your mind and getting flamed.

You’ve shifted from discussing VPNs to hypothetical “higher powers” that aren’t relevant to normal users.

Sure, if you’re a high-value target, a VPN alone won’t protect you. But for everyday use, it still meaningfully reduces who can see your data.

Security isn’t about being invisible, it’s about reducing exposure. Dismissing that because “someone might still know” isn’t analysis, it’s just nihilism.

That’s basically a conspiracy claim with no evidence. Audit firms have reputations to maintain. Their entire business depends on credability. Plus many audits are public. If all audits were controlled by shadow buyers, every industry audit would be meaningless.

Your condom analogy only works if failure is guaranteed. With a reputable VPN, it isn’t. You’re not eliminating trust, you’re choosing a provider with audits, legal accountability, and a track record instead of defaulting to your ISP. That’s not perfect security, but it’s clearly not the same as “a poked hole.”

Your argument kind of tripped over its own shoelaces there.

Calling someone a liar can be relevant, but only if you prove it with evidence tied to the claim. Otherwise it’s still an ad hominem.

I liked your smug little exit line to dodge pressure. It’s the debate equivalent of throwing a smoke bomb and walking away like you won.

“It’s not an ad hominem”

“My argument can no longer be againt the subject itself exclusively, but is also directed against you personally”

That is the literal definition of ad hominem. You just contradicted yourself. Well done.

You’re right about one thing. You still have to trust someone. A VPN doesn’t eliminate trust, it shifts it from your ISP to the provider.

The difference is that reputable VPNs are audited, operate under stricter legal frameworks, and have a business model built on not logging user activity. That’s a very different risk profile than “you can’t trust any of them.”

Think of it like this:

Your ISP is a glass car. A bad VPN is tinted windows. A good audited VPN is an armored vehicle.

A tank could still destroy it, but you’re no longer an easy target.

A lot of people exaggerate what VPNs actually do. They’re not magic, but they’re also not useless. They reduce risk, which is the entire point.

Your comment quite quickly devolved into an ad hominem. If you had a strong argument against anything I said, you would have used it.

You clearly haven’t done a lot of research then. Lots of VPNs have no logs policies, those VPN providers have been audited, and their claims of no logs hold up.

Take Proton VPN for example. They’re based in Switzerland. According to Swiss law, If you collect data, you must justify it, protect it, and be transparent about it. Proton wouldn’t risk their entire business on the assumption that they won’t be caught lying. Why do you think so many companies set up their headquarters in Switzerland?

Funny. Nord has a bit of a tainted reputation though. I wouldn’t touch them with a 10ft pole.