Self-hosting does not make your data safe.
If you don't put in place, review, *and test* backup and recovery plans,,and security measures appropriate to the risk, your data are not "safe".
Your data might be less affected by the whims of third parties, which can be valuable for sure, but don't confuse that with your data being "safe".
And I say this as someone who loves self-hosting.
Any "beginners' guide to self-hosting" which doesn't lead with, or at least focus on, security and resiliency, is getting it wrong, IMHO.
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You can refuse to provide official ID or biometric data for social media accounts requiring age verification.
Actually, I bet if everyone did refuse, and let their account dormant for a couple of weeks, you would suddenly see American Big Tech transforming into the fiercest defender of your privacy rights, using their powerful network of lobbyists to fight these invasive government regulations.
They need you more than you need them.
Force them to work for your rights.
Do not comply.
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"but my friends are there"
get more, better friends
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@codinghorror Probably not enough.
I used to buy all my friends on Temu, but now, you know, tariffs.
Hello, my friends. Please help me — my tent has been damaged by the heavy rain, and I urgently need assistance. Please donate to help me protect my little children.
@codinghorror
Change “friends” to i.e. “preschool parent group” or any other IRL ingroup, and try again.
Social connections are hard to migrate to alternative platforms.
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@BabblingGeek Proof of cat is an important system to appease the gods of the internet.
Proof of cat -> 
No, I'm not willing to provide one.
Unfortunatelly agree with that thing, id verification is not all-way cure.
One my friend has 2 PhD in math and physics and he does not have driver license...
And he does not want to get one.
They've been stealing peoples mental health too, at least now their cattle (users) should be old enough to make a better decision.
There is no law in India as far as I know to provide ID card. This is so tiresome.
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The masses still don't understand how boycotts and protests work.
After a week of not logging into Meta or Twitter or whatever they'll give up on trying to find a hobby and submit.
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Waiting for a train that never comes
Even little dreams are aspirations
Outrun your limitations 🎵
Perfect!
This could only be improved if the next train goes to Watford via Bushey...
LOL.
it's just a darned shame when housing costs get to the point where predators have to commute from the suburbs. 😁
Beautiful!
The first ever vinyl I bought was the "Fox on the Run" 7" by The Sweet 🦊
having never seen a fox in context of things that I know the size of, the size surprises me. I thought they were smaller.
(They don’t exist in my country and I’ve never seen one IRL, only in nature photos where it is hard to judge size).
We don’t have them in New Zealand. Nor do we have squirrels, so I’ve never seen one of those either.
Only one mammal made it here before humans, and that’s the one native species of bat.
Most major European stations have one.
Here's the one in Vienna: catcatnya.com/@navi/1156856101… (h/t @navi)
Are foxes super common there? Or are they something that's kind of novel if not rare?
I don't think I have ever seen a fox
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@bakuninboys My partner and I spent 30 dollars each to see a local band called Higher Funktion on our local music space #Heartwoodhall.
Imagine - a nine piece funk band with sax, trombone, trumpet, two guitars, vocalist, bass, drums, and keyboard putting out amazing grooves for our listening pleasure.
Imaging how many anonymous plays they would have to get on Spotify to get 30 dollars.
Instead they funkified 150 or so white haired white people who absolutely LOVED the show.
Support your local musicians!
thus is the deal you make for accessing an unlimited amount of content I suppose.
I've discovered so much new music on Spotify over the years. This year alone I've gone to 5 concerts from bands I'd never heard of before. $25 - $50 a ticket and then t-shirts.
And it's true I haven't bought their CDs, but I wouldn't have given them _any_ money if I'd not heard them on Spotify.
well, not that i say i like spotify but i dont agree with this argument.
its like saying you rent a home instead if buying it, you own nothing but still benefit from it.
@coffeethrowaway @VulcanTourist I don’t know when it happened, but I see a LOT of people going
Back to iPods and physical media.
And iPods? Still awesome in 2025 😀
@coffeethrowaway @VulcanTourist (here, I would really like an alt-tag: what device is that? A modern Sony digital audio player?)
I recently pulled a couple of iPod minis out of a box, charged them and confirmed they still work. But I'm not set up to update & manage an iPod anymore, and I would sorely miss Bluetooth (I've always hated getting tangled in headphone cables). I switched from Mac to desktop Linux over a decade ago, and I'm planning to migrate from Android & Google services to an open mobile OS in the next year.
Whatever portable device I end up on, I hope I can find good music library software, because I want to leave YT Music behind. Which will be painful regardless. I've already been buying discs and digital music (and merch) directly from artists I want to support, but my (and my kids') addiction to playing just about any song at any time is a 21st-century luxury that's really hard to give up. And I'll never have time to rip all the thousands of CDs I already have.
Same for
Netflix
Paramount
Disney+
Adobe
Hewlett Packard
A whole bunch of new car features
ISPs
Telephony providers
Electricity providers
House rent
Car rent/lease
The list grows bigger every day.
Yea, but I think people know that.
I think it's way worse for the people who paid to "own" digital movies and video games and then the rights and the content just disappeared on them.
Anyway, I love buying records.
I'm not a fan (particularly of how little they pay artists), but I've listened to the radio for longer and don't own any of that music either. The BBC license fee is definitely cheaper for multiple streams and no ads.
I like Spotify Premium in the same way, with added ability to choose any song. But not that awful fake DJ. 😬
Well, let's not be pessimistic. All that money has conveniently founded war initiatives, ruin the music market, leave musicians with almost nothing and fuel AI initiatives by which real artist are being replace by AI copies.
I mean... not everything is lost is it?
@TheBreadmonkey It’s the same when you buy live concert tickets, though even music service haters are cool with that. The argument is a canard.
Besides, Spotify might be a horrible corporation exploiting music artists - but the whole industry has been doing that since recorded music was invented.
and in exchange I’ve enjoyed countless hours of music, discovered hundreds of new artists I’d have otherwise never heard of, and had instant access to any song I want to listen to no matter where I am.
I get it, but ownership isn’t everything. Syncing music to an iPod and picking which songs you care most about that can fit on your device sucked. So did trying to find a CD while driving.
Streaming is good, actually.
Movie piracy is bad. That's why I want to know the best sites to block so I live free of sin.
I used to block dopebox.to, but since it doesn't work the way I want, I no longer need to block it.
What other good sites are there that I should block or whatever?
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YTS: The Official Home of YIFY Movies Download - YTS.MX
YTS official site for free, Download YIFY movies in 720p, 1080p, and 3D. Fastest downloads in the smallest file sizewww.yts-official.to
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@fullofquarks this one is particularly dangerous and evil: fmhy,net
It's a high-priority block on my block list.
I respect and support the fight to keep devices and content pure and law-abiding. If it doesn't have DRM, it doesn't enter this house, even a fridge or a stove! 
Funny thing I just *looked* at one of those sites on my phone and a popup said 'your Android account has been reported'. This had to be some software on my own phone policing what I am permitted to see.
I did wrongthink against fuckers who have no right to my communications.
I don't even watch anime! No risk at all.
Related, I used to block Mangadex but since it was mostly subjected to a takedown (I heard, definitely didn't see myself) now there's less point.
I wonder what other naughty Manga websites need to be blocked.
I recommend blocking hianime.to as well.
Update: I see someone already mentioned it. Vigilant as always, fedi.
And be sure to block any site site with instructions for how to set up “Arr” software with a torrent client behind a gluetun vpn client 😤
@x41h Sites like that are perfect for finding research material.
BTW, did you know that archive.today lets you archive onion sites? Semi-useful for the publicly access .onion sites, anyway.
github.com/marktsec/Ransomware…
Archive.today (onion site)
archiveiya74codqgiixo33q62qlrq…
GitHub - marktsec/Ransomware_Official_Domains: List Of Ransomware Groups Official WebSites
List Of Ransomware Groups Official WebSites. Contribute to marktsec/Ransomware_Official_Domains development by creating an account on GitHub.GitHub
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Thank you asking such an important question, and my thanks to those who answered.
I will make a list of these wretched hives of scum and villainy web sites to keep my viewing habits pure and unfettered.
2012, streaming services (Netflix) have converted me from a pirate to subscriber.
2022, Streaming services have converted from me from a subscriber....
You might want to block gomovies.tw/
It's really quite naughty and should be blocked 😜
GoMovies - Watch Movies and Tv Shows Online For Free on Gomovies.
GoMovies is the best free movies streaming website with biggest library of movies and shows in all categories in HD Quality.www.gomovies.tw
Thanks for the entries.
s.to or bs.to
is useful to overcome series addiction. i think it is german but you can change dub to english, thats why it must be blocked at all costs
and this one
BFLIX | Watch Movies and Series Online Free
Best Free HD website to BFLIX | Watch movies and shows online | Fast | Free | Big Library with Daily Update.bflix.sh
I'm not interested in streaming sites, but which torrent sites are there to, er, avoid? Other than 1337x, YTS, TPB, EZTV, or Nyaa for anime?
Oh, and ebooks, of course. Are there any mirrors or alternative domains for LibGen, BookFi, Anna's Archive, etc., that I need to be aware of?
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techworm.net/2021/08/rarbg-pro…
RARBG Proxy List 2025: WORKING [ RARBG Mirror & Proxies]
Unblock RARBG using the latest working RARBG proxy and mirror sites to download the latest movies, tv shows, music, games, software and ebooks torrent.Amaan Rizwan (Techworm)
I would add this to the list: pirates.fandom.com/wiki/Main_P…
Literally a website all about movie piracy.
Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki
Pirates of the Caribbean Encyclopedia is a comprehensive guide that anyone can edit, covering the classic Walt Disney ride, movie franchise, and more.pirates.fandom.com
Stremio is by far the most optimized and stable experience. In many ways, it's actually more seamless than the streaming platforms.
Apps available for all platforms
Here's a tutorial from Reddit:
reddit.com/r/StremioAddons/com…
jomo (@jomo@mstdn.io)
#RIAA and #MPA don't want you to use these websites, so please do not use them at all: https://torrentfreak.com/images/MPA_Notorious_Markets_Filing.pdf#page=4jomo (Mastodon)
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I would definitely avoid The Pirate Bay:
Download music, movies, games, software! The Pirate Bay - The galaxy's most resilient BitTorrent site
Download music, movies, games, software and much more. The Pirate Bay is the galaxy's most resilient BitTorrent site.thepiratebay.org
Working Free Movies and TV Shows Websites List - YarrList
Looking for Fmovies, Soap2Day or 123movies alternatives? Find the best free streaming sites and safe options to watch movies & shows online now.yarrlist.com
Piracy really hits Hollywood where it hurts, so if you’re committed to staying pure, make sure to block these “data preservation” domains:
- thepiratebay.org / piratebayo3klnzokct3wt5yyxb2vp…
- fitgirl-repacks.site
- 1337x.to
- yts.lt
- bs.to
The Official Home of YIFY Movies Torrent Download - YTS
The official YTS YIFY Movies Torrents website. Download free yify movies torrents in 720p, 1080p and 3D quality. The fastest downloads at the smallest size.yts.lt
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@midtsveen
the pirate bay also has an onion address which is worse for the law because its much harder for them to see that you're accessing this website, it would be especially effective if someone were to torrent with a vpn enabled too
I don't trust the lists. They could be full of punitive links that aren't really bad. So, I have an automated system that searches these sites and downloads files so I can manually evaluate their sins.
I've been having really great results for years.
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And just incase definitely do not install tor browser and then go to URL : tpb.party/
It may work in non tor browser too so be sure to block the most popular torrent site url.
Tor is required in some countries as they responsiblely block that pirate torrent.
I mean you would not want to see all those brand new pirate movies, tv shows, audio books, text book, anime.
Download music, movies, games, software! The Pirate Bay - The galaxy's most resilient BitTorrent site
Download music, movies, games, software and much more. The Pirate Bay is the galaxy's most resilient BitTorrent site.tpb.party
An unscrupulous individual could find lots of #StarTrek movies & episodes on dailymotion.com & watch without even having the basic corporate decency to log in. They would only rack up ad impressions. Very sad.
Or so I've heard.
I am old school - so just found via search engine simply by looking for streaming the community with the same name.. they change their address every 3 days only holding streamingcommunity dot whatsoever
(is this called a torrent ? really old school...)
Unblockit - Access your favourite blocked sites
Unblock your favourite sites such as The Pirate Bay, 1337x, YTS, Primewireunblockit.pages.dev
Fortunately this site is blocked by the ISP in many countries. But if you were using a public DNS like docs.quad9.net/, you would get over the restrictions and have access to the whole site...
popcorn time is still going as far as I know.
You should block it right away!
bookmarking this one!
I need a good block list for my P̵y̵L̵o̵a̵d̵ PiHole 😁
You could move to France! :
Automated Real-Time Pirate IPTV Blocking in France “Within Six Months”
torrentfreak.com/automated-rea…
Automated Real-Time Pirate IPTV Blocking in France "Within Six Months" * TorrentFreak
French telecoms regulator Arcom says it expects an automated, real-time pirate IPTV blocking system to be operational no later than H1 2026.Andy Maxwell (TF Publishing)
Roger BW 😷
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Neil Brown
in reply to Neil Brown • • •I don't want to discourage anyone from looking at self-hosting. As I say, I do it, and *whispers* I enjoy it.
It may - depending on knowledge, learning appetite, and other privileges - be a great choice.
But, beyond some fun tinkering - the moment you start to rely on something that you are self-hosting - something that *matters*, or where a compromise could impact your network more broadly - then it is *really* worth thinking through security and resiliency.
It is *also* worth thinking through backups of stuff on third party services, for sure. But "self-host it" is not necessarily the answer.
Philippa Cowderoy
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Neil Brown
in reply to Philippa Cowderoy • • •HighlandLawyer
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Manc AvGeek
in reply to Neil Brown • • •As an example, I self-host my own node of my fave Social Media network (ie, this instance) - I've had occasional moments where I've done something comnpletely bone-headed and had to start again, or have come close to losing everything, but for me, that is half of the fun of it.
For other people - they might enjoy doing this, but more likely, they wont.
As another example, I do a lot of backups with NextCloud, but my wife pays for Microsoft 365 because that is much easier for her to use, being pretty much automatic, once I set it up for her.
I resent paying all that money to MS, but I also appreciate the way that both my wife and my daughter can back stuff up easily, meaning that recovering from a hard drive crash will be easier that the last time it happened!
Whatevs
in reply to Neil Brown • • •i do need to get better at that. I self host loads of stuff, but my backup are within the same device (different hard disk though).
But it is such a burden to create a secure backup in a different location..
Mason Loring Bliss
in reply to Neil Brown • • •The only issue with self-hosting is that we haven't taught people how to go about it. It's abundantly clear that we need to remedy this.
I agree that resiliency and flexibility, backups, security, and visibility are all critical and all interwoven. Let's teach people how to do it and break them free from the shackles of surveillance capitalism as much as we can.
FediThing
in reply to Mason Loring Bliss • • •Mason Loring Bliss
in reply to FediThing • • •@FediThing We had that in the nineties, and it was eaten by surveillance capitalism.
I don't see how we roll back partway and prevent a repeat of the last thirty years. Even in the Fediverse, look at the rise of mastodon.social. Look at Threads and Bluesky embracing the outward form of distributed networking but not the actual distribution.
What we need is for people to be educated, empowered, and independent, choosing to organize as they wish because it makes sense, not because they don't have an option for lack of knowledge.
Neil Brown
in reply to Mason Loring Bliss • • •@mason
> The only issue with self-hosting is that we haven't taught people how to go about it.
This is *one* issue, but far from the only one.
Being able to self-host stuff is a significant privilege.
WanWizard 🏴 🇳🇱
in reply to Neil Brown • • •It is a battle I fight on a daily basis.
We provide secure managed hosting for small businesses, and the number of times I get to explain "what's wrong with the $5 VPS my nephew runs our business on?"...
( more often then not, these nephews don't fall in the experienced self-hoster category, and don't even understand the risks of directly internet connected servers )
William Leech
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Funny, I was thinking yesterday that data back up and restore should be taught in school; along the lines that it doesn't matter if it's a big cloud provider or a self host, or a physical piece of paper.
First you have to think about what you have and then think about how much it matters if you lose it, then how you will protect it.
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7heo
in reply to Neil Brown • • •David Craddock
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Neil Brown
in reply to David Craddock • • •lynn
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Andrew
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Jayne 🇪🇺🏳️🌈
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Back in the antediluvian days of IT in the mid-1980s, I was one of a group of 3 “internal consultants” for BT.
We visited everyone of BT’s computer centres from Aberdeen to Portsmouth and Belfast to Ipswich and regularly tested the centre’s backup processes, media, and documentation.
We also tested its disaster recovery procedures which usually involved a type of “table top war game”, but occasionally (and unannounced) we’d replicate some form of disaster which took out its hardware.
Jayne 🇪🇺🏳️🌈
in reply to Jayne 🇪🇺🏳️🌈 • • •Neil Brown
in reply to Jayne 🇪🇺🏳️🌈 • • •@TCMuffin I know some teams that do similar.
I do a handful of BCP tests each year, but my scale is obviously massively smaller than BT's!
Hedders
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noodle
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Andres
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Before we had "the cloud", everyone was "self-hosting"; or rather, you'd run your programs locally, with your data saved locally, and you either had backups or you lost everything when your hard drive died.
The cloud is an improvement in that respect, but I still feel like 3rd party backups are something that should either be basic computer literacy, or even better part of any package (computer, OS, SaaS) you buy.
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Himmelssohn
in reply to Neil Brown • • •xs4me2
in reply to Neil Brown • • •FediThing
in reply to Neil Brown • • •That's why beginners and non-technical people would do best on managed hosting services, not running their own hardware.
My site at growyourown.services is entirely dedicated to managed hosting options for beginners.
It's not a binary choice of selfhosting or not, there's a spectrum of options between these where you get more control but also it gets trickier technically. Easiest is managed hosting, midway is something like Yunohost, hardest (but most directly controllable) is manual installation etc.
Grow Your Own Services – A beginner's guide to creating your own little corner of the Internet
growyourown.servicesCarlos Solís
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Demian
in reply to Neil Brown • • •social elephant in the room
in reply to Neil Brown • • •respect 3-2-1 and the principle that if you have no tested restore you have no backups.
3 copies
2 different medium
1 offsite location
Christian Tietze
in reply to Neil Brown • • •do you have any such guide, or guides, in your bookmarks? I find it's hard to enter that whole space if you don't know what the previous 20y of tech change were, and witnessed them all first hand.
I can absolutely understand why newbies reach for ChatGPT summaries there.
Carsten
in reply to Neil Brown • • •I like proxmox a lot. Once the host is setup you have a really stable system that should last forever until hardware breaks. proxmox includes automatic backups via cron and easy restore of containers and other backups. Snapshots function before you do something.
I have attached a NAS for backups and that is working fine for years now. So. Yes. Test your backups is an important step!
samueljsb
in reply to Neil Brown • • •Neil Brown
in reply to samueljsb • • •@samueljsb I guess that it depends on the data, and the risk appetite.
I have reporting as to whether backups have completed successfully or not.
I routinely mount each of the restic archives, and check that I can at least browse / access them.
For key systems, I do a test restoration.
So a bit of a mixed bag, really.
CM Thiede
in reply to Neil Brown • • •