Comment on Google’s use of student data could effectively ban Chromebooks from Denmark schools

Atomic@sh.itjust.works ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

• Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  ChromeOS is L***x :p
  Just the bad estranged cousin nobody talks about.

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  • Atomic@sh.itjust.works ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    That’s my point. They’re choosing to use a distro that collects all of this data instead of setting up their own system.

    Chromebooks are “cheap” because you pay in part with your data.

    Now i don’t know too much about them. But I assume they are BIOS locked or something so you can’t just install your own distro on them?

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    • Spotlight7573@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      The firmware is locked down with typically either a screw (older devices) or a CR50 security chip (newer devices): wiki.mrchromebox.tech/Firmware_Write_Protect#How_…

      The problems with loading a different distro on them would be:

      • Cost to go through the process of installing alternate firmware and a new distro on hundreds of devices
      • Cost to setup an alternate system to manage/track the devices
      • Cost to deal with students who can now more easily re-flash the devices to run other things
      • Loss of the fairly extensive management capabilities that ChromeOS provides that allows a school/government to lock the devices down, monitor them, etc

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      • Atomic@sh.itjust.works ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        If you know you will reconfigure devices. You set up a system to make it easy for yourself.

        There are already so many systems one can employ to track devices that doesn’t rely on google.

        Non issue. You already have costs for the students current machines when things go wrong, including IT. And you can also BIOS lock the hardware to prevent alternative boot methods. Which will stop most students.

        There are PLENTY of other software to externally manage computers.

        We’re talking about a government here. They have resources to create it. It’s a high initial cost. Like everything. And then it shifts into maintenance.

        Normal companies already do this. It’s nothing new. Just a question of infrastructure.

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    • bruhduh@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      mrchromebox.tech

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