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  3. Spotted this sign on the street in Amsterdam, on my way to #PubConf2026.

Spotted this sign on the street in Amsterdam, on my way to #PubConf2026.

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pubconf2026metabigtechprivacy
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  • _elena@mastodon.social_ This user is from outside of this forum
    _elena@mastodon.social_ This user is from outside of this forum
    _elena@mastodon.social
    wrote last edited by
    #1

    Spotted this sign on the street in Amsterdam, on my way to #PubConf2026.

    Disclaimer: I don’t speak Dutch, but I’d like to think it says: “Beware WhatsApp steals your data” 😆

    #Meta #BigTech #privacy

    Link Preview Image
    dianshuo@mstdn.ioD futtta@mastodon.socialF sylvia@social.lolS bjoern@social.sengotta.netB paulk@writing.exchangeP 10 Replies Last reply
    0
    • _elena@mastodon.social_ _elena@mastodon.social

      Spotted this sign on the street in Amsterdam, on my way to #PubConf2026.

      Disclaimer: I don’t speak Dutch, but I’d like to think it says: “Beware WhatsApp steals your data” 😆

      #Meta #BigTech #privacy

      Link Preview Image
      dianshuo@mstdn.ioD This user is from outside of this forum
      dianshuo@mstdn.ioD This user is from outside of this forum
      dianshuo@mstdn.io
      wrote last edited by
      #2

      @_elena sadly it’s just a neighbourhood watch (snooping) sign.

      angelo@mastodon.digitaladriatic.euA 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • _elena@mastodon.social_ _elena@mastodon.social

        Spotted this sign on the street in Amsterdam, on my way to #PubConf2026.

        Disclaimer: I don’t speak Dutch, but I’d like to think it says: “Beware WhatsApp steals your data” 😆

        #Meta #BigTech #privacy

        Link Preview Image
        futtta@mastodon.socialF This user is from outside of this forum
        futtta@mastodon.socialF This user is from outside of this forum
        futtta@mastodon.social
        wrote last edited by
        #3

        @_elena if only 😁

        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • _elena@mastodon.social_ _elena@mastodon.social

          Spotted this sign on the street in Amsterdam, on my way to #PubConf2026.

          Disclaimer: I don’t speak Dutch, but I’d like to think it says: “Beware WhatsApp steals your data” 😆

          #Meta #BigTech #privacy

          Link Preview Image
          sylvia@social.lolS This user is from outside of this forum
          sylvia@social.lolS This user is from outside of this forum
          sylvia@social.lol
          wrote last edited by
          #4

          @_elena it doesn't alas 😀 it does mean the neighbourhood is in a WhatsApp group watching for suspicious people 😀

          _elena@mastodon.social_ 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • dianshuo@mstdn.ioD dianshuo@mstdn.io

            @_elena sadly it’s just a neighbourhood watch (snooping) sign.

            angelo@mastodon.digitaladriatic.euA This user is from outside of this forum
            angelo@mastodon.digitaladriatic.euA This user is from outside of this forum
            angelo@mastodon.digitaladriatic.eu
            wrote last edited by
            #5

            @dianshuo @_elena Oh, that's a bummer. I was so surprised by the "neighborhood watch" signs when I first moved to Canada. Being from Italy, I had never seen one in my life, and ironically I associated them with some sort of Orwellian connotations 🤣

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • _elena@mastodon.social_ _elena@mastodon.social

              Spotted this sign on the street in Amsterdam, on my way to #PubConf2026.

              Disclaimer: I don’t speak Dutch, but I’d like to think it says: “Beware WhatsApp steals your data” 😆

              #Meta #BigTech #privacy

              Link Preview Image
              bjoern@social.sengotta.netB This user is from outside of this forum
              bjoern@social.sengotta.netB This user is from outside of this forum
              bjoern@social.sengotta.net
              wrote last edited by
              #6

              @_elena its sad that you see that signs in so man dutch communities

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • _elena@mastodon.social_ _elena@mastodon.social

                Spotted this sign on the street in Amsterdam, on my way to #PubConf2026.

                Disclaimer: I don’t speak Dutch, but I’d like to think it says: “Beware WhatsApp steals your data” 😆

                #Meta #BigTech #privacy

                Link Preview Image
                paulk@writing.exchangeP This user is from outside of this forum
                paulk@writing.exchangeP This user is from outside of this forum
                paulk@writing.exchange
                wrote last edited by
                #7

                @_elena Hahaha!
                In fact it says "Whatsapp neighbourhood prevention".

                People here use it to keep each other update on suspicious things and characters.

                vladcampos@mastodon.socialV 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • _elena@mastodon.social_ _elena@mastodon.social

                  Spotted this sign on the street in Amsterdam, on my way to #PubConf2026.

                  Disclaimer: I don’t speak Dutch, but I’d like to think it says: “Beware WhatsApp steals your data” 😆

                  #Meta #BigTech #privacy

                  Link Preview Image
                  agturcz@circumstances.runA This user is from outside of this forum
                  agturcz@circumstances.runA This user is from outside of this forum
                  agturcz@circumstances.run
                  wrote last edited by
                  #8

                  @_elena Actually, “Beware, WhatsApp steals your data" seems like a nice sticker to put somewhere on the signpost.

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • paulk@writing.exchangeP paulk@writing.exchange

                    @_elena Hahaha!
                    In fact it says "Whatsapp neighbourhood prevention".

                    People here use it to keep each other update on suspicious things and characters.

                    vladcampos@mastodon.socialV This user is from outside of this forum
                    vladcampos@mastodon.socialV This user is from outside of this forum
                    vladcampos@mastodon.social
                    wrote last edited by
                    #9

                    @paulk @_elena That's really ironic. Watching the neighborhood while being watched by big tech 🫣

                    paulk@writing.exchangeP 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • sylvia@social.lolS sylvia@social.lol

                      @_elena it doesn't alas 😀 it does mean the neighbourhood is in a WhatsApp group watching for suspicious people 😀

                      _elena@mastodon.social_ This user is from outside of this forum
                      _elena@mastodon.social_ This user is from outside of this forum
                      _elena@mastodon.social
                      wrote last edited by
                      #10

                      @sylvia I figured 😂

                      andycarolan@social.lolA 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • _elena@mastodon.social_ _elena@mastodon.social

                        Spotted this sign on the street in Amsterdam, on my way to #PubConf2026.

                        Disclaimer: I don’t speak Dutch, but I’d like to think it says: “Beware WhatsApp steals your data” 😆

                        #Meta #BigTech #privacy

                        Link Preview Image
                        kerfuffle@mastodon.onlineK This user is from outside of this forum
                        kerfuffle@mastodon.onlineK This user is from outside of this forum
                        kerfuffle@mastodon.online
                        wrote last edited by
                        #11

                        @_elena You know it doesn't mean that, but it should. Friends don't let friends use WhatsApp.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • vladcampos@mastodon.socialV vladcampos@mastodon.social

                          @paulk @_elena That's really ironic. Watching the neighborhood while being watched by big tech 🫣

                          paulk@writing.exchangeP This user is from outside of this forum
                          paulk@writing.exchangeP This user is from outside of this forum
                          paulk@writing.exchange
                          wrote last edited by
                          #12

                          @vladcampos I've tried making people move to Signal here but "everyone is using whatsap and what is the problem anyway?"
                          After which they don't want to hear about the problemS with that and other Meta Mess.

                          🤷

                          @_elena

                          vladcampos@mastodon.socialV 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • _elena@mastodon.social_ _elena@mastodon.social

                            Spotted this sign on the street in Amsterdam, on my way to #PubConf2026.

                            Disclaimer: I don’t speak Dutch, but I’d like to think it says: “Beware WhatsApp steals your data” 😆

                            #Meta #BigTech #privacy

                            Link Preview Image
                            js@mastodon.nlJ This user is from outside of this forum
                            js@mastodon.nlJ This user is from outside of this forum
                            js@mastodon.nl
                            wrote last edited by
                            #13

                            @_elena Sadly, no. This is about fearful privileged white people throwing a collective tantrum when spotting “something off” in their ‘hood.

                            Such as (quoting from memory) “dark-skinned people carrying plastic bags”, “a white van with foreign number plate parking”, “young people with strange haircuts loitering on the corner”.

                            Wish it were a warning against űberorwellian surveillance, but no, quite the contrary. It’s a very common “you’re being watched by bigots” sign.

                            pietkuip@mastodon.nlP 1 Reply Last reply
                            1
                            0
                            • paulk@writing.exchangeP paulk@writing.exchange

                              @vladcampos I've tried making people move to Signal here but "everyone is using whatsap and what is the problem anyway?"
                              After which they don't want to hear about the problemS with that and other Meta Mess.

                              🤷

                              @_elena

                              vladcampos@mastodon.socialV This user is from outside of this forum
                              vladcampos@mastodon.socialV This user is from outside of this forum
                              vladcampos@mastodon.social
                              wrote last edited by
                              #14

                              @paulk @_elena I don't use it. So, people in my family ended up creating Signal accounts to be able to communicate with me. And we actually chat there. As for friends who never created an account, I email them 😊. It also works. Takes more time to hear back from them, but they do reply. And to be honest, I've been enjoying this email thing. Longer texts that resemble letters.

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • _elena@mastodon.social_ _elena@mastodon.social

                                @sylvia I figured 😂

                                andycarolan@social.lolA This user is from outside of this forum
                                andycarolan@social.lolA This user is from outside of this forum
                                andycarolan@social.lol
                                wrote last edited by
                                #15

                                @_elena @sylvia Does this mean that Elena is now a subject in that what’sapp group chat under “person suspiciously taking photos of the whats’app sign”? 😅

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • _elena@mastodon.social_ _elena@mastodon.social

                                  Spotted this sign on the street in Amsterdam, on my way to #PubConf2026.

                                  Disclaimer: I don’t speak Dutch, but I’d like to think it says: “Beware WhatsApp steals your data” 😆

                                  #Meta #BigTech #privacy

                                  Link Preview Image
                                  ekes@drupal.communityE This user is from outside of this forum
                                  ekes@drupal.communityE This user is from outside of this forum
                                  ekes@drupal.community
                                  wrote last edited by
                                  #16

                                  @_elena Through the years those signs continue to amuse me everytime.

                                  It's supposed to be a sort of 'neighbourhood watch' connected by WhatsApp. Literally translated though it's: WhatsApp Neighbourhood Prevention. And as all things Meta are anti-social I agree.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • js@mastodon.nlJ js@mastodon.nl

                                    @_elena Sadly, no. This is about fearful privileged white people throwing a collective tantrum when spotting “something off” in their ‘hood.

                                    Such as (quoting from memory) “dark-skinned people carrying plastic bags”, “a white van with foreign number plate parking”, “young people with strange haircuts loitering on the corner”.

                                    Wish it were a warning against űberorwellian surveillance, but no, quite the contrary. It’s a very common “you’re being watched by bigots” sign.

                                    pietkuip@mastodon.nlP This user is from outside of this forum
                                    pietkuip@mastodon.nlP This user is from outside of this forum
                                    pietkuip@mastodon.nl
                                    wrote last edited by
                                    #17

                                    @js
                                    I remember "girl asking for water".
                                    Later that day it turned out that this was a missing/lost person.
                                    (Our street is around the corner from the railway station.)

                                    @_elena

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • _elena@mastodon.social_ _elena@mastodon.social

                                      Spotted this sign on the street in Amsterdam, on my way to #PubConf2026.

                                      Disclaimer: I don’t speak Dutch, but I’d like to think it says: “Beware WhatsApp steals your data” 😆

                                      #Meta #BigTech #privacy

                                      Link Preview Image
                                      jwrm22@hsnl.socialJ This user is from outside of this forum
                                      jwrm22@hsnl.socialJ This user is from outside of this forum
                                      jwrm22@hsnl.social
                                      wrote last edited by
                                      #18

                                      @_elena I always found it funny that they threaten with 'We have a WhatApp group'.

                                      Edit: I would be threatened by the phrase 'We use Signal'

                                      1 Reply Last reply
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