US Government-funded Android phones come preinstalled with unremovable malware: Phones were sold to low-income people under the FCC's Lifeline Assistance program.

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[–]FormosaOolong 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

They did. I knew a guy who escaped from USSR in the eighties, and he told me first hand about the horrid ways they'd push people into spying on each other. Even your neighbors, friends and family might turn you in for the tiniest infraction.

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

When I lived in NYC I was primarily a senior animator, but when there were no gigs I was an art director on live-action productions. I got to know a Russian guy who had come over and was a steadicam operator. He told me all about how no one trusted anyone, everyone was corrupt, and everyone would rat each other out just to get a bit ahead - so most people didn't socialize or talk to each other. I don't know if that was par for the course, for the whole country, or just his neighbourhood, or what.

The other strong take away from him was this: He'd do any kind of work except rap videos. Too many Black guys with egos trying to prove themselves with nothing over nothing with guns a plenty. Not just too many drive-bys back then but way too much attitude that would fuck with the job, "You know who I know, bitch!"

Ironically, we worked for a Black director who did all the early Jay-Z videos (I'd never heard of Jay-Z before this in 2000 or 2001), but Jay-Z wouldn't call him back - so he was doing PSAs (public service announcements) and such, like I was, in the post-DotBomb.

(Note: In my mind I may be conflating that PSA job and a non-rap music video I art directed, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgsWsRasnoE another funny (now) but long disaster story.)