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PaperclipPerfector  4d ago (text post)   2237 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for December 7, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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This is a very convincing argument about physical microphone switch being completely impossible. As somebody who never designed a phone, I have to completely defer to your expertise. Except for one small thing: phones with physical microphone switches actually exist. Example: https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/ Must be using some kind of unholy black magic, because is also costs less than many of those phones where there's absolutely no way to do it, both physically and legally. As people should not associate with unholy black magic, I guess we'd have to agree this is just not possible.

Must be using some kind of unholy black magic

Yes, also known as "worse performance in the aspects that people actually care about". If all you cared about was apps not being able to listen to the microphone, you could always buy a dumbphone with no apps (or just not install any apps you're concerned about).

Also do you actually know that they disconnect the microphone or are you just believing their marketing material? Have you verified it yourself from the schematics? If you haven't done even that, why do you trust it more than what every expert in the topic says about audio routing and app permissions in regular phone OSes?

I think the discussion is descending into ridiculousness at this point. No, I don't know that the whole cell phone thing is not just one giant CIA mind control operation aimed at stealing my precious bodily fluids, and I don't care about it. So I don't think there's a point to continue here.

I think the discussion is descending into ridiculousness at this point.

Yes, that's what happens when you discard explanations from domain experts given in good faith in favor of conspiracy theories that you've already decided to believe against all evidence.

I'm sorry but "if you didn't personally verify the wiring layout of your phone therefore all your concerns about phone software are invalid" doesn't sound like an expert-level argument. I know "expert" doesn't mean what it used to mean anymore, but this approach is ridiculous whether the person advancing it considers himself an "expert" or not.

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