What do THEY know about you?
If you didn't already know, the Internet knows more about you than your own family. And it's because we've unknowingly traded our personal data in order to get back our time.
We're all guilty and yet there are things we can do to minimise out footprint online.
If you don't know how bad this invasion of privacy already is then watch this video.
And if you watched the video I suspect you're feeling a little outraged but I didn't share this to make you feel scared but rather informed.
Be Alert not Alarmed
Now, I'm not about to give up my phone anytime soon, but I don't always walk around with the GPS turned on and sometimes I even just turn my phone off.
Yeah, apparently you can do this with a small button on the side.
So when was the last time you turned your phone off?
Try it, and that FOMO feeling soon subsides, i promise, and you'll be ok.
Fortunately, we still have control over these devices, because they all need power and we control that, but in the future all these gadgets will be charged from a wireless station, then what?
Will they still provide an 'off' button so we can disconnect from the grid?
However, while the internet things is still a while away, your privacy is already being compromised via your online search and emails if you use gmail or hotmail.
Yes, they actually read your emails to determine what advertising strategy they'll use to help make a sales conversion. And when I say 'they', I don't mean people are reading your emails, but rather complex AI computers, who can already predict your future based on your past behaviour.
Now I've mentioned about Facebook privacy issues in a previous post, but didn't touch on Google who are just as bad.
Fun Fact: Google's Motto use to be "Don't be Evil" which was pretty cool and helped them gain your trust.
So why did they drop that motto in 2015?
Maybe they didn't want to be hypocrites as they dive deeper into your personal data.
Anyway I've started to use Search Engines that don't track your data.
Yes companies like DuckDuckGo are trying to hand back your privacy. Read more about them here.
But if you can't bare to leave Google Search then at least use Incognito mode to limit the tracking of your search history. Just hit 'Ctrl+Shift+N' and chrome will open a new private Incognito window for you to use. (apparently)
And on the plus side when you visit an online store, you won't continue seeing the same ad following around the internet, in the hope you'll go back and make that purchase, even if you have already. :-P
Now this won't be last time I rant about 'Internet Privacy' because this rabbit hole is soooooo deep.
And being informed is the best weapon I can offer, but what you do with this information is entirely up to you.
Wow. I can't believe I spent the next 15 minutes consuming this content. You've got a pretty cool point of view, and that's great. For other readers, I think you'll find it worthwhile watching this movie "Personal of Interest". It's available on o2tvseries.com. Great job @just2random. I'm now following you in hope that we'll get more of such content from you.
I fiercely defend my privacy. I do not own a smart anything. My phone simply receives and sends calls. No GPS. No Internet. No Camera. Nada. I am not a youtwitface. The only online platform I am on is Steemit. Period.
When I do use internet, I don't use google. I use DuckDuckGo. I do not use Skype or any form of instant messaging. And I hate CCTV cameras. If I want to share my information with you, I will. But it is my choice.
I guess that makes me weird.
You are totally all over it and no you aren't weird, just informed better than most.
You are right, but as life goes, you gotta have a licence to get married, to drive a car or plane and boat, you go to work, pay taxes, bank account etc, they have every bit of information about us, thats why I joined Steemit.
Yeah, it's really invasive, isn't it? Know Your Customer (KYC) is just another extension of this in the crypto world.
And don't get me started about the government. :-P
Knowing how these system works can be to your advantage too in terms of creating a more democratic society.
Let the people take back the control of the internet!!! It is just a large collection of interconnected machines. Yes there are gateways, but routing can be SMARTER if there are other paths avoiding the BAD gateways.
You discuss a really pertinent topic here @just2random! There's a bunch of really good add-ons that are perfect for filtering whats get through your browser. I'm mainly thinking of No-Script here (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/noscript/) which does a sterling job. It does take a bit of learning but the rewards are worth the effort. Of course, like any security measure, it has to be coupled with other tools (cookie auto-delete, ublock etc.). Just got to move onto Tor now! Resteemed :)
Yeah, I've just touched the surface on this topic and yet this will still be more than people want to do.
The good thing about this crypto movement is, it's really improved the tools for maintaining privacy on the Internet and that's a good thing.
It's also why the governments hate it. They are slowly losing their control.
And thanks for the links.
Haha yeah its crazy to see what trade-offs people see as worthwhile these days! It follows the saying that you don't value what's right in front of your nose (or something along those lines)...but then it's the same barrier as with any problem, people aren't willing to learn...
Luckily there's people like you, blockchain developers, wikipedia etc! Keep the good posts coming :)
Man I don't even want to think about how much information is out there about me. I joined Facebook as one of the first waves of college kids to do so, and after that I decided to pursue an acting career and tried to put myself out there as much as possible. That's why I use my real name on here. I have already branded myself across the majority of the world wide web. There is no going back now, so I met as well embrace it. I envy those that have kept themselves more private. It's like being a celebrity without the perks, and the government is like the paparazzi, except they don't have to sneak through our garbage and secretly peep on us at the park to know what we are doing.
I had no idea how powerful phone tracking was until a few weeks ago when I accidentally left my smart phone on top of the car while I was getting my kids strapped in. It flew off somewhere between my house and my daughter's school, and my husband suggested I check where'smyphone to see if I could find it. I entered the email that was connected to my phone and it showed me within just a few feet where it had fallen and shattered, no only that, but it showed me every path I had taken with my phone since I had bought it. It showed variations I had taken on my runs, it showed my one trip to another city I had taken a few weeks back. It was creepy to the max. I guess I knew it was possible, but the reality of actually seeing it was crazy!
Yeah it's crazy how much info we leave around, not just on us but also when we use our machines, what for, etc.etc. (anyone can find out a bunch just from your IP, a public piece of information https://www.whatismyip.com/) Have you tried unrooting your phone? That will stop google and company from tapping into your data :)
I have never heard of unrooting your phone. What does that do? How do you do it?
It gives you full access to the OS (I can't remember if you can do it for iphones, i've only looked for android) so you can change ALL the presets and parameters, and uninstall literally anything in the phone. You can get an app to do it or you can do it from your computer. Google it (or DuckDuckGo it rather haha) there's loads of stuff online explaining exactly what it is and how to do it.
And they give plenty of warning!!!...doing this cancels any warranties and insurance on your phone. And if you mess up the process it can f up your phone.