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omehgosh

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Posts posted by omehgosh

  7. Posted

    In case you really didn't know...

     

    iPhone apps taking your entire contact list -

     

    http://www.techmeme.com/120215/p6#a120215p6

     

    Twitter selling everything you ever tweeted -

     

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/digital-culture/social-networking/twitter-sells-your-feed-to-big-data/article2355287/

     

    Cellphone tracking in malls -

     

    http://www.pcworld.com/article/244859/some_malls_tracking_shoppers_through_their_cell_phones_this_holiday_season.html

  8. Posted

    I've been telling people about stuff like this for years, but until VERY recently, people have always assumed I was just being paranoid.

     

    This app just shows one of MANY ways where your privacy is being invaded far beyond what you think is even possible. It's not just social media that's responsible either - although that's really helping to get very detailed info on all of us.

     

    Did you know that in the U.S. in some malls they track you via your cell phone? They have software and hardware installed at the malls that tracks your cell phone uniquely. They record where you go, how long you're there for, when you leave... and I'm not just talking entering and leaving the mall - they literally track where in an actual store aisle you stop to check something out, how long you stay there before moving to another part of the isle, how long it takes you to get from that point to another... The next time you go to the same mall, they track you again and simply add it to your file...

     

    Every time you use your credit card, debit card, air miles card, or whatever - you are being tracked (that's the whole point of those points cards!). They track record and analyze your purchasing habits, travelling habits, and eventually can pretty much figure out where you're most likely to be at any point in the day.

     

    Twitter just recently sold, or was in the process of selling all of it's data to some company that was going to process it and sell it off. That's right - everything little thing you ever posted on Twitter was kept and will be sold off to some company so that they can analyze and predict your behaviors.

     

    This stuff is real, and happening with or without you knowing about it, and whether or not you like it.

     

    You check your gmail account and find ads related to a message you sent or received - they're tracking you. Yes, in that case there's simply a program analyzing words in your messages and feeding you ads based on that info - and I'd guess there's never actually somebody reading your messages, but I still find it a little creepy.

     

    How do you think these huge social media /networking companies like Facebook and Twitter make money? - Advertising. Processing your personal information allows them to better target you, personally - the advertising is more effective, everybody makes more money. I wouldn't be surprised if they even have personalized, specific algorithms for individuals.

     

    Did you know about the recent discovery with IOS (iphone, ipad, ipod...)? The one where someone found out that every single application installed had the ability to collect all of the data from your contacts and send it out to a server somewhere to collect it? Did you know you that they could do this without asking your permission?

     

    I'm not making this up, this is real. They found many applications (some of them full on well-know legitimate apps) collecting your contacts data on their own servers for no apparent reason. Apple said they were going to correct this, but I don't remember hearing it was corrected.

     

    This may still sound crazy to some, but it isn't I swear - cross my heart and hope to die! Do some research of your own, get informed.

     

    I'm not sure you can fully stop the collection of your private, personal data (well, it used to be considered private and personal... it used to illegal to simply follow someone around in the street... I don't understand how this other stuff is "okay"), but if it concerns you you still have at least a little power to protect your privacy...

     

    Don't use Facebook. Pick up a phone and call your friends, or better yet - go visit them in person.

     

    Don't use Twitter. Nobody needed to know what you were doing every single minute of the day before - why do they need to know it now?

     

    Turn off your cell phone once and a while. There was a time not so long ago, when it was okay to be on the road and unreachable by phone for a little while.

     

    Even easier (I know, I'm addicted to my freakin' phone too)...

     

    Use cash whenever you can - stop using debit and credit card for everything.

     

    Stop using points cards (it's a trade off - your privacy for some really small rewards (they're getting really cheap nowadays!)).

     

    Don't give that cashier your postal code, phone number, or email when they ask you at the store (yes, that information is being collected for a reason too - and it's not so that you can return an item later if you want to - you can still do that if you don't give them any personal information (yes, a postal code is still telling them where you live, how far you drove to get to their store, what you bought when you there... and eventually how often you shop there, and the times/days you go...))

     

    Quit entering stuff online like contests and promotions etc., where you give them your name, address, age, phone number...

     

    Whew! My fingers are all out of breath. 'Nuff ranting from me I think.

     

    :smile:

  18. Posted

    Admittedly, I don't really know much about politics or economy or finance, but I still have my opinion - lol - don't we all?!?

     

    I think I remember once reading something from some famous person - Malthus or Adams or someone like that - basically, a kind of prediction that the "system" would fail at a certain point - population or some other reason.

     

    Anyhow, ignorant as I may be, I'm of that same opinion. Things will change eventually - because they have to.

     

    I'm not impressed with the "occupy" movement at all (for many reasons), but I do believe their fight is a good one - and a fight that most of us will end up joining sooner or later.

     

    Eventually we're all going to have to face the reality that we can't have everything we want (not even close!) and go back to being happy with getting what we NEED (when we can)... I don't think we'll have any choice really - big business, the rich, the middle-class - ALL of us.

     

    It started at the bottom but it's working it's way up... In the meanwhile, I guess all of us zombified consumers can try to shake ourselves out if it and affect change sooner than later - stop buying stuff we don't need, don't accept poor service and ridiculous prices, quit being so lazy, don't be such a sucker for the marketing schemes...

     

    Couple of quick examples...

     

    Blockbuster - we all slid right in to video on demand - at a HIGHER price - we put the video rental places out of business - now we're complaining about cost again.

     

    E-books that cost YOU as much as the printed version but make the seller a WHOLE LOT MORE profit - how much longer for the book store?

     

    Cell phones - they're expensive, the rates are ridiculous, they gouge us at every corner... but we all still have cell phones (myself included).

     

    Don't give them your postal code or phone number at the retail stores - that's for their marketing - you're not getting a discount because you're giving them free information enabling them to market themselves better. If they tell you they need it for you to be able to make a return or exchange - don't believe them.

     

    Give up on the Facebook craziness - do you have any idea how much money is being made off of you via Facebook and Twitter. Everyone's monitoring the data collected from social media - yes, we're making them even better at taking our money!

     

    Okay, so most will think the last two are total paranoia (they're not, I assure you) but anyone with a little common sense can see the reality of the first few.

     

    We're all to blame, and whether we like it or not, we're all going to have to change. That's my 2 cents (well, okay 3 or 4... maybe 5... lol)

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