from the paranoia-makes-sense-if-everyone-is-out-to-get-you dept.
This is a little old but doesn't seem to have been discussed here. The Pew Research Center has released a report on privacy strategies adopted by Americans after the Snowden leaks started.
The analysis in this report is based on a Pew Research Center survey conducted between November 26, 2014 and January 3, 2015 among a sample of 475 adults, 18 years of age or older.
Concern about the surveillance programs is in the 30% range.
- 39% say they are “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about government monitoring of their activity on search engines.
- 38% say they are “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about government monitoring of their activity on their email messages.
- 37% express concern about government monitoring of their activity on their cell phone.
- 31% are concerned about government monitoring of their activity on social media sites, such as Facebook or Twitter.
- 29% say they are concerned about government monitoring of their activity on their mobile apps.
A fraction of users have changed their behaviour.
- 18% of the Americans who are aware of the surveillance programs say they have changed the way they use their email accounts “somewhat” or a “great deal.”
- 17% say they have changed the way they use search engines.
- 15% say they have changed the way they use social media.
- 15% say they have changed the way they use their cell phones.
- 13% say they have changed the way they use mobile apps.
- 13% say they have changed the way they use text messages.
- 9% say they have changed the way they use their landline phone.
Spreading information about the programs seems to help change behaviour
Those who are more likely to have changed their behaviors include the people who have heard “a lot” about government surveillance (38% say they have changed a great deal/somewhat in at least one of these activities), those who are at least somewhat concerned about the programs (41% have changed at least one activity), and those who are concerned about government monitoring of their use of social media, search engines, cell phones, apps, and email.
The full 37 page PDF is available to everyone and Bruce Schneier has also written some good commentary.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 17 2015, @08:29AM
My tinfoil hat is too tight, but it doesn't matter, because I have forgotten how to socialize.
(Score: 2) by gnuman on Friday April 17 2015, @05:36PM
twitter and facebook is not socializing.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 17 2015, @08:50AM
I don't use any of these things, and I couldn't be happier. Ever since I stopped communicating with people, I don't have any unwelcome interruptions. I don't get spam anymore, because I never email anyone anymore. The phone doesn't ring, because I never call anyone anymore. It's great! I finally realized people just aren't worth talking to. Ever.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 17 2015, @12:49PM
I bet you prefer real sex to the cyber thing as well... YOU FREAK!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 17 2015, @04:39PM
And don't leave your house, either, because facial recognition technology is getting better, and they're installing surveillance equipment everywhere in public places.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by hemocyanin on Friday April 17 2015, @08:54AM
Barely a third of people are even bothered. That's fucking depressing.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 17 2015, @09:06AM
The other two thirds depend upon a circle jerk to validate their existence. Existing is basically all they do.
(Score: 3, Informative) by WizardFusion on Friday April 17 2015, @12:51PM
The others also watch Fox "News"
(Score: 5, Insightful) by JNCF on Friday April 17 2015, @04:42PM
Nope. Liberals and conservatives can both be found in the "don't give a fuck" camp. Portraying this as a partisan issue doesn't really help. Both major parties support the ongoing illegal spy regime, and both of them have plenty of voters who are all for it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 18 2015, @03:55PM
Fixed for bipartisanship. People who watch MSNBC constantly are just as bad. Like seriously, they spew the same crap and act the same way, they just watch a different channel. The Fox-worshippers are far greater in number though and far more visible.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by sudo rm -rf on Friday April 17 2015, @09:27AM
It is, but on the other hand tens of millions of people seem to have changed their behaviour. And that's just the USA, I'm sure the Snowden leaks have affected people's behaviour in other countries as well. But then maybe I'm just too optimistic, spring time and all...
(Score: 1) by kadal on Friday April 17 2015, @01:14PM
The problem is that it's hard to switch over when the people you communicate with are on shitty, unsecured networks.
I had the girlfriend switch over to Signal (https://whispersystems.org/blog/signal/) and we've started using Adium with OTR. PGP email is next, but getting my other friends to shift is a pain in the butt. Doesn't help that OTR isn't seamless enough when you're signed in multiple places. Hopefully, this TextSecure protocol becomes more widespread.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 17 2015, @01:46PM
I wonder if they asked if anyone used security precautions prior to the revelations? Those that are close to the IT industry, often the experts, already were aware of the dark underbelly of what could be possible and what was possible, if not directly aware of what was happening.
The unseemly side of IT, or any industry really, is apparent to those that are experts in that industry.
For the record, I've tried to keep a low profile, but it is quite difficult to do without my mother trying to ruin it every step of the way, trying to use manipulation and guilt to get me to log into facebook or something.
And then there is the expectation for many work places (I am a consultant) to force the people that work for them to like them on whatever or follow them on whatever or otherwise press the button from a validated account so they can have bigger numbers, otherwise you get depicted as that crazy psycho who is anti-social. Facebook was bad enough before they opened it to businesses, and then advertisers. Why would I go there to see ads and get poked by employers?
People without enough will or motiviation may easily crack under the pressure of a manipulative mother (or employers). It can be hard to get non-technical people in the family to understand why you are "keeping secrets" from them--in the public no less. Or it doesn't concern them that they have a history that can be easily looked up simply because they don't know how the difference between a browser and a program and an application and an app, and don't know how to search other than for email and facebook. It's upsetting, but it's the way things are. People that already know how to get to what they want are often not wanting to hear the techpriest tell them how to do it better, however righteous my beliefs are.
It seems the folks that I know that do this best see privacy safeguards as a ritual of some kind, as opposed to a civic duty. I suppose passionate atheists and fundamentalists, both of which often evangelize their "religions", are not much different, and so their messages are just as drowned out as the security messages.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 17 2015, @04:43PM
trying to use manipulation and guilt to get me to log into facebook or something.
Your problem is that you have a Facebook account at all. If a workplace requires you deal with scummy companies like Facebook or similar, that isn't somewhere you want to be working.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 18 2015, @03:20PM
Not to worry; I created one years ago just to make sure some jerk didn't create one under my name. But I do not use it; at least, not since one could become a "fan" of something. Well before the like button, commercials, and businesses were on it.
The manipulative mother keeps trying to get me to use it, and that it is so annoying that people keep wishing me a birthday that A) I don't read and B) isn't the right date. Why can't I be normal like everyone else, she says... well. I can't adequately explain that to her without appearing to be a kook. I simply have to call her or email her more often...
As for work places, these were observations based on my experiences. Places do indeed expect one to follow them on their platforms and post propaganda. One business owner obsessively checked linked in for any employee activity and kept tabs on any new connections and so on.
The social media transparency certainly can do more harm than good.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 18 2015, @04:01PM
Facebook will have a "shadow profile" on you anyway, so its better to have an account so you can have at least some control over the information they have on you, untagging yourself from pictures and such.
(Score: 5, Funny) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday April 17 2015, @09:05AM
Just Sayin'
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by Common Joe on Friday April 17 2015, @02:08PM
You were already pegged at 5 and despite that, I thought this comment was so funny, I had to add another +1 to it.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Friday April 17 2015, @02:10PM
I switched to duck duck go as a search engine, but that's about it. Haven't had a land line since '08. email? texting? mobile apps? What exactly can I do with these to guard my privacy except not use them?
I tried to encrypt my email in the 90's but for that to work both parties must participate. Most of the folks I email are non-tech and have no clue, nor no intention of learning, about encryption. Not to mention about the only email I get nowdays are things like my insurance agency trying to sell me something, texting has replaced 99% of email.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 1) by kadal on Friday April 17 2015, @04:50PM
Well if "texting" (SMS or chats?) is what you use most, then there are services that make encryption really seamless and easy. TextSecure+Redphone on Android or Signal on iOS, is one such. Note that they don't encrypt texts anymore. That network essentially uses an updated version of OTR. I've started using it, pretty painless. They've got around OTR's problem of requiring both clients to be online to negotiate key exchange - so they can implement asynchronous messaging ( https://whispersystems.org/blog/asynchronous-security/ [whispersystems.org] ). Some of the other mobile OTR software (e.g. ChatSecure) actually drop messages if you dont have that app open when the other person sends you a message. Makes it totally useless.
I also have HTTPS-Everywhere (Encrypted Web for Pale Moon actually) installed just to increase the amount of encrypted traffic flying around. You can use OTR over XMPP with Pidgin / Adium too. It just requires people using these applications, and not the little browser chat window.
My view is, if you convince the people you communicate with most to do it, it makes a lot of difference. Family makes a good start.
For more alternatives see www.prism-break.org. Some info here too: https://ssd.eff.org/ [eff.org]
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Friday April 17 2015, @05:15PM
Both textsecure and redphone require both sides be running the encryption programs. This goes back to the main problem with PGP in the 90's; namely the person you're talking to has to run it. I couldn't get my 30 something friends to do so in the 90's, I'm sure as hell not going to get my 50 something friends to do so now.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 1) by kadal on Saturday April 18 2015, @04:07AM
Well yes, to protect your privacy, you have to switch from unsecured to secured networks. That said, at least on Android, things are pretty seamless. TextSecure can deal with SMS, MMS and OTR over their network. So you can have it handle all that, just use TextSecure instead of your normal Messaging app. With RedPhone installed, if you dial someone (who has RedPhone installed) using the normal dialer, you get a prompt to use encryption. Doesn't get much more seamless than that....
If you expect google, apple etc. to move to default end-to-end encryption, then you'll be waiting for a long time. Plus, all their stuff is closed source, so you don't know if it's siphoning off the cleartext somewhere.