Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

Personal Privacy in a Surveillance World -- How Important is it?

posted by cmn32480 on Wednesday May 13 2015, @10:37AM   Printer-friendly
from the we-await-the-shitstorm dept.

martyb writes:

I'm about to give up.

On the one hand, I see countless people get loyalty cards and enjoy discounts on their purchases. They connect with friends on Facebook and Twitter. They use apps on android or apple smartphones to give them turn-by-turn directions, find out where their friends are, or find places of interest. Their e-mail is "in the cloud" where they can get to it from multiple places. They use services like dropbox to share files. They get their news on-line and read e-books. I could go on and on.

On the other hand, I see opportunities for tracking and profiling in every one of those activities. So much so that it seems like one would be under constant observation and surveillance. We are just data points to be sliced and diced and marketed to — a society of consumers rather than customers.

So, I've got a major "ick factor" knowing about these practices and yet I'm hard-pressed to explain any negative consequences to otherwise intelligent people. "I don't do anything that's THAT interesting." "I've done nothing wrong, so I don't worry about it." "I like getting the bonuses and discounts."

Yet, I see companies expend great amounts of money implementing tracking mechanisms such as cookies, super-cookies, clear gifs, as well as huge databases of purchases, travels, and interests. I don't believe they are doing this for purely philanthropic reasons.

In no particular order, I include these for consideration:

I use a variety of Addons while browsing the web using Pale Moon: a custom HOSTS file, Self-Destructing Cookies, Ad-Block Plus, Ghostery, NoScript, Better Privacy, Flashblock, and Ref Control. I have a firewall and use anti-virus products. "In real life" I prefer to use cash over charge cards for my purchases. I have no loyalty cards.

What say you Soylentils? Am I being unreasonably paranoid? Or not paranoid enough? What dangers, really, are there? Why not sign up for all those loyalty cards and social apps? What privacy protections do YOU use?

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Personal Privacy in a Surveillance World -- How Important is it? | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 119 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 13 2015, @01:31PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 13 2015, @01:31PM (#182356)

    > As for loyalty cards, fill their stupid forms out with a bunch of bullshit and use them to get discounts

    Many stores require ID to sign up for a loyalty card. They aren't that stupid.

    > Who cares if the store has a record of Anonymous Coward buying five boxes of condoms, a pack of straight razor blades, and ten gallons of bleach?

    Are you married? Are her tubes tied? Are yours? Do you want the store outting your condom purchases to your wife?

  • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Wednesday May 13 2015, @03:15PM

    by hemocyanin (186) on Wednesday May 13 2015, @03:15PM (#182414) Journal

    I've never been asked for ID to get a loyalty card so this tactic, using a new card every time, is a pretty good one. Plus it annoys the cashier, and people in line, making the entire shopping experience at the store worse, which is bad for business, good for saying Fuck-Loyalty-Cards, while getting the discount.