I've been aware of this issue for some time but today I've tried to make myself so acutely aware that I'm losing my mind over it.

Having recently dropped (and pretty much destroyed) my oldschool flip top phone while on vacation a week or so ago, I was sort of forced to upgrade to a smart phone. Being new to smart phones I tend to navigate to setting always, just to see what's running and what's asking for permissions etc. It's mind boggling how intrusive even the simplest of apps are and how they need to access gps and all sorts of personal data. I've already deleted half the apps based on my feeling that "No you don't need that information!" Then when I think of the computer and how I constantly manage cookies and deny permissions it's like a endless war.

Is it just me? I'm well aware it's the age we live in but enough is enough. I like inconvenience most of the time because apparently convenience comes at too awful a cost of privacy.

I try not to think about this for fear of giving myself a complex. But then I read something like this and wonder if I am not doing myself a disservice by not being more proactive and/or on the lookout for this type of thing.

ha I thought this was going to be about bitcoins.

I tend to be on the side of paranoia. Too much technology can be frightening in that so much personal information is collected about you. There is no such thing as a "free app" or "free software". Someone out there is collecting your info, and yet more "someones" have acquired the same info and/or bought your info. That's the main reason why I participate on social networks with an alias name, and as far as devices go, I'm a complete ludite with cell phones. I have just the bare minimum (no smart phone, no phone internet!) and use my phone only for telephone calls (imagine that! )--that way, I don't have to wage war on my phone, just my computer . Although, I do realize, there are ways to track you on your cell phone, because your phone is giving out your gps coordinates , smart or otherwise...

P.S. Try googling yourself and see what's out there!

Rhetorically speaking, what do you have to hide? Personally, I don't really get the paranoia about these things. I don't allow my phone to ever get my GPS coordinates unless I am using a map. While I certainly think everyone is entitled to their privacy, you'd have to be a hermit to get entirely off the grid, so to speak. It's best left to being thought about in passing, I think, for fear of the thought police getting in.

While on this subject, I recommend everyone look themselves up on http://www.spokeo.com and remove any listing that's yours. I didn't know about this site until several months ago when I found three or four instances of past addresses of mine. Now that's kind of scary.

Good question. It's not that I have something to hide, but I don't want my entire personal, financial, social, legal life available to the public, because you don't know who is out there utilizing that info for what end. While it is fun to have the conveniences, I've found that unless it's really worth using with real benefits, I won't use xyz...

If you think spokeo is scary, imagine what the other databases are tracking about you (i.e. there are real estate sites that will divulge your property worth as well as who is holding your mortgage, then there are your credit card companies who share/sell your financial info with other companies-ergh!). It is impossible, as you've mentioned, to stay out of databases, but why make it any easier for someone to steal your identity or use your personal information against you. And, there is a potential for someone to alter your personal information, for whatever reason--even scarier. Then there are weirdos out there, and for us females, that can be a real safety concern...

Your cell phone, even when turned off, can emit signals which still allow you to be tracked. The slippery slope ethics of e911...
http://www.legalaffairs.org/issues/July ... laug03.msp

I swear one day I will be off the grid forever. I get a lot of conspiracy jokes or paranoia thrown my way but like Grace said- I like my privacy. I'm not a hermit, don't have anything to hide, but as I get older I'm find people pretty annoying. It's all part of that 'you live in your own world' thing. I don't really like letting a lot of people in, especially fucktard marketing people who WILL never get it, nor intrusive corporations. It's just too easy for them. I like to make it as difficult as possible. Might seem knee jerk to some but not to me. This is why you will never ever see me on Twitter or Facebook.

Just came across this TrapWire article and figured it would be appropriate for this thread:
http://www.businessinsider.com/trapwire ... now-2012-8

Here's another:
http://rt.com/usa/news/stratfor-trapwir ... leaks-313/

Interesting read and something to make people more paranoid.

ah the joy of owning a phone that is a phone, my friends kid threw a shit fit when she picked up my phone and tried to get it to play music and show pics, she turned it over 3 times looking for the touch screen

For a great read on the subject, including general tips on maintaining privacy, etc., I recommend the book "How To Be Invisible" by J.J. Luna.

For instance, when filling out a change of address card at your local post office, simply checking temporary residence versus permanent residence prevents you from being added to over 10,000 databases.

EDIT: You can find the book here: http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Invisible- ... 0312319061

using any of the google services would mean getting data mined, since that is how they make their profits.

Great thread here. If I can give anything is find yourselves from pipl [dot] com as well and see what people can just access from you on the web, by email, address or even just your real name.

if on google you can tell it to delete anything yours that is on record, I just forget how to do it off the top of my head.