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Think You Can Live Offline Without Being Tracked? Here's What It Takes

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Re: Think You Can Live Offline Without Being Tracked? Here's What It Takes

#22
post #6

A horrible article. Offline? The lady has a tech-startup in SanFrancisco. Untracked? Still possible to track her. There is nothing you can do to prevent it. If you want to buy a house, you're going to need credit, if you want credit then you're going to be tracked. That's just the way it works in developed nations. It is one thing to be mindful of security. Protecting your data, understanding the limits of cryptograp…

Even if you paid cash for that house, the tax records can be public.

Re: Think You Can Live Offline Without Being Tracked? Here's What It Takes

#23

Ritter, for instance, recently met an insurance executive who always pays for meals with cash because he believes some day that data will be linked to his coverage. “I’m not saying this is a definite thing that happens,” Ritter says. “but I don’t see any definite reason why it couldn’t." Don't let it stop there. Buying a six pack for the weekend? Watch your healthcare premium go up by like 0.001% or something like th…

That is ridiculous. What we are doing is perfectly legal. Do these people think it's fair that a health-conscious individual should pay the same premium as a crack-addict? Remember that we are not going after your average Joe, the ones most affected by this are outliers with dangerous alcohol consumption patterns. Studies have shown that increased premiums for undesired excessive alcohol consumption actually decreases risk for excessive alcohol consumption. In fact, it'd be more shocking if we didn't use these purchases to set premiums.

I just made that up, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that in an interview 10 years hence.

Re: Think You Can Live Offline Without Being Tracked? Here's What It Takes

#24
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bully for you that you don't perceive an issue here. The fact is beyond dispute that the social services in widest use actively turn your friends into informants on you. If that doesn't bother you, fine--but don't mock the people for whom that is an uncomfortable reality.

Bit off topic, but I actually just disabled all my social media, and you know what? I don't miss a single soul and I feel really good again, more energetic and enthusiastic even. I just realized I really only do have about 5 people I should keep in contact with. Everyone else was a relationship that was kept up just from virtue of existing, relationships that would never make it into real life. I feel free. For the f…

Problem is that even though you visually deleted all that social stuff, the data still exists. There is no escape.

Re: Think You Can Live Offline Without Being Tracked? Here's What It Takes

#25
post #6

A horrible article. Offline? The lady has a tech-startup in SanFrancisco. Untracked? Still possible to track her. There is nothing you can do to prevent it. If you want to buy a house, you're going to need credit, if you want credit then you're going to be tracked. That's just the way it works in developed nations. It is one thing to be mindful of security. Protecting your data, understanding the limits of cryptograp…

A horrible comment. These are people who are minimizing their profiles, not magical fairy creatures. Of course if you buy a house under your own name, you will be easy to find - but with a little creativity, you may be able to get around that. Just because these people are guarded about their activities and their images does not mean that they are handing out tips about how to run for Congress anonymously, so there's…

These people? I am one of them. I understand the in's and out's of just about the best you can do when it comes to living off the map.

The article says they are living off the map, which they certainly aren't.

Like I said, minimizing your footprint is one thing, and that is good, but saying these people are "Offline" is absurd.

Re: Think You Can Live Offline Without Being Tracked? Here's What It Takes

#26

Ritter, for instance, recently met an insurance executive who always pays for meals with cash because he believes some day that data will be linked to his coverage. “I’m not saying this is a definite thing that happens,” Ritter says. “but I don’t see any definite reason why it couldn’t." Don't let it stop there. Buying a six pack for the weekend? Watch your healthcare premium go up by like 0.001% or something like th…

[deleted]

Re: Think You Can Live Offline Without Being Tracked? Here's What It Takes

#27
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bully for you that you don't perceive an issue here. The fact is beyond dispute that the social services in widest use actively turn your friends into informants on you. If that doesn't bother you, fine--but don't mock the people for whom that is an uncomfortable reality.

Bit off topic, but I actually just disabled all my social media, and you know what? I don't miss a single soul and I feel really good again, more energetic and enthusiastic even. I just realized I really only do have about 5 people I should keep in contact with. Everyone else was a relationship that was kept up just from virtue of existing, relationships that would never make it into real life. I feel free. For the f…

The irony of course being that Hackernews too is social media, and you still just "bragged" about the experience you had!

Re: Think You Can Live Offline Without Being Tracked? Here's What It Takes

#28
post #18

Moral of the story: to really disappear, you're going to need to go live in a forest somewhere or move to the high plains of Tibet. Potentially useful information, if there's mobsters after you. The RFID tags in tires is a perfect illustration of why it's going to be practically impossible to live in the modern world and cover all your tracks. I certainly didn't know there are tags in tires (which, BTW, is a nifty id…

I certainly didn't know there are tags in tires That's the first I've heard of it myself, although it seems inevitable since one of the biggest selling points of RFID tags is for inventory management. We are likely to see RFID tags everywhere we currently see barcodes. http://www.securityinfowatch.com/press_release/10492011/why-... But... to get back to the RFID in tires thing there is more to it than just that. Curr…

Reading about direct TPMS, it's a shame that the sensors have to be battery powered. I was excited for a minute, thinking maybe they manage to power the device with radio waves, the same way a passive RFID chip replies using power harvested from the query.

Re: Think You Can Live Offline Without Being Tracked? Here's What It Takes

#29

"Friends can be an impediment to a life off the radar." Top 1% of the super paranoid indeed. While I understand the reach of the government and the lengths they'll go to gain information - this article is absolutely ridiculous to me. I like my friends, I like to travel, I like to do things. Effectively letting the government control your life because you are afraid of what they MIGHT do? Give me a fucking break.

I'm not sure exactly what needs to happen before you'd take the issue seriously, but enough already has happened for many of us to be very concerned.

Re: Think You Can Live Offline Without Being Tracked? Here's What It Takes

#30

Ritter, for instance, recently met an insurance executive who always pays for meals with cash because he believes some day that data will be linked to his coverage. “I’m not saying this is a definite thing that happens,” Ritter says. “but I don’t see any definite reason why it couldn’t." Don't let it stop there. Buying a six pack for the weekend? Watch your healthcare premium go up by like 0.001% or something like th…

I cannot think of the name of it but this reminds me of a scene in a movie. Vaguely it was set in the future and insurance owned the world (something like that). At one point the main character was in the bathroom and the toilet did an analysis right there (he was drinking and swapped it for clean stuff or something like that). I just can't think of the name of it.

Personally I find the idea disgusting.

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