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So yesterday the news (I forgot which) reported how both iPhones and Android phones were busily tracking and recording your locations, storing them on your phone. Disabling this feature (should you find out about it) is buried several layers deep, particularly so for the iPhone.
I'm a privacy nut but it doesn't bother me. I don't have an iPhone (or iAnything). I don't have an Android device. If it weren't immodest of me, I'd chastise everyone I know with hearty I-Told-You-So. They'd respond that it doesn't bother them and then, when I'm safely out of sight, fret about it.
So - my advice to you - one and all. Protect yourself with the blessed insight of none other than Michael Faraday: wrap your phone in aluminum foil and never be tracked (or otherwise disturbed) again.
Which emoticon is symbolizes gloating?
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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I don't really care if the FBI tracks me by my cell phone. I really don't.
When I become an international bad boy, then maaaybe, I might care.
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If it were 'only' the FBI, CIA, or NSA it wouldn't be so bad.
It's elephanting apple and google. To them, your info is a commodity.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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W∴ Balboos wrote: To them, your info is a commodity.
Lets be honest... to large corporations your existence is a commodity.
None of this really bothers me though... as for the FBI, CIA, NSA - I don't do anything they'd be interested in. As for Apple, Google, Microsoft - I've learned to 100% completely ignore online advertisement. Its a gift! 
Contrary to popular belief, nobody owes you anything.
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After recently helping a friend pay for adwords...
I was SO SHOCKED at the prices. We are talking $5.00, $12.00 and $20.00
click through charges! OMG. Maybe because we chose a geographic area,
but the fees across the board are SO much higher than we thought.
His results. He spent $600 and got one person to call him. We both
decided a direct mail piece was probably a better way to go.
So, now, when I get an annoying ad. I click on it. A LOT! In different
sessions. In fact, I was thinking about writing an App for that! This
led to the an ugly conclusion about the net... LOL.
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I find it useful that my phone knows where I am and where I go. It allows it to tell me of any upcoming traffic problems and it always knows how to get me home if I don't. It can even tell me of interesting things or places nearby when I am away from home.
For someone as essentially lazy as me I find this very useful.
I also fail to see that this has, or could have, any negative impact on me at all.
It might get more adds that are targeted to me, big deal, I have been happily ignoring the ones that aren't for years now.
If I do decide to take up a life of crime and take a smart phone along with me then I don't think it is them being evil that would get me caught, but me being a dickhead.
So Google, please remember where I am, because sometimes I can't.
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.
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Try to imagine going into a Starbucks that happens to be next door to the Radical Islamist Book Store, and having your cell phone just slightly misinterpret the GPS location. This happens three times, and suddenly you discover (at the airport, when trying to go on vacation) that you're on a No Fly list, with no way to get off.
You're still not an international bad boy. Are ou still ok with being tracked?
The problem with automated data collection is that the inferences that are automatically extracted from the data don't start with the presumption of innocence.
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SeattleC++ wrote: that are automatically extracted from the data don't start with the presumption of innocence.
Rather certain that almost all of the methods associated with the No Fly list do not start with a presumption of innocence.
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I wonder why the media is making a big deal of this now. When I bought my Android phone 2+ years ago, the first thing I did was set my privacy options.
/ravi
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Well - most people don't have the wit to even know there are privacy options, followed by too lazy to make the effort to do anything with them. In apples case, as they demo'd on the TV report, it's about six layers down from the main screen - and remember that each layer has options.
It's something like an opt-out vs. opt-in button when people install software - hence the preponderance of malware.
In the US, credit cards, banks, etc. have privacy policies that they must disclose annually and give the consumer the option to opt out of some and, at the least, make them aware of the rest. In the state of California, most of this type of stuff is (by law) opt-out default. Not so much for apple/google.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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W∴ Balboos wrote: In the state of California, most of this type of stuff is (by law) opt-out default.
Because California passed a law to do just that. Until then it wasn't.
And they can pass the same sort of law for phones.
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Why do you care if anyone tracks your location???
So what?
If it's not broken, fix it until it is
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Coder (Hired) wrote: Why do you care if anyone tracks your location???
..very much lots. It is a limitation in movement, in safety and liberty, since it would also contain the daily patterns of politicians and other interesting people. During wartime that information becomes even more valuable, and companies have been shown to gladly share with all sides.
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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Nothing you posted here makes any sense, nor has any remote chance of effecting your daily life..
1) Movement.. You can move around just fine - with or without your phone on you.
2) Safety.. not sure how safety comes in here. What's unsafe about location tracking?
3) Liberty.. what rights would you lose with this feature on?
4) "politicians and other interesting people" - wait, what? huh?
5) Wartime - there's a war on now.. How has your phone's location services had any effect on it, or been affected by it?
6) Sharing - Again, so what.. This has been going on for years with all kinds of advertising.
I really don't get the "phone => location" hysteria. The only reason I turned by off is because it means apps are running -and my battery dies faster.
Personnaly I don't care about any of the things you point out. All are non-issues, and some are way out there whacko.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is
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Coder (Hired) wrote: How is it unsafe?
I assumed the previous already explained the danger of sharing sensitive information 
Coder (Hired) wrote: What rights did you lose?
Freedom is not just about rights.
Coder (Hired) wrote: ... none of which effect you whatsoever.
It cannot otherwise than affect me, as it would be rather global, not local.
Coder (Hired) wrote: How exactly does this effect you? We're at war now... how are you effected?
I'm Dutch, and not in any war AFAIK. In the case your "we" is American, I will have to refuse to answer.
Coder (Hired) wrote: All are non-issues, and some are way out there whacko.
Thanks.
I would not trust any government with all that information, so no chance I'd trust a company with it.
Bastard Programmer from Hell
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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Again, you've replied with nothing to substantiate any real danger of phone location tracking.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is
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Hey Eddy, ever get get the feeling you're talking to narks? 
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Bastard Programmer from Hell
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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Late to the party but I just asked him why, after 10 years on CP, he has no photo, no bio, no information at all - what has he to hide?
Also requested he post his phone numbers, family details, etc.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Let me play the Devil's advocate of why it is BAD to give the government unfettered access to this information.
Lets pretend someone in the agency wants to run for Public Office. But they need Donor money to make this happen.
So, they run a simple geofence around rich neighborhoods (really rich). They also geofence all of the hotels (both are already done for them, BTW).
Now, they take META data. Phone #, Time/Date, GPS location.
They run a simple enough query. Find every phone that normally spends the night in the right neighborhoods, that also spends the nights (or large parts of it), in the Nice hotels on some nights.
[People who might be having an affair]
Next, find multiple occurrences, and then find the phones that are consistently (more than once), near that phone, those nights in the hotel. [The person, they are probably having an affair with].
Next, cross reference the original phones with their work locations, double check that they are not working for the government, or are judges.
Take this list, and "Suggest Kindly" that you know about the affair, and that your Campaign needs a SMALL amount of cash. And suddenly, you are a politician.
I have watched SIMILAR transactions occur, against wealthy people that I know. When they refused, they had charges brought against them, in a CLEAR SMEAR campaign, and were forced to literally step down from their companies, and in hindsight said they should have just paid the money, it cost them too much!!! The charges eventually went away... Settled out of court.
Information is NEITHER good nor bad. How it is used, CAN be either.
There are a lot of positive uses. They can identify the rioters in Baltimore! Bring up DL Photos, and cross reference, and make arrests later on. Now, the interesting part is that they will probably not use this data in this way. If not, all arguments for keeping it seem moot!
==
The issue is not the data. This issue is not how honest you are. This issue is really about having it used against you in some unforeseeable way, and then having the government (who admits that their agents are REQUIRED to lie under oath about some of its existence and usage, look into the sting ray device usage), use this information to exact some kind of justice.
I will give you one more. Right now, the IRS can seize all of your bank assets for depositing too much cash under the $10,000 threshold. They can do this on daily transactions of $3,000 -$5,000.
And you have to sue them to get it back.
Now, someone does a search for cars that drive through a drug area. They notice you drive through twice a day, and stop for a few minutes on the way home. (you are dropping off the uneaten food from your diner to some very in need people). their search algorithms determines you might be supplying drugs. And WOW, you do lots of cash transactions.
What do you think happens next?
==
The founders of this great nation FEARED an all-seeing and all-powerful central government.
One without lots of controls that LIMIT its power at every step. Innocent until PROVEN guilty.
(notice how the IRS rule is allowed to subvert this).
This is a nasty cocktail my friends.
It can happen, it does happen, and it never bothers bystanders UNTIL it happens to them, or someone they love, and they watch them lose everything when they did nothing wrong.
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Well said. Too few people understand that it's not the individual pieces of data that matter, it's the way that it can all be aggregated now. Just about anything about your private life can be revealed from your data trail, from your Internet use, your purchases, location data, etc.
The potential for harassment, blackmail, etc. is huge. It makes it easy for powerful actors (wealthy individuals, governments, criminals, police, private detectives) to attack, discredit, silence, etc. This happened to the OWS movement, they were targeted under anti-terrorism laws. Think about how easy this makes it for the government to go after dissidents.
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Kirk 10389821 wrote: I have watched SIMILAR transactions occur, against wealthy people that I know.
Don't know where you live but where I live that is blackmail and a criminal offense and if the politician that would have gained by this wasn't even involved but some "well" intentioned other individual did it on their behalf the politician would be dealing with fall out continuously throughout their campaign and it would be seen as a significant negative for that politician in terms of the voters.
Of course if they were involved then they would be facing criminal charges and their campaign would be done.
Kirk 10389821 wrote: I will give you one more. Right now, the IRS can seize all of your bank assets for depositing too much cash under the $10,000 threshold. They can do this on daily transactions of $3,000 -$5,000.
And you have to sue them to get it back.
Now, someone does a search for cars that drive through a drug area. They notice you drive through twice a day, and stop for a few minutes on the way home. (you are dropping off the uneaten food from your diner to some very in need people). their search algorithms determines you might be supplying drugs. And WOW, you do lots of cash transactions.
What do you think happens next?
Let me clue you in - phones have been collecting this information for years. That is why there are so many apps now that use it.
Where are all of these scenarios that you claim should be happening? The info already exists so that isn't the problem.
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The challenge is that these guys are smarter than you think.
Most of them are lawyers.
In this case, it was not worded as a threat. It was a request for a donation, with a specific range attached to it. A couple of times. Then out of the blue, he gets information that they are questioning people looking for charges. Another request he turns down. See, different "actors".
Then the charges come, his passport is revoked. No way to tie the two together, but research determines the two people are linked.
Also, this concept of "If this was happening, we would hear about it!" is a Bogus argument.
Did you hear of the Doctor who rallied against HIV as the cause of AIDS, who was WILLINGLY Injecting himself with HIV+ patients blood??? (no, it made the news in other countries, here, it was not covered. Despite him being in Florida. The person I contacted said they could not cover it, their Editor said no).
Did you know Larry King was on a 5 second delay, and was warned that these types of comments cannot come up on his LIVE SHOW? If they did, they would cut to commercial, and he would be fined.
Did you know that the Air Traffic Controllers, right after 9/11 were forced to sign GAG orders, acknowledging that they would be sued by the government if they spoke EVEN ABOUT the GAG order?
The scenarios ARE happening. I am a nobody and I have seen them first and second hand.
The key thing I see in all of these cases is that they don't take EVERYTHING, they take enough.
And then they leave you vulnerable. If you speak out, you WILL lose everything, and they will
make you look like an idiot, so nobody will listen to a word you say.
Snowden Leaked information. Look at how they go after him. Even calling him a low-level analyst,
which they admit was to piss him off hoping he would make a mistake.
The backstory you probably did NOT hear. They approached the business owner of the Encrypted Email tool he used, and they tried to force him to embed a virus, and steal Snowdens Encryption Keys. This guy had 2 choices. Obey and lose self-respect or shut it down, and lose his business. He choose the latter. It is actually public information.
Is that NOT an example of the over-reach we are talking about?
Is that blackmail? Well, not when it is sanctioned and TOP SECRET. Also, again, the government throws gag orders in there. So you DO NOT KNOW it is happening around you.
The lack of clear evidence for everyone to see is NOT PROOF it is not happening. The existence of some proof is a warning that it could be a LOT more prevalent than you realize.
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