Each day, you leave digital traces of what you did, where you went, who you communicated with, what you bought and much more. Does this concern you?

No, it’s convenient to check my tracking data. e.g. walking steps, swimming distance, cash flow, photo GPS etc.

No, I look at humanity with a glass half full, but now your ideology and support of both can equate to soft or hard propaganda to be used negative or positively on you depending what side of the fence you are on the future.

With mandatory my number and its capability, what choice we do have?

It should concern everybody, at least to the point of being aware this happens and that it could bring some risk so proper measures taken to limit this risk. Unfortunately there is not much that can be done to avoid it completely, but taking some easy measures may help protecting privacy and identity.

yes, but not much we can do about it

Nope. I'm far too insignificant for it to matter.

Who will use this against us?

Yes, but there is some basic "protection" you can use when needed like VPN, personal DNS server, Tor etc...

Most of the tracking of my digital activity is blocked.

nope - totally unconcerned. I'm not doing anything I shouldn't be.

nope - totally unconcerned. I'm not doing anything I shouldn't be.

That is only one single aspect of the dangers, if someone knows everything you do as the question of the poll says it means there is a risk for this information to be leaked and used against you even if there is nothing inappropriate or illegal about it. You can be a victim of identity theft, used as a vector to hack/scam people you know, be discriminated against using your private information (dropped from a private health insurance thanks to leaked medical results) etc.

That is an illusion. 

But it's not. Using VPNs, DNS servers, and not signing into Google, turn off locations. helps to prevent tracking. Most tracking can be blocked.

https://spreadprivacy.com/browser-privacy-protection/

@Roy: haha - very good point :)

@wallace - I use a VPN Router to watch both US and UK TV but what I'm doing is perfectly visible to my Internet Provider etc. It conceals bugger all apart from my IP address, and if somebody wanted to look any deeper it wouldn't hide my location.

For example to watch You Tube TV from the US, a VPN by itself is not enough for 70% of the content. You have to verify your location using a device that is SIM enabled. There are ways around that of course, easier on an Android phone than an iPhone though.

No, have fun with my data, if you can still afford luring and spying despite to money and labor shortage. rofl In other words, they soon run out of capacities to buy the necessary IT systems or stuff to handle it all due to aging and de-industrialized economy.

theResident

@wallace - I use a VPN Router to watch both US and UK TV but what I'm doing is perfectly visible to my Internet Provider etc. It conceals bugger all apart from my IP address, and if somebody wanted to look any deeper it wouldn't hide my location.

I presume you are talking about your desktop devices. My internet provider is blocked by two VPNs. My location is hidden which changes frequently. But you recently said I was too old to understand the tech. My current location is in Virginia.

For example to watch You Tube TV from the US, a VPN by itself is not enough for 70% of the content. You have to verify your location using a device that is SIM enabled. There are ways around that of course, easier on an Android phone than an iPhone though.

I don't watch YouTube TV.

"When iCloud Private Relay is turned on, the traffic leaving your iPhone is encrypted and sent through two separate internet relays. This prevents websites from seeing your IP address and exact location while it prevents network providers from collecting your browsing activity in Safari."

Use Tor with a VPN and you are almost safe from tracing.

No problem at all. I do not have a phone nor computer.

Problem is @wallace your SIM card will always give up your location unless you disable it.

Use Tor with a VPN and you are almost safe from tracing.

Tor is safe without the VPN, and actually the VPN can inadvertently expose you through Tor.

Generally speaking, we don't recommend using a VPN with Tor unless you're an advanced user who knows how to configure both in a way that doesn't compromise your privacy.

https://support.torproject.org/faq/faq-5/

and @wallace - I was merely using an example of YTTV of an app that cannot be fooled by VPN alone.

If you are not a wanted criminal or an acting psychopath serial killer whats to be bothered about?

Roy

I cant even put myself to imagine that and why on earth would they need to record all that?

CuteUsagi

No problem at all. I do not have a phone nor computer.

so you make your posts with a fax.

The only people that don't care about being tracked are either low-intelligence, authoritarians, or those who believe that authoritarians should be pandered to.

Problem is @wallace your SIM card will always give up your location unless you disable it.

I don't believe this is true, and some googling to fact check hasn't turned up anything to support the assertion that I can see. Do you have a link to show this is true?

Roy

Bummer, because that's what's currently happening on the internet, virtually everywhere your visit.

Well, I know but what's of it? let them do their job :D

To find your behavioral patterns, in order to sell you something and/or to monetize your attention.

impossible. I dont have much money to buy everything im offered :D

I understand that it's necessary for the many things that we take for granted now, as long as it's not public public information that's okay with me. Most of us are able to make ourselves untraceable but then we would have to throw away most of the things we need to live a normal modern life.

No! Because I use proxies and VPN!

Well, I know but what's of it? let them do their job :D

You were the one saying you could not imagine being in this kind of situation.

impossible. I dont have much money to buy everything im offered :D

You don't have to buy everything, companies will profit from whatever amount you use.

as long as it's not public public information that's okay with me.

So you would be okay only as long as it is private information they use? That comes with many extra risks.

No! Because I use proxies and VPN!

That still means you leave traces of everything you do online.

Google and the rest chase me all over the internet but still I get recommended women's frocks and other stuff totally useless to me. My interactions with so much IT suggest it is all overrated and that IT is largely inept and liable to gross errors. But still I have concerns.

That is only one single aspect of the dangers, if someone knows everything you do as the question of the poll says it means there is a risk for this information to be leaked and used against you even if there is nothing inappropriate or illegal about it.

Okikk....

Okikk....

Any actual opinion about the topic? or are you just still on the belief that other people should only comment according to what you personally like?

No. You are walking around with a tracking device and ease dropping device in your pocket. Even if you have it in airplane mode, it will still track you. Also even if you do not have a phone you have other things like a Suica or a credit card that can all be tracked. In addition, other people's phones can be used to track you by your proximity or even your voice.

No. You are walking around with a tracking device and ease dropping device in your pocket. Even if you have it in airplane mode, it will still track you. Also even if you do not have a phone you have other things like a Suica or a credit card that can all be tracked. In addition, other people's phones can be used to track you by your proximity or even your voice.

All the reasons in your comment would justify much more an answer of "yes"

I like it. If I'm ever accused of a crime I did not commit, all this data will show that I was not at the crime scene. I'll be proven innocent.

If someone were to translate very sensitive documents for companies and individuals they would not use a VPN.

This isn't a paid advertisement, but I put my phone in a buffalo-leather Ghost Sleeve when not in use.

Signal, bluetooth, location, microphones and cameras: all blocked. Your phone's there when you want it; none of it's tracking when you don't.

No, because I am a law-abiding citizen.

bass4funk

No, because I am a law-abiding citizen.

So you don’t object to tracking and data collection.

So you don’t object to tracking and data collection.

Not really, and even if I did, can't stop it, so...

bass4funk

So you don’t object to tracking and data collection.

> Not really, and even if I did, can't stop it, so...

You can prevent much of it by taking the right actions.

I'm not too worried about it. I don't think the CIA really concerns themselves with where I eat my lunch. And if Google decides to send me an advertisement for some new ski goggles because they know I was at a ski resort all weekend, that's fine with me. There will be ads regardless, might as well have them relevant.

My bigger worry is when sites like Facebook get hacked for your personal data by people who have nefarious intent in identity theft. If a site isn’t collecting that data it cannot be stolen from them.

There will be ads regardless, might as well have them relevant.

Those are not the negative consequences that people worry about. When you search you may get results only selling you things at the maximum price you are predicted to pay, or get physical advertising delivered to your workplace about physical problems you would like to keep private, etc. And that is even without any of that data leaking and becoming an even bigger risk.

Big Brother Is Watching

Not particularly. I'm not a threat to anyone. haha.

Anyone who tracks me is wasting their time and resources.

I'm not a threat to anyone.

You don't need to be. You only need to be targeted. See Germany, 1930s.

Just the way the 21st century is. You can worry about it all you want, but that's not going to change anything.