I really resent the way that the Overton window has shifted for online privacy, so that I sound like a hysteric when I say that I don’t want Facebook and Google to know everything about my life.
‘I don’t mind Facebook showing me pretty dresses.’
Cool! That’s the absolute least of what they do, though! They’ve experimented on inducing depression in their users! They actively interfere with elections! And they spy on everyone – not just their users, but all internet users. And they’re capable of working out who non-users are based on information their users feed them! Pardon me for thinking that’s not okay!
‘Advertisers don’t listen into your phone as much as everyone thinks.’
Cool! But they do fucking do it! And the amount I would like them to listen in on my conversations is none! I would like none spying! Zero tracking of my internet activity! Especially by companies who want to sell me shit!
Remember how in the 80s, ad companies would listen in to your private conversations in your house, and then send different catalogues to your mailbox as a result? No! Because they didn’t, and couldn’t. And people would have – quite rightly – considered that a massive invasion of privacy.
Remember how in the 90s, ad companies opened and read all of your personal mail, making copies to keep on microfiche, before allowing the re-sealed envelopes to reach your house? Because they didn’t, but it’s what Google does with your email! So they can serve you ‘more relevant ads’ in your inbox!
Why am I the outrageous radical for thinking that I should be able to at least partly control my own data? My own likes and dislikes? I’m not even proposing leaving the internet entirely! I didn’t even stop using Facebook because they’re shitlords, but because using it made me miserable. And I’m considering switching from Gmail to something else like Protonmail. I already use Firefox, and have an add-on installed that reduces Facebook’s ability to track me from site to site.
Why am I so strange for wanting to return to an internet where the people who serve me ads can’t name my age, postcode, eye colour, purchasing history, dietary preferences, and half-dozen closest friends without having to try to do it?
love that we live in a time where “hey, maybe a scenario that the tinfoil hat conspiracy theorists of yore imagined, where you were constantly being spied on and that data was used to adjust your environment to influence your political leanings and state of mind is…. not good?” is a weird opinion
It’s gotten to the point that NOT wanting to constantly be spied on/ have everything about you plastered everywhere is seen as suspicious.
Oh you don’t have a complete personal profile containing your exact age/race/illnesses/psych diagnoses on it? You must be a predator/conspiracy nut. People are making it even easier for corporate trawling nets to learn about you, and by proxy about everyone you interact with.
If you’ve seen this going around on social media PLEASE do not follow this advice.
If you’re going to a protest you shouldn’t wear so much makeup, especially around your eyes. Tear gas can cling to makeup. Same with lotion, sunscreen, and face paint. This makes it a lot harder to get rid of.
This is outdated. Many facial recognition software will not be tricked by it anymore. The studies supporting this are not recent, and even back then it wasn’t entirely perfect.
Having a strange design on your face can draw more attention to you. Remember, there are other ways to figure out a person’s identity aside from using facial recognition. Looking distinct enough can make it easier to track you. You likely want to look as boring as possible, to blend in with the crowd.
You’re probably better off wearing a face mask, sunglasses/goggles, a hat/hood. Dress casual, don’t wear bright colors, try to avoid looking so distinct.
Most importantly, stay with large groups of people and avoid being alone. Not only will this make it harder to identify you, it will also keep you safer physically. People are stronger as a group and if god forbid someone gets hurt then there will be other people around to help out. We need to protect each other.
Also please do not attack the people who posted this. They likely had good intentions. Just let them know that this doesn’t work anymore and it isn’t safe.
i got no response on reddit, hoping someone here can direct me to a better place to ask or will actually know how to do this
Emergency button: is there a way to use my Android phone to revoke the device access from my google accounts, for all accounts and devices other than my phone, in one button? like a coded widget or shortcut button or something, that’s a one-touch emergency thing.
I haveAndroid version 10 and Nova launcher pro. My family are foul, so I would like to have an option to quickly remove all device access, which will sign out all my accounts everywhere, so that nobody can delete my stuff or ruin my data even if they have my password.
I have a Chromebook that only needs a password unless you actually do the log out every single time you walk away from it. I really don’t want to screw around with that in my everyday life. And my family are cunts, so I really need to be able to secure access from anywhere, should they force me out or try forced hospitalisation again. Or just steal my stuff and get some tech to break in.
What I’m talking about here is an emergency button, like say the cops are forcing you to go somewhere because your family filed a false report against you. You do not want to leave any device with any account access behind. It is tedious to go through every account and remove them all manually, one by one, from every device, through the Google dashboard.
I would like a way to automate that. I have an emergency lockdown for my phone itself, and I’d think you can revoke everything but the device you’re actually on, so leaving my phone with access is fine. If I could have the option to revoke everything, that’d be good too.
I know there’s shortcuts in the Nova launcher, but nothing like this. All I’m getting from searching is stuff about doing it manually from the dashboard.
I have Titan keys, but the problem is still that I need to revoke access of other accounts and to other devices fast. Keys protect nothing when you’re already signed in. Neither do prompts or any other two factor. I can’t settle for signing out, because that can be gotten around if family have my password. I’ve suspected they put a camera somewhere.
I don’t think what you’re asking for is possible without a lot of coding experience, especially if the control device is an Android device rather than the actual PC. I did spend my morning researching this and found some options that might be helpful - if any of my followers have better ideas, please add them! And I apologize if this isn’t what you’re looking for or you’ve already tried these
Check for a Keylogger
You mentioned they may have “put a camera somewhere.” I don’t know how technically savvy your family is, but it’s possible a shared computer has a keylogger installed or physically in the usb port. There’s no definitive way to find them all outside of malware detection software, looking through Task Manager, and other basic security review.
2FA
You said you “can’t settle for signing out, because that can be gotten around if family [has your] password” - I’m not clear what you mean by this since you imply you’re already using 2FA and Titan Keys. If you sign out and you have 2FA, how can they sign back in even with your password?
If your current number is compromised, you can make a new account and open a new Google Voice number as your backup. There are 2FA options like Google Authenticator which lets you to do this offline, as well as other 2FA apps, some with more thorough backup options likeAuthenticator Pro. Though given that you already have Titan Keys, you may have already attempted these
Checking Third Party Permissions
I know some parents like to install apps without their child’s knowledge - it might be good to routinely check which apps have what permissions to your account. You can do that by looking at yourLinked Accounts and yourPermissions
In your case, I would play it safe and ensure that, within Permissions, your Google Account sign-in prompts toggle is OFF:
Shortcut to Devices
This is the closest thing I could find to what I think you’re asking for - while I don’t think a single-push, auto-revoke-access-except-for-this-device widget is possible, you can create shortcuts to websites, apps, activities, etc. Here’s one app for shortcuts, but there are many others.
Again, something you can play around with, but some shortcuts that you might want instant access to:
Your Devices - This shows where you’re currently logged in. Clicking More Details of any device should prompt the following - it might be possible to make a shortcut directly to these pages or even directly to the Sign out page:
Change Password-This is a bit harder because I can’t verify that there’s a direct “Change Password” link, so what I posted here may not work
Recent Gmail Activity - Don’t know how useful this would be, but Bottom Right Corner Desktop Gmail > Click Details> Table of most recent times gmail was accessed, including access type, IP address, and date/time.
Tasker/Automate Apps
If I find anything, I’ll update this later, but it FEELS like you should be able to secure your devices remotely via automation. Being on Android 10 might be an issue, since we haven’t unpacked all the major and minor changes made to the system yet.
I’m sorry you have to go through so many hoops to protect yourself. I hope you (or anyone reading this) finds something in this that helps.
Thanks! I’ll look into all this. For the stuff about getting into my computer even when I’m signed out, I have a Chromebook, and if you turn off the wifi then try to sign in, it does not ask for any two factor authentication. You can just get in then turn the wifi back on. Full access. The only way to stop this is to revoke device access to your account. Security stuff is meant to prevent fishing, not meant to prevent physical attacks.
I don’t think there are keyloggers, because it’s Google tech. I’ve done physical things not involving tech and my family somehow knew. Like that I was looking at the streaks of mold in the bathroom.
I was afraid this stuff would need heavy coding to accomplish. If I have a button to go to the website, then I don’t see why it can’t also navigate that site for me and click stuff? Isn’t that what buying bots do to purchase stuff real fast? Is this what you meant with Tasker?
I looked into that Chromebook issue and what a trash way to go on google’s part. Apparently Chromebook is treated as a Trusted Device once you use 2FA one time, and doesn’t require it after AND the disable wifi thing is a documented and accepted vulnerability. Here’s a potential fix:
Revoke all trusted devices - on the 2FA page, scroll to the bottom to Devices you trust and click Revoke All. This *should* force all your devices to require 2FA no matter what. While you’re on that page, make sure you have other offline verification methods set up.
On your Chromebook, open Settings>People>Manage other People. De-select the option “Show usernames and photos on the sign-in screen.”
I highly recommend you implement these gradually, doing it all at once can backfire, make you remember things wrong, or lead to app-caused glitches you can’t immediately identify.
> If I have a button to go to the website, then I don’t see why it can’t also navigate that site for me and click stuff? Isn’t that what buying bots do to purchase stuff real fast? Is this what you meant with Tasker?
I’m not versed in coding, I don’t know anything about bots, and I’m new to Tasker, which is why I didn’t want to suggest/link it right away. If you want to jump straight to that, then:
i got no response on reddit, hoping someone here can direct me to a better place to ask or will actually know how to do this
Emergency button: is there a way to use my Android phone to revoke the device access from my google accounts, for all accounts and devices other than my phone, in one button? like a coded widget or shortcut button or something, that’s a one-touch emergency thing.
I haveAndroid version 10 and Nova launcher pro. My family are foul, so I would like to have an option to quickly remove all device access, which will sign out all my accounts everywhere, so that nobody can delete my stuff or ruin my data even if they have my password.
I have a Chromebook that only needs a password unless you actually do the log out every single time you walk away from it. I really don’t want to screw around with that in my everyday life. And my family are cunts, so I really need to be able to secure access from anywhere, should they force me out or try forced hospitalisation again. Or just steal my stuff and get some tech to break in.
What I’m talking about here is an emergency button, like say the cops are forcing you to go somewhere because your family filed a false report against you. You do not want to leave any device with any account access behind. It is tedious to go through every account and remove them all manually, one by one, from every device, through the Google dashboard.
I would like a way to automate that. I have an emergency lockdown for my phone itself, and I’d think you can revoke everything but the device you’re actually on, so leaving my phone with access is fine. If I could have the option to revoke everything, that’d be good too.
I know there’s shortcuts in the Nova launcher, but nothing like this. All I’m getting from searching is stuff about doing it manually from the dashboard.
I have Titan keys, but the problem is still that I need to revoke access of other accounts and to other devices fast. Keys protect nothing when you’re already signed in. Neither do prompts or any other two factor. I can’t settle for signing out, because that can be gotten around if family have my password. I’ve suspected they put a camera somewhere.
I don’t think what you’re asking for is possible without a lot of coding experience, especially if the control device is an Android device rather than the actual PC. I did spend my morning researching this and found some options that might be helpful - if any of my followers have better ideas, please add them! And I apologize if this isn’t what you’re looking for or you’ve already tried these
Check for a Keylogger
You mentioned they may have “put a camera somewhere.” I don’t know how technically savvy your family is, but it’s possible a shared computer has a keylogger installed or physically in the usb port. There’s no definitive way to find them all outside of malware detection software, looking through Task Manager, and other basic security review.
2FA
You said you “can’t settle for signing out, because that can be gotten around if family [has your] password” - I’m not clear what you mean by this since you imply you’re already using 2FA and Titan Keys. If you sign out and you have 2FA, how can they sign back in even with your password?
If your current number is compromised, you can make a new account and open a new Google Voice number as your backup. There are 2FA options like Google Authenticator which lets you to do this offline, as well as other 2FA apps, some with more thorough backup options likeAuthenticator Pro. Though given that you already have Titan Keys, you may have already attempted these
Checking Third Party Permissions
I know some parents like to install apps without their child’s knowledge - it might be good to routinely check which apps have what permissions to your account. You can do that by looking at yourLinked Accounts and yourPermissions
In your case, I would play it safe and ensure that, within Permissions, your Google Account sign-in prompts toggle is OFF:
Shortcut to Devices
This is the closest thing I could find to what I think you’re asking for - while I don’t think a single-push, auto-revoke-access-except-for-this-device widget is possible, you can create shortcuts to websites, apps, activities, etc. Here’s one app for shortcuts, but there are many others.
Again, something you can play around with, but some shortcuts that you might want instant access to:
Your Devices - This shows where you’re currently logged in. Clicking More Details of any device should prompt the following - it might be possible to make a shortcut directly to these pages or even directly to the Sign out page:
Change Password-This is a bit harder because I can’t verify that there’s a direct “Change Password” link, so what I posted here may not work
Recent Gmail Activity - Don’t know how useful this would be, but Bottom Right Corner Desktop Gmail > Click Details> Table of most recent times gmail was accessed, including access type, IP address, and date/time.
Tasker/Automate Apps
If I find anything, I’ll update this later, but it FEELS like you should be able to secure your devices remotely via automation. Being on Android 10 might be an issue, since we haven’t unpacked all the major and minor changes made to the system yet.
I’m sorry you have to go through so many hoops to protect yourself. I hope you (or anyone reading this) finds something in this that helps.
google doesnt give a shit what you’re trying to search any more. it’s like “I didnt bother using half of your search terms but here’s pinterest and wikihow. enjoy”
I don’t know anything at all abut computers but
You know how, when you first talk to a new chatbot (the kind that are designed to be trained as they go), it’s kind of limited and stilted and obviously AI? And then, once it’s been online and trained up and tweaked for awhile, it gets really convincing and talks mostly like a person? And then after a golden period it rapidly descends into incoherence, with a few phrases dominating regardless of conversation context and everything else being sentence fragments and non-sequitors?
The last few years of using google have kind of felt like slipping into that incoherence stage.
it pretty much is what the above person is saying. a few years ago they switched to usimg the ‘bidirectional encoder representations from transformers’ (BERT) algorhythm, which used AI to scan your quety f9rwards and backwards searchong fpr intent, rather than just using the meaning of the individual words ypu type. few problems with this. one, it’s shit. two, it is actively ignoring what you say in favour of trying to figure out what it THINKS you’re trying to say. great leap forwatd for AI, and great slip backwards for clear communication vs essentually being gaslit by your computer. three, it is trying to work out ypur meaning according to the indescribably vast pool of search data from all of history, around the world. which is great if you want to search for the same things as everyone else in history arpund the world has. it’s using previous searches to predict your intent. so if yoy want to search for 'can the measles vaccine cause blood clots’, congratulations, ypy’re going to get a load of results about the covid vaccine. you didn’t mention it but millions of other people did, so that’s probably what you wanted, right? how on earth could google have made such a niave mistake? simple. it’s no longer invested in showing you what you want; it’s trying to show you what you should want. looking for an independant crafts shop? nobpdy searches that, you’re having amazon instead. searching for a specific live journal, by name? yeah wrll it isn’t so bothered abput names now, and your intention is presumably to read a blog, so here are 50 links to the same huge blog sites owned by the same huge multimedia corporations. you asked for a biography of a local photographer but running your query against every similar one in history, turns out more people use pinterest and wikipedia than that random guy you mentioned, so obviously you meant to search for 'photographs’ on pinterest or 'photography’ on wikepedia, right? essentially, the old algorhythm was like ordering grocery delivery by saying what you want to buy and accepting that sometimes they won’t have certain items in stock and will send something similar instead. the new one is saying what ypu want to buy and it analyses your shopping list to figure out which items you’re most likely to want, according to how previous shoppers have purchased, and sending ypu that instead. and call me cynical, but i think the latter method is going to lead to an awful lot of 'you want coca cola, you just didn’t know it’. sooner or later ypu won’t even bother to search for that off-brand cola you used to drink, it never comes up anyway. what a shame. you can read abpit the model at google’s own blog at https://blog.google/products/search/search-language-understanding-bert/ which is a simple, clear explanation of the algorhythm and also the answer to the question 'what will happen when AI starts correcting humans?’. the answer is profit.
thank you for this explanation! but now I want to start killing people at google
useduckduckgo.com instead!!! it’s a privacy-focused search engine that does not show search results from content farms and avoids the filter bubble of personalized search results! you can set it as the default search engine on firefox!
This was intentionally manufactured by Facebook. Facebook implemented it’s “accountability culture” starting with its rule about only using your real name and photo on its service and encouraging you to disclose other information in your profile, and from there it just got normalized. It was entirely to gather data for advertising purposes, but now we associate that level of openness with “accountability”. Entire generations are now being raised with this as the norm. Privacy is no longer a priority, or even really seen as an option.
This is to your detriment. Your privacy protects you from predators of all kinds. You really should be guarding it carefully. Disclose what you feel is important on a case by case basis, but even your mental health status and beliefs are exploitable by big business and small-time bullies and abusers alike.
Even if you’re not overly fussed about what people know about you, just understand that not everyone has the luxury of feeling the same. Some people have stalkers and abusers they’re trying to evade, or don’t want to attract new abusers into their lives by being that vulnerable and open again. Some people have extreme social anxiety. Some people are protecting other people in their lives. Some people just don’t want their grandmothers to find their smutfics. Some people are Internet privacy advocates who keep their details private as a political statement and as a matter of principle.
You are not entitled to anyone’s information, and you do not owe anyone yours. You are allowed to just be an anonymous username until you feel safe to disclose more.
You are not entitled to anyone’s information, and you do not owe anyone yours.
SSL is being turned on by default for all Tumblrs that use our Official theme on the web, except those with custom domains. Because, well…Optica is the default theme, and why shouldn’t secure be the default?
This change only affects the web, because the mobile apps already use SSL all the time for your safety.
We don’t recommend it, but if for some reason you need to disable SSL, you can do so via your blog settings on the web, by turning off the “Always serve blog over SSL” option.
Update to the update: Now SSL is available for blogs with custom domains, too. To turn it on, go to your blog settings and enable “Always serve blog over SSL.” Once you’ve done that, it takes a while (typically less than a day) for the SSL on custom domains to activate. We’ll send you an email when it’s ready.
Yet another update: SSL is now being turned on by default for ALL Tumblrs that use our Official theme on the web. Even though we don’t recommend it, you can still turn it off in your blog settings.
Writers of the past warned us about letting Big Brother and alike in our lives, either with or without consent for a generous and obvious amount of reasons. Today we have compromised quite a bit with the triangulation of privacy between us, government, corporations, and where the value should be placed at; however, there’s also a great deal in politics that comes with it.
This week Amazon publicly bloomed another interesting idea in terms of delivery and privacy polarization which involved the users receiving his/her goods, with theAmazon Keyservice where the delivery person has access to your home via a kit costing $249.99. This service requires Amazon Prime and the bundle includes a smart lock and a cloud cam to monitor the delivery personnel to your home, which basically translates into Amazondropping your package entering your doors.
Paying to have strangers in your home?
I’ve heard different complains up until now about couriers dropping packages to the front door and eventually getting stolen by someone else. We are talking about packages which cannot fit in the common mail box and are delivered the homeowner aren’t in. Here we have a common problem where there’s data missing in the form of service between the user and the business. But delivering a package without anyone stealing it is more an issue of drop-off timing and setups.
Ever since the internet became widely and commercially available we stepped backwards in terms of privacy rights and user rights. There’s an ongoing battle to protect not only the neutrality of the internet but also the privacy of the user. This is not a confrontation to safeguard what we go online for, it’s a struggle to keep sensible data away from those who might use it against us. Social Security numbers, credit cards information, shopping habits, health status, and so on; the struggle gets more and more intense every time
The extension of 3rd party body into our privacy is now a reality…
In terms of privacy users aren’t helping the cause as they are voluntarily giving up personal information at no cost to online social platforms. Facebook knows a great deal of every user and it crosses such data with other apps like Instagram to provide exact persona and behavior; great amount of data sold to corporations for business purposes comes from platforms like Twitter, Tinder, Snapchat, Youtube .
By using Amazon Key we remove the last boundary of security we hold by letting strangers in our homes despite being monitored; however, how secure will these locks be? If modern cars can get hacked, how long do you think it’ll take to remotely open a door? But ultimately, how much are you willing to give just to have your package inside your door. Is this all worth it?
Two years ago, during the late summer, 2012, H.R.H. Prince Henry (Harry) of Wales was the center of media attention (all mediums: print, broadcast and social) when he was secretly photographed nude by guests in his hotel suite while staying in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The royal grandson of H. M. Queen Elizabeth II, on a private visit promoting a charity, was captured without clothes and without…
The company, hired to improve worker health and lower medical costs, could pass the data to “third party vendors acting on our behalf,” according to an authorization form. The information might be posted in areas “that are reviewable to the public.” It might also be “subject to re-disclosure” and “no longer protected by privacy law."Employees could refuse to give permission or opt not to take the screen, called a health risk assessment – but only if they paid an extra $300 a year for medical coverage.
“Sharing metadata with Facebook still exposes users to significant risks,” says Claire Gartland, consumer protection counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center. “Facebook will have data indicating who WhatsApp users communicate with and how frequently, and connecting WhatsApp users with their social media accounts and broader online activity, associations, political affiliations, and more.”
Delta Chat Delta Chat does not need a phone number and sends messages via your own emails, encrypted if possible with Autocrypt and your own PGP/GnuPG key
A brief history of GnuPG: vital to online security but free and underfunded
Most people have never heard of the software that makes up the machinery of the internet. Outside developer circles, its authors receive little reward for their efforts, in terms of either money or public recognition.
One example is the encryption software GNU Privacy Guard (also known as GnuPG and GPG), and its authors are regularly forced to fundraise to continue the project.
GnuPG is part of the GNU collection of free and open source software, but its story is an interesting one, and it begins with software engineer Phil Zimmermann.
