What isn't spying on me is nearly everything I use which contains the type of hardware that could be used to spy on me. The reason for that is that I keep things like that locked onto their own networks without the capability to reach back to their makers. I self-host more or less all my digital needs so assuming I'm not in the crosshairs of any TLA it is unlikely that there be spies in the server-under-the-stairs. My mobile devices run free software where possible, they are Google/Microsoft/Apple/etc.- free. Of course there does remain that one pain point of the radio firmware which is a closed-source blob and as such open to anyone with the money or governmental power to spy on me. There are also the banks which track financial transactions and the public transport companies which track where I go. When I'm on my bike, motorbike or tractor they're sadly out of luck since these are all old tech without any electronics. We heat the house using a wood-burning stove, I also use one to cook on, we generate more or less all our own electricity - yes, the inverter is also blocked from the 'net so it can not tell Fronius what we're doing here in the woods - but the power meter does spy on us though its radio transponder. I have access to what is supposed to be the same data through the P1 interface, it is theoretically possible to use this data to track whether we're home and what type of equipment (resistive/conductive) we're using. This is made harder when the inverter is running but it is not impossible. So, what is spying on me?
- mobile transponders
- financial institutions
- public transport companies
- power company
Who is trying to spy on me but with a bit of luck mostly thwarted from doing so
- Google/Microsoft/Metafaecesbook/Apple/etc (blocked and/or blended with other user's data)
- internet access provider (swamped with proxied data)
Just looking at the past decade I think most people would agree that what isn't spying on you, will be.
Or if that's not popular how about what isn't spying on you would be if they could.
(And while I'm ranting, I'm sure manufacturers would love a subscription model for the clothes I wear as well but they haven't yet figured out how to do that.)
my laptop. my camera. my non-gsm vehicle. my garage door opener. my television. my coffee machine. my fridge. my e-reader. my paper library. my turntable. my furniture. my firearms. my hand tools. my bicycle. my luggage. my stove.
most of my tools aren’t spying on me.
this sort of “privacy is impossible, we shouldn’t fight privacy invasions” is defeatist and toxic imho.
Other replies have made good points I agree with, but another way of looking at this is what "spying on me" means.
For example, is bookmark sync "spying"? I would say no, but many would say yes simply because that sync goes through someone else's machine. If the browser vendor uses aggregated domain popularity across bookmarks to inform their browser testing, is that now spying on me? Maybe, but the term "spying" has significant negative connotations that still don't feel justified to me. What if the browser vendor uses those bookmarks to target personalised information about browser feature improvements, is that now spying? I might find that a bit weird, but there's still an arguable user benefit there, and if that happened on device it's not really any different to most offline data analysis.
"Spying" really is a wide spectrum, from things that greatly benefit users with no privacy downside, to things that greatly benefit service providers with no user benefit. It's a nuance discussion that is worth having – just because something syncs to a server doesn't mean it's not worth doing, just because something is end to end encrypted doesn't mean it's not spying on you.
I didn't give up on privacy, but it is getting increasingly harder to achieve. BTW do you know that your car broadcast unique IDs from each of your car wheels (TPMS), and that it is pretty hard to avoid facial recognition. or that they are installing car tag readers everywhere.
You are ignoring so much of the spying that is going on.
What about your phone? is it connected to cellphone towers? Is WiFi enabled... what about Bluetooth?
oh boy… your laptop is spying on you 24/7 unless it is in the basement disconnected from the internet. your TV is spying on you unless it is black&white :) you e-reader is spying on you. your non-gsm vehicle may not be spying on you directly but thosands or license plate readers all over the place are…
Are you sure your images aren't being tagged with location data? That's a pretty common feature these days
> my non-gsm vehicle
Most vehicles still record diagnostic data. Even if they don't upload it
> my television
How old is your TV? Any TV made in the last 5 years will be. 10+ years will still have diagnostic logs but might not upload them automatically.
Also satellite / cable TV networks track users too.
> my e-reader
I'd be very surprised if that was true.
> my paper library
As in your local library which you need to present your library card to check out publications? And who know who has what checkout out and for how long? They absolutely need to track their customers otherwise people would just steal books.
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> this sort of “privacy is impossible, we shouldn’t fight privacy invasions” is defeatist and toxic imho.
hagbard_c|1 year ago
- mobile transponders
- financial institutions
- public transport companies
- power company
Who is trying to spy on me but with a bit of luck mostly thwarted from doing so
- Google/Microsoft/Metafaecesbook/Apple/etc (blocked and/or blended with other user's data)
- internet access provider (swamped with proxied data)
Who is not spying on me?
- vehicles (too old)
- internet-of-things devices (blocked)
JKCalhoun|1 year ago
Or if that's not popular how about what isn't spying on you would be if they could.
(And while I'm ranting, I'm sure manufacturers would love a subscription model for the clothes I wear as well but they haven't yet figured out how to do that.)
sneak|1 year ago
most of my tools aren’t spying on me.
this sort of “privacy is impossible, we shouldn’t fight privacy invasions” is defeatist and toxic imho.
danpalmer|1 year ago
For example, is bookmark sync "spying"? I would say no, but many would say yes simply because that sync goes through someone else's machine. If the browser vendor uses aggregated domain popularity across bookmarks to inform their browser testing, is that now spying on me? Maybe, but the term "spying" has significant negative connotations that still don't feel justified to me. What if the browser vendor uses those bookmarks to target personalised information about browser feature improvements, is that now spying? I might find that a bit weird, but there's still an arguable user benefit there, and if that happened on device it's not really any different to most offline data analysis.
"Spying" really is a wide spectrum, from things that greatly benefit users with no privacy downside, to things that greatly benefit service providers with no user benefit. It's a nuance discussion that is worth having – just because something syncs to a server doesn't mean it's not worth doing, just because something is end to end encrypted doesn't mean it's not spying on you.
Pokerface777|1 year ago
You are ignoring so much of the spying that is going on.
What about your phone? is it connected to cellphone towers? Is WiFi enabled... what about Bluetooth?
bdangubic|1 year ago
hnlmorg|1 year ago
That almost certainly is
> my camera
Are you sure your images aren't being tagged with location data? That's a pretty common feature these days
> my non-gsm vehicle
Most vehicles still record diagnostic data. Even if they don't upload it
> my television
How old is your TV? Any TV made in the last 5 years will be. 10+ years will still have diagnostic logs but might not upload them automatically.
Also satellite / cable TV networks track users too.
> my e-reader
I'd be very surprised if that was true.
> my paper library
As in your local library which you need to present your library card to check out publications? And who know who has what checkout out and for how long? They absolutely need to track their customers otherwise people would just steal books.
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> this sort of “privacy is impossible, we shouldn’t fight privacy invasions” is defeatist and toxic imho.
This much I agree with.
sebtron|1 year ago
If not, I have bad news for you...