[thighbaugh]

1. More cellphone companies is a good thing, especially if paying lipservice to what consumers want. Which may not be ideal but steps in the right direction, consumers themselves need to take the next step their since it is their money.

2. Feeling like your phone is listening to you implies you lack self awareness to deduce why the things you think or discuss with others are reflected in your metadata. You use the internet as a sounding board for thoughts, there is a pattern to it and that is all happening non-verbally. Turning the mic off is unlikely to make this go away.

3. If this makes you paranoid, it should and that paranoia only becomes medically relevant if it impedes your ability to do things you want to do but is otherwise a healthy adaptation that in many contexts would aide in your continued survival. This might be worth keeping in mind, not trying to run away from. Quick fixes in life generally are just traps.

[mingus88]

Honestly if you care about privacy, leave your cellphone at home. It will do wonders for your mental health also not having a dopamine generator in your pocket.

I just want to point out that it sounds like the privacy switch doesn’t disable the cellular radio. Which I guess makes sense in a way because if you are disabling all signals from your mobile device, what’s the point of even carrying it? Might as well leave your phone at home.

[antisol]

  > if you are disabling all signals from your mobile device, what’s the point of even carrying it?

1. Solitaire when I'm bored

2. Being able to switch it back on if I need to access a network for some reason.

(not that you're wrong about leaving it at home being a good option)