Privacy on the internet

[Kevin]

The other day I saw a news story online (Car and Driver Magazine) about the new 2024 Toyota Tacoma.

I did a quick Google search for Toyota Tacoma and went to Toyota’s website. I did not just type www.Toyota.com.

A couple hours later I got an email like a letter “Dear Kevin…” It was from Toyota telling me about all the great features of the new 2024 Toyota Tacoma.

Or two weeks ago, I I went to the website of a luggage company to look at one of their bags. I saw it in the thrift store and wanted to see the new price.

I had NEVER been to their website or even typed in my email or anything.

But same thing, a couple hours later I got an email from the company featuring the same exact bag I looked at.

It’s enough to make you want to crawl under a rock. Or move to Alaska and go off grid.

My daughter had to buy a laptop for her new school next fall. No, excuse me. I had to buy my daughter a laptop for school next fall. It’s a school issued laptop so all the kids have the same device.

She picked it up yesterday. And had all these questions about can the school monitor what she does with it. What she downloads etc.

Side note: Now the one saving Grace my wife and I have with our daughter is trust. She has a phone and and she doesn’t lie. I ask her from time to time about her online presence and it’s all totally benign stuff.

So she’s not trying to get away with anything. She just doesn’t want to have big brother (the school) looking over her shoulder.

The world that these kids are going to grow up in might have some exciting technology, but it’s also got lots of drawbacks.

Sorry to ramble on and on. I just can’t stop thinking about the emails I got and what was behind them.

 

[Jeepnik]

Today, no one can have any expectation of privacy. You can install software that limits intrusion. But as some have noted many websites now ask you to accept cookies. If you don’t you can’t access the site.

Even VPN’s are being either blocked or penetrated now. You can still run various “privacy” software but nothing is really secure. So either accept it or don’t use the internet.

 

[hittman]

 

[The Preacher]

When you enter the internet you open your life to the world. Just the way it is. No one has "privacy" on the 'net. Not a good thing but it is "the thing". Kind'a scary when you think about it....

 

[Garth69]

google is eavesdropping on your life thru your phone. The internet watches and listens to everything you do and everywhere you go. Go click on any ad on facebook and get bombarded with offers from everyone that sells the product you were looking at.

 

[Kevin]

google is eavesdropping on your life thru your phone. The internet watches and listens to everything you do and everywhere you go. Go click on any ad on facebook and get bombarded with offers from everyone that sells the product you were looking at.

Yes, ya’ll are correct of course. It just has never felt so direct and immediate before now.

And as for the laptop at school. I pointed out, it isn’t the school’s computer. We bought it. So where is the line about what the can and can’t monitor? At school on their Wi-Fi they can have a say. I get that.

But at home? It becomes questionable.

 

[BearBiologist]

I checked on used 4Runners in our town yesterday (just curious- VERY happy with our 4Runner and RAV4). Today, several postings from dealers, Cars.com, etc. on my Facebook account. I consider any unsolicited offers/contacts to be SPAM and report them as so to Facebook. At least it keeps them busy!

 

[arcticruger]

Nice! ;)

 

[AzGeno]

Most everything on any Public Voice or Data network is not private.
The advent of AI programs and tools will only make it more intrusive.
Even Seri and Alexa listen to your conversation.

 

[Dan in MI]

Don’t use the major search engines google, chrome, etc... Duck Duck Go helps a bunch. (Phone and computer) Don’t use any voice command software. (That keeps the always listening intrusion on)reject all the cookies you can.

 

[Firsttimegrampa]

Have you heard of something called cookies ? In case you didn't know cookies is a fancy way of saying we are going to track everything to search .

 

[Dave P.]

I keep the Siri app working on my phone, use it mostly as a kitchen timer and to send text messages.
Played around with it shortly after setting it up, talked about needing to buy more Tide or lawn fertilizer,
just random crap. Never seemed to have any targeted ads relating to anything talked about.
Basically it can listen and spy if it's programed to I just don't really care.....F&*^ em, I'm not
very interesting.
Between it, Google, and Garmin I'll probably be deemed too boring to spy on.

 

[beentheredone]

What you have experienced is the reason the Internet exists. It is to exploit us and every scrap of information about us. WE ARE THE PRODUCT BEING SOLD.

 

[Mike J]

There is no privacy on the internet. As has been stated every one of us that has Siri or Alexa on our phones carries a spy around with them every day. It has been pretty wet here this spring. The other morning I walked out & there were millipedes on the side of the house. Later that day I saw adds for poison to kill millipedes.

 

[Johnnu2]

I keep my flip-phone shut off unless I leave the houses without my wife... I don't text because I have enough trouble answering the damn thing without trying to hit the keys a bazzillion times to say "Sup"...
:eek:

 

[Kevin]

I keep my flip-phone shut off unless I leave the houses without my wife... I don't text because I have enough trouble answering the damn thing without trying to hit the keys a bazzillion times to say "Sup"...
:eek:

My wife and I text each other from across the house. Much easier than yelling.

Sometimes I even have to text my daughter from across the room to get her attention. I think her favorite word is “what?”

 

[hittman]

I have a flip phone. Everybody else in family has smart phone.
Oldest daughter will text me ….. my phone explodes with half a dozen messages at once. I can’t get one answered before another arrives.

So …. I just hit dial to call her.
She sends me to voice mail. :mad:
I immediately text ”Girl ….. the phone is in YOUR HAND …. Answer me!”

Then she calls. :ROFLMAO:

 

[GasGuzzler]

There is no privacy on the internet. It was designed so.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

My internet and phone went down the other day at home and the repair wasn't scheduled for several days. By the time we got it repaired (had to have a new fiber optic line run underground) I was just about used to no internet except for the smart phone in my pocket. So..... if you don't like ads and tracking shut off the phone, tablet, laptop or desktop and enjoy the peace and quiet. Nobody has to use the internet.

 

[Ride1949]

 

[JiminMaine]

The other day I saw a news story online (Car and Driver Magazine) about the new 2024 Toyota Tacoma.

I did a quick Google search for Toyota Tacoma and went to Toyota’s website. I did not just type www.Toyota.com.

A couple hours later I got an email like a letter “Dear Kevin…” It was from Toyota telling me about all the great features of the new 2024 Toyota Tacoma.

Or two weeks ago, I I went to the website of a luggage company to look at one of their bags. I saw it in the thrift store and wanted to see the new price.

I had NEVER been to their website or even typed in my email or anything.

But same thing, a couple hours later I got an email from the company featuring the same exact bag I looked at.

It’s enough to make you want to crawl under a rock. Or move to Alaska and go off grid.

My daughter had to buy a laptop for her new school next fall. No, excuse me. I had to buy my daughter a laptop for school next fall. It’s a school issued laptop so all the kids have the same device.

She picked it up yesterday. And had all these questions about can the school monitor what she does with it. What she downloads etc.

Side note: Now the one saving Grace my wife and I have with our daughter is trust. She has a phone and and she doesn’t lie. I ask her from time to time about her online presence and it’s all totally benign stuff.

So she’s not trying to get away with anything. She just doesn’t want to have big brother (the school) looking over her shoulder.

The world that these kids are going to grow up in might have some exciting technology, but it’s also got lots of drawbacks.

Sorry to ramble on and on. I just can’t stop thinking about the emails I got and what was behind them.

If you have "Alexa" in your house "she" is always listening. My daughter and SIL were discussing buying a new refrigerator while they were eating dinner. The next day they starting getting ads on their phones and laptops from a bunch of different companies about refrigerators.

The same goes for Siri and any other assistant that you only have to talk to. They are always listening you don't have to imitate a search, just discuss it in their presence.

 

[Johnnu2]

I have a flip phone. Everybody else in family has smart phone.
Oldest daughter will text me ….. my phone explodes with half a dozen messages at once. I can’t get one answered before another arrives.

So …. I just hit dial to call her.
She sends me to voice mail. :mad:
I immediately text ”Girl ….. the phone is in YOUR HAND …. Answer me!”

Then she calls. :ROFLMAO:

I didn't even know you could send a 'voice mail'....

The 'texting' to my flip phone ended years ago when people realized that I almost never turn it on...

J.

 

[s4s4u]

Was driving with my son in law last fall and we went by a field where they were spraying liquified manure. We briefly talked about the stink and all. Next day my fb feed is full of advertisements for the stuff that you mix with manure so you can spray it. Never in my life had I searched online for that stuff. Now that is spooky.

 

[Gopher]

Google opt-out helps as well as not accepting cookies. I run Ad Block and Ghostery and that cuts a lot of the ads and such out, at least on my PC. They interfere on some web sites but there is a workaround for that.

 

[Dan in MI]

 

[GasGuzzler]

I didn't even know you could send a 'voice mail'....

The 'texting' to my flip phone ended years ago when people realized that I almost never turn it on...

J.

He said she sent him TO voice mail. Didn't say sent A voice mail.

 

[KIR]

Try asking for tax free money. Mebbe U will get lucky.

You might get a lot of chinese money. :ROFLMAO: :cool:;)

 

[Garth69]

The other day I saw a news story online (Car and Driver Magazine) about the new 2024 Toyota Tacoma.

I did a quick Google search for Toyota Tacoma and went to Toyota’s website. I did not just type www.Toyota.com.

A couple hours later I got an email like a letter “Dear Kevin…” It was from Toyota telling me about all the great features of the new 2024 Toyota Tacoma.

Or two weeks ago, I I went to the website of a luggage company to look at one of their bags. I saw it in the thrift store and wanted to see the new price.

I had NEVER been to their website or even typed in my email or anything.

But same thing, a couple hours later I got an email from the company featuring the same exact bag I looked at.

It’s enough to make you want to crawl under a rock. Or move to Alaska and go off grid.

My daughter had to buy a laptop for her new school next fall. No, excuse me. I had to buy my daughter a laptop for school next fall. It’s a school issued laptop so all the kids have the same device.

She picked it up yesterday. And had all these questions about can the school monitor what she does with it. What she downloads etc.

Side note: Now the one saving Grace my wife and I have with our daughter is trust. She has a phone and and she doesn’t lie. I ask her from time to time about her online presence and it’s all totally benign stuff.

So she’s not trying to get away with anything. She just doesn’t want to have big brother (the school) looking over her shoulder.

The world that these kids are going to grow up in might have some exciting technology, but it’s also got lots of drawbacks.

Sorry to ramble on and on. I just can’t stop thinking about the emails I got and what was behind them.

everything on the internet is public information. There is no privacy on the internet. China and Russia can see everything you post just like the FBI and our own govt. bunch of overbearing thugs.

 

[beentheredone]

Never forget, the Internet is specifically designed to harvest the one commodity more valuable than money -- information. In return for little more than convenience and entertainment, we give it ALL up...

 

[Joe Reilly]

Oxymoron: internet privacy