Privacy advocates got access to Locate X, a phone tracking tool which multiple U.S. agencies have bought access to, and showed me and other journalists exactly what it was capable of. Tracking a phone from one state to another to an abortion clinic. Multiple places of worship. A school. Following a likely juror to a residence. And all of this tracking is possible without a warrant, and instead just a few clicks of a mouse.

  • dohpaz42@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    This should be illegal. There is absolutely no good reason this should be available to anybody. It should also be considered unconstitutional; if one of those dots is a person, whether you directly know who the person is or not, it should violate the right to privacy and the right of illegal search and seizure — no questions asked.

    • Optional@lemmy.world
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      You are right. And you’re fighting against the credit reporting agencies and google, facebook, apple, and all car manufacturers for privacy rights.

      This is the result of jurists and legislators who don’t understand a single goddamned thing about computers in 2024. For fuck’s sake it’s been thirty goddamned years since this was obviously going to happen. Take a class, you bastards! Those of you who aren’t Heritage Foundation fascists.

      • TimeSquirrel@kbin.melroy.org
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        It’s not getting better either: https://futurism.com/the-byte/gen-z-kids-file-systems

        There seems to have been a short window of maybe two decades in the 80s and 90s when computers and the Internet were becoming household staples where almost everyone who grew up in that time period knows what’s up, while everyone who didn’t is way more ignorant. The older folks are lost because they didn’t grow up with computers. The younger kids are lost because they were born into a world of advanced UIs, “plug and play”, and software that heavily obfuscates the nitty gritty details of how it works.

        Being forced to run command line installers, edit config.sys files, set DIP switches correctly for your front side bus speed and messing with IRQ settings for your sound card and such just to play a computer game will definitely teach you a thing or two. My family’s PC came with not only an instruction manual, but an entire language reference for the built in GW-Basic interpreter. Nowadays, you get a laptop with a small pamphlet showing you how to plug it in and turn it on.

        • Skates@feddit.nl
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          This is correct. But if you don’t work in the field, it’s fine.

          You don’t have to know how to bottle wine if you’re not a wine maker. You don’t need to know how to build a dam if you’re not an engineer. You don’t have to learn everything about the architecture of an OS if you’re a user and not a programmer. Let the kids use their devices without knowing obscure shit, just like people let us wear clothes without knowing how to sew. There are things we should all know how to do - changing a light bulb is cheaper if you don’t call an electrician every time it needs to be done. But there are things that are so opaque at first sight that they need to be performed by people with specialized knowledge. And it’s okay to not have that knowledge if you’re not in that field.

          Yes, there are 1-2 generations where everyone was learning how computers work. But there were also quite a few generations where everyone was learning how agriculture and farming works - you know, to survive. And I’ll be damned if I wanna have my kids birth a cow or install Linux on their PC. Unless for some godforsaken reason they decide that’s their job.

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            You’re ignoring the point of why it’s useful and at this point, necessary, to have an above average understanding of technology to maintain any semblance of privacy in your life…you can do so much harm to yourself without ever knowing it just by having an Alexa or by having a Tesla.

            At certain point it’s like what the fuck can we even do with things specifically like the tool this article is talking about but tech illiteracy isn’t excusable if this day and age anymore. The world demands a certain level of knowledge or you can and will be exploited.

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              I know this is the case today, but we are still in the early days of massive surveillance and everyone being globally interconnected. I have to trust legislation will follow to regulate this, just like any potentially dangerous invention is now regulated in most countries, from pharmaceuticals to firearms, to lead based paints, to news outlets.

              The fact of the matter is, regular people cannot keep up with all inventions ever. It’s up to governments to protect their citizens from threats, and a failure to do so should be punished. If instead the government chooses to be that threat, the solution isn’t easy, but it is simple.

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            5 days ago

            Mm idk, I think knowing how to use folders is pretty important. It helps people stay organized.

            The article wasn’t talking about file systems like FAT32 or NTFS. It was talking about using directories, instead of “pulling files from a laundry basket” by using a search bar.

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              Ehhhh I’m not convinced that the method of dumping everything in a pile and using search is such a bad thing for average users. For admins on servers it’s absolutely critical to know what is in what directory, but for average users does it actually matter at all?

              Honestly I’m bad enough about being consistent with my data organization I genuinely wonder if I should join them in just searching through the pile of documents rather than organizing in neat folders…

      • bobs_monkey@lemm.ee
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        I’m convinced that a good number of legislators understand the implications of this stuff on a cursory level, but are convinced (read: bribed) to not care on the “condition” that it doesn’t apply to them or their families. They are beholden to their constituents, and their constituents aren’t you and me, as we can’t afford them.

    • 【J】【u】【s】【t】【Z】@lemmy.world
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      Search and seizure, the Fourth Amendment, only applies to State actors. The only exception is when a private entity is acting as an agent of the government, such as in the case of private prisons.

      Congress needs to pass consumer protection laws aimed at privacy in the digital age. They haven’t updated this sort of thing I believe since 1996. It used to be legal for adult video stores to disclose the tapes people rented, but Congress passed a privacy law forbidding it when some journalists disclosed some of their rentals. The scandal had some cool name. I forgot what.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        The government cannot access the information without a warrant. It does not matter if SPYco lays it all out on a public website. If they needed a warrant to track you before, they need a warrant to check for you on the public website.

        Saying the government is allowed to obliterate the 4th amendment because a private company did the hard part is just asking for government aligned corporations to gather it all up and hand it over whenever the government gives them a dollar.

        Edit to add- This is the way it should work. Instead the government really is just buying data they’d need a warrant for previously.

        • 【J】【u】【s】【t】【Z】@lemmy.world
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          This is not an area of law I stay up to date on, but that did not used to be the case. Is that a rather new development?

          Last I knew most courts were holding that since customers are sharing this information with third parties (sharing with their phone companies, Apple and Google, Facebook, etc.), giving everything away anyway, most individuals have waived any claim to an expectation of privacy. The right to privacy is founded upon reasonable expectations. I did hear about some pushback on that, more recently, but not from the Court of Appeals from DC, which has jurisdiction over appeals taken from federal agencies, prior to the Supreme Court. I’d be grateful to be shown otherwise. About time, if true.

          • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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            Yeah I should have been more clear. That’s the way it should work. Instead the courts interpret the 4th amendment as narrowly as possible. Making it effectively non-existent in many cases.

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      The solution is to subscribe to these services. Then create a website that offers real-time tracking information, freely to the public, of the most wealthy and powerful people in the country. Every Congressperson should have their location shown freely available to all in real time. You could call it “wheresmyrep.org” or similar. Literally all of them tracked like animals in real time, freely shown for any and all to see. Let them live in the fish bowl they’ve created for us all.

      • dohpaz42@lemmy.world
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        We’re kind of seeing that with those private jet trackers. But that’s not changing anything except getting those accounts banned from social media.

        • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
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          I think those just need to move to have their own independent sites instead of basing their operations on social media. Ultimately what they’re doing is entirely legal, but it’s way too easy for some asshat billionaire to pull some strings to get them pulled from a platform.

          • skulblaka@sh.itjust.works
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            Yep. Spin up your own website and throw a couple YouTube ads out into the world. We’ll have legislation drafted making this illegal before your first server bill comes due.

      • T156@lemmy.world
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        Although we already know what would likely happen if someone did that. It would just be made illegal to track the locations of congresspeople (and only congresspeople), like it was made illegal to do so during the BLM protests.

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        When supreme court justice kavanaugh was followed by protesters he had a hissy fit and said they couldnt do that. But it’s totally fine to spy on everyone with a phone and expose their medical data.

        These hypocritical fuckheads deserve exactly what you are proposing and I’d fucking love to see it happen.

        We could even say it’s to protect the children… make sure certain politicians who have expressed interest in legalizing child marriage aren’t left alone with any.

    • Schadrach@lemmy.sdf.org
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      Because a carrier’s data on you is not your person or belongings. The companies holding this data are selling access to it, so it’s not being searched, it’s being offered.

      In other words, the same reason as why they don’t need a search warrant if there’s a breaking and the business across the street volunteers their security camera footage, even if you’re on that footage.

      • PriorityMotif@lemmy.world
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        Courts have actually said that looking back at someone’s location data counts as a search and requires a warrant. There’s currently a lawsuit recently filed by the institute for justice aledging that the use of flock safety license plate readers is unconstitutional because it’s a warrantless search.

  • reddig33@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    Start tracking politician phones. Oh look who paid a visit to the lobbyist house this week! That shit will get shut down real quick.

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      If you don’t want to be tracked illegally, don’t bring your phone.

      If you don’t want any to be tracked legally, write/call/tweet/visit your representatives.

      edit: responded to the wrong comment

      • Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
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        If you don’t want any to be tracked legally, write/call/tweet/visit your representatives.

        And donate to the EFF if you have the means because they can and have and will likely continue to lobby on average internet users behalf!

      • trolololol@lemmy.world
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        Ah yes, democracy is a healthy and fully functioning institution.

        You just got confused who’s sponsoring it, that’s understandable.

        • wrekone@lemmyf.uk
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          I see your point. I have no illusions that democracy is healthy in modern times. Perhaps not ever? We don’t even live in a democracy any more, we live in a corporatocracy.

          But doing nothing will solve nothing.

          edited to add: In fact, it’s our complacency that our corporate masters depend on. Corporate news is designed to overwhelm you. Advertising is designed to lull you to sleep. Together, they make it seem like there’s nothing you can do. But that’s not true. You can do something. Maybe not the things I suggested, but something. It will make a difference, even if it only makes a small difference for a few people. Isn’t that better than nothing?

          • trolololol@lemmy.world
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            Throw it down and bring real democracy like in Switzerland

            Or throw it down and bring anarchism

            None of these are realistic, so…

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        All politicians meet with lobbyists. It’s hard to get a handle on the needs of the nation (or state, or so on), and lobbying is how people inform their representatives of that need. Now whether those lobbyists are scumbags or saints, that’s a different question.

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    It drives me nuts how our economic system is making not having a cell phone increasingly difficult. Many necessary things won’t even work on a tablet. The smartphone is the most amazing futuristic device I dreamed about that has evolved into a distopian nightmare.

    • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world
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      It drives me nuts how our economic system is making not having a cell phone increasingly difficult.

      that’s by design. why you do you think the US government allows corporate interests to take such a high position above American citizens? it’s not just only because of corruption, it’s because one hand washes the other.

      The smartphone is the most amazing futuristic device I dreamed about that has evolved into a distopian nightmare.

      like all technology, it can be used in ways that you cannot even imagine.

      instead of blocking advertising data, we should embrace it IMO.

      imagine a world where users shove so much information at these tools that they can’t even tell what’s real or not. camouflage works better when everyone participates.

      • Schadrach@lemmy.sdf.org
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        instead of blocking advertising data, we should embrace it IMO.

        imagine a world where users shove so much information at these tools that they can’t even tell what’s real or not. camouflage works better when everyone participates.

        There’s an ad blocker that does exactly this. Called Ad Nauseam. Chrome blocked it from their store super fast, then blocked it from being installed in Chrome from 3rd party sites, then blocked known versions of it from being manually installed in developer mode. I used to run it set to a low percentage - if I “clicked” every ad they’d know to throw my data out, but if I click say 3% of them…

      • EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com
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        that’s by design.

        See also: automobiles. Automobiles and smartphones certainly have strong cases for how utilitarian they are. They are both genuinely very useful.

        But the expectation that everyone has one, along with them becoming practically a requirement for most people, has turned them into a dependency and a means of control. Some people can manage to forgo them, but you almost have to build your life around doing so.

      • PriorityMotif@lemmy.world
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        Run a headless browser that does random searches at random times across different social media and search engines and have it click random ads.

        • Glitterbomb@lemmy.world
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          This was part of the fictional operating system in the book Little Brother. I think it inspired similar features in a particular real life Linux build too

        • GreenKnight23@lemmy.world
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          does it though? if everyone is sharing their advertising data under the covers no amount of ML could correct it.

          think of it like a tor network for advertisement tracking.

          you’re going to Walmart, I’m going to Target. but according to our phones, I’m at Walmart and you’re at Target. now scale it up to thousands or even millions of users sharing their advertising trackers.

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      It is only dystopian because we have not taken back the power to control our devices. We of course need some serious privacy laws to allow this to happen. Right now is the defining moment for the 21st century. Will we take control of our technology or be enslaved by it?

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      I got nothing to hide.

      I’m willing to bet that they have curtains on their bedroom window…

    • wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      “why don’t you take your clothes off, then? You said you ‘have nothing to hide’, didn’t you?”

    • elliot_crane@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      I’ve heard this exact same thing from a former colleague that left my company to go work at a place selling “smart” security systems 🤦🏻‍♂️

      • Spitzspot@lemmings.world
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        It is something we can do right now though. Even the youth who can’t vote yet can participate.

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        I’d be surprised if it lasted longer than any other socially progressive trend. A few weeks, tops, with largest proportions falling off in the first week.

        This is the reality of social momentum these days. Resistance is no threat because it has extremely brief lifespan before moving onto the next thing to be a part of.

        • YarHarSuperstar@lemmy.world
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          I agree but not because it’s “trends” but because this system forces us to have short attention spans by presenting us with a massive deluge of information about horrible things happening everywhere (many of which are caused either directly or indirectly by that very system) so we have basically no choice but to keep shifting our focus and updating our threat assessments or risk becoming totally overwhelmed and falling behind or burning out.

          • Szyler@lemmy.world
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            I instinctively closed your comment after reading “short attention span” because I knew what you were going to say. Had to go back to comment because I realise the irony.

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        It also won’t work since the service has enough precision to know whether you go in, and for how long. The real issue is that mobile phones are continuously broadcasting their location to any device that wants to listen, even if you turn wifi and bluetooth off.

    • Optional@lemmy.world
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      Or - OR, right, everyone can turn off location and WiFi on their phones.

      It’s true the cell ping is always going, but that’s a different thing and definitely not what this tool is using to track people. Odds are good it’s using facebook or some other cancer to perform this evil.

      • EngineerGaming@feddit.nl
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        7 days ago

        I don’t think cellular location would be excluded from such tracking tbh. I would rather not take my phone with me at all when visiting such a potentially sensitive place, or at the very least use a Faraday cage.

      • Buelldozer@lemmy.today
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        Odds are good it’s using facebook or some other cancer to perform this evil.

        You really need to read the entire article. Turning off your WiFi and deleting Facebook isn’t going to fix this.

        • Optional@lemmy.world
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          It’s a good start tho

          This sort of surveillance is only possible because of the mobile advertising ecosystem. Location data is sometimes used to build profiles on device users and better target advertisements to them. Much of that advertising relies on a MAID, the unique advertising ID, on a phone. The MAID acts as the digital glue between a device and its associated data.

          But that same underlying system, of Google and Apple linking a unique identifier on the phone to a user’s activity, allows Babel Street and others to build their mass monitoring products. In many cases, a device’s MAID is also displayed inside Babel Street.

          So periodically refresh / replace your ad id as well.

      • suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.ml
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        The problem is turning off wifi doesn’t actually turn off the wifi, it just stops a subset of packets being broadcast and won’t trasmit any data you want it to send. Among other things this is how ‘find my device’ works with the wifi and bluetooth “off”. They’re actually on.

        • wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world
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          You can turn this wifi and bt scanning/‘location accuracy improvements’ off though, at least on android. It’s tucked away in the settings but once it’s done, it’s done.

      • the post of tom joad@sh.itjust.works
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        Or - OR, right, everyone can turn off location and WiFi on their phones.

        Right now. But maybe not forever and so regulation to make sure that we canor even better, regs against this tracking. Because it shouldn’t be necessary.

      • jagged_circle@feddit.nl
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        That won’t work. But if you install the ROM without gapps or closed source software, you don’t have to worry about these issues.

        • Optional@lemmy.world
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          Having just done that for the first time I feel confident in saying anyone who’s still using facebook or Xitter or tiktok or whatever - is not going to do that. I wish they would but that’s an order of magnitude more technical than where they are.

          • EngineerGaming@feddit.nl
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            Counterpoint - the only reason I didn’t degoogle earlier was because my phone simply didn’t support Lineage or Divest. Chances are that whatever budget Chinaphone you have would be in the same situation. Now I bought a Pixel specifically with the intent of installing a privacy-preserving OS, but for a while most I could do was ADB-disabling Google services.

            Unlike installing Linux, chances are high that a degoogled OS wouldn’t work on the hardware you already have.

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              Oh it took me a solid month of trial and error, scrolling through xda and other forums reading every how-to and watching plenty of vids and I finally got it to work. But it was not even fun. Yes starting with a Pixel is better, but f* teh googlez.

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    Your survival kit:

    Empty GrapheneOS Pixel 6a bought with cash that isn’t your daily driver (last Pixel with snapdragon chip that allows IMEI changes)

    JMP.chat

    Silent.link

    Sensors off (developer options)

    Bluetooth/WiFi/NFC off

    Disable 2G/enable LTE only mode

    Offline maps/airplane mode when navigating/at destination/anywhere near your residence or other frequently visited places that could be associated with you. When changing the IMEI/IMSI combo make sure you go to another location first so that you break the link

    Infrared AND polarized license plate covers. Remove any and all bumper stickers and other accessories that can be fingerprinted

    IR blocking lens sunglasses for facial recognition

    And of course, it wouldn’t be complete without the tor browser over a trustworthy VPN

    So yeah fuck the police

    Edit: I forgot to mention that if you drive a car that is mid-2010s or newer you may have to do some digging to disable telemetry, satellite, cellular and any other dystoptian fuckery they install these days.

    • Fredy1422@lemmy.ml
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      how does one change your imei number using a pixel 6a, with a rooted phone with magisk.

      • LunarVoyager@lemmy.world
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        They can triangulate the signal, but in this case it has absolutely no connection to you or your identity, so you don’t need to. Regularly changing esims (IMSI) and IMEI will effectively neuter triangulation. You’re just a random red dot with no name.

        • Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
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          The IMEI can’t be changed. That’s the serial number of the cellular modem

          Edit: reviewing the link you shared in another comment that looks plausible. Just be warned good luck on any kind of warranty or insurance claims if you change IMEIs. I used to work for a cell phone manufacturer and we used the IMEI to both identify roughly when the device was purchased to make determining warranty status dead simple, and to identify devices as they went through the repair process.

          Additionally carriers will often blacklist IMEIs for activation (usually on devices which were financed but never paid off) so that’s another potential opportunity for trouble

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            Meh, the pixel 6a is pretty cheap. Warranty and creature comforts are for the daily driver.

            Edit: I should add, there are a few mobile hotspots that officially support changing the IMEI

            link

    • actually@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      The leaks that 2% of the population got very excited about for a while, but try not to think much about? The leaks judged by many on the reputation of an obscure man living in Russia? Those leaks?

      I trust my government and not things only nerds understand. Also they sound weird and made up and very scary ( said most of the people)

      • isaaclw@lemmy.world
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        Maybe, I think people still “know” its going on, but they forget by the allure of our smart phones, so this is a good reminder.

  • John Richard@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    As people get ready to vote here in the US, one issue I haven’t even heard brought up is the lack of privacy regulations in the US. Do most people not care if the person they’re voting for is fine with every corporation selling and sharing personal data?

    • catloaf@lemm.ee
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      Our electoral system results in a choice between two candidates, and both are fine with it.

      • itsJoelle@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        And more over the electorate is calcified along party lines where the outcomes for either side is perceived as being stark and dire. I suspect this means concerns like these might get stifled even if it is held by both parties.

      • henfredemars@infosec.pub
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        I was just traveling in the UK and I had this discussion more than once having to explain why our options are always terrible and ignoring issues voters want addressed.

    • Ultraviolet@lemmy.world
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      Privacy regulations are to the left of the Overton window. The idea that corporations don’t have some divinely ordained ownership of our personal data is unthinkably radical.

    • GHiLA@sh.itjust.works
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      It’s such a non-problem to my family members that if I even suggest it is a problem, I get ignored.

      No one cares. It’s either nothing anyone values or they figured they never had any privacy to begin with.

    • IMNOTCRAZYINSTITUTION@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      improving the healthcare system is not even a topic of discussion this time around let alone something most people would see as abstract

    • jagged_circle@feddit.nl
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      6 days ago

      Omg there’s soo many critically important issues that never even get brought up.

      Like shutting down the nuclear arsenal, defunding the military and police, establishing a carbon tax, making carbon extraction illegal, establishing UBI. All of these basic policies never even get discussed on mainstream media and it drives me crazy.

    • RvTV95XBeo@sh.itjust.works
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      6 days ago

      burner goes from your house, to abortion clinic, to your office, back to your house

      Hmm, must be someone else, I don’t recognize this number

      -The Government

        • Jtotheb@lemmy.world
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          6 days ago

          You really think you came up with an airtight solution to device tracking that nobody in the industry has considered on a whim?

            • Jtotheb@lemmy.world
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              6 days ago

              That was possible over a decade ago.

              Link Link Link Link

              Also to be clear, you suggested that you bring a burner phone and set up call forwarding. That implies a phone that’s on. If you’re carrying a burner phone that’s off, I do have a novel solution, just don’t bring it

              • midnightblue@lemmy.ca
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                6 days ago

                No that’s not easily possible on every phone. It’s a specifically crafted FakeOff malware, used by the NSA for targeted attacks. This is not something that just randomly gets deployed on every phone, it’s only used against individual targets. Use GrapheneOS to harden your Android device as much as possible, to defend against such malware getting installed in the first place.

                You really think the NSA will get involved to track someone who wants to get an abortion?

                That was possible over a decade ago.

                You know what also existed over a decade ago? Faraday bags. This concept of physics isn’t new.

                Just stop spreading fear and misinformation.

                • Zink@programming.dev
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                  6 days ago

                  You really think the NSA will get involved to track someone who wants to get an abortion?

                  Probably not, unless it’s an exceptional case where they are already interested for another reason.

                  But if, say, county sheriffs across the country also got access, I would be surprised if I didn’t hear about women’s and doctors’ lives being ruined by them.

                • Jtotheb@lemmy.world
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                  6 days ago

                  Yes, yes. If you want to avoid being tracked by the government buy a Faraday bag. Thank you for the valuable information. I’m in awe.

              • capital@lemmy.world
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                6 days ago

                Hm. I said without power. Not switched off.

                Judging by the upvotes you’re far from the only one who forgot about simply removing the battery.

                I suggested no power but not for the entire trip. Put the battery in when you’re sufficiently far from your house so as not to be associated with it. Remove it again when you’re sufficiently close to your house.

                Use your imagination. It helps.

                • Jtotheb@lemmy.world
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                  6 days ago

                  You know, we can talk about how batteries aren’t removable in most phones anymore, about whether or not the act of suddenly buying prepaid phones isn’t itself incriminating, any number of factors, but I really only replied to you because you were rude, not because I wanted to talk about it.

              • capital@lemmy.world
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                6 days ago

                Keep reading the thread. I’ve already addressed this.

                Really getting confused as to how people read “no power” and think “phone off” instead of “no power”.

    • jagged_circle@feddit.nl
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      6 days ago

      Then how you gonna take a selfie in the bed?

      Seriously tho, people need phones for everything, including their calendar and map and communication with their partner.

      Not bringing a phone isn’t an option

      • WrenFeathers@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        I can assure you that people don’t need instant access to calendars and maps. Smart phones are a convenience, not a necessity.

        (Source - lived through the 80’s. Still alive to tell the tale)

        • jagged_circle@feddit.nl
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          6 days ago

          “And fuck all the other people who are addicted to smarphones. They don’t matter” /s

          • WrenFeathers@lemmy.world
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            No, they don’t. Because if they’re weak enough to allow themselves to become addicted to a device, that’s their problem to solve. Not even else’s.

            Smartphones are a convince, a tool. Nothing more. If one can’t live without one- there’s a problem needing to be addressed.

            • frostysauce@lemmy.world
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              if they’re weak enough to allow themselves to become addicted to a device

              That’s not how addiction works.

      • WindyRebel@lemmy.world
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        Mapquest is still around, so that solves one problem. The rest can be alleviated by communicating in person with your partner and aligning on a plan to not get tracked (like partner driving you and leaving their phone at home).

        In the absence of that help, friends or family you trust. A cab? The clinic probably has a phone to hail a cab when you’re there.

        Disclaimer: I’m just providing work arounds, I’m not saying they’re ideal.

      • PriorityMotif@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        Believe it or not, digital cameras exist as standalone devices.

        You can also buy an rf blocking bag for your phone.

        • jagged_circle@feddit.nl
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          Yes, you can. But thats the last thing on the mind of someone who is struggling to terminate a pregnancy in the US in 2024. We need something better.

            • T156@lemmy.world
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              There are many reasons for a pregnancy to be terminated, and not all of them are for fun, or because of casual sex. Maybe the child has defects incompatible with life, or the mother is not capable of carrying to term, and attempting to do so will kill them both.

              People don’t tend to go “oh, it’s a nice Sunday today. I think I’ll pop by the abortion clinic.”

      • capital@lemmy.world
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        Not bringing a phone definitely is an option.

        But I suggested a burner with forwarding so that handles comms to partner.

        If you can’t function without your main device for special circumstances such as this, I guess you just can’t be helped.

      • LunchMoneyThief@links.hackliberty.org
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        Calendar

        Non digital is sufficient. And if it must be digital for some reason, no you don’t specifically need to use a serf phone for that.

        map

        I get around just fine without proprietary tracking BS. Navit + Openstreetmaps pre-downloaded binary data + detachable USB GPS transceiver.

        communication with partner

        Softphones and SIP telephony are fine for this.

        Sauce: I am a functioning adult who lives without a phone as a matter of principle.

  • 52fighters@lemmy.sdf.org
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    5 days ago

    This is not new and it has previously been used against anti-abortion activists, tracking locations and even being used to record religious confessions. People on both sides of the abortion issue can oppose this type of monitoring.