Hello, I am an ICE critic. Kristi Noem is causing dreadful harm to Americans individually and the country as a whole. We would be better off if she and her flying monkeys dunked their heads in a bucket of water and melted.
From the article, the subpoenas went to Google, Meta, Reddit, and Discord, and are targeting accounts that "lack real names".
Even if someone has signed up with fake names, I hold tremendous suspicion they can ID people anyway. Of course their accuracy is going to depend on many things. For example, did someone use their own IP, or a VPN? Did they use the app, or a web interface? But some of those sites won't even allow signups through VPNs.
There is a big industry built around browser and device fingerprinting for "identity resolution". This tech was driven by the advertising industry, after their ability to use cookies for identification was curtailed. I have no way to prove this, nor evidence for this, but I would eat my hiking boots if the big social media sites did NOT use that sorta tech.
Ya i mean i've been off social media and youtube for years and still get targeted advertising until i started using proactive privacy measures. So i would not bet against you.
I think you're probably right too. A lot of this shit sounds scary but as we can see, these tech overlords are exceptionally well-funded but equally delusional about what they can accomplish.
I mean it's a legit concern but, maybe don't give them your data in the first place?
it's tough because we need to get the word out to people to advertise events like No kings and share info on ICE, most ppl don't have the time between working 3 jobs and raising kids to properly research open source options. Those of us who know better have to reach out to those who don't using their medium.
I always use VPN at bare minimum so I'm not personally worried but I know a lot of ppl who are more into activism than tech privacy who I wanna keep informed.
Yeah, man. Why don't you just voluntarily remove yourself from society at large so that they can't own your data? /s
Meta has your data, even if you aren't a part of their ecosystem. This is true of all the rest of them as well. You can't "personal responsibility" your way out of this.
Why don't you just voluntarily remove yourself from society at large so that they can't own your data
...wat?
Meta has your data, even if you aren't a part of their ecosystem
Not sure what "data" you're referring to but they don't have anything useful from me.
You can't "personal responsibility" your way out of this.
No one is doing that. I didn't say anything about responsibility.
To not give them your data, you can't interact in their ecosystems. Their ecosystems are the community writ large, so by voluntarily removing yourself from those ecosystems, you're voluntarily removing yourself from the parts of society that they've squatted on. Ergo, removing yourself from society (with a sprinkle of hyperbole, since it was sarcasm)
Without you having signed up to Facebook, if anyone you know who has your phone number has signed up and shared your contact info, then they know your name, who you know, your phone number, which they can then use to associate you to any online interaction where you've also given your phone number. They have an idea of the demographics you belong to, political stance (not having a Facebook or Instagram gives them a lot of info for that), and a general vibe of who you are. Source: The exposure after the Cambridge Analytica Scandal
You pointing out that maybe the victims are to blame for their data being in the hands of megacorps surely must imply that you think personal responsibility is the only recourse we have for this. But maybe I read that wrong and you just had no further thoughts beyond what you literally wrote down. Victim blaming for the game of it.
which they can then use to associate you to any online interaction where you've also given your phone number
Which is why I don't give anyone my phone number.
You pointing out that maybe the victims are to blame for their data being in the hands of megacorps
Once again, that never happened, you just made it up, and I don't appreciate it.
Which is why I don't give anyone my phone number.
fun fact: its worse than that! its not only about your phone number. signal and almost every chat app exposes your chat partners in the system contacts database. It's handy for the contacts app to be showing the list of chat apps usable for someone you know. at the minimum your name and profile picture that you set for yourself will be there and accessible to any apps with contacts permission, and in signal (even the molly fork) if that partner has made their phone number visible, that will be saved here too. and you can't really turn it off for others.
You are misinformed. Signal has your phone number and that's it. This has been demonstrated time and time again with legal documents.
check your contacts app before stating such things. I'm not stating that signal sends your data to facebook and such, but that signal is registering info into the OS for convenience, that will also he visible to other apps with the privilege granted, including those of facebook
Check my contacts app for what, exactly?
sorry, I think I was wrong. signal/molly only attaches that information to a contact when it already has the phone number that they use for signal.
so unless you keep your phone number visible on signal, or you share your phone number in another way, this shouldn't be a problem.
Which is why I don't give anyone my phone number.
Happy for you, chief. I'm sure that makes it real useful to have, then, since no one knows it to call you.
Once again, that never happened, you just made it up, and I don't appreciate it.
Cool, how am I supposed to read this, then?
I mean it's a legit concern but, maybe don't give them your data in the first place?
Does that not read "if they have your data, you're the one who gave it to them"? Explain it to me, because I'm clearly not understanding
I'm sure that makes it real useful to have, then, since no one knows it to call you.
I meant I don't give it to companies, because I know that's why they want it.
how am I supposed to read this, then?
How about exactly how it's fucking written? Without making shit up? Do you think you can do that? Telling you how to prevent something is not the same thing as blaming you for it.
I meant I don't give it to companies, because I know that's why they want it.
If you have given it to a person who has any account anywhere that has anything remotely to do with meta-owned entities, and they did not explicitly say no to sharing contacts info (basically just one person giving FB messenger access to their phone contacts), then meta has your phone number, name and a whole bunch of scarily accurate extrapolated data on you and other sources they correlate that with.
They might have my name and number. They don't have anything to connect that information to, because I don't give it.
You'd be surprised. If you have ever ordered, or booked, something online, they will absolutely have something to connect that to and from there they keep pulling.
I would not be surprised, I've investigated this pretty thoroughly. I've blocked all Meta domains from my network and devices. I dont give any of those stores my phone # or real name, and I use a virtual credit card that doesn't have my name or real address. All items are shipped to a PO box.
So you use cash to get a burner phone for any online purchases or sites which need them? You kept your phone turned off and away from you when you bought that burner? You only carry the burner when entering large corporate store chains which are fingerprinting the devices inside? You have gone through all databrokers to see who is aggregating information and device ids on you? You magically know every single big techs obfuscated domains for tracking cookies and block them the moment they are registered?
I think you are extremely naive about how easy it is to tie this information together by a databroker who is not restricted on what information they can aggregate and sell back to companies like meta. Sure meta may be blocked direct access on your network but they are buying that information from another data broker and tieing directly to you based on the contact information thats been gleemed from others who shared contact information with a meta product.
So you use cash to get a burner phone for any online purchases or sites which need them?
Why would I need a phone for that? I just told you I use a virtual CC.
You only carry the burner when entering large corporate store chains which are fingerprinting the devices inside?
I use GrapheneOS, which has mitigations for that sort of tracking. But Meta isn't tracking me at the grocery store, regardless.
You magically know every single big techs obfuscated domains for tracking cookies and block them the moment they are registered?
I don't allow access to any cookies. As I already said, I use an ad-blocker, of course, that tracks, updates, and blocks thousands of tracking domains.
I think you are extremely naive about how easy it is to tie this information together by a databroker
I think you know absolutely nothing about me, what I know, and what my data protection practices are.
Sure meta may be blocked direct access on your network but they are buying that information from another data broker and tieing directly to you based on the contact information thats been gleemed from others who shared contact information with a meta product.
I don't think you understand. Even if someone sends Meta my phone number, they cannot associate my phone number to any other online activity because that would ALSO require my phone number, which they do not have, because I do not give it to them. Also gleaned* and tying*.
they have. they are mapping your social graph and with that the places you are possibly frequenting
They haven't.
living in denial does not help mutch.
Agreed
Dude, I told you I don't understand how what you've written is different from what I've said, so maybe start there? I can see the literal words you wrote, thanks. I'm trying to get to the meaning you're attempting to convey, dude.
Like are you saying "people shouldn't have given their data to these companies", then my entire argument until now applies. It's not really an opt-out situation, unless you refuse to play ball with these companies.
Are you saying "companies shouldn't have this data"? Like, fair, but I'm not certain how what you're saying conveys this point.
What are attempting to say because I clearly don't understand it with those words in that order. Give more context to what you mean, please. I genuinely want to understand but I can't parse what you're trying to say beyond what I parroted back at you. And it's not some failure on your part, I am a certifiable idiot sometimes when it comes to this shit.
Probably both. I rarely speak my full mind, especially online, only bc I know how unrestrained they're allowed to be plus I'm familiar with their overreach too.
Maybe others should get off their soapboxes and understand the same. I'm not saying go silent, I'm saying exercise caution on these sensitive subjects where they'll quickly throw blame to their cause to get away with what do.
I rarely speak my full mind, especially online,
I agree with you that caution is good. Yet at the same time, this is exactly the "chilling effect" of mass surveillance, right? People start to self-police.
Yeah exactly. Well, while current admin knock China for mass surveillance, the US just allow 3rd parties to do it first who then sell the gov access to it all... There's no difference outside of US constantly having data breaches so all our info is everywhere.
There’s no difference outside of US constantly having data breaches so all our info is everywhere.
i got a coupon to buy "identity protection" from equifax/whatever when the opm got hacked and then i got another coupon to buy again when equifax as hacked. lol
Agreed, I've always followed the rule of if i'm gonna say anything, pretend everyone i know is in the same room, would I still say that thing and be proud of it?
Honestly the more of us who are generally sane ppl who contribute to society they fuck with, the better because it just makes them look rediculous.
That said, if I'm about to get punched in the face, I'd prefer to know if its coming so I can prepare.
Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.
In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.
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