I hit the questionaire when I went to add the delivery manager capability.

 

Just so you know (I have tested this on myself). For $29 you can find all that info and more on someone if you know a few pieces of info. I found all my previous addresses, schools, most jobs, etc in 30 min for a simple fee. Simple background check.

Be even more wary of Google. They allegedly have a collection of personal data rivaled only by the NSA. They also are eerilly involved in direct conversations with many world governments. They buy up home automation, map software, etc for the main purpose of collecting user info, which is more valuable than the apps themselves. I trust them as much as the NSA to be honest :P So just think, besides what they found on you easily, if you use the common apps out there, where you drive every day, how fast you drive, addresses you visit most, your political comments, etc are all out there to be purchased. And even worse, if you use Alexa or have a Nest thermostat, when you come home, if you are cold or warm natured, etc are all out there. I used to think "oh you bunch of conspiracy therorists" about this stuff ... now it is just common.

To go even further, I directly experienced one of the recent ones. I mentioned Rockit apples to someone at work. She had no idea what they were and I told her. She picked up her phone a bit later and she had ads for Rockit apples popping up on social media and when she went to google and clicked the search bar, she typed an R and the first autofill was ... you guessed it ... Rockit apples. Checked settings and sure enough, google by default had access to the mic .... there is no privacy folks!

 

Ahh, let me try that.
Edited to add: I just went to Shipping Manager. Either I have added it before and don't remember or I've had a Fedex account for so long that I didn't have to answer the questionnaire.

 

A good friend of mine years ago used to always talk about how the government was tracking our every move and we all laughed at him. As you say - - they don't have to, other companies are doing it for them. It boggles the mind how easy it is to find out stuff. For example, I did some skip tracing about the persons who lived in a house when my son was going to buy it. In no time I knew where they moved to in another state, where they lived before in still another state, what his employment had been, when he got promoted, divorced, kids, etc.; even several photos of them at the house my son was looking at..... and didn't cost me a dime; just some time.

 

The majority of people aren’t concerned about the iNets tracking and information collecting abilities. Many that I know just shrug their shoulders and state, “I’ve done nothing wrong…why should I care?”. Maybe someday they’ll find out. Isn’t this right Alexa?

 

Exactly. I know that I am not a target for large scale hacks ... but it is the other known and unknown uses of my personal data that worries me. Also, the issue is that while it is of very low likelihood that serious hackers are going to target one individual like me, the DO put their strongest efforts on the monster companies, like Google, Amazon, etc. Thus, while those large entities have much higher security, they are also target a million times more. People argue with me on that point sometimes, which baffles me seeing as how most of the largest companies and the IRS have all been victim of data breaches.

I had an issue I wont go into details on due to privacy, but it was a few years ago. This involved someone contacting someone I knew via cell phone. The only info we had was their cell number, and it was local so we assumed (correctly in this case) that it was not a spoofed number. I paid no money, did nothing illegal and had

The persons facebook page and name (that took 2 minutes)
His brothers name (who turned out to be the real culprit) in 5 minutes
Their mothers name in a few more minutes
Their mothers place of employment in about 10 more minutes
Their home address minutes after that.

And with those few pieces of info, I could have paid for a background check and found out most other info if I wanted to. Instead I was in contact with their mother, who was not only unhappy with her sons over what had happened, but also was baffled that I found out so much info. Especially when I told her I simply used Facebook and Google to get it :P

 

Other than a few auto forums I don't have a big web footprint.
As it is the targeted ads, those that i am aware of... are annoying.
What happens when a potential employer buys that data and doesn't like your political party affiliations or religious preference.

And that doesn't even get into activists roles.
What about an insurer setting your rates for auto home or life?
There is a constant stream of data coming off of your car and phone.
Who "owns" that data? Can auto manufacturers sell it to insurers?

 

All very real and valid points. I've been aware of this for years and its just one of those things that systematically gets introduced with time, and there is almost always a "convenience" trap tied to it, and the younger generation doesn't even know any different, so consumed with trendy consumerism at the touch of a button. We have gone astray my friend's. Who has seen the movie the Circle with Tom Hanks?

This is my only social website, no Facebook for me. I opened up a false account in an alias just to explore it briefly when it came out (coming off Myspace days) and took a hint from that, that once I did id never be entirely removed, so I didn't want any real personal data out there. Employer snooping or any other creep entity is a real concern, and political and personal views are not something you want out there these days sadly as your employment may depend on it. If your a public official, that's a little different. "Private citizen" should be congruent with its phrase.

 

L.L. Bean says it might offer discounts for clothing that tracks you - Business Insider

 

What's changed is storage technology and data science. Today it is (relatively) cheap to store petabytes of data. And the science of data analysis, with its current focus on so-called "big data" makes it possible to find needles in haystacks of data.

Privacy is a thing of the past unless you are ready to give up many modern conveniences. Like bank accounts, utilities, healthcare...

My greatest hope is that my fairly boring data just kind of gets lost in the shuffle.