Privacy Resolutions for the New Year 116
Chris Hoofnagle writes "EPIC has released ten privacy resolutions for the New Year. In addition to losing weight next year, lose all those data brokers who are after your bits."
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Privacy Resolutions for the New Year
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And it should be the law: If you use the word `paradigm' without knowing what the dictionary says it means, you go to jail. No exceptions. -- David Jones
Re:Who gives a fucking rat's ass? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Who gives a fucking rat's ass? (Score:1, Insightful)
What does antivirus have to do with privacy? (Score:5, Insightful)
From the Privacy Resolutions:
I can understand why people want anti-spyware when running on windows boxes, since they also do a good job with cleaning recent files and such.
I can also understand why people would want firewalls for privacy. They're more convenient than actually locking down all ports and services manually
But anti-virus? And as a privacy measure? I don't get this. I have run without anti-virus for almost seven years, on various Windows boxes. I have never been virus-infected.
Whenever I am called out to do virus disaster recovery, it's almost always for people who have an antivirus solution installed. When are people going to drink the kool-aid, and understand that anti-virus solutions don't help.
My advice would rather go something like this: Set up your mail client so it won't auto-infect you by receiving mail. Don't open attachments. Don't install warez. Don't be so freakin' naive and gullible. Stop believing strangers send you naked Britneys.
Some More... (Score:3, Insightful)
Don't ever click the unsubscribe links from those annoying emails.
Read all your mails in text based mail client (MUA) to get rid of those bugs crafted in HTML code to trace your activity.
Re:Who gives a fucking rat's ass? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:What does antivirus have to do with privacy? (Score:3, Insightful)
Ok, let me explain this once more: Anti-virus software will not help you. What will help you is having habits that prevent infection.
Re:Who gives a fucking rat's ass? (Score:5, Insightful)
Dear Sir,
We at Foo Health Insurance have reviewed your personal customer file. It appears you use condoms from the SuperStrong[tm] brand, which is statistically consistent with a promiscuous sex life. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, and to better serve you, we have cross-checked your medical claims file and successfully determined that you have started taking tri-therapies recently. What's more, your credit record seems to indicate that you would be better served by another health insurance company. We therefore regret to inform you that you will no longer be able to enroll in your current plan. Please find enclosed a list of plans you are eligible to.
Regards,
Joe S. Bastard, Foo H.I., Inc.
Re:Paranoia? (Score:5, Insightful)
* " Don't return product warranty cards."
Maybe that will void your warranty?
Bull. Go back to the store you purchased your faulty device at and they'll take it back under warranty. No warranty card needed.
* " If you have to use a supermarket shopping card, be sure to exchange it with your friends or with strangers. "
Why not? If nothing else, you'll help your friends/strangers save money and preserve their own personal data, and you'll boost your points rating.
* " Pay with cash where possible. Electronic transactions leave a detailed dossier of your activities that can be accessed by the government or sold to telemarketers. "
Many police cases are solved by following credit card trails. Even the WTC terrorists could have been stopped by following their credit card activities. So I expect you'll say "fine, I'm no criminal! why should I worry?". Well, maybe you'll think about it next time you go buy a bottle of scotch at your local convenience store late at night, and the FBI come banging at your door a week later when it turns out that convenience store was held by Ali Bin Terror and they're arresting and detaining everybody who has been in contact with him, "just in case".
Plausible Deniability Virus (Score:5, Insightful)
Then when your employer, the **AA, Microsoft, the FBI, or your spouse starts complaining about what thet found due to our lack of privacy, you could say "It might have been the PlausDen.A virus - not me!"
Not that I personally want this virus installed on my system... I just want the possibility that I may have had the virus.
A little over-the-top IMHO (Score:2, Insightful)
Now, I've long believed that the best response to some clerk asking for my address on a cash deal is, "why?" or, "I already get your catalogs." I'm already *in their store*, so no further advertising is needed, eh? I wish there was some way for the clerk to get that fact into the store's database.
But there are some things about me that I would dearly love to have marketing folk know and share widely. I'm not a 59-year-old retired veteran, for example. I have no actual or legitimate theoretical interest in offers "for singles only." There's lots of stuff I'm not buying, not just from you, but not from your competitors either -- maybe it's because I don't want it at all? I don't smoke at all, or encourage others to, so why would I care that you are selling expensive imported cigars?
Anyone studying me in detail would see that I tend to actively preserve my unawareness of types of products that I don't use until I decide to use them, then do my own research and usually end up with one that's *not* heavily promoted. I wish some people would dig *that* out of their data mines.
Re:EPIC 2014 (Score:3, Insightful)
I'd like to be the first here to say that flash movie was not insightful, and the only thing scary about it is that they managed to find someone who could recite that cheezy monologue without busting out laughing. "No, try it again.. This time make it hushed AND excited!!!"
LOL