Rant: Big Brother Is Watching You!

foleda said:
If you use it to block everyting you will break most web sites
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Many (if not most) sites will complain when you block script, putting up banners saying things like "WARNING: You have Javascript disabled. Some features of this site will not work without it!" and that's generally true. However, I find that my "user experience" is enhanced by the absence of autorun videos, animated backgrounds, sound effects, and other such nonsense. I find it trivial to turn Javascript on as needed for the few sites that I use that actually require it (like this one). Most online retailers require it for entering orders, of course, but again it is easy to turn it on as required, and you can control which sites to allow, blocking the ones that do nothing useful to you.
 
alloy said:
Just be glad you didn't order something from them. I ordered my tach from Zoro, and the braking resistor from Aliexpress and every place I go on my computer or phone they are there trying to sell me something, even here.

On the top of the page right now is a Zoro, on the bottom is Aliexpress.
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I use Privoxy. It makes sure that I never ever see any ads anywhere.
 
I get periodic emails from Amazon, Ebay, Newegg, etc. But I have accounts with them, I expect them to spam me with offers. I even expect to see targeted advertising on H-M based on websites that I visit. For some reason on H-M, the targeted advertising has been mostly new and used cars for the last few weeks, not sure why that is. I was looking for some auto parts a few weeks ago.

I think Andre is correct, I'm sure my email address is tied to my IP address out there in a database out there somewhere. I also ordered some parts from Automation Direct this morning, which means I entered my my email address so that may have done it also.

I don't mind the targeted advertising on web pages I visit, but I object to them sending a #$%^&* email to me out of the blue, especially since I have never given them my email address. :burned up: Needless to say, Kmart and their parent Sears will not be getting any of my business.:cussing: Walmart pi$$ed me off a few years ago, and I haven't be back there since. So scratch two more chains off the list. I'm pretty sure that my one man boycott has no effect on their bottom line, but it makes me feel better:devilish:
 
JimDawson said:
I object to them sending a #$%^&* email to me out of the blue, especially since I have never given them my email address.
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I use Spamassassin to filter my email. It gets all that stuff. BTW just because the "From:" line says Walmart doesn't mean it actually came from them. Phishers will do anything to get you to open their spams.
 
John Hasler said:
.......BTW just because the "From:" line says Walmart doesn't mean it actually came from them. Phishers will do anything to get you to open their spams.
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Agreed John, I catch 100% of those. Most of them are caught by my spam filter and just go to my spam folder. The email that I got from Kmart was targeted and was sent by Criteo Email, an actual ''legitimate'' email marketing firm based in France, and hired by Sears, Kmart's parent company.
 
Ulma Doctor said:
what's even more scary is the amount and type of information others have on all of us.
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I used to worry about that, but not so much anymore. I pay all my bills online , buy online, bank online, delete the hundred or so emails a day and try to enjoy my time. My friend won't shop online or give out any info , but pays his bills with a check. He is very old and wary of everyone and everything. I told him " every time you give a check to a company, you just wrote them your name , address, and bank account number. It is no different than doing it online ". I regret telling him that as now he is frustrated and wants to run around and pay cash.
It is difficult unles you want to go off the grid like my cousin. He pays cash ( which he takes from a bank account listed at his parents address) , lives on a mountain he owns, no utilities, just him and his dog. He is about as close to untraceable as you can get, but I don't think I can live that way. Big brother... Look at me all you want..... You'll get bored and look elsewhere .
 
Don't worry about it be happy enjoy life its shorter than you may think!:chill out:
IF
You have a ssi #
finger prints
are a vet
Use a Doctor
Use a computer? you have a IP address
have a security clearance
Big bro knows all about you. Hell I had to list scars so the air force could ID my body LOL. So now big bro knows all.
Wait till you go to get your social security started! they told me my mothers maiden name my dads name omg they know every thing about you and your family. (As mark said give someone a check) LOL
 
Actually the marketing companies don't know as much about you as most people think they do. They don't have consolidated dossiers on you: that does not interest them. Instead "you" appear at dozens of different places in their relational databases. Your IP may appear in a table of machine tool buyers, your email address in one of homeowners, your name on a table of men in a certain age range, etc. "Targeted" ads are not sent to you in a personal sense. They are sent to all IPs that are returned by, for example, a query for IPs that match "machine tool buyer + over 50 + homeowner".

It's alos important to realize that much of what has come to be called "personal information" is actually public. Your place and date of birth, for example, has almost certainly been published online by the government of the county in which you were born.
 
I just got an email stating, "this is the last time the FBI will try to contact Me."
Let's see,
They have my drivers license number with a picture and all that data.
They can use Google Earth and see what My place looks like and what vehicles are there.
They have access to My medical records to the Doctor and Insurance Companies.
Credit card usage.
Utility bills and records.
Cell phone usage and location.
GPS in the cars.
Cable TV tracking My usage and interests.
What's left?
 
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