Thank you! I wish I had sprung for the hardcopy edition of Extreme Privacy. I don’t have a rap sheet, I “have nothing to hide”…but it gives me a sense of peace feeling more in control of my data. (Oh, and I do run the Punching Up Press site, and I hope it doesn’t get to the point where I have to worry.

If I do something that actually lands me in the sights of the federal government, I’m sure it’s trivially easy for them to find me. I’m more anti-Big Tech, anti-surveillance out of principle, etc.

Because I already have a fairly new Mac. :) I bought it before I ever even thought of using a Linux OS.

Thanks! I had thought of that, but would like to hang on to my Mac. I just want it to be…not a Mac, I guess?

I considered cancelling my voter registration and then re-registering every election. However, the way things are going, I wonder if I will even be able to re-register in the future…

Thank you, this is just what I needed! Now I just need to figure out HOW to get it installed on my Mac. :)

This is amazing! Great information.

I read Extreme Privacy for fun…I don’t need to live totally under the radar. However, I’m tired of feeling/being tracked by Big Tech, having my data used inappropriately, etc. I managed to buy a used Pixel and install Graphene OS, but I’m stuck with my Mac until it dies. I’m also trying to divert my money away from Big Tech and unethical corporations like Amazon as much as I can. (Which I know is basically impossible, but I do what I can.)

I wrote a whole free book on the topic called DISENGAGE: Opting Out—and Finding New Options—to Reclaim Your Life from Spammers, Scammers, Intrusive Marketers and Big Tech. It’s meant for newbies (say, my mom) to light-medium tech savvy people like myself. (I’m a semi-retird journalist of 30 years and this was my passion project; you can read in there my motivation and how far I’ve gotten so far.)

I’m now trying to move into the more intensive privacy techniques, and they are often beyond my abilities. Switching to a more private OS is on my list.

I’ll look into this, thanks!

Thanks for the info!

Thank you! I actully have read that if you sell your Mac, your info is still attached to it. Which is actually good for you and bad for Apple, I guess, because they could be attaching the wring info to you.

I don’t know the details, but in Extreme Privacy, the author says that to be untraceable, you need to buy a laptop with cash, then wipe it and install Linux. I’m not super techie, but to me that means if you use a credit card, Apple can now attach the laptop to your identity… which is of course connected with everything else that’s been collected about you by third parties.

Thanks! Interesting, I didn’t know you can’t install Linux on a newer machine. Mine is just a few years old. I want to leave the Apple ecosystem, but I don’t want to have to ditch a fairly new laptop and buy a different one.

I always love a good infographic! I’d be happy to collaborate on projects related to the theme of the broligarchy and data privacy. Let me know if you have ideas!

The post is here! Thanks again for letting me use the infographic.

I say, (while out of range of the camera), “I’d like to opt out of the biometric scan, please.” I also opt out my kid if they’re with me.

I rarely get a blink. (There are signs saying you’re allowed to opt out.) Though I wonder if/how that will change with RealID! I didn’t get one because as of right now you can still use your passport, but I know they want everyone to have one.

ETA I have a whole section on this in the free book DISENGAGE: Opting Out—and Finding New Options—to Reclaim Your Life from Spammers, Scammers, Intrusive Marketers and Big Tech.

I didn’t notice that, but I DO know you can opt out of those scans. I do it every time. I was told by one security agent that they don’t store the images, but that doesn’t mean they won’t do so in the future! Also, during their beta, biometric data of many passengers was exposed through a breach.

I see from the company’s privacy page that people in “protected” states can have their data removed, but I assume that’s only data used for advertising/marketing…not data collected/shared for the purpose of tossing you out of the country. Anyone know if there’s a way to exclude yourself from this database? (I doubt it since they’re saying it’s for legal purposes, but you never know.)

Haha, I always love a good infographic! Who can I credit for the infographic and links? I have only like 65 subscribers since I don’t do much promotion, but I think this will be very helpful to them.

I love this! May I share on my blog and with my newsletter subscribers at Punching Up Press? We’re probably in boxes #2 and #3, with a lot of readers starting off in box #1.

Thank you! I got your email, will reply soon.

I emailed you, but wanted to reply here that I love this! I don’t have much to add as I’m having the same problem with my own project trying to make privacy easier for people like, say, my friends and family. They have to really WANT it to go through all those inconvenient steps of changing to alternative products. Even getting people invested in changing their app settings is hard enough!

I think the below commenter is right that people will start to care more when they see what’s going to happen with their data under the new administration (in the U.S., at least). We all thought it was a good trade-off for free and cheap products, and soon we may be faced with our data being used to target us personally.

The only thing I can think of is, have you tried sending info about your sites to relevant news outlets, newsletters, etc.? I got a little traction from being mentioned in two newsletters: Cory Doctorow’s newsletter and the DeleteMe newsletter Incognito. I’m planning on mailing out print press copies of my free book later in May…I have a PR friend who will be helping me with that.

Great!

Oh, very cool! Yes, do reach out if you decide to do it.