OMG...WTF??

[DCPatriot]

Am I being paranoid?  Or, is 'somebody' really tracking 'you'?

I recently upgraded my smartphone because I couldn't stand the tiny screen on my Android Thunderbolt.  It must have been at least 6 years old.

Upgraded to a LGG Vista.

This morning, on my desktop work station, I googled for the location of Frey's Cues, in Catonsville, MD...outside Baltimore.

  Bob Frey has been selling custom cues and Sneaky Petes for many years....out of his private residence.  I go there to get my cues re-tipped.

When I was ready to leave, for some reason, for the FIRST time, I clicked on Chrome....the google-based internet search engine.

I have never used the search function on this new phone.  NEVER.

Guess what opened after I clicked on it? 

AZbilliards.com forum.

Now....can somebody please explain this?   

[aligncare]

Car manufacturers have been tracking you via your key fob and selling the info. You can't walk down a street without being on candid camera. Your online activity is an open book. Yeah, your physical location is tracked and sold.

[DCPatriot]

Car manufacturers have been tracking you via your key fob and selling the info. You can't walk down a street without being on candid camera. Your online activity is an open book. Yeah, your physical location is tracked and sold.

I was first alerted to the possible applications of so-called "features" built-in the smartphone.

When I view pics taken with my cell phone...lo and behold, the name of the street where I took the picture appears like a title of the photo.

Happened when I toured my buddy's garden and took some pics of these beautiful lilies.  Then, I noticed it when I took some pics of one of my cats in the window of my own condo.  It hought...WTH?????

So, this place this morning was a private residence, but is listed on the internet as "Frey's Cues".

It's like they knew I was there and possibly searching or thinking of buying a pool cue, etc..

I thought immediately of that scene from the movie "Minority Report", when Tom Cruise's character is strolling through an airport and holograms appear as commercial ads selected just for him.

This is some scary, unsettling sh*t....IMHO.   

[andy58-in-nh]

Am I being paranoid?  Or, is 'somebody' really tracking 'you'?

I recently upgraded my smartphone because I couldn't stand the tiny screen on my Android Thunderbolt.  It must have been at least 6 years old.

Upgraded to a LGG Vista.

This morning, on my desktop work station, I googled for the location of Frey's Cues, in Catonsville, MD...outside Baltimore.

  Bob Frey has been selling custom cues and Sneaky Petes for many years....out of his private residence.  I go there to get my cues re-tipped.

When I was ready to leave, for some reason, for the FIRST time, I clicked on Chrome....the google-based internet search engine.

I have never used the search function on this new phone.  NEVER.

Guess what opened after I clicked on it? 

AZbilliards.com forum.

Now....can somebody please explain this?   

My experience has been that if you log into Google as a registered user (where it can recognize you by name), it will log your IP address and location, remembering your browsing history, and then when you log on to any other device the same way, it will be able to make search and advertising selections based upon that history. Spooky and creepy.

For that reason, I never log in to Google under my account name, and also employ anonymizing tools, both within the browser and as an add-on ("Blur").

[mystery-ak]

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/29377770/samsung-phone-bug-gives-hackers-complete-control-of-your-phone
Samsung phone bug gives hackers complete control of your phone

[jmyrlefuller]

Am I being paranoid?  Or, is 'somebody' really tracking 'you'?

I recently upgraded my smartphone because I couldn't stand the tiny screen on my Android Thunderbolt.  It must have been at least 6 years old.

Upgraded to a LGG Vista.

This morning, on my desktop work station, I googled for the location of Frey's Cues, in Catonsville, MD...outside Baltimore.

  Bob Frey has been selling custom cues and Sneaky Petes for many years....out of his private residence.  I go there to get my cues re-tipped.

When I was ready to leave, for some reason, for the FIRST time, I clicked on Chrome....the google-based internet search engine.

I have never used the search function on this new phone.  NEVER.

Guess what opened after I clicked on it? 

AZbilliards.com forum.

Now....can somebody please explain this?   

Yes.

What's going on is syncing. If you have a Google account, and you use it on both your phone and your home computer, Google's "cloud" uploads your history so that you can access the pages you were on on one device through the other device as well.

It can be turned off.

[massadvj]

Yes.

What's going on is syncing. If you have a Google account, and you use it on both your phone and your home computer, Google's "cloud" uploads your history so that you can access the pages you were on on one device through the other device as well.

It can be turned off.

This is the correct answer.  Chrome and google used your search history to deliver you "relevant marketing."  You are supposed to be thrilled with this because otherwise you'd be getting advertising that is meaningless to you. 

[DCPatriot]

This is the correct answer.  Chrome and google used your search history to deliver you "relevant marketing."  You are supposed to be thrilled with this because otherwise you'd be getting advertising that is meaningless to you.

I'm not thrilled.

When I open Google, the page is blank other than the search box.

So when I open Chrome....it should be the same thing.   

[DCPatriot]

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/29377770/samsung-phone-bug-gives-hackers-complete-control-of-your-phone
Samsung phone bug gives hackers complete control of your phone

Since I'm not computer savvy, this morning I asked my buddy to put Firefox Mozilla on my smartphone.

As he was doing it, he said it asked for a credit card number...supposedly to keep on file.

I said, "Like hell I will!".   He said he had given one of his when he installed it on his phone.

Said, "It's free, Ronnie!"  No way am I going to provide that....especially when you point out here that I could be hacked.

[240B]

I am coming from a background of a guy who is into himself. I do not like friends. I do not like people 'knowing' me. I am in fact an antisocial psychopath. I know this. I understand it. And I embrace it. It is just what I was built to be. It is just who I am.

I want to be the exact opposite of famous. I want to be cremated and gone, without a thought by anyone.

Your problem is that you have way to many background applications running. You need to turn all that background stuff off.
What I do, which I do not necessarily recommend, I turn my cellphone off.

Turn your phone off. I am a software engineer, and I am telling you, there is no way to defeat an uncharged phone.

[DCPatriot]

I am coming from a background of a guy who is into himself. I do not like friends. I do not like people 'knowing' me. I am in fact an antisocial psychopath. I know this. I understand it. And I embrace it. It is just what I was built to be. It is just who I am.

I want to be the exact opposite of famous. I want to be cremated and gone, without a thought by anyone.

Your problem is that you have way to many background applications running. You need to turn all that background stuff off.
What I do, which I do not necessarily recommend, I turn my cellphone off.

Turn your phone off. I am a software engineer, and I am telling you, there is no way to defeat an uncharged phone.

LOL!   My pool partner is like that.  I tried to take pics of him shooting pool and he threatened to shove my camera where the sun don't shine.

He used to run with the biker crowd when he was young, and he protects his privacy like nobody I've ever known.

You're right, 240B......but I understand that you must actually take out the battery to be truly safe.

That, or find one of the first flip-phones and guard it like a brick of gold.

[evadR]

Since I'm not computer savvy, this morning I asked my buddy to put Firefox Mozilla on my smartphone.

As he was doing it, he said it asked for a credit card number...supposedly to keep on file.

I said, "Like hell I will!".   He said he had given one of his when he installed it on his phone.

Said, "It's free, Ronnie!"  No way am I going to provide that....especially when you point out here that I could be hacked.

DC..I think you were being snookered.

[240B]

LOL!   My pool partner is like that.  I tried to take pics of him shooting pool and he threatened to shove my camera where the sun don't shine.

He used to run with the biker crowd when he was young, and he protects his privacy like nobody I've ever known.

You're right, 240B......but I understand that you must actually take out the battery to be truly safe.

That, or find one of the first flip-phones and guard it like a brick of gold.

Me too. I got got. Even to this very day I am nervous. I cannot stand anyone taking a picture of me. And I don't really know why.

That is just how I am, I guess.

[EC]

Who likes pictures, or being tracked? It is an intrusion.

What I do, which is not perfect but better than nothing -

I have a dumb phone. It makes and receives calls and does texts and that is it.

I don't permit pictures of me except in very rare circumstances. Any pictures I take and put online have their EXIF data scrubbed first.

My Facebook account is nothing to do with my actual life (It's one I maintain for writing contacts and contracts mostly. A couple of RL friends are on there, but they know the drill. If they forget, they are no longer friends.) Family is not, since we phone each other daily anyway.

Computer and tablet, all location features are turned off. Rigorously use every no tracking and ad blocking option there is, and I ALWAYS use a proxy server, so I can be anywhere in the world and my IP shows up as somewhere in the UK in my case (I picked the ISP based on the reliablity of their proxy server more than anything else.)

I only shop online (rarely) using a pre-paid card which is in no way linked to my actual existence.

I use google for random things, and sometimes search nonsense just to mess with it. Actual searching of things of interest I use DuckDuckGo. It's good at not tracking you. Not perfect, but good.

I pay cash most of the time. The bank cards do get used, but for basic things only like groceries and fuel and always in the same locations. A simple pattern is less disturbing than a blank to anyone who is glancing at you.  Similarly, I refuse to have store cards, loyalty cards or be on mailing lists.

It's by no means perfect, but it does reduce the amount of intrusion and spying going on in my life.

[DCPatriot]

Who likes pictures, or being tracked? It is an intrusion.

What I do, which is not perfect but better than nothing -

I have a dumb phone. It makes and receives calls and does texts and that is it.

I don't permit pictures of me except in very rare circumstances. Any pictures I take and put online have their EXIF data scrubbed first.

My Facebook account is nothing to do with my actual life (It's one I maintain for writing contacts and contracts mostly. A couple of RL friends are on there, but they know the drill. If they forget, they are no longer friends.) Family is not, since we phone each other daily anyway.

Computer and tablet, all location features are turned off. Rigorously use every no tracking and ad blocking option there is, and I ALWAYS use a proxy server, so I can be anywhere in the world and my IP shows up as somewhere in the UK in my case (I picked the ISP based on the reliablity of their proxy server more than anything else.)

I only shop online (rarely) using a pre-paid card which is in no way linked to my actual existence.

I use google for random things, and sometimes search nonsense just to mess with it. Actual searching of things of interest I use DuckDuckGo. It's good at not tracking you. Not perfect, but good.

I pay cash most of the time. The bank cards do get used, but for basic things only like groceries and fuel and always in the same locations. A simple pattern is less disturbing than a blank to anyone who is glancing at you.  Similarly, I refuse to have store cards, loyalty cards or be on mailing lists.

It's by no means perfect, but it does reduce the amount of intrusion and spying going on in my life.

Seems like an awful lot of 'work', EC.

That said, I wish I was knowledgeable and comfortable to do it all.  (what you've done to 'hide' yourself)

I'm now an old man, and have no patience to deal with it.    

Like the idea of using a simple device that phones and texts, however.

Learned the hard way about store loyalty cards... After signing up at grocery stores and places like Red Robin (a dignified hamburger joint), shortly thereafter, I started getting spam emails.   Now, I get upwards of 300 crap emails per day.  It's maddening.   Just to qualify for a future discount?

 

[EC]

It's not so time consuming once you get the habit of it.

About 30 mins per week for the computer stuff, tops. I do it the same time I do back ups and the malware sweep :P

[olde north church]

My wife mocks me lightly for my desire to remain as off grid as possible.  I'm a very private person by nature. My social media is limited.

[EC]

One of the most annoying and persistant things is Facebook. It tracks you even if you do not have an FB account - just in case you ever make one. Any page which has a FB like or share button on it (which is most) will track you on their behalf, even if you have notracking enabled.
Remember to clean out your cookies and cache regularly! I use CCleaner. It's free, very effective and works reasonably fast.

[DCPatriot]

I read recently that on FaceBook, if you even TYPE something and decide to not click to send, that even if you hold the backspace button to erase it/edit it, that FB grabs whatever you typed.

LOL!  I remember our Catholic nuns and priest teachers telling us that the INTENT to sin is a sin in itself...even if you don't complete the deed.

[raml]

I don't use google search engine ever but ever since I bought silverware at jc penneys for my granddaughters wedding gift I have seen ads for silverware on what ever website I am on. Since I have already bought this item why in heavens name do they keep bombarding me with ads it pisses me off so how does this help a consumer or the company advertizing? This has happened to me on so many items I purchase online that is one of the cons for shopping online. My smart phone I decided will not be smart I don't connect it to the internet I have no need to be online when out in public since I am retired and have enough time at home to do all I want online.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Flashlight apps are spying on users Android, iOS, Windows Phone smartphones, is yours on the list?

That innocent Flashlight App you installed on your device to shed light on certain situations is also spying on you, and potentially selling or using your personal data. Especially vulnerable are Android devices.

Gary Miliefsky of cyber security firm Snoopbit, says, "'We've all become victims of installing many apps on our smartphones and tablets that do much more than the service they should provide. We have opened a Pandora's Box to online predators, cyber criminals and spies - all through these apps we foolishly trust."

The firm did a study of the top ten Android flashlight apps and found that when downloaded they are given permission to access sensitive user information that clearly has nothing to do with their function as a simple flashlight for their users.

The company tested the top ten flashlight apps on Android and determined that each and every one of them collects unnecessary user data and accesses areas of the device wholly unrelated to the function of the app. The offending apps include: Super Bright LED flashlight, Brightest Flashlight Free, Tiny Flashlight + LED, Flashlight, Brightest LED Flashlight, Color Flashlight, High Powered Flashlight, Flashlight HD LED and

Flashlight: LED Torchlight. A chart on the company's website specifically breaks down the areas to which the app is permitted access.

Regarding the flashlight apps, the firm warns, "Some appear specifically designed to collect and expose your personal information to cybercriminals or other nation states. In addition, you are at significant risk if you are doing Mobile Banking on the same device as one of these free Flashlight Apps."

Many of the apps have the ability to read phone status and identity, view Wi-Fi connections, modify system settings, obtain full network access, and determine your precise location via your phone's GPS,  among other permissions. The company recommends you uninstall your flashlight app immediately in order to protect your device's data and info.

While the firm concludes that the pre-installed iPhone flashlight app seems safe, third-party apps on Windows Phone and at the iTunes store are also accessing unnecessary sensitive user data and location information, and unnecessarily using the internet, collecting data and building user profiles. Apps using iOS and Windows Phone OS are not as dangerous as those running Android, however, and cannot "hide in the background", according to Snoopbit.

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/18762/20141026/flashlight-apps-are-spying-on-users-android-ios-windows-phone-smartphones-is-yours-on-the-list.htm

[DCPatriot]

Thanks for the warning Luis, regarding the Flashlight App.

It's a shame, because it came in handy on several occasions....walking around in a dark room in your bare feet, etc..

[alicewonders]

Thanks for the warning Luis, regarding the Flashlight App.

It's a shame, because it came in handy on several occasions....walking around in a dark room in your bare feet, etc..

I uninstalled my flashlight app a few months ago after reading this.  Now, when I need a flashlight - I just go to TBR - it has a light-colored screen and I can see to walk somewhere in the dark with it.  I do miss the flashlight app though.  I've taken to keeping a small flashlight on my nightstand for that very reason - although I can get up in the night and go to the bathroom in the dark, come back to bed and never wake up in the process.   I guess i sleepwalk!

 

[DCPatriot]

I uninstalled my flashlight app a few months ago after reading this.  Now, when I need a flashlight - I just go to TBR - it has a light-colored screen and I can see to walk somewhere in the dark with it.  I do miss the flashlight app though.  I've taken to keeping a small flashlight on my nightstand for that very reason - although I can get up in the night and go to the bathroom in the dark, come back to bed and never wake up in the process.   I guess i sleepwalk!

Also have learned how to do the 'shuffle' walk...not stepping, but sort of dragging my feet, so as to not step on a tail.  My rugs' disigns make it impossible to 'see' sleeping cats in the dark.   

[Dexter]

Welcome to the future folks. Before long you won't be able to talk about something in public without it being recorded and used to deliver advertisements to you. Hell, they'll probably start beaming advertisements into our brains while we're sleeping if they figure out how. We are witnessing the beginning of a new chapter for mankind. Privacy is disappearing and that is not going to change. Technology will bring us closer and closer together until individual identity is meaningless and the hive mind is complete.