Who's Tracking You, and Do You Mind?

[jackinjax]

I won't name names but my issue regards auto insurance companies. We've had the same company insure all our various vehicles for right around 50 years. In that time we've had one claim for around $2K when our then teenager ran over a light pole (we paid for the pole out of pocket). We had to have a cracked windshield replaced once. Otherwise, it's been a one way affair.
We tend not to trade/buy new cars often: a new 2001 Jeep we traded for a 2014 Honda, our current and only vehicle. Every year our insurance rate goes up as the replacement value of the vehicle goes down.
Finally had enough and switched to one of their competitors to save roughly $500. And it wasn't until we made the switch that the new company sent the new policy and informed us that we had to install their app on both of phones so they could track us. Otherwise, we lose the $70 "good driver" discount. Oh, heck no!
Now I know my phone is being tracked by Google and probably others so they'll know just when to bombard me with ads, but, then, I'm just one one the hundreds of millions of phones they are bombarding at that moment.
I'll pay the extra money because it's still cheaper. I'm just not ready to give up my privacy.

 

[ponycar]

George Orwell? My college students have never seen Raiders of the Lost Ark.
He kids, keep checking in with the Chinese if you don't mind being tracked, see how it works out for them.

 

[Engine Swap]

 

[UserNotAvailable]

trackin stinks

 

[Dismalhead]

My phone listens to me. Can't figure out how to stop it either. It'll automatically look up things people say; I'll finish a live conversation about ham and there's Google results on my phone showing places to buy a ham.

Hate a lot of the new tech. I'm no longer technologically "current" for the first time in my adult life. Lost it I'd guess around age 50.

 

[sax4blues]

I would like to know results data for the driving tracking. My logic would think most drivers are average, but majority believe they are better than average. The insurance company says with tracking you will get better than average rates, but what happens when the data says you're average?

 

[dogmeat]

yeah... thats why this is probably my last phone. I still have a caveman flip phone and have resisted "I" technology. when this one quits, and there is no replacement... I'm outta here

 

[gimmeatele]

As far as I know no one and yes I do mind, and that's why I have only a few numbers of close friends and relatives on and have blocking apps and use it little for other business, to the point it sits alone on a table all day unless it needs use

 

[dented]

I use Waze and Googl to find my way around every where and get directions fed through my radio on the Jeep. Dead in my tracks. I've never been asked to turn on tracking by anyone though. The "Location" question comes up often and most times I refuse unless it's directions.

 

[imwjl]

I use Waze and Googl to find my way around every where and get directions fed through my radio on the Jeep. Dead in my tracks. I've never been asked to turn on tracking by anyone though. The "Location" question comes up often and most times I refuse unless it's directions.

It is impossible to beat some Waze features, but I use it less now that Apple Maps has improved beyond what many realize. I'm an Alphabet (Google) stockholder but not fully participating in being the suckers so many are. As much as their maps product is superior in many ways I'm finding ways to use it less too.

For the overall topic, just what all cell phones have done for a long time can be more of a privacy matter than what many thing goes on with your cell phones.

My best pals for outdoor sports and other fun are all tech pros as I am. We do same trips with a pair of iPhones and a pair of iPhone haters. We deal with privacy professionally. I just completed a trip where during and after some days you could see differences from my phone and social media settings over theirs. None of it can change what all cellular carriers know but you can do better.

For iPhone users, I'm trying the Typefinity keyboard in part from Microsoft giving up on Swiftkey. It gets you advanced keyboard features and characters, the row of numerals, but keeps data local.

I'm torn on the insurance matters. Most of us could already be driving vehicles with black box capabilities. My driving record and habits are great. Still, I loath aspects of insurance firms. We all probably know the problems related to alcohol but have to wonder if stopping where alcohol is sold is a knock against you. This is not available in my state, but I wonder if they treat the person who drives to a liquor store same as the person who drives to a dispensary for example. If you look at recent accident studies, speed and behavior are big contributors to fatalities. In that context the monitoring could aid someone who drives a powerful or big vehicle but behaves.

 

[ChicknPickn]

The battle for privacy was lost a long time ago. I remember when, if you wanted to write a check at a grocery store, you had to write your Social Security number on it, or they would not accept it. So even then, private information was available to many. Even now, some businesses - - health care providers, notably - - still demand it.

Today, even living off the grid, you are not off the grid. The planet is mapped and surveilled by satellites.

 

[Toto'sDad]

I use Waze and Googl to find my way around every where and get directions fed through my radio on the Jeep. Dead in my tracks. I've never been asked to turn on tracking by anyone though. The "Location" question comes up often and most times I refuse unless it's directions.

When they ask you about your "location" they're just having a laugh. They know everything about you. They know you overindulged on that Texas Chili, and even about the fact that sometimes your poots are more pootier than others!

 

[imwjl]

The battle for privacy was lost a long time ago. I remember when, if you wanted to write a check at a grocery store, you had to write your Social Security number on it, or they would not accept it. So even then, private information was available to many. Even now, some businesses - - health care providers, notably - - still demand it.

Today, even living off the grid, you are not off the grid. The planet is mapped and surveilled by satellites.

Very true. Student IDs were based on social security numbers. Non-electronic records from medical and insurance firms were not and at times still are not handled with appropriate privacy.

What some think of cash and privacy is also far less private than people think. Even some independent gas station or little place with horrible IT security likely has a camera on the cash only person's license plate and time at the cash register.

If one looks at the data flows for contactless payments you will see there are differences too even if a system doesn't share an actual payment card.

FYI for the overall topic, for someone who has their Apple config as it should be their burner email address schema is good. It makes managing burner addresses much easier than on your own.

 

[telleutelleme]

I do mind, but in a small way it makes me feel important. My mother always said, just be home for dinner. She didn't care where I was, Google does and I don't even know anyone at Google.

 

[Mike Eskimo]

Who’s tracking me?

This guy and no , I’m not happy about it…

 

[PhoenixBill]

My phone listens to me. Can't figure out how to stop it either. It'll automatically look up things people say; I'll finish a live conversation about ham and there's Google results on my phone showing places to buy a ham.

Hate a lot of the new tech. I'm no longer technologically "current" for the first time in my adult life. Lost it I'd guess around age 50.

If it’s an iPhone, go into Settings and under Privacy look for Microphone, then turn off access to Google and most everything else. Then go to Camera and turn off access to most every app. Under Location Services, I change everything to “while using”.

 

[PhoenixBill]

I finally realized the extent of the cell phone’s intrusion into my life when I was over at my daughter’s house one day. I grabbed some Lay’s potato chips and was munching on them while I surfed the ‘net. Lo and behold, up pops an ad for…yep, Lay’s Potato Chips. Since I had never Googled or anything for them, I immediately realized “wtf?” Yep, the phone evidently had monitored me via the camera. I think it’s “Skynet” but not sure. Anyhow, I immediately started denying access to the camera and microphone.

And a couple of decades ago people thought Microsoft was the big bad villain? Nope, Google has far exceeded Microsoft and people today don’t seem to care.

I would google Skynet but don’t want to draw their attention. Oops probably too late.

 

[FuncleManson]

Don't know and really don't care.

 

[Toto'sDad]

I stopped off at the tire store to have my tires rotated and ended up having a brake job done on the rear axle. My wife was with me, I asked if she wanted to wait, or have someone pick her up, and take her home. She said, I'll just transfer a bunch of pictures from my phone to my computer while we wait, I've been meaning to do that, but never take the time. When she got finished some local business sent her an ad for making home albums.

 

[Vibroluxer]

I found this a little surprising, concerning, and disappointing.

I signed up for Amazon Pharmacy and almost immediately my Drs name and the last 4 or my member id appeared.

Needless to say, I've never entered any of that stuff. Makes me wonder what else close-to-HIPPA violations they have.

I'm not using their pharmacy service after that.