Comments on: What are your greatest privacy concerns?

By: Shelly

Shelly — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:17:49 +0000

I would appreciate more detailed information on the techniques The Shadow mentioned for ensuring privacy. After the scare last weekend, it’s clear I have a lot to learn.

By: Oliver

Oliver — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:29:13 +0000

Where’s it going to end? When we’re all simply wards of the state, asking permission to use the restroom?

It sure does seem like that much too often these days.

By: Catalpa

Catalpa — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:52:53 +0000

I’m angry about the loss of privacy, and constantly fight against it. I can remember when things really started getting bad in the early nineties. I had an incident that seems to set the stage for what was to be a new pattern. I went into Radio Shack to get a new battery for my cordless phone, and when the clerk starting writing it up he asked for my address and phone number. When I refused to provide the personal information, he got very nasty and demanded it. I pointed out that I was paying in cash and he had no need for the information, but he got even nastier. I left the store without the battery.

It’s only gotten worse since then. Even today I had to take my daughter to the doctor they wanted to scan my driver’s license into their database. I don’t think so. I told them I had left my wallet out in the car, and was reluctantly allowed to proceed in obtaining medical treatment for my child. But how much longer will that work? It seems access to everything, such as having a bank account, electrical hook up, and even medical care is depending on surrendering my privacy.

Where’s it going to end? When we’re all simply wards of the state, asking permission to use the restroom?

By: Lorie

Lorie — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:20:59 +0000

It seems we are walking glass houses. What was set up for the good has been hacked into by the bad to abuse. Identity is sacred and yet a copy of a BC or SS card makes your identity someone elses. I’m thinking everything should have a picture on it, but then, that poses problems too. No matter what we do to protect ourselves, there’s always going to be a way someone can get into our personal lives if they wanted to. Heck the government can monitor everything about us.

By: Tawnya

Tawnya — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:19:19 +0000

I agree with using more cash. Unfortunatly unless you withdraw your money from your bank account as checks clear, this may or not protect you. I do believe that privacy is turning quickly to a thing of the past, but one thing we must fight to regain control over.

By: melissa

melissa — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:02:22 +0000

I am most afraid of people finding something in my trash, so I make sure I shred everything I can. I even burn certain papers in out wood stove

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:58:27 +0000

I believe privacy is becoming a thing of the past due to technology. It is very difficult to keep from being asked your zip code, phone number, etc while shopping. There are store credit cards and loyalty cards that track each and every thing you purchase.

We are concerned about online safety but also the safety of things we mail or are mailed to us. We constantly monitor our bank accounts for anything suspicious and have so far been lucky.

We have had to have credit cards reissued with new numbers after being notified by our credit card company that a certain store had their records stolen and that our card was among those compromised. This happens way too often. But we continue to move forward the same way using our credit and debit cards and I suppose hoping for the best.

We do also use cash to a certain degree but are considering the use of cash much more.

By: The Shadow

The Shadow — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:55:08 +0000

Privacy has always been important to me and I have difficulty understanding why people are so eager to post the intimate (and mostly boring) details of their lives on public forums. The few store loyalty cards that I have are under a phoney name. A few years ago I drove to Alaska and back. Every time I stopped for groceries I got a new card at whatever store was handy, using a different name just to hose their data base a little. I refuse to have a debit card. I don’t use social media and I don’t post on public fora using my real identity. I use a proxy service that hides my IP address and maintain multiple email identities on several free web mail services. Anonymous remailers sometimes come in handy. Heavy duty encryption protects my files and passwords. All deleted files are erased using secure methods to assure they are unrecoverable. Anyone who stores information on the cloud is asking for trouble, so I don’t do it. I have an unlisted phone number, don’t get my mail at home, and live on a dirt road far from town. My house is not visible from the road and there is no cell phone service here. It ain’t perfect but it works for the most part. The down side is that I’ll never win Olivers weekly prize because I used a phony email address for this post. Sigh….

By: Shelly

Shelly — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:14:31 +0000

“He” in my comment refers to the gentleman at the fraud department at the bank that issued the debit cards.

By: Shelly

Shelly — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:10:43 +0000

This post came as I was monitoring my bank accounts for fraudulent activity that began late Thanksgiving night. Over the course of the weekend, two of our debit cards were used at Walmart.com by someone trying to ship the products to Atlanta (which flagged the fraud dept. at Walmart).

We are not sure how this happened but it’s likely someone who gained access online. My purse was not stolen; the cards have never been out of my possession. I know what phishing scams look like and are careful to avoid them. We guard our privacy on FB and with our online accounts. We scan our computer with anti-virus and malware detection software regularly, plus we use a cleaner program daily. We don’t have smartphones so there is no chance someone accessed the info. there.

I understand there is a phone app where one can scan another’s card while they are standing near them in public. Does anyone have information about that? If it is a reality, one of those wallets that protects cards from scanning might be a must. He also strongly suggests using a credit card for online purchases instead of a debit card. If fraud occurs with a debit card, as we know, the balance of the account to which the card is tied is in danger. Sadly, he added, cases like this are more prevalent around the holidays. Another customer was hit twice in a 6 month period.

I thought staying home on Black Friday would be a safe choice. That’s not always the case!