How Facebook Watches You and Tracks You

[Steve M.]

I saw this coming long ago. The only way around the tracking (having the internet provider account in my wife's name helps, as she has a different last name) is to give Facebook, your email provider, forums, and others spurious information, and use a proxy server to hide your IP. But the first time you go online w/ ANYONE, meaning Amazon, eBay, your bank, paypal, etc and don't mask your stuff w/ a proxy server (and maybe even if you do), bam, it's all on a server somewhere. Still, a proxy is a big help. I'm sure there's a way to prevent this tracking totally, but I'm not computer savvy enough to do it. Don't forget, if you have a gmail account or others like it, they troll your private emails to find key words and direct targeted ads at you online, so the trouble starts well before Facebook.

It's probably better to log in to these things at a public place like a library and use a land line for phone calls. I don't trust anyone that says they don't track you except fastmail, which not only guarantees in writing that they don't, but has also denied warrants from the US to look at their servers, as they are not subject to US jurisdiction as an Australian held company. They will also allow you to log into your account safely at public places w/ a Yubi key that generates a one time password. It's a smaller company, and very security orientated. The best solution is to probably pick up a land phone and order that way, or with snail mail.

 

[Highway 61]

I have no Facebook account and no LinkedIn account. That totally blocked me when I wanted to register at Airbnb in spite of having told them my identity card number and many other private things about me. I never could complete my registration. No big deal afterall but this is making sense of some sort.

Some Data Science experts are beginning to think that not leaving tracks behind on the Internet may become more of a problem than leaving too many. "Virtually unknown" people may become the usual suspects eventually.

 

[Doug]

I have no Facebook account and no LinkedIn account. That totally blocked me when I wanted to register at Airbnb in spite of having told them my identity card number and many other private things about me. I never could complete my registration. No big deal afterall but this is making sense of some sort.

Some Data Science experts are beginning to think that not leaving tracks behind on the Internet may become more of a problem than leaving too many. "Virtually unknown" people may become the usual suspects eventually.

A very good point IMO... drawing a blank in an email search or hitting a proxy IP can imply evasiveness.

 

[Bill Clark]

I still cruise around Facebook. There are many pages from folks all over our planet who enjoy photography that are Facebook friends. People from all walks of life as well as pros. Also specific pages for specific cameras. Lots of pages on Leica, Rollei and Hasselblad and quite a few others. There are other interests I have where I find a lot of pages like Toastmasters and, you might as well know it, I'm a nerd so I get stuff from the likes of NASA, Hubble and others.

 

[Ronald M]

Carry a phone around and you will get tracked.

License plate readers are everywhere, some stationary some not. I have no solution.

Have throw away e mail addresses.

Keep your browsing history whipped off

Do not bank on line ever.

Do not electronic file taxes.

All my large bank accounts can not be accessed on line even by me.

Freeze your credit.

Shread all mail with identifying info. Use crosscut shredder. Then burn if you can.

 

[Ronald M]

I saw this coming long ago. The only way around the tracking (having the internet provider account in my wife's name helps, as she has a different last name) is to give Facebook, your email provider, forums, and others spurious information, and use a proxy server to hide your IP. But the first time you go online w/ ANYONE, meaning Amazon, eBay, your bank, paypal, etc and don't mask your stuff w/ a proxy server (and maybe even if you do), bam, it's all on a server somewhere. Still, a proxy is a big help. I'm sure there's a way to prevent this tracking totally, but I'm not computer savvy enough to do it. Don't forget, if you have a gmail account or others like it, they troll your private emails to find key words and direct targeted ads at you online, so the trouble starts well before Facebook.

It's probably better to log in to these things at a public place like a library and use a land line for phone calls. I don't trust anyone that says they don't track you except fastmail, which not only guarantees in writing that they don't, but has also denied warrants from the US to look at their servers, as they are not subject to US jurisdiction as an Australian held company. They will also allow you to log into your account safely at public places w/ a Yubi key that generates a one time password. It's a smaller company, and very security orientated. The best solution is to probably pick up a land phone and order that way, or with snail mail.

You may think this is silly, but the future may be different.