Privacy is an important issue. I was recently talking to a professor who once worked for a company that bought and sold information. He told a friend and I how many details are out there such as spending habits and stuff. I wasn't really alarmed by what he told me--I had heard it all in the past. I think he finally drilled it home, though.
Whenever my payday comes around I swing down to the bank and take out a few hundred dollars. Everything that I spend (mall, grocery, bar, etc) is paid with cash. This wasn't started from a privacy concern--I've had problems with debit cards before and swore it would never happen again. I've thought more and more about privacy recently and realized that it also has the added effect of keeping lots of my purchases private.
I realize that you can't keep everything private. Larger purchases must still be made with credit or debit likely. Lots of stores around here refuse to accept $50 or even $100 bills anymore due to counterfeit. I wonder if you could go to an Apple store and plop down $2000 cash and walk away with something? Likely they would get your name on a warranty or something, anyways, right?
Obviously you should never give out information unless it is for a valid reason, and even then you should question it.
Books are definitely a big issue as we've seen the Americans have had various agencies requesting access to the reading habits of library members. I buy many books online and I think, for me, this is the largest privacy concern I should have. Books can be purchased at regular bookstores and at college bookstores (for the more rare ones) in cash. Some books must still be purchased through Amazon and the likes, though (well, the more rare ones at least). You could probably purchase them used for a lower price (a book is a book) and pay cash.
What tips, recommended books and ideas do you have about privacy? I'm not talking about buying a cabin and moving to buttfsck nowhere--I mean reasonable techniques you can use that don't have too much inconvenience and yet maintain a higher level of privacy.
Bruce Shneier wrote a good article in Wired, titled The Eternal Value of Privacy
(This isn't a debate on the importance of privacy. Don't comment if you take the "what have you to hide" approach.)
Whenever my payday comes around I swing down to the bank and take out a few hundred dollars. Everything that I spend (mall, grocery, bar, etc) is paid with cash. This wasn't started from a privacy concern--I've had problems with debit cards before and swore it would never happen again. I've thought more and more about privacy recently and realized that it also has the added effect of keeping lots of my purchases private.
I realize that you can't keep everything private. Larger purchases must still be made with credit or debit likely. Lots of stores around here refuse to accept $50 or even $100 bills anymore due to counterfeit. I wonder if you could go to an Apple store and plop down $2000 cash and walk away with something? Likely they would get your name on a warranty or something, anyways, right?
Obviously you should never give out information unless it is for a valid reason, and even then you should question it.
Books are definitely a big issue as we've seen the Americans have had various agencies requesting access to the reading habits of library members. I buy many books online and I think, for me, this is the largest privacy concern I should have. Books can be purchased at regular bookstores and at college bookstores (for the more rare ones) in cash. Some books must still be purchased through Amazon and the likes, though (well, the more rare ones at least). You could probably purchase them used for a lower price (a book is a book) and pay cash.
What tips, recommended books and ideas do you have about privacy? I'm not talking about buying a cabin and moving to buttfsck nowhere--I mean reasonable techniques you can use that don't have too much inconvenience and yet maintain a higher level of privacy.
Bruce Shneier wrote a good article in Wired, titled The Eternal Value of Privacy
(This isn't a debate on the importance of privacy. Don't comment if you take the "what have you to hide" approach.)
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