“No, they would never track us. But if they were, it would be a good thing.”
Is that the same as the misnomer or fallacy that privacy is dead?
Wouldn’t it be better to at least put a modicum of effort in to have some privacy, than to put zero effort in and have none at all?
If everyone started using encrypted messaging software, using devices that are resilient to all but the highest levels of forensics, and stuck to social spaces which prevent bots and alt accounts, hosted on servers in countries their own nation’s law enforcement doesn’t have access to, it would massively increase the costs of surveillance. Every layer of that increases the price.
When you let surveilling you become profitable and easy, expect it to get worse. More obtrusive. After all, you’ve displayed compliance up to that point.
Yes, that’s it. As I’ve told friends on several occasions, you know why I encrypt my online life and guard my privacy as if, you know, freedom depended on privacy? Because fuck them, that’s why.
It takes my time and effort, but I just can’t let the bastards win just that little bit more easily. All cops and corps are bastards (ACAB).
my guess is its just another flavour of cope.
imo likely because recent history has began to undermine the delusions which were propping up the former flavour.
i had the same thought since i sometimes wonder “why bother” when i know that things like prism gave them everything they wanted 15 years ago.
Ultimately, the sentiment isn’t completely wrong. Using a different browser isn’t going to save you from being tracked. Using one or multiple browser extensions isn’t going to save you from being tracked. Using a VPN isn’t even going to save you from being tracked.
Accounts are pretty much required to use most sites, and many also require connecting a phone number or other personal details. Privacy is actively discouraged, and attempting to pursue it leaves you with many hardships – by design I would argue. You buy a product on one site, with no prior search history about it, and suddenly you start getting emails from unrelated sites about similar products. In capitalism, any information about your habits and interests also becomes a commodity. Why shouldn’t people dismiss privacy in favor of convenience, in such a system? It seems futile to even try.
And if your government is determined to figure out who you are online, then it will. Don’t make the mistake of thinking they don’t know what you’ve been up to, here or otherwise.
It isn’t completely right either. Browsers, extensions and, only in some cases, VPNs can save you from being tracked by some. You are describing first party tracking but the point is mostly to prevent third party tracking. An adblocker and an email relay goes a long way.
I agree with the rest though. Regulation is the only way.
