ROTHENBURGER – Every move you make, ‘they’ are watching you
(Image: Pixabay.com)
Big Brother is upon us, and he looks like a teenager living in his parents’ basement in Slovenia, buying malware from the dark web and infecting every detail of our lives.
‘If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.’
— George Orwell, 1984
IF YOU’D BEEN at the privacy and security conference at TRU this week you wouldn’t be reading this.
You would be:
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- 1. Frantically changing the passwords to every device, app and website you own.
2. Searching through your recycling bin for old Hydro bills, envelopes, car-insurance reminders, pre-approved credit card offers and mortgage statements, and shredding anything that even remotely says anything about you.
3. Closing down your Facebook page, Twitter account, and blog, and vowing never to use social media ever again.
4. Unplugging your computer and putting the power cord in the garbage.
5. Throwing your phones and tablets in the river or digging a deep hole and burying them.
Experts who talk about the Internet of Things often insist, unconvincingly, that it can be a wonderful force for good if only we’ll let it, but what they really mean is, “We’re all screwed.”
Panel at TRU privacy and security conference. (Image: Mel Rothenburger)
Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops, former school board chair, former editor of The Kamloops Daily News, and a current director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He was awarded the Jack Webster Foundation’s lifetime achievement award in 2011. His editorials are published Monday through Thursdays, and Saturdays on CFJC Today, CFJC Midday and CFJC Evening News. Contact him at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
We need to stick together to fend off all those bad people including a nosy government!
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I went to a grocery store yesterday. Made purchases and left 10 mins later received an email on my phone asking me to rate the store I left 10 mins earlier. I have attempted to turn off GPS, and all location based aps on my phone with the google aps. To some extent some work but to a large extent the turn off doesn’t work. Perhaps a business op for someone who can secure my phone to whatever security today is available. If so please let me know otherwise I go back to the rotary dial and dial up inet. thanks
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If it’s not in the quick settings menu you’ll need to tap on the cog icon at the top of the screen, or open the app drawer and find the Settings icon, then select More in the Wireless & Networks section. Inside you’ll see a toggle switch for NFC. Tap this to turn off the feature.
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