Steer clear of Skype.

[Sgt. Traveler]

Originally Posted by arcnmx

In the end you just can't expect privacy from a third party service anyway.

I think this part of the post sums it up well.

Then again I couldn't do anything about it. Most of my contacts are in Skype now (MSN IS DEAD) and I don't think they have many alternatives, let alone moving on to one.

[drizzleRomanceGirl]

I don't really care if Skype is spying on me, especially since governmental workers might be spying on everyone in the United States anyway. However, I hope they're not looking into my social security number and debit card number...

[Arntonach]

I have to frequent government site and the last thing I need is some lazy wackjob taking my SSN cause he was fired for something 'he didn't do'.

And pseudo, it doesn't scare you when internet companies try to find and sell your personal data to ad companies?

[Kekeb]

so he gives alternatives maintained by google?

rofl

[Kekeb]

[Gundam-Dude]

disconnect internet and cancel service
give your computer away
get rid of your cellphone and service
get rid of any electronics with internet connectivity
get rid of your home phone if you have one

grats you're now living a lifestyle where no one can spy on you except in real life oooOOOooo

[Pseudo Enigma]

Originally Posted by Arntonach

And pseudo, it doesn't scare you when internet companies try to find and sell your personal data to ad companies?

Nope. Not at all. I don't understand why people are so afraid of everyone knowing them. In my opinion, I'd rather see advertisements for things that are relevant to me, rather than things that are irrelevant to me. If that means taking tally of how many cups of yogurt is in my fridge, if I somehow give them that much information, then so be it.

It's not like they're specifically targeting one person to do it. They just take what they can to do their job. It doesn't feel personal.

edit: and really, what's stopping your ISP or anyone else from spying on you. It doesn't make sense to be so afraid of it. It's going to happen anyway, so why bother wasting your time stressing?

I guess what I mean to say is if you guys are able to give me a good reason to worry about it, then maybe I'll be convinced enough to worry about it.

[rushyrulz]

uninstalled Skype and installed Trillian not because of this conspiracy theory shit but because I don't like Skype hogging my resources

[reuben_tate]

Originally Posted by Pseudo Enigma

Nope. Not at all. I don't understand why people are so afraid of everyone knowing them. In my opinion, I'd rather see advertisements for things that are relevant to me, rather than things that are irrelevant to me. If that means taking tally of how many cups of yogurt is in my fridge, if I somehow give them that much information, then so be it.

It's not like they're specifically targeting one person to do it. They just take what they can to do their job. It doesn't feel personal.

edit: and really, what's stopping your ISP or anyone else from spying on you. It doesn't make sense to be so afraid of it. It's going to happen anyway, so why bother wasting your time stressing?

I guess what I mean to say is if you guys are able to give me a good reason to worry about it, then maybe I'll be convinced enough to worry about it.

It's not so much what they are doing now with the data as it is what they are capable of doing. The reason why people feel entitled to some sense of privacy is because they are afraid that people might use the data they gather about them and misinterpret it and make bad judgements. For example, zip several years in theme future, say you like going to this bar because they have this REALLY good burger. Now imagine that the government knew that you went to this bar every other day. BOOM, they throw you into a alcoholic rehabilitation program because they think you are an alcoholic when in reality, you didn't have a single drink and you just wanted a good burger. Then if you try to explain how you only went to eat their burgers, they'll see that as a cover up or an excuse and simply won't believe you.

The example is a bit far-fetched, but it represents what could happen in the future.

[Pseudo Enigma]

Isn't that a bit paranoid?

[Afrobean]

Originally Posted by drizzleRomanceGirl

I don't really care if Skype is spying on me, especially since governmental workers might be spying on everyone in the United States anyway.

Might be? They 100% for sure ARE. The NSA is passively spying on EVERYONE. They don't have the manpower or processing to manually crunch ALL the data of EVERYONE, so yeah, most of it slips through the cracks, but they totally have their fingers in everyone's shit and get into almost anything they want.

ps Why doesn't everyone use Google Hangouts? Doesn't everyone have a Google account anyway? Maybe everyone will use it once it gets pushed into place as Android's answer to iOS's iMessage?

[Izzy]

Is there a different between microsoft spying on you and google spying on you?

[Izzy]

Originally Posted by rushyrulz

uninstalled Skype and installed Trillian not because of this conspiracy theory shit but because I don't like Skype hogging my resources

wat

[Afrobean]

Originally Posted by Izzy

Is there a different between microsoft spying on you and google spying on you?

I feel like I can trust Google to be less sinister. Of all huge corporations I know of, they're probably the least evil.

Probably.

[devonin]

If you have a gmail account you're already giving them permission to access the text of every sent and received email, to mine data for targeted advertising. Why worry if they're also reading your chat logs for the same purpose?

[devonin]

[MixMasterLar]

Afrobean and Dev are hitting it on the head

Pseudo: I hate using the "You're probably a little too young to..." excuse, but by damn when you get older you are going to just get tired of people getting in your shit. It all sounds nifty to have the world custom fit for you but it isn't work the drawback of everything you have being known, sold, and used. I know you see concerns of what they *could* do as paranoia but frankly, alot of it has happened before with different set pieces (Germany's rights doing the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s are the most well known example I'll say. Go seek some of the interviews that the History channel did back in the late 1990s/early 2000s online and tell me shit doesn't start looking familiar at some point [/Goldwin's Rule]).

Frankly, I always assume something is looking in, so only info that I want public is on the computers I use anyway. I pay most everything with cash and I keep records in paper form. The most private thing they can get is my address if they did some serious investigating and cross-referenced everything I've posted on here, Facebook, and whatnot...but that isn't anything that an ISP check couldn't do sp it's w/e

[choof]

Originally Posted by L.B.D.D

all ur avatars are made in japan

moe does not exist in the 3 dimensional form

[devonin]

Originally Posted by MixMasterLar

Afrobean and Dev are hitting it on the head

Pseudo: I hate using the "You're probably a little too young to..." excuse, but by damn when you get older you are going to just get tired of people getting in your shit. It all sounds nifty to have the world custom fit for you but it isn't work the drawback of everything you have being known, sold, and used. I know you see concerns of what they *could* do as paranoia but frankly, alot of it has happened before with different set pieces (Germany's rights doing the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s are the most well known example I'll say. Go seek some of the interviews that the History channel did back in the late 1990s/early 2000s online and tell me shit doesn't start looking familiar at some point [/Goldwin's Rule]).

Frankly, I always assume something is looking in, so only info that I want public is on the computers I use anyway. I pay most everything with cash and I keep records in paper form. The most private thing they can get is my address if they did some serious investigating and cross-referenced everything I've posted on here, Facebook, and whatnot...but that isn't anything that an ISP check couldn't do sp it's w/e

It's funny that you'd draw literally the EXACTLY opposite set of conclusions from the same situation as I did, especially since you seem to be assuming that I'd obviously agree with you.

BECAUSE I know that pretty much anybody who wants to know things about me is going to (whether it be the government or corporations or whatever) I pretty don't care at all about giving out my personal info. I almost never pay cash for anything, I do virtually -everything- online. I bank online, I buy things online, I do most of my corresponding over email and IM programs, and I use the same username for virtually every thing I've ever done in the past 20 years of being present on the internet.

There are two kinds of intelligent reaction to the knowledge that elements in the world are gathering tracking and analysing miscellaneous information about everybody:

1/ Go on paranoid lockdown, and only pay for canned goods with the cash you keep stashed in your matress

2/ Accept that you are never going to have the time, resources and will to actually try and stop the information from being gathered, and not care.

The trick is to just not be a guy who does the kind of things that would get you into trouble if the government found out about them.

[Pseudo Enigma]

Originally Posted by devonin

2/ Accept that you are never going to have the time, resources and will to actually try and stop the information from being gathered, and not care.

I'll take it that you're telling me it's perfectly acceptable to accept defeat and not waste your time worrying about it. lol

I just don't see the point. It just makes somebody's job harder somewhere in the world. If someone can profit from just one link clicked, then that's probably something pretty cool for them. I don't see a lick of money, but I guess that's alright. As long as somebody else is happier because of it.

It may be youth speaking, but I seriously don't give a fuck if I'm being watched. TBH I've never felt like I've had a private life to begin with, so...it will either bite me in the ass later and I'll take the appropriate counter-measures, or it wont and I get to stay comfortable and not fall into anxiety over nothing.