Apps

I believe there are at least 13 federal agencies that have their main objective being that of spying. How many are turned inwardly towards citizens? This very thing has been going on for years. This is what Edward Snowden is opposed to and why he fled to Russia. I am wrong, there are now 17 agencies:
(As of year of this article which is 2017)
There's more than the CIA and FBI: The 17 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community

anna ~ grace said:

Ok, hear me out. You know how sites like Reddit, Instagram, and others basically make it impossible for you to desktop browse on a phone and insist that you download their apps into your phone in order to continue viewing their content?

I have notices that almost everything is app-based now. Desktop sites have nearly gone the way of the dinosaurs. So, what’s up with that? Is it possible that apps allow companies a back door into your phone to monitor internet behavior, contact info, communications, and to check out what other apps you have on your phone? Of course.

My main point is, with Covid hysteria, it seems possible that folks will be encouraged to eventually use or download apps to track their vaccination status / booster status. These apps could also easily peek around on your phone, see what you’re into, silently watch you surf the web, get an idea of your political and social views, and report this back to the government. To inform not just on health, but on views, beliefs, and opinions. This information could be used to punish you socially, or limit where you can shop or what you can buy. I believe China has a similar system already in place.

This is just a theory, but with how crazily app-obsessed many companies are now, it seems plausible. Apps are not bad in and of themselves, but they do allow companies a window into your private life. What do you think? Is any of this plausible / likely?

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They try to learn about you to target advertising to your preferences. It is like I may watch streaming TV channels, but they are going to show ads.

anna ~ grace said:

Ok, hear me out. You know how sites like Reddit, Instagram, and others basically make it impossible for you to desktop browse on a phone and insist that you download their apps into your phone in order to continue viewing their content?

I have notices that almost everything is app-based now. Desktop sites have nearly gone the way of the dinosaurs. So, what’s up with that? Is it possible that apps allow companies a back door into your phone to monitor internet behavior, contact info, communications, and to check out what other apps you have on your phone? Of course.

My main point is, with Covid hysteria, it seems possible that folks will be encouraged to eventually use or download apps to track their vaccination status / booster status. These apps could also easily peek around on your phone, see what you’re into, silently watch you surf the web, get an idea of your political and social views, and report this back to the government. To inform not just on health, but on views, beliefs, and opinions. This information could be used to punish you socially, or limit where you can shop or what you can buy. I believe China has a similar system already in place.

This is just a theory, but with how crazily app-obsessed many companies are now, it seems plausible. Apps are not bad in and of themselves, but they do allow companies a window into your private life. What do you think? Is any of this plausible / likely?

Click to expand...

I think that one reason for your observations might be that Windows systems are so wide open to virus attack. I’ve done a fair amount of programming over my career but have not kept up lately with Windows as Apple has been my go to.

anna ~ grace said:

Right, I remember that. Apps are supposedly safer, as far as not being gateways for viruses. Which is great. But they do potentially allow tech companies and government surveillance a window into your personal life, via your phone.

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My response to your original post had an error I corrected. It should have read have not kept up with Windows.

anna ~ grace said:

Right, I remember that. Apps are supposedly safer, as far as not being gateways for viruses. Which is great. But they do potentially allow tech companies and government surveillance a window into your personal life, via your phone.

Click to expand...

One thing you might consider in your thinking about potential threats from various application software is that if some company does that and gets discovered, it could end their foray into the app business.

I use Reddit, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook all the time on my phone without the app, just using the browser.

anna ~ grace said:

Ok, hear me out. You know how sites like Reddit, Instagram, and others basically make it impossible for you to desktop browse on a phone and insist that you download their apps into your phone in order to continue viewing their content?

I have notices that almost everything is app-based now. Desktop sites have nearly gone the way of the dinosaurs. So, what’s up with that? Is it possible that apps allow companies a back door into your phone to monitor internet behavior, contact info, communications, and to check out what other apps you have on your phone? Of course.

My main point is, with Covid hysteria, it seems possible that folks will be encouraged to eventually use or download apps to track their vaccination status / booster status. These apps could also easily peek around on your phone, see what you’re into, silently watch you surf the web, get an idea of your political and social views, and report this back to the government. To inform not just on health, but on views, beliefs, and opinions. This information could be used to punish you socially, or limit where you can shop or what you can buy. I believe China has a similar system already in place.

This is just a theory, but with how crazily app-obsessed many companies are now, it seems plausible. Apps are not bad in and of themselves, but they do allow companies a window into your private life. What do you think? Is any of this plausible / likely?

Click to expand...

Absolutely, that is the whole purpose of apps. Well, big part of it. They want all information they can get, especially to detect those people who are ”danger” to government and by danger I mean those who are against tyranny or new world order. Knowledge is power.

Devices announce themselves to websites, so that, if you go to a website, it recommends the app instead, or goes to an often simplified version of the website designed for smart devices (phones, tablets). There are ways to get around this and/or turn it off, but it's a pain.

Are they tracking you? I'm sure they are tracking any data you allow them to access on your phone. What they do with it is up to them, since you willingly gave them access to it. Is the government tracking your smart devices? I'm sure they are.

What's the alternative? Limit your usage of smart technology and mega-corp social media platforms. If you don't want to be tracked, the best bet is to stop accessing the internet. Disconnect your internet service, your smart phones, and get a landline—but even a landline can be listened to. Drop off the face of the earth completely and go off grid. That's the only way to ensure they aren't tracking you. Even then, they can watch your movements, plant bugs, etc.

I think it all comes down to what amount of surveillance you're willing to accept in your life. I stopped posting on my Facebook timeline, and any messages I post on Reddit are of a Christian nature, unless it's to do with a hobby or interest; such are few and far between. I view Instagram, and like posts, but I do not post on Instagram myself. They can still glean a lot from my likes and my response posts to my friends, but at least it's minimal.

If a person wanted to, they could go old school and revert to older social platforms that the general population doesn't use anymore. Internet Relay Chat (IRC), for instance. You can run your own website, your own forums, your own web server even. Or you could set up BBS software and use it instead. These old forms of communication are pretty much dead by comparison (to social media of today), but are ways to set up communities and have some form of secure interaction with others. I actually set up a BBS awhile back, ran it for several months, but had no purpose for it really, and it was never visited by anyone.

We live in a surveillance world, because of technology. You can minimize it, but you can't completely escape it. Even Windows 10 is spying on you and has a built in key logger. Linux may go a long way toward security, but there's no guarantee.

I think the general population will move forward, embracing these smart technologies, and the desired outcome will be achieved, because we live in the end times. The only way to escape it is to be out of sight and out of mind. What technologies you choose to use. Where you choose to live; you may not want to be living in a large city. Even then, there's no guarantee you will be able to escape persecution.