So Our ice cream scoop Broke

[me203]

For those who are curious about how creepy big tech can be, watch Rob Braxman videos on YouTube.

It is creepy and frightening how much they know about you. And it's worrisome thinking of uses for this technology that go beyond pushing ice cream scoops.

I, myself, don't have a smart phone--and plan to keep it that way as long as I can, unless I can afford a privacy respecting phone (which means no iPhone and no standard Android phone). I will not use Alexa. I will not use a smart TV. I don't have an iPad. Etc.

 

[joequill]

A couple of years ago I was explaining the Tears in Heaven song, just been on the radio, to a friend ( a refugee with English as second language) computer was off, phone was in the room. Next day ads for Eric Clapton Music and if I went to youtube the song was there as a suggestion and I had never searched it. It was a little creepy and caused some panic wondering what else I'd spoken about.

 

[cabinfever]

I keep getting a Google message saying I am REQUIRED to turn on camera. LMAO - I don't think so.

I already try to keep quiet about the things I collect because I am a salesman's nightmare. I don't want ANYONE'S opinion about what I collect - I have no wishy washy moments - I know in a second if I like it or want it and I don't want any "suggestions" or ads for "similar items". If they see me - they will see my house and what I collect.

 

[Charon]

Once Googled charcuterie board (not because I needed one, but because I didn't know what the hell that was, lmao), results recommended one shaped like a dick. Apparently, they know your sexual preference, too

 

[Vannie]

BTW I now regret making a donation to a Senate candidate: since then I have been mysteriously signed up for eight different advocacy groups and am seeing ads aimed at issues he supports. I'm getting tired of unsubscribing from groups I've never heard of.

The worst. We get bombarded with emails and regular mail as well as texts and pleading for donations.

 

[rareboy]

I would eat broken glass before I gave a dollar to a political candidate and almost for this very reason that they all sell their mailing lists.

Fuck off.

 

[me203]

texts

I sometimes get the texts, which I hate. I have to pay for each text.

Unrelated to politics, but same text irritation, was a therapsit office that that would text appointment reminders. I don't know how many times I tried to get them to stop it with no success. (They'd tinker, think the problem was fixed--but it wasn't.) They tried to tell me one time that I might have some control by doing smething with 3 dots on my screen, which don't exist on my flip phone. Finally, I had an idea (no idea how) of trying to repsond with "STOP" to get the messages to stop. That finally worked.

 

[me203]

And I don't think it's just political donations that can get one onto those slimeball's politician's lists. I think I got added to some through the stupidity of signing on-line petitions at one point.

I've gotten aggressive with unsubscribing. The flow has dropped, but not stopped. The only tough part with unsubscribing is often there is a box asking why I want to unsubscribe. I generally leave it blank, but in my cranky moments, I'm tempted to put something like: "Why don't you go to your big dollar donors & corporate friends, since their interests are all you obviously care about when you are in office?"

 

[me203]

Once Googled charcuterie board (not because I needed one, but because I didn't know what the hell that was, lmao), results recommended one shaped like a dick. Apparently, they know your sexual preference, too

Why not? They know everything else!

 

[belamyi]

Once Googled charcuterie board (not because I needed one, but because I didn't know what the hell that was, lmao), results recommended one shaped like a dick. Apparently, they know your sexual preference, too

You mean you never browse porn or google "manholes".

 

[Peloso]

I still have no idea how to use all of the features on my phone but a while back I was playing with it and found a list that kind of looked like the suggestions Google gives you when you're typing something into a search. Ok, bear with me here: my cat is obnoxious. She wants attention whenever she is up and makes me feel guilty when I'm not paying her any. As a result, whenever I'm doing something and she runs into the room or starts yowling for me I always say the same thing: "Hang on Maple". I say it all the time.
Guess what was on the top of the list on my phone? "Hang on maple". I don't know if it was a one time glitch or if it's always listening and repeats phrases it hears often, like a parrot, so I'm just going to walk around all day saying "big hairy Jesus cock" and see what google thinks about that.

Also, here's something I found that I heard about a while back: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/may/24/amazon-alexa-recorded-conversation

No matter how suspicious it has seemed that Amazon is encouraging us to put listening devices in every room of our homes, the company has always said that its Echo assistants are not listening in on or recording conversations. Over and over again, company spokespeople have promised that they only start recording if someone says the wake word: “Alexa”.

It’s a spiel Danielle, an Alexa user from Portland, Oregon, had believed. She’d installed Echo devices and smart bulbs in every room in her house, accepting Amazon’s claims that they were not invading her privacy. But today she asked the company to investigate after an Alexa device recorded a private conversation between her and her husband and sent it to a random number in their address book without their permission.

Danielle found out her Alexa was recording when she received an alarming call from one of her husband’s colleagues saying: “Unplug your Alexa devices right now, you’re being hacked.”
She told KIRO-TV in Seattle that at first she didn’t believe the co-worker, but then she said: “You sat there talking about hardwood floors.” Danielle realised the colleague must have heard everything.

“I felt invaded,” she told KIRO-TV. “A total privacy invasion. Immediately, I said, ‘I’m never plugging that device in again because I can’t trust it.’”

An Amazon customer service representative confirmed that Danielle’s audio had been sent to the number and apologised but didn’t provide any information about why the device had been activated. A spokesperson for the company said it had “determined this was an extremely rare occurrence”.

 

[rareboy]

Alexa is an evil &$%t.

 

[Vannie]

Finally, I had an idea (no idea how) of trying to repsond with "STOP" to get the messages to stop. That finally worked.

It's almost feels vultures feeding on carrion. A few years back we ordered some office supplies from Quill.

It might have been 50-60 bucks of some stuff. Fast forward 3 or 4 day later and we had a sales rep ringing thr bell to see if we needed more stuff.

I was like are you Fucking kidding me? It's a residential house! Anyhoo...

 

[cabinfever]

I get dating and meeting men ads and some sex ads as well. I guess they assume that since I am a homosexual these things would interest me.

I should note - never been to a dating site or looked one up and I have not looked for sex.

SO - I am assuming - as they assume ALOT - that they think being a homosexual is all about sex and meeting men. I haven't even looked at any of the backroom forums here unless I hit the tab by mistake and then it's only for a second until I hit the tab I wanted - there are 4 or 5 forums I normally read - none of them are about sex.

I don't find sex or nudity or pornography shameful at all - I just had a full and active sex life pretty much my whole adult life and I did fine on my own without any "help". I think it is obnoxious that they assume anything. FB did it to me too but at least I could make them stop.

Hmmm - I wonder if every heterosexual gets the same thing?

 

[belamyi]

^ Did you start receiving that before or after joining and posting in this site?

 

[cabinfever]

^ Did you start receiving that before or after joining and posting in this site?

I thought about that but I started getting them before.

When I first got the internet I was in a gay social group where I knew most of the guys already from club/bars/parties/friends. I assumed it was from that.

Also - I assume they know I am married to a man.

 

[NotHardUp1]

I would eat broken glass before I gave a dollar to a political candidate and almost for this very reason that they all sell their mailing lists.

The worst. We get bombarded with emails and regular mail as well as texts and pleading for donations.

I had the same happen after I donated to a couple of races, but both were important to me. One was for Doug Jones when he defeated Roy Moore. I was sure he had no chance of being re-elected after, but it was important to send Moore back into the bowels of hell.

The other time was to soon-to-be Governor Lujan Grisham of New Mexico. She defeated a field of Republicans at a time when Trump was ascendant, and she had a proven track record of reforms for health care and other issues benefitting the working man in her state. Living in Alabama, I have no chance of defeating the GOP here, but I happily helped in a state that goes red or blue from year to year.

 

[belamyi]

So you ignore my searches for hos, but will attempt to tempt me with a damn bilingual Penguin paperback

 

[nycguydowntown]

It’s happened to me too it’s very eerie - it’s too late to be a private person - you would have to have lived off the grid since the early 90s

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

It’s happened to me too it’s very eerie - it’s too late to be a private person - you would have to have lived off the grid since the early 90s

For sure there's all kinds of things you can do. Criminals know.

Have DuckDuckGo myself, but Google too, and it keeps track of my comings and goings... and always to soon.