Big Brother is Watching You (your evidence please)

[NewcastleFalcon]

Post your anecdotal evidence up here!

Another instance......Bob Ross.....Must have been a firestick thing...
Despite never having "googled" Bob Ross he appears in full technicolor on a Facebook news feed. We did watch a video of his on youtube via the amazon firestick previously that day, but it wasn't even at home but at our daughter's.

I am guessing it was more of a Facebook thing rather than the firestick having supernatural powers, but who knows. So if your facebook friends are watching Bob Ross FB may assume that you also would like a newsfeed on Bob Ross.

Right I will put you out of suspense and answer the question "Who on earth is Bob Ross?" Its in the spoiler. Not the "The joy of sex", but "The joy of....

Spoiler: show

....painting! He has a whispering calm presentation sytle, and strangely addictive for those of us with the patience to enjoy watching paint dry!

REgards Neil

[Homer]

Post your anecdotal evidence up here!

I would but......

...Big brother is watching.

[doctle]

I went to a local supermarket with the current wife a few weeks ago when I got home I got a message from Google asking about "my experience" at the shop. I know it's due to having the phone with me but it's creepy and annoying.

[Hell Razor5543]

Post your anecdotal evidence up here!

I would but......

...Big brother is watching.

I did.....

But as it was about Big Brother (and the systems they use for monitoring us) it got 'lost' between my PC and the forum.

[myglaren]

Emailed receipts seem to be a growing thing.

I refuse to give shops I use my email address as the likelihood would be a surge in spam - not that the shops I can access ever ask.

I do use the Screwfix 'click & collect' option quite a lot and naturally receive an email receipt for those items as I pay when ordering. The text notification when the goods are ready for collection is also useful.

[doctle]

I am torn on this one. People take receipts and drop them outside the shop someone has to clear them up. An emailed receipt would be handy if you needed to return something because nobody really keeps the flimsy receipts shops give. I put them in the door pocket of the car and when I clear them out every few weeks the ink is almost always faded.

Those boxes people talk to are really spying on you as are smart TV's Now that the internet of things is becoming more commonplace people have so called smart home appliances. In some cases your smart fridge knows what you buy and this could well have consequences if an insurance company were able to get access to the information, it's not likely they would tell you either. People sign/click/tick box away their right to their private data in order to get something totally useless on a phone. I was going to download an app from the ESB (Irish electricity company) they wanted access to my location, contacts, photos etc this is in order to pay via the app so I didn't proceed. I think most of us have signed away our right to privacy years ago when the internet was new and "free".

[Gibbo2286]

You do know that every television and computer sold in the UK since Mandelson was in the government has a hidden built in microphone to listen in to all that's spoken in the house and key words used to notify GCHQ of anything worrying.

That should set the conspiracy lot on fire.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Emailed receipts seem to be a growing thing.

I refuse to give shops I use my email address

I will use "Pets at Home" as an anecdote. They had a good offer on Drontal worming tablets. For no good reason they were locked in a cabinet which required opening by let's say "The pseudo pharmacist". I fully anticipated just getting the two boxes and heading to the check out. No with some kind of total BS the pseudo pharmacist with her "i-pad" was to proceed with a data harvesting exercise before they handed the "drugs" over. Despite my protestation I was assured this was necessary in order for me to buy the goods.

Now if I had complained to the manager or simply refused, and walked out the store empty handed, I could have achieved a small moral victory. I needed the tablets though, they were at a cheaper price by far in the deal than anywhere else, and I couldn't be bothered to waste more time going elsewhere.

Symptomatic of many other similar experiences, where the default in any buying transaction is to allow them to harvest your data. What relevance is your date of birth/ name/ address/ telephone/e-mail address when you are buying worming tablets for your dog?

Regards Neil

[GiveMeABreak]

You do know that every television and computer sold in the UK since Mandelson was in the government has a hidden built in microphone to listen in to all that's spoken in the house and key words used to notify GCHQ of anything worrying.

That should set the conspiracy lot on fire.

My Smart TVs have voice control - but we didn't sign up to the required privacy notice for processing to allow all and sundry to go to Samsung's servers - so we don't use that feature now - and as for the cameras on the TV - since Microsoft bought out Skype, Samsung in common with others dropped the App, thus making all the cameras redundant overnight - as although they were USB that plugged into the TV, they are Samsung specific and cannot be used on another device - so thousands ended up getting refunded for the cameras they purchased!

So it's back to the good old remote control and cursing when you hit the wrong buttons now.

[myglaren]

I have a dumb TV that is only ever used to watch DVDs

[doctle]

Anyone with a webcam on their laptop really should have a bit of tape over it. From what I have read it can be taken over easily and without you even having to click accept

[Paul-R]

I've had mine taped over for years.

But have you covered your microphone as well?

[doctle]

I've had mine taped over for years.

But have you covered your microphone as well?

No I never thought of doing that. The evidence I have for covering the camera is the bowl haired geek that owns facebook covers his

[NewcastleFalcon]

I am a habitual number noticer, and as of now this is the 72,000 th post in our humble off-topic-lounge.

So I'll go for this

screenshot

Whether its a load of old cobblers or not I like the options....

Reject All or Accept All

Why arent you given that choice by right on every site? Yes I would reject all every time.

Have you ever tried to view information on a site which is a member of "Oath"

Heres an example The Huffington Post. Now if you want to actually see anything you have to accept the cookies......just try and "edit" your choices...........a series of timewasting and inevitable dead-end choices.

screenshot

Regards Neil

[Paul-R]

Yes, I was trying to look at a Huffington Post page this very morning and left it rather than click yes.

I often wonder whether these time-wasting pages are actually GDPR compliant in law? They're certainly not compliant in spirit.