c/digital-privacy-wars

I thought my 'smart' doorbell was just for packages until I saw the data it was sending

I got one of those video doorbells about a year ago, mostly to stop porch pirates in my neighborhood. Figured it was just a camera that sent alerts. Then last week, I was setting up a new router and saw a list of all the devices on my network. The doorbell was sending data packets to three different servers I didn't recognize, every 30 seconds, even when nothing was happening. I looked up the IPs and they were linked to data analytics firms, not the doorbell company itself. It hit me that this thing wasn't just watching my front step; it was a little spy, probably logging when I come and go, who visits, and selling that info. I felt pretty dumb for not checking sooner. Has anyone else dug into what their 'smart' home stuff is actually doing on the network?

I used to think my old flip phone from 2007 was just a dumb brick, but finding it in a drawer last month made me realize it was the last truly private device I owned.

Seeing it powered on with no apps, no location services, and no constant data handshake made me finally understand that my current smartphone is a tracking device I pay for and carry everywhere, so has anyone else kept an old device around just to remember what that felt like?

Back in 2010 I laughed at my buddy for using a VPN just to check his email.

Now I pay for one myself after seeing my ISP sell my browsing history to a data broker in Ohio last year. Anyone else have a moment that flipped their view on a privacy tool?

Remember when you could just use a fake birthday online?

Back in 2012, I kept getting locked out of a forum for 'suspicious activity' because I used my real info. I started putting in a totally made-up name and birth date, like 'John Smith, born July 4th, 1985', for every new sign-up. It worked for years and cut down on the spam and weird password reset emails to my main account. Has anyone else found that old-school lying is still a decent first layer of defense?

My phone started listening to me and it wasn't a theory anymore

Last Tuesday, I was talking to my wife about needing new hiking boots. I never searched for them online. The next morning, my Instagram feed was full of boot ads from brands we mentioned. I factory reset the thing that night and switched to a de-googled phone OS. Has anyone else had a moment this clear that made you ditch a mainstream device?

I switched from a free email service to Proton Mail after my friend's account got hacked last month.

Seeing how Proton's end-to-end encryption actually protected his new account from a similar attack, while the old provider's basic security didn't, made me realize free often means your data is the product they're selling. What other encrypted email services are people here actually trusting for daily use?

Switched from Chrome to Firefox after my kid's school project got weird ads

Used to think all browsers were basically the same. Then my 7th grader was researching volcanoes and every site had ads for backpacks he looked at once. Installed Firefox with uBlock Origin last month, zero targeted ads now. Anyone else get creeped out by how much stuff follows their kids online?

My phone bill dropped by $30 a month when I switched to a privacy focused carrier

I used to think I had to pick between a big name company and a bad signal, but then I found a smaller carrier that doesn't track my web traffic. The switch took about an hour online last month. Has anyone else found a good deal by choosing privacy first?

I used to laugh at people using burner phones until my own texts got flagged

About two months ago I was texting a friend about a protest in Seattle, using totally normal words like 'gathering' and 'signs'. Next day my main social media feed was flooded with ads for riot gear and local security firms. Zero other searches, just that one chat. I checked my phone's privacy settings and found a 'message scanning' feature I'd missed, turned on by default. It wasn't the government, just my own device selling my context. Now I get why people use encrypted apps or separate devices for sensitive stuff. What's the most creepy ad you've gotten from a private chat leak?

Vent: My 'delete me' request to a data broker turned into a month long scavenger hunt

So I finally got around to trying to scrub my info from those creepy people search sites, you know, the ones that list your old addresses and relatives. I picked one called InfoLookup (not the real name, but close enough). Their opt-out page wanted a photo of my driver's license, a utility bill, and a handwritten note. Fine, annoying, but I did it. A week later, I get an email saying my documents were 'unclear'. I re-sent them. Another week, another rejection, this time because my note 'did not precisely match the required language'. I had to dig through their help forum to find the exact magical phrase they wanted. The whole back-and-forth took 28 days total. It felt less like protecting my privacy and more like jumping through hoops designed to make me quit. Has anyone else found a data broker that actually makes the removal process simple, or are they all this bad?

My sister asked me why I still use a flip phone in 2024

We were at a family dinner in Phoenix and she just couldn't get it. She said, 'You're not hiding anything, so what's the big deal?' It hit different because she's a teacher and her school just got those tracking apps on all the tablets. I tried to explain it's not about having secrets, it's about having a choice. Has anyone else had this talk with a family member who just doesn't see the point?

PSA: Dropped $80 on a hardware wallet and it's the best sleep I've bought

After my bank flagged a weird charge last year (it was legit, just a weird vendor), I realized how exposed my main savings link was. Anyone else find that a small, physical barrier just cuts the anxiety way down?

My friend swore his phone was listening, I called him crazy, then it happened to me

He kept saying ads would pop up right after we talked about stuff, like a specific brand of hiking boots. I laughed and said it was just coincidence. Then, two days after I helped my cousin pick out a new fridge model over the phone, I got a targeted ad for that exact fridge on Instagram. We never searched for it online, just talked. That was the moment I stopped laughing. Has anyone else had a conversation-only ad match that freaked them out?

I finally switched from a regular VPN to a self-hosted one on a $5 VPS

The difference in control is huge. I can pick my own server location and know exactly what logs are kept. Has anyone else here set up their own server, maybe with WireGuard?

So I was at a coffee shop in Portland and saw a guy's phone light up with a super specific ad for the exact hiking boots we'd just been talking about

Bought a $40 signal blocker for my car and it actually worked

My insurance company sent me a 'safe driver' discount offer, but it needed a plug-in device to track my driving. I got a cheap GPS/Bluetooth jammer online instead. Plugged it into the cigarette lighter before a long drive. The app showed zero trip data for that whole day. Has anyone else tried something like this to stop location tracking?

Showerthought: my friend's new car told me more about her than she did

I was in her new sedan last week, and she was showing off the built-in assistant. She said, 'Watch this, it knows my favorite coffee shop.' She asked for directions, and the screen pulled up not just the shop, but her usual order and a guess at when she'd arrive. It hit me that the car company knows her routines, her spending, and her location history, all from a system she thinks is just helpful. She didn't even blink at it. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where a normal tech feature suddenly felt like a privacy report on someone's life?

Went to a new coffee shop and they asked for my phone number to use the wifi

It was that place on 5th Street, The Grind. I just wanted to check my email. The login page popped up and it wanted my full name and a phone number to send a code. I asked the barista if there was a guest option and she said no, it's for 'security'. I walked out and used my phone's data instead. Has anyone else run into this and know a good way around it?

Just read that my local library keeps a full year of computer search logs

I was looking into public records requests in my city, Seattle, and found a document from the library system. It said they keep logs of every search made on their public computers for 12 months. I mean, I get they need some logs for tech issues, but a whole year feels long. It made me wonder what else gets tracked that we don't know about. Has anyone else looked into what their own local public services keep on file?

PSA: My email hack started with free cafe Wi-Fi

I logged into my email on public Wi-Fi without a VPN. Hackers accessed my account and sent spam to everyone. Do you protect your connections?

DAE miss when emails felt like sealed letters?

I mean, back then, my emails were just between me and the person I wrote to. Now, it's like companies scan every message to sell me stuff. How do we stop this from getting worse?

My food delivery app was sharing my order patterns until I adjusted one setting

Turning off personalized ads in the account menu stopped it from sending my meal data to advertisers.

Shoutout to dodging location tracking on my road trip.

Turned off GPS and enjoyed the drive without big tech watching.

Can we talk about old writing communities and privacy?

I remember joining forums just to share my stories and chat. These days, every click is tracked and data is collected. It feels like we lost something simple along the way.

My mom won't stop sharing family photos online

She doesn't care that I want my kids' faces off social media. How do I get her to respect our privacy without starting a fight?