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submitted 1 month ago by otter@lemmy.ca to c/technology@lemmy.world

Privacy advocates got access to Locate X, a phone tracking tool which multiple U.S. agencies have bought access to, and showed me and other journalists exactly what it was capable of. Tracking a phone from one state to another to an abortion clinic. Multiple places of worship. A school. Following a likely juror to a residence. And all of this tracking is possible without a warrant, and instead just a few clicks of a mouse.

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[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 4 points 1 month ago

Then how you gonna take a selfie in the bed?

Seriously tho, people need phones for everything, including their calendar and map and communication with their partner.

Not bringing a phone isn't an option

[-] WrenFeathers@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago

I can assure you that people don’t need instant access to calendars and maps. Smart phones are a convenience, not a necessity.

(Source - lived through the 80’s. Still alive to tell the tale)

[-] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago

Name me literally one way to use a calendar or map without a phone?

[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl -1 points 1 month ago

"And fuck all the other people who are addicted to smarphones. They don't matter" /s

[-] WrenFeathers@lemmy.world -1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

No, they don’t. Because if they’re weak enough to allow themselves to become addicted to a device, that’s their problem to solve. Not even else’s.

Smartphones are a convince, a tool. Nothing more. If one can’t live without one- there’s a problem needing to be addressed.

[-] frostysauce@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

if they’re weak enough to allow themselves to become addicted to a device

That's not how addiction works.

[-] basmati@lemmus.org 9 points 1 month ago

There are alternatives to all of that. If you're going to do potentially illegal acts, and you don't want to rot in jail for the next however many decades until a scotus exists to set you free, take basic operational security into account and don't bring the corporate tracking device that cops can freely tap into.

[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 4 points 1 month ago

Yes. And we need laws that provide this protection to everyone by default.

[-] basmati@lemmus.org -5 points 1 month ago

That's cute but to get those laws you have to vote third party and hope they don't get killed or bribed before passing said law. I don't see that happening until long after the US collapses, so in the meantime it makes more sense to understand how not to be a victim to a fascist government.

[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl -1 points 1 month ago

In the US, yes. But this is mainstream in countries with democracies.

Anyway, of course. Stein or West or youre voting for climate catastrophe, privacy erosion, and genocide.

[-] basmati@lemmus.org -2 points 1 month ago

The opposite, actually, they're the only candidates, assuming you meant Stein and Claudia, that do not have any of that in their policies.

[-] WindyRebel@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Mapquest is still around, so that solves one problem. The rest can be alleviated by communicating in person with your partner and aligning on a plan to not get tracked (like partner driving you and leaving their phone at home).

In the absence of that help, friends or family you trust. A cab? The clinic probably has a phone to hail a cab when you’re there.

Disclaimer: I’m just providing work arounds, I’m not saying they’re ideal.

[-] PriorityMotif@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Believe it or not, digital cameras exist as standalone devices.

You can also buy an rf blocking bag for your phone.

[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 3 points 1 month ago

Yes, you can. But thats the last thing on the mind of someone who is struggling to terminate a pregnancy in the US in 2024. We need something better.

Not having endless hedonistic recreational sex in the first place? Is it really that difficult to remain abstinent?

[-] T156@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

There are many reasons for a pregnancy to be terminated, and not all of them are for fun, or because of casual sex. Maybe the child has defects incompatible with life, or the mother is not capable of carrying to term, and attempting to do so will kill them both.

People don't tend to go "oh, it's a nice Sunday today. I think I'll pop by the abortion clinic."

As a percentage, what proportion of pregnancies do those scenarios comprise? What percentage of abortions are carried out simply as a form of birth control?

[-] mriormro@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Genuinely, fuck you.

[-] capital@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Not bringing a phone definitely is an option.

But I suggested a burner with forwarding so that handles comms to partner.

If you can’t function without your main device for special circumstances such as this, I guess you just can’t be helped.

[-] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

If you want maximum privacy, you gotta nix that partner and, really, the communication. Shit, I've already said too much.

Calendar

Non digital is sufficient. And if it must be digital for some reason, no you don't specifically need to use a serf phone for that.

map

I get around just fine without proprietary tracking BS. Navit + Openstreetmaps pre-downloaded binary data + detachable USB GPS transceiver.

communication with partner

Softphones and SIP telephony are fine for this.

Sauce: I am a functioning adult who lives without a phone as a matter of principle.

this post was submitted on 23 Oct 2024
945 points (98.6% liked)

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