Re: [privacy] preserve your privacy and avoid reliance on flawed systems (was: Dispute Credit Card Charges at Your Peril)

[coderman <coderman () gmail com>]

On 6/14/06, Dude VanWinkle <dudevanwinkle () gmail com> wrote:
> ...
> Guess I just dont like any kind of profiling tho.. fuckin bastards
> judging me, who do they think they are?  ;-)

there is a simple solution to mitigate much of this:
- only use pre-paid credit cards attached to fictitious identities.
- don't use customer loyalty programs (grocery chain cards, etc).
- don't use debit cards anywhere except ATM's.
- use cash anywhere and as often as you can.

i follow these guidelines and while it is indeed inconvenient i've
never had to deal with identity theft, i've never had to worry about
fraudulent charges, and i've never had to wonder how many people have
views into my purchasing habits.

i also don't have a cell phone, but that's a different kind of
profiling by a different kind of agency. :)

i'm not a luddite (i use computers and other technology extensively
for professional and social purposes (even met my wife on
irc-2.mit.edu)) but i have a severe aversion to fundamentally flawed
systems which are unreliable and an invasion of my privacy.

i prefer to spend my time working on solutions that are trustworthy
and reliable which could supplant these flawed infrastructures (to
some degree) rather than contributing to their ongoing existence.

has anyone else simply 'checked out' from these systems, finding them
not worth the hassle?  i've avoided all of the above since mid 2000
and haven't looked back since.
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