Big Brother really will be watching you

[frequent]

Imagine that the government or some other agency can track your every move. What are the gogo bars, other bars, massage shops you visit, and how long you spend there. Fanciful? It's already happening in one city in The Netherlands:

"In the eastern city of Enschede, city traffic sensors pick up your phone’s wifi signal even if you are not connected to the wifi network. The trackers register your MAC address, the unique network card number in a smartphone. The city council wants to know how often people visit Enschede, and what their routes and preferred spots are."

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2...dhoven-utrecht

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[scottish-guy]

A few years back I remember being assured on this board that one's every move in Pattaya was monitored by a combination of drones in the air, CCTV in the bars, and farang police informants - so I'd say that either the Netherlands is behind the times or some SGT posters are tinfoil hat nutters.

I wonder which it is?

[frequent]

A few years back I remember being assured on this board that one's every move in Pattaya was monitored by a combination of drones in the air, CCTV in the bars, and farang police informants - so I'd say that either the Netherlands is behind the times or some SGT posters are tinfoil hat nutters.

It gives rise to an opportunity to rebrand arsenal since he's an afficionado of Pattaya as Tinfoil Hat Nutter In Chief

More seriously, the way to thwart this surveillance is the most subversive action you can take in this day and age - switch the phone off or/and leave it at home. I don't know enough but perhaps putting it into Flight Mode would be sufficient

Of course there's always that old stand-by of those who dismiss privacy concerns - "if you've nothing to hide ..."

[frequent]

Actually turning the WiFi off is probably sufficient but most people leave theirs on / inertia plus so many places have "free" WiFi now. I know my phone's WiFi is always on

[scottish-guy]

...Of course there's always that old stand-by of those who dismiss privacy concerns - "if you've nothing to hide ..."

When I encounter that hoary old chestnut online (I don't mean Arsenal) my response is: "In that case give me your real name, address, phone number, and a recent photograph"

[frequent]

When I encounter that hoary old chestnut online (I don't mean Arsenal) my response is: "In that case give me your real name, address, phone number, and a recent photograph"

I usually ask for their bank balance and annual income attested by a recent tax return. After all, they are supposed to make an accurate (range) declaration on their inwards Immigration form for Thailand

[bkkguy]

Actually turning the WiFi off is probably sufficient but most people leave theirs on / inertia plus so many places have "free" WiFi now.

you don't need to be the tinfoil hat wearing type to be concerned enough to always turn WiFi off when not in a safe environment - and no that does not include most "free" WiFi" setups in cafes and shopping centers etc

there are a number of utilities - at least for Android, not sure for iPhone - to help you manage this automatically

Of course there's always that old stand-by of those who dismiss privacy concerns - "if you've nothing to hide ..."

the right to privacy and not being tracked has nothing to do with hiding illicit behavior - see Schneier on the Value of Privacy.

bkkguy

[gerefan2]

I usually ask for their bank balance and annual income attested by a recent tax return. After all, they are supposed to make an accurate (range) declaration on their inwards Immigration form for Thailand

Not true. That part of the form is voluntary and I, for one, never fill it in. Didn’t you know that?

[frequent]

Not true. That part of the form is voluntary and I, for one, never fill it in. Didn’t you know that?

I have a lifelong practice of lying on such government forms so it doesn't bother me whether it's voluntary or not