Tag Archives: Privacy

Betrayal

I’ve been fussing with this post for several days now. I alternate between white hot fury and heartbroken sobbing. I’m speaking, of course, of Apple’s betrayal of the users who believed them when they assured us that they had our … Continue reading

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Techdirt Steps Up

Everyone, including Irreal, is always yap, yap, yapping about adtech and tracking ads but few actually do anything about it. To be fair, there’s little most of us can do other than post screeds and write letters to our congressional … Continue reading

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Google Drive and Censorship

I’ve told you and told you and told you but some people aren’t listening. Okay, let’s be honest, they aren’t even reading to begin with but they should be. If you use Google products for producing, storing, or sharing your … Continue reading

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It’s Time For iPhone Users To Dump Google Maps

Zak Doffman over at Forbes—I know, I know—makes the argument that the time has come for iPhone users to dump Google maps. The TL;DR is that Apple maps have come a long way since they were first introduced and are … Continue reading

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A Call To Ban Surveillance Advertising

Weather Update Tampa has once again dodged a bullet: the impact from Elsa was minimal. Here at the Irreal bunker, we had some rain and a bit of wind but nothing much worse than our usual afternoon thunderstorms. Now back … Continue reading

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Adtech and FLoC

It won’t come as a surprise to anyone with the slightest bit of skepticism or, indeed, two brain cells to rub together that Google’s replacement for cookies, FLoC, is a privacy nightmare. Google, of course, is touting the system as … Continue reading

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The Iron Law and The National Health Service

We haven’t talked about the Iron Law for a while so here’s an example of its action on steroids. This story is about Britain’s National Health Service and their contemplated betrayal of their patients’ privacy. I’m an American so I … Continue reading

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Google Is Not Your Friend

Remember years ago when we used to say, “Google is your friend?” Younger readers may never have heard it or know what it means but in any event, those days are long gone—gone to the same place that “Don’t be … Continue reading

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The Post Office and Surveillance

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has fallen on hard times. The Internet, email, FedEx, and UPS have been eating their lunch for years. It’s not hard to see why. A first class letter costs 55¢ with delivery time measured in … Continue reading

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Law Enforcement Pirates

If you’re an American, the government can’t take your stuff without a legal finding of wrongdoing on your part. That’s what most Americans believe but they’re wrong. The government can, and does, confiscate citizens’ property without legal proceedings or even … Continue reading

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