Should We Be Careful?

[MikeB]

11 hours ago, hk blues said:

I get your point about providing too many personal details but it would need to be a lot, lot more than a couple of bits of generic info that would apply to 75% of the people in any given area.

I've found Filipinos to be generally observant and talkative. I lived in a fairly small town ~70k population. I kept a low profile. I didn't take trikes much but when I did before I could tell the driver where I was going he would usually say, "Oh I know where you live already". Armed with a few personal details I think it would be relatively easy to find a foreigner, especially those who use their real first names on social media.

Edited June 20, 2020 by MikeB

[JJReyes]

On 6/19/2020 at 12:00 AM, peterfe said:

We're maybe not as anonymous as we think. If someone really had it in for you and was willing to do some detective work, I reckon they could find you in many cases based on what you've posted here. People often say things like "Here in Iloilo..." and maybe "in the seven-eleven opposite my house" or something else than would narrow it down. I've only posted fewer than 100 times, but I may well have given away enough information for a persistent person to find me, so there must be a mine of information about people who have posted 10 000 times (and sometimes include a photo).

But relax, folks. I'm sure nobody's got it in for you if your biggest crime is mentioning that you don't like balut!

The latest cellular phones on sale have built-in tracking. The authorities can now determine your location. This is what's happening in China. When ordered to shelter-in-place, the way to determine who in the community disobeys is through their cellular.  An Apple store was burglarized and new phones still in their boxes were taken. The thieves were caught using the built-in tracking.

[GeoffH]

13 minutes ago, JJReyes said:

The latest cellular phones on sale have built-in tracking. The authorities can now determine your location. 

This is true although in some jurisdictions accessing that tracking information requires a warrant or a court order.

[Tommy T.]

1 minute ago, GeoffH said:

This is true although in some jurisdictions accessing that tracking information requires a warrant or a court order.

I agree totally with your comment, Geoff and not doubting you... except......when have warrants or court orders stopped illegal searches or seizures? Hopefully you can tell me about that?

[GeoffH]

22 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

I agree totally with your comment, Geoff and not doubting you... except......when have warrants or court orders stopped illegal searches or seizures? Hopefully you can tell me about that?

Ilegal searches and/or seizures are a whole other topic and they greatly depend upon the country that you're talking about.

There was a case in Australia a while back where a journalist in Australia was raided by the police (who had a warrant) who appealed the warrant and is was declared invalid but the Police were allowed to keep the information...

I'm not even going to pretend I understand how the legal system works 

[Tommy T.]

6 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

I'm not even going to pretend I understand how the legal system works 

I hear you loud and clear, Dr. Geoff... That's why I asked the question... There appear to be a few "gray" lines between what is legal and what is not...

So, back to the OP's original post, I guess it is safest and most appropriate for all of us - whether an immigrant, foreigner, local, or what...  - to be careful about what we/they say, post or opine online using phones, other? What do you think?

Edited June 21, 2020 by Tommy T.

[GeoffH]

44 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

I guess it is safest and most appropriate for all of us - whether an immigrant, foreigner, local, or what...  - to be careful about what we/they say, post or opine online using phones, other? What do you think?

It's just my opinion but in these days of increasing survellience it seems prudent to exercise more caution about what we say than we would have had to 30 years ago (or even 10 years).

[Mike J]

1 hour ago, GeoffH said:

It's just my opinion but in these days of increasing survellience it seems prudent to exercise more caution about what we say than we would have had to 30 years ago (or even 10 years).

And especially true here given the laws regarding libel and slander. 

[Snowy79]

As a little experiment go into your phone settings for Android and click on Google.  Look to see what has already been downloaded in the background on the top of the screen.  Allegedly to activate the actual notifications you have to download an app but you are already being tracked.  Similar for Iphones.  Almost everyone that has downloaded a third part app will have given that app premission to access certain parts of your data and location.

[graham59]

I don't waste my time worrying about such paranoid nonsense.

Just use some common sense and remember where you are.  If 'everyone' else knows where you are too... so what, unless you're some international criminal, or doing another man's Mrs ?