"I'll stop using Windows, Google, Youtube, Facebook, etc and move to a fucking hipster unsupported linux distro, so that they can't spy me in my top secret activities such as watching porn and browsing /r/me_irl"

sigh...

Are you implying that one shouldn't care about privacy?

@linuxxx I think most people care more or less about privacy. But some people are just paranoid!

I believe we have kissed our privacy goodbye the moment we got a mobile phone and connected to the Internet.
The rest is mutual trade: You trade your privacy for accessing a certain service/product. Some don't mind, others find it invasive.

@itsnameless ok let me refrase that. *I think everyone cares more or less.

I would care if someone looked through my windows when I was taking a shower. However, if a computer takes some notes about me (that no other human is ever going to read) in order to give me better service, then I really don't mind.

@Olverine Then we come to the next case, define paranoid!

@linuxxx well I think it's paranoid to be afraid of something that isn't dangerous and actually benefits you in many ways. Although I have to admit that I'm not super educated on this subject so maybe I'm just ignorant.

@itsnameless probably windows read them!?? Windows is a frickin operating system. I don't care what a machine thinks about me!

DDG doesn't fail me. Here's a fitting and relevant definition of "paranoid":

Exhibiting or characterized by extreme and irrational fear or distrust of others: <I> a paranoid suspicion that the phone might be bugged.</i>

@Olverine So then explain to me why it isn't dangerous and how it would benefit me :). And except for that, giving data away should always be a choice and not an opt-out.

@linuxxx well there is always a reason why data is collected. A common reason is to give targeted ads to a specific user. If im gonna have to see a bunch of ads then i'd rather see ads that i am actually intrested in, and if a company can customize ads for me, I'm more likely to click them and earn them money. So in this example, its a win win.
Judging by how much people care about these privacy issues, you could almost think that their phones secretly record them masturbating and then upload it to their facebook. Which is ofcourse not the case.
I do however agree that it should be a choice but I don't care enough to fight for it.

@Olverine Fair enough, that's your choice and I respect that.

Personally I think this way of data collection is very bad for user privacy because the 'usual person' has no idea about this and this way of targeting ads/data collection exploits that imo.

(not to start a war or anything but hereby a few tags to people who also have some privacy opinions on this :)).
@jpichardo, @matsaki95, @runfrodorun and other peoples i forgot :P)

@Olverine I dont mind my privacy that much but showing me ads of headphones for 3 months after I once checked a headphone is kinda annoying.

When youtube starts suggesting things other people on the same network watched (when not signed in) it is privacy invasion.

@linuxxx if I would build a small tracking system on my website (no google analytics, a custom written one). Which I use to identify a user to see what blogposts they have read on my website so I can make content aimed at the users who read it, would that also be a no go for you (if I dont track IPs and other ways to be able to track my data back to you)

@Codex404 Yeah a no go (although not for privacy reasons) since that would be content based on what the algo 'thinks' I like and I want to be able to be my own judge for that. Other than that, If you don't store IP addresses, header information and so on (nope, neither in the general server logs) then I'd be fine with that. As long as you deffo can't tie it back to me :)

@linuxxx no there wont be an algo, just so I know what people like and can make more of. Backend or frontend, global explanations or examples

I understand both side of the issue (because I've heard both sides for basically 2 years now). For me I'm against the tracking because unlike a lot of people, I don't want to be out in a bubble.

Yes, sometimes it's nice if you're searching specific things (like restaurants near me or syntax in programming languages), but as someone who loves to learn, when I go into Facebook, I don't want to be trapped in an echo chamber.

In fact, I would wager that Facebook's tracking has lead to the echo chambers of the people caused the problems in Charlottesville.

That's right, I just said that tracking people led to terrorism. Fight me.

Sooo, what about this:

If someone with bad intentions gets hold of that information? Thats is the problem.

@Linux This. In some countries FB/Twitter etc data is already being abused based on what people post (people arrested etc). Could start to happen at any time and what can you do about it when it's too late to prevent it?

@linuxxx
You cant do anything when it has started. RIP

@RiderExMachina well I, and a lot of people with me, agree with you.

@Linux Yup. The data that might seem like nothing now might become dangerous to have linked to you later on :/

People who are worried about "privacy" don't understand that for organizations with hundreds of thousands of users, the single user is insignificant, no one would spend money to "spy" you, no one cares about what you do or what you don't do, only the aggregated data is interesting...

@nuts my thoughts exactly! I'm fine with it because I'm pretty sure no other human being is going to read all this data about me. But if for example my mom had access to my porn history, then i would feel violated.

@nuts
@Olverine
Let's say that in the next 5 years, because Muslim extremists have caused multiple terror attacks, all Muslims are now rounded up across the world and put into concentration camps. Maybe you're not Muslim, but that really happened in the US to Japanese-Americans during World War 2.

And this can be copied and pasted to any group. White men have caused too much violence, so we're now rounding them up. Gun owners need to be rounded up. Athiests, Christians, whoever.

As soon as your group gets called, you start looking at privacy much more seriously.

@nuts
@Olverine
@RiderExMachina
And yes, that may seem far-fetched now, but us privacy nuts are crazy about privacy because we want to stay out of a future like that.

@RiderExMachina those atheists are always so violent, killing people without reason. They should be rounder up indeed /s

I do see your point though.

@Codex404
Columbine was done by athiests. However, it's more the fact that it's violent people than their statement of belief.

//should probably mention that I'm Christian

@RiderExMachina Glad Im not atheist then, I believe in the flying Spagetti monster. Im not wesring a drain on my head but all guidelines of the religion is something I follow.

And dont tell me pastafarians also did terror attacks.

@Codex404
No popular ones that I know of, so you're good.

I think Snowden taught us a lesson

Hey if you like people watching you jerk off... more power to ya!

@runfrodorun what about your workplace and other people who dont care about your privacy,?

@Codex404 In my case, some people have saved my number through Google contacts. I am not okay with that.

@runfrodorun and roses are red. I dont see how this is a response to my question

@runfrodorun you work at a company? You work with clients? Then you are giving away a lot of details already.

Do you have a bankaccount? Ylur bank knows a lot about you.