Digital privacy seems quite straightforward, because your digital devices are environments you more or less can have complete control over if you want to. But when you’re out and about, it’s a much more uncontrolled environment. There are cameras everywhere.

I wear face masks everywhere for a combo of protecting myself from illness and privacy. But the limitation is social acceptability. If anything good came out of covid it’s the normalisation of face masks, but you are far from unidentifiable if your only face covering is a covid mask. We’re lucky that sunglasses and hoodies on their own are fairly normal, but all of the above in combination would draw attention to you. And it’s definitely not socially acceptable to walk around in a balaclava.

The other thing is forensic data. If you don’t wear gloves, you’ll leave fingerprints everywhere, and hair too. I suppose wearing gloves is not particularly seen as weird or suspicious, but it just seems like there are a lot of considerations and challenges with preventing the state from knowing your every move when you leave the house.

What considerations do you make for IRL privacy, if any?

(Not particularly interested in “I don’t care about IRL privacy so I don’t do anything”—that’s fine and your choice, but ofc this question is aimed towards those who do care)

  • GolfNovemberUniform
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    4 months ago

    The government already has your data because it’s how it works. Detention for identification is not bad and you can just bring your ID with you (that you should do all the time tbh) in case the police ask questions. Still they won’t like follow you so there is some improvement as long as you don’t let the cameras track you exactly to your home address.

    • communismOP
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      4 months ago

      If you are detained and identified, the police gain additional information about you because they have identified you as the person who was—walking at X place at Y time, doing A activity at B location, etc.

        • communismOP
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          4 months ago

          You know the police frequently raid the homes of people they detain too? Seize their electronics? Yes your electronics should have full disk encryption with a strong passphrase anyway but i would personally prefer if the feds didnt possess them in the first place.

          • GolfNovemberUniform
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            4 months ago

            You know the police frequently raid the homes of people they detain too?

            Idk where you live but here where I live it’s illegal. After a person done their time (or another form of responsibility), nobody has any rights to perform any action against them unless they do another crime.