I am not concerned about "privacy" per se. Privacy, I think, is gone. Period.
And not really sure that the trackers are being turned off or can be truly be "turned off". Very much a skeptic and, full disclosure, becoming even more so.
The problems are much deeper and more pervasive.
I tend to be more concerned about being forced to pay $ and more $ as everything becomes a service. And being forced to use those services.
Or constantly dealing with poorly designed systems, websites, procedures, rules, regulations, security settings, etc., that supposedly are for our benefit. And seldom are.
Sans any choice in the matter.
Yet it all continues to cost everyone more time and money. Stress and frustration aside. It could all be so different and easy if that was indeed the objective.
Having appliances "phoning home", making decisions, sharing data, etc. is certainly not in the best interest of anyone. There are certainly advantages to some things. Provided that they are true advantages for those involved; elderly, physically challenged, etc.. And not just tools to take more from us in some manner.
Recently worked on a "one camera" wireless security system for a house - just a test setup. Seemed that every installation step wanted web access, some Google download, create an account, provide personal information, etc...
Could not install a dishwasher myself because doing so would invalidate any warranty. Had to pay to get the dishwasher installed and have a warranty. Even then the required warranty "information" ,which had to be done online, was quite intrusive. Left any optional answers blank and guessed at the rest. Calls for warranty assistance refer to a website.
Just imagine some mandatory IoT for security reasons. e.g., we will monitor your gas furnace for gas leaks and if you do not do so your homeowner insurance will not provide fire coverage. And to setup the monitoring service, please submit the following information for verification purposes. Followed by several pages of required personal information. Much like a security clearance application.
One automobile nags us every six months for maintenance due. Not based on mileage - based on the calendar. (Car was hardly driven for four months.)
Read that one automobile manufacturer is now thinking about or even planning to rent cars based on mileage. Reason given was the immediate drop in value when you drive off the lot. I.e., "cheaper per month to lease by mileage". For the time being perhaps. Thing is that if you buy something, take care of it, at some point you will hopefully own it. No more monthly payments.
Unfortunately our technology is advanced enough to schedule failure shortly after the warranty ends or the final payment made. Imagine a car that reports every pothole - therefore the manufacturer can claim some failure was a result of the potholes, however small that were hit. Therefore not a design or manufacturing defect. Planned obsolescence is very real and even easier to implement. Lots of data being collected to analyze and fine tune the process.
Know of a situation where a bank is mailing monthly paper statements. Correct address at first then two of the four house numbers were somehow transposed. Bank is refusing to correct the matter without all sorts of documentation and personal visits by family members. One person being permanently in a nursing home. Most likely they will end up closing the account. That will be easier than going through the address correction process which is being treated as a "change" and subject to all sorts of security requirements. At least the mailperson is helping. Still delivers the envelope to the correct residence.
[Sidebar: Just amazes me how truly honest people cannot get things done, corrected, fixed, whatever while scammers and crooks can clean out a bank account faster than someone can get an address corrected. Or a fraudster can submit a fake tax return, get the refund, disappear, and leave the victim helplessly dangling in the face of crippling bureaucratic security safeguards that then seem to suddenly appear.]
Have seen other instances where "website upgrades" to online accounts automatically default back to "paperless". No bill shows up and then you get a "late notice" and extra charges. Or you make some required "I agree" check only to find that the fine print almost invisibly undoes other personal settings resulting in more junk emails, ads, pop-ups, and so forth. Have had that happen several times under the guise of "we are making improved security updates....".
No problem with being reminded to or even forced to change a password. Just do not sneak in anything else that benefits the company more than the customer.
Personally now treat all advertisements, "new and improved" claims, as if they are false. Not saying they are false - just treat them as if so. Look for the "got-cha's". All to easy to discover sometimes that the real end results are not likely to be as stated. Very common with free software, free trial services, or online forms. At some point you get asked for a credit card number. Refundable if you cancel within 30 days. Good luck with that....
Just recently literally learned of another technology "side effect". Family member died without a will - bad enough on its own merits. To make it all the worse, that person did almost everything online via a cell phone - no paper statements. No recent records or paper files. Very few bills via USPS. Family found some old account statements, along with some account logins and passwords but logins and passwords did not work. No records of security challenge questions and the responses to be made. Call for technical support aka "Forgot User ID or Password" or even just for "how do I" information and all stopped in a hurry. Cannot talk with you unless you have x, y, & z court documents. Obtaining those documents can take legal counsel, money, and weeks of time.
Bad technology did not help and in fact hindered the process. Online probate forms were no longer available but constantly referenced as needed. Website re-directs and links went nowhere applicable or useful. Circles in fact. Yet the county had spent a lot of money to tout the website and system. Most average users probably just gave up.
Seems that once a person is known to have died that information goes into the databases, gets flagged, spreads fast, and no one can do anything barring some likely expensive and time-consuming legal efforts via some form of the probate process. No one will talk with you unless you provide death certificates, proof of relationship, and who knows what all else. And the debt collectors start showing up very fast - and some are scammers. Troll death notices, obituaries, and try to intimidate relatives into paying. Yet scammers seem to get all sorts of data and information very fast. Even medical information.
And yes, I certainly do understand the need to protect estates, pay debts, and overall follow some judicial process - just that it has all become so skewed beyond reason. And Power of Attorney - of any sort, for those who do not know, becomes moot at death. And even can be problematic before death unless the POA specifically addresses the matter or problem at hand. E.g. getting an address corrected. Social Security does not even recognize POA - google "Personal Representative". Especially if you are or are becoming a caregiver for someone with Social Security benefits.
And we have all too many people, seniors (common targets and victims) and otherwise, who do not and/or cannot use technology. Just tell some company that you do not have an email address and/or cell phone.... Yet a website must be visited to even start finding help. And call-centers, no matter where located, are for the most part useless. Especially for the hard of hearing or otherwise impaired in some manner. Hard to reach a real person and often go in loops until the caller is disconnected. Proverbial automated "I did not understand your response - Good Bye". Hang up.
Know a person who received a brand name laptop as a Christmas gift. Still sorting out all the crapware and "phoning home" software. Common enough problem for sure but there is often no choice to be had. AKA "Pay us more or we install crapware that will make your computing life miserable." More like blackmail. Even paying more seems to be becoming a moot solution. Junk still gets installed.
Just think what it will be like, as a parent perhaps, to try to establish parental controls by calling the router's "service provider". Prove you are the parent and not the kid. Meanwhile some necessary website (to pay a bill) has somehow been blocked out.
Or, going a step further, eventually being forced to pay your router's manufacturer for configuration service. But after the provider service messes something up then being faced with proving you are the administrator/account payer and not a basement "kiddie" trying to circumvent porn site restrictions. Paying for such services will likely be just "paying" and no real service - just lip service. Real service costs money - not good for the bottom line.
Also, I wonder: the general news media constantly seems to find out all sorts of detailed personal information about anyone entering the news cycle - more information and much faster than the government. Within minutes sometimes. How does that happen? Privacy seems to go by the wayside very quickly with sufficient resources to delve deeply. Especially after the fact. Never before.....
The proverbial "Genie is out of the bottle" cliché applies. Technology is not the problem per se. The problem is how it is being twisted, abused, manipulated, and so forth.
Simply $ and greed for more $. And/or power - same difference I think.
But that has always been the case. The consequences are likely to go well beyond privacy.
Overall, does not bode well for anyone.
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