Trapped in a bubble

[SuperSparks]

Here is an interesting article on the way the Internet is going, that some may find concerning:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...data-filtering

[jobo]

Thanks for posting that SuperSparks. I've known for a long time that Google is too intrusive and I never use it. Not to say the others are really clean but I always use Yahoo and find the same results in searches.

[Dude111]

Yes its getting quite hard to stay private and OFF THE GRID...

I am doing all i can to not be on it!

I always clear all cookies,etc........

I am not on sites like Facebook,etc........

I do not have a cell phone,Iphone,etc.........

I use older UNINTRUSIVE SOFTWARE that i know isnt spying on me.....


I suppose using total encryption online would also be a good thing!

[SuperSparks]

My own view is that this sort of thing is a bit inevitable, and as long as we know about what data is being collected, it isn't that big a deal. Where it is a big deal, use a VPN, Tor, etc. - anybody would have a job tracking you over that

[Drs Orders]

How would one use a VPN,or Tor SS ?

[SuperSparks]

VPNs are not suitable for everyone:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/vpn.htm

But Tor is just a download away:

http://www.torproject.org/

[Drs Orders]

Thanks SS

[Dude111]

www.peacefire.com

[falcon2000]

I am of the opinion that it is a big deal. Not b/c of the data mining aspect of it, which I think is harmless unless you are in the public eyes or hold secrets that a lot of people want. It's not like a bunch of real people sit around all day examining what you do. That is done by computers which can't care less. The computers only care to collect and sell those data to other computers which only want to sell you things and can't care less you watch porns or read the Bible online.

BUT, like it is pointed out in that article, the problem is that we're more and more trapped in our own bubble and become more and more disconnected with the world and fellow humans. Search engine should be unbiased. Now w/ "personalized" search results, we are confining ourselves w/ our own narrow world view. The great thing about the web is supposed to be its ability to open up our minds to the world by connecting us with different places, culture, people, ideas. But if we are only getting web pages the computers think we want to get based only on what we already know and want NOW, we'll never discover anything new and different.

It is ironic. The internet and computers are supposed to help us to be more connected with our world and each other. But I think we are seeing the exact opposite result. Like with the Smartphone, Facebook, etc, we are keeping in touch with our "friends" (all 1000 of them on Facebook, of course) 24/7 but we are not connecting with them. We twit about nothing of substance. We hear but we don't listen.

When you read old letters written in the days of pony mail, even ordinary people with not much education wrote so meaningfully and touchingly. They had to, heck, it took weeks, months, to get that letter to the other end and just as long to get a reply, you couldn't waste these precious opportunities. With electronic communication, we are lost in the convenience. Hey, I just twitted that I just finished brushing my teeth. I’ll twit again when I get to the bus stop, again when I get off the bus, etc, etc, what difference does it make, I can update all day long right on my phone, I'll speak with my heart later but first just let me tell you what I have done in the past 5 min, yes, that's right, that cheese burger I just had for lunch is AWESOME! It is so easy and convenient that it is not treasured anymore. So, we end up saying nothing at all.

[fiendish]

That was an interesting article SuperSparks, it made me even more glad that I don't use Google! My search engine of choice is Ixquick, it doesn't log your personal info and is just as good if not better, I find. Worth having a look to see what you think at the very least?

The info regarding 'Tor' is good and I shall look into that further. I like my privacy and anything that I can do to help stay private whilst on the net is a bonus!!

[Drs Orders]

Thanks Fiendish . Looks like a winner .

[fiendish]

It hasn't upset me yet!!