Lately, have been thinking about the fact that I am tracked by Google almost everywhere I go–as long as my cell phone or tablet is with me.
To the left, you can see results from an amazing program I discovered yesterday at Junkee, and mental wheels are turning. Panic hasn’t set in, but that’s probably because I’m a law-abiding citizen and really don’t have anything to hide. But still….
Like most of you, my cell phone is rarely far from me–unless I happen to drive off and accidentally leave it at home. And that’s a panic-inducing event. But to have Google tracking steps and stops in my own home (just zoom in!) or where I wander on Sunday hikes? Something short of panic might be my feeling of unease–and uncertainty.
The intrusiveness of not only Google, but the NSA, IRS, the HCA and other three-lettered government agencies is beginning to chafe at our collective psyches. And with new apps and programs, we can see what may be going on behind the scenes–and sometimes dish it out ourselves (or so we think).
I use a little program called YesWare that tracks my outgoing email. It supposedly allows me to see when an email is opened by the recipient. That may be true, but what is more interesting is that a local Carlsbad, CA email might show it being opened in Mannassas, VA, Germany, Amsterdam, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the world. I have changed email passwords to no avail.
It it the NSA? Foreign hackers? A buggy program?
These things are a concern and raise alarm bells about fundamental rights to privacy. On the other hand, if I were kidnapped with my phone I would be tracked by Google and could be easily found.
Email is another story.
