Is it just me...or has technology gone too far
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Is it just me...or has technology gone too far
Yes, I'm older than I was when I started with my first computer but never did I imagine the extraordinary lengths large corporations would go to to "ensure my security".
I'm rapidly heading to the point of throwing out this lap-top as really I'm fed up with notices whenever I do ordinary tasks such as going to dropbox.
Just this morning I was greeted by a note from Google informing me of ... oh I don't know any more ... some extra steps I could take to remain secure.
Anyway ... is this just me? am I getting too old for this nonsense? Or are you also tired of the overkill by the likes of Google, Microsoft, Apple etc
Let me know here ...
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2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) sounds great in theory, but in reality, you might loose access to your account. I never ever enable 2FA, I only use a phone number to receive SMS. The reason, the companies force it, is not because of security, they want you to connect using your phone, so they could harvest even more data. Mobile devices are way more accessible to them than a computer, once you login to their apps.
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so they could harvest even more data.
Yep Tairiku, that rings a bell for me too.
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Hi,
Yeah the only thing these companies ensure is they harvest everything Microsoft included
Win-10 is the largest harvester now days and yes MS values you security and privacy lol :)
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Now don't take anything I say the wrong way nithig but your post really gave me a laugh. Well, maybe not a laugh but a giggle anyway. You're "rapidly heading to the point of throwing out this lap-top" because you're "fed up with notices whenever I do ordinary tasks such as going to dropbox." and " greeted by a note from Google". Now, complaining about "technology gone too far" is one thing but take a second to look at what you've written. You're online (obviously), you're using a cloud based storage platform (Dropbox) while accessing these things on a Laptop Computer using an advanced Browser (Google). Yet, in your own words this is "ordinary" to you. Do you not see the incongruity here? My cause for mirth? You're using all this advanced technology as a "given" yet seem to be unhappy about it. What is your solution? Throw it out! What and how will you replace it? Stay offline and use an abacus for your computing needs? Ahhhhhh, first world problems.
My take on your problem(s) is : If Dropbox vexes you. Stop using it. Google too secure? Use something else. With all the bad guys out there wanting your personal information I don't mind a little extra help in keeping MY information safe. But then I don't use Dropbox or Google. I also keep my data personal and backed up locally. No one is forcing you to use this "technology gone too far" and as for myself, I like my fancy laptop and being online. It makes my life much better and more enjoyable.
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Here is a good story about this topic. Yesterday, a coworker and I were talking about the Purple Mattress company and how he was looking to buy one. We must have mentioned the word Purple and mattress a couple of times in the conversation. A few hours later when I got home, the very first large advertisement I saw on Facebook was for a Purple Mattress. Our phones were listening in on us and then provided me an advertisement for it.
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ha ha indiacarnie .... yep I take yr point. But nevertheless it is a valid question and deserves a good airing as shown by comments thus far.
But you must allow us first world-ers space to vent now and then else we'd all go mad, don't yr know. 
Our phones were listening in on us
Sadly Masterchiefxx17 there's nowhere any longer to run or hide technologically. I've experienced a very similar result from the silent servers. Say you search a book title (cd,dvd) and find one at a local store for $30. The silent servers will reach you via any one of several sources, like FB advertising, and offer you that item for $27... what will you do? Not only does this kill off local business but also feeds into the growing disparity of wealth. (btw remember Plutarch, the Roman ... he said this: "An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailments of all Republics." Also he went on to add "The disparity of fortunes between the rich and the poor had reached its height, so that the city seemed to be in a dangerous condition and no other means for freeing it from disturbance seemed possible but for despotic power.")
Ok ... so what have I learned from this post?
1. don't use clouds (like dropbox)
2. don't use 2FA
3. store locally
4. turn the mobile/cell phone off more often when not in use
5. send a greeting to alphanumeric when-ever I'm forced to use a damn captcha
6. remember what ThrashZone wrote about harvesting (now that I'm forced to have Win10 but still miss my trusty old Win 7)
In the end there is only loving and being loved.
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As much as I would like to turn off my phone when not in use, it's become apart of us. We need it for everything we do. Just a shame that we are silently taken advantage of.
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