Who is tracking me on my devices?

[Bootstrap]

Has anyone noticed what's been downloaded into your phones lately without you realizing it? (At least I didn't realize it.)

Scan QR Codes
Biometrics and Facial Recognition

Responding in a new thread, since I don't think this has anything to do with Covid.

If you're using an Android, you are giving up all kinds of information to who knows who, largely people who want to advertise to you, private detectives, etc, but also to the police and also to authoritarian foreign governments. This is especially true using the Google browser on a phone. It's driven by the private sector, not y government.

See, for instance:

Android facial recognition

Why you should delete Google Chrome On Your Phone

QR codes may bring up more than just a menu–here’s how to protect your privacy

[Falco Underhill]

Has anyone noticed what's been downloaded into your phones lately without you realizing it? (At least I didn't realize it.)

Scan QR Codes
Biometrics and Facial Recognition

Responding in a new thread, since I don't think this has anything to do with Covid.

If you're using an Android, you are giving up all kinds of information to who knows who, largely people who want to advertise to you, private detectives, etc, but also to the police and also to authoritarian foreign governments. This is especially true using the Google browser on a phone. It's driven by the private sector, not y government.

See, for instance:

Android facial recognition

Why you should delete Google Chrome On Your Phone

QR codes may bring up more than just a menu–here’s how to protect your privacy

Thanks, Boot.

Yes, I plan on getting away from Android, iphone, and Google as soon as I can. If anybody has any good ideas please list them here.

This company here is still using Android but its phones are already De-Googled and seems to protect your privacy very well — their end goal is to get away from Android and all of it eventually. They are still developing.

https://e.foundation/

[Falco Underhill]

Responding in a new thread, since I don't think this has anything to do with Covid.

By the way, QR Codes are already being used for vaccine passports in some places, that's why I thought it was related to Covid vaccines.

[GaryK]

Responding in a new thread, since I don't think this has anything to do with Covid.

By the way, QR Codes are already being used for vaccine passports in some places, that's why I thought it was related to Covid vaccines.

Yes, it's common practice in Australia to scan a QR code before entering a business. I think they do it more for tracking purposes related to Covid.

[Bootstrap]

By the way, QR Codes are already being used for vaccine passports in some places, that's why I thought it was related to Covid vaccines.

Yes, it's common practice in Australia to scan a QR code before entering a business. I think they do it more for tracking purposes related to Covid.

A QR code can include anything that text can, for most uses, they are only a security or tracking issue they take you to a website, and the website is the real problem. For instance, a URL might take you to a website that downloads malware, or take you to a phishing site.

I don't know how they are using QR codes for Covid tracking, what data is encoded in the QR, what data is captured. Does anyone know where to find good information on this? Here's one article:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/202 ... s/12895678

[GaryK]

By the way, QR Codes are already being used for vaccine passports in some places, that's why I thought it was related to Covid vaccines.

Yes, it's common practice in Australia to scan a QR code before entering a business. I think they do it more for tracking purposes related to Covid.

A QR code can include anything that text can, for most uses, they are only a security or tracking issue they take you to a website, and the website is the real problem. For instance, a URL might take you to a website that downloads malware, or take you to a phishing site.

I don't know how they are using QR codes for Covid tracking, what data is encoded in the QR, what data is captured. Does anyone know where to find good information on this? Here's one article:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/202 ... s/12895678

My brother who lives in AU and owns a restaurant in Gympie told me about it. I don't know what kind of data is captured.

[Josh]

It basically captures your name, etc (who you are) and the date scanned.

The stated purpose is for “contact tracing”.

[Bootstrap]

It basically captures your name, etc (who you are) and the date scanned.

The stated purpose is for “contact tracing”.

I think that's accurate.

If you're really concerned about police states or surveillance states, vaccinations are the wrong place to look and QR codes aren't the real concern.

Facial recognition, license plate recognition and tracking, spyware installed by intelligence agencies, non-public databases making claims about individuals that they are unaware of and cannot contest or correct, "predictive policing", biometric surveillance, Stingray cellphone trackers, other access to cellphone data ... these are the real concerns, not vaccine records. So if people are concerned about the police state, why aren't these the things we are talking about?

This is the kind of stuff that makes me most nervous, and most of talk about privacy doesn't seem to be about this:

• Alternative Channels for Police Transparency
• The Lawfare Podcast: Hannah Bloch-Wehba on Police Transparency
• Modern Day General Warrants and the Challenge of Protecting Third-Party Privacy Rights in Mass, Suspicionless Searches of Consumer Databases
• Court Upholds Legal Challenge Under California Statewide Stingray Law
• Understanding Police Reliance on Private Data
• Private Data/Public Regulation

If you don't want a police state, police transparency should be an important priority.

And it's not just the government. Other organizations can get at a lot of this too.

[Falco Underhill]

A QR code can include anything that text can, for most uses, they are only a security or tracking issue they take you to a website, and the website is the real problem. For instance, a URL might take you to a website that downloads malware, or take you to a phishing site.

I don't know how they are using QR codes for Covid tracking, what data is encoded in the QR, what data is captured. Does anyone know where to find good information on this?

This article seems pretty informative. Interestingly, talks about how the QR Code was first used in China (why am I not surprised?) how it's used for Covid Tracking and data collection, etc.

https://lexatlas-c19.org/the-use-of-qr- ... interests/

Oh, and by the way, I think cash and even credit cards are now pretty useless in China, just about all purchases are made by scanning QR codes.

(Hope you don't mind if I copy this post to the Vax Passports a Slippery Slope thread, too.)

[Josh]

It basically captures your name, etc (who you are) and the date scanned.

The stated purpose is for “contact tracing”.

I think that's accurate.

If you're really concerned about police states or surveillance states, vaccinations are the wrong place to look and QR codes aren't the real concern.

Facial recognition, license plate recognition and tracking, spyware installed by intelligence agencies, non-public databases making claims about individuals that they are unaware of and cannot contest or correct, "predictive policing", biometric surveillance, Stingray cellphone trackers, other access to cellphone data ... these are the real concerns, not vaccine records. So if people are concerned about the police state, why aren't these the things we are talking about?

I've spent plenty of breath talking about those things too. However, the level of surveillance in Australia (and that the left keeps saying we need to have in America) is a whole new tier, requiring you to identify yourself before entering any retail store or restaurant and storing this information in a government database.

The surveillance you described above is covert and passive and it is also possible to avoid it. This new model of surveillance is blatant and cannot be avoided under penalty of arrest and prison.

The stated reason for this surveillance is "to make sure everyone is vaccinated". So, yes, vaccinations are the place to start looking. Why are vaccines being used as an excuse to establish a police state in places like Australia, Austria, and NYC?