From: noemail@none.com   
      
   On 11/3/25 7:35 PM, Marion wrote:   
   >AJL wrote:   
   >> Just as a test I factory reset my latest toy, a 7" ONN Android tablet. I   
   >>  then started it from scratch. The first few screens were welcome and WiFi   
   >>  connection. Then came the sign in to Google page. It won't go past there   
   >>  without signing in. IIRC my other Android toys were the same but I'm not   
   >>  going to factory reset all of them just to see for sure...  8-O   
   >>   
   >> And I admit that I really can't speak for the other 1000+ Android gadgets   
   >>  out there.   
   >   
   >Every Android I've had for, oh, I don't know, ten or more years, I haven't   
   >signed into a Google Account on it. You just have to find the skip button.   
      
      
   >Even Google says you don't need to have an account to use Android.   
   >    
      
   But Google didn't manufacture my toys. The Chinese and Koreans are the ones   
    who made the decision to lock my stuff to Google.   
      
      
   >>>Yes, it's the fault of the bad guys too, but privacy is like personal   
   >>>hygiene where we have to stay clean every moment of our working day.   
   >>   
   >> I don't worry about privacy if you're talking about bits and bytes on a   
   >>  server somewhere. WE (you and I, and most all of us) have none of that kind   
   >>  of privacy anyway.   
   >   
   >I agree with you that the worst thing they get is pictures of our pets.   
   >But the point about hygiene is apropos that privacy has to be practiced.   
      
      
   >It's also disgusting to me that Google & Apple throw mud on our hygiene.   
   >For example, they hoover up our Wi-Fi access points without asking us.   
      
   Not sure what you mean here. Hoover up the WiFi?   
      
      
   >> For example your doctor records, tax records, car   
   >>  registration, home registration, bank records, etc,etc,etc, are all on a   
   >>  server somewhere available for access.   
      
      
   >What pisses me off, is when the Capitol rioters were being apprehended, the   
   >government used license databases which is, to me, an abuse of power.   
      
   When I was working, when I pulled over a car I called in the plate. That   
    checked several local and national databases. More than once over the years   
    it came back with a wanted felon, or stolen car, etc. With that info I knew   
    to wait for a backup before making a felony arrest, perhaps saving me   
    injury or worse, had I approached the drivers window alone without that   
    database info. So not surprisingly I'm a fan of databases...   
      
      
   >I'm not defending the rioters, but I don't like the fact they looked up a   
   >database which contains me, and I had nothing to do with those riots.   
      
   Whatever the database you were likely just one of millions. Had you lived in   
    Arizona you would be in several databases, all available to law   
    enforcement.   
      
   >They abuse privileges, e.g., your SSN is used in places that have nothing   
   >to do with social security payments. It's abuse. Rampant abuse. It irks me.   
      
   In recent years I've refused to give my SSN when requested. No problems so   
    far. Some sites demand my phone number which I prefer not to give but won't   
    let me go on without it. Surprisingly they've all accepted me entering all   
    zeros so far. Dumb programming?   
      
   >>  And if you're worried about a human   
   >>  looking at them you have a much bigger chance of a doctor's secretary   
   >>  looking at your really personal stuff than I do having a human picking me   
   >>  out of billions of Google accounts to look at.   
   >   
   >See my recent comment to Carlos, where I'm in my 80s and I seem to be   
   >spending more time at the doctor's office than at the local pool hall.   
      
      
   >The receptionist today assured me that the medical records will be kept   
   >private when I objected that they asked for information they didn't need.   
      
   Yup. My doc too. But they accepted my refusal of the SSN.   
      
      
   >> But bottom line we're all in   
   >>  the cloud big time. The best one can do is try and stay safe. That's one   
   >>  reason I use this Google Chromebook for sensitive stuff. It currently has   
   >>  the best reputation for security among the competition...   
   >   
   >Well, most of us have had loans for homes, so bingo. You're in it forever.   
      
   My house is paid off and I'm still in the database...   
      
   >I always give them a bogus phone number, for example, which I've used for   
   >so long it may as well be my phone number. But if I change it, I'd forget   
   >what it was.   
      
   If they stop taking zeros for my phone number I may try that. I just don't   
    want to give out a real number and cause somebody a hassle...   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)