Putting the privacy genie back in the bottle… sort of
The Founding Fathers recognized that an oppressive government could use its powers to intimidate, harass or steal the possessions of average citizens. In fact, British royal officers would use “writs of assistance” to conduct searches of the homes of colonists in an effort to detect violations of British customs laws.
So the 4th Amendment to the Constitution — as part of the Bill of Rights — was adopted which says, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable search and seizures shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
Yet today the Federal government tramples all over the spirit and the letter, of the 4th Amendment with its USA PATRIOT Act, FinCEN, SAR, CTR, TIA and ADVISE programs, and others. Bureaucrats, businesses and crooks alike are mining the data of millions of Americans looking at who you communicate with, what you read, what you buy, where you shop and what you eat, and they’re making a determination about you and your character based on the information a computer kicks out.
Government spooks are now pushing for – and in some cases have achieved — new, expanded police powers that include mandatory fingerprinting, iris scans and DNA sampling of all citizens, national biometric ID cards, transponder tracking of vehicles (some politicians are advocating a mileage tax) and even geographical tracking of citizens through microchip implants.
And even though it may not yet be happening, in the very near future you could see discrimination, profiling or harassment resulting from all the information stored in government computers. Don’t think it’s possible? Ask the Japanese, some of whom are experiencing “bura-hara,” which is blood type harassment.
Based on what many call sham science, many Japanese are being segregated based on their blood type, even though doing so is supposedly against Japanese law. The theory is that a person’s personality, work ethic and morals can be determined by blood type. It is affecting children in kindergarten, and the Japanese women’s softball team members had their training regiments personalized based on their blood type.
Any information in your electronic database could set off “flags” or could be pulled out and used against you at any time and for any reason. And if you have the courage or occasion to speak out against your government, some member of a vindictive politician’s or government functionary’s staff may very well be into your files looking at your records for a way to slime your reputation. That’s what the Obama campaign team and the mainstream media tried to do to Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher, who saw his life exposed and his reputation sullied simply because he responded to a Presidential candidate during a chance encounter.
What can you do about it? Well, you can’t completely put the privacy genie back in the bottle. If you have been using credit cards, debit cards or loyalty cards; or you have rented movies — either through the old video stores or Red Box or Netflix; or if you’ve given out your Social Security number or if you have a cellular telephone or other wireless device; or if you are using any social media you are in the database.
The watchers in government have your information. Businesses have your information. Private investigators, vindictive spouses, greedy lawyers, jilted lovers (whether they really were or just imagined they were) or stalkers can learn all about you and possibly track you down.
However, that doesn’t mean they have to have your latest information. You can begin now to make it more difficult to be tracked or found.
Here are a few ways you can regain some semblance of privacy, taken from my book, “The Ultimate Privacy Guide”:
- When making purchases, do so with cash. If you feel you must have a credit card for emergencies, or to make online purchases, use a prepaid card. Those accounts can be opened without having to provide personal details and the cards can be funded with cash payments. That way, no electronic trail is left that leads back to you.
- In his book, Privacy Crisis, Grant Hall recommends using credit cards to pay large bills if the company agrees not to retain your name and credit card information in their database. The question is, can you trust them to do what they say they’ll do? He says that some large companies are willing to do this—if you speak with a company manager in advance —but smaller companies are usually reluctant.
- Pay bills or make online purchases with online payment services like PayPal.
- To bank anonymously, Hall recommends setting up a revocable trust and opening a non-interest bearing checking account in an American bank. He describes in detail in his book how to set up the trust account.
- Two other entities you can establish are Family Limited Liability Companies and Family Limited Partnerships. These provide some semblance of personal privacy.
- Never give out your Social Security number except when necessary on government forms like tax returns. Question every request you get to provide your number and try to negotiate an alternative such as a driver license, suggests David H. Holtzman in his book, Privacy Lost.
- If you are concerned about being tracked, avoid using modern technology like cell phones, a global positioning system or similar items. If you have a cell phone, take out the battery when you’re not using the phone. Cell phones have essentially become tracking devices.
- Become someone else. This requires some effort and time, but it’s possible. In other words, you can establish an alternate identity for yourself if you need to drop off the radar. Doing so requires thoughtful and intense planning. But the new “person” can enjoy all the privileges of the old person without the fear of someone tracking you down that you don’t want to find you.
- Erase vestiges of the “old” you. Go to a popular search engine like Google, enter your name and click “search.” You might be very surprised — and a little concerned — at all the information about you that is easily obtained. It’s going to take some time, but you can begin to slowly, but surely, erase your personal information from most public databases.
This certainly doesn’t cover all aspects of the way your privacy is being and has been stolen from you. Nor does it provide detailed solutions for getting as much of it back as possible.
For more information on these steps to learn a host of others you can take to regain your lost privacy, just click here to receive my book, “The Ultimate Privacy Guide,” in e-book form. It’s completely free for you.
But remember, privacy is a process rather than a destination. As soon as you think you have covered all aspects of personal privacy, some new technology will come along or a new law will be passed that will undo your hard work.
Privacy requires you be ever-vigilant.
