Privacy action is better than isolation from modern technology. Here’s why:

[u/CCPareNazies]

Minimizing your exposure and optimizing privacy settings is valuable, but it’s not enough. True, permanent, and workable change can only be achieved through communal action—not just individual privacy maximization.

While withdrawing from modern technology might seem like a solution, it ultimately limits your ability to engage with and influence the systems that shape our digital lives. Instead, focus on action that makes a tangible impact: • Vote for representatives who prioritize digital rights and privacy. • Contact your representatives and share your concerns about privacy-related policies. • Spread awareness thoughtfully, without resorting to alarmist or conspiratorial tones. • Vote with your wallet: Punish companies that don’t respect privacy by refusing to support them, and reward those that do by choosing their products and services. • Support privacy-focused organizations like the EFF, Privacy First, Access Now, and NOYB (None of Your Business) through donations, volunteering, or active involvement.

We’ve seen that organized action works: for example, the EU ban on biometric surveillance in public spaces, California’s privacy laws, and GDPR protections demonstrate how regulation can safeguard privacy when people demand change. These victories show what’s possible when we advocate together for systemic reform.

These steps are far more effective at creating meaningful, long-term change than isolating ourselves from the technology that connects us to our communities.

Let’s work together to protect privacy while staying engaged and empowered.

[u/DiomedesMIST]

Do those things AND step back from the tech. No need to volunteer tremendous amounts of data. Strategically participate...

Thanks for the resources, I will check out NOYB, Privacy First, etc.

[u/CCPareNazies → u/DiomedesMIST]

Do you avoid walking outside where hundreds of cameras might capture you? Do you have no family or friends who use social media and might share a photo of you? Do you avoid using services like Microsoft Office that collect data?

For most of us, stepping back entirely from technology and its reach is simply not realistic.

[u/Regular-Figure2880 → u/CCPareNazies]

So you do not walk outside amongst hundreds of camera’s?

No, but I'm not going to increase my attack surface either.

[u/CCPareNazies → u/Regular-Figure2880]

Where did I advocate for increasing anyone’s attack surface? And who, exactly, is attacking you?

Privacy is a broad societal concern because it undermines the democratic process at its core. That said, on an individual level, if a government were genuinely interested in you as a high-value target, the only way to avoid them would be to live completely off the grid as a hermit.

[u/DiomedesMIST → u/CCPareNazies]

Have you considered how they might get interested in people?

[u/DiomedesMIST → u/CCPareNazies]

I'm not going to go ahead and vouge in front of those cameras and lay out my documents on the sidewalk. We can both speak in hyperbole. ...

Stepping back is quite possible. I would know. Notice I am still here on reddit participating. Data being requisitioned.

[u/primalbluewolf → u/CCPareNazies]

So you do not walk outside amongst hundreds of camera’s? You don’t have family and friends who use social media who might post a picture of you? You don’t use any service that will steal data like Microsoft office? 

1. Generally not, and where that does happen, its a risk for that reason. 
2. Not generally, no. Is this a thing for you? People randomly post pictures of you on social media without your consent?
3. Obviously not. Loads of better alternatives.

[u/CCPareNazies → u/primalbluewolf]

I’m glad to hear that works for you. 1. If you live in a major city, avoiding cameras altogether isn’t realistic anymore. 2. It’s great that your privacy concerns align with your social life, but for many of us, that’s simply not the case. 3. Amazing—so you don’t work in an office with non-tech-savvy colleagues? That’s not the reality for most, considering 90% of the world does.

As someone working in the private intelligence sector, I can assure you: if someone wants to find you, they can. Unless you’re an older person with no social media, living in the countryside of a country with strong privacy laws like Germany and rarely traveling, you’re leaving a trace.

[u/primalbluewolf → u/CCPareNazies]

Work use is on work devices, using work accounts - segregation from my own digital footprint. 

So when I log into a users account and then log them into word, I dont really count that as "me using office" even though strictly speaking, helping users with office is a not insignificant part of my job as a technician.

[u/CCPareNazies → u/primalbluewolf]

I see I see, that is true for me too then, and I hope most people! :)

[u/primalbluewolf → u/CCPareNazies]

Oh. Well, that seems odd - Id assumed most people also use office outside work, with a microsoft account.

[u/Mlch431]

Effective privacy action is absolutely possible while reducing your (privacy-invading) hardware or software footprint and boycotting services that actively and openly spy on you.

You don't need to be neck deep in the mouth of a shark in order to read the writing on the wall - to see the danger, and also educate others succinctly about the threat.

Now am I suggesting that it's possible to meaningfully influence the world if you are a hermit who actively shuns everything conceivable and doesn't stay conscious about what other people are using to live a good life and connect with others? Probably not very effectively, you'd be fairly out of touch.

People tend to not want to sacrifice convenience and tools or services that make their lives better in some way. So the best action besides directly influencing your local community and other spaces you frequent, and of course your representatives; would be working on or influencing alternatives to services that replace existing (privacy-invading) structures without sacrificing power, function, or usability.

Companies have no incentive to play nice when advertising is such a big industry and data is so lucrative, when regulatory bodies in the US are broken beyond repair, and when lawmakers and those in power are overwhelmingly in support for illegal and unconstitutional surveillance domestically.

I consciously choose where I engage to influence others with my perspective (and of course to be influenced by others) and I suggest others do the same. I don't choose to be blind to advancements in technology and software. And I certainly I don't need to resist every individual company's steps towards (what I view to be as) tyranny - as their customer - to be effective at advocating for privacy and to provide functional alternatives to others.

[u/CCPareNazies → u/Mlch431]

I would never argue against taking simple, necessary steps to maximize privacy and protect oneself from companies, data breaches, and similar risks. Personally, though, my concern lies more with what governments do with data, while with private industry, it’s their incompetence that worries me the most.

Thankfully, many people share your perspective. For example, the German government is transitioning to open-source software and Linux, empowering its citizens to understand their digital tools and break free from reliance on foreign multinationals like Microsoft.

[u/ArnoCryptoNymous]

Honestly in my opinion, it should be a duty of law giving institutions to NOT making users responsible for not being tracked, it should be prohibited by law to track and spy on users. So it should be the responsibility of the government and the law giving institutions like congress or who ever this does in the US. Europe already has "some" laws in place but they are not as effective as they could be, but at least we have some laws in place.

[u/TheAtomicMango]

I disagree that we won’t get ‘burnt out’ from technology.

More importantly, we forget that social media is a complete experiment, and we have absolutely no idea what it does long-term to the brain.

Until we know the long-term effects, we can’t determine if it’s a benefit or net negative economically, which would cause it to be banned quickly if it wasn’t beneficial.

[u/CCPareNazies → u/TheAtomicMango]

I agree that social media is, in many ways, an experiment—we don’t yet fully understand its long-term effects, and different jurisdictions are tackling it in various ways.

While I share concerns about its impact on children, I see government abuse of privacy to undermine civil rights as a far more existential threat. As for economic incentives driving policy, they don’t always hold sway. After all, alcohol is legal in most places despite contributing almost exclusively to economic harm.

[u/ColdInMinnesooota]

"We’ve seen that organized action works:"

Let's be real here - a lot of the intel community does whatever they want and justifies it after. They even have a technique for covering up various technologies that they don't want publicly known - (otherwise known as parallel construction)

The point being there are probably a lot of people here - including myself - which basically assume we are being lied to on most things that could benefit the intel community. They've shown time and time again they'll just break the law and lie about it afterwards, then wait a few years / decades for the truth to be slowly released - (which is basically snowden's story, let alone what they were doing before the patriot act was even passed)

If you want some fun reading, read up on what the former directors of the fbi - particularly hoover - have been caught doing. or read up on michael flynn and how he was entrapped. (i basically despise this guy and his party, but what the fbi did to him was bullshit)

and private? well it's hard to argue that the "alphabet" agencies aren't basically an arm of the government now. again most will simply do whatever they want until they get caught - and if illegal, they just do it abroad (cough cough gain of function research)

EFF is meh - they're better than nothing, but even their framing on the regulatory environment really wouldn't change much if they had their way -

the point i'm making here is that with our current imbalances in society unless 100x more people started protesting in the streets, not much will change - i mean look at reddit and how astroturfed / botted out it is. and because more are concerned with survival, thinking about privacy becomes a luxury belief.

[u/wildgunhuang]

What if a person living in a country governed by the first three letters of OP's ID?

Almost just WeChat.

WeChat is the smartphone ,WeChat is ALL(to many people).

[u/CCPareNazies → u/wildgunhuang]

Migrate.