So this is the second time I am writing this as the first time I lost everything due to … A sudden loss of internet and a dropping out of my entire comment on the video, which was against the government. Ron asked me if I thought it was deliberate and I am not such a conspiracy theorist yet … but it was weird timing.
The point I was making is he is correct that all our data is already collected by every social media, every news sites … if I don’t want to give a news site permission to all data on my computer or every other website I visit they block me. It is why I don’t post from them. And the same with one of my favorite news sources for in depth information, they demand others to register or pay with them, so I have stopped sharing them. Any way I won’t retype all I wrote, my hands are sore and I have so much more to get to. The video is here. If you want to see through the political attempt to hold down the progressive youth vote watch the video. Time moves on and societies progress. Hugs. Scottie
Scottie's Playtime 
Perhaps you and I use different news sites (I’m not into social media sites because every one of them can be very toxic) but none that I visit on a regular or semi regular basis blocks me. I don’t block their ads as it’s a necessary source of revenue for them, but then I never ever click on ads even if I think they may be of interest. Some sites do limit the number of articles that can be read or the number of visits before restricting access, and when that happens I delete all the cookies related to that specific site, so in effect the “clock” is resets.
Paywalls are another matter, legitimate and shouldn’t compromise your privacy. I understand why they choose this financial model, but it’s not one I support. But I do not believe they are used to gather private data of subscribers. With the upcoming demise of the entire news platform of one major television network and severe news cutbacks, especially investigative reporting, in every media platform in this country a new model for funding news gathering and dissemination is urgently required.
No browser will allow carte blanche access to everything on your computer or internet capable device, They are not in themselves spyware. Judging from permission requests when installing new apps, Android and I presume iPhone apps seem to be able to access more of the host system than does software on Windows, Mac and Linux systems, which is one reason why I’ll never give up my Linux powered desktop and laptop.
I spent my entire working career in IT (commencing in 1966 and spanning more than 50 years), and still dabble in it part time today, so perhaps I’m more conscious of potential security threats than most people and know how to minimise potential risks. The wife is a constant worry as she seems to have virtually no awareness of potential dangers, no matter how often I demonstrate them At least she now knows to ask me even when she sure it’s safe (it’s usually not), so that’s something 🧑💻
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Hi Barry. Yes I run it the only so many articles also and I do what you do, clean the cookies.
I also have news site I can access on my iPhone and iPad that I can not on my desk top. The Washington Post I can read on my phone / tablet and only sometimes on my desk if I go right away to it. But if I post the link, wait a day then try, I can not get it to open. Some social media sites are the same way, for example Instagram won’t let me open it on my desktop but will on the phone / tablet.
I think I know the answer why. I run two programs Norton ultimate utilities and Ashampoo WinOptimizer 26 that have privacy / security settings that automatically shut off some windows data or identifying information. One even shuts down the time sync setting claiming it is a privacy / security issues. I think it is because of this and I have the blockers that come with the NordVPN. That blocks ads and trackers, which I with my ad blocker I let some non-
third party adverts, just none from a third party or any that track across websites. So I think that is what keeps me from web pages. Plus I hate to have to create an account with a newspaper website just to read the story when I can look up the headline as you once suggested to Nan and read the information.
Barry I wish I had done what you did and learn IT and network management. I never had the chance for higher education. In fact my graduation from a private church school was technically fudged. My education was so bad / spotty when I got there that as a 12th grader I was placed in 10th grade classes and needed to be given half the work as the rest of the class along with extra tutoring. How I passed I don’t know. Best Wishes. Scottie
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I joined the workforce in 1966 without anything other than NZ School Cerificate which was sat in year 11 (here we start school on the day we turn 5 years old). It was a time of a labour shortage – I applied for 6 jobs and was accepted for every one! Those were the day when qualifications were very much job related and good employers ensured you gained the necessary qualifications which they paid for. When I started work there were no university degrees directly related to IT.
I spent 34 years working for the same company and on average I spent 500 hours per year on training courses. So I’m very grateful to my employers for the training and qualifications I gained. I specialised in ATMs, banking systems and supermarket systems
However as an undiagnosed autistic and as my work become more people orientated rather then hardware and software related, I came under stress I could not manage and was forced to take early retirement at age 50 in 1999. Since then I have run a small internet hosting service, which while not exactly being profitable keeps my mind active and relatively up to date with the internet.
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