Examples of passive defenses against surveillance:
- Privacy Badger
- uBlock Origin
- Using open source Linux rather than Microsoft Windows
- etc.
But why not actively combat surveillance instead of passively defending against it? Examples of active combat:
We must poison the data of those who are violating our privacy. Let us waste their time, increase their data storage costs, and waste their processing power. Let them drown in an ocean of data. Let them search for tiny needles in huge haystacks, with no way to distinguish between needles and hay.
Some ideas:
- Sending fake data to Google Analytics (How does Google Analytics prevent fake data attacks against an entity’s traffic?)
- Create fake contacts lists to mislead those who are building social network graphs.
- Encrypt lots of worthless data, store them in the cloud or send them by email. If the encrypted data is intercepted by any nosy entity, they will have to waste storage space while waiting to be able to break the encryption.
What are some other possible methods?
Let us turn the tables on those who have been violating our privacy. Why do we have to be on the defense? Let us waste their resources in the same way that they are wasting ours!
oh yeah. never use real information unless you have to. remember how the blues brothers address was wrigley field?
I like the sentiment. The challenge is that those who violate privacy benefit financially, while those who defend against it are just trying to protect themselves. To go on the offensive requires effort and know-how without any corresponding financial or personal benefit. A spite based effort sounds appealing but wouldn’t be sustainable.
This would help them to improve the algorithms and make it worse. An active defense could be to keep the ads visible and boycott the announcers, so that they lose more money when they pay for advertising.
