Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

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Cyril Haearn
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

I wondered about getting another phone with another number, using that for wots app ONLY, might that be effective in keeping my secrets?
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geomannie
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by geomannie »

Cyril Haearn wrote: 13 May 2021, 2:04pm My gardening chums have invited me to join a w.a. group but I baulked at the log in, I am invited to allow wa access to my address book etc etc. Is there a way to get round this? Does anyone avoid fb/wa like the plague? Does anyone use them without qualms? What are the alternatives?

I deliberately spelled the names so in the hope of avoiding the data-gathering oktopis
Yes, I avoid all things Facebook for the very reasons you have stated.

I will never give FB my address book or otherwise allow them access to my contact network. I also firewall and script block Facebook on my laptop and phone to try to prevent the trackers.

Tell your friends to use the privacy friendly SIgnal https://signal.org/en/ rather than WhatsApp. They will resist but keep at them and they will hopefully give in (eventually).
geomannie
Jdsk
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by Jdsk »

If I had to use WhatsApp and bought a separate 'phone for the purpose and wanted it to be as confidential as possible then I'd turn off location sharing.

Jonathan
Jdsk
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by Jdsk »

geomannie wrote: 14 May 2021, 7:21pmTell your friends to use the privacy friendly SIgnal https://signal.org/en/ rather than WhatsApp. They will resist but keep at them and they will hopefully give in (eventually).
Good advice.

Jonathan
Psamathe
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by Psamathe »

Cyril Haearn wrote: 14 May 2021, 7:01pm I wondered about getting another phone with another number, using that for wots app ONLY, might that be effective in keeping my secrets?
With WhatsApp you have something of a problem as, suppose your real number is 01111 111111 and your WhatsApp phone is number 02222 222222 then your contacts would all be putting 0222 222222 into their address books against your name and ... WhatsApp know all about you. And depending on how careful your contacts are you risk finding them using 02222 222222 as you phone number for normal GSM calls so you're carrying two phones around or missing calls to the wrong phone. End up like the Cambodian mobile network (where people/companies carry 3 mobiles around and have learnt which dial code prefixes are which networks and select which phone to use depending on who they are calling!)

Is your phone a Dual SIM phone? (eSIM plus physical SIM). I use my eSIM for my main number (GSM) and the physical SIM keeps switching to different SIMs (often non-UK burner SIMs).

For quite some time I was using Signal without my true mobile but over time I gained enough confidence in it that I switched to my real phone number. But you can register for Signal with any phone number you have access to (long term) e.g. your landline. It's not like WhatsApp and it doesn't read your mobile number and want to update Zukkenberg if you change, etc..

Depending on who you are using Signal with there can be benefits from using your real mobile number as Signal will recognise contacts who are also on Signal and they will recognise you automatically but only if you use a real number (it does this without uploading any real phone numbers so completely confidential https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/art ... -contacts-.

Ian
Last edited by Psamathe on 14 May 2021, 9:09pm, edited 1 time in total.
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Thanks very much, I think it is a dual card phone but I need to get a new one soon

Not so worried about being tracked, I nearly always leave my phone at home :wink:
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ClappedOut
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by ClappedOut »

Facebook is a narcissistic paradise, those with least to say shout the loudest.
Whatapp until blocked for refusing updated terms is tolerable.

I don’t like the 24/7 expectation or an instant response or a school playground meltdown to gain attention.

I feel message boards and email, allow sender to send at a convenient time and the recipient to reply at a convenient point.

I don’t like my work phone all hours as getting Monday morning work at Fri 8pm when they could have sent it Saturday morning, after a hard week- I just want some time with family to unwind.

I don’t think instant gratification is always helpful.

Like the comment about 1500 Facebook friends, how many would you give a key to your house to, they are acquaintances.
Psamathe
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by Psamathe »

ClappedOut wrote: 14 May 2021, 9:35pm .....
I don’t like my work phone all hours as getting Monday morning work at Fri 8pm when they could have sent it Saturday morning, after a hard week- I just want some time with family to unwind.
.....
In my working time I used to get called every couple of weeks on my phone phone early hours of the morning (between 2:00am and 4:00am) for support by one customer. Or the time I was having a rare holiday offshore racing Cork Week and playing pre-start manoeuvres (close proximity in a 12m OOD) after 5 minute start warning gun (in effect the race starts at the 10 min warning gun) my mobile rings, customer with questions whilst I'm helming trying to watch and avoid the others, position and timing for the start line boom crashing around each gybe and tack, shouting instructions to the crew until I did then "not terribly convenient right now" to which I got "oh, I wondered what all the background noise was".

Ian
ClappedOut
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by ClappedOut »

Psamathe wrote: 14 May 2021, 9:47pm
ClappedOut wrote: 14 May 2021, 9:35pm .....
I don’t like my work phone all hours as getting Monday morning work at Fri 8pm when they could have sent it Saturday morning, after a hard week- I just want some time with family to unwind.
.....
In my working time I used to get called every couple of weeks on my phone phone early hours of the morning (between 2:00am and 4:00am) for support by one customer. Or the time I was having a rare holiday offshore racing Cork Week and playing pre-start manoeuvres (close proximity in a 12m OOD) after 5 minute start warning gun (in effect the race starts at the 10 min warning gun) my mobile rings, customer with questions whilst I'm helming trying to watch and avoid the others, position and timing for the start line boom crashing around each gybe and tack, shouting instructions to the crew until I did then "not terribly convenient right now" to which I got "oh, I wondered what all the background noise was".

Ian
For me the weekend is spent with family unless as I used to do technical support call out work at weekends, the money was nice- but I never felt the time was my own & even booked off work I got calls all hours of the day.

Monday’s job needs a survey, I have no access until 8am Monday and I don’t see the benefit of a discussion about work with no answers.

I’ve started letting it go to answer phone.

:lol: :lol:

Not a big alcohol drinker, but a nice bottle something from a customer sitting on the side so may indulge 🥃 a glass as not had it before.
drossall
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by drossall »

Psamathe wrote: 14 May 2021, 10:17amBut what about all those other people in your address book who do care and have not agreed to you sharing their data for Facebook's profits.
For me, this is the big hole in privacy legislation. That gives me control over what happens to my data when I interact with Web sites. But none at all over all the friends who are enthusiastically uploading their address books, and my data, to sites such as WhatsApp. Facebook isn't so bad from this perspective, in that I really have to have an account there to feature, so at least I have a modicum of control.

Like the OP, I resisted WhatsApp for ages, but I had to give in because of groups who use it to plan things to which I belong. For that matter, it was only really my cycling club that sucked me eventually into Facebook.

At least most of my email contacts are in an address book on the PC, in an obscure email program that Facebook is never going to access. But phone numbers of course are in my mobile. Not in the standard address book, but I think close enough to mean that Facebook probably finds them.
Last edited by drossall on 15 May 2021, 8:07am, edited 1 time in total.
ClappedOut
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by ClappedOut »

Facebook for me is 1984 surveillance with a fun twist allowing vacuous people to exhibit their dull lives, classic is holiday posts and house robbed :lol:

I like privacy of closing the door to the World, not getting stalked by Facebook.
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Cowsham
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by Cowsham »

Cyril Haearn wrote: 14 May 2021, 7:01pm I wondered about getting another phone with another number, using that for wots app ONLY, might that be effective in keeping my secrets?
Yes a another phone is a great idea but it's too much hassle carrying two phones about.
Buy a payg sim card - put a 10er on it and register the app on that. Then change back to your old sim and keep the payg sim in a safe place -- eg in your wallet - preferably on your person so you can reach for it if there's any need to get a text from the app to confirm id etc.
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simonineaston
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by simonineaston »

The motto is thus: If the app is free, it's because you are the product...
S
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Jdsk
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by Jdsk »

simonineaston wrote: 15 May 2021, 5:15pm The motto is thus: If the app is free, it's because you are the product...
Great reminder.

And, as above, it partly explains why not all suppliers are the same. For example Apple has other sources of revenue.

Jonathan
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Re: Farce boek, whotsapp: Why, why not?

Post by Bonefishblues »

Cowsham wrote: 15 May 2021, 3:16pm
Cyril Haearn wrote: 14 May 2021, 7:01pm I wondered about getting another phone with another number, using that for wots app ONLY, might that be effective in keeping my secrets?
Yes a another phone is a great idea but it's too much hassle carrying two phones about.
Buy a payg sim card - put a 10er on it and register the app on that. Then change back to your old sim and keep the payg sim in a safe place -- eg in your wallet - preferably on your person so you can reach for it if there's any need to get a text from the app to confirm id etc.
Dual SIM phone, shirley?
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