High Tech Trouble: What Is ‘Tracking’ and How Does It Work?

A lawyer’s warning that by claiming they don’t know how it works, ‘people’ are circumventing your Fourth Amendment rights

The ‘phishing’ calls everyone receives today is causing Americans to question who is getting their personal information and how.

There are a few ‘fixes’ for this, Incogni among them.

Today’s world is an interesting one that blends the legal with the illegal, the ‘target’ with the innocent, the consumer with ‘fair game’. How safe are your phones? Your emails? Your text messages?

How does ‘policy’ compare with ‘lawful and legal’ violation of privacy rights? Have you ever wondered how all those ‘marketing’ companies obtain all of your private information? What can people do when 15 of 20 calls are scams — many of them with no one on the line? No legitimate call back number? No legitimate product?

Who is releasing all of this information and what, finally, is the purpose of it?

Unless the state you live in limits who — and how — this information can be obtained [much less used], it’s pretty much open season on consumers. A Bill currently before Congress is the Call Sim Technology Bill [HR6194]. If it passes, restrictions can and hopefully will apply to the use of this technology against law abiding citizens.

To date, federal employees including the ATF, the IRS and others are currently using this technology against Americans — and unless the Bill [identified as HR6194] passes they can continue to do so. As it stands, no valid reason is required before using this technology to violate peoples’ privacy rights with little to no oversight whatsoever.

What if you happen to hold opinions or ideas that some might see as ‘outside’ the scope of what they want you to hold?

Perhaps you consider yourself to be of a particular religious belief system. Maybe you volunteer to pray publicly for a particular cause. You might belong to an organization [past or present] that has fallen from grace or you supported a candidate, financially or otherwise, and that person is has become a social piranha because of their views or opinions.

All these and more can be considered ‘justification’ for using technological advancements in a way that violates Fourth Amendment rights to privacy.

For the good of all — law enforcement and government officials, included — these issues require thoughtful consideration with an eye towards the future.

What kind of a world do we want for future generations?