Sunday, January 5, 2014

Welcome to Uncommon Privacy

Privacy is not something that I'm merely entitled to, it's an absolute prerequisite.
Marlon Brando
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/privacy.html#TKZkMOs6VqkjgRv1.99

This blog is for people who cherish their privacy and are concerned about losing it.  Each of us already does things to maintain our privacy and protect ourselves.  We seal our mail before we send it.  We close the door before using the restroom.  Many take care when entering our PIN at the ATM.  Some of us guard our social security numbers by asking 'why do you need this' when someone asks.  Privacy makes each of us an individual and is necessary for our own individual well-being and freedom.

If you have been paying any attention to the news lately, you have probably heard news stories about how our privacy is being lost to hackers, websites, IP cams, big box stores, cell phone apps, internet service providers, RF chips, corporations and even our own government.  There are numerous news sources and blogs out there detailing what is happening and many political blogs reflecting why this is happening.  I am not creating this blog to rehash those points.  I am creating this blog to discover answers about exactly what the privacy minded among us can do to maximize our privacy.

This blog cannot succeed with only me looking for solutions.  I hope to gain privacy minded readers who can contribute to the conversation by suggesting ideas of their own, challenging my ideas and or delving deeper into solutions proposed by myself or others.  I would also like to have a dialogue about how someone can get something done privately.  For example, perhaps you want to have Chinese food delivered to someone who lives across the country and you don't want anyone to know who you are, not the Chinese food place and not even the credit card company.  Is this at all possible?  If so, how could it be done?

I will publish guest posts for anyone who writes something up.  Sort of like a guest host on a television show.  If you have ideas and would like them discussed here, please submit them to uncommonprivacy@gmail.com and I will publish them on your behalf, even anonymously if you would prefer.

Everything I plan to post on here and recommend will be legal as far as I know (I am not a lawyer.  I am in the State of Florida so check with your own state to make sure any of these suggestions are legal there).  Anything I believe to be illegal will be indicated as such (such as stealing someone's credit card to order the Chinese food discussed above - obviously a criminal act).  I hope to offer simple, legal, common sense solutions that most anyone can use to protect themselves against the growing number of privacy threats we face each day.

I do not plan on moderating any comments except for three things:

1.  Spam - obviously
2.  Political opinions - there are plenty of political opinion websites out there.  I don't care if it was Bush's fault or Obama's fault or what.  I do care about salient points as to why something is happening but as soon as the conversation turns political I will stop it and ask that it carry on someplace else.
3.  Opinions about Google - I know the company was implicated in the Snowden leaks but they are hosting this blog and I would like for them to continue to do so.

In the coming days I plan on developing a privacy scale rating for recommendations.  The lowest level may offer privacy from your spouse or children, for example, while the highest level would provide privacy from everyone up to and including the government.

Welcome to Uncommon Privacy.

"Privacy is not something I am merely entitled to, it is an absolute prerequisite."  ~Marlon Brando

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