Privacy for me has been incredibly rewarding, but when talking to people who haven’t been introduced to privacy, there are occasionally some moments that make it exhausting. One conversation in particular is one that I’ve had to go through dozens of times, and it always goes along these lines:

  • Alice: Why is your phone in airplane mode? / What’s your phone number?
  • Bob: I don’t have a carrier.
  • Alice: But you have a phone.
  • Bob: Yes.
  • Alice: How do you not have a carrier?
  • Bob: Phones can come without a carrier.
  • Alice: What do you use it for?
  • Bob: Everything you use yours for.
  • Alice: How do you talk to people?
  • Bob: Messaging apps over Wi-Fi.
  • Alice: What if you don’t have Wi-Fi?
  • Bob: Public Wi-Fi is everywhere. If I don’t have Wi-Fi, I likely don’t need to get in touch.
  • Alice: What about emergencies?
  • Bob: I can still contact emergency services.

Each time it happens, it has a unique flavor. One person accused me of lying and then fraud. I know people are just curious and don’t mean to be rude, but it makes me die a little inside every time someone asks. I’ve begun trying to sidestep the conversation entirely:

  • Alice: Why is your phone in airplane mode?
  • Bob: To save battery.

or:

  • Alice: What’s your phone number?
  • Bob: You can contact me with an app called Signal.

People seem to think that a phone automatically comes with a carrier and that it’ll stop working if you don’t have one. In reality, I’m saving hundreds of dollars per year while avoiding spam, fraud, breaches, surveillance, and being chronically online. People have a hard time coping with those who do things a little differently.

  • The 8232 Project@lemmy.mlOP
    8·
    9 hours ago

    Wait, you need a phone # for signal…i thought.

    You do. You can sign up with a VoIP number or a burner phone.

    Also, this method only works for people in massive cities (1mil+). Less than that good luck getting wifi.

    I don’t need to stay constantly connected. Even when Wi-Fi is available, I rarely have the need to use it.

    That is too much of a massive convenience for little gain, if they want to find you, they will.

    People have different threat models, so it’s not for everyone, but it’s certainly worth it for me.

    They’ll just tap into your family or your neighbors phone.

    And find what? Encrypted Signal messages?

    Say you get lost or run out of gas.

    GPS works without cellular, and I cycle instead of driving.

    Gonna a call 911 every time that happens?

    I can borrow someone else’s phone or keep an emergency phone switched off until it’s needed.

    What if youre on the way to a friend’s house and they call and tell you they have to cancel or they need you to pick up something for them?

    Stuff happens. If I really need to stay connected, I can use an external hotspot.

    Yes, I lived before cell phones were a thing. But I cant imagine many people would put up with you.

    If it’s that big of a deal that someone won’t associate with me, that is entirely their problem. It’s rarely ever an inconvenience for them.

    • bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works
      53·
      9 hours ago

      So everyone you interact with uses signal, and no other Google apps, they all have rooted phones and no smart tvs etc? You avoid all traffic cameras and ring doorbells/other people’s phone cameras/microphones?

      I find this hard to believe, or you are a real life 007!

      Also im not being an ass if it sounded like it, im genuinely intrigued by this. I would be a hermit if I lived like that.

      • The 8232 Project@lemmy.mlOP
        9·
        9 hours ago

        So everyone you interact with uses signal, and no other Google apps, they all have rooted phones and no smart tvs etc? You avoid all traffic cameras and ring doorbells/other people’s phone cameras/microphones?

        Privacy is not about absolutism. You do what you can within your threat model to stay protected.

        • bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works
          33·
          8 hours ago

          Sure I get that. But youre going to a lot of trouble to not actually be very secure in the grand scheme. At most, you are making the advertisers .0000001 cent less per year vs if you used big tech junk. Unless youre convincing 10,000 others to step back into 1991, its not making a difference. (Im all for that if you have the time machine btw!)

          Hey man if you got time and energy for it, keep on it! I truly like interacting with such different people on here, its awesome.

          • The 8232 Project@lemmy.mlOP
            5·
            8 hours ago

            At most, you are making the advertisers .0000001 cent less per year vs if you used big tech junk. Unless youre convincing 10,000 others to step back into 1991, its not making a difference.

            It actually makes a much bigger difference than you think. I remember a site that showed how much advertisers made off of you while you’ve been viewing, but I can’t seem to find it. They make dollars off of you every second. Ad blocking alone has made so much of a difference that YouTube has tried intentionally slowing down their service to ad block users as a way to discourage it. I have no better way to show you how big of an impact it actually makes. Even in your own life, using a password manager can save yourself from getting hacked. This thread isn’t really for fighting about why privacy is important, but there’s plenty of other sources talking about it.

            • bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works
              12·
              8 hours ago

              I can see that i guess. I wont use the internet without ad blockers.

              Good guides, ive read a few of those. The journey is slow! But I figure as long as I have a Samsung android phone, im screwed privacy wise even if all my pcs run linux. So its either live with a neutered linux phone or this. Maybe the lightphone would work but it would have to actually work with all the banking, airplane, and hotel apps that are all proprietary and usually require Google play store. They got us pinned down man. Unless you live in a cave and never venture out.

              • The 8232 Project@lemmy.mlOP
                4·
                8 hours ago

                So its either live with a neutered linux phone or this. Maybe the lightphone would work but it would have to actually work with all the banking, airplane, and hotel apps that are all proprietary and usually require Google play store.

                GrapheneOS is a hardened version of Android that removes the privacy invasive elements. You can still optionally install Google Play Services if you need to install apps from there, but it runs in a sandboxed environment so it doesn’t have the same invasive permissions.