A long time ago I decided bumper stickers were a bad idea when they started installing stop light cameras in my area. Little did I know I was preparing for AI.

I really don't know how to fight against this. Computers have become quite scary in the last few years.

In the 1990s and 00s, when computers were fun, and privacy was taken seriously by us nerds. I avoided a lot of state and corporate surveillance by giving stores fake names, phone numbers, etc. I dutifully ensured images of me never saw the internet. Until 2014, I refused to carry a cell phone because they are just tracking devices in a pretty box.

But now... a lot of it just doesn't matter.

Do you have a driver's license? The DMV will helpfully sell your image and information to anyone who pays. https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a32035408/dmv-selling-...

Have a cell phone? Your cell provider will provide real-time tracking to anyone who pays. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=cq2zuE3ISYU...

Have a car? Private license plate readers will transmit the location of your car in real time to anyone who pays. https://www.tracers.com/license-plate-recognition/

Use a credit card? Well... Guess who will sell your purchase history. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mastercard-credit-card-customer...

Have a mortgage? The bank will happily report everything it knows about you to various credit bureaus. (income, payment schedule, interest rate, name, phone, address...) https://www.gao.gov/blog/why-do-banks-share-your-financial-i...

Use Windows, Mac, Android, iOS? Your computer will helpfully report every app run and a log of "telemetry" to Microsoft/Apple/Google.

Have a "smart" tv that you made the mistake of hooking to the internet? Congrats! It will report everything seen on the screen back to home base. https://digiday.com/future-of-tv/wtf-is-automatic-content-re...

I won't even bother to mention social media.

And now we have computers that are "scary smart," able to hook into all these information providers, merge it all together using various data science and AI tricks, and make a scary accurate profile of you.

In turn, I'm having difficulty finding motivation to continue the fight. It feels hopeless to be concerned about privacy if you want to live in the modern world.