Menowercogitatus; Cognitive Liberty - The Micro

This is the second of a two-post focus on how our technology is increasingly inveigling its way into our brains. Part one was yesterday's post (hint hint). 

Okay, we know that virtually everything we do on our computers and, particularly, our oh-so-smart telephones now has the potential to be tracked. It would be easy to get depressed about it all, dump it, and head for the hills. That solves nothing, however. 

The simple truth is that we, as individuals, are highly unlikely to be targeted by any 'superpower' seeking to wage war upon us. In our daily interactions with our tech, the main issue is basic privacy and the attack upon our ability to make our own choices. In the great move to user-friendly interfaces, there has been a standardisation that is both a boon and a bust. The boon is that we can pick up virtually any instrument now and find our way around it due to the standardisation of touch and swipe. The bust comes when we realise how many permissions are snuck in that we may not be aware of. What is required is that we take action to the best of our ability to minimise the impact of those permissions.

Among the various things that came to my notice in this little flurry of technological research was a YouTube channel. "Payette Forward helps solve problems with iPhones, Macs, and [Android] devices, through easy-to-understand articles and helpful videos." They have PLAYLISTS for a lot of the basics I am talking about. Interesting, informative and entertaining.

Yesterday I mentioned 'master and tools'. This is the thing that is perhaps getting a little forgotten as we become ever more immersed in the online world. The chosen instrument is clearly a tool - but so is all the software contained therein. There is a lot of connectivity that simply cannot be switched off by the user, but there is also quite a lot that can be. We have control over the 'permissions' - even when, sometimes, the machine throws back lines such as "if you switch this off, other things might not work." That is a tactic to keep you alive in the system's eyes. Over-ride it. Now I will give you examples from my own stuff - bearing in mind that the OctoKan and the Gopika work in Android mode and are 'synced'; every system works similarly. So you will all be able to find your way to the settings for your laptops, tablets or phones. You will all be able to locate the apps and permissions - they may not always be in the same order or layout, is all. (David and David, in the tubular link I just gave you, have stuff for IOS and Samsung, so give them a watch!) Anyway, here are screenshots from my couple to give you an idea.

A note on incognito mode - if you are unaware, you can select to open each tab in this mode to be more private.
This should definitely be used if you are not on your own machine, regardless of what you are doing.
I use it even on my own machine for things like online shopping, as it helps to cut down the excess cookie activity, and one's browsing cannot be tracked back in the event of someone else thinking to have a gander at your screen.
In Chrome, go to the three dots far right of the tool and search bar; click the incognito tab from the drop-down list.

The top four are from the laptop. Clearly, as it is a Chromebook, the OS will be Chrome - but as mentioned, every OS and browser will have settings you can investigate. Seek out all labels with Privacy, Security, Site Management and such. The last four images are from the phone. Same but different. As you see, every app will have notifications and permissions, and you can choose which ones you wish to have access to these things and by how much. You'll note here that I opt for the location to be requested each time I open the app - because it will not always be necessary to use my location if I am simply browsing. 

Most apps do not need your microphone, camera, or location, so moving these all to the full 'don't allow' or 'ask every time' position is worth it. Also, on the laptop, be sure to sign out of applications and sites not in use... I am thinking of places like Amazon, Quora, Reddit, and any other place that would love to keep you signed on permanently. It is in those that there is an increased risk of privacy being compromised.

Anyway, you're getting the gist by now! Note that you need to go through the procedure with everything; Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook/Instagram... it is worth spending a morning digging into what's on your machines and seeing what permissions are open. When downloading any new apps, you may have to allow permissions to initiate it - but then go into settings immediately and cancel the demands for access to your mic, photos, contacts, location, and whatever else you wish to remain silent. When challenged that adverts may not now be selected for you - say all the better! Don't allow yourself to be funnelled. I mostly don't face ads on the laptop due to using Adblock Plus (other ad-blocking software is available). I will be seeking something similar for the Gopika now.

In a related matter, as one who does a lot of search and research online, it is increasingly important that the suitability and authenticity of the sites I reach as verified. Google is currently updating the search functions it offers to enable a more reliable system. Read about it on The Keyword. There you are, a new site for you to browse!

Circling back to the start of this duet of posts, you'll recall I mentioned the Gopika wanting to monitor my every breath, movement, probably even my 'stooling'... you can well imagine my response to that! That all harks back to what Ms Farahany discusses in her book. While it can seem like a positive, it is also something which is currently unsupervised. This can be problematic. Then there were those earbuds that I was prompted for two or three times before being allowed to actually go to the checkout. Think how close to your brain they are. When I read about the phone alerts the UK government is planning, I couldn't help thinking that if you have earbuds in, that could be painful. Then I thought back to that report from the Chinese Journal of Traumatology. If UKGOV has all our numbers...