I’ve heard it all on my national radio show. There was the guy totally freaked out because too many strangers in public knew his name for it to be a coincidence. (His name was Buddy.)
There was a woman who swore one of Metallica’s band members hacked her iPhone to stalk her after she rejected him online. And another who bought and sold three cars because she thought they all had hidden trackers.
They all ask the same question: “Is it me or is someone/something tracking everything I do on my device?”
Tracking happens, no doubt, and it’s getting worse, given how easy these tools are for anyone to use. But I also know sometimes, it’s paranoia at work. Before you panic, let’s talk through a few scenarios.
I was talking to my husband about taking a hiking trip in Patagonia. I walked upstairs, sat at my laptop, and travel ads for a Patagonian getaway were on my screen. Tech companies insist this is a coincidence.
If you don’t want to believe Big Tech (I don’t blame you), take privacy into your own hands. Skip the smart speaker or turn off its microphone when it’s not in use. On your phone or computer, pop into your settings to turn off your mic for specific apps and sites, or force your device to ask you each time before enabling it.
Dana called my show with a frightening story. Her daughter is a college student who was afraid to leave the house because unknown numbers sent her threatening texts no matter where she went. “They know what time we eat dinner, our workplaces and our schedules,” Dana told me.
This case was true harassment. I called Ricoh Danielson, a friend of the show and digital forensics expert, who helped track down the guy. Turns out, it was someone Dana’s daughter had talked to on a dating app. Here are Danielson’s tips for if something like this happens to your family.
I once had a caller concerned Google knew his schedule too well. A few weekends in a row, he drove to his son’s house to mow his lawn while his son was out of town. The following Saturday, a pop-up from Google Maps told him how long it’d take to get to his son’s home in current traffic.
I often hear from people who suspect someone is spying in their inbox, tracking their phone or watching their security cams. You name it. Sometimes, I think there’s paranoia adding fuel to the fire. Others, I am sure the caller is right.
Open/download audioIs it protection or paranoia? The head of the FBI has warned that the Chinese government may be spying on U.S. citizens who use smartphones made by Huawei or ZTE. Both makers deny the surveillance, but the idea of cyber snooping comes with precedence.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
🌍 Tech tremors: A 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Taiwan briefly shut down the world’s largest chipmaker, TSMC. The quake killed nine, injured over 900, and sparked supply-chain paranoia from cars to smartphones. News sites are buzzing with clickbait about how this event will cause a chip shortage. TSMC is already up and running again, though, with minimal damage.
The spread of the novel coronavirus out of China has shocked the world and led to a rise in travel restrictions, quarantines and paranoia. With cases emerging across the globe, people are rightfully scared about how bad the outbreak could become over the course of the year.
