In a private message conversation with a Community participant today we discussed that big brother is watching what we post on our social media. While I cannot imagine that the government doesn’t have anything better to do than watch my news feed for the latest pictures of my granddaughter and my puppies, or what recipe I want to try for Christmas morning with my kids this year, I know that there’s something watching my posts and internet searches.
The USCCA Community was even tagged in the article:
Likewise, when commenting on any online forum, we should always remind ourselves that it is no different from being on radio or TV. A whole host of people are listening, many of whom are hoping for a way to use our own words against us.
Be smart with your words and searches!
Have you ever had your phone’s web browser search suggest something you were just talking about? What did it suggest? (Please keep it PG-13 )
This just happened to me the other day when we were talking about taking our dogs to a dog park. I’m a few days late on giving them their flea and tick treatment so I told my boyfriend I didn’t want to take them until I gave them the treatment. I was going to search how exact you have to be with those treatments and this is how far I got:
Happens All The Time. I get suggested posts to read about shooting skills. Ads for Midway and Optics Planet (often to a particular item I’ve looked at or already bought).
Searches, posts here, PMs, searches on my work or home desktop. Yep. They’re all connected.
I deleted EVERYTHING Google. I use DuckDuckGo as a safe browser and Waze for my driving directions. Facebook, and LinkedIn account details deleted and then closed account and deleted the apps. Life still goes on rather well, maybe better.
The only issue now is here. I am sure it would be easy for someone to pay the fee and pose as “member” just to use it against people if they wanted. I feel I need to be very cautious here about what I post. And, the justice department could probably subpoena the USCCA for member data. @Dawn Right or wrong? Just want to know.
Facebook absolutely picks up on things spoken. To date I’ve not had a conversation about manscaping downstairs at work, however a couple of coworkers did in the security office where I keep my phone. I have been getting ads on Facebook for products for just such a purpose.
Since switching to Duckduckgo I’ve been getting a lot less ads based on my searches though. No more finding something on Amazon and then getting ads for it for a month.
This Community is open to the public as well - the USCCA’s goal with the Community is a common area for education and some training for everyone.
I wouldn’t be able to talk to the subpoena question as I don’t know the details of how that would work here - and it’s a public forum so whatever you post is open to the public.
That being said, @TexasEskimo, your social posts can be used against you but they can also be used for you. Your attorney can show that you have continually learned and trained. You comments can show that you don’t want to ever have to use your firearm, but after doing everything you could to avoid bad situations, someone else attacked you and you used your last resort to defend yourself - because you had no other choice.
@Dawn
Thank you, well said. It’s all pretty relative since I lost all my 3D printed guns, hunting knives, rocks, and my entire thermonuclear arsenal in that boating accident last week. I still have my F/A 18 Hornet with JDAMs. Forgot to ask before I joined, is it covered in my Elite membership?
Yup. I had been blasting Nike over the Collin Craponastick kneeling controversy. I started getting ads for Merrell shoes. Actually worked in my favor. Merrell are really comfortable shoes. Then, I started researching 4H rifle instructor, and ads popped up for 4H.
Dude at work was complaining that his spoons were slowly disappearing from the lunch room. He had brought 6 to work and he was down to 2 […] Every time someone sent him an email, at the bottom, in white text (i.e. invisible unless highlighted), everyone would write “SPOON SPOON SPOON SPOON SPOON SPOON SPOON”.
We all did this for several weeks (he had a gmail account) and that’s when he started losing his mind: every website he visited had ads for spoons and flatware! He thought google was reading his mind.
A month ago I needed to take my favorite watch in for a new band. I purchased the watch from a local jeweler over 20 years ago and he could do the work so there was no reason to do any internet searching or send e-mails etc. So a day after dropping off the watch I start getting e-mails from Amazon offering me watch bands, and other ads for jewelers in the area where my watch was being serviced. They have to be collecting the GPS and listening with the phone? …and now I look forward to all those cute pictures of cats wearing tin-foil hats