Why to care about privacy after years of sharing data
I used to have a large online presence pre-Snowden leaks and was signed up to hundreds of services, some even in my legal name. Gradually I attempted to &#x27;go dark&#x27; and delete all those accounts, which was tedious, but worth it.<p>There&#x27;s two extremes to being online: you can wear your heart on your shirt sleeve and post under your legal name, and share details about your private life, or you can be a ghost and leave no traces, or at least minimize your footprint.<p>There is this thing: some people are just so famous online, that reverting back to some private mode is nearly impossible for them. They&#x27;re so out there and involved with so many services, that &#x27;going dark&#x27; for them would be very difficult, but there are steps you can take to minimize your footprint. It&#x27;s not too late to take those initial steps.<p>I encourage everyone to attempt to &#x27;go dark&#x27; gradually and make it very expensive for people to dox you. If you turn it into a game, it&#x27;s even better. I said it was tedious, but honestly I kind of like becoming a ghost. I&#x27;m so opaque to big tech now, that it must really piss them off, including dragnet surveillance.<p>It&#x27;s not a life for everyone however, and sometimes I have to participate in big tech like using my smartphone to do online banking, or buying something on Amazon, but 99% of my activities online are all more-or-less anonymous and private now, and I&#x27;m happy with that.