Anonymity in the modern metropolis

A modern metropolis is a gigantic and complex organism, permeated through and through by information flows. Information makes it more efficient, but at the same time creates potential privacy problems for its inhabitants, who are often unaware of surveillance.

This article is about what data is collected, in what ways and how to protect yourself from it.

Why bother with your privacy and anonymity at all? I often hear statements like “I have no one to hide from” or “I have nothing to fear.”
There are three main reasons:

Information

Who owns the information – he owns the world. The custodian of information (for example, the state or a private data operator) has an additional leverage over a person, which can be used at the right time. It is extremely important if you are a political or social activist, or if your business is of interest to someone.

Human factor

No matter how the data operator assures you that all data is completely safe, people work with this data in one way or another, and sometimes these people do not disdain illegal side work – the so-called “breakthrough”. This is how a black market for data emerges, where you can now buy information for almost any person. Anyone can do this, be it another scammer or a neighbor who harbors a grudge against you.

Identification errors

If the face recognition system mistakes you for a wanted person, you are likely to run into trouble – at least, you will be detained. Despite the extremely small percentage of false positives, precedents do happen from time to time.

This article describes only the methods of so-called global or mass surveillance, which is directed against an unlimited number of people, and does not consider methods of targeted surveillance. If you are paranoid following all the recommendations, this does not mean that you are not being followed at all, you may be of targeted interest to someone.