I configured networks before you had email. I know what these systems can do.
Let me tell you something about phone listening surveillance that Big Tech doesn’t want you to understand: your smartphone is recording everything you say. Furthermore, it’s transmitting that data to servers you’ve never heard of, where algorithms are building a profile of your life. I know this because I worked in network administration for twenty-two years. I saw things. Consequently, I don’t own a smartphone. I haven’t owned one since 2014.
My phone is a Samsung flip phone from 2009. It makes calls. It receives calls. But it does not listen to me discuss my medical conditions, my political views, or my breakfast preferences. When I want to use the internet, I use a 2016 ThinkPad running Linux—with tape over the webcam, obviously. Furthermore, I keep it in a Faraday bag when not in use. These precautions might seem extreme. They’re only extreme if you don’t know what I know.
The phone listening surveillance infrastructure was built gradually. First they gave you convenience. Then they gave you dependency. Now they have everything.
What I Saw In Those Server Rooms
From 1992 to 2014, I managed networks for three different companies. I understand how data flows through systems. I understand packet switching, TCP/IP protocols, and the basic architecture of surveillance. Some of my knowledge may be slightly outdated—technology changes fast—but the *principles* remain the same. Data goes somewhere. And someone is looking at it.
My wife Carol tolerates my precautions. We have no smart speakers, no smart TVs, no smart refrigerators. Our thermostat is from 1987 and works fine. When I explain phone listening surveillance to her, she nods and continues her crossword puzzle. She uses a smartphone, which concerns me. However, I’ve accepted that I cannot save everyone.
I pay for everything in cash. Credit cards create records. Debit cards create records. Even those “convenient” payment apps—especially those. As Brent Flagstone recently noted, they’re training us to accept surveillance as normal. The grocery store knows what I eat, but they don’t know *when* I eat it, because I pay in cash and I vary my shopping times. Small victories.
The New Threats I Don’t Fully Understand
Since I left the industry in 2014, phone listening surveillance has only gotten worse. There’s something called “the cloud” now that I find deeply concerning. There’s artificial intelligence that can apparently predict your behavior. There are “cookies” that track you across websites—I disable those, though I’m not entirely sure how they work anymore. The technology has evolved, but my vigilance hasn’t wavered.
Some younger people tell me that my concerns are outdated. They say modern encryption protects their data. They also said Y2K wouldn’t be a problem, and I spent months preparing for that. Better safe than sorry. I may not understand exactly how TikTok works, but I know it’s Chinese, and that’s enough for me.
My hardened setup has served me well. No data breaches. No identity theft. No targeted ads, because I don’t see ads, because I use a browser called Lynx that only displays text. My system still runs perfectly fine, even if certain websites say it’s “not supported.” Those websites are probably surveillance fronts anyway.
The phone listening surveillance apparatus grows every day. Your phone heard you read that sentence. Mine didn’t, because it’s in a Faraday bag in a drawer, doing what phones should do: nothing.
You can’t say I didn’t warn you. I paid cash for the stamp.
About the Author
