Recently... I encountered the Latest in a Series of Actions being adopted almost across the board by all manner of places on the Internet that have required that I perform the following actions I deem are really being applied against all of my self interest in trying to maintain my On Line Privacy as much as possible:
(1) Using DuckDuckGo as my Browser and with my PIA, Inc. (Private Internet Access) VPN engaged, I tried Logging On at eBay and received an immediate Warning Box Alert displaying a Phone Number and a Command to "Call This Number".
(2) This launched a "Three Ring Circus" and a flurry of activity that was more like a "Circle J**K" of having to stay on-line endlessly with "The Phone Tree from HELL.." and being only the First Step... would soon completely fail.
(3) When I tried to use an alternate method to actually "Speak to Person"...the same Runaround ensued in which I had to repeatedly provide more and more "Personal" information that included my Cell Phone Number and Home Address, etc. along with the insistence from the "person" aka Corporate Chat-Bot on the other end of the Chat... trying to convince me that "IT" really was Human Being. This approach once again lead to a Complete Failure for being able to Sign On at eBay.
(4) In the interim... Part of their "security assurance" methodology was that they would "send a six digit code" to my otherwise Private Email Account. And what do you know... When I tried to pick up the code at MSN.Com - Outlook... I got a Refusal to Open my Email Account... without First "Provide another Six Digit Code from over to my Alternative Yahoo Email Address." ...WTF!
(5) This Circus continued endlessly by the fact that when I went to Sign On with my Yahoo Mail Account... They stopped the process and informed me that I should, "Look at your MSN Hotmail Email Account for a Verification Code"... and so this Nightmare progressed in this manner... almost all day long....FILLED with these CATCH-22's "For The Sake of Security".
(6) Eventually, I WAS able to penetrate through "The Nine Gates of The Kingdom of Shadows" and actually speak with an Excellent Gentleman who was kind enough to be direct about the following eBay Realities:
(a) If you have an Original eBay Account ... You will no longer be able to use DuckDuckGo as your Browser of Choice.
(b) If you have an Original eBay Account ... You will NOT be allowed to use a Virtual Private Network to obfuscate your Locale.
(c) If you have an Original eBay Account ... You WILL have to update your Account File with even MORE Information.
(d) If your have an Original eBay Account ... You WILL Have to create a Brand New Password.
(e) If you have an Original eBay Account... You MUST Install and Use Google Chrome as your Only Accepted Browser.
I somehow managed to endure all of these absurdities and avoided Chipping my Front Teeth while Gritting them HARD and trying to hold my Tongue... while being subjected to this Brand New Hostage Taking Method for Squeezing Every Last Iota of Privacy out of anyone who decides to visit their eBay Account and do business online through them. And WHAT ELSE could all of this be about? Except a Solid Gold Business Opportunity that is the Guise of a "Wolf In Sheep's Clothing" and what is actually a mere DODGE being used by Big Corporations to get insidiously involved in our lives as deeply as possible, whether we want them there ...or not.
I think that what has happened is that with the advent of Microsoft actually becoming a threat to the "Google Money Machine" for advertisers, etc., ALL Human Beings have become valuable only in the essence of the Data Collection they desire to capture from us ALL... right down to obtaining even our Genetic Code... and then feed this information into the Grist Mill of their latest versions of their Data Hungry AI Programs like Chat-GPT4, BARD and META.
So if you are like-minded in your desire to leave the smallest possible footprint in your wake whenever on-line and henceforth, make any attempts at obfuscating "The Who, What, Where and perhaps even.. The WHY of WHO you are..." Your efforts and abilities to continue to Remain Anonymous in the face of all these Privacy Invasions... is Doomed. :>(
I have no choice now ...but to boot up my computer(s) (sans VPN Protection) and do whatever business I need to conduct (if any at all, from now on) over on eBay ...using the Hated, Data-Mongering Browser called "Google Chrome" and then have to Shut Down my system... Re-Boot back into the PIA - VPN Mode ...and then try to navigate the "Net" via the DuckDuckGo Browser ...without becoming inveigled into giving these BOZOS every last Drop Of My "Information and DATA" Blood.
I do not have a Twitter (X) Account... I do not have a Face-Book Account... and likewise, I have No Other Social Networking Accounts where I would wind up mixing it all up with "The Great Unwashed of The World" leaving a ridiculous "Personal Snail Smear" about myself... covering every single minute of every single day about "What I am Doing... or What are YOU Thinking". I like being a Private Person... So I could not give a Tinker's Damn about the minutiae of anyone else's life because quite frankly... it is NONE of My Business! And Neither is MINE being freely or willingly given... for a Penny ...or a Pound. I'm Very, Very Disappointed that the World has gone on HARD TILT... with the dreadful use of all of these Invasive Technologies that Rob us ALL of having even one scintilla ...of Privacy and Peace.
(1) Using DuckDuckGo as my Browser and with my PIA, Inc. (Private Internet Access) VPN engaged, I tried Logging On at eBay and received an immediate Warning Box Alert displaying a Phone Number and a Command to "Call This Number".
(2) This launched a "Three Ring Circus" and a flurry of activity that was more like a "Circle J**K" of having to stay on-line endlessly with "The Phone Tree from HELL.." and being only the First Step... would soon completely fail.
(3) When I tried to use an alternate method to actually "Speak to Person"...the same Runaround ensued in which I had to repeatedly provide more and more "Personal" information that included my Cell Phone Number and Home Address, etc. along with the insistence from the "person" aka Corporate Chat-Bot on the other end of the Chat... trying to convince me that "IT" really was Human Being. This approach once again lead to a Complete Failure for being able to Sign On at eBay.
(4) In the interim... Part of their "security assurance" methodology was that they would "send a six digit code" to my otherwise Private Email Account. And what do you know... When I tried to pick up the code at MSN.Com - Outlook... I got a Refusal to Open my Email Account... without First "Provide another Six Digit Code from over to my Alternative Yahoo Email Address." ...WTF!
(5) This Circus continued endlessly by the fact that when I went to Sign On with my Yahoo Mail Account... They stopped the process and informed me that I should, "Look at your MSN Hotmail Email Account for a Verification Code"... and so this Nightmare progressed in this manner... almost all day long....FILLED with these CATCH-22's "For The Sake of Security".
(6) Eventually, I WAS able to penetrate through "The Nine Gates of The Kingdom of Shadows" and actually speak with an Excellent Gentleman who was kind enough to be direct about the following eBay Realities:
(a) If you have an Original eBay Account ... You will no longer be able to use DuckDuckGo as your Browser of Choice.
(b) If you have an Original eBay Account ... You will NOT be allowed to use a Virtual Private Network to obfuscate your Locale.
(c) If you have an Original eBay Account ... You WILL have to update your Account File with even MORE Information.
(d) If your have an Original eBay Account ... You WILL Have to create a Brand New Password.
(e) If you have an Original eBay Account... You MUST Install and Use Google Chrome as your Only Accepted Browser.
I somehow managed to endure all of these absurdities and avoided Chipping my Front Teeth while Gritting them HARD and trying to hold my Tongue... while being subjected to this Brand New Hostage Taking Method for Squeezing Every Last Iota of Privacy out of anyone who decides to visit their eBay Account and do business online through them. And WHAT ELSE could all of this be about? Except a Solid Gold Business Opportunity that is the Guise of a "Wolf In Sheep's Clothing" and what is actually a mere DODGE being used by Big Corporations to get insidiously involved in our lives as deeply as possible, whether we want them there ...or not.
I think that what has happened is that with the advent of Microsoft actually becoming a threat to the "Google Money Machine" for advertisers, etc., ALL Human Beings have become valuable only in the essence of the Data Collection they desire to capture from us ALL... right down to obtaining even our Genetic Code... and then feed this information into the Grist Mill of their latest versions of their Data Hungry AI Programs like Chat-GPT4, BARD and META.
So if you are like-minded in your desire to leave the smallest possible footprint in your wake whenever on-line and henceforth, make any attempts at obfuscating "The Who, What, Where and perhaps even.. The WHY of WHO you are..." Your efforts and abilities to continue to Remain Anonymous in the face of all these Privacy Invasions... is Doomed. :>(
I have no choice now ...but to boot up my computer(s) (sans VPN Protection) and do whatever business I need to conduct (if any at all, from now on) over on eBay ...using the Hated, Data-Mongering Browser called "Google Chrome" and then have to Shut Down my system... Re-Boot back into the PIA - VPN Mode ...and then try to navigate the "Net" via the DuckDuckGo Browser ...without becoming inveigled into giving these BOZOS every last Drop Of My "Information and DATA" Blood.
I do not have a Twitter (X) Account... I do not have a Face-Book Account... and likewise, I have No Other Social Networking Accounts where I would wind up mixing it all up with "The Great Unwashed of The World" leaving a ridiculous "Personal Snail Smear" about myself... covering every single minute of every single day about "What I am Doing... or What are YOU Thinking". I like being a Private Person... So I could not give a Tinker's Damn about the minutiae of anyone else's life because quite frankly... it is NONE of My Business! And Neither is MINE being freely or willingly given... for a Penny ...or a Pound. I'm Very, Very Disappointed that the World has gone on HARD TILT... with the dreadful use of all of these Invasive Technologies that Rob us ALL of having even one scintilla ...of Privacy and Peace.
