Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: How Do I Reduce Information Leakage From My Personal Devices?
Mattcelt writes: I find that using an ad-blocking hosts file has been one of the most effective way to secure my devices against malware for the past few years. But the sheer number of constantly-shifting server DNs to block means I couldn't possibly manage such a list on my own. And finding out today that Microsoft is, once again, bollocks at privacy (no surprise there) made me think I need to add a new strategic purpose to my hosts solution — specifically, preventing my devices from 'phoning home'. Knowing that my very Operating Systems are working against me in this regard incenses me, and I want more control over who collects my data and how. Does anyone here know of a place that maintains a list of the servers to block if I don't want Google/Apple/Microsoft to receive information about my usage and habits? It likely needs to be documented so certain services can be enabled or disabled on an as-needed basis, but as a starting point, I'll gladly take a raw list for now.
Yesterday, I was waiting while sitting in an airplane. I hadn't put my iPhone yet in "airplane" mode. The cell reception was next to non-existent. I turn on the music player and it gets stuck on the startup screen. Nothing I can do. I turn on airplane more, then it works immediately. It's not the first time I noticed this happen. Even just trying to listen to your own tunes Apple still makes your devices connect "home", regardless of how you disable any limited settings that may have an effect on this. Therefore,
> Never use an internet connected device
is accurate.
That's just an example. Almost every program by Apple does that, as seen in the Activity Monitor on OS X. People like to rant on Windows 10 calling home, but MS is just learning from the experts ;)