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SimulationCommander's avatar

If Facebook had been designed by the NSA, how would it be different?

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Great question!! I often say that the smartphone might not have been designed as a spying device, but if I was going to make a spying device it would look an awful lot like a smartphone.

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DTT's avatar

I refer to my smartphone as my "tracking device" as in "Honey, I’m headed to the store and leaving my tracking device at home."

We are trying to break the habit of keeping the damn things with us 24/7.

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SimulationCommander's avatar

Phone technology peaked with the answering machine. If I'm out doing stuff, I'm out doing stuff and don't want to be on the phone anyway. I'll call you back when I'm done being busy!

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Nancy Robertson's avatar

I will never, ever use a smartphone. I use a laptop at home. And I bought a $40 flip phone that doesn't track me and a $20/month flip phone service plan, both from Citizens Cellular. I bought that flip phone so I can call AAA if I ever need assistance when I'm out driving.

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Danno's avatar

Can you still get one with mechanical buttons as opposed to a hypersensitive touchscreen?

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Nancy Robertson's avatar

Yes. My flip phone from Citizen's Cellular (the red Verve Snap phone now $69)has mechanical buttons for dialing phone numbers. There is no touchscreen. There's a built in camera that takes decent photos, but I never use it. And for $5 extra per month, I can receive (and send) text messages. I leave my cell phone off except if I need to use it while I'm driving. And it's a great back up phone when there's a problem with my landline service at home. Here's the link:

https://www.consumercellular.com/

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Danno's avatar

Exactly. Leave it in your house, in one place, like it's a land line. That also solves the problem of losing it.

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