Hacker News Reader

Comment by JohnFen | Hacker News Reader

This is the primary reason why I sold my car and went carless the instant that was a feasible thing to do. If I should need to own a car in the future, it will be an older, pre-spying, one.

View on HN

You're the first person I've met to claim that their aversion to motorized transportation had a basis in privacy.

I'm a londoner and we have here a system of public transport which is controlled by cards ('oyster' cards, RFID credit card sized things - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_card).

Not exactly to address your point but they're a good way of tracking individuals so I always try to pay anonymously (cash) and never register it. I should probably buy a new one every few months but usually forget.

FYI anyway. Privacy aside it's a pretty decent system.

They can recognize your face as you tap at the turnstile. Maybe they don’t do it now, but if they currently don’t they will in the name of anti-terrorism.

Remember, pedophiles get the train too.

Won't you think of the children?

For a typical workday there are so many datapoints: Checking into the secured bicycle parking, walking through the turnstiles at the exit. Walking into the train station. Walking out of the train station. Walking into the metro station. Walking out of the metro station. Entering the bus. Exiting the bus.

And the opposite way when I go home.

I asked them to delete the entering/exiting data on the secure bicycle parking as it's a free service but they declined as their system couldn't handle manual data removal.

The same system exists for the Dutch public transport (exactly the same cards). Privacy wise you are able to buy an anonymous card with cash. But ... the operators are phasing out machines which are able to accept cash faster than you can find them and they are idiotically expensive if you want to replace them every few weeks as they are tracking you anyways even on the anonymous cards.

Interestingly, in Japan for my short stay there, I found that the Suica card I needed for public transport could only be purchased and recharged with cash.

It’s tough to use TFL anonymously.

You only need to pay once by card for them to link it to you.

You cannot get refunds (e.g. train delay) without registering the card.

TfL has openly said they track mobile device movements in their network.

I suspect this is literally the only reason there is WiFi available now.

We're certainly a tiny minority, but there's a few of us kicking around. As time goes by, I seem to meet more and more.

I'm the second.

So what do you do instead? You’re aware that nearly every rideshare app is collecting massive amounts of data right? I’d imagine even many of the larger public transit systems are as well.

I guess I’m just not seeing what you gain? Your movements are very likely still being tracked.

For 90% of my transportation needs, I use a bicycle. For the rest, I take a cab. I'm fully aware that my cab rides are tracked.

> I guess I’m just not seeing what you gain? Your movements are very likely still being tracked.

Sure, but there is still great value in reducing the amount of data leakage when possible. And in this case, the data is going to the car manufacturers and the companies they share with (marketers, etc) -- entities that have no legitimate need for any data at all about me.

Cutting them out plugs a large data leak without causing any inconvenience or hassle to me, so why wouldn't I?

So your payment record with Uber or public transport is somehow better? Or you only pay in cash now and only take public transport no planes or trains?

I don't use ride-sharing or public transport. That I occasionally use a cab and fly in no way means that there isn't value in reducing my data leakage in other areas whenever possible.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com