Many of us are being tracked ... far more than we thought ..

[Frances_iom]

This site uses several cookies to remember your preferences etc, its only other call is to some yahooapis.com which can be safely blocked, these may hide other trackers but I've not traced this route - the tracking within shops etc is via your mobile phone - sometimes using bluetooth or the wifi component - there are illegal methods of forcing a disconnect and then tracking which phones reconnect to a base station - the solution to this is a simple phone used on PAYG paid for with cash and switching it off unless you need to make call.

The building society is just annoying but it seems difficult for marketing androids to realise that such activities are often more resented than useful (this is on the polite assumption that some sociopath thought it was a 'good' idea and the staff are 'merely following orders' - personally I'd think about changing your building society if they don't immediately cease) .

[Maclintick]

I would recommend duckduckgo.com as a search engine that doesn't track you.

..& Protonmail, which will not activate internet bots trawling for keywords in your e-mails like Google...

[Anastasius]

Maybe all this really painful nonsense about agreeing to T&Cs and allowing cookies etc, which slows down access to web sites, has very little to do with the safety and security of our finances, or providing a better user experience, but more to do with tracking us even more precisely. It is a complete pain, though perhaps some of it is helpful, or sensible.

A lot of this 'Do you accept cookies?' is courtesy of the EU. (I voted Remain before anyone accuses me of anything). But I have this simple question...if I go to site and accept cookies then why the hell can't the bloody site leave a cookie to that effect and not ask me the next time I visit? And the next..

[LMcD]

This site uses several cookies to remember your preferences etc, its only other call is to some yahooapis.com which can be safely blocked, these may hide other trackers but I've not traced this route - the tracking within shops etc is via your mobile phone - sometimes using bluetooth or the wifi component - there are illegal methods of forcing a disconnect and then tracking which phones reconnect to a base station - the solution to this is a simple phone used on PAYG paid for with cash and switching it off unless you need to make call.

The building society is just annoying but it seems difficult for marketing androids to realise that such activities are often more resented than useful (this is on the polite assumption that some sociopath thought it was a 'good' idea and the staff are 'merely following orders' - personally I'd think about changing your building society if they don't immediately cease) .

What interested/irritated me about the building society's response was that I had received a 'service call', which was definitely NOT (they said) any form of marketing tool. Yeah, right ....)

[cloughie]

I would recommend duckduckgo.com as a search engine that doesn't track you.

Possibly a good idea but I’m not sure I want to use something with such a naff name!

[Dave2002]

A lot of this 'Do you accept cookies?' is courtesy of the EU. (I voted Remain before anyone accuses me of anything). But I have this simple question...if I go to site and accept cookies then why the hell can't the bloody site leave a cookie to that effect and not ask me the next time I visit? And the next..

[Bryn]

Possibly a good idea but I’m not sure I want to use something with such a naff name!

As against the entirely sensible name "Google", you mean?

[cloughie]

As against the entirely sensible name "Google", you mean?

https://youtu.be/-oYZB6_-geE

[StephenMcK]

MEDICAL DATA

I wonder how many of you opted out of the sharing of your medical data with third parties at your GP practice.

Effectively, the principle was to monetise your personal information and in the process, of course, invade your privacy and target you for commercial sales.

Supposedly, that data would be 'anonymised' but recent news reports are suggesting that is not a given in practice.

[Dave2002]

MEDICAL DATA

I wonder how many of you opted out of the sharing of your medical data with third parties at your GP practice.

Effectively, the principle was to monetise your personal information and in the process, of course, invade your privacy and target you for commercial sales.

Supposedly, that data would be 'anonymised' but recent news reports are suggesting that is not a given in practice.

I can’t remember, but I may have been asked about this recently. There are potentially good things, and some very bad things about that. Insurance companies could use the information as a way of “managing” premiums and/or payouts.

[oddoneout]

MEDICAL DATA

I wonder how many of you opted out of the sharing of your medical data with third parties at your GP practice.

Effectively, the principle was to monetise your personal information and in the process, of course, invade your privacy and target you for commercial sales.

Supposedly, that data would be 'anonymised' but recent news reports are suggesting that is not a given in practice.

This is one such article https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...s-patient-data
I was made aware of this issue several years ago by someone on a health charity forum I belonged to; the implications of the individual's health condition getting into the wrong hands meant the matter was of concern. My GP surgery claimed to know nothing about the opting out procedure at that time so I had to draw up my own letter with the relevant phrasing(there were/are two parts to the opt-out). The surgery forms and notification to patients came quite a while later and, in my view, did not make the issue clear to patients. As I've mentioned elsewhere it was possible some years ago for a lay person to look at what was for sale - I was not amused to find that the purchase prices appeared to be derisory, and the marketing material did not inspire confidence that patient privacy and data protection were much of a priority.
I'm neither convinced nor confident that even though I have submitted the necessary opt-out request my data will not be passed on - apart from anything else there is something of a grey(or, more accurately perhaps, a leaky) area when it comes to sharing records with other health providers such as when I go to hospital appointments.

[Dave2002]

It would actually be good (IMO) if medical data were shared amongst other health care professionals and hospitals. As far as I know, this is very patchy in the UK. Years ago in Surrey we went to Epsom A&E and one comment was "Oh - it's good you're with XYZ practice, as we can access your notes, and send feedback". Apparently this wsa not normal at the time, and I suspect it still isn't. Trying to get prescriptions anywhere in the UK is difficult, and if one goes on holiday for more than a week or two at a time, getting medical help can be a pain.

Compare this with Sweden, where (OK - you're tracked by the state) every citizen has a Perssonnummer, so if you have a repeat prescription, you can walk into a pharmacy, give your number and (assuming ID checks OK) be given any relevant prescription. I think there is similar co-ordination between doctors and hospitals in Sweden.

However, there are/were scams - so it wasn't all good. One or two hospitals were calling women back frequently for breast scanning. Some women were upset, thinking there was something wrong, but then the frequency got so much and many of the patients had no problems, that suspicions were raised. Turned out that the hospitals were short of money, yet breast scans were charged for, so they were deliberatly scheduling repeat appointments with a very short period between them. They overdid this, so were found out.

[ardcarp]

I wonder how many of you opted out of the sharing of your medical data with third parties at your GP practice.

I did, because I am ultra wary of the big bad cyber world.

[oddoneout]

It would actually be good (IMO) if medical data were shared amongst other health care professionals and hospitals.

I tend to agree - but that would need a functioning IT system... It's that fragmentation and lack of consistent standards that makes me wary of the links between the GP surgery and, for instance, the hospital. I found a couple of years ago that the details held by different departments had different information and so different mistakes and gaps, and different views about whether I was permitted to correct information. Doesn't inspire confidence.

[ardcarp]

Some pharmacists have apparently been instructed to discuss repeat medications at regular intervals with their 'customers'. This is surely not a matter for dispensers of medicines? It is for a GP and his/her patient. I mention this because I spoke to someone only yesterday who was cross because our local pharmacist had quizzed her about her pills in the shop in front of other customers. This is surely wrong on both counts?