How do I handle new accounts for each service and website? Should I use a new email address?
A new email address for every account is a daunting task! I suggest you provide an email address for your most important account and then use the account address you are using to register for less important content. There are also services that allow you to create a “burner” email that you can register with the service, and if you use an Apple device, there is a “Hide My Email” setting.
What tips would you give to those who want to maintain their digital privacy when crossing the U.S. border (or otherwise entering or leaving the U.S.)?
It really depends on the level of risk you may face as an individual. Some people traveling at the border may face higher scrutiny than others, such as nationality, citizenship and career that may make a difference. Even what you say on social media or in a messaging application may be used with you.
Personally, the first thing I have to do is consider what’s on my phone: messages I have sent (and received), content I publish publicly, and logged out (or deleted) I consider to be the most sensitive app on my phone (e.g. email). A burner phone seems like a good idea, although it’s not the right idea for everyone and may create more suspicion about you. It’s better to have a travel phone – you’re only using for travel, without any sensitive travel or connecting to it.
My colleague Andy Greenberg and I put together a covered guide that covers more information: such as the pre-travel steps you can take, locking your device, how to think about your passwords, and minimizing the data you carry. Here. Additionally, I and I have produced a senior writer who has produced a (long) guide to the US border phone search.
Do you recommend using devices like Alexa at home? Or can specific products or steps be taken to make smart devices safer?
Always listening to something at your home – what might be wrong? This is definitely not great for the overall surveillance culture.
Recently, Amazon has also reduced some privacy options for Alexa devices. So if you’re going to use smart speakers, I’d look at what the privacy settings for each device are and start from there.
How do you think of people willing to hand over information about their lives to AI for surveillance?
The amount of data that AI companies have really bothered me. There is no doubt that AI tools can be useful in certain settings and in some people (individuals rarely use Generative AI). But I usually say that people have enough awareness of how much they share with chatbots and the companies that own them. Tech companies have scraped through a large number of networks to collect their claimed data to create generated AI, often with little consideration for content creators, copyright laws, or privacy. Most importantly, more and more companies are seeking to participate in the AI gold rush by selling or licensing that information.
