Giving up privacy for connectivity (Cel. Phones)

[MrBishop]

It used to be that if you wanted to talk with someone on the phone, that you'd be doing it in your home or in a phone booth. Both places afforded you a certain amount of privacy. If you were not alone at home and wanted to talk without siblings/parents/children listening in...you'd go to another room and close the door. Now...people seem to have given up all desires for privacy in conversations in exchange for connectivity...that is, being able to talk to anyone, anytime and anyplace, as well as being 'reachable' 24/7.



Walk down any downtown street and you'll see hundreds, if not thousands, of phone conversations in progress. People talk in their cars, on the street, in stores, in restaurants, in bars etc...completely oblivious to those around them. Anything and everything can be said, sometimes at volumes exceeding normal conversational tone.



Do you have a cell phone, and if so…do you do anything to ensure your privacy when talking out in public?

 

[Dave]

i have one of those infernal contraptions. hardly ever use it, but if i am in public when someone calls, i will try to move away from anyone nearby and have my conversation in private and quietly. i dont want everyone else to over hear what i am saying.
i dont need to be one of those obnoxious fools that seem to want to make sure everybody knows how important they think they are, how they absolutely have to reachable 24/7 and how vital it is that they take the call without breaking their stride.

 

[Uki Chick]

I had a cell phone and used it mainly for emergencies or if someone really needed to get in touch with me. It was rare that I used it. When i did use it, i'd move so no one could hear me or I told them i'd call them back later.

 

[BlurOfSerenity]

i usually just talk about stuff that's not that pressing while on my celly.
if i need to say something that would actually require privacy, i tell the person i'll talk to them "about something" later.
i dont thoughtlessly blab.

 

[Kawaii]

I don't own a cellphone. It's not because i can't afford one, but because i hate cellphones. They're annoying.

 

[Oz]

I hate it......I used to always "accidently" forget to take it with me when I was out and about

Since starting my own business it's become a necessary evil however But I've managed tp whittle it down so that business is pretty much all the line is used for these days

Edit: Nope, don't bother with the privacy thing, unless I'm somewhere that respects quiet, like a library or summit

 

[Mirlyn]

I hate it......I used to always "accidently" forget to take it with me when I was out and about

Since starting my own business it's become a necessary evil however But I've managed tp whittle it down so that business is pretty much all the line is used for these days

Edit: Nope, don't bother with the privacy thing, unless I'm somewhere that respects quiet, like a library or summit

Similar to Oz, mine is a vital requirement for business. One of the biggest things I had to get over was discussing private information over a cell phone, like IP addresses, passwords/building codes, and payment information. When I'm on a landline, I find myself switching from a cordless to a regular corded handset when available quite often. Theres nothing like a scanner that'll quickly teach you just how far those "extended range" phones go, both landline cordless and cellphones, and what you can do and hear with them.

My cell and my pager rarely ever leave vibrate. The only time I'll put it on ringer is if I'm under the car or asleep. I can't stand such things going off loudly in public. Even in classes, phones go off. On more than one occasion, the phone was answered while the student sat there during the lecture. I simply can't believe it.

 

[MrBishop]

I walked around with one for the last 2 months of MrsBish's pregnancy and for the 1st month thereafter. Emergencies only and very few people had my number. I hate the bloody things... frankly...a pager/phonebooth combo works just as well. Not that I have a pager...


I've been tempted to smack people whose cell phones go off in theaters.

 

[BeardofPants]

Fuck privacy, "they" already know where you are 24/7 anyway. *BoP dons tinfoil hat* Incidentally, I just wrote about this yesterday in my GIS exam.

 

[Luis G]

I have a cellphone and I don't feel that talking in a public place reduces my privacy, it is so common that no one really cares about what you're saying.

On the other hand, if i'm with someone and don't him/her to listen I walk away for a moment and then come back.

 

[chcr]

I have a cell phone. I turn it on when I need to call someone. I don't give the number out too many, and I explain to them that it is unlikely to be on when they call.

 

[kuulani]

I don't like it when I'm eating with someone at a restaurant, and they start blabbing away on their phone while I'm with them. What's the point of going out to eat & spending time with someone if they're focused on talking to someone else?

 

[HomeLAN]

I carry one so that wife can get to me if she needs to. Work also has the number in case they need me.

I turn the fucker off if I'm going into a meeting, restaurant, theater, etc.

 

[Shadowfax]

i love discussing my sexual life in detail in a loud voice, in the middle of the street, so everyone can hear it


ok, i usually walk away so that not everybody is listening. i'm paranoid with stuff like that.

 

[Camelyn]

I love my cell phone. You can't take my cell phone away from me.

I'm always on the road, going from A to B and back again, with the two kids and stuff. I make appointements on the go, organize get-togethers and nigths out, let people know I am outside in the car so I don't need to get out and haul two kids up three fights of stairs in the middle of winter when I am picking someone up.

I am reachable at all times for emergencies, from my kids schools, from my dad, car-less friends who get in a jam .

It's also good for those boring times, when the kidlets are playing in the park, or in a play area, and I feel the need to reach out and touch someone before I go nuts listening to 5 year olds talk about pokemon

I use text messaging to ask people to get in touch with me, or to leave a quick message about where I'm going to be and stuff...

Erm.... Etc

I don't shout while on my phone, and it goes off or on vibrate in places where its ringing would be inappropriate. As for privacy, well, it just depends on where you are calling frrom, and your comfort level, I guess. No biggie, it's a cell phone, just get up and walk someplace more private

 

[tonksy]

i don't have a cell phone...i don't necessarily like the idea of being on a leash like that...although i must admit they can be handy...but as far as privacy is concerned i'm pretty much an open book. if it was a conversation that i wouldn't want others to hear i probably wouldn't have said conversation on a phone to begin with.

 

[Stop Laughing]

I turn the fucker off if I'm going into a meeting, restaurant, theater, etc.

I wish others would do that... Someone's went off twice in our board meeting this weekend.

I don't have a cell phone, but I know I will someday, just doesn't seem worth it yet in my situation.

 

[Gonz]

Do you have a cell phone, and if so…do you do anything to ensure your privacy when talking out in public?

Hopefully this hasn't already been posted, otherwise I'm repeating but if you are speaking on a cell phone, even a digital cell phone, and saying things that are "private", you're a fool. It's a wireless transmission. Built for rebroadcast.

 

[Mirlyn]

Hopefully this hasn't already been posted, otherwise I'm repeating but if you are speaking on a cell phone, even a digital cell phone, and saying things that are "private", you're a fool. It's a wireless transmission. Built for rebroadcast.

On public frequencies, no less.

 

[Gonz]

If you think I'm nuts, you should have seen my wifes reaction the day she realized people were "listening in" on our wireless phone conversations. It was trashed in under 10 seconds. We now have 2.4GhZ DSS...only the gov't can listen in now.


shhhhh, don't tell her