So I guess you've given up on all the web sites that require logins and/or use cookies and JavaScript that don't work if you use TOR in the proper way that prevents tracking. Because TOR is doesn't work on many sites if you set it up to properly actually protect your identity. Add-ons like Disconnect, Privacy Badger, Self-Destructing Cookies, Adblock, and Flashblock provide reasonable mis-direction to tracking with an added VPN that randomizes your visible IP address.

And NoScript is fantastic except for all the care and feeding necessary to keep up with all the tricks the sites impose. And many sites now make it impossible to view their sites if you use NoScript.

HTML5 was developed advertising industry input built-in, so its even harder to avoid being tracked.

So now the choice is becoming be tracked or do not use the web.

But you need to "Root" your phone.

See: http://repo.xposed.info/ for info on installing the Xposed framework which basically places a hook into the main event loop of Android where Xposed modules like XPrivacy can watch, block or "lie" to most of the rest of the Apps running within Android.

XPrivacy is available here:

http://repo.xposed.info/module...

And BTW, iPhone Apps are not any better about this stuff like phoning home and spying on you unless they are rooted and modified. It is just that the greater openness of Android platform ersus iOS makes it easier to spot. But that also means that there are more and better countermeasures.

If you want to be shocked take your phone place it in WiFi only mode and then use network packet sniffer on all the data flying by like tcpdump or wireshark while using apps on it. You will then realize that you the purchaser of the device does not "truly own" that device as it is delivered.

You can also replace the stock Android OS with Cyanogenmod:

http://www.cyanogenmod.org/

to gain better control of your device.

This is easy to defeat with a simple 2.4ghz jammer in the protest area. Both Bluetooth and most WiFi would be disabled. So the devices cannot mesh. Turn off the cell networks and ability of protesters to coordinate is gone.

So it could be useful when Government is not the adversary such as in a disaster, but is easily disabled by Government if that is it's intention during protests.

The classic router for this purpose was the Linksys WRT54G, but that is getting very long in the tooth and does not support 802.11n or 802.11ac.

The current reasonably priced (about $100) pick that supports everything and is a *working* 2.4ghz and 5ghz 802.11ac router with OpenWRT or DD-WRT is:

TP-Link Archer C7 V2 AC1750

Manufacturer Info is here -> http://www.tp-link.com/en/prod...

It can be re-flashed with either OpenWRT or DD-WRT to provide firewall and a variety of VPN types. It also has enough flash to add other features and given that it includes 2 USB 2.0 ports can also used as a low power (compared to a full hardware PC) internet server.

The disadvantage on this router is that it only supports 1750AC and not 1900AC and that the USB ports are only 2.0. There are routers that cost a lot more that provide both 1900AC and USB 3.0, but they also do not currently FULLY support OpenWRT and DD-WRT.

My personal experience is that OpenWRT is more module than DD-WRT. This makes is easier to pick and choose "packages" in any configuration you'd like. For instance, I added the stunnel package to protect a IP video camera that did not provide HTTPS for remote home monitoring. Now the router provides necessary HTTPS for that use case.

If you are looking to use either DD-WRT or OpenWRT check their home pages BEFORE purchasing a router so you know that it is fully supported by each.

The router to AVOID at the moment appears to be the Linksys 1900AC which the manufacturer FALSELY claimed in their sales literature at launch supported. It still does not.

You can view info on the OpenWRT project here -> https://openwrt.org/

And the DD-WRT project here -> http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/ind...

Electric Imp would be interesting if open source. Alas, it's not. It's proprietary and everything is in "the cloud," so if the company dies so do all the projects and products that work with it as you lose access to the Imps that are deployed.

What I find amazing is that product's like Lockitron are totally dependent on this may not be there tomorrow proprietary cloud platform.

When the cloud is a regulated utility then we can begin to think about putting critical data in it. Or worse running critical infrastructure applications that may be changed by someone else on their timetable, rather than yours breaking what you have invested in.

Right now, in using the cloud, you are just handing what may be your most important asset to a 3rd party who likely does not care about it as much as your organization does. And may happily share it with any number of others who asks via the 3rd party doctrine.

The cloud is fine for unimportant stuff that you can afford to lose or applications that are not critical. Consumer Smartphone apps fit that criteria. But if it is important, using the cloud is like not ever checking the backups you've made. It likely won't be there when you really need it.

Java, the COBOL of our era!

Is that praise? Or is it condemnation?

Yes, you want an Open API or access to data without encumbrance via a standard interface. Preferably, enforced by a contract and SLA.

We've already played the "scraping game" for decades. If you want to always be chasing the last change made by the target you are scraping, while also handling all your user complaints because your app just broke... again for the 3rd time this week... then go ahead and scrape.

And please come back and tell us how long it took you to give up.

They better be paying you incrementally for each user forever for all the data they collect from users that use your app or service... otherwise, you'd be a fool to base *anything* "on top of" the Facebook ecosystem.

I am constantly amazed that there are so many services that build upon Google, Apple or Facebook web authentication systems. It's just plain stupid for anyone to do that unless they are Google, Apple or Facebook as those services can eliminate your access to your customers ANY TIME they choose without you having any say in the matter.

And of the 3, Facebook is the worst, since by forcing users to have a Facebook account to use your service you are broadcasting how little you care about their ability to control any of their privacy given that tracking that you enable FB to perform against those users all over the net and FBs consistent history of altering their user terms to the detriment of their users.

If I see a service that REQUIRES a Facebook account, I will not use it whether it is free, paid or otherwise. And I am far from alone. Any developer that forces FB authentication in their apps or services is likely giving up at least 1/3rd of potential customer/users.

In 1995 IPng was to be implemented ASAP.

Now 16 years later we're still talking about it.

DNSSEC was also being promoted/talked about in 1995 to protect against exploits found 5 years earlier.

It was also ignored as a problem.

Maybe, finally., the cost of not implementing these has finally become greater than ignoring them..... but I somehow doubt it. ISPs can make more $$$ off the scarcity of IP4 addresses than they are likely to make pushing IPng/IPv6.

IPng/Ipv6, DNSSEC and "Duke Nukem Forever" have far more in common than they should.

If customers don't demand these they won't happen just like they've only been marginally implemented over the last 16 years.

Virgin Mobile in the US is about as close to prepay as you can get. Their least expensive plan is a prepay $25/month (including all taxes and BS charges) for 300 talk minutes plus unlimited data and texts.

Alas, the phone is still locked to Virgin Mobile's rented network. Which is really Sprint's CDMA network.

But you can get a Samsung Intercept Android phone from Virgin Mobile (or other retailers) for around $180 on sale.

$180 for the phone and $300/yr for service is a hugely sweet deal compared to the iPhone on AT&T for over $1200/year on AT&T's crummy network.

What's funny is that Sprint also offers the Samsung Intercept for $99 and $70/month (or $840/year) with a 2 year contract. Same network, same phone, just a whole lot more expensive.

Only in the Sun386i, which Sun killed in 1990 when they introduced the Sparcstation 1 and put all their "wood behind one arrow" in the SPARC architecture.

The Sun486i, while developed, never saw the light of day as a product BECAUSE it was faster than the SPARC offerings of that time.

Part of the issue was that the 386i and 486i were developed on the east coast at the former Apollo Computer that was acquired earlier by Sun. There was a lot infighting between the divisions on the each coast. The east lost.

ionice works great in a terminal window, but isn't integrated into any of the Desktop GUIs.

I suppose you could prefix the various file transfer commands used by the GUI with an added "ionice -c 3", but I haven't bothered to look.

Using ionice to lower the i/o priority of various portions of MythTV like mythcommflag, mythtranscode, etc. can make it quite snappy.

Let me guess. The "inmate ankle band" is made by Microsoft or Apple, right?