Interesting Security snooping for Australia New South Wales residents - not Apple

pm-r · Mar 19, 2018

Interesting article… and seems a bit Orwellian scary…
BY CLAIRE REILLY
MARCH 19, 2018 5:00 AM PDT

How I went dark in Australia's surveillance state for 2 years
They called me the nameless one, the ghost who commutes, the silent passenger who refused to get a transport card.

https://www.cnet.com/news/how-i-wen...0aai6f&bhid=100000000000000000000000000175021

August 1, 2016. The day I'd been dreading. Sydney had finally abolished paper train tickets and I was getting ready to erase my identity.

The Australian state of New South Wales had been gradually transitioning away from paper tickets for more than two years. In the interests of entering the digital era, Transport NSW introduced the new 'tap-on, tap-off' Opal card. A contactless travel card, named after Australia's distinctive rainbow-hued Opal gemstone, it's similar to London's Oyster card and the San Francisco Clipper.

Welcome to the future! No more paper tickets! Top up your Opal card online! Set up a direct debit, download the accompanying app and track your spending, you mouth-breathing luddite -- this is the 21st century!

But if this was my ticket to the future, I was not on board.

I wonder if any members were affected or concerned???

- Patrick
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chscag · Mar 19, 2018

LOL, the transit authorities in large US cities long ago did away with paper tickets. The New York Transit Authority issues what it calls a "Metro Card" which can be filled by paying on line with your credit card.

And here in Texas you are issued a digital sticker for your auto which allows you to use the toll roads without having to stop at a toll both to pay. Cameras record your auto passing thru and automatically deduct the toll from your account which is tied to a valid credit card.

So dear Australians.... welcome to the "Big Brother Society".

harryb2448 · Mar 19, 2018

Opel is just fine and Harbour Bridge and Tunnel, Motorway and Tollways have been using digital stickers for more than ten years.

That queueing to give your money to a rude disgruntled railways employee is G-O-N-E thank heavens. Whoever Claire Reilly maybe, she is behind the times and she ain't a prominent journalist.

To establish the credentials of the article Patrick read how to make your Mac safe. Step 1 download Mackeeper. That kills that article's believability stone dead.

pm-r · Mar 20, 2018

To establish the credentials of the article Patrick read how to make your Mac safe. Step 1 download Mackeeper. That kills that article's believability stone dead.

??? huh… You lost me there Harry, and I didn't see anything about Mackeeper at the site if that's what you were implying or how it's related to the article.

But as I mentioned, the article's author does seem to be a bit paranoid or an old style hippie and maybe out of date hence my reason for posting, as you seem to live in the New South Wales it was referring to and would no doubt add some corrections.
And thanks for those.

- Patrick
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harryb2448 · Mar 20, 2018

Not that I ever go to CNET on your link on the right nhand side of pic #1 there is a 'Make your Mac safer' window promoting Mackeeper. Could be different ad for different days/countries.

Opel has nothing to do with snooping. It is merely a railway/bus/tram/ferry pre purchased ticket and you can re-charge much like a cellphone by purchasing credit at a store or railway station or online by direct debit or credit card.

chscag · Mar 20, 2018

Likewise here when it comes to CNET. Their pages are loaded with ads and junk downloads. I didn't see anything about Mackeeper when I checked the site but there were lots of "download this and that" links.

ferrarr · Mar 20, 2018

Harry or Patrick, are either of you using browser add-ons/extensions like Ghostery or AdBlock Plus? I don't see any adds on that page when I visit using High Sierra Safari w/ both extensions? The only thing I have is a "video" window with nothing playing and no way to close it.

harryb2448 · Mar 20, 2018

Of course Bob I was only responding to Patrick's question. Canada must be way behind if they do not have this way of paying for transport.

pm-r · Mar 20, 2018

@Bob

Harry or Patrick, are either of you using browser add-ons/extensions like Ghostery or AdBlock Plus?

Yes Bob, I'm usually using Ad Block but disabled it check foe any mackeeper ad as per harry's post but still didn't see any mackeeper ad or what he was referring to.

But No to using Ghostery as I stopped using it for various reasons I don't recall all.

@harry
I just got the impression in that article that the author was proud she was avoiding being spied upon and being captured by various cameras and I just posted it in case any of it was true, and especially as you seem to live in that Australian jurisdiction and maybe they had implemented something different that wasn't mentioned.

It just happened to be a linked article I thought I'd take a peek at.

- Patrick
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Jonzjob · Mar 29, 2018

When I can get around to it I will just put my app in for my bus pass and travel for free. App being application of course :Cool:

As for contact less? We had a holiday in Venice a couple of years back and when we came to book out of the hotel I gave the receptionist my card. He went into the office to process it and came back a minute later saying it had been refused!!! so we tried the card of SWMBO it it too failed. After a call to our Frence back it turned out the bloke in the hotel had been trying to use the contactless. It only lets you go to 30€ on a French card ! No little wonderi t bounced! I don't like contactless cards and we both opyed for pin number cards for our English debit cards.

Interesting Security snooping for Australia New South Wales residents - not Apple

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