27 Comments
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Mark Bohrer @LocalPoet's avatar

Thank you for good information - bit it’s even easier if you just don’t buy from Amazon. There are other places to shop with prices that are just as good. I can live without next day delivery. Simply put, I’m not going support one of the enslavers.

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Jason Rowe's avatar

Yes that would be best. I however do understand many people rely on platforms such as Amazon (even if I think we would all be better off completely disconnected). So in this manner I try to direct people in the best manner to utilize these platforms in a safer way, instilling what I like to call a privacy mindset. It’s more of pointing people in the better direction in the hopes they will make better choices.

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Amy's avatar

I avoid Amazon as much as possible but sometimes it is very difficult to find other reasonable options.

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Adrian Hardy's avatar

Well said Mark. Completely agree with you.

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May 25
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Jason Rowe's avatar

Yes for sure. I actually have a workshop that teaches this which is mentioned in the post.

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Dartz's avatar

A book purchase in 2004.

I went through your full list. I thought I had this already trimmed down, but no. Thanks for the lists of actions.

I got very uncomfortable with Amazon when I realized the Kindle was tracking every word I read.

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Susan Martin's avatar

Or, we could just stop using Amazon. I live in a small town and I have had to learn to either do without or find local alternatives. Your advice is good for those who still need to use Amazon. Much appreciated!

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Sera's avatar

I made a decision sixty years ago, or actually it was made for me by a very wise father, never to look at advertising. It was a hard rule. We never had a television, and print ads were easy to ignore once you develop the skill. Amazon? That’s a rain forest, isn’t it?

I’ll never listen to podcast ads, (I try to support directly), or eat in a restaurant with a television going. I use powerful ad blockers wherever I can.

The result is that I have a far clearer idea of my own tastes than I might have, and I feel less contaminated. I feel I’ve missed nothing, and gained a lot. I’ve also shunned streaming. If it hasn’t already, there will come a time that someone’s Netflix history will be used against them in court.

I know that’s not everything, but it is something.

Thanks for your work.

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Bonnie M's avatar

It was my father that influenced this for me too, Sera- his approach was to skeptically answer television ads. ‘Ten times more effective? Than what? Other toothpastes? The previous formula? How do we know? Effective at WHAT?’

He may have just been grumbling to himself but the inadvertent ripple effect was training me as a small child to ask these same questions on my own. It was an early introduction to critical thinking that I will always be grateful for.

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Kris Flury's avatar

I just followed all the steps and unplugged my Echo a few days ago. Thank you for this advice! I also downloaded digital copies of the Kindle books I purchased. How to’s for this on YouTube (another subject…)

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Mary Lilith Ruth's avatar

Ive been talking to an old friend who relies on Amazon . I told her remember the days when you would be worried if someone was tapping your phone? Now it’s “ hey wire tap, play me a Rolling Stones song “. Yes these devices are always listening and watching. I unplug all tvs anything with a screen ( stove microwave etc) anything with that light on I unplug when not in use. Basically I did it for saving electricity but it works for so many other purposes as well. I don’t have Amazon . The 2 times I have ordered from them my bank accounts got hacked. It was enough for me not to ise it anymore.

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Mary Ploppins's avatar

Thanks! They kept trying to sign me up again on Roku, so I deleted the app. So much more to do!

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Traci Segelstrom's avatar

Thanks for the heads-up!

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Amy's avatar

I'm amazed that folks would use their medical/pharmacy "services." I quit buying some alternative med stuff from them several years back when I began to understand that they were collecting my data. No, thanks.

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Mimi's avatar

Thank you very much for this information.

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11blade's avatar

That was a beautifully crafted post on dancing with the devil. If I was still signed up with Amazon it would be very useful. It was two steps, including clicking a link from a final email to complete account cancellation. No more shopping, data harvesting, buying and having my dollars spent on politicians that don't have my best interest front and center.

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dave's avatar

Almost everything on amazon you can get on ebay

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Simon Brooks's avatar

Also, I'm with Mark B. Don't use or support Amazon!

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Simon Brooks's avatar

Holy crow! Thanks, mate!

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Chezchez's avatar

Better still,

boycott Amazon.

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Paul Galewitz's avatar

HI Jason, I wasn't able to complete the Amazon list becuase the error message of something went wrong kept appearing. This happened with Step 2. I tried several times, but no dice. Any suggestions?

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