Privacy is a collective "war", it's not something that can be fought on individual level. You can adopt some precaution on a personal level, and try to do better, but it's something that must be brought to a collective level.

Same as climate change policy and worker right.

First, remember that you're not fighting this war alone. The most important part is educating people who are curious about it around you.

Second, it's not about winning; it's about being the biggest pain in the ass possible for people making money off our privacy.

Keep fighting in the way that suits you best.

If you're fighting a one man war for privicy? Yeah, that's pretty much a lost cause. (Also, the "all or nothing" approach will leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth. Pick your fights, and accept that you'll never be able to keep all away from companies selling em, and that sometimes, sacrifices to your privacy have to be made. Complete removal shouldn't be the goal when it's just you going at it--it should be the reduction of what they get as much as feasibly possible without inconveniancing the user)

If you spread and bring that war to the collective? That's where things are gonna change. Slowly, yeah, but they'll change.

Your address is public information. Trying to hide that is pointless (well, it can be done, but is complex to do).

“Phone company, internet”

Lol, there you go. Your ISP and wireless carrier are THE worst. They also have a lot of your financial info that they sell off. Tracking too. Your carrier routinely pings your phone for get location and records the calls, where you were at the time, how long etc. Unless it’s encrypted, they see and harvest it all.

ISPs don’t have as much liberty but they too track and sell off a fair bit of your life. They also have your financial info as most almost run a background check these days.

If I may, might privacy be both a personal, individual endeavor and a collective endeavor?

On the personal level, can’t we foil the corporate intrusion by choosing apps in the Fediverse?

And on the collective level, can’t promotion of the Fediverse help?

I’m aware that city and county records often contain my street address and that doesn’t bother me. I’ve got to pay taxes and vote.

But I look at it this way: that’s my front facing public identity. Basically the one I use at work that gets a paycheck. Not private. And yes, that’s a pity and that war is lost, but I lose nothing because of that.

But then there’s my identity that shares the goals of global groups that chafe against injustice and oppression. All that work separated from my public identity by multiple barriers. Personably not perfect privacy — watch The Conversation by Francis Ford Coppola for a discussion of perfect privacy.

Is this kind of approach practical and one that means we haven’t lost?

Every fight between people and corporations is a loss cause if corporations continue to control our elected officials.

IMHO it'd be worthwhile to investigate which one actually did leak it without your consent. It might be pointless for your current address but surely would be for the next one, and everybody else.

More pragmatically even though it's wrong I'm not sure how impactful it is. Namely you can receive spam regardless of where you live. What's worrisome is arguably when companies know more about you, e.g tastes, political leaning, sexual orientation, etc. This is a lot more than a name on an address. I believe this is harder to get, especially if you are mindful of what you share. So... is it bad? Sure, is it lost? IMHO no.

*Comfy EU noises*

USPS sold you out. (If in the US). They literally sell "change of address" updates to marketing companies. You think they survive on selling stamps?

Did you update your address with your bank or credit cards? Your workplace?

I'm sure it got out from the credit reporting agencies if so.

Well, if you didn't take all the precautions you took, over a 1000 data brokers could've had access to your address, and so much more about you.

And while I most certainly don't like it, I know that I'm still stopping them from learning even more about me, and my search results are still secure.

Everyone I get to talk to me on Signal is having a secure conversation with me.

Everything to an extent is a win, so don't give up king.

Unlike most privacy concerned people. I don't believe that privacy is very useful without anonymity. metadata is at the heart of surveillance and tracking. In this regard I was a little optimistic when tor came out and hoped that many technologies will be build around that. that didn't happen because you can't build a business and make a profit by providing anonymity. now half websites are systematically blocking tor exit nodes. it can't be used safely with torrents. and even briar the messenger built to use tor has been compromised by its developers so that you can't be anonymous on briar . All in all I share the same frustration and can't see a brighter future for privacy and anonymity .

A real war has risk for all the participants.

Here you bear all the risk, and the counterparty, the internet company for example, bears no risk.

If and when you create the risk for the counterparty, where no risk has existed before, then and only then do you have a right to call it a war. In other words you have to in some way threaten the counterparty and make good on those threats to be at war.

eu is slightly better, also you should force anyone who wants you're ip to sign a contract to not allow them to give ur ip to data brokers but i dunno about the contract part

What companies are you signed up with?

Vote.