Pardon my skepticism but I find it hard to believe you can actually participate in western society without choosing to have a government mandated tracking device?

Maybe you live somewhere this is possible but it's definitely not in the developed world

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taurath 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Runs 2 tech companies - the basic promise of the US is when you're rich you can do whatever the hell you want because you can pay people to handle stuff for you.

But also, one doesn't always need a phone - phones can die, signal is not gauranteed. What are your "must have" things that require one to have a smart phone to participate? Assume the poster has a home phone, laptop, and credit card.

	▲	lrvick 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Small companies that are 100% FOSS with no VC investment, where everyone has to pull their own weight. I do not have a personal assistant or anything like that and navigate the real world, travel, etc, very often alone.

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DeathArrow 9 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

>Maybe you live somewhere this is possible but it's definitely not in the developed world

Since the whole world is covered by satellites, living in the undeveloped doesn't guarantee privacy.

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lrvick 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I am a security engineer and I live and work in Silicon Valley with an active social life. None of these things require a phone.

	▲	dotancohen 27 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Though I do have a phone, I do not use WhatsApp. I get the same responses you are getting - people absolutely can not believe that we function in society.
	▲	2 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
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