Lessons Learned: Track Me If You Can

I was flipping through channels to provide a little background noise last night while I was working and came across a show I hadn't heard of on Discovery which I promptly Tweeted to everyone. The name of the show was 'Track Me If You Can' and it focused on ways to avoid being tracked by "big brother" or anyone else who may be looking for you. Most of the info was pretty basic but it served to provide a number of good reminders, including:

• There are 30 million plus surveillance cameras on the US.
• The average American is in 200 databases.
• Putting a plan in motion to keep you from being tracked is a good idea if you are wanting to devise a new life for yourself.
• Right before you leave, change your appearance significantly (if you have hair, shave your head, if you have blond hair, change it to black, get glasses, etc.).
• Before you leave, terminate all of your accounts (email, bank accounts, credit cards, etc).
• Don't terminate your social network sites as you can use these sites to provide disinformation.
• Before you leave, delete all of your computer files and get rid of your computer's hard drive (first boil the hard drive then smash it with a hammer and finally run a Degausser/electromagnetic wand over the drive to obliterate all information it may contain).
• Get rid of all of your personal stuff like photos, trophies, mementos, etc. that could tie you to your old life.
• Shred all of your personal info and credit cards/bank statements/etc. then take the shredded material and spread it around in a bunch of trash bags and leave the bags at various dumpsters around the city.
• Get rid of your cell phone as these can be easily used to track your location either through a computer software program or through triangulation.
• Either destroy the cell phone or wipe all of your info from it then leave it at a train or bus station so that someone else will pick it up and start using it thus providing a source of disinformation for those searching for you.
• Break your normal patterns (what you eat, where you frequent, how you shop, the kind of work you do, etc).
• Ditch your car if possible.
• Completely change your lifestyle (ie: if you are currently a corporate lawyer, become a night janitor then dress and behave appropriately).
• If you do take your car get rid of the toll pass which can track your movements through the RFID chip in the pass.
• A personal note: if you do take your car, check out 'How to Be Invisible' for ways to register your car but not have it linked directly to you.
• Stay away from interstate highways.
• Get rid of the GPS device which came with your car. Ditto for the OnStar system which can be activated remotely and allow others to listen in on your conversations.
• Make sure your tires don't have RFID chips in them. Some tires do have these chips and they can link to your VIN number and the purchase location of the tires.
• Going to non-chain restaurants is better. Of course you will be paying for everything with cash.
• When you are out in public disguise yourself (at least wear a hat and sunglasses).
• Avoid frequenting your usual places (in the example, if you are a vegetarian your meal preference can be found through your prior airline meal request and then you may be easier to locate if you frequent vegetarian restaurants).
• Get your food to go from restaurants so you don't leave DNA on the plates/utensils/glasses which can be read with an easily purchased BPac machine which analyzes your biometrics.
• Stay in small motels and pay with cash.
• Use alcohol wipes to remove fingerprints.
• Use a wireless bug detector to check for hidden bugs/cameras/etc.
• Cover the peephole so people can't see into your room.
• Sleep in your sleeping bag so you won't leave DNA behind on the hotel bedding.
• Buy a pre-paid cell phone which you only use for outgoing calls (be sure to turn of the caller ID). Replace the pre-paid phone frequently, about every few weeks.
• When you are not using the cell phone, remove the battery so it can't be turned on remotely or used to track you.
• Be careful when speaking in cars or near windows. The NSA has a 'bounce laser monitoring system' which can pick up sound waves on glass and record what you are saying.
• At night you can avoid being seen on cameras that use infrared light by fashioning a cap with LED lights on the front of it which makes a "halo" and shields your face from the cameras.
• To determine the best place to resettle, choose a mid-sized city in a not overly cold place. Big cities and small towns are not good places for anonymity.
• To change your identity don't just assume the identity of someone else (this is way more difficult--and illegal--than it used to be), instead petition the court to change your name legally to a new--and common--name.
• Apply for a driver's license under your new name.
• Most driver's licenses and passports have RFID chips in them. Block people from reading these RFID chips by carrying them in a wallet lined with aluminum foil.
• To get back online, use a new laptop.
• Always use a hard wire to your laptop and turn off the wi-fi which is easily hacked.
• Put a band aid over your web cam as these can be turned on remotely.
• Install anti-key logger software on your computer.
• Also, install software that will reroute your ip address so your location can't be determined via your computer.
• Be aware of the ECHELON program in the US which monitors phone and computer transmissions for keywords and messages.
• At the grocery store, change your shopping habits and never use store club cards.
• Be aware that some food packaging now contains RFID tags. To be sure these aren't used for tracking (unlikely now but possibly more likely in the future) repackage food once you purchase it and get rid of the store packaging.
• To find work, get a night job as a janitor, this will limit your contact with people.
• Change jobs often.
• Create a "back story" for your new identity and practice it. If you base your lies on the truth but change the details a bit, your story will be easier to remember and more believable.
• Open a bank account (preferably at a small bank that doesn't use biometrics for identification).
• Be aware of video surveillance cameras which are everywhere.
• Never contact people from your past.
• The narrator noted that every year, changing your identity gets harder.
• The police now consider common activities suspicious such as bird watching, sketching or painting, or taking photographs in public.
• There are 70 FUSION centers in the US which coordinate surveillance and other information.
• Airlines sometimes use locator chips on your bags so be aware of this. You can also use these tagged bags for disinformation purposes (ie: leaving them in places to throw people off your trail).
• Technology is now available to identify you by the way you walk (change the way you walk), your facial measurements and biometrics (use a disguise, and especially sunglasses), and even your response to images.
• It will be 7 to 10 years before your old identity drops off of old databases.
• Guard against complacency.
• The less you interface with technology, the better off you will be.

Overall an interesting show. I'm glad that the media sees this as being valuable information that needs to be shared with the public.