You know how some apps ask you to turn on Location Services? That’s the software asking to see where you go and when you go there, and use that information in a lucrative way. It’s one of the many reasons I count myself among the cynical/paranoid people who are never surprised when we learn that Google tracks you even when you ask it not to, or by the giant New York Times investigation about the vast tracking empire that knows your every move.

It may seem like there's no good way to avoid the sprawling surveillance apparatus without also becoming a tinfoil-hat hermit or setting your phone on fire. But one good way to stick it to big corporations (while also regaining a little bit of sanity) is to do what I did and start using a Faraday bag.



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These bags (named after the British scientist Michael Faraday) are lined with high-conductivity metals that surround the object inside. When hit with a charged particle, like a proton or electron, the exterior absorbs that energy. If the metals are sealed tightly enough, you can put an iPhone inside and the radio waves carrying requests for your location data won’t reach the device. (If you’ve ever lost your signal in an elevator, you’ve experienced this phenomenon).

Faraday bags like this one from Black Hole are used by law enforcement to keep devices as they were when they’re found (as in, to keep them from being remotely wiped). But anyone can buy one to isolate their phone from a world of prying eyes.

Faraday bags have a side effect that I find useful. For the times I need to focus on a big project, or if I’m somewhere crowded (the Consumer Electronics Show, for one) where I don’t need my phone, I can stash it in this bag and be dissuaded from pulling it out unless absolutely necessary. Self-control might cost less than $32 for most people, but it works for me. If that sounds steep, think of the ways you can confuse your ISP and big data companies.

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