Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Hello all,

I'm wondering if any of you have experience of changing your Apple ID: in other words from your old dead name to new one?

For me it's the last cog in the wheel and I've resisted it out of sheer fear that it will lead to me getting locked out of c. 20 years of data, contacts, emails etc. But every time I now see the old name come up it jars so much that I need to act.

It goes without saying that the first step is to back up everything across devices.

So has anyone taken this step and how did you find it?

xx

p.s. not sure if I'm posting this in the correct forum section


 

It is easy to change your name that displays as you use your ID.
Go to settings, personal information, name.  Edit the name there.

This does not change the email associated with the account.

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on April 03, 2026, 10:25:18 PMIt is easy to change your name that displays as you use your ID.
Go to settings, personal information, name.  Edit the name there.

This does not change the email associated with the account.

Indeed but that's not quite what I'm asking. I should have made it clearer: I know I can change the display name but it's the actual Apple ID and its associated email. My Apple ID and email are a manifestation of my old name.

I'm asking about changing the integral Apple ID and email. This is much more convoluted and risky. It requires setting up an Admin User account and, of course, backing everything up from your old ID just in case. Then switching over and data transferring everything etc. etc.

Has anyone done this and how did you find the experience?

Some of the issues:

https://www.wikihow.com/Can-You-Change-an-Apple-ID-Without-Losing-Everything

I have not done this, but if you go to an Apple Store, they can probably help you. I had a Verizon Android phone when I changed my name and email. They were very helpful with no questions asked. I just told them I had changed my name. I think they asked for a photo ID, and mine has my current info on it.

You could call their Tech Support and ask whether you can do it over the phone or if you need to go somewhere to get it done.

If necessary, you could say that a family member gave you the phone and that you want to change the ID on it. That might push them to have you prove it isn't stolen, so I don't know how that would work.

Quote from: Lori Dee on April 04, 2026, 12:38:54 AMI have not done this, but if you go to an Apple Store, they can probably help you. I had a Verizon Android phone when I changed my name and email. They were very helpful with no questions asked. I just told them I had changed my name. I think they asked for a photo ID, and mine has my current info on it.

You could call their Tech Support and ask whether you can do it over the phone or if you need to go somewhere to get it done.

If necessary, you could say that a family member gave you the phone and that you want to change the ID on it. That might push them to have you prove it isn't stolen, so I don't know how that would work.

I was going to say this. If you go to an Apple store and book an appointment with a Genius bar technician they would be able to help you I think. You might need to prebook though.

It would mean a trip to Glasgow for you Tills but that's not too bad! You could have a wander round Kelvin Hall, that's worth the trip alone!

https://support.apple.com/en-us/109353


Your email is your Apple Account (ID)

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on April 04, 2026, 06:35:15 AMhttps://support.apple.com/en-us/109353


Your email is your Apple Account (ID)

That's half of the process, and in itself quite alarming.

It gets even more scary when you try to complete the second part of the process, which is to change your username on your apple devices. This MacBook on which I'm typing has my legacy username. To change it requires setting up a separate Adminstrator user and then a bundle of other steps:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/102547

I just wondered if anyone on here has experience of doing this? If so, how did you find it?

xx

Change the name of your macOS user account and home folder
You can rename your macOS user account and home folder, which were named when the account was created.

Before you begin
Follow all of the steps carefully, and make sure that you have a backup before continuing. Doing this incorrectly could damage your account and prevent you from logging in with that account.

These steps do not change or reset the password of your Mac user account, which is the password you use to log in to your Mac. Find out what to do if you have forgotten your Mac login password.

These steps do not change the name of your Mac, which is the name that other devices see on your local network. Find out how to change your computer's name or local hostname.

Create another administrator account, if necessary
You can only change the name of your user account while logged in to a different account, which must be an administrator account. If your Mac isn't set up with another administrator account, you'll first need to add an administrator account in Users & Groups settings:

Add an administrator account in macOS Ventura 13 or later

Add an administrator account in earlier versions of macOS

Rename the home folder
After following the previous steps to create another administrator account:

Log out of the account you're renaming: from the Apple menu �, choose Log Out.

Log in to the other administrator account. Do not log in to the account you're renaming.

From the Go menu in the Finder, choose Go to Folder, then type /Users and press Return. The Users folder will open.

In the Users folder, select the folder of the account you're renaming, then press Return and enter the new name. Don't use any spaces in the new name. If you're using file sharing to share the home folder, you must first stop sharing the folder.

When prompted, enter the name and password of the administrator account you've just used to log in.

Rename the account
After following the previous steps to rename the home folder, and while still logged out of the account you're renaming, follow these additional steps, depending on which version of macOS you're using.

macOS Ventura 13 or later
From the Apple menu �, choose System Settings.

Click Users & Groups in the sidebar.

Press and hold the Control key on your keyboard, then click the name of the account that you're renaming. Choose Advanced Options from the menu that appears.

Users & Groups pane, showing the menu with Advanced Options
When prompted, enter the administrator name and password you've just used to log in.

Update the "User name" field – not the "User" field – to match the new name you gave to your home folder in the previous section.

Users & Groups pane, showing the Advanced Options window
Optional: update the "Full name" field. The full name does not need to match the username, and can contain spaces. You'll be able to use either the username or the full name when logging in or making changes that require your account name and password.

Scroll down so you can see the "Home directory" field. Update the username in that field, but don't remove /Users/. For example, if "User name" is johnappleseed, then "Home directory" should be /Users/johnappleseed.

Click OK, then restart your Mac and log in to the renamed account.

Earlier versions of macOS
From the Apple menu �, choose System Preferences.

Click Users & Groups.

Click the LockNo alt supplied for Image, then enter the administrator name and password that you used to log in.

Press and hold the Control key on your keyboard, then click the name of the account that you're renaming. Choose Advanced Options from the menu that appears.

Update the "Account name" field to match the new name you gave to your home folder in the previous section.

Optional: change the "Full name" field. The full name does not need to match the username, and can contain spaces. You'll be able to use either the username or the full name when logging in or making changes that require your account name and password.

Update the username in the "Home directory" field. Change that name to match the new name of the home folder, but don't remove /Users/. For example, if "User name" is johnappleseed, then "Home directory" should be /Users/johnappleseed.

Click OK, then restart your Mac and log in to the renamed account.

Users & Groups pane, showing the Advanced Options window

Quote from: Tills on April 04, 2026, 08:55:29 AMChange the name of your macOS user account and home folder
You can rename your macOS user account and home folder, which were named when the account was created.

Before you begin
Follow all of the steps carefully, and make sure that you have a backup before continuing. Doing this incorrectly could damage your account and prevent you from logging in with that account.

These steps do not change or reset the password of your Mac user account, which is the password you use to log in to your Mac. Find out what to do if you have forgotten your Mac login password.

These steps do not change the name of your Mac, which is the name that other devices see on your local network. Find out how to change your computer's name or local hostname.

Create another administrator account, if necessary
You can only change the name of your user account while logged in to a different account, which must be an administrator account. If your Mac isn't set up with another administrator account, you'll first need to add an administrator account in Users & Groups settings:

Add an administrator account in macOS Ventura 13 or later

Add an administrator account in earlier versions of macOS

Rename the home folder
After following the previous steps to create another administrator account:

Log out of the account you're renaming: from the Apple menu �, choose Log Out.

Log in to the other administrator account. Do not log in to the account you're renaming.

From the Go menu in the Finder, choose Go to Folder, then type /Users and press Return. The Users folder will open.

In the Users folder, select the folder of the account you're renaming, then press Return and enter the new name. Don't use any spaces in the new name. If you're using file sharing to share the home folder, you must first stop sharing the folder.

When prompted, enter the name and password of the administrator account you've just used to log in.

Rename the account
After following the previous steps to rename the home folder, and while still logged out of the account you're renaming, follow these additional steps, depending on which version of macOS you're using.

macOS Ventura 13 or later
From the Apple menu �, choose System Settings.

Click Users & Groups in the sidebar.

Press and hold the Control key on your keyboard, then click the name of the account that you're renaming. Choose Advanced Options from the menu that appears.

Users & Groups pane, showing the menu with Advanced Options
When prompted, enter the administrator name and password you've just used to log in.

Update the "User name" field – not the "User" field – to match the new name you gave to your home folder in the previous section.

Users & Groups pane, showing the Advanced Options window
Optional: update the "Full name" field. The full name does not need to match the username, and can contain spaces. You'll be able to use either the username or the full name when logging in or making changes that require your account name and password.

Scroll down so you can see the "Home directory" field. Update the username in that field, but don't remove /Users/. For example, if "User name" is johnappleseed, then "Home directory" should be /Users/johnappleseed.

Click OK, then restart your Mac and log in to the renamed account.

Earlier versions of macOS
From the Apple menu �, choose System Preferences.

Click Users & Groups.

Click the LockNo alt supplied for Image, then enter the administrator name and password that you used to log in.

Press and hold the Control key on your keyboard, then click the name of the account that you're renaming. Choose Advanced Options from the menu that appears.

Update the "Account name" field to match the new name you gave to your home folder in the previous section.

Optional: change the "Full name" field. The full name does not need to match the username, and can contain spaces. You'll be able to use either the username or the full name when logging in or making changes that require your account name and password.

Update the username in the "Home directory" field. Change that name to match the new name of the home folder, but don't remove /Users/. For example, if "User name" is johnappleseed, then "Home directory" should be /Users/johnappleseed.

Click OK, then restart your Mac and log in to the renamed account.

Users & Groups pane, showing the Advanced Options window

My honest opinion? Bugger that! Make the Apple Genius Technican do it ha ha!

Quote from: Stottie Girl on April 04, 2026, 11:17:20 AMMy honest opinion? Bugger that! Make the Apple Genius Technican do it ha ha!

Another option I have used is backup eveything to another drive. Then format C:/ and reinstall the OS. During that process, you set up a new account and start fresh. Then transfer everything back in.

The problem is that just moving files does not install the programs used to open them. It protects documents and photos and settings, but still have to download and reinstall the programs. It goes a lot faster with nothing on the drive but the OS, but it can still take a while.

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on April 04, 2026, 06:35:15 AMhttps://support.apple.com/en-us/109353


Your email is your Apple Account (ID)

Still struggling through this typically convoluted Apple process.

When I try to change email addresses associated with my Apple Account I get an error message: "Your email address cannot be removed. Go to iMessage and FaceTime Settings"

What you have to do is sign out on devices and then sign back in on your iPhone and using FaceTime (which I have never used) deregister unwanted email addresses.

https://www.imore.com/how-deregister-email-or-phone-number-associated-imessage-and-facetime


The other approach of changing your Apple ID is more radical and drastic. 'You will lose your Apple Music subscription, Apps, and iCloud storage plan. But if you've backed up photos and videos to an external device you keep those and can potentially keep contacts, keychain, and calendars.'

I did try to tell y'all that this wasn't straightforward ...

Quote from: Tills on April 18, 2026, 10:29:53 PMStill struggling through this typically convoluted Apple process.

When I try to change email addresses associated with my Apple Account I get an error message: "Your email address cannot be removed. Go to iMessage and FaceTime Settings"

What you have to do is sign out on devices and then sign back in on your iPhone and using FaceTime (which I have never used) deregister unwanted email addresses.

https://www.imore.com/how-deregister-email-or-phone-number-associated-imessage-and-facetime


The other approach of changing your Apple ID is more radical and drastic. 'You will lose your Apple Music subscription, Apps, and iCloud storage plan. But if you've backed up photos and videos to an external device you keep those and can potentially keep contacts, keychain, and calendars.'

I did try to tell y'all that this wasn't straightforward ...

It is ridiculous isn't it. I mean changing email addresses is a basic thing lot's of people do. We shouldn't be tied to one email for ever more. It should be a simple process.

I used to be into gaming and there is an online system called Steam which I had an account with for many years. I hadn't used it for a good while and when I went to access it again they had put a 2 step verification process on there which was sending security questions to my old email. There was no way round it including writing to the company directly. So I lost access to hundreds of pounds worth of games. Won't ever be a customer of theirs again.

Only just noticed you have the Scottish flag on your profile Tills! How's the new house going?

Totally agree @Stottie Girl - it really is ridiculous.

There's another layer to this which may have been sort-of covered by others above but I thought it worth reiterating in case anyone comes to this thread in months and years to come wanting to finish off their dead name. And if you think this is trivial, this old dead name User Account may well be the one you see every time your device goes into lockscreen and you try to awake it.

This refers to renaming your Apple User Account, which is not (necessarily) the same as the name of your device. Nor is it the same as your Apple ID email address. Your User Account is the one you would have originally conjured up the first time you were sucked into the Apple empire (I do love Apple devices by the way!!).

So, here goes, and this is taken from:
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/102547


Change the name of your macOS user account and home folder

You can rename your macOS user account and home folder, which were named when the account was created.

Before you begin
Follow all of the steps carefully, and make sure that you have a backup before continuing. Doing this incorrectly could damage your account and prevent you from logging in with that account.

These steps do not change or reset the password of your Mac user account, which is the password you use to log in to your Mac. Find out what to do if you have forgotten your Mac login password.

These steps do not change the name of your Mac, which is the name that other devices see on your local network. Find out how to change your computer's name or local hostname.

Create another administrator account, if necessary
You can only change the name of your user account while logged in to a different account, which must be an administrator account. If your Mac isn't set up with another administrator account, you'll first need to add an administrator account in Users & Groups settings:

Add an administrator account in macOS Ventura 13 or later

Add an administrator account in earlier versions of macOS

Rename the home folder
After following the previous steps to create another administrator account:

Log out of the account you're renaming: from the Apple menu �, choose Log Out.

Log in to the other administrator account. Do not log in to the account you're renaming.

From the Go menu in the Finder, choose Go to Folder, then type /Users and press Return. The Users folder will open.

In the Users folder, select the folder of the account you're renaming, then press Return and enter the new name. Don't use any spaces in the new name. If you're using file sharing to share the home folder, you must first stop sharing the folder.

When prompted, enter the name and password of the administrator account you've just used to log in.

Rename the account
After following the previous steps to rename the home folder, and while still logged out of the account you're renaming, follow these additional steps, depending on which version of macOS you're using.

macOS Ventura 13 or later
From the Apple menu �, choose System Settings.

Click Users & Groups in the sidebar.

Press and hold the Control key on your keyboard, then click the name of the account that you're renaming. Choose Advanced Options from the menu that appears.

Users & Groups pane, showing the menu with Advanced Options
When prompted, enter the administrator name and password you've just used to log in.

Update the "User name" field – not the "User" field – to match the new name you gave to your home folder in the previous section.

Users & Groups pane, showing the Advanced Options window
Optional: update the "Full name" field. The full name does not need to match the username, and can contain spaces. You'll be able to use either the username or the full name when logging in or making changes that require your account name and password.

Scroll down so you can see the "Home directory" field. Update the username in that field, but don't remove /Users/. For example, if "User name" is johnappleseed, then "Home directory" should be /Users/johnappleseed.

Click OK, then restart your Mac and log in to the renamed account.

Earlier versions of macOS
From the Apple menu �, choose System Preferences.

Click Users & Groups.

Click the LockNo alt supplied for Image, then enter the administrator name and password that you used to log in.

Press and hold the Control key on your keyboard, then click the name of the account that you're renaming. Choose Advanced Options from the menu that appears.

Update the "Account name" field to match the new name you gave to your home folder in the previous section.

Optional: change the "Full name" field. The full name does not need to match the username, and can contain spaces. You'll be able to use either the username or the full name when logging in or making changes that require your account name and password.

Update the username in the "Home directory" field. Change that name to match the new name of the home folder, but don't remove /Users/. For example, if "User name" is johnappleseed, then "Home directory" should be /Users/johnappleseed.

Click OK, then restart your Mac and log in to the renamed account.

Users & Groups pane, showing the Advanced Options window

@Stottie Girl the Scottish place is fantastic. Thank you for asking. I've begun the redecorating. I'll post on the other thread in a few weeks once the bedroom is finished.

xx

Quote from: Tills on April 19, 2026, 04:50:28 AM@Stottie Girl the Scottish place is fantastic. Thank you for asking. I've begun the redecorating. I'll post on the other thread in a few weeks once the bedroom is finished.

xx

Nice! Hope it hasn't been too stormy where you were.

I use an apple macbook as my main computer but I haven't bought into the icloud or itunes so I'm hoping if/when I need to change I can just start a fresh account up. I agree apple devices are the mutts nuts compared to pc's though.

I am not ever going to change my AppleID.

Just changing the name that displays was fine for me regardless as my email ID is gender neutral.  That displayed name has no need to change the email, which is the Apple ID and I posted about that process earlier.  I already did that after I got my own Apple device.

For about two years I used two Apple iPad devices that I borrowed from a close friend. He bought a new iPad every year!  I did not change any ID on the borrowed devices, except I did use my own email on his iPad devices by going to the Web browser accessible email site. I used texting on my telephone.  I ignored what he added on his iPad devices, and I took no photographs on his iPads.  After a couple of years, I decided these iPads were really nice to have and they got better.  I even bought an iPhone the next year.  It has been working well, and I have had upgraded both of my Apple devices since the original purchases.  They keep geeting better!  I even bought Macs since that too!

Chrissy

Removing traces of my old, male, dead name is very important to me and many others of our community. Hence why I began this thread.

I don't want Apple or any other tech company reminding me of something I am not.

Thanks.

xx

Quote from: Tills on April 19, 2026, 11:18:37 PMRemoving traces of my old, male, dead name is very important to me and many others of our community. Hence why I began this thread.

I don't want Apple or any other tech company reminding me of something I am not.

Thanks.

xx

Youre definitely more on top of this than i am! My driving license, utilities and emails are all still in my dead name. Too much hassle to change them as got to get a paper form for driving licence and then phone calls for utilities! Maybe one day.

Quote from: Charlotte Kitty on April 20, 2026, 01:02:31 AMYoure definitely more on top of this than i am! My driving license, utilities and emails are all still in my dead name. Too much hassle to change them as got to get a paper form for driving licence and then phone calls for utilities! Maybe one day.

I agree Charlotte that it's a hassle. But it bugs me until it's all done. I'm nearly there with everything.

I say 'everything' but one thing I can't alter is the book I had published in my dead name, which also came out in a second edition recently. It's nigh-impossible to attempt to re-publish that under a changed name. So I treat that now as a pseudonym, literally 'a fictitious name' or 'false name'.

I'm in a bit of a personal war against tech invasion which is outwith my gender transition! ;)

How about just starting to use a new Apple ID if all else fails?

You can download lots of stuff from your current ID, maybe not all, and your emails should be on your email account server. Stuff you cannot get to on your new ID perhaps you can access occasionally via infrequent use of your current ID.

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on April 20, 2026, 04:15:51 PMHow about just starting to use a new Apple ID if all else fails?

You can download lots of stuff from your current ID, maybe not all, and your emails should be on your email account server. Stuff you cannot get to on your new ID perhaps you can access occasionally via infrequent use of your current ID.

Yeah it has gone through my mind actually. Feels drastic but could also be liberating. I think the next time I buy an Apple device that's what I might do so the transition over is gradual and easier.

xx

I've updated something which relates to all this over here:

https://www.susans.org/index.php?topic=250751

xx

Well I've made a LOT of progress with this although I'm not all the way done yet.

I won't repeat all the links from Apple Support above but here's the situation:

There have been 3 stages.

1. Rename computer.

Easy to do.

2. Rename User Group. This is the name that is seen on the Network and therefore by other devices that you use. It's ALSO the name which appears on your lock screen even if your device name has been changed (stage 1 above).

Was this easy to do? Fairly but only if you follow exactly what Apple tell you above. That means first and foremost Backing everything up, then creating a new Administrator Account if you don't have one. Then from there you must follow by the letter the guidance for renaming users and folders, exactly as it tells you.
Do this and it does work! I promise :)

So at this point I have 1. a computer in my new name. 2. a User group name in my new name which means lock screen too.

As for no. 3. Reassigning your sign in email address for Apple ID Arrrrrgggggh!

I'm nearly but not fully there with this and it's mega complicated. Or has been for me. This is because I have a number of email addresses associated with my account and I have been constantly getting the infamous error message:

Your email address cannot be removed. Use iMessage and FaceTime Settings

Which then doesn't work 😜

The problem may be the use of aliases but I may yet be able to do something about removing the email addresses from Settings on my phone rather than MacBook.

Anyway, I have succeeded in changing my Apple Primary email address to the one associated with my new name. But underneath my name it's still showing my old dead name email. It seems that the trick is to remove those old email addresses and then put them back if you want to.

Also Apple no longer call it User ID. It's now called Apple Account.

Update: I've done it!!!

I had to take the plunge and delete my old email address entirely using my phone not my MacBook. As soon as I did that, it automatically updated my Apple Account (what was called Apple ID) to my new email address across all my devices.

So now everything aligns in my new name:

Computer name
Phone name
User Group name
Lock Screen name
Email address associated with Apple Account (Apple ID)
Apple Account aka Apple ID

It has taken a few hours to get there but, for me, totally worth it. I don't see why Apple or any other organisation should misgender me, which is how it began to feel to me.

xx

Did you lose your old emails?

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on April 24, 2026, 11:54:33 AMDid you lose your old emails?

No, amazingly I didn't.

🙂

Quote from: Tills on April 24, 2026, 11:27:03 AMUpdate: I've done it!!!

I had to take the plunge and delete my old email address entirely using my phone not my MacBook. As soon as I did that, it automatically updated my Apple Account (what was called Apple ID) to my new email address across all my devices.

So now everything aligns in my new name:

Computer name
Phone name
User Group name
Lock Screen name
Email address associated with Apple Account (Apple ID)
Apple Account aka Apple ID

It has taken a few hours to get there but, for me, totally worth it. I don't see why Apple or any other organisation should misgender me, which is how it began to feel to me.

xx

If this was done as step 1 after backing up, with the result you wished, that would have been a simple account transition.

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on April 24, 2026, 12:15:22 PMIf this was done as step 1 after backing up, with the result you wished, that would have been a simple account transition.

Hi, not sure what you mean by that. Do you mean Apple should make the whole thing simple? They should but they don't. It's really complicated as countless other tech-minded people testify on forums all over the internet. Typical Apple, frankly.

Anyway, I hope that this thread may be a useful resource for any others who want to take a deep breath and take the plunge. It is possible folks.

xx

p.s. oh I should have mentioned too: print out all the Apple support pages first. Otherwise, when you log in as an Administrator you may not be able to see what you're supposed to do.

Quote from: Tills on April 24, 2026, 10:21:47 PMDo you mean Apple should make the whole thing simple? They should but they don't. It's really complicated as countless other tech-minded people testify on forums all over the internet.

Thank you, Tills.

I wonder if the difficulty is intentional for security reasons. I imagine someone stealing a MacBook, then trying to change everything to their ID. If they were caught, there would be traces of the real owner's credentials still lingering.

Or maybe they just enjoy being difficult.

Quote from: Lori Dee on April 24, 2026, 10:25:45 PMThank you, Tills.

I wonder if the difficulty is intentional for security reasons. I imagine someone stealing a MacBook, then trying to change everything to their ID. If they were caught, there would be traces of the real owner's credentials still lingering.

Or maybe they just enjoy being difficult.

Yes I think you're correct Lori Dee. I should perhaps have also mentioned that at various points during the changes I had to verify it was me making them by two-factor authentications. And then emails confirming it was me that made them.

So I guess you're right: it's a security thing. And to be fair Apple do seem very good on security. I've never had a virus on any Apple device in 15 years of usage.

Quote from: ChrissyRyan on April 24, 2026, 12:15:22 PMIf this was done as step 1 after backing up, with the result you wished, that would have been a simple account transition.

I think I see what you meant but the danger with 'just' changing your Apple Account email, what used to be called Apple ID, is that you may lose data on your User Group name. It's safer to take the steps that I have outlined by changing your User Group name. Otherwise, according to Apple, you may end up locked out of your previous data.

If anyone coming to this thread wishes to cleanse their Apple system of their dead name it's best to follow all of the steps as I have outlined.

I would also reiterate the point I've made about changing the email associated with your account. It's not necessarily straightforward, as countless techies on online forums can testify. The message Your email address cannot be removed. Use iMessage and FaceTime Settings is a widespread headscratch glitch. It's a particular problem if you have alias email addresses but there are a number of other reasons it can occur. That's why I would advise anyone on this forum wanting to go down this route to consider tackling the Apple Account name last in the process and do it thoroughly step by step in the sequence I have previously outlined.

 

I'm not a techie, and certainly not by today's standards by any stretch, but I'm probably not a Luddite either.

Way, way, back when personal computers barely existed I took a portable laptop into the African rainforest. It weighed a ton and was the size of an elephant. Re-charging it when we didn't have electricity was 'interesting'. Sometime later I wound up living in a central African city at a time when mobile technology was only just emerging. The internet still hadn't really become a 'thing' at that point either, but I helped set up a computer and automated script so that it would wake up in the dead of night and dialled into a satellite passing overhead, whereupon it would download and upload email packages from a base in the UK. I also helped run a number of Motorola handsets off a transmitter which we installed on a hilltop: our very own private mobile phone service which then became the envy of the city. I was offered vast amounts to sell it. (I didn't.)

I wrote an article about this which was published in a UK magazine. I gave it the title:

Lasers in the Jungle

Some of you may recognise the phrase from Paul Simons' brilliant Graceland album and, specifically, the song 'The Boy in the Bubble.'

I had a chance there and then to make a fortune rolling out mobile tech in central and southern Africa. I knew I could have made millions out of it. But I consciously chose a different path, not one about making money and instead, as it turned out, focused on helping others in a not-for-profit way.

In latter days I've been recalcitrant about technology's invasion of our lives and I'm pretty anti-flow. For the past 20 years I have been a regular Pirate Bay techie. I don't think I've paid for anything on the internet for a decade. Many of you will be understandably very irate with me for that, and will consider it theft, but I rip files and share files because I am anti-capitalist.

I use VPNs and wipe history NOT because I view bad content but because I know tech firms use spyware, including so-called 'cookies', to data mine you and ultimately to control you.

Oh and Edward Snowdon was absolutely right: your microphone is always on. Want an example?

One day I was chatting in the garden with someone. Our phones were out on the table. I happened to mention a very obscure museum which I had once been to in Hamburg called Miniatur Wunderland. In the years since I visited there I had never received any contact from them of any sort.

An hour later I received an advert by email for Miniatur Wunderland.

That, my friends, is not a coincidence ...

xx

I really do apologise if my ripping thing causes anger. I understand. It's my choice.

xx

Quote from: Tills on April 25, 2026, 03:14:47 AMI really do apologise if my ripping thing causes anger. I understand. It's my choice.

xx

Pish, I've used pirate bay and many other p2p sites Tills. Sometimes it is necessary as software price increases became astronomical. I always liked to have a copy of Autocad on my pc for example as I found it so useful for so many things but the price now is eyewatering at £1,890 per year!

I don't use them anymore since I switched to my macbook but that is mainly because I was getting sick of downloading fake links or software that was only trial versions etc. I have no moral objections to sticking it up the big tech empires!

😀

Quote from: Tills on April 25, 2026, 03:14:14 AMOh and Edward Snowdon was absolutely right: your microphone is always on. Want an example?

One day I was chatting in the garden with someone. Our phones were out on the table. I happened to mention a very obscure museum which I had once been to in Hamburg called Miniatur Wunderland. In the years since I visited there I had never received any contact from them of any sort.

An hour later I received an advert by email for Miniatur Wunderland.

That, my friends, is not a coincidence ...

My computer does not have a microphone or camera for that very reason. I also refuse to have any Google account. Back when I had a Gmail account, my dad and I were discussing my brother's stock photo business. Within an hour, I started seeing ads for photography equipment and how to make money selling stock photos.

I spent several months purging my internet presence, deleting social media accounts, changing email addresses and passwords, etc. I had a website (WordPress personal blog), and the analytics showed it was being visited every day by someone at Home Depot. I had a Home Depot account, but I found it suspicious that they knew anything about my blog. It turns out the IP address did not belong to Home Depot, but the Department of Defense. Yeah, I shut that down too.

Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not after me!

🤣

Quote from: Lori Dee on April 25, 2026, 09:49:56 AMMy computer does not have a microphone or camera for that very reason. I also refuse to have any Google account. Back when I had a Gmail account, my dad and I were discussing my brother's stock photo business. Within an hour, I started seeing ads for photography equipment and how to make money selling stock photos.

I spent several months purging my internet presence, deleting social media accounts, changing email addresses and passwords, etc. I had a website (WordPress personal blog), and the analytics showed it was being visited every day by someone at Home Depot. I had a Home Depot account, but I found it suspicious that they knew anything about my blog. It turns out the IP address did not belong to Home Depot, but the Department of Defense. Yeah, I shut that down too.

Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not after me!

🤣

Wow that is scary.  I hear that people can activate your microphones and camera remotely.
Apple has screen indicators that light up when either is in use, although one wonders if those can be shut down too.

There are nosey people around. 

I have unusual happening while online at times, such as mysterious screen scrolling.


Chrissy

Yeah my son assures me that the microphone and camera are on even if you think they're not or the indicators aren't lit. He puts black tape over his camera.

It's so sinister.

I have the movie, Snowden, so I am a little extra careful.

I heard my camera click while visiting a web site.  Fortunately, whoever did that just got the side of my thumb as I just happened to have the camera covered up at that instance.  The indicator light was not on.   There was no new picture in my photos though.  I rarely take photos and I never post them. 

I think if you allow access to your pictures to a Web site, then a Web site may be able to look at all of them.  They may even be able to download them all. 

I put some dark tape over the camera lenses last week.