Welcome to this week’s mailbag edition of The Daily Cut.
As regular readers know, I (Chris Lowe) have been sounding the alarm about a growing threat to your civil liberties.
I’m talking about the all-seeing eye of the surveillance state.
In Wednesday’s dispatch, I showed you how vaccine passports are a step toward a Chinese-style Surveillance Society.
That’s one in which the government can track, monitor, and record everything citizens do using Big Data.
And yesterday, I shared a Q&A with Bonner-Denning Letter coauthor Dan Denning.
He revealed why mass digital surveillance isn’t just an attack on your right to privacy. It’s also an attack on how you think and act.
Today, I want to keep the spotlight on the threat to your privacy from the rise in surveillance.
One of your fellow readers wrote us with his concerns for the freedom of American citizens. And he asked which countries might be suitable alternatives for folks who want to avoid government control.
I put the question to several of our global citizens here at Legacy Research. And Legacy cofounders Bill Bonner and Doug Casey… along with Casey Report editor Nick Giambruno… chimed in.
Make sure to stick around to the end of today’s dispatch. I’ll bring you more messages about digital surveillance from our packed mailbag. I’ll also share a link with you to a free special report my team and I put together about how to push back against digital snooping.
First… that question about escaping the clutches of a government with no respect for your liberty…
Reader question: What countries have the least control… or where do citizens have the most freedom?
If you ever decide to leave the U.S., what options would you consider? The U.S. is getting worse, but I don’t know if there is any good alternative.
– Jerry R.
Thanks for getting in touch, Jerry. In my experience, no country is truly free. But you could throw a dart at a map of developed countries and find a freer way of life in pretty much any of them than you’ll find in the supposed “land of the free.”
I’ve lived in Ireland, Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Argentina. And barring maybe Germany, none of those governments are as intrusive as the U.S.
Ireland, where I live now, is a good bet. Taxes are low by world standards. The cops don’t carry guns. And people here still have a healthy disregard for authority – a hangover from years of British occupation. You also have decent health and education systems.
Now, let’s hear from some of the Legacy Research experts…
Doug Casey’s response: Joe Louis was right. You can run, but you can’t hide. There are about 200 countries in the world. Each needs a detailed discussion.
In brief, the whole world is going in the wrong direction, and its governments are working together ever more closely. There are no quick, easy, and fun answers.
That said, I spend most of my time in backward little socialist Uruguay, and fascist, chaotic, but surprisingly sophisticated and pleasant Argentina.
[Doug contributes regularly to our free Casey Daily Dispatch e-letter. Sign up here.]
Bill Bonner’s response: Different countries value different liberties.
We built a house in Argentina. No inspectors, no zoning. No nothing. But running a business requires a Houdini! And the police stop you on the road looking for illicit meat!
Ireland, where I’m based now, has all the rules of the EU. But it enforces them gracefully…
France is a disaster of rules, but a pleasant place to live…
So it’s hard to compare.
Nick Giambruno’s response: I would start my search by looking for countries that fall into one of these two categories…
The first is countries with long histories of respect for personal and economic freedom that has been ingrained into the culture and isn’t likely to change soon. The Cayman Islands, Switzerland, and Singapore, for example.
The second category is countries with governments that are too inept or broke to be a serious threat but environments that offer an enjoyable lifestyle and compatible culture. This includes countries such as Argentina and Mexico.
This, of course, is a gross oversimplification of a complicated topic.
The reality is there’s no perfect place for personal freedom. What constitutes a “good place” is constantly changing and naturally varies depending on the individual.
[Nick contributes regularly to our free Casey Daily Dispatch e-letter. Here’s that sign-up link again.]
As I’ve been showing you, governments are using the pandemic to test new surveillance tools… including digital vaccine passports.
These use a type of barcode called a QR code to track who is vaccinated and who isn’t.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Billions of people around the world happily volunteer for Google (GOOG) and Facebook (FB) to spy on them in return for “free” email, search, and social media services.
It’s been a hot-button theme in our mailbag …
Reader comment: Going dark is the only way. If you believe for a moment that Google and whoever comes next won’t share your data, I have a flying saucer you can have for free.
Americans are addicted to convenience. We now have two generations of people who grew up in this instant-gratification world. Stop and observe the public at large for just five minutes and see how many people are NOT using their phones. It’ll probably be less than 5%. The cell phone is the adult pacifier… on steroids.
Those who don’t read and heed Doug Casey’s writings are afraid of the truth or too lazy to fend for themselves. More than a successful speculator, he’s a historian. I’m his age, and, as Doug has stated, the America we knew is gone.
Maybe one day, when you receive a video of you and your partner having sex in your own home, you’ll get the message. Wake up.
– Jim M.
Reader comment: I gave up Facebook long ago. But when in Europe, I used WhatsApp. I only recently found out that Facebook owns this app, too. I don’t like Facebook or Google. I have used Amazon only once. All are in cahoots to get as much information about you as they can. They just want to sell your details and make more money.
– Stafford W.
Reader comment: Agree that a bit of paranoia is good. Too much technology is being used for “my own good.” Can’t think of any government program of data collection that has not been hacked or misused.
– Donald N.
Reader comment: It’s not so much paranoia as self-security. We wear clothes not only for warmth or style, but to keep certain things private.
If the man on the street knows more about you than your mother does… will you eagerly make his acquaintance? If I can no longer tell you what I am thinking for fear that I may get in trouble with the authorities, then I have lost my freedom of speech.
Governments already control the military and the police. That is enough power for them. Giving “authorities” more power through knowledge of every aspect of one’s life is huge. What will we have to surrender next?
A microchip can be placed painlessly just under the skin, either in your hand or forehead. It can carry your Social Security number and other identification… banking information… passwords… etc.
When we are all thus branded, they will govern our very souls. A battle rages through ages, but one must stand back far enough to see it.
– Rudolph A.
For some folks, the threat from smartphone surveillance is not such a big deal. Just stick with older tech… and do a little forward planning when you need information…
Reader comment: I still use an old-fashioned, 3G flip phone. I have no need for a smartphone’s features, nor all the extra cost for the phone and the service. I have a laptop for those features.
I don’t always have instant gratification when I want to look something up. So what? I jot myself a note to do it later on the laptop. And I plan ahead for info I might need while on the go, like a map and directions for where I’m going.
Just separate true phone functions and computer functions into two devices, and you’ll be fine without a smartphone. You should see the reactions I get when people see me use the flip phone. It’s like I’m an alien.
– Tony J.
That’s all for this week’s mailbag.
If you want to learn more about what’s going on with the surveillance state… my team and I have put together a special report about how to fight back.
It’s called The Ultimate Guide to Taking Back Your Privacy.
It gives you some more backstory on what’s going on with mass government surveillance. It also looks at a cryptocurrency you can use to keep your financial life private.
You can access it with our compliments right here.
Remember, if you have a question for anyone on the Legacy team, be sure to send it to feedback@legacyresearch.com.
Have a great weekend.
Regards,
Chris Lowe
August 6, 2021
Dublin, Ireland