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INTERNATIONAL PRIVACY 101

In some countries, “international privacy” is an oxymoron. Consider Japan.

Japan has a registration system for all citizens and foreigners at the local city office. Citizens are registered pen-to-paper on family trees called koseki. This is the foundation for employment, bank accounts, national health insurance, voting. All of the aforementioned activities are cross-checked through the city office.

Says an American expat living in Japan:

For Japanese people, it is impossible to dodge this system. If there is any doubt raised as to your registration, you will find your bank account temporarily inactive, health insurance card not working at the clinic, etc. This happened to me several years ago. I moved and thought I would tell everybody later, as in thirty days or so. I went to the doctor for a checkup and the receptionist asked if I moved recently. I said yes. She wrote down my new address.

How did she know? My company’s HR staff called me to say that my bank called to confirm my address before my salary could be deposited. My name didn’t match the address on my salary deposit. How did they know? Landlords are expected to inform on tenants who come or go!

Japanese don’t use checks. Instead, they go to any ATM and type in the recipient’s name or company name, bank name, account number, and insert cash. A record is then sent to all parties. One’s entire financial life is recorded—how much the telephone bill is, medical clinics visited, religious contributions, debts paid to loan sharks, consumer finance companies, etc.

Note: When the first edition of How to Be Invisible was published in 2000, my agent had just one request from a foreign publisher. It was from Japan! I sold the rights, the book was published, and I have copies to prove it. I can only assume the publisher was left with a lot of unsold copies.

From this point on I will deal with a few specific countries. However, don’t skip over them because advice for one country may well apply to another. Or, you may choose to travel to a specific country in order to open a bank account or pick up an untraceable cell phone.

UNITED KINGDOM

At first glance, the UK may seem to be not far removed from Japan. In fact, the UK is light-years ahead of Japan when it comes to surveillance by CCTV cameras.

Currently, the government is tracking and storing records of all international travel into and out of the UK. It records your name, address, telephone number, seat reservation, travel itinerary, and your credit card details. It keeps these for ten years.

According to an article in the November 4, 2011, Daily Mail, some 3 million snooping operations have been carried out among UK citizens since 2001. This includes 20,000 warrants for the interception of phone calls, e-mails, and Internet use. There have been nearly 3 million requests for communications data (phone bills, location data) and over 4,000 authorizations for intrusive surveillance—which usually means planting a bug in a citizen’s home or car.

Although the UK and Ireland are part of the European Union (EU), they do not belong to the Schengen area. However, once they pass through the border controls into mainland Europe, they will be in the Schengen area.

Note to Americans: In accordance with the Schengen Convention of June 14, 1985, the twenty-five Member States (all in Europe) have abolished checks on persons at the time of crossing of their internal borders. Hence the checks on persons are only carried out at the time of crossing of the external border of a Member State, which then acts on behalf of all of the other States of the Schengen area.

This means UK citizens can then freely travel—and work—all over Europe, with no more border controls. They are thus far from the UK’s CCTV cameras and are often far from government scrutiny as well.

IRELAND

The following is from a reader in County Cork:

There are a whole heap of us non-Americans out here, (I am Irish/British) who do not feel very included in your output. In the current volatile economic situation, a book on preserving wealth would be a winner here in Europe. We have a shaky euro, pound, etc., and are scared to convert to dollars.

I suggested putting some of his euros into gold, and received this answer:

A small number of outlets who sell gold and silver will not deal for cash, but require one to pay by bank draft or debit. It is rumored that they have been leaned on by big brother. They just want to be paid through your bank and they want to arrange delivery to your home! I don’t want big brother or anyone else calling around to see how my gold bars are getting on!

If this is the case in your own country as well, you might consider traveling to another country—both Hong Kong and the United States come to mind—where anonymous purchases of gold are allowed. Another option is to travel to Canada and open a bank account in Canadian dollars (which I consider to be more stable than the American dollar). Tens of thousands of Americans already have Canadian accounts, as do thousands more from around the world.

Not ready to travel? No problem. Just start accumulating Canadian currency. Easy to do in any land where Canadians visit, which means most anywhere in the world.

SPAIN

In many ways, Spain is no better and no worse than many other countries in the European Union, with one exception. On March 11, 2004, ten bombs were detonated on trains arriving at Atocha, Madrid’s main train station. Cell phones had been used to detonate the bombs. From that date forward, it has been almost impossible to obtain a cell phone in Spain without proving your identity. However, things are not quite that tight elsewhere.

SWEDEN

Unlike some of the EU countries, I’d heard that anonymous cell phones might be available in Sweden. I checked with a friend there; below is his reply:

I myself have four “burner phones,” which I use frequently when buying/selling stuff on the Swedish equivalent of Craigslist (blocket.se). They are bought with cash and so is the cell phone card (which has your phone number) that you need to operate the phone.

At no point am I obliged to identify myself to anyone when buying and/or using a prepaid cell phone card. However, if I want to get 100–200 SEK “for free” as a prepaid voucher I can register my prepaid cell phone card. Most people do this, but I never do.

It is not mandatory to register or identify yourself while using prepaid services. However, having a “subscription” does require registration. Most people have subscriptions since this simplifies your bills and you always “have credit” on your phone since you pay after you have used the phone for a month.

Last, but not least, the prepaid MasterCards (spendon.se, use Google translation to read it) can be used to add credits to your prepaid cell phone card through the Internet, so you can get someone else to buy your phone and SIM card for you, as well as the prepaid MasterCard and then just go to the library, use their free computers and add credit to your phone later on.

BELGIUM

The following are two questions I posed to a reader in Belgium, and his answers:

Does the government know where you actually live? If so, could that be avoided?

In my case, yes, the government knows where I live, but this could certainly be avoided if someone wanted to. Many people over here use street addresses as a mail drop without actually living there in exchange for a monthly fee to the owner who provides such a service.

The only negative with this is that a local police agent comes to pay a visit to see if you actually live there. Most people can make an appointment with this officer to meet at the mail drop address on a certain date and hour, so in fact this is a minor inconvenience and the officer only pays a one-time visit.

Can you get a cell phone without showing photo ID?

Yes. Of course, the stores ask to register them, but you can give any fake name and address you want. Nothing is checked. We can also buy prepaid cell phone cards without showing any ID nor even register them. I have about five new cell phone SIM cards in my home to change my number if necessary or appropriate. In conclusion, if you keep a low profile, privacy is certainly doable in Belgium.

MEXICO

I sent the following questions to a friend in La Paz, Baja California Sur, who has lived in Mexico for eleven years, and below are his replies.

Does the government know where you actually live? If so, could that be avoided?

If you own property, they would know where you live as everything is tied to your passport and visa. If you rent a place, normally the bills are in the name of the owner of the property, and so you just take a recent bill in “comprobante de domicilio” in as proof-of-living address. This is if you want to set up a bank account, or for some government office such as Immigration, etc.

Can you get a cell phone without showing photo ID?

It used to be that you could, but now due to all of the narco problems throughout Mexico, they require you to show a passport, which is tied to the telephone number. Of course, there are always ways to get around things like this such as having the phone in the name of a business or under someone else’s name and you just pay it.

Could mail from the United States be received in a company name or a fake name?

Yes, I think you could do that without much of a problem. You can either use the normal Mexican mail system (which I like to call “Burro Express” because it takes so long), or you can rent a box and they ship your U.S. mail to the private box. Several companies offer this paid for service.

Any other comments on privacy—or lack of it—in Mexico?

Mexico is a country that loves bureaucracy and red tape! To do anything here you must have piles of paperwork and everything in two or three copies. I don’t know where they store all the piles of paperwork that is required to do things such as Immigration, Hacienda (tax entity), to open a bank account, or virtually anything else. They are now beginning to develop systems that are electronically based, but it’s a long way away from being simple. Of course, there is corruption here just like in all countries but not nearly as much as there used to be when I first moved to Mexico eleven years ago. In the past, you couldn’t get a visa unless you paid two or three people under the table, but now that the government has cracked down on that, the only way for that to happen is if you pal up with somebody who is in a higher position on the inside. It’s all about connections: Who you know!

SWITZERLAND

I asked a world-traveling correspondent who flies in and out of Switzerland the following questions, and below are his replies.

Are you allowed to not use socialized medicine, and just pay the bills yourself and perhaps even use another name? Or must you always have to prove your identity?

This depends on the country. In the UK it will be [George Orwell’s] 1984 very soon. I have, in the past when I was an illegal immigrant, set up a company in Switzerland, which paid my medical. But in Switzerland the insurance is private, but mandatory. So I must have proof of this and this must be recorded by the government. All insurance in Europe is mandatory I believe. If you cannot afford the CHF320 per month for private insurance, then you must take socialized medicine. But you have to prove to the government of the country you live in that you are insured. Same for Australia. I live in Perth three months out of the year, to keep from freezing to death, and when you wish to live in this country with any visa other than a tourist visa then you need proof of insurance or they give it to you socialized. Identity is always needed. You can use another name, but you need identity for this as well.

Solution: Set up an AG in Switzerland, hire yourself as a foreign consultant, and register the new name under the company’s insurance. They will cover you anywhere in the world and reimburse you.

Note: “AG” stands for Aktiengesellschaft, a corporation, which is owned by shareholders. The term is used in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Could you fly to a country outside of the European Union (EU) and get medical help by paying cash and not revealing your identity?

Yes, many people do this. Mainly Thailand for dental. It’s not close, but the world is small and these flights are easy to find. But if in your country insurance is mandatory, then is it worth it? You cannot legally reside in Europe with no insurance. However, as I said, you can register your insurance in Switzerland if you can set up an AG, hire yourself as a consultant (getting your permission B), and then pay the bills through the AG’s bank accounts.

What about banking?

Privacy is what Switzerland is special for. Even though it has mandatory laws the reality is you can keep a bank account private here. Every Swiss person has two bank accounts. He tells no one about his second (secret) account. The Swiss government cannot touch this or ask about tax or anything. (Typically at a Raiffeisen Bank, not even the Raiff Bank in the next stadt [canton] knows who you are. Someone would have to find your bank, not easy, then have to find out how to get your information from the bank. If someone finds your Raiff Bank card they can say “Ha, got you!” But there is no way to find the amount in the account, unless they find the exact bank you use—and even then—can somehow get to this data.)

Can you have some address other than where you really live, on your insurance card? If not, what about people who have more than one home, such as those who live in the Canaries in winter and Switzerland in the summer?

Yes, this is possible. But you must show that your address is being lived in (bedroom, closets with your possessions, kitchen, etc.). This address cannot be a friend’s home. They ask for your rental agreement and come to visit. A couple of Serbian basketball players in Switzerland were asked to leave the country for this reason. So if you have a second address, you must make sure the place is livable. Then you can reside in a different place.

Can’t you move, say, to Spain but still maintain everything (including an insurance card) with your Swiss address? And just be “visiting” in Spain?

Yes, this would be the best-case scenario. My boss lives in Spain, but has the company in BVI with banking and insurance in Switzerland. It’s easy from the Swiss side, but harder from the Spanish side, unless you do not wish to spend much money in Spain. Visible signs of wealth can be visible signs of stupidity. Gets you into trouble.

PERU

Many third world countries operate on bribes, as did Spain under Generalissimo Franco. If you have enough money, you can often operate in relative obscurity. Peru might not be thought of as “third world” but I wrote to David, an American who lives in a small coastal village in Peru. Below are the six questions I asked him, and his answers.

Does Peru operate on the basis of bribes, as was the case when we moved to the Canary Islands in 1959? If so, with bribes, could you get by with another name and a false resident permit?

Yes, bribes are fairly common. Not far north of here is a checkpoint for contraband coming in from Ecuador, and Linda and I had gone to a beach north of there. On the way back, the taxi van stopped there and the driver didn’t want to have to pull all the stuff stowed under the tarp on top. So he slipped the guys a bill, and they let him go. They did make sure the captain couldn’t see them do it, though. I don’t have any idea how widespread it is since we haven’t had to do much paperwork ourselves.

Are there spot checks on any roads, where you have to “show papers”?

I can’t speak for private vehicles since we use public transportation. Of course, at the border crossings you do. I’m sure private vehicles traveling any distance will sooner or later have to stop at a checkpoint.

Does the government know where you actually live? If so, could that be avoided?

The government doesn’t keep track of where we live unless there is some need for them to know. Enforcement is very loose here, so I doubt they know where most people live.

Can you get a cell phone without showing photo ID?

Yes.

Could you get mail from the United States in a company name or a fake name?

Yes, not a problem.

Any other comments on privacy—or lack of it—in Peru?

I don’t think most people know what privacy is here. First of all, no one tells the people what the laws are. Second, no one enforces them unless there is a good reason (usually money to be squeezed). Again, I think you could live under an assumed name. But you would have to deal with border crossings where they must see your passport and visa up to date, either at the airport or the border checkpoints. That system is computerized and linked to Interpol. A person could probably come to Peru on a tourist visa and lose themselves here pretty easily.

CONCLUSIONS REGARDING INTERNATIONAL PRIVACY

Almost all governments make every possible effort to know who you are, where you live, what you buy on credit, what you owe, and how much you have in the bank. Your job is to make every possible effort to hide this information. This includes, but is not limited to:

HIDING YOUR HOME ADDRESS

In many countries, what you say is your home address will be checked out. One way to avoid this, once you have been checked, is to move. Another is to say you live with your parents or a relative, but in this case they have to back you up. A third way, too expensive for most, is to keep two separate living quarters, one your official residence, and the other where you actually sleep at night.

However, even though your home address may show up on your National Identity Card and/or your driver’s license, why let anyone other than close friends ever know where you actually live? When ID must be shown, just use your passport. (If you do not yet have a passport, by all means get one because passports normally do not show your home address.)

In the mid-1960s I was the leading commercial photographer in Spain’s province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and the first one to work with large photo murals to decorate hotels, restaurants, colleges, and the private offices of dentists, doctors, and architects. As such, I often met with clients on a friendly basis in coffee shops in Santa Cruz. I was welcome at any time in their offices, but never, never in their homes. In fact, I had no idea where any of them lived. Many were millionaires. (The typical millionaire might live in a gorgeous home hidden among landscaping that took in an entire square block, but all you could see from the outside was a ten-foot wall topped with broken glass.) I suggest you imitate them by never giving out your home address to anyone not entitled to it. Do not list it in the phone book nor on your business cards. Never have anything delivered to your home address—no mail, no UPS, no DHL, no FedEx, nada en absoluto.

IF YOU ARE BEING TRACKED …

Thus far, the information about various countries has been for those of you who merely wish to keep your private information private. If someone has set a private investigator after you, and if this PI has unlimited funds, then the danger point is when he discovers which hotel you are in. He will bribe someone—often a clerk at the front desk—into answering questions, such as:

“What information did he fill out when he signed in? What vehicle is he driving? How did he pay? Was anyone else in the lobby with him when he signed in? What was charged to the room? Which movies is he watching? What was taken from the minibar? Any special requests made for that room?”

He will then contact the maid who is scheduled to make up your room. For as little as $20 he may be allowed access to whatever you’ve tossed into a wastebasket. If you are out late at night, the PI may even show up during your absence. He’ll wave a dummy subpoena in front of the bored night manager and demand the key to your room. If that happens, let’s hope that you’ve put your laptop computer and any sensitive documents into your room’s safe.

THE REMEDY

Plan ahead to stay with a friend. Or check out Craigslist for rooms to rent. If all else fails, find someone who will allow you to sleep on a couch. Check out www.couchsurfing.com, www.globalfreeloaders.com, or www.place2stay.net. One of the biggest is Hospitality Club (www.hospitalityclub.org), founded in 2000 by Veit Kuehne, from Dusseldorf, Germany. Start there first.

If you suspect you are being followed from the airport, make sure to lose any tail before heading for your destination. Or, for a more permanent solution, rent a small motor home and sleep in it at night.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

To totally disappear from the radar, consider heading for “the land of the free” and disappearing into the 11 million undocumented immigrants already there!