How to fly under Big Brother’s nose
怎么才能像“白佬”巴尔杰(Whitey Bulger)一样？怎样在长达16年的时间里摆脱天罗地网、重重藩篱？
“白佬”巴尔杰是个可怕的人物──他是一名受到指控的杀人犯，还犯下了更多罪行。但当他最近终于在加州圣莫尼卡距海滩仅几个街区的一所公寓落网时，我得承认，我对他有那么一点点暗藏的钦佩。
想想看。我们现在拥有的隐私和自由是有史以来最低的了。
政府和那些大公司对你的一举一动都了如指掌。他们知道你在哪上班、有多少身家、欠了多少债、去了什么地方、买了什么东西。他们知道你身在何处、跟什么人说了些什么话。他们知道你正在阅读什么书、浏览哪些博客、看些什么电影和电视节目，以及你的“朋友”都是些什么人。你的手机记录着你的行踪、你的个人信用评分(FICO score)评判你这个人、你的iPad时刻监控着你。你在政府那里的身份证号码（也就是你的社会保险号码）意味着他们可以将以上种种情况联系起来，再追溯到你身上。
然而这位“白佬”巴尔杰──史上受到最大规模追捕的美国人──却舒舒服服地过着中产阶级的生活，住的地方距海滩仅仅几个街区，就在警察“老大哥”的鼻子底下。然而警方却一无所知。
不管你对“白佬”有什么看法，这一点都不可忽略。
想像一下试着向18世纪的美国总统托马斯•杰斐逊(Thomas Jefferson)或詹姆斯•麦迪逊(James Madison)解释我们如今的生活方式，以及联邦政府和大公司如何跟踪注意我们的一举一动，那会是什么情形。想象一下，该如何向上世纪30年代任总统的卡尔文•柯立芝(Calvin Coolidge)解释我们今天的生活。
都怪《爱国者法案》(Patriot Act)。都怪信用卡和互联网。都怪苹果公司(Apple Inc.)和亚马逊(Amazon.com.Inc.)。都怪实施了新政的富兰克林•罗斯福(FDR)。但最重要的，首先得怪我们自己任由这一切发生。
那么，你要怎样做才能“洗白”自己、摆脱这天罗地网呢？
1. 你需要现金──而且要大量现金。如果你真想彻底消失，就得抛弃你的社会保险号码。专门从事跟踪的私家侦探凯利•里德尔(Kelly Riddle)说，现在还是有可能在黑市上买一个社会保险号码。但这样做会有风险。当然了，这也是违法的。而且正如曾经替人追债的侦探弗兰克•阿赫恩(Frank Ahearn)指出的那样，一旦你买的号码出了问题，你也就暴露了。
但如果没有社会保险号码，你就很难过上好一些的生活。你无法开设银行账户，也办不了信用卡。因此你就需要尽可能多带现金。如果你想在以后30年里每年靠4万美元过活，那就需要120万美元的现金。
别忘了，如果这笔钱是藏在手提箱或衣橱里（“白佬”巴尔杰落网时，身边有80万美元），它的价值将会受到通胀侵蚀。即使通胀率每年只有3%，你的钱过了30年以后也会丧失60%的价值。
2. 租房。你无法获得抵押贷款，同时可能也无法从专业的房屋出租商那里租房。但私家侦探兼找人专家史蒂夫•拉姆巴姆(Steve Rambam)说，不管你去哪个城市，总会有很多人在分类广告网站Craigslist上登广告，愿意收现金把房子租给你。
3. 携带贵金属和收藏品。不能提供社会保险号码就无法开设经纪账户，这就意味着你无法投资股票和债券。
但一些硬资产依然是完全私人化的。比如说金银、稀有硬币或其他收藏品，像罕见的棒球卡、带印地安人头像的美分硬币或黑便士邮票。你可以购买这些东西，无需向“老大哥”报备。供职于Euro Pacific Precious Metals的迈克•弗雷德曼(Mike Freedman)指出，这些交易从法律上说就跟买一条面包或买件古董差不多。
不巧的是，彻底的逃亡者必须得找到一个拥有老式店铺、能收现金的交易商。而且由于反洗钱法的规定，一次不能购买超过1万美元的东西。
4. 搬到不需要汽车的地方去。自2001年9月11日的恐怖袭击以后，需要提供社会保险号码才能获得驾照。但要是你不开车，那就用不着驾照了。你可以考虑纽约市，或者波士顿、芝加哥、迈阿密海滩、华盛顿以及少数其他几个地方。
5. 换掉你的电子设备。它们能记录你的一切──你的iPad、iPhone、个人电脑。每台设备都有一个识别码，可以在网络上跟踪到。在Craigslist或eBay上将它们全卖掉，然后换新的──用现金买。
6. 创建新的网络身份。使用你买到的全新电脑和公共WiFi网络，为你的电子邮件、亚马逊或苹果设备建立全新的网络身份。你不用彻底放弃这些东西；只是必须用假名开设账户。无名氏(John Doe)、米奇•本•拉登(Mickey bin Laden)、“白佬”•侯赛因(Whitey Hussein)。随你的便。
7. 跟你的社交网站一刀两段。再见了Facebook。MySpace、LinkedIn和其他那些社交网站，我们就到此为止吧。隐私？你是在开玩笑吧？上这些网站就跟赤身裸体走在大街上、背后用纹身写着社会保险号码差不多。
如果你真是在逃亡，通过这些社交网络来找到你是最简便的方法。史蒂夫•拉姆巴姆说，人们被抓住通常是因为他们试图跟一些老朋友保持联系。即使是通过网络联系也还是风险重重。
8. 弄一张维萨(Visa)、万事达卡(MasterCard)或美国运通(American Express)的礼品卡。这种卡可以让你在网上购物，而且是完全匿名的。网购时现金就派不上任何用场了。你可以在任何一家杂货店用现金购买这种卡。注意：你要买的是礼品卡，不是那种常规的可重新充值的预付卡。你可能觉得难以置信，但就连这种预付卡在使用之前也要求你提供个人身份信息和社会保险号码。
9. 买一部预付费的手机。Virgin和T-Mobile之类的低价运营商会提供一些价格便宜的选择。这些手机同样也是匿名的。你甚至可以在便利店买到这种手机。这里还是要记住，付现金。无线运营商可以跟踪到手机在哪里使用，但他们不知道是谁在用。不属于任何俱乐部的格罗克•马科斯(Groucho Marx)致电！。
10. 要是你要出远门，那就乘公共汽车。不提供政府发布的身份证明是无法坐飞机的──这点我们早就知道了。但没有身份证明的话，你连美国铁路公司(Amtrak)的火车也坐不了。这是多么荒谬的事情？好消息是：乘坐公共汽车旅行的乘客依然是自由国度里的自由公民。《小飞侠》(Peter Pan)里的鲍勃•施瓦兹(Bob Schwarz)肯定地说，如果你出现在车站并支付现金，那就不用身份证明。任何一个唐人街的公共汽车都适用这条原则。
Brett Arends 本文译自MarketWatch
How you can pull a Whitey Bulger
Commentary: How to fly under Big Brother’s nose
By Brett Arends, MarketWatch
BOSTON (MarketWatch) — How do you pull a Whitey Bulger? How do you drop off the grid like that for 16 years?
Whitey’s a monster — an accused killer and more. But when he finally got busted last week in an apartment a few blocks from the beach in Santa Monica, Calif., I have to confess I had a certain sneaking admiration.
Think about it. We have less privacy and freedom than any generation in history.
The government and big corporations know your every move. They know where you work, how much you own, how much you owe, where you go and what you buy. They know where you are, who you’re talking to and what you’re saying. They know what books and blogs you’re reading and what movies and TV you’re watching, and who your “friends” are. You are tracked by your cellphone, judged by your FICO score and monitored by your iPad. Your government ID number — known as your Social Security number — means that they can tie all these things together and trace them right back to you.
Yet here was Whitey Bulger — the most hunted American in history — living a comfortable, middle-class life just blocks from the beach, right under Big Brother’s big nose. And they didn’t have a clue.
Whatever you think of Whitey, that’s something.
Imagine trying to explain to Thomas Jefferson or James Madison how we live today, and how the federal government and big companies track our every move. Imagine trying to explain to Calvin Coolidge, for that matter.
Blame the Patriot Act. Blame credit cards and the Internet. Blame Apple Inc. AAPL +2.00% and Amazon.com Inc. AMZN +1.18% Blame FDR. But above all, blame us — for letting it happen.
So how can you pull a Whitey and drop off the grid?
1. You’re going to need cash — and lots of it. If you really want to vanish completely, you’re going to have to leave your Social Security number behind. Kelly Riddle, a private investigator who specializes in tracking people, says it is still possible to buy a new one on the black market. But it’s risky. You’re breaking the law, of course. And as Frank Ahearn, a former skip tracer, points out: If the number gets busted, so will you.
But without a Social Security number, you’re going to struggle to earn a good living. You won’t be able to open a bank account or get a credit card. So you’ll need to take as much cash with you as possible. If you want to live on $40,000 a year for the next 30 years, you’ll need $1.2 million.
Remember, if that money is sitting in a suitcase in the closet — Whitey had $800,000 when they found him — inflation will be eating away at its value. Even if inflation’s only 3% a year, your money is going to lose 60% of its value over 30 years.
2. Rent. You’re not getting a mortgage, and you’re probably not renting from a professional landlord. But Steve Rambam, a private investigator and a leading expert on finding people, says: No matter what city you go to, there are always plenty of people advertising on Craigslist willing to rent to you for cash.
3. Take precious metals and collectibles. You can’t open a brokerage account without providing your Social Security number, and that means you can’t invest in stocks and bonds.
But some hard assets are still totally private. Like bullion. Or rare coins. Or other collectibles — like rare baseball cards, Indian Head pennies or Penny Black stamps. You can buy them without telling Big Brother a thing. Mike Freedman at Euro Pacific Precious Metals notes that these transactions legally are akin to buying “a loaf of bread, or an antique.”
Alas, the complete fugitive will have to find a dealer with an old-fashioned store who can take cash. Thanks to money-laundering rules, you also can’t buy more than $10,000 at a time.
4. Move somewhere you don’t need a car. Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, you need to provide your Social Security number to get a driver’s license. But you don’t need a license if you don’t drive. Think New York City. Or Boston, Chicago, Miami Beach, Washington, D.C. and a few other places.
5. Replace your electronics. They can track everything — your iPad, your iPhone, your PC. Each one has an identity and it can be followed online. Sell ’em all on Craigslist or eBay and buy new ones — with cash.
6. Create a new online identity. Using your brand-new computer and a public WiFi network, set up a completely new online identity for email, Amazon or Apple. You don’t have to give these up; you just have to open accounts under phony names. John Doe? Mickey bin Laden? Whitey Hussein? You make the call.
7. Axe your ‘social-networking’ sites. Goodbye, Facebook. So long, MySpace, LinkedIn LNKD +5.87% and the rest of them. Privacy? Are you kidding? You might as well walk down the street naked with your Social Security number tattooed on your behind.
If you are genuinely on the run, these social connections are one of the easiest ways for them to find you. When people get found, Steve Rambam says, it’s often because they tried staying in touch with some of their old pals. Even online it’s risky.
8. Get a Visa, MasterCard or American Express ‘gift’ card. This will let you shop online, where physical cash is useless, and is completely anonymous. Buy it in any drugstore and pay cash. Note: You need to buy a gift card, not one of those regular prepaid cards that you can reload with cash. Hard to believe, but even those prepaid cards demand your personal identity and Social Security number before you can use them.
9. Get a prepaid cellphone. Bargain carriers like Virgin and T-Mobile offer some cheap deals. And these, once again, are anonymous. You can even get them in a convenience store. Once again, pay cash. The wireless carrier can still track where the phone is used, but they don’t know who’s using it. Groucho Marx calling!
10. When you get out of town, go by bus. You can’t take a plane without providing a government-issued ID — OK, we get that. But you can’t even take Amtrak without doing so either. How ridiculous is that? The good news: Bus travelers are still free citizens in a free republic. Bob Schwarz at Peter Pan confirms that if you turn up at the station and pay cash, you don’t need ID. The same is true for any Chinatown bus too.
Brett Arends is a senior columnist for MarketWatch and a personal-finance columnist for the Wall Street Journal.