Kate Hackett
Have you ever wondered if you were allowed to know something? After all, knowledge is power and isn’t it smart to limit what certain people know?
But generally, yeah, you CAN know that information.
Redditor craftygalcreates recently asked Reddit:
“What’s a piece of information you learned that now feels almost illegal to know?”
And the post quickly went viral. We went through and found some of the best responses — and we promise: no cops will arrest you for reading this thread.
1. How to kill people
Well I’m in med school and funny enough learning how to not kill a person involves learning about a s**t ton of ways to kill a person.
2. Lockpicker
When I was a kid, my dad taught me how to pick a lock. I became very interested in different kinds of locks and purchased a lock pick set. I practiced for years and became pretty good at certain types of locks. So over the years every now and then, if a neighbor locks themselves out of the house or a friend loses the key to a padlock or a lock box I’ve been able to help. But the reactions I tend to get from people, even while I’m helping them with their lock is mainly one of mistrust. I’m not a cat burglar. I just like locks.
3. In England…
If you are struggling to pay bills, make water the first one you skip. Access to water is protected by law so the utility supplier cannot cut you off.
4. Don’t pay for papers
You can ask scientists for their research paper that you usually have to pay money to view in a journal. They are allowed to just email it to you no questions asked and they like to do it!
5. The lion
Totally another route of what everyone else is posting but…. the lion at The Animal Kingdom safari ride isn’t chained (Disney World park). He is fed a huge piece of meat every morning and sits on a rock that is changed to the perfect temperature for him everyday so he has no reason to attack anyone on the safari ride.
6. UNION.
Unionization saves you more money than it costs you, you cannot be punished for attempting to do so, and it is NOT in any way illegal, rude, or improper to discuss your salary with your coworkers.
It feels illegal because every company on the f*****g planet has tried to make people think unions are evil monsters trying to get you to pay union dues for no return. This is false because union dues are much less expensive than a company underpaying you and trying to work you to death, which a union fights against. Unions are there to prevent worker exploitation, stop it if people were being exploited when they got there, and get you a fair wage that will actually let you live off of one job instead of needing 4-5 or to work criminal amounts of overtime.
7. Nitrogen triiodide
Creating Nitrogen triiodide. When in liquid form it is stable but once it dries so much as a fly landing on it creates a purple smoke explosion. It’s so unstable that alpha radiation can be used to detonate the stuff.
It’s actually easy to get the materials and create the stuff. Filled my high school hallway stairs with purple smoke on the last day of school.
8. Lies
Police are allowed to lie to you. So are military recruiters.
9. California
One thing I learned is in the state of California if you are squatting a property for five years and have been upkeeping it with proof, you can file a claim of ownership with the courts and take over any property as long as it was deemed that the original owner never tried to remove you within the same timeframe.
10. Opium
It is legal to grow opium poppies in the United States, but only if you don’t know they can be used to make drugs
11. Lower rates
Read a personal finance book that recommended calling your providers once a year (credit card companies, TV/internet providers, cell phone company, etc) and demand a lower rate or price. I’ve been following that advice for two years and have not been denied once.
Last week I saw a commercial for my internet provider offering a super low introductory rate so I called to demand that I get that rate. They said no problem and now I save an extra $700 a year because of a 5 minute call. I am a very passive introvert so it’s not the most easy or comfortable thing but the money I save is worth it. They may so no initially but if you ask a few times or ask to speak to their supervisor they very usually give in.
*Edit the book is called “I Will Teach You to be Rich” (cringey title, awesome book imo)
12. Heroin
Well, I gave my 9th grade chemistry class a detailed report on diacetylmorphine (heroin) for a project about organic molecules, including how to make it. It was pretty interesting to do and fun to present, but I feel like I broke the law somehow.
13. Hospital bills
Hospitals have but don’t tell you about a program to reduce your bills depending on how much you make. You can go to their website and find a usually hidden link for financial assistance policies and really cut your bill down
14. Debt
When you have a debt with a collection agency you can pay the debt and then call back a few weeks later and say, “I was told when I called and paid that you’d remove this from my credit score.” And then you ask for documentation saying they’re gonna do it. Apparently collection agencies don’t keep super good records on stuff like that; they just want your money. It worked for me, and I hope it can work for you if you need it in the future.
15. A book
There is a book called “100 deadly skills” that teaches you how to do all sorts of potentially illegal stuff
16. Pandora
I don’t know if it’s still a thing, but if you listen to Pandora radio the songs download into your temp folder under your browser. Just add the. Mp4 after it and you can play it.
I spent lots of college listening to Pandora, and if I liked a song I’d save it. If you paused the song in time then the most recent song was the top one in the temp folder.
17. Canada
In Canada you can record any conversation with someone without their knowledge, unless it is in furtherance of an offence.
I had to do this with an auto restoration shop in order to do a Visa chargeback when they did nothing to my car but steal parts for almost a year (Curtis Customs in Nova Scotia – I don’t mind mentioning them because there are already news stories about their scams)
18. Explosives
How to make explosives with everyday home products.
19. FBI
You can ask the FBI if they have a file on you.
20. Foil
Aluminum foil can block the thefts detection signals in super markets.
