Privacy Issues
Are we really safe?
Imagine someone constantly keeping a watch on your every step! Imagine if someone knows all your likes, dislikes, types of clothes you wear, places you visit, things you search online, chats with friends, and this endless list continues.
Different IT hubs like Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple are known to keep our personal information as data points for years now. Different mobile applications and social platforms we use for connecting with people are actually used by the Tech Giants to market us. Yes, we are their product (of course, our personal data) and they share it with third parties for advertising us. Is it really the cost of using their services for free?
If you are not paying for it, you’re the customer; you’re the product being sold
Andrew Lewis
Our minds are ‘Hijacked’
It is known that Google, Twitter, Facebook employees who created these services are disconnecting themselves from the internet.
There is growing concern that technology is contributing toward “continuous partial attention”, severely limiting people’s ability to focus, and possibly lowering IQ. One study showed that the mere presence of smartphones damages cognitive capacity — even when the device is turned off!
We know how LinkedIn exploits a need for social reciprocity to widen its network, how YouTube and Netflix autoplay videos and next episodes, depriving us of a choice about whether or not we want to keep watching, how Snapchat created its addictive snapstreaks feature, encouraging near-constant communication between its mostly teenage users.The techniques these companies use are not always generic, they can be algorithmically tailored to each person. These vulnerabilities are used by tech companies to keep users active on their websites
Facebook along with its acquisitions Whatsapp and Instagram makes an emotional profile of every individual user, things to which one is sensitive. This data was used by Cambridge Analytica (British political consulting firm) to persuade American voters and change their mind, it privileges our impulses over our intentions. Example, seeing a post involving our intended leader and controversial statements, makes us impulsive. Imagine seeing such posts in large quantities, surely it would have an impact on our mind.
From years of using Facebook, they already have enough of our personality data points, personality drives behaviour that decided whom one would vote for.
If our democratic system isn’t fair, the future of the country is surely at risk.
A ‘deceptive’ practice
On the site, Facebook explains that deactivating is a half-step to complete deletion. But it says little about how data collection works during the period. In its data policy, Facebook suggests deactivation to manage your privacy but doesn’t mention that it still collects data during that period.
“Most people would expect less or no data collection during a deactivated period,” said Gabriel Weinberg, CEO and founder of private search engine DuckDuckGo. “Deactivated means cease to operate, and you wouldn’t expect all the wheels to be turning.”
The average person would assume that Facebook pauses data collection when your account is deactivated, but that’s not the case. People thus falsely assume that account deactivation is a method to opt out!
Your best bet to stop the data collection is to delete your account. You’ll get 30 days to change your mind. During that period, Facebook will continue gathering data about you, the company said.
Also after deleting our account does Facebook really stop collecting data?
To be blunt, we don’t know. Mark Zuckerberg when asked in a senate testimony in 2018 about what happens to one’s data when one deletes its account, he didn’t have a direct answer on his tip of tongue. He gave a rather complex answer.
Final thoughts
When was the last time you searched for something online and didn’t end up seeing its advertisement at Facebook? Probably not a long time ago. Reports have been made that people are seeing advertisements of products that they have talked about with friends on a phone call!! Scary isn’t it?
Now is an era of IT Tech giants, they are one of the most valuable companies reaching far ahead of oil companies (maybe as the cost of our data has surpassed the prices of oil). Sharing our personal data is a billion dollar business. Our personal data is an asset. In the current times we don’t have control over our data, where it is stored, and to whom it is shared with.
Data is the new gold. It’s the new oil. It’s the new plastics.
Mark Cuban
Are we waiting for the time that on some day if a data breach happens, then our data would be out for sale on black market!!! Who would we then remain to blame? Facebook?
Who have bluntly written in their privacy policies it was your consent after all!!!
Solutions
Though we cannot completely move out of this trap, certainly we can reduce its reach. These are a few steps we could take on individual level
- Clearing cookie data on regular basis is one such method.(May be use Incognito mode)
- A browser extension like uBlock Origin blocks ads and the data they collect. The uBlock Origin extension also prevents malware from running in your browser and gives you an easy way to turn the ad blocking off when you want to support sites you know are secure.
- We need to be extra careful when using public USB ports. We should refrain from any payment related activities on public Wifi. As it is a favourite spot for attackers to steal our data.
Some more fundamental steps in the direction would be
- Data Privacy Law should be treated as fundamental law. We should have control over what information of us is shared, with whom and where it is stored. #OwnyourData
- Strict data privacy laws are the need of the hour!! Or else we would remain their puppets of experimentation.
- Last but not least, we should educate ourselves and society about digital data privacy. So the more aware we are, the more steps we could take in the right direction and force these data collecting companies to handle our personal data with utmost care.
Surely sharing this article would help educate others about data privacy.
Points to ponder
- More than 90% of revenues of Facebook, YouTube are from advertising.
Which is increasing day by day. Facebook makes $4.05 revenue per user in Asia pacific in fourth quarter of 2020, which is huge considering the population of the region. - Current WhatsApp privacy policy update different for India?
WhatsApp has a different privacy policy for European Union, at the time of writing Indian government has asked WhatsApp to withdraw its new policy terms.
That’s it from us, and we’ll see you next week. Also, don’t forget to share this article on WhatsApp with your friends and make them aware about data privacy.
