Privacy is something that should concern each and every one of us. And it’s dying, our private information is being eaten and used by big corporations. There is money in data there is nothing in this world for free.
Have you ever read the terms and condition you agree to when signing up on a social media service? Ordering something online? or choosing what media platform you would like to share your images?
Everything you share online will be stored in a database, even if you delete your profile your data is stored and used.
Most users on the internet today, surfing without some kind of ad-blocking addon in their browser has for sure seen targeted marketing. Pointed directly at you, the data gathered for these personal ad’s are often keywords you’ve used searching for something. Just try searching for something and keep that product or medical issue in mind and just see what pops up later.
You use facebook to share daily what’s happening in your life, twitter to share what’s happening in that exact moment. What you’re doing and thinking at times, and you share your photos on instagram of you, your child and friends. You use Linkedin to grow your network and share your CV online.
What do you think this data is worth to those who know how to use it? There is big money in targeted advertising and there is big money in data. And everything is being used, no doubt about it.
These things will not go away, those photos of you when you were 18 drinking yourself back to the stone age will not go away. Your thoughts about the government after a shitty day will not go away. That “private” conversation you had with a friend on facebook messenger will not go away. Everything is stored and could be used at a later time as the terms and conditions you’ve agreed on may change at any time.
Those who are not aware of these things may call me paranoid but there is no longer no such thing as privacy. There are cameras everywhere and almost every device now a days are connected to the internet. This may to some seem like no big problem as they have nothing to hide. But think carefully, do you really want every single thing you do to be public?
The past few years in my country there has been talk about data storage. The government want to keep record on phone calls, text messages, instant messages, search words and even e-mails. For now it has been canned, but every year we see some new variation of the same proposal that some try to sneak through and print in hiding.
Mark zuckerberg the creator of Facebook said this about his users during the early stages of facebook:
Zuckerberg: Yeah so if you ever need info about anyone at Harvard
Zuckerberg: Just ask.
Zuckerberg: I have over 4,000 emails, pictures, addresses, SNS
[Redacted Friend’s Name]: What? How’d you manage that one?
Zuckerberg: People just submitted it.
Zuckerberg: I don’t know why.
Zuckerberg: They “trust me”
Zuckerberg: Dumb f*cks.
Were going towards a society where mass surveillance is a fact. The government is actively gathering data about every citizen. Snowden outed the NSA, but what else is there which is being kept secret?
All we really can do now is keep these things in mind before we post, think of every word we write as public and every picture we share displayed in public. Educate you children about safe internet usage before it’s to late. And do not post pictures or information about anyone without their consent.
