Putting a Price on Privacy

I typed ‘definition of a stalker’ into Google before writing this piece. The result (apart from my own personal data footprint raising yet another red flag) was:

Stalker
noun

1. a person who harasses or persecutes someone with unwanted and obsessive attention.
2. a person who hunts game stealthily.

Interesting. Now, what if the above-mentioned ‘person’ was instead a ‘thing’. More specifically, what if the above-mentioned person was a social media platform? It certainly seems evident today that such networks know more about you, me, us, than even the most devoted celebrity stalker. Knowledge that goes beyond general awareness (knowing our gender, age, and location), to being a bit ‘creepy’ at best — our musical preferences, our shopping habits, our plans for next week, our recent medical concerns, favourite restaurants, colour, holiday destination etc.

Could we describe this as obsessive attention?

Then there’s the scale. 1.8 billion active users of Facebook; 1 billion for Whatsapp; 877 million for QQ; and 846 million for WeChat — and trust me, the list goes on. That’s a lot attention, a lot of personal data that’s leading to an increasingly accurate picture being built up of each user — without them having any real idea of the why, where, or when.

In other words, in return for a ‘free’ account, vast numbers of people across the globe are offering unrestricted access to their private lives. In turn, these social media platforms ‘informationalize’ (to quote a term coined by futurist Alvin Toffler in the 1980s) this data — and use it as the basis for revenue generation. The result: algorithms and robots that program advertising and news for each individual, whilst continually ‘learning’ about you from the posts you create and the choices you make.

Could that be described as ‘hunting through stealth’?

Intruder alert

So we’re stuck in a bind. We have little understanding of what personal data social media companies have on us as individuals, where they keep it, store it, and how they use it. As well as being profoundly dis-empowering, the situation also leads to financial exploitation: private data contains valuable information, which in turn is sold on for profit without us seeing even a fraction of a penny. In fact all we do see is even more targeted advertising designed to encourage us to part with even more our hard earned cash.

“But what’s the harm in it”, a friend of mine said recently “you just ignore the adverts.” Maybe said I, but think of it like this. What if you joined a local cycling club where, in return for free membership, you would receive discounted offers on equipment and news of local routes etc. — nothing wrong their right? But what if every time you now went out on your bike people watched and listened to your every move? If they knew everything you bought (not just cycling equipment) when out riding, every decision, every choice. If they even knew where you were, and where you’re going to be. Wouldn’t that be disturbing?

“No way”, said my friend (and mother of two children). “Way” said I.

Making your data turn a profit

There is a solution however: a social media platform that leverages the blockchain.

To start with blockchain is ideal for helping keep a user’s data private and confidential. But equally, it offers choice: what if people want to accept relevant and targeted advertising, in return for a reward? What if they want to benefit from their online activities, their involvement and participation?

It’s here that Howdoo enters the picture.

Howdoo comes with the headline: ‘a decentralized platform for inspiring more culturally rewarding, trusted, and value-driven social engagement’. In other words, it’s a new approach to social media, and one that places personal data at the very centre of its function. It’s about sharing value. To start with, there’s an attached cryptotoken, the µDoo, which plays a massive role in enabling value to flow across the network. As a result every person who agrees to view advertising (the option to go ‘stealth’ and accept no advertising also exists), will be rewarded for their attention — with a share of the overall cost of running the ad shared out among the people and groups viewing it.

But it doesn’t stop there. Howdoo will also help monetize actions and participation. Provide feedback to an advertiser? Create content that attracts significant traffic and therefore more advertising? Report advertising that’s considered offensive and anti-social? All these activities will be incentivized and rewarded with a share of the µDoo an advertiser pays to reach you. As a result, advertisers themselves will be stimulated to create more relevant and meaningful content — knowing that they’re engaging with people actually prepared to listen.

This approach to monetizing your attention, user-generated content, and active moderation of ad campaigns is the next logical step for social media networks to progress. Not that you can expect the established players to make the leap — they have too much to lose from letting go of your personal data. But they might not have a choice — users are quietly becoming aware that there must be ‘a better way’.

That way is Howdool. Subscribe to our newsletter and Telegram Channeltoday.