Stop Feeding the Data Machine
What information did you give the last website where you made an account? What permissions did the new app on your phone request? Most people are faced with giving away their privacy just to have access to articles or food delivery, trading in their data for small services. If you have accounts on any websites or if you use any apps, you’re feeding this insatiable data-collecting beast, same as the rest of us. However, attitudes are changing and now is the prime time for us to limit what we give away. Today, I want to talk about how we can do that and why.
Understanding the Problem
Let’s use Uber, one of the world’s most popular apps, as a quick example of just how much data is gathered on you and how that impacts your experience. When you install Uber on iOS or Android, the app requests permission to use your camera, location services, read push notifications, access your contacts and your microphone. Android users have the “privilege” of having to share their SMS and device ID with Uber as well.
Some of these are fully reasonable, you can’t expect Uber to work well if it doesn’t know where you are and where you’re going. Maybe you use your camera to take a photo for your profile. But why does the app request your device ID and the ability to read (not just issue) push notifications? Lastly, why does Uber need to know how much phone battery you have left? For years, accusations have been brought up alleging that Uber relies on user info to set the price. It makes sense from their standpoint: if your phone is almost dead — you’re more desperate for a ride; if you have several other ride apps on your phone — shouldn’t jack up the price too much or you’ll go with the competitor. Their head of economic research stated plainly that they pay attention to that data, even though the company would later deny it’s used in any decision-making.
Every time you install an app on your phone, you open a brand new buffet for all sorts of companies to feast at
Even if you accept all of those things and are willing to pay extra just because an algorithm somewhere has figured out you urgently need that ride, what about the data that Uber doesn’t use directly? What happens to all of your information when it’s vacuumed up by the data harvesting process and spit out onto an app’s servers? Well, as we know from cases involving Facebook, Google and other tech giants, that data goes to advertisers, other apps and various third parties. Every time you install an app on your phone, you open a brand new buffet for all sorts of companies to feast at. It is, of course, perfectly legal for them to share your data. You give permission when you accept Terms & Conditions, so you can’t opt out of most data collection. In fact, research has shown that out of 7,000 most popular sites 51% has no opt-out options.
There are almost constant rumblings in world governments about data harvesting, where a couple of politicians will attempt to moderate this process, but most of them amount to nothing. Efforts to subdue the tech sector’s hunger for your info have mostly been lobbied away or, in a rare success, turned into GDPR, which is only available to Europeans, while North America was left out in the cold. This was the way of life for a long time but, with the recent turn against the practice, a hope shines through.
Chipping Away at the Mountain
Companies like Google are being fined for nine-figure sums, both in Europe and the USA, slowly turning the tide in favor of privacy advocates. It’s getting harder for the tech sector to defend itself when leaks happen pretty much weekly, including ones that impact their own CEOs. The lawmakers have turned their eyes toward the problems that this unchecked data collection poses both for personal privacy and state security, as evidenced by the SolarWinds hack.
There’s also a fight going on from the inside. Apple, though just as guilty of abusing data access, has taken to exposing how much info apps collect on the user. This info wasn’t exactly hidden away if you cared to look but, by bringing a new spotlight to it, Apple has forced many users to reckon with the truth. It’s much easier now to find out what data is being collected, which means you have to think about what’s being done with it.
These are enterprises built entirely on exploiting the user
Small things like that — introducing regulations, educating the users, exposing the predatory nature of data collection — are all stepping stones to restoring privacy in our digital lives. There’s pushback, of course, because losing the profit that comes from user data would disrupt most companies’ financial systems. These are enterprises built entirely on exploiting the user and when that exploitation is removed or at least curbed — the cash flow gets cut off.
One at a Time
With the scope of the problem, it’s easy to become apathetic and assume you’ll never change anything, but there are ways even a single person can make a difference. Firstly, remember to contact your local representatives and stress how important these issues are for you. Second, organizations like EFF and HCR are vital to the fight for our privacy so make sure to donate, if you can. There are many ways to help their activism, not all of which require money. Even volunteering with EFF will have an impact.
It’s also vital to make informed choices on which sites you frequent and which apps you choose. With the variety of tools available, it’s easy to abandon Facebook’s conglomerate and de-Google your life. Taking these measures will hurt the bottom line of those who have usurped your data for their own gain and, if enough people do it, make their profit models irrelevant.
