Member-only story
Is it Finally Time to Freak Out about Online Privacy?
My work in gamification over the past decade has led me to the inner sanctum of all major tech companies and their data-gathering apparatus. I’ve seen first hand how these systems are designed to extract your information, and how algorithms are used to encourage you to spend more time (thus providing more data about yourself).
In the recent hysteria about FaceApp, I was reminded at how badly people misunderstand data privacy today. So I thought I’d share how I approach the problem and provide a bit of background.
Everyone Does It
All technology companies write end user license agreements to “take” all of your information. This is true of just about any tech company you interact with.
For example, if you use Gmail or Google Drive, you give google the ability to index what you’re talking about. Facebook Messenger, Apple iMessage, etc — your chats. Your cell phone carrier/ISP has everything you’ve ever looked at, and everywhere you’ve ever used your phone. Your bank and credit card company know everything you’ve bought and where you bought it.
Though some companies may OPT NOT TO USE the data, and some are TOO STUPID TO USE the data, it is nonetheless true that we have given away all our data to the companies we do business with.
