Words: Matthew Curry
But as we know, nothing in the world comes for free. The price for all of these conveniences and gifts is you – or more specifically, everything there is to know about you.
For most of us, our lives revolve around technology, whether we like it or not. In recent years, through technology, it seems as though we’ve been gifted the ability to access vast amounts of information instantly, right at our finger tips. It allows us to search any question we have at any time, keep up with loved ones all over the world, or even just predict the weather – all, seemingly, for free. But as we know, nothing in the world comes for free.
The price for all of these conveniences and gifts is you – or more specifically, everything there is to know about you. When agreeing to Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions, we are often unknowingly selling off our personal data to big companies as a price of use. Whilst data collection is no big secret and most of us know of it, at least in some capacity, the true cost of it might be a lot higher than some of us expect.
For example, Facebook collects hordes of data, ranging from the simple information on your profile, such as your age or your sex, all the way to tracking your location using IP addresses and events you attended. Most social media platforms, such as X (formally Twitter), do the same, even collecting data such as how long you spend looking at a post or even what apps and devices you’re using to access their site. When it comes to location tracking, fitness apps such as Strava track where you run, how far, and how long for. Amazon is another culprit, collecting information such as your address, name, and searches from its website – even recordings captured through its virtual assistant, Alexa.
So far, most of this data collection is expected – simple data that many of us are aware these apps take. The danger lies in what can be done with our data. In recent years, a number of headlines surrounding problems with data security have risen, most of which concerned what our data is used for. The first concern is who our data is shared with, as a number of companies claim this data is shared with affiliates, or “third party” companies.
Tinder, for example, shares the data it collects with its affiliates of the Match Group, including other dating sites such as Hinge or OkCupid. This means data such as who you swipe on, the information in our profile, and even the gyroscopic data (i.e. which way you turn your phone) is collected and shared by the app. While Tinder claims this is for ‘maintenance’, ‘customer care, and advertising’, the exact details of what and why this information is used remains unclear. Amazon also allows companies to track users on its site. This involves letting these companies “tag” people, efficiently allowing them to track people better and share information that they have on them. Apple also warns in its Privacy Policy that your data may be shared with companies who ‘provide services’ or offer products you might be interested in.
Many large apps share this data with each other, meaning that these companies such as Meta, X, or Amazon can use this seemingly harmless data collected from one app – combined with data from others – to build detailed user profiles.
The second concern about data security lies in its progressively unethical uses. Period-tracking apps such as Flo have faced privacy lawsuits and regulatory fines after breaches of sensitive health data, raising concerns their private data could be collected and used in court cases involving abortion. Similarly, fears about how data concerning location, addresses, and family members might be used by companies such as Meta have grown, given its potential dangers. Even more seriously, in recent years, companies such as Palantir have shown how this data, paired with advancements in AI, could have real impacts on our society. The possibility of data surveillance technology – such as that developed by Palantir – being used to track and profile civilians suspected of crimes becomes more tangible as the rapid militarisation of Big Tech occurs. Social media and consumer AI corporations such as Meta and OpenAI have signed millions of dollars’ worth of defense contracts along with Palantir. More recently, this has led to concerns that technology could be used to profile and target individuals algorithmically identified as potential offenders – without any human insight.
So, for most of us, our lives are inextricable from a form of sinister technology that keeps constant surveillance. Almost every detail that we spend online or on our phones is being collected, filed, and used – mostly to build a profile of us. As a virtual panopticon forms, we are conditioned into complacency through digestible cookies. So ask yourself again: just how much is Big Tech watching you?
