Fighting for Our Data: A Look Into Digital Privacy

We lead two lives now: one in the physical realm, and one that is composed of our digital identity. And while we do have a right to privacy in the real world, the same can’t be said of our digital lives. The digital world has evolved too fast; so fast that we didn’t even pause to think about the ramifications of uploading our minds online for the entire world to see. But many did. Many people saw all that data collected online and began to look for opportunities to monetize it.

And the question still remains: Is it too late to take back control of our data? Or are we past the point where we could still do something about it?

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Whenever and wherever you go online, and whatever you do, generates a trail of data that can be traced back to you. Most of the things you do online are being monitored to gather more information about you and generate a database of your preferences; your likes and dislikes. And the sole reason behind it? Money.

Data that belongs to you. Data that can be linked back to you. Error 406: Not Acceptable

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It’s impossible to go online these days without running into advertisements. After all, that’s how most websites and free online services make their money. They get paid every time a user clicks on an ad. And naturally, companies would try to maximize their profits and revenue; which is where targeted advertisement comes into play.

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Targeted advertisement refers to how advertisers “personalize” the ads displayed to each user. It’s simple, really — the more they tailor those ads for you, the more likely you are to click on it. And the more clicks they get, the more money they earn.

And how do they personalize this experience? By collecting information about us. About our preferences. About our likes and dislikes. Because the more they know about a particular user, the more they can tailor the ads for that specific user.

Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with this approach. It’s a fair business model, after all. However, like some people in your life know you better than others, so do some companies — gathering more personal data about you than others. But, this often comes with it’s own set of issues.

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You wouldn’t let someone just walk into your home and use your belongings, right? Or eavesdrop onto your private conversations. No, right? Because as a human, we have a right to privacy.

But could you say the same thing about your digital life? A vast majority of the people believe the they cannot control the data collected by the services they use. And this, is exactly why online privacy is such an important issue to tackle. Because right now we have no way to see what personal information is gathered and by whom. Companies might be sharing data with each other, or selling it to advertisers without your consent. Ultimately, this is a violation of our right to privacy.

There’s also the question of how a said company secures the data it collects. Data breaches and targeted hacks are not uncommon, and they usually result in personal and private information being leaked on the internet. Anyone can take a look at these data dumps, should they choose to. And often times, that data can not only include personal identifiers like IP addresses and hardware info, but also sensitive data like medical records, political opinions or a person’s sexual orientation. Would you feel comfortable knowing that that data exists online for everyone to see? If you’re anything like me, the answer would be an astounding “No”.

What can you do about it?

Unfortunately I don’t think there’s a whole lot we, as end-users of the said services, can do right now. It’s impossible to expect sudden change given how complex the digital world has become. While many blogs and privacy enthusiasts would tell you to switch to open-source software and privacy-respecting services, I don’t think they’re viable for everyone. Don’t get me wrong, I completely support these projects. But I don’t think they’re ready for mass adoption yet.

Tell me, how many of you would be willing to switch to a Linux-based OS to avoid relying on Microsoft? I know I wouldn’t. Because even though it has made great strides on terms of reliability and usability in the past few years, it’s still not ready for the general audience yet. Switching to an entirely new OS is easier said than done. It’s difficult to “unlearn” years of muscle memory and knowledge and switch platforms.

I use a lot of programs that are Windows-exclusive currently. Can I give them up and switch to another platform and start looking for alternatives? Yes, I can. But, will those alternatives have the same level of polish and feature set that I’ve come to expect? Will I be willing to invest a lot of my time, effort and possibly money trying to learn and get used to those said alternatives? I’m not sure.

And what if I can’t find an alternative? What if I can’t get used to it? I’m not sure about you, but I’ve grown to rely on a few apps and software that I cannot give up on. Many Linux purists and open-source advocates would disagree with my view, but try to get 10 of your friends or colleagues to move completely to FOSS (free and open-source software) and you’ll understand what I mean.

How many causal users would be comfortable rolling their own cloud storage solutions to avoid relying on the likes of Google Drive and Dropbox? How many people would move to end-to-end encrypted email platforms like ProtonMail and pay for it when they’re already so used to Gmail. How many people would be willing to pay for privacy-respecting services when there are a lot of options available for free? I think you already know the answer.

More importantly, why do we even have to make this choice in the first place? I should be selecting the software and services I use based on the features offered and my use cases, not on the basis of how much personal data they collect about me. It shouldn’t even be an issue in the first place.

A ray of hope still

GDPR

It’s not all dull and gloomy. The EU addressed some of the concerns when they implemented GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). This set of law includes:

• the right to know what data a company holds about you
• an opportunity to refuse a company access to browsing history and cookies when you visit their site
• clear responsibility for companies to gain consent for customer information
• stricter regulations regarding contacting customers and sharing contact details with third parties

A Brave New World: A New Monetization Model

Just because the targeted advertisement model is so popular doesn’t mean it’s the only viable option. Researchers and developers are constantly looking into new business models that support the company while also preserving the user’s privacy. A great example of this would be the Brave Browser. Brave Browser blocks all the ad and tracking tech during your browsing sessions. More importantly, it rewards users in a cryptocurrency called BAT, should they choose to view some non-intrusive ads. The ads are served depending on the user’s browsing history, but it’s done on the client side and no sensitive data is forwarded to third-party servers. While some people find it slightly controversial, I think we should give it some more time before drawing conclusions.

And that’s just one example. Many “big data” companies are working on models that generate revenue without threatening the user’s privacy. The future looks hopeful.

Awareness

People are getting more and more concerned about their private data everyday. And this is our greatest weapon, in my opinion. The more we push these companies for transparent policies, the better it’ll be for everyone. After all, a win for the user is a win for the company right?

I would like to end this article by acknowledging the fact that the fight for digital privacy is still in it’s early stages. And there are many people who have given up on it altogether. But I’m sure that one day, we’ll be back in control of our data and our digital lives. And I hope that day is not far.

— Arushi Rautela