Our digital Privacy
Governments and corporations gather, store, and analyze the tremendous amount of data we chuff out as we move through our digitized lives. Often this is without our knowledge, and typically without our consent.
Governments
Intelligence and law enforcement agencies need surveillance powers to tackle serious crime and terrorism. However, there is a danger when surveillance becomes a tool to monitor the entire population. All our digital interactions are being logged and depend on which part of the world we live our very own favorite government can track our data Mass surveillance can increase the risk of control and suppression of individuals, It can be an effective way to restrict our freedom. When you know you are being watched, you would change your behavior whether you willing or not; it has this chilling effect. Especially when it comes to controls the crowd, A society of surveillance is just 1 step away from George Orwell world
Cyber Crime
Hackers and cybercriminals pose an ongoing and continuously evolving threat. With the ever-increasing amount of our data being collected and logged - we are more vulnerable to data violations and identity fraud than ever before. In the same direction, criminals will go to great extents to use our data against us: either through holding it ransom, impersonating you, stealing money, or just building up a profile on you and selling it on to another criminal entity.
Big data
On the internet, the value of data is high. Companies all want to know exactly who you are and what you are doing. They collect data, store it, use it, and sometimes sell it on. Everything that each of us does online leaves a trail of data. If saved and used correctly, these traces make up a precious of information full of insights into people on a personal level as well as a valuable read on broader cultural, economic, and political trends. Tech giants (such as Google, Facebook, Uber, Amazon, and Spotify) are leveraging this, building billion-dollar businesses out of the data that are interactions with digital devices create. As users, we have no guarantees that what is being obtained is being stored securely, we often have no way to know for sure that it is deleted when we request so, and we don't have access to what their algorithms do with our data. Our computers, phones, wearables, digital assistants, and IoT have been turned into bugs that are plugged into the vast corporate-owned surveillance network. Where we go, what we do, what we talk about, who we talk to, and who we see – everything is recorded and, at some point, leveraged for value. They know us intimately, even the things that we hide from those closest to us. In our modern internet ecosystem, this kind of private surveillance is the norm.
What data is Collected about us
Every interaction that you have an internet-connected device is logged. This includes all the data that you physically enter, as well as everything that is passively collected, such as your clicks/ scrolls amount of time spent looking at each part, etc., and finally data that is aggressively collected through background processes, GPS, gyroscope measurements, microphones and sometimes cameras. All this data is sent to servers, where you have no clue of how it is stored, what it will be used for, or if it will ever be sold. When you request for your information to be deleted- it often isn't- the data is almost ever-lasting.
What Happens to Data that is Collected about You
It can be sold. Data brokers pay a high price for people's details and habits especially when it comes to AI. It can be used to show you ads. You may see different search results than someone else because your search engine is subtly trying to sell things to you.
It can get into the wrong hands. Criminals use people's details to pull off scams, hold you to ransom, impersonate you to extract funds, or further control over your digital life.
It can allow both local and foreign governments to profile and track you.
It can be stored indefinitely, and some can be used against you in the future.