'Why Data, Not Privacy, Is the Real Danger' (nbcnews.com)

"While it's creepy to imagine companies are listening in to your conversations, it's perhaps more creepy that they can predict what you're talking about without actually listening," writes an NBC News technology correspondent, arguing that data, not privacy, is the real danger. Your data -- the abstract portrait of who you are, and, more importantly, of who you are compared to other people -- is your real vulnerability when it comes to the companies that make money offering ostensibly free services to millions of people. Not because your data will compromise your personal identity. But because it will compromise your personal autonomy. "Privacy as we normally think of it doesn't matter," said Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology [and a former Mozilla team leader]. "What these companies are doing is building little models, little avatars, little voodoo dolls of you. Your doll sits in the cloud, and they'll throw 100,000 videos at it to see what's effective to get you to stick around, or what ad with what messaging is uniquely good at getting you to do something...."

With 2.3 billion users, "Facebook has one of these models for one out of every four humans on earth. Every country, culture, behavior type, socio-economic background," said Raskin. With those models, and endless simulations, the company can predict your interests and intentions before you even know them.... Without having to attach your name or address to your data profile, a company can nonetheless compare you to other people who have exhibited similar online behavior...
A professor at Columbia law school decries the concentrated power of social media as "a single point of failure for democracy." But the article also warns about the dangers of health-related data collected from smartwatches. "How will people accidentally cursed with the wrong data profile get affordable insurance?"

Comments

Adblockers, and a practiced lack of attention

[Rick Schumann]

You want to foil these nosy corporate assholes? Use an Adblocker 100% of the time (I recommend uBlock Origin), NoScript, and most of all, a well-practiced lack of attention for any and all ads that can't be handled by the above. Additionally, either clear your cookies when you close your browser, or use an add-on that clears cookies not whitelisted. You don't have to be subjected to ads, and you can train yourself to let them roll off your forebrain like water off a duck's back and not make their way into your memory.

Of course you should also do everything you can to reduce your digital footprint as much as possible: do not use your real name online, ever. Stay away from so-called 'social media' (which is just a honeytrap for your very-much-personal data anyway; be 'social' for real with people you care to stay in touch with). Don't send anything sensitive in email or even text messages, always assume it's compromised. Don't use 'The Cloud' to store anything for any reason, assume it's compromised and being sifted through, regardless of what they tell you; keep your own data on storage devices you own and physically control. Don't allow people to post pictures of you online, ever; easier by the way to not allow people to take pictures of you in the first place. Don't use a smartphone; they're close to impossible to keep secure, and are easily compromised (documentably so, and if you don't believe that then you're not paying attention). At the very least, limit smartphone internet access as much as possible, and never for anything personally sensitive, always assume your wireless company is snooping into everything you use it for. I'd recommend using a VPN as much as possible except for the fact that you can't necessarily trust VPN providers any more than you can trust wireless companies and ISPs. Likewise I'd recommend using TOR as much as possible, but there's evidence to suggest TOR is compromised, or at least is easily compromised; if you do use TOR, be aware of what country the exit node resides in, and keep changing it until it comes up in a country that (at least theoretically) has laws respecting peoples' privacy (i.e. Russia or Ukraine are bad choices, for instance).

I think the above gives you the general idea. The 'Information Age' has given way to the 'Age of Snooping'. You're right to be paranoid, because someone is indeed watching you, more likely many 'someones'. The only way to 100% protect your privacy anymore is to never use the internet and not have a telephone of any kind (including a landline); i.e. have zero digital footprint. It's possible to live that way but very difficult. The best most of us can do is be vigilant and careful about what we do and say online. Some may say 'The damage is already done, there's no point in trying anymore', but that's nonsense, if you start paying attention and limiting your digital footprint as much as posssible today, after a while all the data that's been collected on you will 'go stale' and predictions of what you might do and say will become less accurate as more time passes. Do yourself a solid and work to make their data on you less accurate.