Ever wondered how a
laboratory rat feels when everybody is starring at him – how he eats, plays and
excretes. As a human being, just imagine a camera everywhere you go, including
when you are on the toilet and when you’re having sex. Picture using your electronic
device, i.e. Laptop, phone and it automatically becomes a spying, listening and
tracking device to know where you are at any time. This is the world we live in
today.
The computer age that
we live in today is far ahead of what was envisaged years ago. We have moved
from a period in human history characterised by the shift from traditional
industry that the industrial revolution brought, to an economy based on
information technology. Computers that we use today tracks people who use
devices; it collects data from websites, collects information on people who
visit websites, and knows which apps they download. What’s scarier is, when you
buy a new device, it would already have information on you, because of your
inboxes and smartphone contacts – the business model of internet companies
today puts the user as the product, they collect data and sell it.
Facebook tracks users
from device to device, collects data on websites people visit and apps they
use, gathers material on people's physical locations, collects phone call logs
from Android smartphones, and pulls in some data about people who don't have
Facebook accounts at all - this is the world we live in today.
Let’s not blame all
these on Facebook alone, all other internet platforms do the same. It’s just
that an example has to be made of a company so that government regulations will
set in. I’m not a fan of regulating the internet, but the fact that big
information technology companies have so much data on everyone, including those
that have not yet been connected to the internet, otherwise called “shadow
profiles” – this makes me cringe.
It won’t be a surprise
if the only reason why the internet is free is because the US National Security
Agency (NSA) or some other governmental or non-governmental organization is
using it as a major tool to collect telephone records of tens of millions of
people around the world.
In 2013, there were
revelations in both the Washington Post and The Guardian that the NSA tapped
directly into the servers of nine internet firms: AOL, Youtube, Skype, Apple,
PalTalk, Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google, to track online communication
in a surveillance programme known as Prism. However, nearly all of
the companies involved denied knowledge of these acts without a court order or
a search warrant.
Conversely, these
internet companies exonerate themselves by saying that the users opted in just
by accepting the ‘terms and conditions’ of using the services they provide. But
I am sure that if the users have the option to accept or decline every item
they click on the service providers’ websites, the story will be different
today. Instead, your total web history will be aggregated and sold to the
highest bidder.
Amongst part of the
efforts to curb exploitation from these internet companies, some countries
around the world limit the level of internet and digital media freedom; they
create obstacles to access by blocking specific applications that have control
over your mobile and internet access, limiting content, filtering, blocking
websites and violating user rights. This, however, is not a sustainable
solution.
What should you do?
Retire to your village and cut off from reality. Ha-ha, I am just kidding. Just
turn off the chat option on your Android device, delete any app that might leak
your information, block your computer screen’s camera and only turn it on when
you need it. Do not reveal personal information inadvertently online, and
restrict downloads from untrusted sources.
Otherwise, you hire a
communications professional that will combine the latest techniques with deep
industry expertise to keep you on track, based on your tailored unique needs.
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