Welcome back! I see that you can decided to come back for week two of my Blog. Unfortunately, this week has been an uneventful one. Since I figure nobody really wants to hear about my adventures working in IT, I guess that I can share my thoughts on some of the issues surrounding us today! Fourteen years ago, Terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, killing almost 3,000 people. As we remember and mourn those we lost, it is interesting to examine the aftermath of the attack. To help prevent another such event, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act. This act gave unprecedented access to Americans' private data in the name of security. The act's proponents say it was necessary while its critics say that it goes to far. However, today, I don't want to get into that debate.
Instead, I want to talk about another privacy issue that many of aren't aware of. In recent years, smartphones have become almost ubiquitous. Each one of us carries a digital personal assistant with us. Apple came first with Siri, which enthralled us all when we realized we could ask it where to hide a dead body, and she would suggest locals swamps nearby. Then Google followed with Google Now, a personalized assistant who's goal it to have information ready for you before you ask for it. Finally, not wanting to be left out of the game, Microsoft came out with their own voice assistant, named Cortana after a character in the Halo video game series.
What people don't realize is that they are giving massive amounts of personal information to these services. I'm an Android user, and since I've already digital sold my soul to Google, I will use them as an example. However, Both Apple and Microsoft collect the same information. Lets start with what information I give them:
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| Each stop on my route is recorded and used to improve my suggestions! |
- Google looks through my emails. If I book a flight, it is automatically added to my calendar. If my flight gets delayed or the gate changes, my phone lets me know!
- Google knows what I look up on the internet! because of this. Because they know my interests, I get customized advertising for things I might buy, such as computers, cars, or college textbooks.
- Google knows what music I like on Spotify, and gives me suggestions on what else I should listen to!
- This Monday, I drove back from Idaho. Google knows where I went shopping for cars, and even tags the pictures I took with the location! It knows that my Dad and I went to Wendy's! It knows that I stopped in Jerome ID to fill up the gas and buy a Dr. Pepper.
- Because Google knows where I go, it tries to be helpful. Two weeks ago, I donated plasma. Last Thursday, it asked me if I wanted directions to the plasma center again!
- All of my photos are stored on Google's free Google drive space! Each photo is automatically tagged. If I search for photos of food, it will bring up every photo I've taken of food. It works for cars, trees, houses, even people!
- After my family's vacation, I backed up my vacation photos to Google Drive. A couple weeks ago, I got a notification telling me that Google had prepared a video of my trip! The compilation was better than anything I could have ever made!
Google's computers made this entire video for me.
All I had to do was click save!
I hope you realize how much data we give up. I voluntarily give away my address, where I work, what I search on the internet, what I like to eat, who I hang out with, where I go on vacation, what music I listen to, who my parents are, where I like to Ski, what classes I'm taking, and the fact that I'm shopping for a car!
They don't collect this information secretly! It's all laid out in their privacy policy. (You know, that thing you always say that you've read, but never have? You can see it right here!
Just like the PATRIOT Act, I'm not decide for you whether its good or bad! I just hope that you can come away with a better understanding. For me, the benefits of outweigh the risks, and I'll keep using it. They are incredibly useful! However, if Google suddenly decided to do something Malicious with my data, I doubt I could ever get it all back. It is a risk that I decide to take. Maybe now, I'll at least skim the privacy policy before I click "sign me up!"
Wow! Thanks for all the info on the smart phone take over. I like most people had know idea I was caring around a mini terminator in my pocket. Your post was very informative and fun to read. I enjoyed your personal experiences from you phone activity.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! I normally wouldn't take the time to read something about a Privacy Act, but the 9/11 picture hooked me. This post was exciting to read about as it tied everything in from patriotism to watching out for what is happening. Thank you for posting this and making me more aware of my surroundings and privacy settings.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! This is very well written. I haven't really thought about how much information we really give away. Sometimes I feel like I am in my own little safe world where only a few people know who I am. I guess I need to be more careful about what I share and post.
ReplyDeleteThis was interesting to read and think about. We truly do give away so much information without even thinking about it! This was great to help us realize how much of who we are is out on the internet. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteWow! That was super interesting to read. I must say, this is a stellar blog post! Well done my good friend, well done. It's crazy how life can change so quickly and disaster could strike at any moment. I try not to think about it too much, it's a hard way to live always worrying.
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