Dr Plaut’s research on privacy and the digital world struck a chord with me (and probably a lot of us as well); should I give up my Onecard? My UNIDAYS deals? My Niesh $1 discounts on my bubble tea to get a free upscale? Unknowingly, it seems that we’ve all signed away our data, and our privacy, but at what cost?
Dr Plaut’s research highlights an important conversation that we are not seriously engaging with; we aren’t seriously considering the consequences of using ‘free services.’ In an age that is becoming dependent on signing up to X.Y, and Z to be able to stay connected, it is important for us to reflect on how things we sign up with now can impact us down the line. As per Dr Plaut, data collection gives too much power to these corporations, and once it is out in the world, it is hard for us to take it back. How many of us have read the sections about privacy and data in the terms and conditions?
Although quite conspiracy-ish, companies are able to take our information and portray us in a light that may negatively reflect on us. A stupid snapchat or a harmless Instastory has the potential to come back and haunt us. Hackers who have been able to hack into Facebook have been able to steal an obscene amount of data, simply because so many of us have chosen to put our data out there. Similarly, genetic testing services that people use to ‘find their ancestry’, such as 23andMe, are able to collate large amounts of data that can be used in a discriminatory way against us; someone who may be pre-disposed to a cancer can have insurance rates jacked up because insurance companies have access to this intimate data. Jobs may think you are a liability if you are found to be pre-disposed to mental illness.
I guess the message I took from Plaut’s lecture is simply to think twice before we sign-up for the next TikTok.
