It's time to take our privacy back from tech companies
It's time to take our privacy back from tech companies
BY RON YOKUBAITIS, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 01/19/18 07:30
AM EST
Your personal information is being collected, organized,
purchased and sold on a global market. Polls consistently show that most people
are concerned they have lost control of their own personal data. No one is
immune from the pervasive information grab by governments, companies, and
hackers. This is happening to pretty much anyone alive (or dead) who has ever
used the internet, a credit card, gone to school, subscribed to cable
television or used a cell phone. There is no escaping this new reality.
However, we can change the rules that govern the way your
information is collected and used.
Absolute control of your information is no longer
possible, but you can and should have a say in the matter. Think of your data
or information as personal property. Companies and governments can use eminent
domain or other seizure processes to take that property, but the sting eases
when you realize they must afford due process and justly compensate the owner
for the property taken.
The biggest difference between your digital property and
other personalty is that your every action online creates new digital items of
value. Especially your online actions that involve monetary transactions, such
as what kind of movies you watch, food you eat or places you visit. This data
goes into a profile that increases the value of your information to a marketing
company.
Today, internet service providers, social media and
search engines develop and sell your profile. Sometimes these marketing companies
develop or buy popular apps so they can directly collect information. Your
digital property is making money for everyone involved in the process — except
you.
My question is, if we are creating something of value,
shouldn’t we get compensated for it? We shouldn’t view all data mining as
negative. Make no mistake, some of it can get creepy, but most of it is
designed to put products I like in my wallet’s sight line. The part that’s
disconcerting is that it’s usually done without my knowledge or consent. This
is especially troubling when it comes to my children’s information, as kids are
now more in touch with electronics than any generation before them. One
university study revealed that by age two, 90 percent of kids have a moderate
ability to use digital devices.
What’s even worse is when this invasion of privacy is
used as a way to extort money. It wasn’t that long ago AT&T actually
charged customers $30 a month to not be spied on. It was also just this past
summer that AT&T talked about rolling out regular internet service that
would come with ads based on their data mining. They would allow customers to
opt out of their information grabbing ad-crammed service, but for an additional
cost of $500 to $800 annually. AT&T has done something important here:
admit how much your digital property is worth.
There are, however, a few places that have seen the
light. Switzerland, for instance, with their long established respect for
personal privacy. Under Article 13 of the country’s constitutional right to privacy,
authorities are not allowed access to anyone’s personal data without their
notification and a thorough and transparent data request process. Another
example is Australia, where new legislation would allow consumers to own their
data. This policy would force government agencies and companies to get explicit
permission from users before transferring or selling their data to third
parties. Compare that to the United States’ current consideration of Section
702, and the unforgivable lack of media coverage over how much of your
information law enforcement is allowed to collect and sift through without
notice, or even much cause to then use it for whatever purpose they want.
Our actions create new digital property with every click
of the mouse, and the result has monetary value. Companies like AT&T
shouldn’t be allowed to loot our information, then profit from it. We pay them
for a service, nothing more. If they want my data, they should have to
compensate me. Facebook allows me to use their platform to connect with others
for this privilege, and I consider it fair enough to stay on the platform. It’s
my right to leave that platform, and remove their rights to my digital property
when I do.
State legislators and Congress need to be urged to
recognize that we own our personal digital property, and clarify it is
protected through the bundle of property rights protected by the First, Fourth,
Fifth, Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. So, next time
someone running for office stops by your area, ask them if they believe the
data you generate — which has significant monetary value (apparently $500 to
$800/year) — is rightfully yours and what they will do to protect your rights.
It’s time to stop this digital robbery, and it is time we take action to take
back our privacy and property.
Ron Yokubaitis is CEO of Golden Frog, a company dedicated
to protecting internet privacy online, and its sister company Data Foundry, a
data center services provider headquartered in Austin, Texas.
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