Data For Money

We live in a world where businesses have evolved so much that data has become the sole source of revenue to some. But whose data? Not theirs. I wonder whose it is🤔

As the need for privacy increases, these business are finding smarter ways to acquire the data you’re trying really hard to keep private. And when it comes to Africa (no disrespect) boy do we make it super easy for them. It’s a taboo here to read terms and conditions for apps before clicking “Agree”.

What some people don’t know is that most if not all of the T&Cs we hastily click “Agree” to involve willingly giving permission to the app owners to collect, use and monetize your data. You bring the data, they bring your dopamine.

The free app illusion

A lot of people know apps like TikTok, Facebook and the likes are free to use. Some of them even pay creators for creating content on them. But how many ask where the money to pay the creators come from?

When I started writing on Hive, I told my brother about this incredibly unbelievable platform I found that “pays you for creating content on it”. Thinking that Hive was operating like TikTok, he tried to scare me into believing that the only way that would be true is that Hive was collecting my data. I think his words were something along the lines of “The white people re using your pictures and information for something”. I wanted to explain to him that that wasn’t the case, but how to explain the fact that the Blockchain prints it’s own money “out of nothing” was a daunting task, so I silence instead, feigning ignorance.

Cookies you can’t eat

You ever noticed how when you visit most websites, they want you to accept cookies first before anything else? The interesting thing is you don’t even know what cookies are, so you think “Well, it’s just cookies, right? What could go wrong?”. So you hit accept cookies on all web pages you’re asked. What if I told you what you’re essentially doing is allowing the websites track your online and offline activity? That’s A LOT of data they can sell!

But how is all the data they’re selling beneficial to the people buying this data? I’ll give you an example.

Yesterday, I was in town to get a privacy protector on my phone. I noticed when I got there that the guy selling protectors, phone covers and gadgets was on TikTok, and when he scrolled up, he was looking at an ad for a certain type of strong protector. Coincidence? I think not. Here’s what probably happened.

He’s been having “phone protector” come up in some of his chats with people frequently. Or maybe TikTok just noticed he spends an unusually long time staring at a phone protector video in the past, maybe he even liked the video. These are all things that these apps tracks. What you’re looking at on the app? what do you spend more time watching than other things? do you watch phone unboxing videos to the end but not any other type of video? What type of content do the majority of the creators you follow create?

But it doesn’t just end here. I wish it did

I was telling @nhaji a while back that every time she picks up her phone to unlock it with Face ID, apple is taking pictures of her using her front camera. Essentially, what I was telling her was that in order for Face ID to work, your iPhone has to constantly be taking pictures through your front camera to determine whether you’re looking at it or not, and use the pictures it’s taking to unlock your phone. Apple came out to issue an explanation that those pictures weren’t used in anyway that violates privacy. But that’s what THEY are telling us.

But even aside this, there repositories of cameras all over the world basically providing a global livestream from people’s mobile phones, laptop cameras, and CCTV cameras. In some of these cases, the people are not even aware. In other cases like the ones with CCTV cameras, it’s totally not a secret. But still, not everyone knows that they’re getting filmed as they drive to and from work, or their favorite grocery store.

I’ll give you an example. You can head over to earthcam.com and insecam.com to see global livestreams of cameras that are online right now. People are going about their day unaware that I’m sitting in Ghana watching them like a reality Tv Show. If this is possible and accessible to a poor and normal person like me, think of what the big corporations and governments have access to.

All images are from pexels.com

Posted Using InLeo Alpha