Sharing your data. Is it worth it?
The way it used to be.
Do you remember the good old days of the internet? Can you remember when you could be virtually anonymous in the virtual world? You could browse millions of websites, your IP address wasn't logged, and your activity wasn't submitted to global databases.
The best part of the early web was its openness. You could freely download fonts, graphics, and songs (although Napster put the nail in that coffin). The days of downloading free content from the web without creating a user account are long gone. Now, you are monitored, tracked, and analyzed everywhere you go on the web. That’s why you see the same ads over and over again on different platforms.
Everything’s changing.
The tech industry has been moving towards the Software As A Service (Saas) model for some time. In this model, the user purchases a monthly or yearly subscription instead of a one-time license. Of course, you have to create an account with SasS. The pros are that you always have the most updated and bug-free software. The cons are that you don't actually own anything. Plus, if your subscription expires, you cannot open all those files you've created.
Another change that has greatly influenced the software industry is social media. All social media networks require a verified account where you must provide at least your first and last name and email address. These networks have conditioned us to believe that it is perfectly normal to provide identifying information to any entity online.
Nothing’s for free.
Now, many businesses require your identifying information just to get free marketing materials about their products and services. Can you imagine going into a brick-and-mortar and the sales associate asks for your name and email address before they answer your question? Online, it's commonplace.
Ask yourself, is it reasonable for an online services provider to know your birthday, phone number, or home address? Before MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication), your mother's maiden name was commonly asked as a challenge question to verify identity. Many online applications have streamlined their account set up by requesting access to your Facebook or Google account. Now, your browsing history, Facebook likes, the videos you watch, and the accounts you follow are being shared with a third party.
Apps also have gotten on the personal information grab bandwagon. Whether iOS or Andriod, most apps want access to your location services, contacts, and photo album, before you even use their services. Does it seem reasonable to grant a Solitare game access to all of your information all of the time?
What can we do?
Here are a few tips that could help you retain as much of your personal information as possible:
Determine if the online services you are using are worth the personal information you have to surrender.
Delete all unused apps from your devices.
In the Settings of your device, check each app for their access to your data. Set apps to access your data only while you are using them.
Create a "junk" email account that you use to register for online accounts instead of connecting to your Facebook or Google account.
Use Incognito or Private Browsing mode while surfing the web.
Always review privacy settings when surfing a website.
In summation, our private lives are not as private as they used to be. Our culture is always online, always connected, and always sharing data. We are inextricably connected to the applications and services we use every day, whether we want to be or not.