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Most people say they care about their digital privacy. And yet we continue to use products and platforms that extract, and then sell, our personal data. Carissa Véliz argues that needs to change.
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Here’s something to puzzle over. In December, the Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of states filed antitrust lawsuits against Facebook, alleging that as the company grew more dominant and faced less competition, it reneged on its promises to protect user privacy. In March, a different coalition of states, led by Texas, accused Google of exclusionary conduct related to its plan to get rid of third-party cookies in Chrome. In other words, one tech giant is being sued for weakening privacy protections while another is being sued for strengthening them. How can this be?
The more someone knows about us, the more they can influence us. We can wield democratic power only if our privacy is protected.
Imagine having a master key for your life. Would you go around making copies of it and giving them out to strangers? Probably not. So why are you willing to give up your personal data to pretty much anyone who asks for it?
Even more than monetary gain, personal data bestows power on those who collect and analyze it, and that is what makes it so coveted.
Privacy is like the key that unlocks the aspects of yourself that are most intimate and personal, that most make you
What Does Privacy Really Mean Under Surveillance Capitalism?
Carissa Véliz: They are watching us. They know I’m writing these words. They know you are reading them.
September 24, 2020
They are watching us. They know I’m writing these words. They know you are reading them. Governments and hundreds of corporations are spying on you and me, and everyone we know. Every minute of every day. They track and record all they can: our location, our communications, our internet searches, our biometric information, our social relations, our purchases, and much more.
They want to know who we are, what we think, where we hurt. They want to predict and influence our behavior. They have too much power. Their power stems from us, from you, from your data. It’s time to take back control. Reclaiming privacy is the only way we can regain control of our lives and our societies.