Most of us know that in order to participate in modern society we are required to forfeit many of our privacies. Whether it is our phone, car, the apps we use, streaming services or the stores we shop in, information regarding our location, habits, likes/dislikes, and the things that motivate or excite us are being collected. The information is then compiled and, yes, sold to people we don’t know and have never met for a hefty profit. Our phones now are unlocked with facial recognition and constantly monitoring what we say. We have all heard stories about retailers knowing someone is pregnant before they have time to share it with their family and sending them advertisements for baby products.
New cars can be turned on and off remotely and can collect images, video footage and biometric data on our bodies. Various devices can track our eye movements to determine what catches our fancy and record when we replay a particular scene in a movie or video. This information is compiled along with financial data to develop complex data sets that can accurately predict our behavior and anticipate our needs and wants. In many ways the “haystack” has a more accurate picture of who we are than our closest friends — perhaps even ourselves.
It amazes me how easily we give up our information/privacy for a meager discount, access to a cool product or modest convenience. Younger folks, who were raised in this environment, rarely if ever think about the trade-offs. For them there are no alternatives — our lives are being observed and measured, without our consent or knowledge, and then used to manipulate our thoughts and actions.
The most disturbing aspect of this new reality is the lack of transparency. We don’t have any idea what information is being collected, who has access to that information, how it is being processed, where it is being stored, who purchased it or how they are using it. It is one thing to have information gathering devices in your car or phone but why would you pay someone to embed these systems into your home. It may seem cool to wake up in the morning and have the window shades automatically open, your favorite soundtrack gently playing in the background and a pot of coffee brewing in the kitchen while the robot sweeps your floor; however, what are we giving up? Call me old fashioned, but I think of my home as a refuge — a deeply personal, private space. I want as much control as possible over what comes in and out of my home. Personally, I am not interested in a smart home. A dumb one will do.