Episode 1: Morning Rituals
In Episode 1, the video goes over routines and 3rd party trackers. When asked about where I get my news from, I entered in Google, which has one 3rd party tracker. When asked about where I waste my time, I entered in Twitter, which has two 3rd party trackers. These trackers are an ecosystem agency that compares and tracks where you are on the web right now and where you were before. Each time you browse, they collect more information about you. Trackers do not operate on Amazon profiles because we are building our profile ourselves. We are giving them our own information, so that they do not have to look it up. Each data footprint impacts everyone else’s; each person’s data is used to judge, have power over, compare, and connect with another person’s data.
Although you cannot totally avoid being tracked, there are ways to make sure that you do not get tracked or hacked. For example, you can use a virtual private network (VPN) to mask your IP address, which protects you against hacking by encrypting all information, making it hard for the government to track you. There are also easier ways to avoid being tracked, such as turning off Google’s tracking options, clearing your browsing history, not linking digital accounts together, and backing up information to an external hard drive instead of through the internet, such as iCloud (McAlone, 2015). There are also softwares and websites that allows you to track and block the trackers, such as Lightbeam and Disconnect.me, respectively (Do Not Track, 2015).
When your data is currency, your privacy costs everything. Every time we are being tracked, companies are using our personal information. In addition, when we use an online storage, such as iCloud, you are storing your information online, where anyone can hack and access it. In today’s world, we are so dependent upon our phones. We put personal information in our phones, especially in the apps we download, that we forget we are basically giving up our trust and personal information to anyone out there.
By enabling Do Not Track, your browser sends a request to not be tracked every time you connect to a website. However, enabling this on your computer does not change any privacy settings. Most websites simply just ignore it because they are not updated, and they are not interested in being updated. For the very few websites where Do Not Track does work, they will show generic advertisements instead of advertisements targeted to your interests.
The economic origins of online tracking is advertising. Cookies are small unique files that live on your computer and record yours activities. It is also a text file and ID number that is dropped on your computer by the websites you visit. It remembers you the next time you visit. There are good and bad cookies; good cookies that remember what you left in your cart, and bad cookies that track you wherever you go from third parties. There are also zombie cookies that are recreated after being deleted. These are related to consumer profiles because it gathers information about you, based on your activities, behavior, what you like, and your preferences. As for popup ads, it did not work because people just ignored them and companies were unable to make money off of it. Trackers enabled online advertising to compete with other companies, such as TV companies, so that they can learn more about people’s preferences, likes, and dislikes. Double Click, a service ad for Google that tracks you via your cookies, was accused for wire tapping. However, according to the federal court, they did not think it was wire tapping, but more of the same concept as asking a friend to listen in on a phone call. The Internet economy has definitely changed. Before, anyone can be on the web. Now, anyone can be on the web while trackers track what you like and dislike based on your internet activity, and target ads to you based on that. As an alternative, you can pay for your services and data. When asked about how much I would pay for services with no ads and trackers, I entered $30 for Facebook, and $40 for Google. As a result, Facebook would earn $9 from me, and Google would earn $45, more than what I would pay for Google.
Every time you visit a site, you are allowing those websites to use your cookies, providing ads and other information suited to your personal interests. There are many ways to survive in a cookie environment. For instance, you can simply go to your browser and enable the option to block your cookies or use an add-on to block certain trackers and cookies. Although there are ways to block these cookies, it does not mean that you are still not being tracked. As stated above, there are zombie cookies that arise after being deleted. It is hard to not be tracked because trackers are always developing new ways to track others (Glad, 2015).
From this practice, personal information can be deducted. Character, seuxal orientation, political opinion, IQ, race, gender, age, and personality, are all traits that are picked up. Social media sites uses this information, used to connect us with other people and companies. Illuminus is a web service where you can use your social media profile to get new rates on insurance, loans, and more. They analyze your likes and dislikes and other information that you already put on your social media sites. Credit companies and Health Insurance companies can also use your social media site to predict your character, behavior, and your financial services. In the video, they discuss algorithms such as the Bayesian algorithm, meaning who else does this person look like, and the other set of algorithms that illustrated who and how these people are connected. There are special benefits for these algorithms in that a person’s character can be determined, the likelihood that person will repay his or her loans, and other financial services. The significance of a second digital self is that one is able to control and portray him or herself online in a way that they want based on what they like.
If you do not have a Facebook profile, it does not mean you are entirely safe from being tracked, but you are safer than those who do have a Facebook profile. However, you are still being tracked. According to the Belgian Privacy Commission, Facebook uses cookies and plug-ins to track those who deleted their Facebook account or never had one. Facebook’s “like” button is used as a tracking button, tracking users all over the internet (Waqas, 2015). Every time you “like” something on Facebook, it contributes to your personality and interests. You are creating your digital self on Facebook by “liking” what you like. Like all social media sites, Facebook uses algorithms to decide what ads, videos, and news article should appear on your news feed (Honan, 2014). Once you like something, related items will appear, tempting you to like them also, which will soon become a “liking problem.” If you were to like everything on Facebook, you would be contributing to your digital identity. In addition, because of your cookies and all the data that Facebook has about you, your Facebook will soon be filled with advertisements, brands, suggestions, messages, news articles, etc.
Episode 4: The Spy in my Pocket
Episode 4 talks about apps, in that when we download apps, they too are able to access our data. When asked about how many apps I have installed on my phone, I put around 16-30 apps. As a result, I am considered average, because the average number of apps people download is around 26. The episode also talks about Google and the way they track us. Google uses sensors and GPS to track us. This cannot be prevented necessarily, in that it does not delete your data even if you disable your GPS tracker. Google also tracks you via wifi. By using wifi, especially free wifi, a lot of information and data about yourself is sent to businesses and companies, who are making a profit out of it. In Russia, people got the same text messages that said they were participants in an illegal protest, meaning that they were all being tracked. Often in the terms of use that we all ignore, it asks if we are okay to give out our personal information. We are tracked everywhere, all the time. In today’s world, it is inevitable to not be tracked. Two qualities that are being tracked about us are our behavior and personality. You cannot opt out of this because we are always being tracked, especially on our phones.
In today’s world, it is hard to go somewhere without having your phone. This makes our phones vulnerable for hackers to hack and track us. Many of us put personal information in our own phones, since it is convenient and easy to access. However, this can be a risk to our privacy, because if someone were to hack our phones, all of our personal information will be used and taken. In addition, all phones today now have GPS trackers, meaning that every time we take a picture or post something on social media, it pinpoints your location. There are ways to protect your smartphone. For example, deleting your spam, turning off Bluetooth and Location Services when you are not using it, and disregarding text messages and emails from unknown senders (Martinez, 2015). Furthermore, when we download apps, we do not seem to pay attention to the terms of use, where we give them permission to access our personal information. One important method to protect your smartphone is by backing up your data to an external drive and setting up a good and strong password.
Episode 5: Big Data Inside the Algorithm
Algorithms are procedures that devices use to perform and solve operations. Big data is a large set of data analyzed and compiled in regards to a human's behaviors and interactions. It is a new way of observing and understanding the world. Data is monitorized by four big companies, Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon. Algorithms generate social problems, in that more data supposedly solves more problems. Algorithms also do discriminate in that they collect information about a person, assume what he or she may like, and create data based off that.
Predictions and discrimination contribute to how we are being categorized. For example, through a person’s postal code, education level, lifestyle, and consumer habits, consumer income can be deducted. There are couple tools that gives us a glimpse into these categorizations, such as Floodwatch, an extension that allows us to look at all the advertisements that has personally targeted us for a long time, affecting our categorization. Also, by going to the Ad Parameters page on our own Google account, we can control the ads that are delivered to us (Rodriguez, 2015).
Janet Vertesi took many measure to hide her pregnancy from big data. For example, she paid for maternity clothes, diapers, and other necessities in cash or gift cards. Furthermore, she told her family and friends not to talk about the pregnancy on Facebook, used a secret word when talking about the baby, and had her purchases shipped to an Amazon locker (Hill, 2014).
Algorithms are being used like the pre-cogs in “Minority Report,” in that they can predict when and where the crimes take place. It predicts who is most likely to commit murders or crimes by analyzing their criminal records and geographic location. Richard Berk, a criminologist at University of Pennsylvania who developed the algorithm believes that this will reduce crime rates. Issues that these algorithms present include being arrested or questioned by police officers for no apparent reason. In addition, there is also a “heat list,” a list of 400 people in Chicago that are most likely to be involved in violent crimes. This “heat list” is also another issue because many do not know that they are on the list (Stroud, 2014).
According to Wade Henderson, President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, big data can strengthen the values of equal opportunity and equal justice. They can show us a different perspective of important decisions and choices that shape our society. However, there are some risks. When database information are inaccurate, it can cause harm to civil rights. Many organizations highlight the importance to protect civil rights because it affects decision making that shapes opportunities for employment, health, education, and communities of color, women, and disadvantaged groups.
According to Marcos Otero, there are ten algorithms that dominate our world. For example, there is the Merge Sort algorithm, a comparison-based sorting algorithm, and the Fourier and Fast Fourier Transform, that transform signals from their time domain to their frequency domain. There is the Dijkstra’s algorithm that is used to make the Internet more efficient and systems more stabilized. In order to allow cryptography, the RSA algorithm is used. The Secure Hash Algorithm determines if you have downloaded what you wanted or been attacked. Next is the Integer Factorization that ensures the safety of cryptography. What is shown on your news feed on Facebook or suggestions on YouTube, Netflix, or Hulu is due to the Link Analysis Algorithm that uses your browsing history and social networks to show what you may like. The Proportional Integral Derivative Algorithm is used to minimize the error between the desired output and real output signal processing for airplanes, cars, and satellite service. Data compression algorithm is downloaded into your computer, videos, data storage, and music by the web pages, helping make systems cheaper and more efficient. Last is the Random Number Generation used in applications, video games, cryptography, and finances (2014).
A filter bubble is when a website algorithm predicts what a person may like as a result of a personalized search. They predict what information a person would like to see using their cookies on their computer and based on information about the user, such as what they like or do not like. It impacts the truth and what is presented online, in that it only supports our viewpoint, and isolates us from other points of view. It does not present information to us that we think is irrelevant or not important, unlike old media practices.
Eli Parsier cautions us about these personal, unique “filter bubbles” because it can close us off to new ideas, information, and opposing opinions or points of view. We get an unbalanced amount of information. What we put inside our filter bubble depends on who we are, but we do not get to decide what gets in. We also do not get to decide or know what gets edited out. He wants us to be introduced to new ideas and perspectives (Pariser, 2011). This relates to the disappearance of mass media because with our “filter bubble,” we are only focused on what is inside our bubble- our own ideas and perspectives- and nothing else. These “filter bubbles” are beginning to affect news site, in that different people receive different things, mainly ones that correspond to what is in their bubble.
Before, people used to get their information either by reading the newspaper or watching TV. Information was scarce and limited back then. People made money with information. Now, with the internet and web, information is no longer scarce and limited. People could now get their information online by searching it up on the web, along with accessing and sharing it on Facebook. (Gutjahr, 2015).
Facebook claims it is our fault that our news feed is the way that it is because it is ultimately our own actions. They reflect our own ideological preferences. It is our fault because we choose to click on something that has already been filtered for us. What we choose to click on is usually what we agree on or our preference, and that feeds into the algorithm. Therefore, it would be wrong to show both perspectives or opinions. Choosing what we want to click and do not want to click leads into what we want to see on our news feed and what we do n ot (Alba, 2015).
By openly speaking about sensitive issues and being opened to receiving recommendations are couple ways to burst the filter bubble. In addition, challenging people with new ideas makes them more accepting and willing to change. Giving a greater range of content and information can also contribute into bursting a filter bubble (Emerging Technology, 2013).
According to Steven Levy, Facebook asks people what topics they like and promote advertisements and other suggestions based on that. They want Facebook to do three things- connect you to friends and family, be informative, and entertaining. It does not show you the news of activities they had shared (2015).
Episode 7: To Change the Future Click Here
When it first emerged, people were happy because they were able to connect with other people, access information, and answer their problems. However, Edward Snowden showed that there were problems. He “crashed” this party by showing us that we are being spied on and tracked. After 9/11, we started to accept more surveillance, so that we could track down terrorists; we needed more security and privacy. In today’s world, it is important to have both factors. After entering all of the information, it was interesting to see my results, especially the Big Win future.
The world has changed dramatically due to Edward Snowden’s actions. For instance, we now know a lot more about certain government’s actions, such as the NSA collecting and storing telephone calls. Many people are now opposed to the idea of their government spying on online activities and communications. In May 2015, judges ruled that it was illegal for the United States to have a collection of mass telephone data. In addition, companies, such as Google and Apple, are now more concerned and aware about confidentiality and privacy when updating their software. The UN has also focused more on surveillance privacy issues online and offline. Some of the largest technology companies are now standing up to governments, calling for a halt mass of personal data collection. Lastly, governments are now examining and inspecting laws regarding mass surveillance more carefully (Beaumont, 2015).
Privacy matters because our personal data is valuable. We give up our personal information for companies to share and collect when we use data (Wong, 2015). There are many ways one might go about getting smart on privacy. For example, deleting unused accounts so that your data does not get sold, trusting your gut on what sites should be trusted or not, using strong PINS and passwords, and putting a sticker on your webcam. One should also be careful when using the Wi-Fi because anyone is able to access your information.
We can reclaim our privacy by using free and open source softwares that belong to everyone is always under our control. By switching to these services that allows us to know where and how our data is being used, along with using encryption, helps our data become private.
There are four reasons to care about our digital footprint. One is that they reveal a lot about you, it tracks your likes, habits, and search history, which can turn into commercial value by third parties. Therefore, it is very important to protect your reputation online. Your digital footprint also carries a lot of information about yourself, and can sometimes spread to those who you do not want to share that information to. Another reason to care is because your financial information can be obtained, facilitating hacking and identity related crimes. Maintaining your freedom is also a reason to care about your digital footprint. This is because your digital freedom can affect your freedom of speech and well being. Governments can track your social media sites and chat rooms, and can arrest those who make certain political statements.
Unfortunately, we do not own our private data. The NSA and an increasing list of companies own our data. They monitor and track everything that we do provide personalized services in real time (Burrus, 2012).
The future of our privacy does not look like it will succeed. If our privacy is slowly being taken away from us now, our privacy in the future will be taken advantage of and not be appreciated. As our technology is changing and improving, this means that everything will start to be technology-based, easier for hackers to hack and track us. Thus, in the future, individuals will be more willing to give up their privacy, increasing consumer tracking, and hurting our privacy (Raine, 2014).
Before completing this interactive documentary, I had some basic knowledge about tracking, cookies, and privacy. However, after completing this interactive documentary, I learned more about them. I also became more aware of the websites that I was visiting. I noticed that some of the items that I searched up appeared as an advertisement or suggestion when I was on a website. All of this is kind of shocking and scary. It’s scary to know that there are always people watching us, even when we do not know it. After watching this, I now know that I have to be extra careful and cautious when on the web.
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