Difference between revisions of "Sam Rechner"

Revision as of 22:34, 18 February 2021

To Be or Not To Be -- Data Identity Draft 1

21st century consumers live in a time of technology-driven change and disruption. Over the last decade, our fundamental aspects of life-- how we work, play, shop, and learn-- have been completely transformed. Not only have industries been reinvented, but new ways to treat diseases have emerged, and the way we communicate has been redefined. Today, political, social, and economic change occurs at unprecedented rates due to technology. As technology has continued to expand, the data behind it has become increasingly valuable. Although many people consider data to be “the new oil”, it carries an even greater political and economic weight. While oil is a finite resource, data is infinitely reusable, storable, useful, and transferable. Billions of people constantly share data as part of social interactions and the consumption of business or public services. The use of smartphones and the internet have made data abundant and useful for many institutions. However, the rules around how data is stored, exchanged, processed and used by public and private organizations are still being written. For consumers, a lack of regulation has created unanswerable questions as to who uses our personal data, how often, and for what reasons. Some people have no issues with this, but I do. Limiting the amount of information I publicly share is important to me. I typically set my social media accounts to private, or chose usernames that do not reveal my name to prevent my interests and activity from being viewable by anyone. Regardless of whether I do this or not, my digital footprint can still be seen by platform providers and search engines. My search history, interests, previous purchases, etc. is all information that I cannot hide. Many people do not mind that search engines use this data for targeted ads and more relevant search results. However, most people would also consider google to be a search engine-- not an ad agency. Tech companies utilize our data to provide content we enjoy, but they also analyze it and add features known to prolong our usage. Although we benefit from data being used to improve content, we grow more and more susceptible to something we cannot control. Google’s business plan does not worry me as much as their algorithms do. Not only are most algorithms biased, but their organization and analysis of personal data allows search engines to understand my digital embeddedness better than I ever could. Understanding this fact has led me to question the concept of online privacy. It has also led me to question the relationship between user and algorithm. Surely, the relationship is mutualistic, but who is benefiting more from internet usage-- the user or the search engine? It may be unclear now, but the scales are tipping in favor of big data. Apps and platforms are free because user data is the real product tech companies are selling. The capabilities of data collection allow my digital footprint to accurately represent my actions online. However, my online presence is an inaccurate reflection of who I am because of its inability to capture my real-world thoughts and actions. I started my digital footprint exploration with a simple Google search of my name. The search results were underwhelming, which to me was a good thing. Besides my instagram and LinkedIn, most other links involved a Sam Rechner from Australia. I also searched my name on Twitter, a platform I use frequently, but the only results that appeared were previous tweets of mine. The information I found about myself was abysmal, but nevertheless, did reflect my online presence. Unsatisfied with my findings, I shifted my focus from finding information on myself to comprehending how my data is processed by platforms. It all begins when a user accepts a platform’s terms of use, which are often lengthy and dull. I chose to review Instagram’s terms of use because it is arguably the most popular platform among internet users my age. Its parent company Facebook is also in the midst of an antitrust lawsuit and reviewing the terms seemed relevant. I was disappointed but not shocked to read that Instagram “may combine a user’s information with other information and share de-identified and aggregated information with third-parties”. Instagram additionally “states that a person's distinct mobile device identifier and other device-specific information may be collected and stored”, which can be used by Instagram or third party affiliates to track and target content and advertising to users”. Including this tid-bit allows Instagram to collect the geolocation, biometric, health, behavioral, and sensitive data of all users. It also hypothetically means that Instagram can track your location in relation to your followers to organize them according to in-person interactions, among other things. Their terms of use were extremely unclear-- and while reading it I began to realize that the vagueness was purposeful. Presenting an indistinct terms of use not only allows the company to bend policy, but to also broaden their data collection capabilities. I was especially concerned with Instagram’s statement that “changes to the policies are effective immediately and continued use of the product indicates consent”, which essentially allows the platform to change policy without immediately informing users. When combining all of these factors, I began to understand the depth to which data is collected. Knowing this, I looked more into how my data is processed by different platforms. I found that machine learning is the largest driver of recent content curation and targeted advertising improvements. Machine learning is a product of AI and allows computers to develop better algorithms based on current user data. It enables computers to recognize common patterns in the textual content while understanding specific nuances and the context”. Twitter Moments, TikTok’s “For You” page, and Instagram shopping all utilize it to personalize users’ interfaces, so I decided to explore mine in relation to my interests. The results were surprisingly accurate; the algorithms seemingly did their jobs. All in all, I believe that the capabilities of data collection allow my digital footprint to accurately represent my online embeddedness. However, my online presence is an inaccurate reflection of who I am because of its inability to capture my real-world thoughts and actions. Most of the things I do and say on the internet are not reflective of my conduct in real life. Anyone who searches my name online will fail to accurately understand who I am. Regardless, machine learning and algorithms can study my digital footprint to predict my most probable actions and interests. The power of big data is infinite and its applications are endless. Thank goodness they only have access to my digital footprint and not my brain.