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Should we be concerned with companies owning our data?
As far as I know, google was one of the first to pioneer the business model of providing an online service free of charge in order for them to harvest user data. Now I'm sure some of you are thinking "if people are willing to give up their information, it serves them right". I believe the average person has no idea what happens behind the scenes with large online services. For that matter most politicians don't fully understand it. Now, I am not saying that google, apple, twitter, or facebook have a master plan to turn people into sheep in order control them for their own financial gain, but the truth is that the temptation is growing as we willingly give them larger windows into our lives.
This centralized data world we are moving into needs to have some serious accountability, and safegards put in place. People need to be educated on not only with where we are now, but also in how we are being led to share more and more of our lives online, and where this could lead us as humanity.
If anyone has any insights on what measures may be in place to protect people that I am not aware of, please let me know. The advantages of having centralized data is incredible, and this was a natural progression of technology which is here to stay, but I do have my concerns.
RELATED NEWS
Banks sell consumers' shopping data to retailers:
http://money.cnn.com/2011/07/06/pf/banks_sell_shopping_data/index.htm?source=cnn_bin&hpt=hp_bn3
Mobile Privacy bill:
http://money.cnn.com/2011/06/15/technology/mobile_privacy_bill/index.htm?source=cnn_bin&hpt=hp_bn3
hugo ellis
Steve Bruno
Perhaps I should give a little background. When I refer to companies "owning" our data, I am referring to the storage of information (pictures, emails, documents, text, web activity, etc.) in private company databases. These databases can then be queried in a number of different ways by that particular company.
As part of their business model, many services will offer limited access of their database to individuals with accounts through their service. This provides value to the consumer (ie. facebook). But the actual data is stored on the company servers.
Obviously the greatest value here is to the companies themselves, as they are the only ones that have a "complete picture" on everyone's data.
Here is an interesting discussion I came across on facebook's terms regarding photos: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=6314950779&topic=14490
The idea of having "legal rights" is very interesting, and I would have to do some more research into this, as I am not sure what the current status is on such matters.
Judge Pau 50+
Simply by knowing it and therefore can do something about or based on it ?
Or having legal rights over it ?
Or If it's about you... it's yours ?
If that's too hard to answer... WHERE is the data ?
Has any of you seen a data ?
Anybody who can firmly answer your question is wrong.
Dead wrong.
Just like we are now inheriting planet wide problems because we insist we can own nature.
Your question is like the tip of an iceberg of yet another race wide problem because we insist we can own information... knowledge... ideas.
Shokrullah Amiri 10+
Éric Cadieux-Seney
I think it's the same with your online image. It took me a while before I started to use Facebook. What convinced me is the fact that people were tagging me on pictures that I didn't even know existed. Now, I monitor it. As for companies that harvest information, I think the only thing we can do as individuals is be aware of it and feed them with enough information so that the picture that they get is more like the picture you want them to get...
If you keep trying to give away as little information as possible, that's when you picture becomes distorted, and I think that may cause problems in the future. If something embarassing is available about you, maybe you should make sure that the explanation is also available.
Mark Meyer 10+
Tiago Reiser
Chandramouli Pandya
Do we really believe that there is no "BIG brother" watching? Are they watching us for security? NO !! They are ONLY interested in profits and they are watching us to ensure we don't disrupt their profits.
An interesting TED Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles.html
KiTae Kim
Merle Patterson
Drew Bixby
Second, that information on its own has no value. It has value in it being accumulated.
Third, you ARE getting proceeds. You get proceeds in the form of free services. So, you are getting something of value in exchange for something which isn't necessarily yours and which had no value. Now, what is not fair about that arrangement?
Scott Armstrong 50+
Such a pathetic attempt to steer the new century with out of date, stupid legislation aiming to keep the money flowing in to the few. Wait until the people get truly fed up. Then we'll see the true strength of consumer power.
David Smith
That said, it is human nature to be led. Some people like to follow, while others like to lead and explore new ideas. This is why I love TED.
jaeyun hwang
D. W. Major
Facebook is a CIA operation and everyone knows this.
Google too.
Ans for Bill Gaytes he has his own NWO agenda.
Yahoo deletes accounts and comments that do not suit their "Agenda" whatever it is.
What can we do about it?
Don't trust anyone that offers "Free" Services that include things like "confession" and or private data submission.
The Internet is ours we just have to take it back.
New search engines will arise and people will put their work together and together we will create a new Internet free of control.
An Internet that educates and elaborates instead of being just an entertainment pool and a second TV.
We create our world and this it shall be.
The propaganda from Facebook Google Yahoo and MSN is right out of Goebbels and Hitlers 3rd Reich and so are the faces behind Google Facebook and Microsoft.
Pure Eugenic Nazis.
Children of this world wake up to the evil that surrounds us and let us all work together to make this world a better place for generations to come!
D.W. Major
Zero Emission Transportation Ltd
www.zeroemissiontransportation.webs.com
Mike Wedderspoon
This area gets even more interesting in the realm of social media, should employers be allowed to make employment decisions based on what their employees post on Facebook / YouTube / Ted.com? As these are public posts, why not?
In the UK we have legislation which compels companies to disclose to individuals any data that they hold on them, but this is a right that few people make use of - perhaps an obvious way of creating natural checks and balances is for some enterprising organisation to set up a service which people can use enact these informational rights and find out what organisations know about them...
Steve Bruno
Kirill Moiseyev
JE Hoyes 30+
Tawny Word
Ray Anon 10+
Contrary to companies, the state has the power to commit such acts, and history shows that this power is frequently used where the people allow or even long for it. This is what I am concerned about...
James Walker 30+
Should we be concerned with companies owning our data?
- If we contract with them, and sell them our data, no, we should not be concerned. It's our choice what we want to do, and in different jobs I have sold intellectual property, aggregated and dis-aggregated customer data, and sometimes even my own personal data. But, this is contract, and I am paid for it, or I freely offer it for a benefit
- If personal data is harvested, and it is not done transparently, and therefore i doubt the "ownership" element, then yes, we should be worried.
Life is simple: If we contract to do something freely, it's ok. If something us thrust upon, it's not.
Yubal Masalker 200+
One not needs to go too far to see this. Just take 2 well known technologies//inventions and see what we have made of them:
1. Dynamite
2. Nuclear Energy
Just recall who discovered them (Alfred Nobel, Albert Einstein), what great personalities they were, what were their noble intentions when making those discoveries and then, see now how much these technologies are misused, even to such an extent that the entire mankind feels today constantly threatened due to the misuse of these technologies.
Joe Delsen 20+
We need to see our economic and political system mirrored in a digital world so that our digital voices can better direct it and effectively implement transparency and accountability.
With this as a backbone, we will have the power to transform our world. http://bit.ly/ThePowerInfo
Michael LeRod
There have been strides against these actions (http://www.duckduckgo.com) but people need to learn that it is impossible to ensure complete privacy when it comes to accessing data across computers. It's likely that the misconception is birthed from ignorance of what the internet is. Think of accessing a web page as checking out a dispensable copy of an article at the local library.
On an ending note, this doesn't mean the internet is not safe to use. Be cautious as to what information you share and nothing of harm will come your way.
Drew Bixby
This logic applies to everything on the web. Don't show your birthdate, your marriage status, your children's names anywhere unless you are fine with other people and businesses knowing this information. If you don't want people to know what you are buying, don't buy on the internet. (Also, use cash and don't join frequent buyers clubs if your information is so private.)
People's choices of where to spend their money is what matters to companies. What people say doesn't matter unless they act on it. If you don't like companies selling or using your data, don't do business with them. If you do, for whatever reason, you are condoning their actions regardless of what you say.
Comment deleted
Steve Bruno
Yubal Masalker 200+
Take for example the nuclear weapons. If we cannot prevent their Proliferation, does it mean we can allow ourselves not to be concerned about their Proliferation ?? We all agree it's exactly the opposite way. Precisely our inability to prevent their Proliferation, should make us even more concerned about the nuclear weapons. So, it's the same thing with our personal data. What you say about our inability to prevent them from collecting our data, should make us even more concerned.
Besides, what did you expect Zuckerberg would say. He is making his living on data Proliferation. He rejoices finding how people get influenced by what he says and give up their hope together with their privacy, surrendering them into his hands. If you ask him, he would tell you even to surrender your free will & thoughts into his hands, not just your personal data.
Drew Bixby
Gerald Da Sylva
Steve Bruno
To give you some context to what I am saying, lets look at what the big three (Apple, Google, Facebook) know about us (potentially, if we provide them with this info, and more and more people are doing this):
Schedule - This is huge, if you know how a person plans their lives, you know what they value, their priorities etc.
Documents - Many small companies are using google docs as a great way to share information, brainstorm, etc.)
Contacts - A lot can be said about a person by who is on their contact list
Communication - Another massive one. You know what they think, their opinions, beliefs, etc.)
Location - More and more people are getting on board with "check-ins", GPS based services, etc., besides the obvious personal security risks, this also allows companies to know a great deal about you)
Purchasing - By bringing your buying experience within their eco-system, google, Facebook, or itunes, can build up a large profile on you)
Here is my point. Each one of these elements of our lives were handled by separate companies in the past. Now in our digital age, and with the push to move everything online, we are faced with these new and very real concerns of very view companies being able to know too much about us.
I think these issues should spawn many conversations that we should not be taking lightly.