When Privacy and Reality Interconnect

His privacy being paramount, Kelly grudgingly chooses to head into Columbia every so often, rather than cede his data to Google or turn over his purchase history to another online retailer. “I’m just not sure why Google needs to know what breakfast cereal I eat,” the 51-year-old said. Washington Post

There are a couple of things to notice here.

First: Google is not the only company out there snarfing up your data. Zuckerbergland apps, Verizon (you know, AOL, Yahoo, Tumblr), Microsoft (Linkedin, Bing, all those Microsoft apps like Word, etc) are only some of them.

Second: Most websites have some form of tracking software on them, and they can be related to any of the three or more listed above.

Third: Despite what the EU would have you believe, GDPR is not your salvation, as many websites, in the small print, outside the EU say this site not intended for consumption by people in the EU which means that the GDPR has zero impact.

And realistically, if you do not want to be tracked, there is only one way to avoid it. Stay off the Internet. And that includes no smart devices (there is tracking software on them too), no credit cards (who do you think came up with the idea of tracking purchases), and no cheques. In fact, depending where you live, you are being watched by CCTV cameras, where the video is uploaded and searched for malcontents, using AI and facial recognition software. If you travel, you are tracked whether by planes, trains, or automobile (toll plazas, rest stops…). Let’s face it, unless you are a hermit, you have no privacy.

And ironically, we all know that Mr Kelly, who is 51 years-old, likes to eat Bob’s Red Mill muesli cereal. So his privacy is now shot too, because he talked to a reporter, and the story ended up…on the Internet.