Online privacy may not exist anymore

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Privacy is a fundamental human right, which deserves to be protected and respected in all its forms.

However, over the past few decades, the ethical lines drawn by our society between what privacy constitutes and what privacy does not have blurred sharply. As governments and private actors become more intrusive and people resign themselves to trading their privacy for convenience, we have come to a crucial point in history.

If it's still possible, how do we take back control of our private data in a society that keeps breaking down the walls between public and private life?

Ask people how they feel about their privacy, and most will respond how much they value their ability to be left alone, free from unwanted intrusions and surveillance. In addition, most will also express concern about their inability to escape a growing state of surveillance made possible by new technologies and their exasperation with their lack of recourse.

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Modern technologies, such as social media, cell phones, and online banking, have made it possible for corporations and centralized authorities to continuously monitor our conversations, activities, purchases, and relationships. People all over the world have become accustomed to giving up their privacy in exchange for digital conveniences.

Indeed, we are often subtly, and not so subtly, coerced into giving up our privacy.

How did it happen?

One of the first questions to answer when considering the idea of ​​privacy is: how did technology become so intrusive? Also: Why do we have to give up so much information just to use what have become basic online services like browsing, shopping, and ordering food?

The answer lies in how the internet has been monetized since its inception. Every step we take online, every click, scroll and keypress we make is collected by the servers through which we interact. This data is mined by companies like Google and Meta to earn billions of dollars every year. Big tech companies sell targeted ads based on online movement and data profiles. While this may seem like a small price to pay for "free" access to the World Wide Web, it has serious consequences.

One of the most egregious examples of data abuse in recent memory is the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Cambridge Analytica is a political consulting firm that acquired the private Facebook data of tens of millions of users before the 2016 election. These psychological profiles of American voters were packaged and sold to campaigns, interest groups policies and anyone else willing to foot the bill. These stores of intimate data have allowed interest groups to aggressively and precisely target certain demographics to promote political agendas.

However, this was not the first example of abuse of what most users would otherwise consider "private" data, and it certainly won't be the last.

Online Privacy and Government Surveillance

In 2022 alone, Amazon admitted to giving Ring videos to police 11 times without users' permission or a court-issued warrant. These incidents are not isolated, but are an integral part of how the Internet works today.

Similar government practices may have had even wider implications...