A creepy thing happened during our family Father’s Day dinner. As always, there was plenty of energetic conversation and laughter, then suddenly we all started seeing ads pop up on our smartphone screens about these same topics. This got us asking the question, is our iPhone or Android smartphone eavesdropping on our lives and private, personal conversations? It sure looks like that is exactly what is happening.
This is not the first time this has happened. In fact, it happens at my morning coffee group as well. In fact, once my smartphone, on its own, dialed a number when it was just sitting on the table in front of me. Apparently, it was listening to the conversation, and heard something that must have sounded like I asked it to call someone. So, it did.
As you can imagine, I was not happy with this violation of my personal privacy. I have been learning that this is also happening to quite a few smartphone users.
All this is totally unacceptable. It’s like the technology is going haywire. And to make matters worse, new technology like AI and Chatbot can very likely take this violation of privacy to an entirely new level if left unchecked.
Going forward, this is what we need to guard against in order to protect ourselves.
5G wireless, smartphones and AI can violate our personal privacy
Don’t get me wrong, I admire this new technology. It can be very useful and helpful. When put to good use it can help our society and every individual.
However, the other side of that coin is darker. It’s about the invasion of our personal privacy, exposing our secrets to the world and even worse. Sometimes the secrets exposed are not real. Sometimes the technology acts on what it thinks it hears but is not accurate.
Recently, we have been so focused on the new problems that AI could create, that we have ignored the problems we already face every day with our smartphones.
Let me be clear. There are both good and bad parts to this story.
However, if we cannot stop this problem from happening and in fact getting worse, then perhaps we need strict rules, even laws to protect each and every one of us.
The problem is we lost our personal privacy a long time ago. Most people just do not realize it yet. And even if they do, the youth just don’t seem to care.
We simply do not have any secrets any longer. We all carry a smartphone which is a microphone and camera with us every step we take every day of the year. And this is listening to and recording everything we say and do and every place we go.
Who gave companies permission to invade our privacy?
I love what these devices and services can do, however, who gave tech giants like Apple, Google, Samsung, Facebook or Meta, Instagram and all the other social networks and device makers the right to invade our personal privacy?
There are plenty of other companies as well. Companies like Amazon, which we all use and love. Companies we do business with every day. They listen and watch to present what it thinks we want to see. But these companies can also listen and record everything we say and do.
How often do we hear news stories about tech workers listening in or watching the private and personal conversations or actions of users and laughing about it all.
Well, the truth of the matter is, we gave up our right to personal privacy. That’s right.
People don’t realize it, but when they simply click OK on the multiple pages of legal jargon they must approve before they can first use any device, they are giving their permission for this invasion.
So, this is a problem which must be corrected to protect users who cannot be expected to read thousands of words and approve them all just to simply use a device.
Users are forced to accept these terms just to use the device. That is wrong. There should be a choice. There should be different levels of protection for the user to choose between.
Users should have built-in protection against privacy invasion
Better yet, the process should be reversed. Users should have to give permission to have their privacy invaded like this.
The problem with that scenario is too many customers would not opt in. That means the value of these companies would be reduced since they do not have the same huge customer base to sell to advertisers.
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The problem is tech companies are using our personal information to make billions of dollars in advertising and marketing revenue.
That’s why most companies would never willing go along with this on their own. They would have to be forced to do so.
Loss of privacy has both good and bad sides
This is not all bad. I do see value. After all, if you are discussing a new product or disease or anything, then see ads or news stories for that product pop up on your screen, it can be helpful to answer your questions.
On the other hand, if you are discussing something personal and private, which you do not want the world to know about, you do not want to see it plastered in advertising on your smartphone.
These are two very different interactions with the outside world. One you don’t mind if anyone is listening. The other, you do care.
Let’s say you are wrestling with a serious disease, or a family member had a horrific accident. That’s all you will be talking about with family and friends.
If your iPhone or Android or Meta or other tech is listening, that breaks your trust with these companies.
When carrying a smartphone, we give up our personal privacy
The truth of the matter is, when you have an iPhone or Android with you, you have absolutely no privacy. Same when you search social networks like Meta or Instagram.
Not only are they listening to your conversations, but they are also tracking every page you visit on the Internet, every stroke you make on the screen and keypad and every place you visit whether you are driving or walking.
Again, on one hand, if you drive off a road and need to be found, this makes it easier, potentially saving your life.
5G, AI, Chatbot and Cloud tech invade personal privacy
On the other hand, do you really want to be tracked every step you take and location you drive to for marketing purposes?
On one hand the choice is simple. We can either get general and generic ads, or we can get ads tied to topics we are searching for.
That’s the choice and that’s the dilemma we all face every day.
Now with the advancement in AI, Chatbot technology, the cloud and more, our personal privacy is being invaded more and more every day that goes by.
Opt-in is solution to help protect users personal privacy
So, as you can see, new smartphone and wireless technology can both be our friend and our foe, all at the same time. They can be helpful and useful, and also invasive as it violates our personal privacy.
Changes will not be made without rules and laws. And I do not see that happening. So, we must come up with other solutions to this growing problem like opt-in.
Today we are now all living in a fishbowl, being watched and tracked every place we go, every web page we visit and every stroke we make on the screen or keypad.
So, unless and until we resolve this problem, the only solution is not to say or write anything you wouldn’t want to see posted on lead story of a newscast you listen to or watch every day.
Today, Big Brother is always listening to everything we say and do
The solution of opt-in makes enormous sense to protect the user. However, we cannot expect the companies to agree on their own.
Until we get this sorted out, you may want to put the smartphone in the next room when having a delicate conversation because, like it or not, this is the reality we all face today.
You remember the iconic 1949 novel 1984 written by George Orwell. He warned us 74 years ago that Big Brother is always listening. He was right. Welcome to the new world.