Let’s do some business of data, ‘privately’!
What does ‘data privacy’ mean in the digital world? How did it evolve and why does it matter?
Privacy
‘Privacy’, derived from ‘privatus’ (Latin) refers to ‘a separation from the rest or deprived of something’. It provides an individual the right to ‘express selectively’. There may be different types of privacy but recently information privacy has been in the limelight because of the growing interaction between humans and technology. Facebook has been accused of misusing its users’ data. However, what does this ‘misuse’ actually mean? It could relate to either of the following:
1. How is data (relating to a user) collected?
2. How is it stored?
3. How is the data being used or published?
4. Who reserves the right to this data?
Do you choose your feed?
In 1967, Justice Potter Stewart had noted:
“what he (an individual) seeks to preserve as private, even in an area accessible to the public, may be constitutionally protected.”
As we increase our ‘footprints’ in the parallel virtual world of digital profiles and connections, in the world wide web, perhaps it calls for a re-interpretation of Justice Stewart’s definition of ‘an area accessible to the public’. Should it apply to virtual space as well?
Privacy concerns regarding user data storage, processing, usage and transfer have been debated for long in the field of Human Computer Interaction. Starting with standardization of setting up ‘cookies’ in the web browser, to the more recent ‘personalization’ drive (fed primarily by the social media) that continuously collects random personal data to display personalized advertisements, offers and services.
This personalization process does not limit itself to deciding what content you see but also, and more importantly, what you don’t get to see. Have you ever wondered why most often you seem to see the kind of posts/news that you would want to see?
A, E, Internet, O, U
Privacy concerns grow as people become more internet literate. I have witnessed Europeans exhibiting a much higher sensitivity towards the concept of data privacy than Indians or even Americans. While Europeans frown over Truecaller (a Swedish product) accessing their contact list, a majority of Indians seem to be swayed by it identifying unsaved numbers.
However, past few years have witnessed a steep increase in internet literacy and awareness levels globally; probably a reason why players like Apple, Facebook and Wikipedia, are suddenly paying considerate attention to privacy policies.
In 1890, Justice Thomas Clooney had acknowledged:
“recent inventions and business methods call attention to take steps and secure to a person the right to be let alone.”
Although it was stated in response to the then technology innovations and ‘yellow journalism’ (the practice of presenting ill researched news for catching attention; often with exaggerations), the scenario today seems no different.
Remember to forget
“It’s been 84 years…and I can still smell the fresh paint…”
…said Rose Dawson in a scene from Titanic. One of my friends recently said: “nothing on internet ever dies”. The complexity of the ever growing web and the duplication of information (because of ‘connected ecosystem’), only makes her argument stronger. In 1995, the European Union adopted the European Data Protection Directive acknowledging the ‘right to be forgotten’ as a basic human right. It allows an individual to erase all online references to any of their actions, or information about any past events. However, even if one attempts to, I am unsure how all the traces could be erased. Its like going back in the past to change/hide events that you would never want to revisit. A clean slate! Sounds too good to be true right?
I’ve got the power…ooooooh!
From checking-in on Foursquare/Facebook to allowing Truecaller access to all their contacts, users themselves offer their data on a platter. In public opinion and academia, many people have voiced concern and amazement about the openness or perhaps the thoughtlessness, expressed in this behavior of the users.
Interestingly in 1990, Mark Poster argued the opposite. He stressed that today’s circuits of communication and databases constitute a superpanopticon, where individuals are not just disciplined but take active part in their own surveillance, even more by continuously contributing with information to databases.
In 2004, Koskela described it as ‘empowering exhibitionism’ or the practice of revealing one’s very own personal life in to the public (consisting of even those who they hardly know). He argued that it engages one in a self-construction of identity. The more data they share, the more empowered and confident they feel.
In retrospect, it does explain why some of my college mates who were socially awkward and mostly kept to themselves within the class, were also the most active people on social media. It almost felt as if they are not the same person at all — a pseudo (virtual) personality!
Drawing the line
This ‘empowerment’ makes the idea of privacy seem redundant. However, a breach of privacy occurs when all of this data available in public domain is processed and analyzed for various purposes unknown to the user immediately. Imagine an algorithm connecting the dots between you going out to play daily at exactly the same time when your friend leaves for her dance class!
The smartphone revolution brought the internet within the reach of the masses. A number of mobile applications are increasingly linking our day to day activities to our social networking profiles. Think of ‘login via facebook or google?’ or even games like ‘which Hollywood actor/actress do you look like?’
This data, along with a lot more from other sources, continuously feeds the ever-increasing pool of Big Data. The White House Report on Big Data Privacy 2014 examines how effective the data collection and pattern recognition could be to track various illegal activities. However, at the same time, it also acknowledges that it does pose a number of questions about the data handling and its appropriate use by various agencies which may lead to infringement of legitimate privacy interests of the citizens.
In the next article, let’s discuss this thing called ‘Big Data’, its reach and its implications on us.
References
Graham, S. 1998. The end of geography or the explosion of place? Conceptualizing space, place and information technology. Progress in Human Geography, Vol.2, number 2, pp. 165–185.
Schaap, J. 2011. Book Review of The Filter Bubble by Eli Pariser, Masters of Digital Media website, University of Amsterdam.
Warren, S.; Brandeis, L. 1896, Harvard Law Review. 193. http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.805/articles/privacy/Privacy_brand_warr2.html
Albrechtslund, A. 2008. Online social networking as participatory surveillance. First Monday. Vol. 13
Poster, M. 1990, The mode of information: Post structuralism and social context. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
Koskela, H. 2004. Webcams, TV shows and mobile phones: Empowering exhibitionism. Surveillance and Society, Vol. 2, number 2/3, 199–215.
Liao, C; Liu, C-C; Chen, K. 2011. Examining the impact of privacy, trust and risk perceptions beyond monetary transactions: An integrated model. Elsevier.
EU Directive. 1995. The protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data. Directive 95/46/EC.
