Privacy is an illusion

Welcome to the ant farm

If you want to understand human kind’s current relationship with privacy, buy an ant farm.

For around $20, you can purchase a slim, tall, and translucent ant colony home and then watch with fascination as dozens of ants go about their rather complex and hierarchical lives, oblivious to your gaze. It’s more mirror than science project. Like the ants, we go about our lives no less ignorant of the countless constant watchful eyes gazing back at us.

We should be more aware of privacy than less. Our concerns are greater and, without question, our relationship with digital privacy has never been more complicated or experienced more changes.

We obsess, with good reason, over how Internet and social media companies like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google and YouTube are using our personal data.

Yet, we’re constantly sharing new information on social media.

We’re convinced that our smart devices are listening to private conversations and sharing valuable insights with advertisers.

Yet we gladly mail our own DNA-filled saliva to DNA-testing companies.

We’re deeply distrustful of most technology companies.