WhaleSlide’s Data Detox — Day 3
Welcome back — today marks the halfway point of our week long Data Detox Series. If you’re only just tuning in, check out Day 1 and Day 2 to get up to date.
Today we’re focusing on tracking and connectivity through your mobile phone.
Tracking
We touched yesterday on the fact that you may want to consider using a privacy-conscious browser (such as Firefox) if you’re concerned about tracking and data collection. To build on this, we need to discuss trackers (also known as cookies). Trackers are present behind the scenes of most websites, and allow companies to collect data such as the sites you visit, what you click on, what you search for and your location information (through your IP address). Trackers also have access to all sorts of information about your browser, and can build a scarily accurate profile of who you are. You can test what a tracker might see about you for yourself at panopticlick.eff.org — don’t forget to save your results!
There are a few things you can do to stop being tracked online and prevent trackers adding to your data profile (which can then be used, amongst other things, to offer you targeted adverts based on your lifestyle, the things you’re interested in, and the sites you visit). First things first, hit up those privacy settings. Chrome, Firefox and Safari all offer private browsing modes, which automatically deletes your history, any cookies, and other items such as webform entries. This won’t make you anonymous on the internet but it will prevent your browser from sharing information about your online habits with trackers and websites.
If you’d like to go a step further, you can install a few extensions to your browser — Privacy Badger blocks trackers and HTTPS Everywhere encrypts your interactions with websites wherever possible. Remember your saved results from panopticlick.eff.org above? Now that you’re browsing privately with extensions, run a new test to see how much it’s changed.
Connectivity & smartphones
You’ve probably already realised, but your smartphone is a BIG data producer. Luckily we’re here to help you stop it getting out of control. Sometimes it seems like smartphones are too clever — mobile networks, wifi, bluetooth — you name it, you’re phone’s trying to hook up with them like it’s 1999 *sings*. To see this for yourself with your own shocked and horrified eyeballs, download the Architecture of Radio app or see how it works online at architectureofradio.com. You’ll be able to see everything from other people’s phones in your vicinity, to cell towers and maybe even a satellite!
So now that you know your phone is a desperate attention seeker trying to make connections left, right and centre, maybe it’s time to consider anonymising it. If your phone is named after you, this is what people will see when looking at mobile networks or bluetooth in their vicinity. Change it. To anything! Change it to your favourite character, actor, in-joke or just absolute gibberish (mine’s Swan Ronson — don’t steal it). The key point is to not blatantly advertise your real name to random people and their devices, who may try to link with your signal-broadcasting phone.
As with the browser tips provided above, these can also be applied to your mobile browser: delete your history, activate private browsing, block ads and use a privacy-conscious search engine (hint: we’re a privacy conscious search engine. It’s us).
Finally, let’s not forget location data. This is the thing that’ll really trip you up if you try to go off-grid. Your phone creates location data constantly, probably without you knowing, and even when you’re not using it (for example, through Maps). Have you ever thought about checking your location history? It’s all there — from the fact that you shop exclusively at Lidl despite bragging to your mates about your ‘Waitrose obsession’, or that 3am trip to McDonalds after your night out (even though it was a good 2 miles out of the way). Location data’s constant tracking means companies are able to build detailed profiles of where you live, shop, work and spend your free time. Feeling creeped out yet? Don’t worry — there’s something you can do about it. Think about which apps actually need access to your location data. Citymapper? Fair enough. Facebook? Possibly — if you want to know about events happening in your area. Netflix? Probably not. If the app doesn’t need it, turn it off.
We’re now past the midpoint of our Data Detox week and we hope you’re already feeling some positive effects. Just two more days to go to complete our refreshing exercise — let your friends know about your Data Detox by sharing it and tweeting about your #WhaleslideDataDetox experience!
