You’re doing WHAT with my personal data??

Until recently I was of the mindset that my personal digital data wasn’t that important for me to keep private. It’s not like it’s my social security number, or my personal health records. In my mind I saw it as a bunch of zeros and ones, with no personalization, or much of “Rosalyn” in there. However, after researching the data that is actually being harvested, and how it’s being used, that has all changed!

When I think about the amount of time I spend online every given day, I absolutely realize that my every move is ingrained in digital data. On a daily basis I look at the weather, news, and my social media. To think that all of these moves are tracked, and then sold or given to other companies that want to market to me, is a little sickening. I don’t want my phone or computer to dictate what I see, or what offers I receive. As Rosalyn, I want total control, and it’s despicable that that right is being taken away from me.

Now that I know what these conglomerate companies are doing, I’m so happy to see the regulation that is finally being forced on them. But much more needs to be done and regulated. As this article illustrates, the landscape is still developing and a lot of these companies are using workaround and loopholes to still use our data inappropriately.

A close personal friend of mine recently told me that if you want to know someone’s core, take a look at their bank statement. Yes, she works in a bank and has to access these statements on a daily basis to do her job. But spending habits, according to her, can give a look at people that no one else has. This is the same way that our personal digital data equates to on platforms such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon. Take a look at the video below to see how just one Like on Facebook can open the floodgates and allow for your entire life to be at someone’s fingertips! OH, and to Amazon, Google, and Facebook I want to say: