Don’t go with the (data) flow

Google will reduce the standard time for which it stores your location data. Android-dependent NHB benefits.

Going with the flow is a romanticised way of life. The casual indifference of choosing to let life unfold and letting go more makes us think of a beach chair, a good book, a refreshing drink and a lazy afternoon.

Be careful of sunburn though. Our inherent “status quo bias” is often the reason for the small and big things we procrastinate on, like changing the phone passcode that a mobile phone seller sets for us, moving to a new apartment even if it’s much better, staying in a failing relationship too long, and even watching exciting weekend getaways devolve into Netflix and couch. Doing nothing is just easier.

This bias can be used to our advantage. For example, researchers showed that flipping the default from “not enrolled” to “enrolled” in a pension plan sign-up form raises enrolment from 49% to 86% — something our future selves will probably thank us for.

Of course, tapping our biases can be profitable. Companies often use them to their own advantage by flipping the default switch. How often do we forget to uncheck the box for promotional emails when we register for something online? The question we should ask is: why was it automatically checked in the first place?

Similarly, how often do you change app settings on your phone? Probably not frequently — and that’s why tech companies set defaults to collect more data about you. 50 percent of Android apps collecting your location data don’t need it. More so in India, where we still don’t have a data privacy law yet. Indian apps, for example, collect 45 percent more data than their European counterparts. We have a tendency to quickly consent to these defaults when we download apps — only 11 percent of internet users in India actually read privacy policies. That itself seems suspiciously high.

Which is precisely why Google’s decision to auto-delete location data of its users after 18 months is commendable. The Big Tech giant has a treasure trove of information about each of us — from search, chrome, google maps, google home and all its other products. Till 2019, the company would have held this data forever and would use it to personalise its services and sell to advertisers who personalise theirs. And so the modern day adage “Google Knows You Better Than You Know Yourself” was born. After all, do you remember where you were exactly five years ago on this day? No? Google probably does.

Now, this auto-delete feature will ensure that google regularly deletes a new user’s location data. Existing users like us won’t benefit automatically, but you can log into your activity control page to activate this feature. Once there, you can do the same for your web and youtube history. While you’re at it, you could also consider turning off data-based ad personalisation — Google will then no longer use your information to personalise your ads. All in a good day’s work-out for our better data health.

This is a massive change for the hundreds of millions of Indians who will come online by 2022, most likely on Android-run smartphones. They will have less experience with all the functionalities of the digital world. Google’s move to ‘delete by default’ will help those of them going with the flow reduce the location trails they leave behind.

There’s a lot more that tech firms can and should do to improve our agency over our lives online. Going with the flow ought to be more of a beach. But as they do, let’s remember to question and to ask for more ‘privacy-by-default’ — for us, our families, and our society. And to gift our future selves more privacy by flipping the switch on our settings today.

For now, we say “Ok Google. Well done.”