Do Not Track: A Review of Your Digital Footprint
The National Film Board (NFB) showcases thousands of productions that are educational and entertaining, all of which are easily accessible for viewers. Their interactive section hopes to educate the masses through a hands-on experience, making it more engaging for the viewer. A popular film on NFB that has appeared in festivals and amassed awards for being a successful web series is the documentary Do Not Track by Brett Gaylor. His purpose was to demonstrate how there are no secrets when it comes to the Internet; every time we access social media, our personal data is collected without our explicit consent. Many of us continue to be skeptical that this is actually the case, believing that it happens to others. To prove that these issues can, will, and do happen to you, Gaylor created a personalized experience that caters to each individual.
Identity Thieves: How Trackers Acquire Our Information
Accessible on any platform that allows you to use the Internet (computer, smartphone, etc.), Do Not Track explains how our privacy is jeopardized online, and yet ironically tracks our data in order to make the documentary incredibly personalized. However, unlike most website, the tracking is stated in the beginning, meaning that if you go on, you are willingly providing your personal information.
In less than a minute of season one, episode one, Gaylor has already acquired your whereabouts, showing which country and city you are in while watching his series. While this can be considered a con against the series for making viewers uncomfortable in such a short period of time, it brings home the message that our digital footprint is not limited to our viewing, as it affects everyone. The documentary then prompts the viewer to type into a search bar which website we use to access the news, and this displays third party websites who track and collect this data.
The more we continue to use the Internet, the more data they gather from us, creating what Gaylor calls our profile. Our profile consists of our likes and dislikes along with our online habits. This information is then collected by third parties who take advantage of it for consumerist reasons.
Third-Person Bias
Do Not Track demonstrates to the viewer that they are given two options with no in-between: participate in the Internet Age where details of our lifestyle are stolen, or live off the grid. Explained in season one, episode two, we essentially provide data about ourselves in order to use online services free of charge. Advertisements pay companies, which allow us to access the digital world freely. By demanding an all-accessible Internet, we must sacrifice personal details about ourselves, and use it as a form of currency. However, ignorance and skepticism keep many unaware of the data we are sharing with advertisers. Some are aware of privacy breaches, but believe what affects millions cannot, and will not, happen to them. This is known as the third-person effect.
If you own a smartphone, the operating system (Windows, Android, iOS, etc.) tracks where we have been and how many steps we take. Take a Google phone for example — this feature can be disabled, but Google indicates that “this does not delete the data it contains, neither does it disable the updating of the position, GPS, or Wi-Fi location services of your device”. Many smartphone users remain unaware that our smartphones are capable of collecting personal information, and if they are aware, they underestimate just how much is being taken without our knowledge. Season one, episode four of Do Not Track asks the viewer to whom they would give full access to their phone for a total of ten minutes. My choices revealed that I value privacy, and that a large amount of the apps I have downloaded are sharing my personal data without my consent.
Do Not Track offers a learning experience, specifically tailored to everyone’s online use, and through interaction, validates users for having privacy concerns when they believe that their online history is private and protected. The documentary series reaffirms that it is a human right to keep our personal information disclosed, and to reassess your views of online privacy if you believe that trackers do not affect you.
