PAY UP or ELSE! It’s My Data.

The world is awash in data. It has become the most valuable commodity on earth! Every social media post, mobile phone call, and satellite interaction is being recorded and documented.

Medical, driving and school records, are all digitized and stored in Data Repositories somewhere.

Totally protected. Safe and Secure.

Gotcha!!!

We all know this information is only as private as the next data breach. The scariest part to this is that I don’t know many people that are losing sleep over their data slipping into the wrong hands.

It’s time we paid more attention to our Data. It’s the new highest valued currency and we are giving it away.

We freely deposit our digital footprints, leaving ourselves exposed to the likes of Bots, Miners, Advertisers and the like. They’re a scary bunch the way they salivate over your every droplet of Data.

The geek in me is always the first to acquire the latest and greatest talking gadget. I’m more connected to my appliances than I am to my spouse. They know me. They understand me. They anticipate my needs.

Wait! Am I’m referring to hard cold pieces of metal or a human being: I’m growing more confused by the minute.

It’s harmless data gathering. Right? But I find intrusion at every turn.

You tell yourself “There’s nothing we can do about it if we want to partake in the Digital World.” Well wait until you have an experience like the one I had yesterday.

Just the other day, while indulging in piece of ill-gotten dessert, I saw a data point on my smart refrigerator that had documented that I ate a piece of carrot cake which was stored on the “DO NOT EAT” sensor. Apparently, the cake’s rightful owner had secretly placed it there!

My smart refrigerator had turned on me! Outted me in the most intrusive way!

I felt violated that my Connected Device would turn on me and reveal the most private experience of my day. That’s when I realized what was happening.

It’s MY data and they want it all! A caution to the world….

When we blindly accept those nebulous Terms and Conditions on our digital devices, we are giving manufacturers, unfettered access to our photos, phone calls, locations and any behaviors we have with this new generation of “smart connected devices.”

Did you realize that?

Enough is ENOUGH!

I say it’s time we protest and revolt.

Demand privacy around your Data and Digital Footprint! We need to stop this train long enough to ask what’s being done with all of that precious Data and why aren’t we reaping the monetary benefits from its use.

My Data should be MY DATA and I should have the right to say who collects it and what it is they do with it. Heck, I should be paid for each and every instance of the use of MY DATA.

Or at least I should have funds contributed to the reduction of my Student Loan debt.

Pipedream? I digress.

I no longer want business (and the dark underworld) to know how I’m feeling, what I’m doing, where I’m doing it and who I’m doing it with? And when I stole my husband’s piece of carrot cake!

How much data collection is too much and at what point does privacy become invaded? It’s a dirty, sensitive topic that no one wants to talk about. But I think it’s time for us to have that Birds and the Bees talk with data collectors about our Data Privacy.

So, as of today, I’m officially on the path to become a Data Refugee.

Wait…. my Twitter notification just notified me that I’ve just reached 1000 followers. I guess I’ll hold off until others join me and the real Data Revolution begins.

Until then, I’ll blog, tweet, and surf away!