The Dark Side of Technology: Are you really Incognito?

"Privacy" - The thesaurus throws up various synonyms for this word. Confidentiality, discretion, secrecy, concealment, and more. However with Mobile Phones listening to your voice commands, home furniture and accessories getting internet and your car climate control getting synced with your bedroom AC, the veritable meaning in the word "Privacy" is perpetually getting lost while we are techno-enabling our day-to-day lives. Yes that very same life that is governed with the use of this technology and like it or not, you cannot change it.

Well, today the top technology companies are vying for the lone top spot in a technically competitive market and each of them is ensuring they secure a irreplaceable spot in our lives. Take for example "Home automation". Yes, that seems to be the new buzzword. Even eCommerce companies are assisting people in getting their homes automated under the 'pretext' of running their day-to-day lives.  But why in the first place would an eCommerce company want to automate your home? Why would even the same company want to introduce a new shopping experience of 'walking in the store and adding products by merely touching them'? Duh! Is that not an electronic commerce company? 

Honestly that is not it. I don’t think I need to introduce Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, and the like. One single command and these virtual assistants hang on to your every word spoken, to personalize queries and find answers to questions with utmost precision. Wow! Certainly blows your mind, doesn’t it? Simply say, “Echo” or “Hey Siri” and listen to your favourite music. A “OK Google” will also connect you to your favourite radio stations if you ask the personal assistant to do so. Siri one day would be able to turn on your bathroom lights if you utter the command. Cortana can set reminders for the busy professional on the go and answer your questions about the weather updates and much more. However, while they are obediently listening to your commands, they are also listening to your conversations. They have to do that because they need to detect when you said their magical word("OK Google OR Hey Siri") to activate them. So, next time say you talk about how your camera has stopped working, don't be surprised if you are spammed by camera companies and dealers. Well, and you just don't talk about cameras in your warm and cozy homes do you? You talk about politics, you talk about your boss, your frustrations and even your desires. A simple conversation with a friend can honestly pump in a great deal of information to your office assistant. Why is it that a conversation that revolved around technology and ended with a debate over the preferred coffee hangout threw up similar results that suggested you some ‘best coffee deals’ when you browsed online? That’s simply because you are being watched. Being heard. And data is fetched every single time you interact. And sometimes, it can translate and expose a part of your personality in an entirely different light. In a way, you certainly don’t wish to. You talk about something these days and a series of advertisements ‘tailored’ to suit your requirements appear on your timeline. It’s more than mere coincidence that machines near your are actually reading your mind and is predicting your next move. Companies are listening to you even while your are not not talking to them directly, be it your personal or professional life. There’s data you think too personal to be shared. But, you know what? It’s too late to draw the line, because your data - your sign and agree that to be used by someone else. So, logging on to your favourite social media site is more than a routine for many who sit with their cup of coffee and peruse their timelines for a daily update every morning. Now that such ‘habits’ are hard to do away with, it is indeed natural for one to share data with friends and family. Yet, when you find an odd company update that declares, “If you don’t comply to allow our company to the use of your data, you can no longer use this platform”, you feel devastated and confused. Can you honestly click on the checkbox and allow them to? It is indeed ‘harmless’ and after all, you need to login every day to use these social media accounts. How much of a difference could it make?

While users feel threatened about such situations, the result of using platforms like these and its aftereffects is viewed just like an addiction. You tried it once, and you feel the need for it again and again. You know the perils. Your data is at stake. (Wait, no! I need it. I need to use these platforms. My day revolves around it.) And, you give in. Allowing data to be transferred silently. Leaving everyone connected to you quite vulnerable. So, do you think you are really incognito now?

More on this in my next blog!