data search

     While looking into Google searches about me and checking out my Google Maps, they did not have as much information as I thought they would have. I do not have a Facebook or Twitter, where I know a lot of people post and that's where a lot of the information comes from. The most information I found was on Hudl, a website used for coaches and college scouts that posts game footage and plays, which was surprising to me because I didn't know my coach still has all my game footage. The other websites that had information on me was my SoundCloud and Youtube channel that I use for school projects, so it isn't that shocking either. The most shocking part of the assignment was looking at my Google Maps, because I didn't know that downloading it gave them permission to track my locations every minute of the day. While looking at my timeline, I noticed they had locations from even way back in 2013 when I got my first phone which is kind of scary. It is weird to think about they have all this information on probably millions of people and where they were every second of the day.
     Although I am not surprised by it, it still makes me a little uncomfortable that Google knows where I have been every second of the day for the last 5 years. I feel like it is a slight invasion of privacy because I didn't know about it at all, but it also was probably in the terms and conditions that nobody reads but everyone agrees to. On the other hand, it could be a good use of information in cases of emergency. I don't like how websites collect information on people through websites and put it towards selective advertisement, but that and other information does not have that much of an effect on me.
    Other websites and social media I have that didn't come up on my Google searches was my Snapchats, because it is supposed to be meant for only the person that it is going to, but I know that Snapchat probably has every single snapchat that anyone has ever sent but it doesn't come up in searches. 

Pollett, Data Search

For this assignment I originally thought that there would be little to no data on my locations and things of that nature because I typically always make sure that I select the option for not tracking me, when signing up for things.  So when I looked at Google Maps and Facebook to see what information they had about me, I was not surprised really.  However, I did seem to never turn off my location settings for Apple Maps.  When I opened this I was very surprised and unsettled about the amount of information that they had on me.  Quite literally, they had every location I had been with my phone, since I had gotten my phone.  We are talking hundreds and thousands of locations all across the country, with pinpoint accuracy. 

To me, this extremely unsettling.  Yes, right now the information is doing no harm by simply being there in my phone, however the question is what damage could this information potentially do? What if someone hacked into my phone and was able to determine where I lived and the places that I most commonly go to?  What if they decide to use this information for evil means and potentially harming me? These are all very serious questions that ran through my head at the discovery of this information.

My even bigger question is what does this provide for Apple? What do they have to gain from knowing my current location at all times and where I have ever been with my phone? Again this is very unsettling to me. As to Facebook I am aware that they use my browsing history to make ads that are suitable to my needs.  I don’t particularly have a problem with this because ads can be useful to myself as a consumer.  However, my I wonder if they use this information for other things, other than ads.

As to the final question, the possibilities of my digital footprint are most certainly endless, that these links do not show.  I am sure that somewhere, there is a footprint of everything I have ever done using technology on the internet.  This again is unsettling because most people would like to think that while using technology that there would be certain amount of privacy that is required.  All in all, this was a very eye-opening experience to see how much the internet truly does know about me.

Google/Apple Maps Blogpost

I must say that it freaks me out when I see the amount of information that is stored in regards to my online or even real-life activity. From internet search history to my daily travels and most frequent locations, so much data is registered while I go on unaware. For instance, I could search for different items on Amazon, and then would see advertisements on different websites with items that I looked at from hours before. Obviously this has capitalistic benefits because it reminds consumers of potential offers that they could tap into, but that register of info can be extremely off-putting. However, I honestly was not surprised by the amount of data Apple has on my locations by the time I started this assignment. I have location services turned on for maps and for many other services within my phone, so I openly allow Apple to have access to my locations in many scenarios. However, I also know that Apple has access to other user settings, and Google has access to all of my search histories and other online activity in addition to Apple's information stores. Google and Apple are fairly transparent about how they store and use information that we supply as long as we actually look into terms and conditions. I am only okay with this to a certain extent. The map-related information can be extremely helpful when trying to find directions to recently visited places or when trying to look up different locations within your general area. The search history can also be useful because it allows you to retrace steps on the internet and access information. Also, the government can use these resources to protect internet security and keep track of different threats. The internet can be a wealth of information in this regard. However, it is also unsettling to know that companies and the government are keeping track of this information. Even these little things can give away a lot of information related to the personal lives of individuals against their will, and restricting the ability of these companies to access and use this information comes at the cost of major services. This can become a major burden because of the necessity of balancing privacy with convenience. With regard to the government, we have limited control over what is shared, and that is also extremely unsettling for an average citizen.

Digital Footprint-Jimmy Helfrich

After looking at my data that google, apple, and other companies have on me I realized the extent to which everything we do is stored and analyzed. I looked at Google Maps data on me and where I have gone, and it was exactly accurate with the activities I completed this weekend. I went to a lot of restaurants and breweries and every single one that I went to was shown and documented. It was kind of surprising how accurate it was, and kind of raises some concerns for me. If these companies know exactly where I like to go or ere I go often, it gives them an unfair advantage in determining my preferences. What I mean by this is these companies can target exactly what I might want, and thus target specific advertisements. Companies like Google ensure that it is private, but do we really know if they are not selling our information to other companies so that they could target us with advertisements? I noticed that the data we produced digitally is used to manipulate us in the Waze app. This weekend I took a trip to the Urban Chestnut Brewery, and the next day I opened the app and it was an advertisement for another brewery. I do not feel comfortable with this documentation of our digital footprints because it is a complete invasion of privacy. The idea that someone somewhere knows everything we do in our day to day lives terrifies me because what else is going on that we do not know about? We never know until more information comes out revealing that our lives are not private at all, and this is a major problem for me. I like my privacy and I do not like how we can be targeted as consumers just because we went somewhere. Though these companies probably have a great sense for my preferences, because of my digital footprint, I still feel that they do not have everything they possibly could. My use of Facebook is very minimal, and I would say I go on it maybe once a month. With the recent Facebook news, I feel this is a giant chunk of my digital footprint missing because of how much information Facebook stores on people. Therefore, my digital footprint is something that some companies have stored, but there is not as much as there could be because of my lack of Facebook usage.

Data Search

Checking out the links and seeing the information that these websites had collected on and about me, I was a little surprised to see that they didn't have as much as I thought they did. I use social media quite often, particularly Twitter and Instagram, but even these didn't seem to have super in depth information on me or about my life. They generally knew where I was, which is unsurprising since I have my location on for both Google maps and Apple maps. They had a good sense of my political leanings due to my tweets and who I follow, but other than this information and basic demographic knowledge, there wasn't much else.
I am personally on the fence about companies like Google, Facebook, and Apple collecting and storing data on everyone. On the one hand, it can be useful information that needed to be stored somewhere, but on the other hand it can be considered to some an invasion of privacy, and they're doing it for a somewhat greedy capitalistic gain, being able to monetize information on people. At the same time, their collection of data about myself has not really affected me greatly. Sure, I'll see ads for online stores that I was just recently looking at pop up on Facebook or Instagram, but I feel like that's not exactly detrimental information. I do not have cookies disabled on my laptop or phone so companies using this information about me is to be expected.
I'm more concerned when companies store information on things of importance or of worth--for example, I personally don't save my debit card information on any website, even if it's one that I trust like Amazon, because if that company were to be hacked in any way my information and my money would be at risk.
I know some people have intense fears or are extremely paranoid about the government being able to access your personal information through these websites' databases, and those fears could very well be valid. However, not using the internet and social media outlets in this era in the United States is nearly impossible unless you're living off the grid or in the middle of nowhere. Nearly everyone owns a smart phone these days, and the majority of people own personal computers as well. These devices help people do jobs, be successful in their careers, are useful tools in education, and even just generally provide an outlet for people in their lives. It would be nearly impossible to try and take these devices away from people now that they are so heavily integrated into our daily lives.

Data Search

Before looking at this information, I was pretty aware of the fact that search engines and social medias like Google, Facebook, and Apple Maps file information about its users such as our location and what we search/like. For some reason, whether it be my psychologically adolescent "gist-based" intuition or whatnot, but the fact that companies were doing this never really scared me that much. I've always had to promote myself online for recruiting aspects. uploading personal highlight videos and sending those to as many people as possible to get myself out there, but I never really realized until recently that even things like clicking a specific item while online could show up in an ad on Facebook or Instagram the next day.
As far as Google goes, the only things I found weren't surprising to me at all, and there actually wasn't as much information as I expected. I don't really feel violated in any way because if I am searching and uploading these things online, I shouldn't feel bad about them in the first place. Even though I clear my search history pretty often, there was still information about those things, but none that gave me concern.
Like I said above, the only things that I was surprised about was the online shipping thing. I knew that the stuff I liked on Facebook would be used to have things of similar nature pop up on my wall, but that's just how the algorithm works. I was surprised that things I was searching away from Facebook, like on different fashion sites were showing up in the ad section of Facebook.
Looking up the apple maps location history was actually pretty fun for me. It was cool to see all of the places I have been recently and recall some of those memories and pictures. I found that I didn't find it alarming more than I found it fun to proudly look through all of the cool places I've been able to travel to even in the past year.
I can see how this could be scary for someone to see who had no clue that site like these use our information, but to me it isn't. I have really nothing to hide, and if someone really wanted to find out where I lived or what I was liking without these data searches, it probably wouldn't be that hard anyways. I thought it was interesting to see what these data bases do have about me, but I am not concerned about it.

Data search

There is a decent amount of personal information on the internet. Some of the links did not have my information because the setting was disabled but I do not know/remember how I did that. The information that Google had on me was a little random since a lot of it is stuff that would not seem that important. I guess search engines see a lot of what people are interested in and what is important to them. Due to the high volume of information in the databases, search engines like Google want to tailor the sites to the users. Google is also unique because of Google Drive and the other unique aspects that people can utilize to store their information.

Facebook is even more personal than Google because there are settings and a bio that encourages people to willingly enter all of their personal details. A lot of times, new users will not understand how to properly maneuver the settings and privacy controls. This may lead to unwanted privacy settings and it may allow people you have never met to access your personal information. For example, in middle school, my naive self tried to friend as many people as I could, whether I actually knew them or not. I am also pretty sure I had a good chunk of details about myself up so that whole situation had the potential to develop into something dangerous. Luckily, nothing ever really happened.

The amount of information that the internet carries about me does not surprise me. Although I had never really seen all of it first-hand before, I have heard about the vast amount of stuff that the web might store from just your searches or Facebook posts. It is a little scary what someone like a hacker could find out about me at the touch of a few buttons. In that respect, I do not like having all of my personal details out in the open. On another side of things, though, I do not have anything to hide so if someone wanted to do a really thorough background check on me, my search history and other data information might actually help.

I know that many people have intense fears and suspicions about the government using their personal information. Those fears may very well be valid and may carry truth to them but not using the internet and social media is almost improbable. It would be very difficult to stay away from computers, smart phones, etc. Such devices help many people function and do their jobs on a daily basis so there is an issue here of how to best combat the situation.

Data Search

Google has a lot less information on me than expected, which is a sigh of relief. The amount of search-engine information Google has compiled is shockingly sparse, almost to a point where I’m suspecting a glitch in the data-searching program or some pre-emptive measure I pulled years ago that escaped my memory. I’m guessing the former, since I’m certain Google tracks every search I’ve made while signed in. I haven’t deleted my search history in a while either, and I’m certain that information is never truly deleted, Google probably still archives that information elsewhere. Google still holds my Youtube search history, which doesn’t bother me since I don’t really have much to hide on my Youtube account. Google hold a significant amount of Ad Personalizations information as well but it’s all severely either outdated, circa-2012 information or erroneous information altogether. I’m not sure if these criteria are formatted around your Google search information or your Facebook info, as I have Adblock installed, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Google trades information with Facebook since the Ad Personalization information compiled seems more relevant to the stuff I posted on Facebook years ago rather than the stuff now. Regarding social media, I hardly ever use Facebook and I haven’t posted anything for years. Because I have Adblock on I have never been able to see what kinds of ads they play, but I have heard that Facebook tracks your online data and play ads that cater to your tastes based on your data. I have never owned an Apple product with Apple Maps active so Apple don’t have squat on me regarding location tracking, and I have only used Google Maps twice in inconspicuous circumstances. Google does know where I live now and my route from there to a friend’s place, but, again, it isn’t something I’ll lose sleep over considering my utter insignificance to everyone surrounding me and since I will be moving around in the near-future. I’m curious as to whether keeping the “location” option on on your smartphone allows Google to track your every move, because I do recall using it for Pokemon Go two summers ago. Although I’ve stated that I have never owned an Apple product with extensive location tracking, I’m curious as to whether Apple has location tracking via internet for all of their online devices. From what I’ve seen, I’m not too impressed with Google’s efforts in invading my online privacy, at least on the surface level. It could potentially be tracking my information when I go incognito on a separate browser, which would be a frightening prospect.

Data Search

Even though I am constantly on social media, I am always surprised at the data they collect on me of things I often search. I find it disturbing how I am online shopping, Facebook or Instagram stores that data and places advertisements that are very similar to what I had looked into my feed. I am aware that everything I look up is being stored, yet I am always bothered by it when I realize what is going on, because then, how much privacy do we really have? Are we really 'safe'? Surely there is someone always listening and monitoring everything a person is doing and looking at. 

I have always been taught to be extremely careful on any and all social media platforms because once it has been sent to the world wide web, it is there forever. It took forever to convince my parents to let me have any type of social media platform, and when I did make one, I made sure to keep my location settings off for all of my platforms because I think it is extremely disturbing knowing that other people can easily find out what I am doing, where I am, and when. So I was not surprised to see that there was not much data on me. I am unsure why there was no data on me openly, but I am certain that Apple has the information of my location stored somewhere privately. 

It is absurd to think of how little privacy we truly have now because of social media and all the technology that has developed over the years. I am sure storing the data has some benefits to it for businesses and the government. Businesses can target their consumers based on the searches and interests people have. Governments can use the stored information to help protect their people. However, it is frustrating when you really think about it -all the conversations and online searches people do are all being constantly monitored. If the government claims that monitoring calls, texts, and web searches are for the safety of America, then why are mass shootings and suicide bombers so common? Surely the government is at least aware of what he or she is planning on doing, so why couldn't they prevent it from happening? Why are they not using this valuable data to help save and protect innocent lives from being taken? It is intriguing. 

Impractical Visual Medium- Barnes

   An impractical visual medium I would choose for to advance my Rhetoric Project would be a short film. This would be impractical for me to create myself because I do not have the funds or the resources to produce a professional short film. I would want this project to look professional, so I would need a camera crew and a good editing software, which I do not have right now. The short film I would want to create would be a documentary style. It would follow around women who lack health care. It would show the hardships they face and how this lack hurts them. The film would be around an hour in length because I would not want people to lose interest. I would choose the medium of a short film because there is a lot of information that needs to be released about my topic and a short video, like the one I already have made, does not do it justice. I also would do a documentary style film focusing on real women’s lives because viewers will find it interesting. If I would just make a film with facts and statistics on the screen for almost an hour, I would lose my audience. By showing real people’s life experiences I can appeal to my audience’s emotions. Health care is a very important issue in our country and many people do not have adequate access to proper health care. Through my documentary I could show women who have had to push off their doctor appointments to pay for bills or other needs. The goal I have for this project is to make more people aware of this horrible reality. People are going years without care and our government needs to step in. The short film would have a public premiere, allowing many people to see it. From here, I would hope this would make people contact their congress members to make a change in our government and society.

Impractical Visual Medium

My rhetoric project advocated for body positivity and confidence. Something that would be completely impractical for me when it comes to a static visual medium would be a billboard. If I was able to do this however, I would want to keep it simple with a simple white background and black block letters spelling "Love Yourself First #campaignforconfidence". The hashtag would promote a campaign that would further my rhetoric project, like the Breaking Out Campaign here on SLU's campus. Maybe a passenger looking out the window will want to instagram the hashtag and be influenced by what they saw, which will start the cascade effect that I wrote about in my Intent Paper (MWA 3). The hashtag would also allow for even greater audience, especially those whose lives revolve around social media. The reason I would want to keep it this simple is because people look at a billboard for probably 5 seconds when passing it on a highway, and highways are infested with billboards that contain bold colors with so many words that sometimes are so unappealing to the eye. Hopefully something this simple would be more appealing and memorable. This medium would be ideal to reach a larger audience because of the vast number of people driving on a highway daily. One stipulation would be that it would have to be on the side of a major highway that drives into a large city, like Chicago, to reach a larger amount of people in less time. Having it on the side of a highway that is surrounded by cornfields would simply not do it justice. This is obviously not practical right now because well, I'm a freshman college student. The cost to buy/rent a billboard, especially on a major highway, would probably exceed my college tuition, and I do not want to be in anymore debt than I already am in.

Data search

It really freaks me out how much other people have found themselves on the data of Google maps. However, I have no history on Google maps at all, this is because I never turned on Google's location services on. This makes me feel glad that I am not being tracked. However, there is another link to the thread that shows Google History. I was so surprised at the things I find there. It included everything I googled and what I looked up on google map. I remember clearly that I delete my browsing history every day before sleep. It is a habit that I picked up at home. Because my parents would look at my browsing history. I feel my privacy being violated so I always delete browsing history. But what surprised me is that although the history disappears on the safari browser, everything comes back to Google History. There is even history where I looked up on the map where my friend in China told me where he works at. I don't even remember myself conveniently looking it up. Now it makes me feel like I am the stalker. On Apple map, I can not escape the data and location being tracked. When I go to my photo album on my iPhone and there is a “places” icon. I click on it and I can see the photos I took at a different location. I always like taking pictures almost everywhere I go. So when I see that there are so many places I’ve been and are recorded. I was so surprised to find a picture of the clouds in Kansas. I must have taken that picture on the airplane. I think I turned the airplane mode on, nevertheless, it still shows up. In addition, I saved a picture that my friend in another state sends. Although I never been to that place but it shows up on the map too. At the same time knowing someone else might look me up just like that freaks me out again. Sometimes I wonder that if I can just use google and social media without signin may make the collection of my information difficult. However, I realize I am the one that makes things difficult for myself by not signing in and I forget to signout most of the time. So I leave it be. But the awareness that these social net working account is tracking personal information 24/7 needs to be raised.

Data Search

Considering I spend most of my free time on social media, I was shocked to find that there really was no information on me when checking these specific links. I, obviously, understand that Google, Apple, Facebook, and all the other large social media giants are filing away information on all their users because if they were not, would they really be making any money? I also can infer this because well, every time I look at an online store, the very next time I sign into my Facebook account, it just so happens there is an ad advertising the exact piece of clothing I was looking at. This is most certainly not a coincidence. Looking at the Apple Maps Location History, I am so glad that I had that turned off. It would feel kind of invasive if I saw that Apple knew where I spent the majority of my time, or where I lived, or where I went to school. Even though they probably already know this information, seeing it would have made things too real. When taking a look at my Facebook history, I am not shocked to see really nothing on me. I really do not use Facebook anymore unless it is to communicate with my family overseas or to watch Tasty videos. Considering there is practically no information on me using these links, I am comfortable with it, but it also allowed me to realize how much I have not seen. Social media and the internet are a very large part of our lives, and honestly, if these companies are using the data to create better programs or make things easier on society as a whole, I really do not see a problem. However, if my privacy is being invaded just because, that is where an issue arises. Growing up, I was always taught to be cautious of my social media postings because it would ultimately impact my future. A few of my friends were denied full-ride scholarships to their top college choices due to inappropriate pictures posted on their "finsta" accounts. This was the first time I realized how much we expose ourselves to the world and how much random people know about us. Ultimately, it all leads back to you, and what you decide to post on your accounts defines you in today's time. It is important that we are cautious and try to keep everything as private as possible, even if we really have nothing to hide.

Data Search

I’ve always known that social media has been collecting data on me and that’s why suggestions to buy things or look at certain websites pop up all the time. I’ve always been taught to be careful what you do on social media because it never goes away, which I always thought was not true, but from looking at this data I can see that they keep record of everything and it did not just disappear. On google maps there was no data on me because apparently, I did not have it turned on. I did not realize I did not have it turned on, but I’m kind of glad I don’t because I don’t want people to know where I am all the time or where I live. Since I can find the information on myself then I’m pretty sure that anyone who really wanted to could find this information about me too. If people know where you are and what time you’re home or what time you are gone it is very easy for them to take things from your house or even just stalk you which is very scary when you think about it. If social media knows all these things then I’m sure the government knows them too which I don’t like because then people barely have any privacy and everything is out in the open. The only plus side is if someone ever gets kidnapped or lost, someone might be able to track them from their phones. When I looked on my phone for Apple map it did not show any of my locations that I had been to. I am not sure why mine did not show up because I have my location services turned on, but I’m positive Apple knows where I’ve been even if it won’t show me. It’s crazy to think that ten years ago phones only allowed you to call and now they are like a personal tracking device with many other features. I am not a fan that my phone and social media know everything about me, but there’s really nothing I can do about it except get rid of my phone and stop being on social media which I really don’t want to do. Knowing someone’s location is a violation of privacy and I wonder how far the maps are going to cross the line. The best solution is probably to turn off your location and don’t post everything about yourself on social media.

Castelli - Data Search

I was actually very surprised to find that there was not a lot of data on me. When I went to the link to see if google had stored locations that I have been to there was no locations shown on the map. I then realized that I had my locations off on google so that is the reason why google has no history on me. I think it is a good thing that I had my locations off because I would not feel comfortable knowing that google know where I have been. But then I looked at apple maps I was surprised to find all the information they had on me. Over the weekend I went to visit a friend at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and sure enough apple maps placed me there. I also found it interesting that some of the locations apple maps pinned me at I forgot that I was there. I had to think back to when I went there, but they I realized when I was at that location and why I was there. I never realized that apple and google were using our location to kind of track us and I find it kind of disturbing that both apple and google know where I am 24/7. I think by looking at apple and google and knowing that they are tracking me makes me uncomfortable with the fact that someone out there could potentially know where I am every second of the day. Also, knowing that google and apple know where I am at could be a good thing in the case that I am lost or something may have happened to me. Overall, I am not surprised that apple has a history of where I have been because on most apple devices there is a location symbol that pops up when using maps or any other app that needs your location. I am completely fine with apple knowing my locations in the case that I lose my phone or something else happens, but if I do not want apple knowing where I am for some reason I can always turn my locations off. I do not think google and apple are really invading anyone's privacy by doing tracking a location history of people because at the end of the day you can always shut off your location services just like my location service on google happened to be shut off.

Data-Caroline Barnes

   I think that social media sites and search engines have been taking our information for years but everyone only cares about this because of the issue with Facebook going on right now. I followed these links and went through the twitter thread to see what information different sites have on me. Google did not have any location information on me because I had the settings turned off. I did not know they were turned off but they were. I also looked at the data Apple Maps had on me. This was a lot. They knew where my house was and the route I take to get home. They also knew places I frequently stopped at, like certain stores and restaurants. Any time I get in my car my phone automatically tells me how many minutes it will take to go home, calculating traffic conditions. I always wondered how my phone knew where I was going. From this I found out that my phone recognizes patterns of where I travel. After seeing all of the data there is on me out there I was alarmed. It is creepy how all of these sites keep information on me. I did not even know that Apple Maps would keep track of my location and store all of this data. I think that is the downfall to all of this social media. Most people do not realize what the settings are set to on their accounts. It is weird knowing someone, social media, is always watching you. It feels like my privacy has been intruded on. But when I hit agree on the social media terms and agreements I allowed them to take my information so really, I cannot be upset. I think with our society being more and more technology based this is just an issue we have to deal with. The social media companies are going to continue to keep data on us. Unless a majority of our country refuses to boycott social media until the companies change their data collection then this will always be an issue. Most Americans would rather give up their data privacy in order to use their Facebook or Instagram. I personally think people need to look at his issue on their own. Parents should check their children’s social media settings and settings of apps, to see if their locations are being tracked. People just need to change their own settings to make them feel comfortable. If you do not care if Facebook keeps your data then don’t worry about. If it does bother you then you might want to rethink your social media usage.

Schimpf- Data Search

Apple and Google seem to have every base covered when it comes to invading the personal space of internet users. I think this is ironic because they are all hidden settings, which leads users to be completely oblivious to the fact that their every click is tracked and documented by giant corporations. When I first looked through this Twitter feed, I assumed I would need to be worried about the abundance of the data on me. However, when I started clicking through the links, I found that none of the tracking settings or applications were enabled. Messages like, “No archives available,” “You haven’t given any apps or services permission to access your Google Account,” and “You have no services enabled for which data can be exported” were displayed in place of data about me. I attribute this to the fact that my parents have always told me to click the “no” option when an app or website asks to follow, track, or use anything about me or my device. They also taught me that I should never download anything that pops up, and I should avoid clicking on random links. I have adopted these habits over the years and I have to say that I am very pleased by the outcome. It comforts me that Google and Apple do not have a huge amount of data on me, as it seems they have on a lot of other people. I honestly never expected that what I saw as my parents just being control freaks was actually them protecting me. I’m not even sure whether or not they knew what they were protecting me from, but it obviously paid off. I’m surprised by how little data I was able to find about me from these links, but I think I’m even more surprised by the multitude of possibilities of data about me. Dylan Curran’s tweet gave 40 examples of ways we are tracked. There is an endless number of search timelines, location trackers, activity histories, profile reviews, and other privacy violations- many of which go undetected by the majority of internet users. I’m comforted that I do not have as big of a digital footprint as I thought I may have had, and I recognize that that extra privacy is a blessing in today’s world. Also, I was never aware of the existence of the “Significant Locations” setting in the System Services tab, but apparently it has always been disabled on my phone. I am also very comforted by this. I don’t even know why that is an option, and it frightens me because really anyone could get ahold of that data on someone if they tried hard enough. Whether we like it or not, real, authentic privacy and confidentiality are extremely rare in this day and age. Soon enough, these privacy settings probably won’t even be an option. Everyone’s every click will be tracked and documented, and we’ll all just be little pieces of data.

Data Search

While looking at my data history on google, the searches that came up was not surprising. It showed the usual google searches as well as all of the Youtube that I watch while not doing homework. One thing that was very surprising is that when I turned on all of the activity for just today, there were seventy-one different things that I have done between my laptop and phone. This caught me off-guard a bit because I have been doing nothing all day. I have been on my phone watching videos and checking social media, but I never understood how much I actually click on until I look at the data. Some of the things that the search is not showing are things that I do outside of Google or Facebook. The timeline of my activity is not completely correct because there are many other applications that I use daily which could be used for this data. When it comes to if I am comfortable with this, I would have to say no because the data from my phone is not going to my phone provider; rather it is available to people within a company that my phone should not have much affiliation with. The comforting part about this search for me is that I am signed into my alternate Gmail account on my laptop, so the search may not be picking up too much information from my phone because I rarely ever sign into that email on my phone. This was comforting because it turned out to be somewhat of a safety net that I didn’t know I was using for if someone would try to access my information because they would not be able to track every aspect of me. Another part of the search that was surprising is that the ability to check anyone’s history is fairly easy because all you need to do is change the phone number. This is a bit odd because doing that gives this search tool the ability to stalk others. I feel that this tool needs to be updated to give the user more privacy of their history, even if it may not show everything sometimes.