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.