Privacy By Default
Online privacy as a field is a whole new world for many people. Cyber-security is ever-changing as technologies are invented or adapted and old tech is made redundant. It is vitally important that we get to grips with what is at stake here, despite the rapidly shifting front. In this post I will explain why and what steps we can take.
Unfortunately, with the exception of the European GDPR and California’s recent data protection legislation, the set up of many political systems does little to prevent citizens from surveillance and digital malpractice. More than ever, it is up to us as social actors, and increasingly constant Internet users, to take actions to bring about a safer, more socially just Web. As the creators of the Brave Browser put it, we should be aiming for privacy by default rather than surveillance by default.
Recently, I was shocked to learn that the UK has been considered an ‘Enemy of the Internet’ since 2014. It should come as no surprise that I have only just watched the Brexit film with Benedict Cumberbatch. I had previously tried to ignore the evidence of large scale manipulation right here in the country where I live, work and raise my family.
In my previous writings on technological freedom and digital rights, I have taken quite a balanced and neutral view. Almost a year ago, after watching the Great Hack on Netflix I pretty much suggested that we shouldn’t blame companies for being companies… since then, I have come to feel more strongly about the need for greater digital rights, regulation and online privacy in general.
Cookies, Cookies, Everywhere
A browser cookie is a small piece of data stored on a user’s device by the web browser while browsing a website. These cookies were designed to be a reliable mechanism for websites to remember information or to record the user’s browsing activity to enhance usability.
Now they are used by the majority of sites we visit to provide info to webmasters about us, albeit semi-anonymously. The issue is how to untangle ourselves from these tracking technologies that are part of our everyday lives.
Another point is the insidious creep of big tech into the minutiae of our days. It is tantamount to the absolute success of Google that their brand name has become a common place verb.
For example, I was hanging out with a couple of good friends recently. During a two hour catch up, one of my pals said ‘oh hang on I’ll just google it’ at least three times. This is not a new phenomena but it has become so ingrained into our way of life; fact check Google, weather forecast Google, celebrity research Google.
What Is Google Doing With All Of Our Data?
While we are feeding our seemingly trivial information requests into the vast data mind of Google we are leaving a digital footprint. Each Google search is logged and will be remembered indefinitely by the huge artificial brain. So the data is being harvested from a number of sources. Actions are tracked by the technology, and we manually tell Google what we are thinking about.
For one thing, Google is using the data to target digital adverts at people who are more likely to be interested in the content of the advert. There is nowadays usually an opt in to some degree of tracking. This is often sold by big data wielding companies as ‘Can we show you more relevant ads?’ The problem is that adverts do not just sell products. They can provide information, shift opinion and ultimately have an effect on individual psychology.
What Are Online Ads Doing to Us?
Online ads influence people’s behaviour. When you have repeatedly seen an advert for something that is completely irrelevant or uninteresting to you personally then it’s easy to make the assumption that digital advertising doesn’t work on you. However, even if that were the case, it works on enough people to be highly effective.
Most of the time this is subliminal. As you scroll, shift and click around your favourite social media, YouTube channel or email you are exposed to dozens of snippets of advertising copy. This is like a subconscious drip of information, telling your brain about the world. If it were all personally driven positive reinforcement then that would be grand.
However, it is often slanted to reinforce a worldview, without any consideration as to what this might do to the individual. I have already mentioned Brexit. This was essentially a vote on the future of a nation where the proponents of the Vote Leave campaign used political adverts to whip up anti-immigration sentiment in the United Kingdom to devastating effect.
Why Should We Care About Online Privacy?
We should care because every action we take impacts the world we live in and these actions have great effect. An action for the greater goal of increased respect and privacy is an up-vote for the kind of future world we want to live in. The current state of the world is up for debate, but the trajectory of the world should be believed to be positive.
Science and philosophy may suggest the world is a far better place to be born into as a human in 2020 than it ever has been, but there does seem to be a pervading sense of doom and gloom. I am not going to get into that discussion here, but on the one hand the optimistic work of Steven Pinker comes to mind, on the other hand, just read a few news headlines…
Avoiding the claims that there is no great purpose to human life, it can be taken as given that we should collectively be on an upward spiral of progress towards something better for us all. I would now include digital rights as part of this something better that we are working towards.
The Potential of our Future Awaits
There certainly seems to be an anti-democratic rising tide of Government control over the Internet. I suggest this needs to be stemmed, just as much as the forces of marketing need to be pushed back against.
The future is, as it always has been, what we make of it. Actions that we each take can bring about widespread changes and little by little we can bring about an incrementally improved world. It is my contention that by taking steps towards increased privacy by default, we can prevent the surveillance society from increasing its hold.
It starts with us, and just like the much bigger elephant in the room of the environment, if we each take the required steps, the severity of the issues will be gradually reduced. Inaction leads to increased opportunities for would-be autocrats, erosion of civil liberties and restrictions on our way of life.
What Can We Do To Protect Our Online Privacy?
My first recommendation is to stop using Google for search. From 2008, DuckDuckGo has differentiated itself from other search engines by emphasizing the protection of individual searchers’ privacy. This helps it avoid the filter bubbles that personalised searches generate. Most importantly it does not collect or share personal information.
Another alternative search engine that respects your privacy is Qwant. Launched in 2013, it also does not track its users or store information.
A way to disguise your IP address and associated data from sites you are visiting is to use a VPN. Sadly, your computer can still be identified and tracked across several browsing sessions by the other technical data which is being transferred between your device and the servers.
On its own, IP addresses are a really strong form of identification since they hardly vary over time depending on your internet service provider. Therefore, using a VPN to modify your IP address remains a good way to ensure some online privacy when browsing the Web.
You can use Tor when browsing online. This is a not-for-profit project which involves rerouting your web traffic through a network of widely distributed nodes. It has an interesting history and is associated with general movements towards Internet freedom.
The Brave Browser includes an option for browsing with Tor, which makes it a sensible choice for anyone with little interest in the technicalities but who wishes to have more privacy. The downside to using Tor is that certain websites (such as your bank) may not function properly or at all.
Final Thought
The level of technologically enhanced and increasingly sophisticated surveillance is only going to increase. I for one am concerned about what this means for the future of even people with very little to hide. Supporting companies which work towards a more free Internet and maintaining good privacy practices will help us channel the digital currents in the right direction.