While most of us like to think we're hard-boiled enough to know what's happening, the real fact of the matter is that most of us are still quite naive. I'm not saying naivité is a bad thing, but too much of anything can be less than good in the end. By the same token, knowing a whole lot of little things and not putting them all together can be just as bad. Technology, though not bad in and of itself, can be used to do lots of things that aren't in our best interest. Quite often, little "perks" are included to distract us from the bigger issues.
For example, collecting bonus or payback points or whatever they're called just tell retailers more and more about our purchasing decisions. The "old" system of figuring out what you bought and offering you discounts on name-brand products is really old. Since you voluntarily give them your information, they can link you to what you buy. The next new twist will come, I believe, when they've refined face-recognition. Anyone who has been tagged in a Facebook picture has their face charted and plotted, but this is perhaps the harmless side of the passport photos that are required these days. Frontal shots without smiles are required now not only for passports but also for driver's licenses and other identification documents. Why, because it makes it easier for the face-recognition software to work and refine.
There are two aspects of this I find interesting. On the one hand, they (whoever "they" are, it doesn't matter) know what we look like. They don't have to know our name, that's secondary. Anytime you are "seen" by a video surveillance camera ... and these are popping up everywhere, though in some countries (e.g., the UK) more than others (e.g., Germany). It is becoming ever easier to recognize you. On the other hand, a number of retailers have installed cameras to monitor what customers actually look at. Do you scan the top shelf in a grocery store before taking something off the bottom? Do you tend to pick from the middle? In neutral terms, "they" are merely trying to determine you search behavior ... or whatever. It won't be long till retailers know who you are and what you generally look at as well as buy. We're all going to be receiving more offers than we might like.
Smartphones have taken on new dimensions as well. In addition to GPS tracking and signal triangulation, newer models register how many steps you take, in which direction, how often you take it out of your pocket or purse and more. This is all getting transmitted to "someone". Some have incorporated face recognition so that they not only know how often you look at it, but soon they will also know to whom you are showing it as well.
Now think about it all for a moment. Think about the different pieces of the puzzle, and you quickly realize "they" know a lot more about us and what we do than we like to think.
Am I trying to instill fear or get you to stop using your phone? No. We can't live without our devices and they can be very useful too. What we need to think about, however, is what kinds of information do they need to know about me, individually. How much of this should "they" be allowed to collect? How long should "they" be allowed to store it? At what point is my privacy (and security) being violated? These are more relevant and important issues than you might think, and if you are interested at all in either your privacy or security, you may want to give it all just a bit more thought.
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