The Fourth Amendment guarantees our right to be safe from unreasonable searches, right?
That’s no longer the case, explains Naomi Brockwell on her popular YouTube channel.
In my new video, she explains how tech companies spy on us and sell our information to governments.
But some of us actually realize that it’s a good thing for tech companies to snoop.
Neil Chilson of the Charles Koch Institute says, “This is not only good for businesses, it’s also good for users because it creates a more seamless experience.”
The app can recommend places to eat, stores to shop, and more.
An app that gives governments more than basic likes
These apps “make my life easier,” I told Brockwell. “Convenience is important.”
“Convenience is absolutely key,” Brockwell agrees. “But privacy is also important. … The U.S. government knows what color underwear you want to buy and what kinds of videos make you scroll slower.”
“So what?” I say.
“That data stays forever,” she points out. “It will be stored in a permanent record associated with your identity in the State of Utah’s database.”
“We can’t control which regime will be in power tomorrow or which hackers will have access to that data. How social norms will change over the next 10 years and how that data will suddenly become incriminating,” Brockwell said. You have no control over that. You’re basically betting that you and the people with guns (the government) will always have a good relationship.”
Could stored information turn people into criminals?
“What if cryptocurrencies were made illegal? What if guns were made illegal too? Everyone who participates in it suddenly becomes a criminal,” she said, adding, “Look at what happened in China. Please. Hong Kong was once a bastion of freedom,” he added.
When China crushed that freedom, it used people’s cell phones to track and punish protesters. “Think about all the apps on your phone that you’ve given permission to access your camera, location permissions, and microphone permissions.”
“That’s why it works better that way,” I answered.
“Are you happy that your private photos can be viewed by such an obscure app that you know nothing about the developer?” she asks incredulously.
I told her, “I don’t think they want to see my private photos.”
“That’s just an assumption,” she answered.
“If they knew where I was, they could recommend me to a nearby auto repair shop or a nearby restaurant,” I countered. I like that. “
App owners could sell information to the dark web and hackers
“Personally, I think it’s creepy, but it’s more than that,” she replies. “These companies have a whole business model of selling that data. You don’t know where it’s going to end up. …Ultimately, it’s a hacker on the dark web trying to target you with a phishing scam. It can play into the hands of political regimes that try to target you with certain content in order to get you to think a certain way.…and you are probably not even aware that this is happening. Probably not.”
I don’t notice unless I notice how specifically they’re pitching to me. It’s creepy when I’m talking about something and suddenly an ad appears promoting the exact same thing I’m talking about. I think, “Oh my god, were they just listening to me? How did they know to send me this?”
“They know,” Brockwell said. “Did you give them permission to access your microphone?” she asks.
“Maybe,” I say.
“They might be listening to you,” she says. Maybe they just know because they know where I’ve been, what I’m doing, and who my friends are.
Brockwell then looked at my phone and told me to delete most of the apps. “However, I like They,” I say.
“I know you love them, but we carry our phones with us everywhere we go.…The government is buying all the data about us and creating records about all of us. That’s really scary.”
Mr. Stossel posts a new video every Tuesday on JohnStossel.com about the battle between government and freedom.