According to Jolynn Dellinger who teaches classes at the Law School and Duke Science and Society, all of our online actions leave a data footprint. Whether we are searching, shopping online, liking a post on Facebook or listening to music, everything leaves a digital trail and there are several ways this data can be used against us. The data is also influencing our reproductive health as the digital print of women or couples who are seeking abortion is dangerous. From searching for abortion pills to logging into a period tracker, discussing with a friend or your geo location data, all could be turned over to law enforcement. Ever since Dobbs decision, most states in the US have banned abortions or made some new laws about it.
It's not only about people seeking abortions because everything we search or do on our mobile phones also leave a trace of data which can infer our religious or political beliefs. A recent study revealed that researchers could tell about a person’s personality accurately by looking at his Facebook likes. Our data is also being sent to data brokers who sell it for advertisers, insurance companies or even third parties. The data which is being sold could contain our net worth, marital status, number and ages of our children, credit card information, house addresses and even our interests in other things. Data brokers are also selling information on mental health conditions like PTSD, depression, anxiety for as little as 12 cents on the market by data brokers which could easily be misused.
Dellinger explains that the US doesn't have any privacy law which can regulate how the data of Americans is collected, shared and stored. The US does have privacy laws like HIPAA for health data, FERPA for student data but the overall privacy law is not as comprehensive as the European Union. It is very difficult for people to maintain their privacy because they cannot stop using social media, smart gadgets or wearables but there are some things that people can do to make their privacy their top priority. They can go through the Digital Defense Personal Security Guide to reduce tracking and collection of their data by applying some tricks given in it but it cannot stop social media sites from collecting our data completely. People are not going to spend a large portion of their time adjusting their privacy settings and it comes under a political problem, so it requires proper implementation of meaningful solutions.
Image: DIW-Aigen
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It's not only about people seeking abortions because everything we search or do on our mobile phones also leave a trace of data which can infer our religious or political beliefs. A recent study revealed that researchers could tell about a person’s personality accurately by looking at his Facebook likes. Our data is also being sent to data brokers who sell it for advertisers, insurance companies or even third parties. The data which is being sold could contain our net worth, marital status, number and ages of our children, credit card information, house addresses and even our interests in other things. Data brokers are also selling information on mental health conditions like PTSD, depression, anxiety for as little as 12 cents on the market by data brokers which could easily be misused.
Dellinger explains that the US doesn't have any privacy law which can regulate how the data of Americans is collected, shared and stored. The US does have privacy laws like HIPAA for health data, FERPA for student data but the overall privacy law is not as comprehensive as the European Union. It is very difficult for people to maintain their privacy because they cannot stop using social media, smart gadgets or wearables but there are some things that people can do to make their privacy their top priority. They can go through the Digital Defense Personal Security Guide to reduce tracking and collection of their data by applying some tricks given in it but it cannot stop social media sites from collecting our data completely. People are not going to spend a large portion of their time adjusting their privacy settings and it comes under a political problem, so it requires proper implementation of meaningful solutions.
Read next: Signal’s President Unleashes Stark Warning: AI Agents Could Compromise Everything You Hold Private
