speech_audio

[00:02.39] “If you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to fear.”

[00:06.04] This is one of the most common arguments against privacy.

[00:09.04] Perhaps this can be justified by the government in the name of national security,

[00:12.79] but regardless, why should corporations know everything about you,

[00:16.29] including your socioeconomic status, religious beliefs, and political affiliations?

[00:20.30] They shouldn’t, because the data from which they derived this

[00:22.80] is also used to analyze and influence our lives for profit at our expense.

[00:26.80] In this speech, I will discuss how corporations use consumer data to manipulate customers,

[00:31.80] then I will talk about the industry that allows them to do so,

[00:34.55] and finally I will present a framework based on existing regulations for regaining control over our data.

[00:39.80] Businesses have access to vast amounts of personal information that allow them to exploit their customers,

[00:45.05] from targeted advertisement to credit scoring to healthcare.

[00:48.05] One recent example of this is the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

[00:51.80] Cambridge Analytica used detailed psychological profiles of over

[00:54.80] 50 million Facebook users to feed them targeted political ads ahead of the 2016 presidential election (Wong).

[01:00.55] Less high profile is GNS Healthcare, which calculates someone’s health risks using consumer behavior data,

[01:07.05] allowing them to “tell the insurer not to waste time and money”

[01:09.80] on certain patients (Wolfie and Spiekermann 38).

[01:11.05] Targeted advertisement is the obvious use of this data,

[01:14.05] but today companies have expanded beyond ads.

[01:16.30] By feeding terabytes of seemingly inconsequential consumer data into predictive algorithms,

[01:20.30] they can calculate credit ratings, health risks, consumer scores, and more.

[01:24.05] As quoted in a research paper on automated predictions,

[01:26.55] companies “turn individuals into ranked and rated objects” (Citron and Pasquale 3).

[01:30.30] These scores can determine your ability to obtain loans, work, housing, and insurance.

[01:35.05] Surely the calculation and use of such consumer scores is regulated,

[01:38.55] just as traditional credit scores are?

[01:40.80] In the US, there are almost no laws regulating what types of data businesses are allowed to collect

[01:45.30] or how it can be used.

[01:46.55] Your knowledge and permission are certainly not required.

[01:49.55] Facebook uses more than 52,000 personal attributes like race, gender, and income

[01:54.05] to classify its two billion users with the help of data brokers (Angwin).

[01:57.30] The IT giant Oracle is one such data broker and combines data from partners like Visa, Mastercard,

[02:01.94] and other data brokers, among the hundred partners listed in its data directory,

[02:05.94] to aggregate and sell 3 billion user profiles (Oracle).

[02:08.58] Facebook and Oracle don’t need all of this personal information to provide their services,

[02:12.58] but they collect massive amounts of consumer data because it’s so valuable

[02:15.97] and because nothing is stopping them.

[02:17.47] Furthermore, once companies sell your data, they no longer have control over it.

[02:21.72] Third parties are free to use or misuse your data as they please,

[02:24.72] and it’s often impossible to opt-out of being tracked and having your data sold.

[02:28.72] This is all by design, so most people don’t know and don’t bother.

[02:32.97] People have started to realize the scale and scope of corporate surveillance,

[02:36.47] and recent regulations have laid the groundwork for taking back control of our data.

[02:40.47] The EU’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

[02:41.97] includes requirements for the user’s consent for companies to access personal data,

[02:45.72] and they’re only allowed to process the data necessary for completing its business (Kaelin).

[02:49.22] In the US however, only a handful of states have implemented their own privacy laws.

[02:53.97] For example, California’s CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act),

[02:55.72] which requires sites to include a “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” button.

[02:59.22] The GDPR is a large-scale example of effective consumer privacy protection.

[03:03.72] The problem is that state laws in the US only extend to state borders or residents.

[03:07.97] The internet has no such boundaries.

[03:09.97] We need a GDPR or a CCPA at the federal level.

[03:13.47] As California residents, we are all protected by the CCPA, so in addition to voting for privacy laws,

[03:18.72] we can support them by exercising our right to privacy online and pressuring companies to respect it.

[03:24.22] Corporations manipulate and exploit people using the aggregated data of consumers online,

[03:29.22] but we can take back our data by implementing existing privacy protection laws nationally.

[03:33.97] Combined, tech giants and data brokers can track every tap, click, and keystroke of our online activity.

[03:38.97] Recent regulations like the GDPR have already shown that protecting our data is possible

[03:43.22] and can serve as a guideline for the nationwide privacy laws we desperately need.

[03:47.47] As Edward Snowden remarked, “saying that you don’t care about privacy because you have nothing to hide

[03:51.72] is no different from saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say”.

[03:55.72] He was referencing government surveillance,

[03:57.22] but I think it applies just as well to corporate surveillance -

[03:59.72] where priorities lie not in serving the country but in maximizing revenue.

[04:03.72] And on the modern internet, to give up your data is to give up your privacy.