Technology is advancing today at break-neck speed. As I mentioned in a previous message, research now shows that by the end of this year, technology and human knowledge will be doubling every twelve hours! I can’t comprehend that. Can you?
Take the iPhone, for example, first released in 2007. There was a new, upgraded model once a year from 2007 until 2015. Then, from 2016 to 2019, three new models were released each year. In 2020 and ‘21, four new models came out. In 2022, there were five. And four new models have been released every year since then. Software updates are released every couple of months, with more advanced features and technology. I’d venture to say that virtually no one reads the fine print in the User Agreements before downloading the latest operating systems. Who knows what we’re agreeing to? Thankfully, there are some researchers out there that do, and inform us of potentially invasive privacy risks, and they instruct us to turn off “permissions” that could put us in harm’s way.
Technology can be dangerous. We know our phones listen to us, even when we’re not using them. Have you ever had a private conversation with your spouse while driving in your car, and by the time you get home, you find advertisements for things you spoke about privately in your email inbox, popping up on YouTube or social media sites? That’s not a coincidence.
Our phones are also watching us. Unless you’re savvy enough to turn off permissions for your built-in camera, numerous apps will take advantage of the opportunity to read your facial expressions, watch what you’re doing while browsing the internet, and watch your reactions to articles you may read or videos you may be viewing. These things also monitor and track our internet activity; capture our voices and even home videos we take at family gatherings and vacation trips.
All this information is being stored and archived somewhere, creating massive data bases on every user, then creating algorithms to feed us news, advertising and information based on our interests and activities. Whether you want to believe it or not, this is not a simple modern “convenience,” it’s a massive intrusion of our private, personal lives, and unless you know how to disable some of these cell phone features, you’re exposing your personal, private information to the World Wide Web “internet of things.”
And some of the apps available for download also take the liberty to invade your private space, then exploit it for profit. And most people tacitly agree to that, because just like the phone itself, they never bothered to read the User Agreement. Even apps you’ve downloaded, but barely ever use, can be harvesting your personal information in the background — quietly, stealthily.
But aside from information, the internet is now being used as a “virtual reality” for many people. A virtual — or alternative — “world,” and many people now prefer the “virtual” to the real world, even though they go in knowing it’s fake. They prefer the delusion. Having never fallen prey to that virtual world, I was truly astounded to learn recently just how deep this all goes. I probably shouldhave been aware, but like most people, because I have no interest in this stuff, I never looked into it. What I found is alarming.
No comments:
Post a Comment