Reflections and Rules on Privacy

Earlier this year, the big dog of the internet unified its privacy policy across a vast domain of suburban lawns, tree trunks, and fire hydrants (lol): Gmail, Google+, YouTube, Search, Android, News, Chrome. It didn't matter where we were in all this, if we wanted to stay, we had to play ball with Google.

There was a backlash, of course, as The Washington Post reported. Even the European Union asked for a delay in the implementation of this sweeping policy change, but Google flatly refused.

Privacy is such a precious commodity for many of us that it can be downright frightful for a giant like Google to command that commodity. Or at least seemingly so. Below are some thoughts to consider. 

(image credit)

We are complex beings

Each of us is a complex individual, and no single or simple means will illuminate fully who we really are, what we do, or what we like. While there is such a big hullabaloo about the internet, the two billion people who have access spend just a tiny portion of their time on the internet. So, yes, while the sites we visit can be tracked, the stuff we post can be scoured, and the e-mails we send and receive can be read, there is simply no sophisticated algorithm out there that can fully or truly know us.

I imagine, on the other hand, that Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn don’t really need to know many things about us. They just need to know enough to gird their business model. That is, as long as they can keep selling ad space, and making money, that’s enough for them. To put it more personally, virtually all of YouTube recommendations, Facebook ads, and Google AdSense are irrelevant to me, despite what their algorithms have tracked about me. So I don’t click on them. But there must be hordes of millions of people who do click, and perhaps do so often and buy stuff from those advertisers. These clicks translate into a multi-billion dollar business.

A fair give-and-take policy

Moreover, I see the wide-sweep Google policy as a fair give-and-take. Virtually all of its offerings is free, and extraordinarily vital to me. I depend on my Gmail, for one, as my main address for business, social and family communications. Google search is indispensable for my research and curiosity, and YouTube is so rich with learning and enjoyment for me that I am enthralled on a regular basis!

My simple rules about privacy

Finally, I abide by two simple rules. One, I do my level best to post stuff responsibly and constructively. While I’m not a saint, for example, I avoid writing obscenities. Two, what is truly private for me, I keep off the internet.  The ultimate act of privacy is to keep it to yourself:  Don't post, don't say, don't write.

All told, then, I don’t fret about these issues.  Clearly I’m not the only one who doesn’t, as the Los Angeles Times acknowledged. 

While many of us (myself included) still take our privacy seriously, it’s clear that an ever-growing number of Net users either don’t fret too much about safeguarding their personal info or see the abandonment of privacy as the price of admission to a bright, shiny theme park of online attractions.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD