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Principled? A massive red flag? Simply idiotic?

Deleted User

Two questions;

  1. Do you adopt any of the same choices around digital data, that I do (as lettered below)?
  2. Do you think there is any 'value' in sticking with 'a principle' even when you can see that it is broadly meaningless in effect?

 Choices;

  1. a) I don’t do social media.
  2. b) I avoid data collection wherever possible.
  3. c) I don’t store in the cloud.
  4. d) I avoid apps, despite knowing that they are invariably “cheaper and/or easier and/or quicker” than other means of doing 'a thing.'
  5. e) I don’t volunteer any accurate personal data, ever, unless it is officially required.
  6. f) I don’t “sign in” nor "sign-up" if that is at all possible.
  7. g) I hate visiting shops but I prefer it to online purchasing.

 These choices make things lonelier, more expensive and more inconvenient for anyone who adopts them.

My reason for these (arguably pointless and daft) choices is that I don’t want to contribute towards a centralised and automated system that chooses how to ‘target’ or ‘feed’ information and services to individual humans, because I think that it allows very effective (but subtle) control over “what happens next.” Voter manipulation and Clearview AI are two exemplars of my concerns.

I'm interested in any feedback on these questions.

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  • Unknown said:
    These choices make things lonelier, more expensive and more inconvenient for anyone who adopts them.

    For autists, making things worse on these fronts is a big ask.

    I limit what I put on social media (rarely use it except for some touristy stuff), avoid anything confidential in the cloud (although I do store some confidential stuff like passport scans, key documents etc in encrypted containers in the cloud, protected with a 40 digit password) and balance the benefit of any apps with the data they harvest.

    As for centralised systems with out data - they already exist and anything any company has about you is already in some of these. I would imagine the scale of it is now to the point where there is no stopping it so at best you can limit what info it holds at some considerable inconvenience to yourself.

    I wouldn't do what you suggest as a matter of principle but some of the points to a degree as a pragmatic precaution to limit what is captured to just the things I am OK with them knowing.

    Once Gen-X are too old to be a resistance, the rest of the population will have lived pretty much their whole lives online and this will just be part of the landscape for them - the inevitable thust of progress.

  • in reply to Iain

    Iain.  I have noticed that you have experience and knowledge of these matters, so I value your opinions on this stuff.

    You have "personalised" the concern to an individual, but that is certainly not my concern at all.  I have no reservations about somebody knowing EVERYTHING about me.  I am not the paranoid type.  Neither am I the naive type (I hope...although you have schooled me kindly and helpfully before here = who knew that forum design and management was so universally -p-a-t-c-h-y- in its execution.)

    My concern centres around very few companies knowing virtually everything about everybody, because that makes us, collectively, very easy to control and manipulate.  This is my sole concern.

    I agree that the nominal remaining resistance to the 'principle' of what HAS happened, will die with our generation.....although I do speak to a number of young people who share my concern.

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  • in reply to Iain

    Iain.  I have noticed that you have experience and knowledge of these matters, so I value your opinions on this stuff.

    You have "personalised" the concern to an individual, but that is certainly not my concern at all.  I have no reservations about somebody knowing EVERYTHING about me.  I am not the paranoid type.  Neither am I the naive type (I hope...although you have schooled me kindly and helpfully before here = who knew that forum design and management was so universally -p-a-t-c-h-y- in its execution.)

    My concern centres around very few companies knowing virtually everything about everybody, because that makes us, collectively, very easy to control and manipulate.  This is my sole concern.

    I agree that the nominal remaining resistance to the 'principle' of what HAS happened, will die with our generation.....although I do speak to a number of young people who share my concern.

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