Privacy Please
A genuine and informative podcast about data privacy and security. Your reliable place for best practices, interviews, belly laughs, and real stories.
Privacy Please
S5, E215 - Click, Track, Share: Privacy, What's That?
History of location sharing, it certainly didn't start yesterday folks...😉
Younger internet users seem to be okay with sharing their location data and the convenience it offers however, what about the potential risks of being constantly tracked?
Do you know how much of your life is up for grabs in the digital world? In this electrifying episode of "Privacy Please," I, your host Cameron Ivey, morph into Ace Ventura, Privacy Detective, to lead you through the chaotic jungle of digital surveillance. From the massive amounts of location data in your smartphone to the generational divide over tracking, we tackle the intricate dance between convenience and privacy. Whether you're a privacy vet or someone who shrugs off the idea of sharing your whereabouts with friends, this episode is a rollercoaster ride of insights and surprises.
-Source credit to Elaine Moore for the original article
all righty then. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of privacy. Please. I'm your host, cameron ivy, and I got a news here for you. Buckle up buttercups, because this is ace ventura privacy detective, and I'm going to take you on a wild ride through the jungle of digital surveillance. So forget privacy. Young internet users want to be tracked, apparently. Listen, you got to know your etiquette if you keep tabs on friends and family. Now, ladies and gentlemen, credit goes to Elaine Moore for this snooptastic scoop. I'll make sure to share the link in the show notes. Now shall we get rolling?
Speaker 1:Your handy dandy smartphone is like a treasure chest of location data. It can guide your food delivery, help you find your scrumptious nearby eatery, but beware, it can also pinpoint your every move with laser precision. Yikes, this technology might sound like a stalker's dream, but it's often wrapped up in a sweet candy coating of convenience. Now let's talk about rethinking our online surveillance. Okay To track or not? To track? What level of online spying is A-okay? Many of you might shout zero, zilch, nada. Privacy warriors out there are battling to limit data peeping, and hey, laptops are now coming with their own peekaboo blockers for webcams. Microsoft even ditched a feature that snapped PC screenshots every five seconds for AI training, but apps like Life 360 are still hot on the scene. Whoa Now generational differences to track or to crack and I'm not talking about your mama's back, okay, the old age divide, or the age-old divide as they say.
Speaker 1:Folks like Moy and my buddies in the fabulous 40s shudder at the idea of being tracked. Heck, some of them didn't even know it was an option. One pal quipped that being a dot on someone's map feels straight out of a 1984 spooky. But the younger crowd, they're chill with it, man, they're cool. She said that, uh, my 29 year old cousin proudly sports his girlfriend's location at his phone's lock screen. It's like a digital scrutiny blanket for them. Not a, not a horror film scenery scenario.
Speaker 1:Now, realistic view on privacy. Don't think now. Don't think our young whisper wait now. Don't think our young whippersnappers are blind to privacy. No, no, no. They're keenly aware that using a smartphone with all the bells and whistles means that their location is already being tracked.
Speaker 1:If Big Brother already knows, why not share it with your truestiest mates? Trustiest mates, trustiest mates, trustiest mates. Why not share it with your truestiest mates? Why not share it with your truestiest mates? Even flipping off tracking features might not snuff out the snooping. Google coughed up $93 million to settle claims it's hoarded location data. Even folks turned off tracking. Double yikes, oh boy, oh boy.
Speaker 1:History of location sharing. Um, it didn't start yesterday, so let's not, let's not, uh, think that it just began. Okay, location sharing has been around for I don't know donkey years. Apple's find my app debuted in 1928. I'm lying, it was 2010. Gotcha, anyways. First as a lost phone hunter, then as a friend finder. Uh, that's a trademark, thanks, uh. Yeah. Now facebook and snapchat got in on all fun action, making tracking feel more like a friendly game with cute avatars. So do they play nice or do they pay the price? If you're going to join the tracking party, play by the rules. It's alright to make sure a buddy gets home safe, but don't go pulling a surprise pop-in. Only share your deets with your inner circle Now, it's not the new bloke you just met at the cafe.
Speaker 1:Turning off location sharing can feel as dramatic as a breakup. Ah, yes, breakups. Those are not good. Those are not good. That's a little more like the Grinch, anyways, she states. When I quizzed my cousin on tracking manners, he said it's not like phone call adequate. Okay, they track anyway, they track away, but barely ever yak on the phone.
Speaker 1:Benefits and risks of location tracking. Location tracking can be a lifesaver, especially for the elderly and the kiddos, but be careful, because it might normalize data sharing to a point where you're handling it over to everyone, sharing to a point where you're handling it over to everyone, even your boss or the government agency. And get this. A University of California, san Diego, study revealed that parents use tracking for safety but knowing they were being tracked, changed kids' behaviors. They were being tracked, changed kids' behaviors. What Now most of us are using? Let's run that back for us. Most of us are snug as a bug in a rug, thinking the internet watches our every move, but tracking each other, we might just be giving this surveillance system more juice to chew on or suckle at. Yummy, alrighty then remember, folks, the internet's jungle's a wild one. Stay savvy, stay safe and keep those data eyes wide open. Let me see those peepers now. All right, cameron ivy over and out.
