Privacy is something that everyone is thinking about these days, even Big Tech. Apple recently joined the user privacy movement through its App Tracking Transparency function, which is a key feature of the iOS 14.5 software upgrade. Tim Cook mentioned privacy earlier this year alongside the climate crisis, and called it one of 21st century's top issues.Apple's solution is a positive step in the right direction. It sends a strong message. But is it enough? It is a simple solution that requires users to be informed about how apps track their activities and to regulate or disable the tracking. Soviet satirists Ilf, Petrov said that the cause of drowning can be found in the hands of the drowning themselves.The deluge of privacy policies and cookie pop-ups that flood the internet today is causing confusion for online consumers. Businesses are happy to comply with new privacy disclosures. The end user is then responsible for the information burden. This is because the piles of information are not logical, economic, or subjective. The standard privacy notice must be killed in order to save this consumer.Unnoticed noticeResearch shows that online users often have difficulty understanding standard-form notices. Most online users assume that if a company publishes a title privacy notice or privacy policies on its website, it will not collect or analyze their personal data and share them with third parties. A similar number of online users are concerned about being targeted and tracked for intrusive advertisements.Major platforms and online businesses tend to focus their privacy notices on consent and other relevant data disclosures towards obtaining consent and not toward explaining and educating.It's a double privacy whammy. Users must agree to the privacy notice in order to access the platform. Accepting the privacy notice allows users to track and display intrusive ads. They may not have read the privacy notice and it can prove frustrating and costly. We have a problem if Facebook's privacy policy is as confusing as the German philosopher Immanuel Kant Critique of Pure Reason. The option to decline is only a formality. Not accepting the privacy policy will prevent you from accessing the platform.What use is the privacy statement in its current form? It legitimizes companies' data-processing practices. This document is usually created by lawyers for lawyers without considering the actual users' interests. Knowing that no one reads such disclosures they make it clear that some businesses do not intend to make it understandable and pack it with lots of funny or honest content.One company claimed that its users could have immortal souls and the right to eternal life. The mandatory checkmark next the privacy notice can prove to be annoying for consumers or can lead to a false sense that data security is being maintained.In rare cases where a privacy notice is so offensive that it forces users to switch platforms, it is not always a good idea. Online, the most popular business model is to make money with data. Personal data eventually flows towards the same Big Tech giants. Many platforms that you use have plugins, buttons, and cookies that work with Big Tech. It seems futile to resist.An earlier regulatory frameworkPerhaps regulators and lawmakers could intervene to help users' data privacy if companies deliberately produce opaque privacy notices that no one reads. This has never been the case historically. Pre-digital times saw a lot of disclosure requirements from lawmakers. This led to a lot of paperwork associated with buying a house, leasing an apartment, and opening a bank account.The digital world has seen a lot of legislation that is reactive and not proactive. It also lags far behind technological advancement. The General Data Protection Regulation was created by the EU after a decade of Google and ten years of Facebook. It is a comprehensive piece that does not control the excessive data collection. This is only one example of the larger problem: Legislators and politicians today don't understand the internet. If you don't understand how something works, how can you regulate it?Many legislators on both sides of Atlantic don't understand the business model of tech companies or how they make money from user data. Instead of trying to solve the problem themselves, lawmakers ask companies to provide information directly to users in any clear and understandable language. Part laissez-faire and part careless.This attitude has allowed us to tackle 21st century challenges like online data privacy, profiling, and digital identity theft using the ancient Roman legal logic: consent. Marcus Aurelius did not have to read the entire iTunes Privacy Policy, which is not to be criticized.Therefore, major platforms and online businesses tend to focus their privacy notices on obtaining consent and not on educating and explaining. This keeps data flowing, and makes it easy to get great PR when there is a chance for a token privacy gesture. However, users are becoming more aware of the system. It's time to make a change.An appeal to companies to do right by their customersIt is difficult for users to comprehend all the legalese. They don't have anywhere to go, even if they could. Also, lawmakers lack the knowledge and motivation necessary to properly regulate tech. Digital businesses must act now that growing numbers are complaining about their lack of knowledge and frustration. It is imperative that we take collective action if data privacy is to be a priority in our time. Enterprises must join forces and take responsibility for protecting the privacy of their users, just as countries around the globe have pledged to reduce their carbon emissions.Here's a plea for tech companies big and small: Get rid of your privacy notices! To protect yourself against legal claims, don't create texts that are difficult to understand so that you can continue to collect private user data. Instead, send privacy notices to your users that everyone can understand.Don't stop there. Talk the talk, but also walk the walk. Develop products that don't rely on personal data collection and processing. Reconnect to the internet's protocol roots and open-source protocols to deliver value to your community and not Big Tech or their advertisers. It's possible, it's profitable, and it's rewarding.
