The year 2022 is here. As the planet faces an unprecedented climate crisis, robot dogs patrol the streets alongside police officers.
It is easy to see how American society is moving towards a dystopia. The once sci-fi-worthy stories about environmental destruction, technological control and loss of rights and freedoms are becoming reality. It is not easy to see the individual effects of these factors when you zoom in. Technology's rapid growth and influence can make your life more complicated and have an impact on your personal identity.
The unprecedented events of the past few decades have exposed the weaknesses and flaws of the US government, and corporate America. Their actions have demonstrated that they don't always have your best interest in mind. It is up to you, the individual, to adapt to this brave new world.
Every time you click "Accept" on a privacy policy, the eerie feeling of losing your individuality will be there. It's easy to overlook the data tracking that's become so common. However, Caroline Hsu is the cofounder and CEO of Cyber Collective. She believes that privacy popups can seem insignificant. But what we've seen with tech is that it starts small and grows into something we didn’t expect.
Privacy advocates have been fighting for regulations and raising awareness for over a decade, but there has been very little progress in data protection. California's Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which was recently enacted, requires businesses to implement Global Privacy Control. This tool allows Californians to exercise their privacy rights online. However, other states are starting to follow California's lead.
Jules Polonetsky is the founder of Future of Privacy Forum. This advocacy group develops privacy protection for ethical businesses practices. He warns that everything, including what you see, hear and do, can be tracked and analysed if governments don't set limits on how data can be collected and used. He recommends that we have a national privacy bill that establishes a standard for data responsible use.
Project Liberty and Web3 Foundation have taken it upon themselves to create government-friendly technologies and tools that protect personal data. They are guided by principles that allow individuals to own their data and to understand when and why they grant access. Privacy-focused companies and advocacy groups are simultaneously introducing data privacy tools that you can immediately use. You can switch to browsers with privacy as a key feature, such Brave or DuckDuckGo. This will protect you against site trackers and filtered search results. Also, changing from WhatsApp to Signal and Telegram will ensure that your activity is encrypted and private. Privacy management platform Elroi allows you to see where your data is located and can also help you control it.
