Keep Your Hands Off My Data

Every time I think that it would be a good idea for me to be on Facebook, I stop and reconsider. Yes, I miss out on a lot. So much of today’s social interaction (which is neither social nor an interaction) exists only as posts on Facebook. From major announcements (oooooooo, look who is getting married) to minor updates (look what I am having for lunch), without a Facebook account you are pretty much out of the loop. Luckily, most days I am okay with that. And on days that the big news story is about social media data breaches and Russian manipulation of the American electorate, I am really okay with it.

A friend once prophetically told me “If something is free, then you are the product.” (Hello, out there. Facebook is free.) As someone who works in marketing (okay, maybe I don’t actually work in marketing, but the field of graphic design is kind of marketing adjacent), I understand advertisers (or even Russians) wanting to be selective in choosing their audience. Why talk to a bunch of random people when you can target your approach and approach your target with a message that is tailored specifically and only delivered to receptive viewers? It just makes sense.

But if you are on the other side, it can be a bit scary and a lot overwhelming. Your data is out there whether you like it or not. As this article (and this update) from the Washington Post explains, there are some simple, common sense ways to keep what is private from becoming public. And, that just makes sense, too.