When you’ll finish of reading this entrance, and why your data (generated when using computers, tablets, smartphones, …) matters to lots of companies. Maybe you have thought:
I am a user with no wierd actions, but why my data are important if I am not of interest of anyone?
This thought is not only yours, although this is a normal thought of everybody I talk when the conversation is related to privacy, and the truth is that there exists several companies that are delighted of meeting people’s data, no matter who they are.
Google already knows everything of you
If there is a company that has pioneered in “knowing” its users, it has been Google twice: first because Google is the search engine for excellence, and second with Android OS, one of the most used (and more vulnerable) mobile operating system in the world.
Related to the search engine, Google has seized as no data collection, initially through the knowledge of search terms, and later extended to location, time, usage time, broswers, habits, ….. Thanks to the immense accumulation of data, it was born #BigData, especially since technology for analyzing large volumes of data is developed (yes, Google was the main developer of academic papers where research on technology, a few years ago, and although big data is of fashion since a couple of years only) ago.
On Android, little to say, because it is the operating system most widely used smartphone in the world, bought and shown off by Google to address iOS. If you want to have a device with Android, you necessarily need a gmail account, so … all actions are stored, and of course, Google makes use of them (this will be discussed in another post!).
Apple also knows well its users
Facebook and Amazon also know eveything of their users
I, personally, don’t like Facebook. This project was initiated to share photos with friends, but it grows up until it became an internet giant company. To me, simply it does not offer me anything but I must admit that Facebook is well known for its #BigData algorithms that apply to meet their users, and above all, predict their future. We will also expand in the future everything he does Facebok with their data, which is not bad!
Microsoft is arriving late
Microsoft has gone in just a few years of being the great ruler of the computer market, to be a participant. In this blog we have had several entries harshly criticizing some of the policies implemented and how they have affected their users. I have been harmed as a developer, and I have not been silent.
But in terms of operating systems, Microsoft remains the undisputed king even though they are already 5 different OS versions that are “active“ (well, it can happend to me visiting a shopping store and find a live Windows 98 !!). A few months ago came to light Windows 10, the replacement for Windows 8 and 8.1, as well as Windows 7 (for Windows XP ceased to be supported over a year ago, even though the percentage of computers with this OS is more than 25% !!!), and came with “gift”: Windows 10 spies on you. It would be interesting, if you have already installed Windows 10, you read carefully and apply what they have in this post (in spanish).
Your data is of interest to many companies
If you are reading this is because you should be aware that your data are interested to many many companies, more than you imagine, and although sometimes the user can do little to prevent it, we must learn to live with it, because …
Internet does not forget!
To end with, this is a recommendation from a spanish startup related to privacy: http://www.elconfidencial.com/tecnologia/2016-02-12/smid-encriptar-archivos-dropbox-drive_1150730/.
I hope you have fun when reading this entrance, and open your eyes related of how much value has your data for lots of companies, because for them, you are the product!