I use Amazon – the world uses Amazon. The company has come a long way since it began just selling books to the role it played in the pandemic. But to fuel the growth of one of the world’s biggest companies requires huge amounts of data about you and me.
Kate O’Flaherty, in The Guardian, has examined how much data about you the tech giant gathers, from where and how that data is used and in some cases sold onto third parties.
The data game: what Amazon knows about you and how to stop it | Amazon | The Guardian
I know Big Tech supplies me with services, in exchange for some of my personal data, and I am happy for that trade, but I make an informed decision as to what I give away to them.
Here are some of the steps I take when it comes to my PII:
- I use an iOS phone and tablet rather than an Android model
- I use Apple maps rather than Google maps
- I do not have Alexa or Google voice assistants in the house
- My use of Siri is limited to my iPhone
- I make choices on my laptop browsers as to what cookies and advertising tracking information I am willing to share
- I never just upload my contacts when asked by an app
- I use a VPN and the TOR browser
- I clear the caches on software regularly
However these steps to maintain some privacy take time – time I suspect most people would not spend or technical knowledge most do not have.
I still buy things from Amazon…
Clive Catton MSc (Cyber Security) – by-line and other articles
Further Reading
Tor relays the Tor Browser and the loss of privacy – Smart Thinking Solutions
Now we are going out again – do not forget your VPN – Smart Thinking Solutions
Image Credit:
Tor Project | Anonymity Online
