Very true. If you are using modern technology, you are already giving up a large amount of information. Your phone collects and uploads data, your modern car keeps track of speed, throttle, and brake states in a black box. What you watch on streaming services is collected and analyzed.
Your medical records, in spite of HIPAA, can be depersonalized and used for statistical and demographics analysis. Your use of a club card at a big box store or grocery store tracks your purchases.
I think strong privacy protections should be part of a future MAGA platform. Start educating people what they are giving up by using these technologies and at least let people give up their personal data with informed consent.
The EU recently established the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which puts more restrictions on what companies can do with personal data. Something like a digital bill of rights would probably be a winning issue here.
I am very pessimistic on this—I do not believe that any combinations of laws, rule, regulations, restrictions can put the toothpaste back in the tube.
Hackers, criminal organizations, and rogue government agencies (from countries all over the world) could still get access to the data.
Thieves and other bad actors within traditional organizations could still obtain the information and sell it on the black market.
Antifa/BLM types could still find a way to get the data.
One reason I am so cynical is I have a relative who can hack into _anything_. He laughs at all the claims of data security. Folks like my relative will always be ten steps ahead of the “official” claims of privacy if they choose to go there.
Hackers are highly motivated, super smart, and super nimble.
Large organizations are mired in bureaucracy and are slow to react to threats.
I don’t trust _anyone_ who claims to have produced a product that assures privacy—even if _they_ don’t know their statement is false.