Privacy, whether online or offline, has been one of the most serious topics because, for the most part, no one wants their private life and moments to be public. We use ad blockers and anti-viruses to prevent our data from being leaked online, just like we live in a house, to prevent the public from watching what we are doing inside. The scenario is the same. But, what if I tell you that Data Privacy is Dead and You’re the One Who Killed it? 

Yes, you heard it right; we are the ones who gave access to our personal lives and breached our own data with every click. Seems triggering, na? Yes, it is. We are the ones who gave access to our personal lives, moments, and authority to be surveilled 24/7 by ourselves. No, it’s not the dream, it’s the truth. We are the ones who allow the public to watch us and note our every moment and everything. 

In this Blog, I will mention how it’s easy to blame the Government and Institutions for data breaches, but it’s hard to digest that we invited them to steal and breach our privacy. 

How are we the reason behind our Data Privacy? 

As I said, it’s too easy, just a second it takes to blame the corporations, institutions, governments as the cyber thieves, the hackers, and the reason behind our Data Privacy leaks, but reality is much different. From Instagram to Facebook algorithms, Google Search, and Advertising preferences recommend ads relevant to your wishlist and desires. Amazed by that, but to be frank, we have allowed them to access every personal and private detail by ourselves. 

No, that’s not the dream, that’s the bitter truth. These recommendations support our imagination and desires because they know our wishlist. From accepting cookies of any type without thinking a bit to downloading an application for better online makeup to logging into free WiFis to singing in at any device, you are the one who attracts cyber attacks and data privacy leaks by your wrong actions. 

How do we invite data Privacy leaks as surveillance as a Culture, not as the Technology? 

The most significant step we took against ourselves was allowing surveillance, which invites data privacy leaks. Yes, we are the ones who accept surveillance as a culture rather than just a technology because stopping technology is easy; stopping a culture is next to impossible. We ourselves are the reason for these Data Privacy Leaks. Want to see how?

• Sharing locations of colleges and schools on social media in proud and achievement terms, sharing our and our family’s personal details like birthdays and anniversaries on social media, uploading daily routines, etc. 
• Post what our vacation routines will be about, our wishlists, what we eat at a restaurant, our point of view on Social Media debates, etc. 
• Initiating fingerprint scanners and face recognition to unlock our smart devices. 

These were all the invitations to Data Privacy leaks we gave to celebrate surveillance as a culture, not a Technology. We didn’t limit this to ourselves; we also involved family and friends.

Why did we opt for convenience over Data Privacy? 

We are at that level of convenience when we use hacks instead of doing anything; we even use smart devices to switch on the fan, which we can start with a button. That is the level of laziness we have all shifted into. Instead of working hard, we opted for solutions that make our work done within seconds, highlighting those points we use daily but have not been given access to for our 24/7 accessibility. 

• The big billion sale on Amazon and Flipkart is coming soon. We will get ads about our favourite items because we have already added them to our wishlist and allowed them to view our history. 
• Want to visit somewhere? You enabled Google Maps Locations to trace your current location instead of using the traditional method of asking at paan-wala shops, grocery stores, and passersby. 
• Want to save photos? You opted for Cloud storage instead of keeping them on pendrives and hard disks.

After reading all this, who’s the main culprit behind Data Privacy Leaks? It’s us, yes, it’s us. While blindfolded for instant services, we shared our personal details with public servers. Companies and the government are still on the back foot because we gave them all the access. The only way to prevent this is by avoiding all the points that share your identity. 

If you want a dedicated blog on preventing Data Privacy Leaks by yourself, let me know in the comments, followed by your topic suggestions. 

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