AN OXFORD professor has claimed that we are allowing more and more of our personal data to be used – and are being spied on by DOORBELLS.
Professor Carissa Veliz has warned that our cars, TV’s, computers and phones are all tracking our data with our permission.
8
8
She has explained that the data collection starts from the moment that you wake up, letting smartphone manufacturers, app developers and your mobile phone company know where you are and who you’re with.
The professor at the Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Oxford believes that people are “unwittingly” giving away personal information every day.
Cars are able to log the locations you visit, the speed that the vehicle is driven at, the music played and even the weight of the driver on the seat.
Intimate medical data can even be donated by the NHS to commercial organisations without consent, she explains.
Writing for the Mail on Sunday she said: “If you wear a smart watch it will have recorded your every movement in bed – including, of course, any sexual activity. Share a picture or record your thoughts on Facebook, or type a search into Google, and that information is tracked and stored.
“Perhaps you’ve run out of sugar and you decide to ask your neighbour if she has some spare.
8
8
“Standing outside her door, you notice there’s a new smart doorbell, which records images of those who come near. It’s anybody’s guess where the footage is going to end up and what it will be used for.
“You turn on your smart TV. It is probably identifying everything you watch and sending the data to the manufacturer, third parties, or both.
“If you had time to read the privacy policies of the objects you buy, you would also have noticed that your TV picks up and records your spoken words and reserves the right to transmit them to other organisations.
“Intelligence agencies such as MI5 and the CIA can make your TV look as though it is off while they record you. Your digital assistant Alexa may be listening too.”
Genetic information is also up for grabs to anyone who’s willing to pay for it – if you’ve done a DNA testing kit for health reasons or to trace your ancestors it is available.
Companies such as Ancestry can analyse, sell and communicate your genetic information, which may affect your family further down the line.
8
8
Prof Veliz warns that grandchildren might be “denied opportunities” based on your genetic data, if it indicates “a susceptibility to life-limiting disease or a negative personality trait.”
She also explains that Governments know more about their citizens than ever before, with intelligence agencies holding more information on everyone.
Tech giants such as Facebook and Google have harvested more information than ever before during the coronavirus lockdowns.
Schools and companies have been using Zoom, Microsoft teams and Google Classroom to get through the last year.
She explains that Facebook can gather basic information about a visitor’s IP address, and location, and other websites that they have access to which also contain the site’s “like” buttons.
As well as this Prof Veliz explains that the real identities of sex workers can be linked to their clients, or breach medical confidentiality by linking togeter a psychiatrists patients.
8
8
She wrote: “These patients probably had the psychiatrist’s details in their phone’s contact book – and that alone was enough for Facebook’s algorithms to make the link.
“The site has suggested a harasser connect with his (previously anonymous) victim, a husband to his wife’s lover, and a victim to the man who broke into her car.
“Facebook has probably used facial recognition on your photos – without securing proper consent from you – to develop lucrative new technology.
“It has certainly filed patents that describe systems to recognise shoppers’ faces in stores and match them to their social networking profiles.
“These are just some of the latest disasters. Everything seems to indicate that Facebook’s violations of our right to privacy are not about to stop.
“It’s no wonder that a British parliamentary report has suggested that Facebook has behaved like a ‘digital gangster’ in the past few years.”
Google has also used data collected to create even more products to track data, such as Chrome, Maps, Pixel and Nest.
GAME ON
PS5 stock UK LIVE – Amazon to restock from Monday with bundles on sale until July 6
WIDE OPEN
Can your PC get FREE Windows 11 upgrade? How to find out if it’s good enough
MISSING FIGURES
Bones of LOST ‘ghost human’ species that lived 120,000 years ago found
GONE WITHOUT I-TRACE
How to erase your lost or stolen iPhone from ANYWHERE in seconds
MIND BENDER
Retro optical illusion BREAKS your brain into seeing ‘impossible movement’
I-COMING
Exact iPhone 13 release date ‘revealed’ – here’s when you can finally upgrade
She also raises concerns that when, later this year, patient information from GP practices is centralized in an NHS database it may get donated without your consent.
This would mean that a company could link your data to your Google account, or social media, and get rid of privacy.
To keep yourself safe online, Prof Veliz advises: “Never click on the ‘accept cookies’ button on a website, choose devices that don’t connect to the internet if you can, and use strong passwords.
“To those who question whether online privacy matters, I ask them for their password to their email account.
“The ground rules that we set now will determine the privacy landscape of the next few decades.
“It is critical that we get things right. We owe it to ourselves and to our children.”
Microsoft reveals Windows 11 with Android apps and Xbox Game Pass access
