Why are people (maybe even yourself) so afraid of apps stealing our data?

Is it because of the threat of authoritarian governments?

Well, the good news is, unless you live in an authoritarian regime already you won’t have anything to worry about. On top of that, app companies aren’t required to hand over their data to governments (yet).

Is it because you’re afraid the apps are spying on you?

Well, most of the data that’s collected is analyzed in meta (aggregate) form, with algorithms being the ones to study data at a more granular level. Think about it logically, which individual is going to go through a single person’s entire data set (unless extremely necessary) just for the hell of it? The resources for such an undertaking would be massive! Now, multiply that by the number of people actively using these “data-stealing” apps. Do you think they have the resources to check on every single person? Highly unlikely.

Is it because you crave “autonomy” that much?

Well, unless you go completely off-grid and befriend people who are also off-grid, you’ll still be living in the grid of data mining. Technology is so advanced nowadays that even if you don’t use data-stealing apps, simply being connected to someone who does will put you in the zone of having your data mined. They may not be able to get all of you data, but they will surely get some of it. So, unless you and your entire cohort disengage from technology completely, you’re a bit SOL.

At the end of the day, the real reason why a company will take your data is to sell that data to advertisers who are looking to sell products. In 99.9% of the cases, that’s the reason why data mining is being used. Granted, taking this data to assist in marketing campaigns and target more effectively does hold the potential risk of affecting what we believe*, but at the end of the day it’s still really up to us as individuals to make the final purchasing decision or not. We just don’t like carrying the burden of being masters of our own domain; that’s why we push all of the onus onto big-data organizations.

The real thing about “privacy” is that it can only be given if the app or device has another way of making money. Apps require servers, servers require money, money can only be generated in one of three ways: subscription services (you pay), data mining (advertisers pay), or altruistic giving (this is the most unlikely scenario, so I won’t even get into it…).

With apps like Signal touting extreme privacy compared to other apps like Facebook or WhatsApp, one can only wonder how Signal will inevitably make money when the gimmick of being completely-private drives hordes of customers to their service and ultimately requires them to purchase more server-space in order to host all of the new members.

Will they turn to a subscription-based model or, just like Facebook had to after a while, begin data-mining in order to sell that to advertisers for money? It’s a vicious cycle, continually asking “who’s going to front the bill for this?”

Before Facebook became the advertising-juggernaut and privacy-destroyer it is today, it was once a completely free platform—with no viable way of making money. That means Mark Zuckerberg wasn’t getting paid, his team wasn’t getting paid, and the limited server space he paid for had an inevitable cap which limited the number of users able to be on the platform. Ultimately, problems will arise when a company gets too big and needs to find a way to consistently fund its endeavours. That’s just business.

Apple, on the other hand, (known for its extreme-privacy practices) sells tangible products to make money. These tangible products have to be bought by individual users. Individual users purchasing their products affords them the ability to offer extreme-privacy as a result since they don’t give anything away for free.

So, do you like free? Accept that your data will be mined and monetized for advertisers and the platform to make money.
Do you like privacy? Then get ready to pay a premium for a more protected service in the long run.

-the choice is up to your wallet.