One need not be a media expert to know that cyberspace is full of commentary from countless upset people who have run out of alphabet in the process of getting a lot off their chests while going out of their minds. To say that He/Him/Her/It/They/Them/Their/Who Shall Not Be Named has inflamed the national discourse is an understatement.
Rest assured your correspondent has no intent to fan the flames of political division. Indeed, doing so can create personal hazards for fanners and fannies alike, which is why this column has always been guided by that timeless caution of every loving parent: “You Watch Your Damned Mouth!”
But our parents are not the Real Danger. No, the Real Danger is . . . well . . . ah . . . could you . . . Is your door locked? Curtains drawn? OK. Thanks.
The real danger is All Around Us.
Yes . . . Devices. In every pocket and on every desk, utility pole, in airports, shops and supermarkets. “They” – and people behind “Them” – know where we are, what we look like and what we’re doing, 24/7/365.
Don’t believe it? Go ahead – activate (i.e., ‘turn on’) that cellphone, laptop or etc. Electronic digits silently fly into space, to other ‘devices’ around the world and in The Cloud, telling Them exactly what you’re up to. Cover your camera lens, just in case. Yes – camera lenses – in that cellphone and computer.
On-line shopping ‘from the privacy of your home?’ Hah. Amazon reads, and remembers. When talking to Siri or Alexa, are you sure they’re the only one’s listening? Or is your “conversation” and “data” being sent to people — or robots?? — in Xianjian, Moscow or . . . Sonoma?
Online enterprises of every ilk invite you to “take our brief survey” to “get your input to analyze and improve our service.” They wouldn’t do anything else with that “input,” would they? Share – for a price ? – whatever they learn?
Heck, no. You’ve read that fine-print, 6,000-word Terms of Service Agreement, right? They only “use your information to enhance our ability to serve you.”
Sure. On a platter.
Yes, there are upsides to all the technology. E.g., remember when police worked for months to identify suspects in the latest shooting, etc? No more. Shoot a CEO in the back and before he hits the ground – cops will have photos of you from several camera angles, plus your step-count as you flee the scene.
Sadly, it’s impossible to shop online without inputting name/credit card/phone/address data which your device silently beeps to be stored “somewhere,” awaiting inquiries from techie hackers/thieves/assassins in any country with electricity. Shopping in person? The Payment Device (no more ‘cash registers’) records our purchase, how we paid, and sends it . . . somewhere. To someone in accounting? Sure. “Accounting.”
Yes, “They” share us constantly. Still not convinced? Then why – minutes after buying that “French Language Made Easy” book from Amazon – is your junkmail awash in ads for champagne and warm greetings from Emanuel Macron?
To help protect our data, periodic MASSIVE DATA BREACH ALERTS warn us that “your personal data may have been compromised.” Translation: “They gonna steal you blind because we got hacked, so run down the Time Tunnel to Hell and change the bajillion passwords you’ve created since the beginning of the Technology Revolution.”
Which can get even more revolting after we “upgrade to the latest operating sytem!” Hah.
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