Privacy isn't dead — tech companies have simply made it inconvenient to protect
By
Sandra Matz
A five-star bake. Worth schmearing, sharing, saving.
Summary
The article argues that privacy isn't dead but has been made inconvenient by tech companies. It traces the evolution from Scott McNealy's 1999 declaration that "you have zero privacy" to today's reality where algorithms connect digital breadcrumbs like search histories, social media posts, and GPS data to create detailed profiles. The piece challenges the notion that privacy is obsolete, suggesting instead that companies have designed systems that make protecting privacy difficult, and questions whether the value received from data sharing is worth the trade-off.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledYou have zero privacy … Get over it.
Computer algorithms – step-by-step instructions – can connect the digital breadcrumbs of your existence, including Google searches, browsing histories, social media posts, credit card records and GPS locations to paint an astonishingly accurate picture of your preferences, routines and inner mental life.
Is sharing your data worth what you're getting out of it? That may be the wrong question to ask when you are thinking about whether to share.
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