IS YOUR DATA REALLY YOURS ?

dhruvtalksstech
May 22, 2022
4 min read

Updated: Feb 21, 2023

I have been forced to publish this after no significant enhancements in privacy policies which should in theory ensure the protection of my data. I have a Samsung Galaxy A50 which sold 24.2 million units in 2019 alone. I am deeply concerned and worried about my privacy and security which are blatantly disregarded and abused by Samsung itself and several other applications like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Amazon, Flipkart, CarInfo and almost every app on the Play Store alike. Despite several laws in place like Data Protection Bill 2019, Information Technology (Reasonable security practices and procedures and sensitive personal data or information) Rules 2011, Government has been irresponsive in catering to my privacy as a proud and constitutional citizen of India.

Tech giants have grown to the point where they feel invincible. No company in the world can even fathom the fact of leaving a huge and revenue-growing market like India, still, the disregard for legal code leaves me wondering if my data is really mine or Mr. Pichai's and Mr. Zuckerberg's. We are constantly living under the shadow and terror of being spied on and watched by. Facebook should change its policies and algorithms for the good rather than solidifying its monopoly by introducing metaverse.

The recent ruling by the Honorable Supreme Court of India ruled in the Pegasus row that privacy is a birthright and that is why the investigation will continue and try to reach a denouement. There are several applications on my phone such as Facebook, Radio, Tips, Bixby Routines, Bixby vision and several more which take up unnecessary space and can not be uninstalled. Also, after every software update, several apps like BYJU's and Snapchat are automatically installed on my phone without any formal consent. There are layers of user tracking and learning of our usage and spending habits which are being collected the moment I unlock my phone. The settings are ambiguous and take a lot of time and effort if you want to restrict tracking in some way.

YouTube offers personalized notification settings for individual channels but that personalization is not determined by criteria of what we allow but rather by what we stream and search for frequently. Apps can read what we type, they can even automatically change time zones and location without giving them permission to do so. Apps ask for permissions and do use user tracking that is not even wildly related to the services they offer. They do it solely for the purpose of stealing their users' data and then selling it to the highest bidding data broker. People give access to unrequired permission because of their naivety. All apps in the world do this which hurts the sentiment of the users. We are denied the freedom of turning off history altogether nor is there any option to automatically periodically delete it in Google Chrome, Safari and Microsoft Explorer.

Even a recent Wall Street Journal concluded that Facebook fuels riots, conflicts, malice, bad mouthing and inflammatory content which harms teens and citizens of the country. I am a proactive privacy checker who ensures everything is in place but there are less than 1 in 500 people who actually check privacy settings frequently. Even after denying Usage Data Access to all apps through my phone's setting, I am being tracked which is apparent from the fact that the moment I search the web about something and then open an advertising app like YouTube, I am targeted by ads showing the relevant services and products that I was just searching about. Even after denying location access to all apps they can know the country, region, state and even city and block I am in by tracking my IP address without my authorization. This can be proven by using a VPN. After selecting a different the search results and location in all apps changes instantly even if you have not given access to the location to any app.

The path to success, wealth and greatness should not become one paved with bribes, deception, corruption, cyber terrorism, disregard for laws and making a fool of the citizens who yield all the constitutional power in this 3.287 million square km subcontinent.

Instead of such levels of unethical tracking, they should instead give us control of our data and leave it to us to decide how and if we want to share every bit of our data. This should be done the moment we download an application and launch it for the first time. It is high time that we wake up from our slumber. There is a need for increased regulation on tech giants who have utter disrespect for the Indian soil, laws and constitution. I, as a citizen of the world's largest democracy demand better checks and balances. India is the greatest country in the world and companies need to know that they cannot deceive India or flee from the laws by using some kind of bait or threats. It is my absolute constitutional right to make the demand in order to ensure my privacy and dignity which was guaranteed to me by the Constitution of India the moment I took my first breath.