January 28th marks Data Privacy Day, an occasion we celebrate to underscore the importance of online data privacy. Annually, in the week surrounding this day, we reevaluate our strategies to protect data privacy for the year ahead. However, this year, the importance of data privacy is at an all-time high. Here’s why.
The Significant Threat Posed by AI in Data Collection
Beginning in 2023, AI’s role in data collection has become increasingly prominent. Statistics indicate that 77% of people now use AI-powered services or devices. With each interaction, user data is collected and stored on an AI ‘brain’ for continuous learning.This accumulation of data in central servers significantly increases the risk to data privacy, a concern that has already materialized: “Over 100,000 OpenAI ChatGPT account credentials were compromised and sold on dark web marketplaces from June 2022 to May 2023.”
The progress in AI improvement hasn’t stopped, which means the risk to data privacy is getting worse. The more efficient AI becomes, the more data it collects and absorbs.
Big Tech Surveillance Boosted by New Law in Name of Online Safety
In 2023, a slew of online censorship laws came into force, compelling tech giants to ramp up data collection across their centralized services, including social media, messaging service, search engine, and AI chatbot, among others.
While the government’s intent to regulate online activities for safety is understandable, these laws have, in effect, granted big tech firms a more intrusive role in user data exploitation, resulting in a troubling expansion of corporate surveillance capabilities and leading to potential privacy violations in several areas.
Enhanced Surveillance and Monitoring: The increased obligations for content monitoring could lead to more invasive surveillance of user activities and communications.
Expanded Data Collection: Tech companies might collect more data than before without consent, which can intrude on personal privacy.
Access to User Data: These laws could compel platforms to share user data with government agencies, raising concerns about state surveillance and the potential misuse of personal information.
Data Retention Policies: Compliance might necessitate longer or more extensive data retention, increasing the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access to personal information.
As more tech giants’ centralized services engage in data collection and censorship, boosted by laws in the name of online safety, humanity’s data privacy is increasingly being squeezed dry. So, we must take proactive steps to protect our data privacy!
A Guide to Safeguarding Your Data Privacy.
Ditch Centralized Applications and Switch to Decentralized Ones.
Unlike centralized applications, decentralized applications run on a peer-to-peer network and lack a central authority, which make them inherently resistant to privacy-related issues.
WireMin Safeguards Your Data Privacy and Freedom of Speech.
A good example is WireMin, a decentralized social network that operates on a peer-to-peer network, while also offering an end-to-end encrypted messaging service. It continuously improves while adhering to its core value: Empowers Everyone to Own Complete Privacy and Freedom.
WireMin’s privacy-centric components:
- No Central Server to Collect Data
- Anonymous Identity
- End-to-end Encrypted Messaging (DMs, Voice Call, Video Call, etc.)
- Search & Add Contact through Cryptography ID
- Disappearing Messages Feature
- Anonymous ChatGPT Space
Features to enhance users’ freedom and ownership in the WireMin Social Network:
- Chat Space: Create or join Chats Spaces with unlimited members.
- Feed Space: Create or follow Feed Spaces to express freely, anonymously.
- Social Preference: Gives users the flexibility to switch the app between a private messenger and a social platform.
It’s important to note that WireMin inherently resists censorship and manipulation due to its peer-to-peer decentralized structure.
Other decentralized communication tools to avoid your messages getting monitored.
- Session – an end-to-end encrypted messenger, routing all messages through an onion routing network.
- SimpleX Chat – a private and encrypted messenger without any user IDs
- Keet – a peer-to-peer chat tool that only shares end-to-end encrypted data.
Comparative Features Overview:
Along with the earlier tips, it’s essential to stay alert in our daily internet use. Be Cautious with Public Wi-Fi, which may read your data and introduce viruses to your devices. Do not overshare personal details like your phone number – it’s best to keep this information just for close family and friends.
Online data privacy is a basic human right, fundamental to our digital autonomy, and it’s something we should tirelessly defend. Decentralized tools are the most practical and accessible weapon we can hold on to, starting today; we actively participate in safeguarding our data privacy rights, setting a new standard for how our online information should be treated!
