avoiding check-ins, thinking twice about what they share (and with whom) and paying extra attention to data privacy – the latter being one of today’s biggest issues, according to Mie. “Data collection issues are underpinning the whole ecosystem,” she says. “Every time we’re online today, our data is being collected.” A GOVERNMENT WEAPON Take, for instance, the Black Lives Matter protests of summer 2020. Thousands took to the streets – and their feeds – to fight racial injustice and police corruption. In cities like Portland and Oregon, a pattern emerged: people were being arrested, upon arrival, on baseless charges. It was later revealed that the US government had spied on ‘people who posed no threat to homeland security.’ Information was drawn from ‘publicly available social media’ and names of ‘social media associates.’ The key phrase to note is ‘publicly available.’ Users have the option to go ‘private’ on platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) now
ocial media dominates our attentions, with many people spending hours online each day. It’s been compared to the Wild West – a largely unregulated place where (almost) anything goes.
And the market is constantly evolving, with new platforms – like TikTok – spawning and old ones – like Twitter – changing administrative hands. In such a dynamic, untamed space, how can companies and policymakers protect users? And should those bodies fail, how can users protect themselves? Social media is a means of connecting with like-minded people without necessarily knowing their names – liberating for some, dangerous for others. “A
offers a ‘privacy checkup,’ educating individuals on how to manage their data. Besides platforms’ built-in settings, VPNs, browser extensions and two-factor authentication are useful for protecting digital privacy. While privacy is good, Mie says, “the encrypted digital environment as a radical answer to surveillance
double-edged sword”, says Mie Oehlenschläger, co- founder of Tech & Childhood and a media safety expert for Denmark’s National Council on Ethics. “We still have this belief from the mid-nineties that if no one knows who you are, you can be anyone. And that’s in a way a very tempting thought.” Catfishing, or assuming a fake identity,
is one way to ‘be anyone.’ It’s a tactic often used to target unsuspecting individuals by pressuring them to disclose personal information or build a fictitious relationship. Luckily, users can take steps to avoid being catfished, like disabling geolocation and
DATA COLLECTION ISSUES UNDERPIN THE WHOLE ECOSYSTEM
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