What do fitness trackers, cars, televisions and children’s toys all have in common? When equipped with miniature computers, each can collect incredibly private data about you and your loved ones.
In fact, experts from tech companies, watch dog organizations and universities agree that these devices also open up more avenues for companies, hackers and governments to violate your privacy.
Yes, it’s easy to get worried about the future being discussed on the 10th floor of Twitter headquarters in downtown San Francisco, where Data Privacy Day was being held Thursday by the National Cybersecurity Alliance. But the 150 people who gathered for this event were largely optimistic about how our data will be stored and used in the future. As they discussed issues ranging from hackable car s to privacy under the administration of President Donald Trump, they agreed technology doesn’t have to be this way.
It’s been a scary few years for anyone who’s thinking about privacy and data. There’ve been massive hacks leading to the theft of millions of people’s data. We’ve learned the NSA stores and analyzes all sorts of information about us as well. And sophisticated ad technology has led to the creepy feeling you get when, for example, the baby monitor you were shopping for online suddenly shows up in your Facebook feed.
Additionally, the event itself took place at the headquarters of Twitter. The company didn’t directly participate in the event other than as a sponsor, donating the event space. But listening to experts discuss privacy in the meeting room of a company whose platform is used to harass and violate the privacy of celebrities, activists and women from nearly all walks of life seemed a bit incongruent.
The privacy implications of social media weren’t a major topic at the event, during which organizers encouraged participants to tweet.
