Sometimes it feels like the concept of privacy has disappeared from the world. Advertisers apparently seem to know everything about you, delivering ads that are so accurate that you think your phone microphone is on and marketers are actively listening to your every mutter.
They haven't yet. But they're engaging in what's called "data mining," which is the process of collecting large amounts of anonymous data from each of your associated activities and then analyzing that data to infiltrate your life with ads and other influences. It’s not just American businesses—criminals can mine your data to blackmail you.
If this bothers you (and it should), there are things you can do to minimize data mining in your life. Unless you plan to live with zero internet connectivity, you can't completely get away from it, but you can reduce your exposure. After all, it's your data, you don't get compensated for it, and it's creepy that some anonymous marketing team knows you really like role-playing games and craft beer.
Read these EULAs
One of the biggest vectors for mining data is your smartphone, especially the apps you install on it. Each time you install an application, you agree to its terms - the End User License Agreement (EULA) and other requirements.
The first line of defense against data mining is taking the time to review these EULAs. You can't negotiate, but if you find yourself being asked for blanket permission to send data back to the mothership, you can at least look for alternatives. Key warning signs that the app is simply a data mining container is granting it permission to monitor your internet activity, explicitly collect personal information, or use your computer or device for its own purposes. If you see anything that gives you pause, think twice before agreeing.
Check settings
When you install an app on your device, you may click through a series of permissions that give the app access to everything it needs to collect data about you. This is a data mining gold mine.
For example, an investigation a few years ago found that approximately 5,400 apps stole data from just one person's smartphone, totaling 1.5 GB of data. Back in 2017, an app maker called Alphonso was caught tracking what people were watching on their TVs by activating the microphones on their smartphones.
If an app requires a lot of unnecessary permissions (does the game really need access to your microphone, location, and camera?), you should assume it's more of a data mining app. Your next line of defense: Stop installing junk-free apps and spend that dollar. Every app wants to make money from you, and if you don't pay upfront, you'll pay in other ways, most likely by deleting your data.
Becoming socially bored
Social media is clearly a dumpster fire when it comes to privacy. You're essentially posting a photo of yourself in the store with the hashtag #LiveToShop, so you shouldn't be surprised when ads for that store start popping up in your life.
If you're concerned about data mining, there are some simple steps you can take to reduce data miners' access to your social media:
Set your profile to private. If your main goal on social media is to connect with friends or colleagues, limit the reach of your posts to only those people.
Be a snob. Don’t accept every contact request you receive—if you don’t know the person, you don’t need to include them in your inner circle.
careful. Don’t spread your travel plans, spending habits, or product reviews out into the universe.
Using social media can compromise your privacy, but if you keep an eye out for what data miners want, you can at least refuse to make it easy.
Sign out
When you're logged into a platform like Google or Facebook, the platform can easily track what you're doing. This ability remains available as long as you are logged in and even if you leave the site. These companies are actually data mining companies and they have perfected the art of tracking you.
It's a pain in the ass, but logging out of these services when you're not actively using them (and clearing cookies and browsing history regularly) can slow down data cleanup. This is inconvenient by design, but it has a real impact on how much information can be mined from your online activity.
Avoid memes
Data mining isn't just about advertisers selling you stuff. Scammers can also use it to obtain personal information to blindly rob you, steal your identity, or steal your identity and then blindly rob you.
One easy way they do this is by waiting for you to respond to a phishing meme. These memes look like innocent and fun quizzes where you provide some seemingly innocuous personal information and receive giggles in response. Common examples include posting your "porn name" (a combination of answers to common security questions, such as your middle name or the model of your first car or something similar) or using the last digits of your phone number to perform some Math magic.
Fortunately, there's an easy way to avoid data mining via phishing memes: Ignore the memes. No matter what, your life will actually get better gradually.
Technical solutions
One of the most effective ways to reduce exposure to data mining requires a little more effort. Various privacy tools exist that can actually stop the flow of data into irreversible marketing black holes:
VPN. Virtual private networks are useful for privacy because they mask your location and IP address, making it harder for data miners to sort through the data they obtain. Since your data appears to come from a wide range of random locations, it's impossible to build a coherent profile of your preferences and habits. Installing a VPN on your computer, phone, and devices will go a long way toward cutting off the flow of private information.
Thor. The Tor Browser routes your web surfing traffic through many encrypted nodes, making it essentially impossible to track your travels around the internet. If you really want to be invisible, you can combine Tor with a VPN and you'll be virtually invisible. If you're not ready to use Tor as your daily browser, use a privacy-focused browser like DuckDuckGo or Brave, or at least adjust the privacy settings in your browser to make it as secure as possible.
Ad blocker. Almost every website you visit tracks your activity and collects data about you. While using a private browser is an effective way to curb this, ad-blocking plugins can go the extra mile by completely denying intrusive access to your browsing experience.
