As the world becomes increasingly digital, ways of making fiscal profit have followed the trend. While everyone is familiar with NFTs, and their tacky designs, monstrous amounts of personal data are far more valuable. An article published by The Economist dives into the role data-collection plays in our modern society — claiming modern data is more valuable than oil — which sparked a buzz of conversation across the Nation. Excessive collection of data has always been a concern, and as our machines continue to expand, so will the data they collect.
Social media apps like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and more collect a plethora of your personal data. This is because social media apps are “free,” and users exchange their attention, time, and information instead of money. For example, posting a video to any platform will tell the app what was said in the video, where it was filmed, when it was taken, and whoever you tagged — or were in close proximity too. If anyone believes they are safe from this phenomena, think again.
Just the iPhone alone is programmed to collect a superfluous amount of data. On iPhone iOS 1.16, users can find this data in Settings > Health > Data Access & Devices > [Your Device Name]. From there, users can look at the data being collected on them in a variety of different lists. What’s disturbing about this data collection is it usually goes all the way back to the iPhone’s original purchase date. Pages and pages of data about: Walking Speed, Headphone Audio Levels, and even Walking Asymmetry are all collected. The technology doesn’t need a Fit-bit, Apple Watch, or camera to see you — that’s just how the iPhone operates. It’s no surprise that many companies are even running out of space for the data they collect. In fact, many big companies like GE have started selling themselves as data firmware's. The modern world operates on enormous amounts of data, and it all has to be harvested somewhere.
There is also an increasing demand by governments to collect more data on its citizens, which effects the companies that are obligated to hand that data over. This trend can even be seen in the recent TikTok ban controversy, where the current bill (The Restrict Act) also gives the United States rights to ban other communication-based apps in the future. As our mountain of data increases, our society will have to find a place to put it.