With the boom of the digital age, surveillance devices are becoming increasingly popular. The Apple AirTag, is one of the biggest products on the market, with a 3.88 billion dollar market size. People utilize these for their keys, their animals collars, and more. But what happens if you utilize AirTags in the wrong way? Considering how easy it is for someone to slip one into your bag, pocket, or jacket could lead to many surveillance issuesl
The Apple AirTag was one of those purchases where my own mother was on the fence. Should she spend $100 just to buy 4 chips that track your every move and connect to your phone? It was a big decision, but changed the course of our lives in a way.
One morning, I woke up to a call from my parents, telling me that our car was stolen from our own driveway. We never thought that we would ever be victims of this kind of robbery, living in a quiet small town next door to an elementary school. We filed our police report just to remember that we had stuck AirTags onto our wallets, and my younger sister just so happened to leave hers in the car overnight. The AirTag led us to where our stolen car was located just a day later, and we helped find multiple other missing ones.
To have our car back was amazing, but to know that this tiny device held the knowledge of our exact locations at all times stuck in our heads after the encounter.
TIPS:
In our world, almost everything is monitored. If you choose to work along with it, it can lead to some pretty helpful things. It is hard to trust technology, but listed below are some digital surveillance tools that can be extremely beneficial.
- Ring Doorbell - Ring is a doorbell with a camera that connects to your phone to "provide an extra layer of security at your home's front door, offering peace of mind and an enhanced doorbell experience."
- LifeAlert - LifeAlert products holds the information of the user, and "saves lives from catastrophic outcomes through their superior monitoring equipment."
- Smart Home Security Systems - For example, "ADT will strategically place sensors throughout your home, so every area is covered in a respective zone. The motion then triggers a reaction, like a security light or a camera that starts recording – all via your wireless connection. The ADT monitoring team can also receive notification of the movement."
- Bark - Bark is an app that can "monitor your child's texts, email, YouTube, and 30+ apps and social media platforms for issues like cyberbullying, adult content, sexual predators, profanity, suicidal ideation, threats of violence, and more."
- Fitbit - "A Fitbit is a fitness and activity tracker worn on your wrist and used to help you keep track of your everyday lifestyle." A FitBit can withhold your personal medical data to make more accurate predictions
Always do your research before buying products that may infringe on your personal information. These products are subjective, and the risks may outweigh the cons for you and a specific product.
HOW CAN WE IMPROVE SECURITY WITHOUT INFRINGING ON PRIVACY?
"Surveillance capitalism describes a market driven process where the commodity for sale is your personal data, and the capture and production of this data relies on mass surveillance of the internet."
Digital surveillance is a persuasive tactic utilized by corporations to monopolize practices that treat their users personal data as a cash cow. These companies are eager to start selling your information for an extra chunk of profit. An article titled "At the Frontiers of Surveillance Capitalism" states, "Today, companies of all kinds are trying to get into the game. Samsung’s smart TV records private conversations in living rooms across the country; the latest Roomba vacuum maps its users’ floor plans."
Companies that take this sort of personal information need to have measures in place that allow users to choose when and where to share them. Next time someone's Apple Watch sends information to their data base, why don't they just have a button to choose to share location, health statistics and more to specific people, such as family, friends and authorities? The approach where the user does not have to fear surveillance is beneficial to not only the customer, but also the trust that they will build with that company.
sources:
- At the Frontiers of Surveillance Capitalism by Katie Fitzpatrick
- How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism by Cory Doctorow | OneZero
- https://www.intellectualmarketinsights.com/report/airtag-market-research-report-and-current-trends/imi-005954#:~:text=The%20AirTag%20market%20size%20was%20valued%20at%20USD%203.88%20billion,25.32%25%20from%202023%20to%202031.
- https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-surveillance-capitalism-and-how-does-it-shape-our-economy-119158
- https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/wearables/what-is-a-fitbit/1/
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bark-parental-controls/id1477619146
- www.adt.com/resources/how-wireless-security-systems-work#:~:text=ADT%20will%20strategically%20place%20sensors,receive%20notification%20of%20the%20movement.
- https://www.lifealert.com/about.aspx#:~:text=Life%20Alert%20is%20a%20Personal%20Emergency%20Response%20Service%20that%20saves,lifesaving%20services%20are%20available%20nationwide.
- https://ring.com/products/battery-doorbell
Credits:
Created with images by • Photocreo Bednarek - Rear detail shot of modern black premium car • Kittiphat - Futuristic digital matrix particles grid virtual reality abstract cyber space environment background • Tomasz Zajda - Robber Stealing From a Car • Pixel-Shot - Security guard monitoring modern CCTV cameras in surveillance room