Cookies? Yes, please.

“Does data privacy matter?”?

Yes.?

“Are companies and websites on the look out to collect data points on me as a consumer?”?

Yes.?

“Is it fully within my right to reject cookies and deny companies the permission to collect data on my online behavior?”?

Yes.?

“Should I?”?

No.?

“Can you spell out hypocrisy for me?”?

Touché, but no.?

There’s a very good reason – a number of reasons to be frank - why you can be vigilant about your privacy and still allow companies to collect your data; the two are not mutually exclusive, and I’ll show you how.?

The free flow of digitized information is not a foul fruit of consumerism; it is a catalyst for the free market to evolve faster and provide personalized experiences more efficiently.?

How did we get here? A Historical Prelude:?

By taking a contemporary look at the topic, data privacy activism exploded in the past few years after multiple stories emerged, most of which were deeply rooted in conspiracy theories. Stories of the deep state and the NSA spying on people’s private conversations, Siri and Alexa recording your every word, and the crown jewel of these were Netflix’s documentaries “The Social Dilemma” and “The Great Hack”. The latter took a more political twist on the topic, and showed how Facebook’s misuse of user data was the determining factor in the choice for the next US president back in 2016. The virality of the topic and the fear it spread among the masses opened the doors for events that succeeded it: The testimony of Meta’s CEO in front of congress in a special senate hearing, Apple capitalizing on the momentum and introducing the “permission to track” feature for every app, and the Cook-Zuckerberg beef that followed. All the fearmongering, the illusion of always being watched, and the hundreds of VPN-services that flooded the market offering online security, has led us to where we are today: a world where people and consumers are terrified of the idea of corporations knowing anything about them, aka. a marketing nightmare.?

What’s being collected, really??

Before we jump onto why sharing data isn’t such a bad thing, debunking a related myth is long overdue. Unless someone has installed some really expensive spyware on your device, such as the infamous Pegasus software, there is no way for companies and advertisers to read your conversations, listen to your phone calls, access your passwords, or watch you through your camera. Your operating software systems (iOS, Android OS, etc.) pass through rigorous safety and security checkups before they are rolled out, and there is absolutely no proof of your operating system’s company tracking your private data in an unethical manner; if they did, you would have heard about it everywhere. Aggregators and advertisers have a very limited number of things they can collect and assign to you, which include interests, online behavior, and most importantly, location. Google even gives you the option to view what tags they have assigned to you based on their examination of your online behavior. You can check it out under your Google account, and trust me, it’s nothing scoop-worthy that can make the headlines. It’s mostly interests along the lines of “extreme sports”, “tech gadgets”, etc. There are also already laws in place to ensure your data privacy and that your personal information is handled ethically such as the GDPR in the EU and the CCPA in USA.?

But they are listening, I’ve seen it with my own eyes!?

We’ve all stared at our phone in awe at one point after seeing an ad for a certain product or brand right after we had mentioned it to a friend in a private setting. This is a concept that was popularized through internet culture which supposedly entails the strongest proof of advertisers listening to our conversations. There’s actually a good reason why this happens: algorithms are getting smarter. Algorithms have gotten very good at forecasting what products you have been exposed to lately, and when to serve you ads about these products. These forecasts are mostly fueled by your interests and location. For example, let’s say you’re a big time Star Wars fan, and advertisers know that because of your online behavior, and you visit a friend who happens to have ordered a large Star Wars poster a few days back. Advertisers’ algorithms now expect, based on your location and interests and your friend’s online behavior, that a very geeky conversation will take place once you set eyes on the poster. In return, they will serve you an ad later that night for the same poster. Bottomline, it’s completely based on forecasted events based on non-invasive data collection.?

We Love the Free Market, don’t we??

Even if we complain about consumerism sometimes, we know we love reaping its benefits. The free economy allows us to indulge in products and brands tailored to give us the exact experiences we want and asks for very little in return: to accept and embrace the free flow of information. Until this day, we have never objected to being watched in physical stores by sales assistants and having them offer similar products based on our taste. We know it’s part of their job, logically, to serve us what we want for economic gain. It’s how the entire science of visual merchandising came to life.?

The online marketplace is not far too different from so; websites and apps want to understand how to better serve you by examining your behavior – after all, you did quite literally walk into their e-shop, right? There are some really powerful tools out there, the likes of Contentsquare primarily, that can provide websites with information on exactly how you are interacting with their pages and where your frustration points occur in order to give you a completely seamless experience. You just have to open up your heart and click the “accept” button. One important thing to keep in mind is that declining to share data doesn’t mean you will stop seeing ads; you will still get them, except now you’ll see ads you will hate because they’re being randomly assigned to you.??

It is understandable to feel like you’re getting the short end of the stick when agreeing to share your data, which is why Gener8 came into existence. Gener8 is a UK-based startup that allows you to earn redeemable vouchers in return for sharing your data with advertisers. It’s a fair trade and it’s the beauty of the free market.?

So should I always blindly accept cookies??

Hold your horses. While cookies don’t contain overly sensitive information such as passwords or credit card information, you still shouldn’t be trading them in a back alley. If you’re on a website that seems sketchy or not secured (http instead of https), or if your antivirus software alerts you of potential risks on the website, it’s better not to share your cookies with them. In fact, it’s even better to leave the website entirely. Cybercriminals lurk around unsecured websites attempting to collect any information or data of unaware visitors for all sorts of illegal purposes.?

Why am I writing this? Why do I care??

It’s my job to care. I get paid for it.??

As experience design specialists at an agency serving hundreds of businesses and touching millions of online users every day, it feels like a knife in the heart every time a user declines cookies and consequently becomes completely invisible to us.??

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