Why sudden hype in Data Security?

Why is there a sudden hype in 'Data Security’?

Is it because of the glamour of adjectives surrounded by it, especially since GDPR was introduced around mid-2018?

OR because of the accusations on a search engine meddling with 2016 election results?

OR may be somebody thought if cookies are meant to track everything you do and not just for eating, and then perhaps do some malice?

The truth is 'Data Sharing' had been there since ages. Day-in Day-out we share so much of data with each other, strangers.

Consider for example, you take your dog out for walk every day. For over a year somebody who walks their dog in the same part notices you all the time, but nobody else with the same dog. It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to deduct possible number of your family members, your working time, habits, etc.

We never realise how much we are sharing by just getting out of our house. Being social animal like we are, we are talking-walking-breathing data all the time. Like now, you are reading how I think about data!

Anyways, my first enlightenment about data sharing came from reading a book back in 2013 - The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

Off course it doesn't talks about data at length, but it has a chapter about a person (can’t remember his name, let's call him a Data Analyst in today's terms ), who was hired by a supermarket, and he came up with the idea of loyalty points/vouchers based on Customers shopping bills. With almost negligible tools at disposal and just a Desktop computer, our Analyst was able to launch a customer centric and focussed campaign. The campaign was to recommend and send vouchers for the product the customers are likely to use more based on their previous shopping. Things were running well, until an upset family complained the store about why there is a sudden recommendation of maternity products to their place. The family was of 3, with the wife claiming not being pregnant, and the daughter who has just turned 13.

Soon the store manager went to our Analyst with the complaint, and he checked why the products were getting recommended. It didn't take him long to realise why. And when he explained the family and the owner, they were shocked and angry. Ultimately it was found that it was the daughter who was pregnant.

Now, how did the analyst arrived at this conclusion, I won't explain that, and you must read the book.

There are many a more real life examples,

1. Consider your Barber to whom you have been visiting in last 2-3 years regularly, you don't have to explain him which haircut you prefer, unless you change your mind all the time. Even in that case, he will make sure he asks you the polite question.

2. Your local grocery shop owner, who knows what kind of bread, biscuits, jam your family prefers.

3. Your local Coffee shop or a Bar, all you have to say is - 'My regular one please...'

4. If you are in India and have been raised there, then the local Pan Shop. This is my favourite, as all you need to do is "Whistle" from a distance, and when the shop owner whistles back, your dessert is ready to pick-up!

What happens if our Barber changes every time, or Grocery shop owner keeps forgetting what brand of bread/biscuit butter we eat, and the list goes on and on.

Did you notice a pattern above? Except for the example from the book, all the examples are from real life, and nothing from our Virtual life behind the screens! Nobody cared about GDPR or Elections or Cookies etc. etc. It's all under one big word called - CONVENIENCE!

When we want a CONVENIENT life, we must share some data with someone if not with everyone, and this is where everything boils down to.

All is well, until you are aware of WITH WHOM you are sharing WHAT?

Now what happens, if all the real people above, gang-up and share notes with each other!?

And if all the above data is stored/shared online then?

When it comes down to sharing data online, all you have do is replace the human beings in the above examples with machines/algos/organizations/web-search engines, and just imagine the answers to below questions -

'WHO KNOWS YOU OR YOUR FAMILY?'

'WHAT DO THEY KNOW? WHAT WEBSITES YOU SEARCHED IN INCOGNITO MODE? CAN THEY SEE THAT?'

‘CAN THEY BE HARMFUL?'

All the answers above, will simply give you sufficient reasons to why Data Security is of prime importance. And it needs to start with YOU, and you shouldn’t rely on everything that’s online. The person on the other side of screen, you may never catch them like the family got hold of our geeky Analyst in our superstore example!

Next time when you are clicking 'Accept All Cookies' OR 'Consent All', think about this for a second.

Share carefully…