Facebook
has been taking some very heavy pressure in the media and from law makers for
some time now and I thought it prudent to outline how these companies operate
and make their vast profits. Ultimately it is up to you to decide if you want
to continue to use these apps to share information. Hopefully this article will
give you some more information which may help you understand the world of the
“cloud”.
Cattle and Sheep
With the
wonderful weather we have been having you may have taken a drive in our
countryside and observed the picturesque views of meadows and animals of all
varieties grazing peacefully. To you, unless you are a farmer, they are lovely
animals at peace. The livestock farmer sees them completely differently. To the
farmer they are assets to be fattened up and eventually sold for slaughter or
their products sold. When it comes to the internet that is exactly what you are
to Facebook and indeed to virtually all of the data giants including Google ,Amazon,
Ebay, and Whatsapp(Owned by facebook). In case you wonder about Apple and
Microsoft their aim is also the same you
are profit and you wallet and personal data are the milk or meat.
Selling Your Information
In
considering the about point you must also dwell on the following truth: Every
picture, message, post, search and visit to the cloud are collected analyzed
and flogged to whomever is willing to spend the money to get the data. So Aunt
Molly’s 80th pictures and posts are being collected and turned into
profit by Facebook and their compatriots. The revelations in the press about
who accesses this data and how it can be used to manipulate your thoughts on
topics has caused a sharp decrease in the number of people opting out from
using social media.
Integrity and Privacy
As a
computer technician I’ve repaired hundreds if not thousands of computers in my
work career. Most of them were packed with information. Part of my job requires
as a fundamental requirement that I can be trusted and that my integrity is
such that I won’t be accessing your personal private data. Imagine my repair terms required you to agree
to allow me copy all of your data trawl through it to build a picture of who
you were and then flog it to companies looking to exploit it. What person in
their right mind would drop off their laptop to have a virus removed? But
that’s exactly what is happening when you use Facebook and other cloud apps. The
latest kicker is that they are doing the same with your cloud email which explains why it was “free”. It’s not you
are paying the price of you privacy for it.
The
wonderful thing about using software is that you can choose NOT to use it.
“You must be the change you want to see
in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi
Oliver Reidy is a computer technician and has
been in the industry since 1981.You can contact him via email at help.desk@reidyonline.com or at the telephone numbers listed on this page. This article, and all
previous articles, are available to view online at http://reidyonline.blogspot.ie/ or www.reidyonline.com/blogspot.htm
