CSA Online What Happens to My Data? Data brokers (yes, that’s a thing) trade in personal data. These companies collect, aggregate and sell vast quantities of data to advertisers and other interested parties. They compile information from various sources including public records, social media, surveys and more. The data which they provide can include details about your interests, purchasing habits and even your offline activities. The implications of this data collection and sharing are far-reaching. Advertisers can create highly targeted campaigns based on users’ preferences, interests and behaviours. They can predict our needs, desires and even our future actions with remarkable accuracy. It’s no wonder that we often encounter ads that seem to know exactly what we’ve been talking about. What About Smart Home Devices? Virtual assistants such as Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant are always listening for their “wake words” (“Alexa,” “Siri” and “Hey Google,” respectively) and will record audio clips. These clips are stored “in the cloud,” which is really just a euphemism for “not on your own device.” If you haven’t opted out of “helping to improve” your device’s responses, some of these clips may also be analyzed. In any case, advertisers won’t hear our voice searches, but the data which our voice searches generate adds to the picture of what we’re about. How to Turn Off Voice History It’s not a silver bullet solution by any stretch, but you can take some control of how voice recordings are used, whether on our smart home devices or the digital assistant apps that come pre-installed, or those that we add to our smartphones, tablets and laptops. So… What Do We Do? Tech companies are hungry for data because it helps them to create a fuller picture of who we are, and that picture helps them sell us stuff. Ultimately, the only way to opt out of online tracking is to opt out of anything online… but that’s not feasible. The best thing which we can do today is to understand, on some level, how our data are gathered and used. You’ve no doubt seen websites asking permission to drop a tracking cookie. That’s thanks to GDRP, which we discussed briefly above. Take a second and opt out of all but the strictly necessary cookies. Switching from Google to a browser/search engine that prioritizes privacy, such as DuckDuckGo (duckduckgo. com), is one way to limit how we’re tracked. In accounts such as a Google Account, Apple ID, Facebook, etc. etc., check the settings area for “Security and Privacy” settings to see how data are used and what interventions you have available. As users, we can take some control over our data, but the truth remains that if you use a smartphone, tablet or computer at all, data are certainly being gathered, one way or another. Amazon Alexa If you use Amazon Alexa, you can see everything that has been recorded. In the Alexa app, go to Settings > Alexa Privacy > Review Voice History. Here, you can also manage your Alexa privacy settings. In Manage Your Alexa Data, you’ll find the option to delete recordings, opt out of helping to improve Alexa with your recordings, and so on. Siri You can no longer review recordings in Siri, but you can delete your history if desired. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad > Siri & Dictation History > Delete Siri & Dictation History. Google Assistant With Google Assistant, on your phone, tablet or computer go to your Google account (account.google.com or in Settings: Google > Manage your Google Account). Choose Data & Privacy > Web & Web Activity. Uncheck the box for “Include voice and audio activity.” CSANews | SUMMER 2023 | 43
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