Imagine this: Someone sneaks onto your property in the dead of night and watches you through your bedroom window. Not only is this an unsettling invasion of your privacy, but it’s also illegal in Canada. Our laws recognize that spying on someone without their knowledge is a serious violation of their privacy, safety, and personal space.
Now, let’s consider something else.
Every time you or your child use a social media platform, smartphone, or laptop, companies are digitally watching you silently collecting vast amounts of personal data, often without you even realizing the full extent of it. And here’s the kicker: unlike that intruder peeking into your window, this digital surveillance and voyerism isn’t illegal.
What Are These Companies Collecting?
Social media platforms, internet service providers, and tech companies routinely gather and store an alarming amount of information, including:
Your Basic Profile Information:
- Your name, username, and profile picture
- Email address and phone number (if provided)
- Date of birth, gender, and location
Your Online Activity:
- Every post, comment, photo, or video you share
- What you like, share, and react to
- The content you view, save, or send to others
Your Behavior Patterns:
- How long you spend on the platform
- What type of content captures your attention
- How often and when you use the app
Your Social Connections:
- Who you interact with (friends, followers, group members)
- Messages and private conversations
- Pages, groups, or communities you engage with
Your Location Data:
- GPS tracking
- Locations you check into or post from
Your Device Information:
- Your IP address, operating system, and browser type
- Device identifiers and tracking cookies that follow your activity across apps and websites
Third-Party & Advertising Data:
- Information shared by third-party apps linked to your account
- Details about your interests, behaviorus, and demographics for targeted advertising
And the most troubling part? Many of these platforms don’t just keep this data for themselves, they sell it to third parties for profit.
So, let’s break it down: If a stranger watches you through your window, it’s a crime. But when a company quietly tracks, collects, and profits from you and your child’s personal data, it’s considered standard practice, all because you clicked “accept” on a lengthy terms-of-service agreement filled with legal jargon that few people read or fully understand.
It’s time we start asking important questions about online and tech privacy, because what’s legal isn’t always what’s right.
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
Facts Not Fear Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech
