Kenya’s Cyber Space
How much is your data worth?
So let’s begin by asking ourselves what data is. A simple google search defines data as facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis. Reference and analysis are words to note and highlight.
This is because, as Kenyans, we give our data willingly every day to so many platforms. Be it social media or a corporate engagement. The data I am referring to is what is known as Personal Identifiable Information. Examples include your name, identification number, gender, area of residence, debit/credit number and even going as far as providing your email and birth certificate details. It happens. All these details combined can give any stranger a clue to who you are and as far as where you live. From there they can use their own reconnaissance or observation mechanism to gather more about you depending on their intent.
Have you heard of stalkers? If you have, then you know where this is going. In this new era, stalking is not only physical. People, entities, companies and countries are taking it a notch higher. Technology is being used to gather information about you and me, and analysis is done on it. Individuals and companies use the output of the analysis to suit their agenda. Of course, this spells doom for the users. But the users are willing ‘buyers’. As a people, we are willing to use any social media platform or any product/application that is ‘free’. We can always download them using free WiFi or data bundles that cost less than 100 Kenyan Shillings. That is an expense we are willing to incur. But at what cost?
The problem is not the fact that we are using the platforms. The problem is the personal information we are willingly providing on the platforms as we post and update our profiles on a daily basis. We post the time we wake up, the food we prefer, the morning activities we undertake, the color of the dress you’re wearing on that day, the activities we have planned out and even your moods at specific times during the day. Moreover, you will use the same application to make your purchases. The amount of information the application has collected in just a single day is almost enough to curate your liking and daily patterns if this is done over a period of time. Through data and text analytics, your profile is created over a period of time and hence feeds, advertisements and all sorts of content are curated to match the profile. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the angle and justifications one is willing to make. This data is not only accessible by the owner/owners of the platforms and third parties, but with a single breach, other external parties will have access to it as well.
Don’t you think that this is enough reason to take a step back and evaluate what the companies and individuals that collect this information are currently doing with it or intend on doing with it? So before we download the applications, or even something as simple as writing our information on an online word processor, a survey administration platform or on a book in order to have access at the gates, read the terms and conditions or ask questions. Are you willing to give out your data without knowing how it will be used? How much is our data worth?
By Terry W. Mwangi.
