Why Do People Keep Saying Yes to Surveillance?

Most … monitoring comes paired with features people do actually want. They buy smart doorbells for delivery alerts, accept TV recommendations and use streaming services for their favourite shows, use voice commands to stay organised, and connect to their cars for live traffic updates and remote start capabilities. These are each small conveniences that are traded for a high premium: their privacy. The result is a persistent, ever-growing trail of where you live, when you leave, where you go, what you watch, who is at your door or in your car, and how you make decisions. That trail generates billions of dollars for data brokers, ad networks, and pricing engines – and most people don’t even know it’s happening.

How to Reduce Your Trail

• Phone: limit location access in device settings
• TV: turn off ACR or viewing data, check again after updates
• Cameras: use two-factor authentication, enable short retention, limit shared users
• Speakers: opt out of human review and delete voice history
• Car: reduce analytics, restrict trip history, delete the companion app, and factory-reset before servicing or selling