Privacy, security and bluetooth

I believe that when we think about privacy, we still think about not giving out our real name, phone or address. We still think that privacy is not something we should concern about. Why should we care? I don't have anything to hide. I'm not important.

On the other hand, we want to socialize, to communicate with our friends and family, to let them know what we think and do. Humans are social. We have socialized in the past, we socialize now and we will socialize in the future. It is not going to change.

What did change is technology. 15 years ago, there was nothing strange in giving out your email address. Now your email address identifies you better than your own name. There was no way to find your friends using your email address. Now your email address can even tell where you are.

So much we have bond our lives and sociality to the Internet that it is not only possible to have all the relevant information about someone, but it is easy to do so. Moreover, and the real issue, is that they can have more information about you than yourself. Trust me, they know how to infer information that you can not dream of.

It is not an issue about data any more. Is an issue about behavior. Browsing the web now is having your visiting pattern, buying behavior and even keystroke pattern. Do you hide your identity when posting on the web? No problem, with stylometry they can analyze the way you write and recognize you again. Your phone has become in the perfect way to know where you are, how is your moving pattern and social activities. They can know if you have children, have financial problems or you like to drive fast. It is not new that they can know if your daughter is pregnant before you do. They can know if you are starting to feel angry about your cell phone company and your chances of leaving are growing. They know when you are going to leave your cell phone company before you do. Sounds scary isn't it? The bad news is that this is not new and is not the worst part.

As Mikko Hypponen said on its 2010 TED talk, it is not an issue about privacy vs security. It is an issue about control vs. freedom.

Why freedom? Have you though about what may happen in 15 years? They will be able to know more about your life than you will be ever able to do.

But why does this happen? Well, I have three answers. First is money. Second is power. Third is because they can.

The money problem is difficult, long and may be only addressed with new legislation. They want to sell the data and they will until we stop them.

The power problem is more difficult, because governments make laws. Do you trust your government now? Do you trust the government you will have in 15 years? And 50? I can only imagine technical solutions here, which bring us to the third problem.

The possibility of technology. More data, more centralization, new algorithms using more cloud-based power. The end is not clear. They can use it and they probably will. The biggest problem about the technology issue is that everyone has this technology. They can monitor you. You can hide your IP. They can use JavaScript to know where you are. You can disable JavaScript. They can see your typing pattern. You can insert random times. And the list go on.

A final example. We have developed a tool called bluedriving to capture bluetooths devices in the street with its gps location. You can draw a map of the locations and times when every device has been. Your cellphone identifies you almost uniquely. The privacy of your movements is now easy to have.

Anyway, I see two solutions. Use technology wisely and educate others. The bluedriving tool is a way to educate and to have the technology at our side. Use it wisely.