The Dark Side of Personalisation: How Tech Giants Are Invading Your Online Space

As I sit here with my laptop open, I am constantly reminded of the ‘benefits’ of online personalisation. From the recommended videos on YouTube to the ‘handpicked’ products on Amazon, it’s clear that the tech giants have figured out a way to use my online behaviour to tailor their services to my every whim. But is this really a benefit, or is it just a thinly veiled excuse for these companies to snoop on my every move?

One company that has recently caught my eye is Yahoo, who claim to use cookies to ‘provide our sites and apps to you authenticate users, apply security measures, and prevent spam and abuse, and measure your use of our sites and apps’. Sounds reasonable enough, right? But what they don’t tell you is that this is just the tip of the iceberg. When you click ‘Accept all’, you are essentially giving Yahoo and their partners permission to use your personal data for ‘personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, and audience research and services development’.

This raises serious questions about the impact of online personalisation on our personal freedoms. Are we really willing to sacrifice our right to privacy in exchange for a few ‘handpicked’ recommendations? And what’s to stop these companies from using our data for more nefarious purposes?

The truth is, we are living in a world where our online behaviour is being constantly monitored and manipulated. And it’s not just the tech giants who are to blame. We, as consumers, are complicit in this game of cat and mouse. We click ‘Accept all’ without even reading the terms and conditions, and then we’re surprised when our data is used against us.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. There are steps we can take to protect our online privacy. We can start by being more mindful of the data we share online, and by using tools like ad blockers and VPNs to limit the amount of data that companies can collect. We can also demand more transparency from the tech giants, and hold them accountable for their actions.

As I finish writing this article, I am reminded of the wise words of the Electronic Frontier Foundation: ‘Your online activities are not just your own business - they’re also the business of anyone who can access your computer or Internet connection’. It’s time for us to take back control of our online lives, and to demand the right to privacy that we deserve.

So the next time you’re tempted to click ‘Accept all’, remember the consequences. Your online behaviour is not just a series of clicks and swipes - it’s a valuable commodity that is being bought and sold every day. And it’s up to us to decide who gets to control it.