In an electronic world where a GPS can pinpoint your location wherever a satellite beam can reach, Covid-19 has sparked a new threat to your personal privacy. Using smartphone location data, credit card purchases and surveillance camera footage, South Korea’s government is tracing coronavirus patients, The New York Times reports.
Italy is following suit and Israel plans to very soon. With reports that Italy’s government officials are finding that “about 40 percent are moving around ‘too much,’” it’s likely that other countries will soon be tracking their population, as well, as shelter-in-place dictates take hold. In the wake of this, a health care provider in Australia is declaring the beginning of the end of your health privacy and personal data.
It goes without saying that when you embrace technology that can be used with voice commands and location data that you’re giving something up in exchange, and that is your right to personal privacy on all levels. While Covid-19 is sparking the latest intrusion into your life, be aware that it’s already happening: Dozens of popular health websites have been tracking, storing and sharing your personal data without your consent for a long time now.
WebMD and Healthline are just two popular health sites that are using what they find out about you to drive their revenues and basically steal your personal data without you even knowing it. But they’re not alone: In a recent analysis of 100 health sites, it was found that 78% shared user data with DoubleClick, Google’s advertising arm, while 48% shared data with Amazon.
Facebook, Microsoft and AppNexus, another advertising firm, also received user data, including anything they find on mental health websites offering answers and results from online depression tests that often are so skewed that any answer you give will put you in a category that shows you need medical help of some kind.
In the meantime health sites that don’t share your data, such as Mercola.com, are censored out of Google’s search engines or, at the very least, shoved to the bottom of hundreds of pages of search results. Add to that the fact that your cellphone is a virtual spy machine sending data about you nonstop to who knows where, even if you have GPS turned off, and basically you have no privacy left.
So, what can you do in times like this, when all you want to do is protect yourself, your health and your personal privacy? To begin, privacy requires the ability for you to control your data. This means you may want to give up your smartphone for a small call-only phone minus all the fancy features that allow tracking to occur. But, you also can take steps to make it as difficult as possible for your privacy to be invaded. For example, as you use the internet:
Boycott Google by avoiding any and all Google products:
- Stop using Google search engines. Alternatives include DuckDuckGo and Qwant
- Uninstall Google Chrome and use Brave or Opera browser instead, available for all computers and mobile devices. From a security perspective, Opera is far superior to Chrome and offers a free VPN service (virtual private network) to further preserve your privacy
- If you have a Gmail account, try a non-Google email service such as ProtonMail an encrypted email service based in Switzerland
- Stop using Google docs. Digital Trends has published an article suggesting a number of alternatives28
- If you’re a high school student, do not convert the Google accounts you created as a student into personal accounts
Additionally:
- Block third party cookies on your browsers
- Use ad blockers and antitracking add-ons
- Before completing an online test for a mental health condition, make sure the website is trustworthy. If in doubt, seek out information from public health bodies, medical professionals or qualified charities
And, finally, be safe. Learn to separate fact from fiction so you can take the right measures to safeguard your health. Subscribe to the Mercola.com FREE newsletter and get access to the constantly updated Coronavirus Resource Page, so you can get the latest, accurate news about this disease. You’ll also learn:
- Tried and tested ways to boost your immunity
- COVID-19 signs and symptoms to watch out for
- 10 top tips to help ward off this virus