Buzz
Right now, every move you make is being documented. Surveillance systems, including software and cameras, are tracking your activities wherever you go, in ways that even the most imaginative conspiracy theorists couldn’t have predicted a decade ago.
The reality is even more alarming. While you might know that your online actions are tracked, logged, and sold to create more precise ads, the extent of this surveillance is far greater. Companies profiting from your private information are engaging in practices that surpass even the dystopian vision of 1984. The level of monitoring exceeds anything Orwell could have envisioned.
10. Hospitals and Pharmacies Profit from Selling Your Medical Data
The financial stakes are enormous. IMS Health, the leading player in the medical data trade, generated a staggering $2.6 billion in revenue in 2014.
9. Apple Monitors Your Bank Account Balance
In 2015, Apple submitted a patent for a new application designed to operate continuously on your iPhone. This program was intended to observe your financial activities, such as checking your bank account and credit cards, determine your available funds, and then share this data with advertisers.
Apple made no attempt to conceal their intentions. The patent explicitly states—and this is a direct quote: “Goods and services are marketed to specific user groups [ . . . ] based on the amount of pre-paid credit each user has.” In simpler terms, they would analyze your credit card debt and provide this information to advertisers willing to pay for it.
Publicly, Apple claimed they had no intention of implementing this system. Tim Cook, their CEO, has delivered numerous speeches condemning the idea of spying on users for financial profit, calling it “wrong” and “contrary to Apple’s values.”
However, it’s difficult to believe that Apple would develop, design, and patent a program without any intention of using it. Apple undoubtedly has the capability to access your bank account—and it’s logical to assume they are leveraging it.
8. Advertisers Monitor Your Facial Expressions via Your Camera
A sharp-eyed observer spotted something unusual in a photo shared by Mark Zuckerberg: his laptop’s webcam was covered with black tape.
Other firms are undoubtedly engaging in similar practices. For instance, Emotional Analytics has created software that utilizes your computer’s webcam to observe and interpret facial responses to ads.
While few companies openly admit to accessing your camera without consent, there’s substantial evidence suggesting it occurs. Android recently updated its privacy policy to prohibit apps from using cell phone cameras to covertly capture users’ facial data. They didn’t explicitly confirm this was happening, but the update implies they had cause for concern—and until February 2018, no measures were in place to prevent it.
7. License Plate Readers Follow Your Every Move
Even without using any electronic devices, companies can still monitor your every move. Numerous organizations have deployed license plate scanners globally to gather data on your whereabouts and travel history.
The leading license plate-scanning firm in the US had already amassed two billion scanned records by January 2015. They combine the data from these scans with credit reports, shopping habits, residential details, and social connections, then sell the compiled information to advertisers.
There’s speculation that insurance providers leverage this data to adjust premiums. If a driver is frequently spotted in high-risk areas or parked near a CrossFit gym, their insurer might increase their rates accordingly.
The trade of license plate data is a lucrative, multibillion-dollar business, made possible by a narrow loophole. These companies argue they aren’t disclosing private details since they only share license plate numbers, not names. However, a quick Google search can easily link a plate number to a person’s identity—and it’s safe to assume that data buyers perform such searches.
6. Retailers Monitor Your Movements Using Your Phone’s Wi-Fi Signal
When businesses provide free Wi-Fi, it’s rarely out of generosity. Their primary goal is to monitor your activities while you’re in their store.
Once you connect to their Wi-Fi, the store gains access to your browsing habits, the sections you visit, and your purchases. They can even detect if you test their products, buy them online through Amazon, and leave without making a purchase in-store.
One key method they use is tracking your movement within the store, and this doesn’t require you to connect to Wi-Fi. Your phone continuously sends out signals searching for a network, and stores can use these signals to map your route. They can document your movements and time spent in different areas—all without notifying you.
Many major brands and retailers engage in this practice. Companies like Macy’s, BMW, Top Shop, Morrisons, and numerous shopping malls have openly admitted to tracking customers via their smartphones—and many others likely do so without disclosure.
5. Numerous Firms Use Facial Recognition to Monitor You
The surveillance cameras in stores serve more than just theft prevention. They’re actively observing your every move, gathering data that can be monetized.
Advanced cameras utilize facial recognition technology to determine customers’ age, ethnicity, and gender. By analyzing your facial features and tracking your movements, they create detailed profiles of shopping patterns, taking targeted advertising to unprecedented levels.
This technology isn’t solely for boosting sales. Amazon has been marketing its facial recognition system, “Rekognition,” to law enforcement agencies nationwide. If widely adopted, it’s only a matter of time before cameras globally can identify individuals by their faces.
This is already a reality in China, where a vast network of 170 million cameras employs facial recognition to locate individuals. The system is highly efficient—recently, it identified a white-collar criminal among 60,000 concert attendees and immediately notified authorities.
2. Numerous Apps Covertly Record Your Conversations
Numerous apps come equipped with covert software that activates your microphone to capture everything happening in your surroundings.
Many of these apps rely on a program developed by Alphonso. This software is designed to keep your microphone active, even when the app isn’t in use, to detect TV shows or advertisements and analyze their impact on your actions. For instance, it might record you hearing a pizza commercial and then track whether you purchase that pizza afterward.
While the program is technically legal, it operates by requesting permission to record—often buried deep within a lengthy privacy policy, ensuring most users agree without realizing it.
This practice isn’t limited to obscure apps. Major brands like McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme have employed similar programs, and it’s highly likely that Google Home devices are constantly doing the same. Google Home begins recording as soon as you say “okay,” even if you don’t follow it with “Google.” It captures 20 seconds of audio, transcribes it, and uploads the data to Google’s servers.
1. AccuWeather Covertly Tracks and Sells Your Location Data
AccuWeather faced backlash in August 2017 for selling users’ location data without consent, and reports suggest they continue this practice.
Their app discreetly collects an alarming amount of user data. It doesn’t just identify your city—it pinpoints your exact location, down to the nearest foot, and even detects which floor of a building you’re on.
This tracking persists even when users disable location sharing. AccuWeather’s app continues to monitor your whereabouts and sells this data to advertisers without permission, enabling them to tailor ads based on your precise location. For example, if you’re near a Starbucks, your phone may be flooded with ads enticing you to visit.
AccuWeather isn’t alone in this practice. While Google hasn’t fully disclosed its use of GPS data, it’s known that Android devices track your location regardless of your settings. Even if you disable GPS, log out of your phone, or remove the SIM card, the tracking continues.
