“Our youngest at home is a spy!”
Hello everyone! Shall we start with an interesting question today? Who do you talk to first when you wake up in the morning? Family? Or a partner? Many of you probably start your day with “Alexa, how’s the weather today?” or “Okay Google, play some fun music!” These smart devices are indeed wonderful ’tools’ that make our daily lives much easier.
However, in the book ‘Tools and Weapons’ by Microsoft’s Brad Smith, it states, “All technology can be both a tool and a weapon.” Today, I want to discuss how this term ‘weapon’ can refer not to grand cyber warfare between nations, but to a very personal and quiet war happening right in our living rooms and at our front doors. Are you ready?
1. Why are companies so curious about us?
The story begins with the smart devices we love so much. Let’s take a look at the smart speakers mentioned earlier.
Always Listening Friends
Before we call out “Hey, Siri!”, it seems like they’re quietly waiting, but in reality, these friends are always perked up, ready to listen, wondering, ‘Am I being called?’ Manufacturers claim they don’t store conversations outside of commands, but it’s now a well-known secret that sometimes, sounds of our domestic disputes or scolding our children can accidentally fly off to the servers.
Moreover, nowadays, there are even technology patents that analyze not just our conversations but the ’emotions’ behind them to use in advertising. For instance, if I speak in a slightly depressed tone, instead of fun music, I might get ads for comforting products. It’s convenient, but… doesn’t it feel a bit strange?
Invisible Commerce, Surveillance Capitalism
This raises a fundamental question: “Why do companies want to know so much about us?” It’s because of the massive business model known as ‘Surveillance Capitalism.’ Sounds complicated? Let me break it down for you. 
In this world, we are not ‘customers’ of companies. We are more like ‘free raw materials.’ Our words, actions, emotions, and even health conditions are all raw materials that turn into money for companies. They gather these raw materials to create ‘predictive products’ like ‘This person is likely to buy sneakers soon’ or ‘This person has an 80% chance of traveling next week.’ Then, they sell these predictive products to other advertising companies at a high price.
Ultimately, the data collection by smart devices is not just a simple function; it is the very core of their business. The real price of all the free services we use is essentially ‘our lives.’
2. The Dangerous Tug-of-War Over My Information
Now, it’s not just companies that are after our information. There’s also a very powerful player: the ‘government.’ This is where the precarious tug-of-war over our personal information between companies and governments begins.
“Hand over the keys!” Government vs. “Absolutely not!” Companies
A symbolic event that showcased this tug-of-war globally was the Apple vs. FBI case in 2015. A horrific mass shooting occurred, and there was crucial evidence on the shooter’s iPhone. The FBI demanded that Apple create a backdoor to unlock the iPhone for the investigation. 
Logically, it seems right to cooperate with the government, right? But Apple declared to the world, “Absolutely not!” Why? Because once such a backdoor is created, that key could fall into the hands of not just terrorists but also dictators or hackers, becoming a ‘universal weapon’ that threatens the privacy of all iPhone users worldwide. This incident clearly illustrated the clash between companies trying to protect our information and governments wanting that information for national security.
But… what if they join forces?
It would be great if companies like Apple fought for us against the government, right? But not at all. In fact, there are much scarier scenarios where they subtly join forces to scrutinize us even more closely, like the story of the smart doorbell installed at your front door.
Many of you probably use the smart doorbell called ‘Ring’ made by Amazon, right? We install this ’tool’ for the very noble purpose of ‘our home safety.’ However, this company has partnerships with police departments across the United States. When the police request, “Hey, there’s been an incident in this neighborhood; can we see the footage?” through the app, residents provide the footage without a warrant, thinking they are doing a good deed.
How does that sound? It’s completely different from the previous Apple case, right? Instead of companies and governments fighting, they become allies under the plausible pretext of ‘community safety.’ My privately purchased camera becomes, unbeknownst to me, both a police CCTV and a data collection device for the company. In the face of this cunning collaboration, the term ‘my privacy’ loses its power.
Of course, there are times when the government acts as a ‘protector’ by creating strong laws like the GDPR in the European Union, saying, “Companies, don’t mishandle citizens’ information!” But we must remember that the direction of this tug-of-war can change at any time.
The Real Owner is ‘Me’
Has the story gotten a bit heavy? I’m not suggesting we reject technology and retreat into the mountains. However, there is something we must understand.
Technology has duality. And companies and governments use that technology for their own interests. The power to protect my information in this dangerous tug-of-war ultimately comes from within ourselves.
We must demand transparency from companies, monitor government abuse of power, and constantly question ourselves, ‘What is the real cost of this convenience?’ **The true owner of my data is not the giant corporations or the powerful government, but me myself, and that is something we must never forget.