Garbage in Data Out
The amount and quality of data available on you is mind-boggling. It can be used to manipulate your behaviors, wants, likes and dislikes with a far greater degree of accuracy and effectiveness than you could ever imagine. Data collection is everywhere. Not just what you might do online or in an app. Even the humble garbage can betray you to the wrong people.
"The great danger of Big Data occurs when it is fed into algorithms to track and manipulate you without your consent or knowledge.”
From election disinformation to shaping our preferences in every context (what we think is attractive, fun, interesting, worth spending money on, etc..), data is king.
It can and will and does influence you!
The dangers of “Garbage In, Data Out”
I live in a high-rise with a trash-collection room on each floor. One day, I was throwing away some highly personal items. That made me think “Wow, I don’t really want my neighbors knowing I use this!” I realized then how personal and private and revealing trash can be! If you looked in my trash for even one week, you could piece together an excellent picture of us:
Food scraps could be analyzed to produce a highly accurate picture of what we ate and drank.
- In addition, there’s a box from a high-end bakery which indicates interest and shopping habits.
- There are empty wine bottles that clearly indicate beverage preferences and even income and habits.
- What’s NOT in the trash is also an indication. For example, no meat products can indicate a vegetarian household. No meat or dairy can indicate vegan.
- Empty bottles of shampoo, perfume, feminine care, and skin care products reveal the brands we use and can be further used to extrapolate gender, age, and income.
Medicines are huge indicators but even over the counter stuff is very revealing.
- For example, we have a lactose-intolerant member of the household, so our trash has Lactaid boxes.
Any clothing is a huge indicator of gender, age, income, and shopping habits.
You’d find numerous potty pads that indicate that I’m a dog owner, and you could refine that further.
- For example, potty pads, over time, correlate with either a puppy or a small dog.
Any paper waste is HIGHLY personal. Junk mail is a treasure trove of information.
- Right now, my paper waste includes mailers from museums (where I am a member, so they say “RENEW”), and brochures from brands I have purchased in the past.
- Mailers from political parties reveal my political affiliation.
- Health insurance inserts (I shred the rest) clearly indicate the name of my insurance carrier and sometimes even my plan name.
Most people don’t even bother and will throw the whole thing away - revealing even more.
It’s important to note that in the book, and in real life, all data is tracked over time. So the data snapshot of “you” is made, then refined and refined and refined until it is REALLY you.
Note: Data collection from garbage is a construct of the book (for now). Currently, no one is admitting to analyzing garbage to profile people, although (and this is important), legally this is perfectly permissible. Courts have routinely ruled that people do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy over their trash once that trash has hit the curb for collection.
Once you set it out, it is fair game for anyone!