Data extortion should be a crime

And I'm not talking about scam farms.

London’s Design Museum had a little supermarket thing going on during covid, not sure what it was about tbh…

I’m back thinking about data this week (don’t worry, this isn’t my new direction for this Substack!) because I got pissed off in my local supermarket and it got me thinking about the data we willingly give away versus the data that is taken from us, almost by force.

I float around the universe letting Google track my adventures, geo-tagging my photos for ease of later reference, logging into WiFi networks and using my email address to sign up for things. I drip drip drip data wherever I go, shedding bits like I shed strands of hair. (Lots and often, just ask my hoover.)

But I get irrationally angry when a company prices its products differently for those customers willing to hand over their data and those who don’t. Whatever BS ‘membership’ or loyalty programme you’re offering, I am not willing to give companies an insight into my consumer behaviours, even if the trade-off is slightly cheaper prices. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a form of extortion and should be illegal.