Khaberni - In the digital age we live in today, the question is no longer "Do social media spy on us?", but has become "To what extent do these platforms know us better than we know ourselves?". The world lives under what is called "surveillance capitalism", where data is the new oil, and privacy is the price we pay for ostensibly "free" services.
Decoding technical spying.. Microphone or algorithm?
The popular belief that apps listen to our calls through the microphone is a "half-truth". Technically, research has proven that processing billions of hours of sound for all users would require massive computing power and would immediately drain the phone's battery, but the more terrifying truth is that companies don't need to hear you.
Since platforms rely on "predictive targeting", through tracking your geographic location, the speed of your screen scrolling, and the time you spend staring at a certain photo without clicking on it, thus building a psychological and behavioral "profile" of you.
And if you are sitting with a friend who searched for "camping gear", the proximity of your geographic locations makes the algorithm assume you talked about camping, so it immediately displays advertisements, giving you the impression that it "heard you".
TikTok under the microscope
When it comes to spying, the name "TikTok" emerges as an exceptional case study, in a series of in-depth investigations conducted by the British Broadcasting Corporation "BBC" (BBC), technical details have been revealed that raise concerns about the security of both national and individual data.
According to BBC investigations, TikTok uses an in-app built-in browser, and when an external link is opened through it, the app technically has the ability to track "keystrokes", which theoretically means the ability to monitor everything you type, including passwords and credit card information.
The reports also showed that the app was monitoring the contents of "copy and paste" on users' phones frequently, which is a loophole that could reveal sensitive information from other apps.
Furthermore, BBC investigations focused on the relationship between the Chinese company "ByteDance" and the government in Beijing. Despite the company's repeated denials, investigative reports have confirmed that employees inside China had access to data of users in the West, leading to the app being banned on government officials' phones in several countries.
Data collection mechanisms.. "The Digital Soul"
Platforms use four axes to collect your data and build your "digital twin":
1- Tracking Pixels: These are invisible codes planted by Facebook and Google in millions of websites. When you shop on a clothing website, this code sends a signal to the platform to know exactly what you placed in the basket but did not buy.
2- Social Mapping: The algorithm knows your friends and family and their interests. It predicts your needs based on the behavior of those around you.
3- Metadata Analysis: Even if you don't post content, the platform knows your phone type, signal strength, battery level, and the Wi-Fi network you're using, which is sufficient information to determine your social class and location accurately.
4- Data Brokers: Platforms purchase massive data from third parties about your medical records, your supermarket purchases, and your credit history, to integrate them into your advertising profile.
Is privacy possible today?
The bitter truth is that relinquishing privacy has become an unwritten social contract for participating in modern life. Nonetheless, awareness is the first weapon, as technologies like "App Tracking Transparency" on iPhones, and using encrypted browsers, contribute to reducing the amount of data leaked.
Moreover, the battle of tech companies is not just about eavesdropping on your trivial talks, but about possessing the ability to guide your next decision, whether it's buying a shirt, voting for a political candidate, or even adopting a particular idea.
To reclaim some of your privacy, you can follow these steps:
Disable perpetual location access: Allow apps to use the location "only when using the app".
Review microphone permissions: An "calculator" app or "shopping" app does not need access to the microphone.
Clear tracking history: Regularly go into your account settings on Google and Facebook and clear "activity outside the app".
And observers today say that the real battle is not over "call privacy", but is a battle over "mental sovereignty", as the world isn't just facing communication apps, but is facing the largest behavioral engineering system known in history, intricately designed to decode psychological codes and exploit human vulnerabilities.
And "spying" is no longer just peeping at secrets, but has become an industry of predictions, as companies not only want to know what you did yesterday but also aim to determine what you will do tomorrow, what you will buy, and even how you will feel. And when the algorithm predicts an individual's desires before they realize it themselves, it doesn't serve them, but it "rents" a part of their free will to advertisers.
And data has become the "digital shadow" that never leaves social media users, and every click or swipe is a fingerprint left by the user in an unforgettable archive.
And the lingering question in every user's mind remains: Are we the ones controlling our phones? Or are we just chess pieces in a grand algorithm that knows about us more than we know about ourselves?
