Does Privacy Even Exist?

How do we know if what we are saying in a private conversation is actually private and not heard by others? The TED talk that I found brought the most light to this major issue in society was done by Finn Mystrad

He uses the example of the Kayla doll, a blonde innocent looking little girl doll, but it was anything but that. The doll used speech recognition technology in conjunction with a smart phone app to recognize a child's speech and perform conversations with the users. 

The companies could harvest masses of personal information while your family could be chatting in the safety of their homes. The companies could then use these recordings for target advertising. It is the biggest false sense of security; families believe this harmless doll can act as a friend but then could be secretly spying on them. 

Even when someone who is not in the room of the doll if they are close enough to it and have the app on their phone, no password needed; they too can connect to the doll and even talk through the doll. This raised major red flags because kidnappers or buglers could manipulate the child into giving them information or even meeting up with them. 

The doll has been banned in Germany and was taken off the shelves for businesses like Walmart and Amazon. The doll is currently in the Spy Museum in Berlin. 

Everyday people are exposing themselves to the threat of their privacy been taken advantage of by just simply connecting to the internet every day. When living in a society that is ruled by technology it really makes you think how much of your own information is out in the world, that you do not even know about. Apps and websites get you by getting you to agree to the terms and conditions because, who ever really reads all the terms and conditions of every app and website they visit. 

Finn used a very good example when he put his theory to test. He got a dating app and made a profile, but little did he know in a small little check marked box it said that he was agreeing to give them access to his personal photos on Facebook. It also was saying that all his dating history that was shared privately, could be used in third parties for all time. 

I do not know about you guys, but I think it's safe to say I will never use a dating app ever and will always think very closely before I share my personal information out on any type of app/social media.