What I wish I knew about privacy sooner

Summary

Let’s be honest: data is useful. But we’re constantly told that in order to benefit from modern tech—and the insights that come with it—we have to give up our privacy. That useful data only comes from total access. That once your info is out there, you’ve lost control. That there’s no point in trying to protect it anymore.These are myths. And they’re holding us back.The truth is, you can benefit from data-driven tools without giving away everything. You can choose which companies to trust. You can protect one piece of information while sharing another. You can demand smarter systems that deliver insights without exploiting your identity.Privacy isn’t about opting out of technology—it’s about choosing how you engage with it.In this issue, we’re busting four of the most common myths about data collection. Because once you understand what’s possible, you’ll see how much power you still have.This one is everywhere. Once people sign up for a social media account or share info with a fitness app, they often throw up their hands and say, “Well, I guess my privacy’s already gone”.But that’s not how privacy works.Privacy is about choice. It’s about context. It’s about setting boundaries that make sense for you.Just because you’ve shared data with one company doesn’t mean you’re giving blanket permission to every app, government agency, or ad network to track you forever.You’re allowed to: Share one piece of information and protect another. Say yes to one service and no to others. Change your mind, rotate your identifiers, and reduce future exposure. Privacy isn’t all or nothing. And it’s never too late to take some power back.Many businesses are committed to ethical data practices. Some explicitly state in their terms that they’ll never share your data, sell it, or use it outside the scope of the service you signed up for.Look for platforms that don’t retain unnecessary data. There are more of them out there than you think.This one’s finally starting to crumble—thanks to gam...