For example, I have been using Google or Apple for 7 years, and seeing that I was fingerprinted, tracked through third-party cookies, etc. I want to switch to a more private option.
But is it worth it? They know about me, they have now AI that can just use the behavior pattern for the last 7 years and still track me.
Again the question comes, should I become "privacy-focused" despite my data before I was "privacy-focused" used and sold?
'Should i bother installing door locks? Someone's already been in my house'
Yes. They have everything up to X date. Protect your future
Yes, because even though your data might have been used and shared in the past, over time that data will become more and more irrelevant especially as you stop using privacy invasive services. For example, if you stopped using ALL Meta services, that profile of you that they have will eventually become very old and outdated and useless as they can not really sell it for targeted ads or anything as not only is it old, you are not even on any of the platforms to be served ads to begin with.
Well... I am still on YouTube, no good gaming videos on Rumble and Odysee.
It depends on your threat model. Do you think Google knowing your video watching preference is dangerous? For me I don't care if Google knows my music and video preferences in general. If I'm watching things that I don't want Google to know I use Newpipe on a VPN. But sensitive document uploaded to Google drive? Not anymore.
Should I apply pressure to a wound despite already having lost a lot of blood
You absolutely should. With time, the data they have on you will grow outdated, meaning they won't be able to track an analyze your behaviour because they'll have no idea how you behave now. It's like the trail going cold. Hell, just becoming privacy focused already makes it near-impassible to be tracked, and since privacy-aware software doesn't track, collect, sell or buy your data, what little they have will be much less useful. Also, if you live in the EU, the GDPR gives you a right to request the deletion of all data they have on you, and they must comply. Most other places probably also have laws in place to request the deletion of your data.
AI needs constant data to stay up to date, so i think it's still worth it.
Personally I've found a happy medium between total privacy and convenience.
Should you quit smoking even though you've already been smoking for 7 years?
Better to not have started smoking, but still good to stop now.
The longer you go without giving new data, the less useful your old data will be. 6 months without new data? Not that big of a difference. 6 years without new data? Now that's a big deal.
If you found out that your mechanic had been ripping you off for the last 7 years, would you keep going to them for car repairs just because you'd already lost so much money to them?
It's not just about the practical aspects, it's about the principle. The big corpos make money from selling your data, do you really want to keep helping them make money off you after finding out how they do it?
Of course. Very few people here would have been privacy conscious when they first started using the internet. There will inevitably be some amount of data available about all of us. The key thing to realise about privacy is that it is generally more about damage limitation/mitigation rather than outright prevention.
It's always worth it, that's less money they're getting. Join the movement. They won't learn anything new about you or your life in the future.
Yes. the you that is most valuable to others, is you, as you are today, so right now is a perfectly fine time to embrace privacy focused practices!
Thanks to the CPRA (recent legislation, it only took effect at the start of this year), most companies must delete everything they know about you when asked to do so.
There are now companies that will automatically submit those requests on your behalf.
So.
When you're ready to stop the flow, check out services like Incogni. They'll submit requests to data brokers on your behalf automatically.
You'll want to keep it up for awhile, because one of the things that gets deleted (by law) is the record that you requested your data be deleted. (They have to delete everything with your info in it) So any new data with your name on it is fair game.
But if you slow the flow of traceable data, then sign up with a data removal service, you stand a solid chance of getting yourself off the advertiser's radars.
