digital identity I don't know how many
of you thought about what makes you you
identity is defined as a set of
attributes around one entity and I like
to think of identity as things that are
let's say unchangeable like personality
but also things that are changeable in
time like behavior digital means that
this we bring this online so what makes
you you online let let let's think about
the tools that we use the social media
platforms we are so connected today we
are more connected than ever we use
Facebook we use Google YouTube Instagram
Twitter and so on Amazon Facebook knows
about us they know our birthday they
know our phone number they know our
email address they know the place of
birth they know where we studied they
know who we started with in our family
they know where we go where we check
into what we like to eat now through
Instagram they know what makes us happy
and with what's up they know who we're
talking to Google knows what's on our
mind Google knows what we search for
Google knows the things that we want to
have an answer for Google knows the
music that we like to listen and the
type of entertainment Google knows the
content of the emails that we send
through Gmail Google knows where we're
going and the GPS and where we start and
the final destination through Google
Maps Amazon knows everything
Amazon knows what we ask Alexa to find
for us Amazon knows how many times we
type on our Kindle and the information
that we like to somehow retain let's say
we under
highlight Amazon knows the things that
we like to buy Amazon can predict the
things that we will buy six months from
now
so all these tools online that we use on
a daily basis to improve our lives to
share our life with everybody else this
makes us us
the problem is free is never free you
have to think about all of these tools
that were using accessible free or never
free I can own this phone because I
bought it but I do not own the operating
system on it and therefore I do not own
my data digital identity is used in many
cases against us it's like banks getting
your data from all the transactions the
the amount of times you swipe your cards
the amount of times you make a purchase
and so on and predict the likelihood of
us qualifying for a loan for example but
it's not just us the type of data that
all these tools and solutions online can
connect collect about us this goes to
the person beyond so for example my
credit score and my credit profile will
impact kattiline because we are in the
same age range we kind of we were both
freelancers so we have a pattern that
fits and this can be used against them
so while I don't want a loan for example
maybe kattiline would want alone in his
life
but he will never be able to get it
because my data impacts the decisions
these protocols and these systems make
for him which is why I always connect
digital identity to data into privacy
privacy is a right and I know that
talking about privacy it's like making a
you know standing on a on the stage and
doing stand-up but the problem is the
joke's on you right privacy is
you're right transparency is needed for
the systems that we use transparency is
needed for governments transparency is
needed for voting systems transparency
is needed in all these tools that
collect our data so we understand how it
is collected and used but privacy is for
us the individual you have a right
towards privacy you have the right for
nobody to know what is happening in your
house this is the same I have a right if
I'm using a system the system would not
collect the data and use it against me
this leads to another kind of discussion
which is privacy or anonymity and what
being anonymous means my identity is not
known but what I'm doing on a network is
visible privacy means even if my
identity is known what I'm doing on a
network is invisible digital identity
should not matter in specific systems
and we've seen for example with Bitcoin
Bitcoin is a system where your digital
identity doesn't matter it still
functions
it delivers without needing you to be
identified as who you are but it's not
just about this all these systems that
we use all these tools all the data that
is collected right we think ok how can
we stop this so a lot of people use ad
blockers right you use a browser you use
an ad blocker and you think finally no
more ads no more data collected but it
is not enough because technology
advances purpose of technology is to
reinvent itself every single day
investors put money into technology
investors do not put money into privacy
because we don't ask for it we the
consumer do not claim our right towards
privacy unless we say
we want tools devices that are Pro
privacy investors will not invest in pro
privacy technology and therefore us we
contribute to the whole let's say the
whole narrative and going back to ad
blockers you install ad blockers but
nowadays are you familiar with
third-party cookies okay so according to
GDP are when you go on a website there's
gonna be a pop-up that says we collect
specific information on you so you can
go to advanced or preferences and pick
and you pick the problem is it's not
just third parties now its first parties
and first parties communicate between
Google and Facebook all the time and
there is one ID associated to you as an
individual and this ID communicates with
Facebook and Google all the time because
these systems are built on an ad revenue
model okay
Google was the first to introduce the ad
revenue model there is an amazing person
called Shoshanna Zubov she wrote a book
on surveillance and she says we are raw
material it's kind of so impactful but
this is what we are because we're
feeding all this data and private
information to the to these systems and
first-party tools cannot be blocked by
ad blockers first-party tools can be
blocked by advanced privacy tools so
what you can do if you think okay
Roxanna what should I do right what you
can do is duck duck go it ok don't
google it doctor go it doctor go is a
pro privacy browser use DuckDuckGo and
figure out search search for privacy
messenger and you'll get signal
privacy mobile operating system and
you'll get the options privacy browser
and you'll get for example brave or
Firefox the more you use these Pro
privacy tools the better it is for
everyone and as I said it's also better
for you because all the data that is
collected and with the advancement of
technology has turned into another mess
called browser fingerprinting that means
one pixel can trace you and trace your
journey throughout life and privacy laws
are not enough gdpr will tell you why
we're using your data why companies are
using your data laws have a purpose not
of prevention but you know of applying a
punishment in case the company took it
too far but there are backdoors right
there's an escape through it so you have
to take it to yourself and look for
tools and use them you have to think
about the data that you put out there
the historical data that's gone that is
not yours and you can never claim it I
can't go to Facebook and tell Facebook
hey you know what I posted ten years ago
I don't want that on my record anymore
because it belongs to the Facebook
server it is the same with data from
three years ago but what I can do today
is I can stop using Facebook or I can
stop putting pictures of my baby on
Facebook I can stop putting personal
information do I need to share
everything with the world because in the
end the world doesn't care so what I'm
doing is I'm trying to feed my ego
basically oh I'm going on a vacation I'm
gonna post this I'm going I'm speaking
at a TEDx
I've been opposed this okay I'm trying
what I'm trying to do is I'm trying to
sort of build a personal brand around me
and that's fine but our daily lives are
not a personal brand our daily lives are
private so seven years ago I was talking
to people about building an online brand
about building an online identity being
a freelancer you know all these freedom
of business and all this this financial
freedom and now seven years later I'm
talking about privacy and I'm
encouraging everyone to be more mindful
because we contribute to the world that
we're building one step at a time with
every single tap and I think it's up to
us to build a better future and even if
the impact that we do is just one single
drop together we're a force to be
recognized in the world and before I end
I would like to read because I'm getting
old so my memory doesn't work anymore
I'd like to read a quote from EE
Cummings which says to be nobody but
yourself in the world which is doing its
best night and day to make everybody but
yourself means to fight the hardest
battle which any human being can fight
and never stop fighting so please join
me today on signal and privacy tools and
never stop fighting thank you so much
[Applause]