Big tech isn’t bad – it’s just wrong

In today’s society, it is mainstream to label in very stark terms. Things are good or bad, black or white, must-have or never-have. We are moving further and further away from a middle ground where events, people or ideas can be seen as gray, evolving or simply a product of their own making. We lose ourselves in the message versus make progress with action.

Big technology is no exception. How often do you hear or read that big tech is bad? This message is increasingly being disseminated through the media, through government mouthpieces and across a wide range of sectors. And it’s true that the issues we face today related to privacy arose from the processes and approaches developed by dominant technology companies such as Google, Amazon, Meta and Apple.

With their innovative approach, these companies have opened up a universe of sharing and tracking in the name of progress. They found a way to leverage data to grow their business while creating a society of no-questions data sharers. They helped us familiarize consumers with sharing, without helping us protect ourselves.

Is this bad? No. Is it wrong? Yes, especially as research continues to show that access to everything about us doesn’t make business or the consumer experience better.

Give data back to the people

Now that so many of us know the system is broken, it’s time to turn the story of good or evil into one of advocacy and action. We need to identify what can be done and who is best suited to do it so that we can start creating the change we so desperately need.

Here’s why: The people who caused the problem won’t fix it. Big tech, the largest contributor to consumer data, has become dependent on a business model where consumers pay for nothing and are harvested for all their data.

Users essentially become the product, driving consumer insight and influencing business decisions. Because of this deep level of integration, these players do not have the incentive or the ability to solve the problem they created and benefited from.

Today, it’s up to consumers and emerging companies to move away from reliance on collecting personal data and put control of the data back where it belongs: with the people.

Consumers are standing up and demanding control

Perhaps, like me, you’re starting to see shifts in the choices you have when sharing your information. From all-or-nothing cookie requests to companies taking down guest shopping experiences, we’re under attack forced choices everywhere. Have you shown up to an empty restaurant lately, only to ask for your phone number before they seat you? It’s happening.

Simply sharing your data and letting the consequences be what they will may seem like the easiest way forward. But it opens us up to unsolicited communications, potential data breaches and, most importantly, undue influence.

It is necessary to educate ourselves about the steps we can take to take control of big tech and start owning our identities again. It’s time to take a stand – with our wallets, our actions and our words – and rethink how business is done.

We no longer know what a world without the interference of big technology looks like. We’ve gotten so used to giving our data away in everyday microtransactions that we’ve become desensitized to it. Becoming aware of when our data is being collected, why it is being collected and how it may or will be used in the future is an essential first step.

Then we must take action to limit our data at the time of collection. Whether this means changing cookie settings, using VPNs and apps to mask your information, or taking steps to retroactively delete data, it’s worth it. This prevents big tech and others from accessing our information in the first place.

Emerging companies lead with privacy

If consumers take a stand and industries support these actions with innovation, change is possible. It just can’t be done alone or in a vacuum. We need to gather the next generation of startups to tackle the problem with a consumer-centric mindset. One that understands the importance of centralized systems built around privacy — versus privacy as an add-on.

From a company’s inception, leaders must determine how much customer data is really needed and explore alternatives to collecting, storing, and using personally identifiable information (PII). In the process, they can develop products and site experiences that make it painless for consumers to hold onto their personal information. Add regular privacy and security audits to processes and ensure that third-party vendors share in privacy commitments.

In this way, we can start making great progress and then turn it into policy. By creating and sharing a privacy policy written in simple language that emphasizes a smaller data footprint, emerging companies can begin to impact and transform the business landscape into one that puts privacy first.

People and emerging companies can work together

Gone are the days of taking advantage of massive data collection without consumer consent. Now companies must adhere to higher consumer privacy standards and consumers must hold companies accountable.

We have the chance to redefine our relationship. We have the opportunity to build a world where trust is inherent and our interactions reimagined with a consumer-centric well-being, where we care for each other by being smarter – consumers, marketers, business owners, leaders.

The dynamic should be one of a partnership based on respect and consent. Big tech is not bad because it wants to use consumer data to achieve its goals. However, it is outdated and disconnected, and people will need to prioritize it over profit to stay relevant as consumers find their voices and emerging brands address the need for privacy.

Arjun Bhatnagar is CEO of cloaked.