Johan Steyn says, 'Anything that's free, you pay with your data. And what they do with that data is the scary thing.'
Website Cookies- istock
Ever agreed to virtual cookies on a website without knowing why or what it does?
Well, whether you know it or not, there is a high chance that your phone and service providers know you better than you do, simply by monitoring your online activity through these cookies.
And no, unfortunately, it is not the sweet, chewy chocolate chip cookie that first comes to mind.
Johan Steyn, an AI (Artificial Intelligence) expert and tech commentator, strongly recommends that everyone decline all cookies offered by websites. Website users are encouraged not to accept cookies from strangers, because they steal your data!
To accept or to reject?
University students spoke to The Citizen about how they use website cookies and what they think they are.
Noxolo Ngceba (21) says she has a vague idea of what website cookies are but is unaware of what they do. She always accepts cookies that are offered by websites.
“I do because some websites won’t let you use them if you don’t accept them [cookies].” she says.
However, another student Tyler-Lee Nicholson (19) says she has heard of website cookies and declines them most of the time because she does not exactly know exactly what they do.
“I know of them, but not exactly what they do. If I’m not mistaken, they track your data.”
“I decline the majority of the time because of the uncertainty of what exactly they do.”
Savanna Moreira (22) is an employed graduate who also typically declines website cookies because they are “invasive and forceful”.
“It feels too invasive and forceful- oftentimes just trying to get you to accept without reading anything about their purpose.”
Anastasia Tatsakis (21) is a student who usually clicks the “use essentials only”.
“I am weary about others using my information because I don’t know where it’s going and that’s a bit off-putting.”
What are website cookies?
Johan Steyn considers himself an “evangelist of the responsible use of AI” as a tool in society. He describes a website cookie as a data tracking mechanism.
“Website cookies are a tracking mechanism.”
“The website owners want to know more about you. They want to harvest data about: your behaviour, which other websites you go to, and what products might you be interested in.”
These applications pick up on your algorithms and your phone habits. This is to try to personalise the experience further through marketing. However, at what cost?
He says that when you accept the cookies, websites and advertisers collect personal data to track how many times you have entered a specific website.
Whether you tap more on the left side or the right of the screen, so that they know where to place more tabs of interest to you.
The more time you spend on the website, the more money these websites and apps make off of you and your data.
“It’s a lot to do with marketing, I think. What more can we [marketers] sell you?”
“Our phones [are] always with us, when we sleep, when we’re in the toilet. When we go everywhere.”
Phone Surveillance
Johan also stresses that a bigger conversation at hand is the surveillance of AI systems on our personal lives.
“You are always under surveillance.”
Johan alludes to a scenario where you may have a conversation with a friend and, in passing, mention mountain biking, for example.
“And then tomorrow there is a Facebook ad[vertisement] about mountain biking, and you think, how the hell do they know?”
Despite this, he attempts to allay concerns by emphasising that he does not think it is a critical life or death situation, but more importantly, the compromising of your private data and activity.
“Look, I don’t think it is like super dangerous, but I do think that people should be aware of how they’re being tracked.”
“I do see some websites when you say ‘decline’ you can still enter the website. But there are some, where you say ‘decline’ and then it blocks you.”
So, cookie collecting can either be seen as a form of personalisation or as a form of manipulation from advertisers who do not transparently disclose what type of information is taken when selecting ‘essential’ or ‘necessary cookies only’ options, or giving users limited options that force them to accept cookies to access information.
“And people can say ‘I’m not a criminal, I don’t really care if people know what other sites I’m going to, or if my mobile phone provider knows where I am’, because they know more about us than our banks.”
Always decline
Steyn strongly recommends declining all cookies because the extent of data usage is unknown to the user.
“My advice is: decline all cookies. Don’t be lazy, because it can track you.”
“Anything that’s free, you pay with your data. And what they do with that data is the scary thing.”
According to Steyn, our mobile phone providers harvest around probably half a million data points a day and encourage everyone to always decline cookies.
“They know more about us than we know about ourselves.”
“Now, most of us, definitely myself, are so desperate to read that article. I just don’t click on accept.”
Johan says that, likewise, when it comes to long pages of terms and conditions that appear on devices when installing a new application or software. People are not commonly going to take the time to sit and read through legal documents using big terms before simply clicking ‘agree’.
Therefore, it is stressed that you always decline website cookies. Especially because your data can be used against you in a larger geopolitical context.
“I just think we should be more careful of what we surrender.”
Move on to another website
According to Johan, a challenge arises when that kind of surveillance data falls into the wrong hands, in the event of a hack.
“I trust the MTNs and Vodacom’s in the world are POPIA compliant, that they protect my data. Same with many of the websites.”
Cybersecurity problems arise if the whole nation allows the world to have access to data about their personal lives, daily whereabouts and purchases, etc.
“We see even state-sponsored entities like the Middle East and China. And don’t think the US isn’t guilty as well, Silicon Valley tracking us and getting all the information they can.”
“So the website cookies track our behaviour online,
Even if you only do ‘normal stuff’ on your phone and have nothing to hide.
“You don’t want them to get all of that data,” Steyn stresses.
He emphasises that there are many websites available, so if you decline the cookie option on one website and it kicks you out:
“Ignore it, say no and move on to another website.”
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