I've always pointed out to people that there tends to be a correlation between knowledge of how computers work, and trust of them. That correlation is this: the more you know about how computers work, the less you trust them. And I think it can be said that the correlation is indeed a causation in this case.

Now let me make it clear that it is not the computers themselves that are untrustworthy, but the way they are used. The more I know about how they can be used, and the more I see how they are used, the less I trust using them. Our technology has gone from a helpful tool to make us more productive to a weapon of control and monitoring. The primary goal of technology companies is no longer to offer high-quality tech as a tool to get things done, but as a service that can be used to track and profile. Social media, and pretty much every online site tracks users, collects as much information as possible, and sells it to advertising companies, and this happens without much transparency, if any at all.

The technology provided to us by large corporations is so messed up that your operating system itself—whether it is Windows or MacOS—is constantly reporting analytics detailing how you use your computer. And it would not be surprising to me in the slightest if Facebook or Google ended up obtaining this analytics data somehow or another. You see, these corporations make their money on user data. Have you ever wondered how Facebook can offer everyone an account for free? Likewise, have you ever wondered how you're able to make Google searches and use Google Mail without having a subscription? The answer is simple, and repeated often in privacy advocacy circles: you are not the customer, but the product. Both Google and Facebook are not primarily companies that provide a service, they are companies that harvest user data and sell it to third parties. That's why Google is "free" to use: because even though you aren't paying any money into it, you're handing over your personal information, and Google sells it and makes money that way.

Most of the people that listen to me talk about technology are already familiar with this, because it is the main reason that I do all the things I do with computers. To the unsuspecting user (and I think most of them are), there is nothing wrong. Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and the other big tech companies have created an illusion, which is that they are providing helpful services out of their own good will. Google lets you make as many searches as you want, and it's not immediately obvious what they do with your searches. It offers nearly-unlimited email, and chat, and video calling now. All in a way that they make you think is free.

But it is not free. Anything online that is offered without monetary cost actually has a greater cost: your privacy. And it isn't just websites. As I mentioned above, tracking and analytics is built in to your computer itself. Simply turning it on and logging in is all it takes for it to start sending data out to the company that provides your operating system. Smart home equipment is just as bad: cameras, thermostats, and lightbulbs now can connect to the internet and relay data about how you use them to a server out of your control. These are not created as a product that offers you convenience. But they do offer convenience: it is now easier than ever for tech companies to track and report on their users, because technology is reaching further and further into our lives.

Voice assistants like those offered by Amazon, Google, and Apple are always listening. While you may be told that it is just so that you can say "Hey Siri" or "Okay Google" and thus invoke your assistant hands-free, you would be surprised at how often recordings are uploaded to servers. In fact, your phone doesn't do any processing of your voice commands at all: it simply passe