‘The unauthorized harvesting of data from multiple federal agencies … by DOGE is cause for serious concern’
Ever feel like your phone has been spying on you? Maybe you were talking to friends about a potential vacation destination, for example, and then you start seeing ads in your social media feed about the place you were just talking about.
Your phone probably was listening to you, and key bits of your conversation found their way into a profiling database maintained by a market research firm. These firms purchase your data from your cell provider and combine it with other data they’ve compiled on you from various other sources, including all those “cookies” that you absentmindedly accept when browsing online. They then create demographic and economic profiles that they can sell to advertisers, who are seeking to efficiently target potential customers.
Most people don’t like the idea of anonymous corporations compiling data about them. But at least these corporations are doing it with a straightforward motive — to sell you goods and services that they think you’ll want.
But what if it were the United States government assembling your data and profiling you? Why might they want to do this?
Ever feel like your phone has been spying on you? Maybe you were talking to friends about a potential vacation destination, for example, and then you start seeing ads in your social media feed about the place you were just talking about.
Your phone probably was listening to you, and key bits of your conversation found their way into a profiling database maintained by a market research firm. These firms purchase your data from your cell provider and combine it with other data they’ve compiled on you from various other sources, including all those “cookies” that you absentmindedly accept when browsing online. They then create demographic and economic profiles that they can sell to advertisers, who are seeking to efficiently target potential customers.
Most people don’t like the idea of anonymous corporations compiling data about them. But at least these corporations are doing it with a straightforward motive — to sell you goods and services that they think you’ll want.
Ever feel like your phone has been spying on you? Maybe you were talking to friends about a potential vacation destination, for example, and then you start seeing ads in your social media feed about the place you were just talking about.
Your phone probably was listening to you, and key bits of your conversation found their way into a profiling database maintained by a market research firm. These firms purchase your data from your cell provider and combine it with other data they’ve compiled on you from various other sources, including all those “cookies” that you absentmindedly accept when browsing online. They then create demographic and economic profiles that they can sell to advertisers, who are seeking to efficiently target potential customers.
Most people don’t like the idea of anonymous corporations compiling data about them. But at least these corporations are doing it with a straightforward motive — to sell you goods and services that they think you’ll want.
Ever feel like your phone has been spying on you? Maybe you were talking to friends about a potential vacation destination, for example, and then you start seeing ads in your social media feed about the place you were just talking about.
Your phone probably was listening to you, and key bits of your conversation found their way into a profiling database maintained by a market research firm. These firms purchase your data from your cell provider and combine it with other data they’ve compiled on you from various other sources, including all those “cookies” that you absentmindedly accept when browsing online. They then create demographic and economic profiles that they can sell to advertisers, who are seeking to efficiently target potential customers.
Most people don’t like the idea of anonymous corporations compiling data about them. But at least these corporations are doing it with a straightforward motive — to sell you goods and services that they think you’ll want.
Ever feel like your phone has been spying on you? Maybe you were talking to friends about a potential vacation destination, for example, and then you start seeing ads in your social media feed about the place you were just talking about.
Your phone probably was listening to you, and key bits of your conversation found their way into a profiling database maintained by a market research firm. These firms purchase your data from your cell provider and combine it with other data they’ve compiled on you from various other sources, including all those “cookies” that you absentmindedly accept when browsing online. They then create demographic and economic profiles that they can sell to advertisers, who are seeking to efficiently target potential customers.
Most people don’t like the idea of anonymous corporations compiling data about them. But at least these corporations are doing it with a straightforward motive — to sell you goods and services that they think you’ll want.
Ever feel like your phone has been spying on you? Maybe you were talking to friends about a potential vacation destination, for example, and then you start seeing ads in your social media feed about the place you were just talking about.
Your phone probably was listening to you, and key bits of your conversation found their way into a profiling database maintained by a market research firm. These firms purchase your data from your cell provider and combine it with other data they’ve compiled on you from various other sources, including all those “cookies” that you absentmindedly accept when browsing online. They then create demographic and economic profiles that they can sell to advertisers, who are seeking to efficiently target potential customers.
Most people don’t like the idea of anonymous corporations compiling data about them. But at least these corporations are doing it with a straightforward motive — to sell you goods and services that they think you’ll want.
What You Can Do
Stay informed. Understand how government data is collected, shared, and protected, and why it matters. Tell your friends and family why it matters. And ask your elected officials in Congress where they stand on safeguarding federal data and protecting the agencies that produce it.
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