A young Internet activist by the name of Aaron Swartz wrote in his Open Access Manifesto that; “information is like power and like all power there are those who want to keep it for themselves” This statement and his Open Access Manifesto changed my life, it made me understand how valuable information is and there is no information more valuable than our own private information. Because of the value of our personal data to both advertising and governmental agencies which have proven to be invaluable, so invaluable that a cohesive cognitive effort to violate our privacy is ignored by the masses as we negligently agree to terms and conditions companies put forth in order to use their services. Companies like Google and Facebook’s excuse for violating our privacy is because they offer their service to us for free, but hasn’t the value of our data now outgrown this generous act by companies like Google to give us their services for “free”?
Our Internet privacy is under assault by our own ignorance and those who chose to exploit this ignorance and I will repeat that until I’m blue in the face, but crypto-currencies have offered a unique opportunity for citizens of the Internet to change the landscape and create a new narrative, by introducing Bitcoin’s in exchange for our data. If as we agree to the terms and conditions companies and corporations set forth the companies they themselves agree to give us the users a small percentage of the profits they gain from the data they collect on us. This could be easily done by assigning Bitcoin wallets to users as they sign up for Google or any of these other major Internet companies or communications providers. Then as your information or data is used for profit you are reimbursed a small portion of the profits gained by collecting and sharing your data, even if users were given altcoins like Doge or DigiByte, it would have a grave impact on users financial situations and could even help to combat poverty on a global scale taking into account how universal Bitcoin and Altcoins have become. It is my goal to create a program that could implement personal data for crypto-currencies into our everyday Internet lives. I believe in my heart that companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter should not profit on such a massive scale from our personal, private, intimate data whilst not paying a single penny in taxes and if they just shared a portion of their wealth with their users that they could change the world. The fact that these highly profitable corporations would not be open or are in fact opposed this idea, will forever be remembered as a negligence to humanity in my own personal view.
We as consumers ultimately decide the fate of any company or corporation without us they are nothing and have no profits to speak of, it is only us the users who have the capability and the duty to demand that our data not be stored and sold for personal or corporatist profits and that we even the playing field by informing the public of just exactly what these corporations are doing with our data and how they are profiting from it on a grotesque scale which is ultimately and undeniably having an effect of the “Wealth Gap” across the globe. Ever since I was 12 years old I have been fascinated by computers even though as a child my family could never afford one so I practically lived at my local public library, a long story short is that the Internet is dear to my heart. When I calculate all that the Internet has given me it is my conclusion, that I must protect #OurInternet and the unwritten freedoms it ordains, we must protect our data and value it higher than the services we are provided for “free”.
By Joziah – @Dapeaple
We the people
Exuding free speech
Deserve nothing less than
Altruism