Every click, cookie accepted and login collects data
When different online services ask the user to register for the first time and log in in the future, online data is collected about our information and activity. Every click and download accumulates information about us daily in dozens, if not hundreds, of data banks – even more so when we search for information on a smartphone with the location services turned on. The rights to use the images and videos uploaded into the services are also transferred to the company responsible for the service. Every time we accept cookies on a website, our activities are recorded. So, it does matter whether we accept only the necessary cookies or all cookies. With our cookie selections, we influence how the online data about us is used. Responsible media companies carefully explain their cookie policy. For subscribers and users of news services, it is a question of transparency and openness, as well as a possibility to genuinely influence the use of one’s own online data.
Data analytics is used to “predict” our “needs”
Data is collected and combined by means of data analytics. This creates equations, or algorithms, based on machine learning. Algorithms calculate probabilities and use them to “predict” consumer behaviour. When we browse websites and use services, the logic of the algorithms selects and recommends content to us based on our past online behaviour and the information we provide about ourselves. This way, more specific content is selected from among massive amounts of data. This can make it easier to find information that one is interested in or, for example, to find new music to enjoy.
However, there are many downsides:
- It is more difficult to see the bigger picture.
- It is easy to miss out on useful information.
- Our existing perceptions are reinforced without being challenged.
- The shared public domain deteriorates, as everyone is presented a different set of information based on their own online data.
- In addition to advertisements, we are also bombarded with disinformation tailored to our online profile.
In other words, we are constantly being influenced, both consciously and subconsciously.
There is no free information – our online data is a commodity of the data economy
As early as 2006, British mathematician Clive Humby compared data to oil: like oil, data is not valuable in itself. What is valuable is what data can be “processed” into, or what it is used for. In the data economy, power lies with those who control the online data. It is a commodity of today’s global economy: online services sell the data they collect from consumers. There is no such thing as free information or services online – consumers always pay for them online with money, data or a combination of both. The business is referred to as the platform economy: the platform company offers a website, mobile application or similar digital meeting place.
The problem with seemingly free online services is that their data sources, creators or information accuracy cannot be verified. They do not commit to good journalistic practice and therefore do not correct any incorrect information they have published. There are many websites and social media accounts online that may appear like news services. Most of them are foreign, translated websites that compile articles about celebrities and sports and entertainment stars, for example, by citing real news sources or gathering unchecked rumours from social media. Extremely dated information that has proven to be false or misleading may also circulate there. In addition, there are often websites or social media accounts created around a specific topic where disinformation and misinformation are disseminated while referring to sources. These have been set up around, for example, COVID-19 and anti-vaccine activism. Often, such websites also contain links to each other. For example, similar articles referring to conspiracy theories can be disseminated among them.
Examples of new forms of commercial influencing include commercial collaborations between both companies and organisations with celebrities or social media influencers. These can promote good ethical goals, such as nature conservation, sustainable consumption or human rights, but also act as faces for different products and services on social media. Popular influencers can also be involved in the dissemination of controversial opinions and disinformation.
Independent journalism costs money – that is the reason for paywalls
News media operations have, among others, increasingly turned into digital business. Producing journalism still requires skilled labour, which is why the news media are taking an increasingly large part of their content behind so-called paywalls. Online news media also finance their operations partly with advertising revenue and partly with subscription fees. The paywall guarantees journalistic integrity, or independence: working hours have been spent on producing journalism, and resources have not been financed by a party outside the editorial team.
Most news media companies publish quick, situational news free of charge, especially in cases where it may be important to distribute information widely for reasons of public safety and the smooth flow of everyday life. These include, for example, information about strikes, rapidly changing weather, or traffic accidents. Afternoon newspapers also continue to publish entertainment and sports news for free, at least in part. The content of the public service media company Yle is completely free, as it is financed out of tax revenue. Every Finn pays the Public Broadcasting Tax annually.
In the platform economy, new forms of marketing communications emerge all the time. One example is native advertisements, which are often similar in form to news content, but are produced on behalf of a company or other organisation for a fee. Good journalistic practice requires that all advertising material must be clearly separated from editorial material. Otherwise, the activity is hidden advertising. Marketing communications in the media are also monitored and guided by the The Council of Ethics in Advertising and the Council of Ethics for Communication.
EU tightens legislation to protect network users
Even if you try to handle your personal data with care, you may still fall victim to a crime. The most well-known case in Finland was a data breach in which the data of 33,000 people was hacked from the databases of the healthcare service company Vastaamo in November 2018. Two years later, the company was then extorted, and when the demands were not met, the perpetrator(s) published the personal data on the dark web, in Tor. The court proceedings were still ongoing in March. The accused is 26-year-old Aleksanteri Kivimäki, who was arrested in France last year after a long-lasting search notice. The crime is particularly serious because Vastaamo’s customers used or had used mental health services. As a result of the data breach, this sensitive health information was disseminated.
Several technology giants have been established and are headquartered in either the United States or China. The legal practices in the United States differ greatly from those in Europe, and the activities are based on free competition. Chinese companies are in contact with political leadership. As citizens’ activities are generally monitored in China, it is not certain what and how much information is transferred from Chinese companies to the authorities and for what purpose it is used.
In recent years, the EU has increased regulation on the data economy, as European legislation is based on the protection of individuals and the openness and transparency of market operations. This applies above all to online business activities. The drafting of the legislation is a balancing act between, on the one hand, the principles of freedom of expression, artistic expression and free market competition and, on the other hand, the principles of the security and individual protection of network users.