How Internet Behaviors Can Change Your Life

What is Internet Behavior

This is what they callGartner Identifies the Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2021 / Gartner technologies that allow you to collect and analyze a lot of data about the habits and lifestyle of people. For example, where they go, what applications they use, what sites they visit, what they buy, what they eat, who they communicate with, how they work and spend their free time.

All of this is tracked using "digital dust" - information about location, activity on social networks and the Internet. Dust is collected by devices that we need every day: smartphones, computers, smart watches, TVs, speakers with voice assistants.

The information obtained can be applied by corporations or governments. Large companies like Google or Facebook have the ability to collect and combine "digital dust" from several services belonging to them at once. For example, from a search engine, Google Play and YouTube. However, a single centralized system of Internet behavior does not yet exist.

Nevertheless, experts from Gartner, an American consulting company, a key researcher of the IT market, calledGartner Identifies the Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2021 / Gartner Internet behavior is one of the trends of 2021.

How Internet Behavior Already Affects Our Lives

Internet Behavior not only collects and analyzes data, but also shares conclusions based on it. As a result, people have more information for decision making. For example, smartphones and smartwatches can recommend us:

• how to sleep better;
• how much to move;
• how to get around the traffic jam;
• what news to read;
• what movie, post or video to watch;
• when is it better not to go out;
• what is better to buy.

However, the matter is not limited to recommendations only. Already, corporations are actively using the collected data for various purposes.

For example, the Uber taxi ordering service analyzesP. Kamat, C. Hogan. How Uber Leverages Applied Behavioral Science at Scale / Uber Engineering customer actions to improve their application. It displays important interface elements in user-friendly locations. And Google, Facebook and YouTube use information about people's actions and interests to show them personalized advertising.

Also, Internet behavior began to be actively used during the pandemic. Special applications allow government agencies to find out who a person has recently been in contact with if they are sick with COVID-19. And some companies remotely trackThermal Imaging Systems (Infrared Thermographic Systems) / Thermal Imaging Cameras / US Food and Drug Administrationwhether their employees wear masks at the workplace, whether they periodically wash their hands, whether they have a temperature.

But, in general, the Internet of behavior opens up much greater opportunities.

How Internet Behavior Can Improve Your Life

Consulting and IT experts see 1. Will IoT technology bring us the quantified employee? / Deloitte
2. J. Pershke. The Internet Of Behavior: Smarter Technology's Next Frontier Is Our Human Experience / Forbes there are many prospects in the trend. They assume that in the future these technologies will be used more and more often. So, according to Gartner forecasts, by the end of 2025, more than half of the world's population will coverGartner Identifies the Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2021 / Gartner at least one private or public Internet behavior program.

He can change working conditions

New technologies will enable managers to better analyze employee behavior. For example, a study by the international consulting company Deloitte showedWill IoT technology bring us the quantified employee? / Deloittethat the productivity of call center workers after a joint meal increases by 18%, efficiency - by 23%, and the level of stress is reduced by 19%. Using this data, management will be able to make working conditions more comfortable.

It can reduce business costs

As they thinkWill IoT technology bring us the quantified employee? / Deloitte at Deloitte, Internet behaviors can be applied to automate some workflows as well. For example, such as setting tasks for employees for the next month. Eventually control work will become easier, and the costs of middle managers will be reduced.

New technologies can reduce other costs as well. For example, the logistics company UPS, using route analysis and driver behavior, was able toUPS Sustainability Highlights reduce travel time and fuel costs.

Most likely, Internet behavior will be increasingly used to create ads. This will help the business to minimize marketing costs without losing profits, since there is no need to conduct market research anymore. All this information can be gleaned from the data of Internet users.

He can make life safer

Probably, with the help of the Internet, behaviors will continue to monitor compliance with sanitary requirements and contacts of the infected. This will allowWill IoT technology bring us the quantified employee? / Deloitte prevent the spread of viruses like COVID-19. But this is not the end of it.

New technologies in the future mayJ. Pershke. The Internet Of Behavior: Smarter Technology's Next Frontier Is Our Human Experience / Forbes also used to create breakthrough medical devices that scan health indicators in real time. For example, pacemakers or blood sugar meters, which change the mode of operation depending on the patient's condition and warn doctors when they are in danger.

The analysis of the behavior of people behind the wheel will make it possible to create safer cars, as well as make insurance cheaper for the most accurate drivers and more expensive for reckless drivers. And with the help of systems face recognition it will become easier to catch criminals.

What are the downsides of internet behavior

While in general Internet behavior is needed to make life better, some of its possibilities are daunting.

It uses people's personal data

One of the main fears is associated with infringement of privacy: suddenly observation will become uninterrupted or uncontrolled. For example, the status of employees will be monitored not only during working hours.

Yes, studying the data on the well-being of a doctor, pilot or driver can save dozens of lives. But does the end justify the means? Would you like to be constantly monitored by Big Brother and give you advice, even if it is correct? Such actions are not only illegal but also unethical. After all, the secret of private life is one of the basic human rights.

It can be used to control the population

The data of the Internet of behavior can be used by governments that are actively adopting new technologies. Facial recognition systems are ubiquitous, followed by audiovisual devices capable of distinguishing what a person is talking about or analyzing his facial expressions. The Chinese government has already tested such technologies.J. Wakefield. AI emotion ‑ detection software tested on Uyghurs / BBC News on the opponents of the regime. So far, they are not integrated with data collection devices and cannot be considered a full-fledged Internet system of behavior, but the potential for such a merger is daunting.

After all algorithms can learn predict people's intentions. And for example, after analyzing the gestures and words, inform the police that a certain citizen is planning to harm someone.

There are two ethical issues here. First, intention does not always lead to action. Second, there is nothing stopping governments from using the predictive system to find critics of the regime and deal with them. That is, in fact, to untie your hands for any of the most illegal actions.

It is not regulated in any way

At the same time, there are practically no laws controlling Internet behavior. It is prohibited in Russia 1. Federal Law of 27.07.2006 No. 152-FZ "On Personal Data"
2. Administrative Code of the Russian Federation, article 13.11. "Violation of the legislation of the Russian Federation in the field of personal data" collect personal data about a person without his permission, but this often happens. For example, when combining several applications into one system.

In Western countries, the situation is somewhat better. For example, in the European Union since 2016Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46 / EC (General Data Protection Regulation) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). According to him, you can not collect information that is contrary to the law. It must be protected from theft, and the consumer must know what information his device is sending and why. Three years later, a similar regulation (CCPA) was passedAB ‑ 375 Privacy: personal information: businesses (2017–2018) by the California authorities.

However, these laws only partially protect consumers. After all, without acceptance privacy policy most online services cannot be used, and data collection and use may not be turned off everywhere.

It creates new security threats

Data canSay Hello to the Internet Of Behaviors: What Is It & Why You Should Care / Axios take over the intruders. After all, the more information, the higher the temptation to steal it, and the more chances you have to pull it off.

Hacker attacks and fraud can become commonplace. For example, attackers will learn to control the victim's smart pacemaker, and then extort a ransom from her with threats and torture.

What to do if you don't want to be part of the Internet of Behavior

If you are afraid of surveillance, do not want your personal data to go somewhere and be used, you need to minimize your digital footprint. To do this, turn off data transmission on all devices, look for information in the browser only in the "incognita», Hide your social media profiles.

However, this does not mean that you will completely stop leaving behind "digital dust". If you want to get away from the Internet of behavior, you will have to completely abandon digital devices and bank cards, and also go to a place where there are no cameras and other people. That is, to deprive yourself of all the benefits of civilization.