Opinion
Privacy is not a feature. It is a right we keep forgetting
Tech companies sell privacy as a premium add-on. That framing should worry everyone who cannot afford it.
Technology columnist
5 min read
Privacy settings are increasingly sold as part of premium subscriptions.
Pay a little more, and your data stays yours. That is the pitch of a growing number of apps and devices.
It sounds reasonable. It is not.
A right, not a tier
If privacy is a product, it becomes something only some people can buy. Those who cannot pay are tracked more, profiled more and targeted more.
We do not sell freedom of speech in a premium tier. Privacy deserves the same respect.
What regulators can do
Require privacy-protective defaults for everyone, ban charging for basic data rights and enforce the rules we already have. Most of the legal tools exist. They need to be used.
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Ines Okafor
Technology columnist
Ines writes about technology and power, and who gets to decide what the machines are for.
