When writer James Temperton and his partner found out they were having a child, they resolved to keep it hidden from the internet. It proved even more difficult than you might think. Changes to how the couple used technology were just the start of it, as Mr. Temperton’s story in Wired revealed.
Completely relearning how to use the internet is one thing, but becoming a social pariah is something else entirely. And then, when the baby is born, a new problem arises. How on Earth can you stop anyone who takes a photo of your child from storing that image on Google Photos, thus opening it up to Google’s machine learning algorithms? That’s my child. Why should Google be allowed to sink its algorithmic claws into his beautiful face and use that data to better personalise its products and services?
Check It Out: Hiding Your Unborn Child From Facebook and Google
This part “Police the social media use of anyone who knows about the pregnancy and might inadvertently post about it” borders on harassment and controlling other people’s free speech. Even in the age before computers and the Internet, a wise person would tell you “A secret once told is no longer a secret”.