YOUR IDENTITY IS NO LONGER PRIVATE – AND FACEBOOK KNOWS MORE THAN YOU THINK

YOUR IDENTITY IS NO LONGER PRIVATE – AND FACEBOOK KNOWS MORE THAN YOU THINK 

Allen Johnston – The Music Specialist | www.asha.com 

Think your personal life is still private? Think again. Right now, with just a few keystrokes, I can uncover details about you that would shock you—your habits, your connections, even your daily routines. And if I can do it, so can corporations, data brokers, and yes, even the government. 

Despite assurances that they wouldn’t monitor ordinary citizens, federal agencies have quietly granted themselves access to social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter (now X), Instagram, and more. But here’s the real kicker: private companies already do what the government can’t legally do alone. Tech giants like Google, Meta (Facebook), Microsoft, and Apple have built systems that track, analyze, and store your personal data on an unprecedented scale. 

Your Life, Mapped and Monetized 

Whistleblowers and leaked documents have confirmed it—mass surveillance isn’t just a conspiracy theory. Your digital footprint is being harvested: 

- Location tracking (GPS, Wi-Fi, cell towers) 

- Purchase history (credit cards, airline tickets, subscriptions) 

- Communication logs (emails, texts, social media DMs) 

- Behavioral predictions (when you’ll buy coffee, where you’ll go next) 

Imagine this: An algorithm knows you stop for Starbucks every morning at 8 AM. It sees you texted "Bubba" to meet you there—and predicts he’ll be 10 minutes late. Dynamic pricing adjusts your coffee cost the second you walk in. You’re annoyed, but you pay anyway. Sound far-fetched? It’s already happening in other industries. 

Your Data Is Being Sold—And You’re the Product 

Privacy is an illusion. Corporations profit by packaging and selling your information to advertisers, employers, and even government agencies. Google alone can: 

- Pinpoint your home via satellite imagery 

- Scan your emails for targeted ads 

- Track your movements through your phone 

- Estimate your net worth based on spending habits 

All of this is justified as "public record" or "user agreements" you blindly accepted. 

Don’t Believe Me? See for Yourself. 

Search your name here—you might be stunned by what’s exposed: 

- 🔍 People-Search Databases: [https://www.intelius.com](https://www.intelius.com) 

- 📧 Email & Social Scrapers: [https://spokeo.com](https://spokeo.com) 

- 🚨 Location Check-In Tracker (Archive): [https://pleaserobme.com](https://pleaserobme.com) (Yes, this was a real site highlighting the dangers of oversharing.) 

“But I Have Nothing to Hide!" 

That’s not the point. The issue is control—your life shouldn’t be a commodity. Still skeptical? Wait until Facebook suggests a friend you’ve only ever emailed, or an ad follows you for something you only said out loud. 

This isn’t paranoia. It’s reality. And it’s time to start paying attention. 

Allen Johnston