Refuse to Participate

As privacy advocates and activists, it's important to be a voice for resistance and take a stand against abusive practices. One substantial way to do this is to refuse to participate in privacy-intrusive requests, or use invasive software.

Here's how you can refuse to comply with privacy-abusive practices, and why it's imperative that you do whenever possible:

The risk of complying with privacy-invasive requests

Requests to invade our privacy are part of our daily lives in today's world. Whether it's a store cashier banally asking for our phone number after a purchase, or a prominent facial scan at the airport with no clear instructions on how to opt out, privacy-invasive requests have become so normalized that most people barely notice them anymore.

The problem is, each time we mindlessly comply because we are tired, rushed, or failed to even notice how unnecessary and intrusive this is, we directly contribute in normalizing bad practices even more.

While it might be ambitious to expect people who aren't even aware of privacy issues to say no, as privacy advocates we have a responsibility to lead by example, and refuse every single time we legally can. Ideally, we should also document and report on our experience, as this presents a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the issue.

The risk of using privacy-abusive platforms

Each time we use a platform, tool, or service that is privacy-invasive in our practice, we also contribute in normalizing the use of privacy-abusive software.

It's not always easy to leave Big Tech and adopt more privacy-preserving technologies in our daily work. Nevertheless, it's an essential part of our advocacy.

When we use products that do not reflect the values we are asking people to adopt, we not only undermine our own credibility as privacy advocates, but we also harm the privacy rights movement as a whole. It's crucial to lead by example and publicly refuse to use and participate in privacy-abusive platforms, as much as feasible for our situation.

How to refuse to participate in abusive practices, and take a stand for privacy rights

There are many ways to refuse to participate in privacy-invasive practices and platforms. Here are a few things you can try to do in your daily life, and in your privacy advocacy work:

Use an ad blocker everywhere you can.
Categorically and obstinately reject all cookies, every single time.
Read apps' privacy-labels, and always favor applications that are the least intrusive.
Migrate away from abusive Big Tech products and platforms.
Try to move out or reduce your usage of privacy-exploiting social media.
Each time you install a new application or create a new account, go through the settings to disable all the privacy-invasive features you can disable. Make sure to disable any AI features as well.
When requested to provide unnecessary personal information by a cashier or an online form, firmly refuse to provide anything that isn't legally necessary.
Inform yourself in advance about potential legal options to opt out of privacy-invasive technologies such as airport facial scanner.
Refuse to provide an official piece of ID online for purposes that aren't strictly necessary, such as government requests. Do not comply with intrusive age-verification processes. Leave your account abandoned instead, or delete it if you still can. Additionally, consider contacting your government representatives and the platform's complaint email to voice your privacy concerns about such practice.
Report privacy violations of your local privacy laws whenever you can.
Depending on your position, refuse to collect or share personal information on others without their prior, explicit, and informed consent (unless you are legally required). Be mindful of the software or third-party partners you use that could inadvertently share more information about others than you intended, such as website telemetry or social media buttons.
Never share the personal information of others with an AI chatbot or platform. Decline to do this in your work, whenever possible.
Promote refusal around you. Inform others of their rights and responsibilities to opt out. Create accessible guides to educate the public on how they can also refuse to participate.

More resources

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