Robert W. is a 43-year-old father from Farmington Hills, Michigan.
In January 2020, Robert came home from work like any other day.
As he pulled into his driveway, a police car pulled in behind him and blocked him in.
Officers arrested Robert in front of his wife and two young daughters.
The charge?
Stealing watches from a high-end store in Detroit.
Robert had not been to the store.
And he was nowhere near it on the day of the theft.
So why did police come for him?
Detroit police had used facial recognition software to scan blurry security camera
footage from the store.
The computer matched the image to Robert's expired driver's license photo.
Robert spent over 30 hours in an overcrowded detention cell, sleeping on a concrete
floor.
During questioning, an officer showed him the surveillance photo.
Robert held it next to his own face.
"I hope you do not think people look alike," Robert said.
The officer replied, "The computer says it is you.
But the match was wrong and Robert was eventually released.
In 2021, the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit on his behalf.
The case was settled in 2024 for a six-figure settlement.
And Robert's case was not an isolated incident.
At least seven people in the United States have been wrongfully arrested because of
faulty facial recognition.
Technology designed to keep us safe can be turned against us without warning.
This is why protecting your digital privacy matters.
But facial recognition is just one piece of a much bigger picture.
Your smartphone, your apps, your smart home devices, and even your photos are
quietly broadcasting information about you every single day.
What you need to know about the threats to your privacy and how to fight back.
Your device tracks everything:
Your device logs your location throughout the day using GPS, cell towers, and Wi-Fi
connections.
Even when you are not using your device, it is scanning for networks and broadcasting
signals.
Apps you installed years ago may still have permission to reach your camera,
microphone, contacts, and location.
Every one of those permissions is a potential leak of your personal information.
Your photos give you away:
Every photo taken with a smartphone contains embedded data called EXIF information.
This includes the exact GPS coordinates of where the photo was taken, the date, and
the time.
When you share photos online through text or email, you may be broadcasting your
home address, workplace, or daily routine without knowing it.
Data brokers trade your information:
Companies called data brokers gather and trade your personal information to anyone
willing to pay.
Your identity, address, mobile digits, browsing history, and location patterns are being
traded.
In 2024, a major data broker called National Public Data was breached, exposing the
records of countless Americans, including Social Security numbers.
Drawbacks to digital privacy measures:
Convenience trade-offs:
Disabling location services means losing features like maps, local weather, and
location-based reminders.
Some apps may not work properly without these permissions turned on.
You will have to decide which conveniences you are willing to give up for better security.
Constant vigilance:
Updated apps and software updates can reset your privacy settings without warning.
You will need to regularly review your permissions and settings to stay protected.
It is an ongoing effort, not a single effort.
Social pressure:
Friends and family may want you to share your location with them through apps.
Some group features on social media require location sharing to work.
You will need to balance your desire for privacy with the expectations of people around
you.
If you are committed about protecting your privacy, these are your top priorities:
Priority 1: Audit your device permissions
Go through every app on your device and review what it can reach.
Disable location, camera, and microphone permissions for any app that has no real
reason to have them.
Delete apps you no longer use as each one is a potential point of entry for your
personal data.
Priority 2: Strip your photo metadata
Before sharing photos, scrub the EXIF data that contains your GPS coordinates.
Most social media platforms strip this automatically, but email and messaging apps
often do not.
Use a metadata scrubbing app or adjust your camera settings to disable location
tagging in your photos.
Priority 3: Use encrypted communication
Switch sensitive conversations to an encrypted messaging app instead of standard text
messages.
Standard SMS is like writing on a postcard. Anyone along the delivery chain can read it.
Encrypted apps scramble your messages so just you and the person you are writing to
can see them.
The reality is that privacy is not a perk. It is a basic part of staying safe.
Your device, your photos, and your apps are sharing stories about you, whether you
want them to or not.
Take control of your digital footprint before someone else takes it from you.
