‘Facebook probably knows I sell drugs’—how young people’s digital footprints can threaten their future prospects

[Pelican Press 0]

‘

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probably knows I sell drugs’—how young people’s digital footprints can threaten their future prospects

by Robin van der Sanden, Chris Wilkins, Marta Rychert and Monica Barratt,

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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Social media and messaging apps such as

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,

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, Snapchat and Messenger are increasingly used to buy and sell drugs in many countries. New Zealand is no exception.

This trend is particularly popular among

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, who are often involved in trading recreational drugs such as cannabis and MDMA. These deals are generally small scale, which means people believe the risks of getting caught and facing legal action are low.

But our

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shows how *****-linked “digital trace data” may lead to unexpected consequences in the future. Young people could see their data sold and used against them by job recruiters, insurance companies and others for decades to come.

Data harvesting is the new normal

Social media companies such as

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are among the largest and most aggressive harvesters of user data.

These companies collect data on users beyond the confines of their platforms, generating profiles on individuals they can use to

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or sell to

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.

We interviewed 33 people as part of our study of social media ***** trading in New Zealand. Participants had varying experiences buying and selling drugs via apps.

A core question we were interested in was how our interviewees navigated security and digital trace data as part of their ***** trading.

Many participants were aware of and concerned about the impact a potential ********* record could have on their lives.

They also felt the collection of their digital trace data by social media companies could become another potential source of exposure to police, who can

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from these companies. As one participant said, “

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probably knows I sell drugs.”

But concerns went beyond just law enforcement. Some participants accepted their digital trace data could be used by other groups: “My data has been bought and sold 1,000 times by now, i don’t care what company has it anymore.”

Some of our interviewees also reported receiving targeted adverts related to ***** use on Meta platforms, ranging from cannabis edibles to rehab clinics.

This raises questions around how *****-linked digital trace data may influence different areas of people’s lives as it’s absorbed into the

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.

Increasingly, a person’s digital trace data is being accessed by different groups, from

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and

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companies to

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agencies.

Data may become the new ********* record

********* records have long had an

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on employment, housing access, insurance, loans and travel opportunities—also known as “

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.”

The 2004

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included the clean slate scheme which allows

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New Zealanders to request their ********* records be concealed from employers and third parties.

The scheme is meant to give hope to people grappling with the consequences of ********* records for minor offenses, often committed in their youth. But

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it doesn’t really work as intended in the digital age.

Today, archived digital content, such as media reports of an offense, often remain easily searched and accessible after official records have been removed.

But the rise of big data and the use of algorithms to analyze digital trace data sets and

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further complicates this picture. Big data analytics are spreading beyond advertising into other private sectors such as insurance. This means the collateral consequences of ********* records—and any ******** behavior—are expanding.

Collateral consequences in the age of big data

The fact our research participants viewed themselves as having a low risk of being caught by police is unsurprising, given the small scale of their ***** trading.

But the collection and ***** of digital trace data as part of social media ***** deals means we need to broaden the understanding of collateral consequences beyond ********* records.

The spread of big data and predictive algorithms shows how ********* convictions could become just one of many sources of collateral consequences for individuals.

The targeted advertising of *****-related products and services to some participants in our research highlights how labels such as “***** consumer” may be applied to people based on their digital trace data. There is a high likelihood this classification will feed into other data sets as they are sold on to third parties.

And given the long-term storage of data by many public and private groups, it may well be that data gathered about an individual when they were 18

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when they are 35.

These data sets may end up causing collateral consequences similar to ********* records, regardless of whether or not there was a ********* conviction.

The global data trade is likely to affect all of us in some form. But it may have a particularly harsh impact on people whose digital trace data links them to behaviors such as ***** use or minor offending such as small-scale ***** trading.

Provided by
The Conversation

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under a Creative Commons license. Read the

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probably knows I sell drugs’—how young people’s digital footprints can threaten their future prospects (2024, May 23)
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