Digital Bill of Rights
Just like our country’s Bill of Rights guarantees a core set of privileges for every American, we at Neeva believe that you should have basic rights when you use the internet. Whether the services you use are free or paid, companies need to respect your right to:
Privacy online.
We have become resigned to the fact that tech companies track our every move. You wouldn’t agree to someone watching you in your living room, so why is your internet activity any different? Your home, the possessions you own and the digital information you create are your private property. Businesses need to respect your privacy, online and offline.
Reasonable data collection and controls.
There are technology products that work better when they know some information about you, like your interests or what country you live in. However, companies today collect whatever information they can about you and store it indefinitely. The default of how companies use your data should be reasonable and aligned with your expectations. Additionally, companies need to offer you controls that are easy to find and give you real ownership over your data—not just lip service.
For example, tech products rarely need to store your location history forever. A better default would be to store this data for 90 days, while offering you the option to let the company store it longer if that is your choice.
Know how your data is used.
Do you know all the different ways technology companies use your browsing data? Your IP address? Your name and profile photo? Companies can get your personal information for a purpose that benefits you, but then use the data in whatever way they want going forward. Products ask for your phone number and email address so you can recover your account in case you get hacked, but then will use this data to report your online purchases to advertisers. Ongoing transparency around data usage needs to become the standard of the future.
Data ownership and portability.
Your information belongs to you. Products should make it easy for you to download everything they store about you. You should also be able to use your data with whatever service you prefer. Some companies offer this functionality, but it can take advanced technical knowledge to port your data over to the service of your choice. True data ownership means the ability to see, use, and move your information as you wish.
These are the values that we at Neeva stand by, in solidarity with you.