Blog: Erasing Personal Data ?

Context :

Personal data to be permanently erased if requested: Rajeev Chandrasekhar ………….. BL / 22 April 2023

Extract :

If explicitly requested, data gathered from individuals can be permanently erased once the service has been provided, said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Electronics, and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

“Data limitation involves collecting only essential information for a particular service, while purpose limitation entails using the data solely for that purpose,” he said, addressing a question on the revised digital personal data protection legislation.

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MY TAKE :

Dear Shri Chandrasekharji ,

May be , Personal Data can be erased if , in its entirety , it is residing on ONE SERVER – which belongs to one entity

Of course, this assumes that, as a User , I know that server – and its owner ( ignoring the process of requesting )

But as things stand today, my Personal Data lies scattered on a million servers , belonging to a million parties !

And distributed / spread , all over the World

No human being knows where all her data lies scattered – often fragmented , in bits and pieces

May be it is “ politically incorrect “ to admit that there is NO WAY to erase personal data from millions of web-servers

And now, with the arrival – and rapid proliferation of AI Chatbots ( ChatGPT – BING – BARD – LaMDA etc ), it is time to muster some courage and say :

Personal Data is Immortal - Long Live Data !

It is a case of : “ If you can’t beat them – then join them “ / “ Make best of a bad bargain “

For umpteenth time, I urge you to enable USERS to “ monetize “ their Personal Data , by implementing :

Ø SARAL ( Single Authentic Registration for Anywhere Login )….[ 10 Feb 2019 ]

Ø Digital Dividend from Demographic Data [ 4 D ]………… …………….[ 14 Feb 2019 ]

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

www.hemenparekh.ai / 22 April 2023

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In support :

I asked ChatGPT :

For long I have believed that

> Keeping Personal Data as " private " , is impossible

> Totally erasing one's Personal Data from the internet is also impossible

> All " forms " of Personal Data captured through senses of SIGHT - SOUND - TASTE - SMELL -

TOUCH will get more and more FUNGIBLE and manifest in different forms, at different times .

I wonder if you agree with my views .

Would you like to add to my above-mentioned observations ?

hemen / www.hemenparekh.ai / 22 April 2023

ChatGPT replied :

As an AI language model, I don't have personal beliefs, but I can provide some insights on your observations.

Firstly,

it is indeed challenging to keep personal data entirely private.

With the widespread use of digital technology and the internet, our personal data is continuously collected, shared, and stored by various entities, including governments, corporations, and third-party service providers.

However, there are steps that individuals can take to protect their personal data, such as using privacy tools, being selective about what information they share online, and regularly monitoring their digital footprint.

Secondly,

it is also true that it is difficult to entirely erase personal data from the

internet.

Even if someone deletes their social media accounts or other online profiles, their data may still exist in various other databases, archives, and backups.

Additionally, it is possible that others may have already saved, copied, or shared their data.

However, individuals can still take steps to minimize their digital footprint and reduce the visibility of their personal data online.

Lastly,

personal data captured through the senses is indeed fungible and can

manifest in different forms at different times.

For instance, data from a person's taste preferences can be used to recommend food products, while data from their touch can be used to personalize their experience with wearable technology.

As technology advances, it is likely that more forms of personal data will be captured and utilized in novel ways.

In conclusion,

while it may be challenging to keep personal data entirely private or erase it entirely from the internet, individuals can take steps to protect their data and reduce their digital footprint.

Additionally,

personal data captured through the senses can be fungible and used in

various ways, and this trend is likely to continue with advances in

technology.

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