"Blatantly unlawful and horrifically intrusive" data collection is everywhere – how to fight back

Whether we like it or not, our data is constantly being collected – but there are ways we can combat this. Using privacy tools like the best VPNs is one way of beginning to secure your data privacy, but privacy apathy is real, and we mustn't resign ourselves to helplessness when it comes to protecting our data.

Rowenna Fielding, aka Miss IG Geek, is an independent data protection and privacy expert, and we recently spoke to her about how we can take back control of our data.

Shock factor

We spoke to Fielding at Engage, Educate, Empower 2025, a data protection conference hosted by the Data Privacy Advisory Service (DPAS). During her talk, she shocked the room with real life examples and this tactic can be crucial in people realising what is at stake when it comes to their data.

Fielding raised the point that it's down to individuals to raise this awareness as it won't come from the organizations collecting your data. "There is really no commercial benefit for a business in saying what we're doing is wrong, let's stop," she claimed.

When speaking to us, she provided the example of education technology used in schools, saying some is "blatantly unlawful and horrifically intrusive and creepy."

"The school is not going to call that out [because they benefit from it], the parents aren't going to call it out because they don't know [the dangers], and the kids aren't going to call it out," she said.

"So the question of who is going to pay for the effort it takes to raise people's consciousness of the dangers of surveillance technology – I don't know the answer to that."

Regulatory action

Fielding called for "some actual regulation from the actual regulator," and said "as long as it's more profitable and easier to break the law than not, then businesses will."

"We cannot expect commercial incentives to save the day for us because they are in direct opposition to the purpose of these laws, which is human rights, human dignity," she added.

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) has stressed that non-essential cookies shouldn't be deployed on user's devices if they haven't actively given consent. It has also said organisations must make it as easy for users to "reject all" as it is to "accept all."

Simply put, if website users see an "accept all" cookies option, they must also be provided with a "reject all" cookies option – without having to take any extra steps.

However many websites do not present users with this option, exploiting loopholes and grey areas in data protection legislation.

A survey from All About Cookies found that 38% of Americans blindly accept cookies, 25% accept all after researching, and just 18% reject cookies. Although data privacy laws differ between the US and the UK and Europe, this shows the attitudes people have towards cookies and the prevalence of privacy apathy.

This benefits the companies and third-parties collecting the data and enables them to track individuals, sell their information, and target them with ads. It also opens them up to threats of data breaches and hacking.

Take back control of your data

"Shame" was something championed by Fielding. She commented on how using "community" and our networks "to make it socially unacceptable to treat people like this is probably the most powerful thing we have."

"The defence against the dangers of authoritarianism in tech, or rather facilitated by tech, is local networks, local community, community activism, and community spirit," she said. "Don't expect to change the world, but keep your corner of it safe for you and yours."

Raising awareness and sharing the dangers of data tracking and harvesting is vital in educating more people about data privacy and building a wider campaign to protect it. With that in mind, here are some simple steps to follow that will help improve your privacy online.

• Reject cookies: This is a crucial step and all websites should give you the option, even if it takes a few extra steps. If you can't find a way of doing this, then consider visiting a different site.
• VPNs: They hide your IP address and browsing activity from third-parties, routing your traffic through an encrypted tunnel, helping to protect your data. Understanding how VPNs work is key, however. Links can still be made when using one – if you're using Facebook and follow an ad, for example, your profile will still be linked with that action.
• Cybersecurity packages: Some of the top VPNs offer total cybersecurity protection, including ad-blockers, threat and identity protection, and some of the best password managers.
• Read privacy policies: familiarise yourself with the data collection you're consenting to. There are some things VPNs can't protect you from, including handing over personal information (either knowingly or unknowingly), so only consent when you're 100% comfortable.
• Phishing: Your data can be leaked through phishing scams. Only click links and enter information if you're certain they're safe.
• Data removal services: Services like Incogni send removal and deletion requests on your behalf to data brokers, which reduces the amount of information available on you, and subsequently spam and targeted ads.