Data Footprint

Every time I sign

Or uncheck to decline

Register completely free

Subscribe to an RSS-feed

Download an iTune

Or hit the back button too soon

Select an IM theme pack

Opt-in for free call back

Click on a search result

Hit Red on the Sky remote

Go abroad with my mobile phone

Switch the Bluetooth on

Vote online for my favourite celebrity

I leave a trail of data activity

How can I offset

This data footprint?

Eroding my privacy

Compromising my identity

What if I switched off the opt-out box

After each and every ‘secure’ sign-up?

Would that be enough to stop

Big Bruvva from catching up.

Can I ever reverse the damaging effects

Of carrying out online price checks

That build up a history

Of my shopping infidelities.

Maybe I should choose

To buy a ticket and not use

The TFL conveniency

Of the Oyster card registered to me

Then would it be enough

To decoy the digital age double bluff

Or am I already

Sneered in the World Wide Web conspiracy?

 And damn the lure of user generated

Content I voluntarily created

Which seductively whispered in my ear

“It’s OK! You’re friends are all here”

I feel like Eve

So naïve

As I bite on the apple 

Of the data capture tree 

 

So I Facebook hypnotically

Uploading my life’s chronology

Like they ain’t already got enough on me

Polluting my own personal security

With pictures and pokes

And networks and notes

Divulging data in my real name

Things that should never be in the public domain

Can I recycle data detection?

Offset with data protection?

Perhaps.

In fact

I am the one who breached

The Act 

I thought would keep

Sacred my data identity

I am the emitter 

A Global data warming player hater

All the same

Don’t hate the data player

Hate the capture game.

Urban Poet © 21/07/07