Algorithms rule by default when you leak data; change the defaults

When people say, “the algorithm decided,” they’re usually describing a series of quiet defaults: you clicked “agree,” your location was saved, and a model learned what keeps you scrolling. None of this requires malice. It runs on data exhaust—the tiny leaks of behavior, biometrics, and preferences you don’t notice. Over time, an invisible profile can infer your mood, politics, and even vulnerabilities. That profile doesn’t have to be perfect to shape what you see or pay.

The good news is that defaults cut both ways. Small setting changes and new habits change the data that models see and how much they can infer. Limiting app permissions to “only when using,” turning off ad tracking, and deleting old apps reduces signal. Adding non‑algorithmic sources back into big decisions disrupts monoculture. When you ask vendors how to delete your data, you raise the cost of careless practices and make room for better products.

There’s also a security layer. End‑to‑end encrypted chats mean fewer parties can read your messages. Passkeys or a reputable password manager with multi‑factor authentication dramatically reduce account takeovers, which are often the first domino in identity theft. None of this requires you to become a cryptographer. It’s a one‑hour tune‑up plus a few new habits.

I might be wrong, but the core pattern is simple: authority flows to whoever holds and processes the data. If you shrink the flow and diversify your inputs, you keep more agency. You won’t disappear from the network, and you don’t have to. You just stop broadcasting everything, all the time, to everyone.

Scientifically, algorithmic recommendations exploit feedback loops and reinforcement learning. Changing inputs and reducing data granularity weakens overfitting to your past behavior. From a risk perspective, encryption and multi‑factor authentication reduce attack surface. From a civic angle, customer pressure shifts norms and regulation toward data minimization and consent that actually means consent.

Set a 60‑minute block this week to harden privacy: disable ad tracking, restrict app permissions to ‘only when using,’ turn off location history, and delete apps you don’t use. Add one trusted human or community source to important choices so a single opaque feed stops steering you. Message two services asking what they collect, how they use it, and how to delete it, and save their replies. Finally, turn on end‑to‑end encrypted messaging where you can and adopt passkeys or a password manager with MFA. Do it once, then put a three‑month reminder on your calendar.