Privacy in Action: Jared M. Gordon, Writer, Filmmaker and Professor
Jared M. Gordon, Writer, Filmmaker and Professor
Jared M. Gordon is a writer, filmmaker, college professor, road-tripper, and actor. He’s visited 48 states and makes amazing berry pies. You follow him on Twitter at @JaredMGordon.
Privacy In Action Interview with Jared:
Startpage: Fill in the blank: Privacy is _______.
Jared M. Gordon: Privacy is something that should be the default setting, not opt-in. Something that shouldn’t be for sale. A human right. And it’s also an anagram for Racy VIP.
Startpage: On a scale of 1 to 10, how private are you? How private do you think the general public is?
Jared M. Gordon: I’d put myself at a solid six. I write and I act, so my work is out there for people to read and watch. But I also carefully curate my public Twitter and Instagram profiles so as to not have any truly personal details about myself, my family, and such. My Facebook settings are locked in for friends only, so I share a bit more on there. I admire people who quit Facebook, although I go back and forth on it. I like keeping in touch with friends and ditching it would make reaching out to certain folks far more difficult. But I’m not under any illusions about how insidious it can be. I never once used any apps or games (the Farmville requests have thankfully stopped) and I go into my ad preferences all the time to opt out of everything I can. I know that my data is still being sold. But I try to keep my eyes open.
As for the general public, I’m reminded that in 1981, mythologist Joseph Campbell referenced a survey done in a Brooklyn high school in which students were asked who they wanted to be. He reported that two-thirds said, “a celebrity.” Nowadays, I’d guess that number’s way higher. Inherent to celebrity is a casting-off of privacy. People want it both ways, but cultivating a public persona while keeping a private life is likely itself a full-time job. And for the average citizen today, being private actually takes work. It’s not the default setting. It requires some above and beyond effort. Why?
Startpage: How many impersonations can you do? And do you ever do it to disguise your voice?
Jared M. Gordon: I’ve lost count. I don’t even know what my real voice sounds like, anymore. I’ve just been impersonating “generic awesome dude voice” for the past 20 years. I sometimes call up friends as SpongeBob, but somehow they always know it’s me.
Startpage: In pop-culture, who is the most private character? Least private?
Jared M. Gordon: Quite often (and unfortunately) in stories, the character who lives alone typically has something to hide or else is hiding from something, rather than simply being someone who values their privacy. Shrek comes to mind as a character who just wants to be left alone. Howl, from Howl’s Moving Castle, is also a strong contender. He’s invented a series of aliases and rumors about himself to keep people guessing as to his true nature, although ironically he also runs the risk of losing himself within them. The Grail Knight from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade lived in solitude for centuries with only gruesome booby traps, a bevy of killer cups, and a bible for company. As for least private, I’d go with anyone at random on TikTok.
Startpage: As an educator, do you think students are more or less conscious about privacy issues?
Jared M. Gordon: I think they’re definitely intelligent enough to understand why it’s so important, but there’s also a “strength in numbers” sort of mindset: “I know using Google isn’t private, but hundreds of millions of people are also using it at the same time, also looking up weird stuff. What are the odds that it’ll ever come back to haunt me? It hasn’t so far.” And it’s in that last sentiment that lies the crux of it: in so many people’s minds, Google, Facebook, Twitter, and the like provide amazing services for free and no visible negative repercussions. So users think, “Why would I change a habit that works and has no immediately visible downsides?” Users don’t have to work too hard (or at all) to find the positives. Users have to WORK to see the downsides and privacy pitfalls, and these companies know that.
Startpage: What are your favorite privacy tools? (name your favorite tool for each category)
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- Search Engine – Startpage! Trick question.
- Browser – Brave with uBlock Origin and PixelBlock. Tor, on occasion.
- Email – I have a ProtonMail account that I’d like to fire up as my main.
- Messaging – iMessage is bae.
- VPN – Shopping for one! Any recommendations?
Startpage: What’s your favorite thing about Startpage?
Jared M. Gordon: I find what I seek every time. I tried DuckDuckGo. I really wanted to like it. Its mascot is a duck and ducks are great. But accurate search results seem to have flown south for the winter. The results were all over the map. I was coming at it as someone who had used Google for years, so I suppose Google spoiled me regarding speedy, relevant results. But Startpage nails it every time. Worry-free privacy, worry-free results. Does what it says on the tin.
Startpage: If you had the task to write a movie about privacy, what would you do?
Jared M. Gordon: I’d start with the protagonist and ask them what their relationship is to privacy. Are they in a position in which they’re trusted with the private correspondence of others? Does their position depend on NOT being private (i.e., they’re an influencer)? Is the protagonist’s privacy violated in some way? How does the character’s position evolve on the idea of privacy – for themselves and for others?
Startpage: Why are data privacy and private search important to you? In your line of work? In your personal life?
I write, so I look up writer queries such as, “How long does it take for blood to evaporate?” and “What happens if you drink liquid oxygen?” and “What’s the best ammo to make a head explode?” Why would I give a corporation that’s beholden to its shareholders access to my search queries when I don’t have to? Using Google is easy, sure. But if I value privacy, Google’s values aren’t my values.
Startpage: What measures do you take to protect your personal data online and offline?
Jared M. Gordon: I keep everything I can off the cloud and rely on local storage. For those times when I have to upload something personal, I use two-factor authentication across the board and different, complex passwords on every site. If I have to write a password down on paper and pass it to someone, I make sure they eat it afterward. Dry. No condiments allowed.
Startpage: How do you envision data privacy and cybersecurity in the future? 1 year, 10 years, lifetime?
Jared M. Gordon: Cambridge Analytica was just the beginning. In Minority Report, there’s that scene in which Tom Cruise, playing John Anderton, wears some other guy’s irises to avoid detection. As he hurries through The Gap, the ads read his eyes and chirp, “Hello, Mr. Yakamoto! Welcome back to The Gap. How’d those assorted tank tops work out for you?” We’re already there. And people welcome it. It’s easy. I’ve heard more than one friend and family member say, “I have nothing to hide.” The problem with this is that when that’s the rallying cry of everyone who uses these services, it encourages the services to dig deeper and deeper into your personal details until it becomes, “I have nothing LEFT to hide.”
Startpage: For anyone new to screenwriting, what would you recommend as first steps to protecting their personal data?
Jared M. Gordon: Keep files off the cloud. Local storage only. Make plenty of backups. Use Startpage!
Startpage: Would you rather: Share your search history or talk like Elmo for a week?
Jared M. Gordon: Could I share my search history AS Elmo?
“Elmo wants to know how long it takes for blood to evaporate.”
“What happens if Elmo drinks liquid oxygen?”
“Elmo says, ‘What’s the best ammo to make a head explode?’”
Because I’d watch every new Sesame Street on PBS if that was a possibility.
In all seriousness, I used to dress up in costumes for children’s parties so I’ve likely already cumulatively spoken like Elmo for a month.
The views expressed in this Q&A are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of Startpage.
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