In today's digital world, the line between your public persona and private affairs is blurring. The scenario above is an exaggeration: chances are, an imaginary company like Chem-Care wouldn't actually direct such a personal ad in public like that, although tying your purchase in one venue to your location in another is already happening. What you think is your private business – you have a couple of warts, they’re annoying, you’re bothered by them, and you’d rather not advertise this to others – is now a business opportunity that algorithms can identify and use as the basis for steering your future purchases in a specific direction. Massive investments are being made right now by all sorts of companies to capitalize on and monetize these sorts of opportunities. Whether it is information based on your online search activity or the places you frequent when you’re out spending money, you’re now just one of billions of other targeted humans.

Digital life demands and creates data shadows and footprints made up of trillions of our individual responses to the prompts and invitations playing out on our devices, the services located within them, and the world at large.