A new hope for personal privacy

We've gotten so accustomed to leaning on technology for every aspect of our day-to-day lives that we sometimes forget to marvel at the magic that lies behind many wonders that we now treat as commonplace. Being late for a meeting is a thing of the past--our mobile devices use our calendars to determine where we need to be and when, check on the current traffic and remind us in advance of when we have to leave so that we make it on time. The ritual of seeking recommendations for entertainment--be it novels or movies--has changed over the last decade. Today, the moment we finish watching a movie or reading a book, we are given dozens of suggestions of what we may like to watch or read next--suggestions so spot on target that there is no need to ask our friends. Behind these small miracles are hundreds of algorithms that analyse data about us and our environment, trying to discern our preferences and habits so they can customize the services we consume to better fit our requirements.