Thread by @mishadavinci

Every single day, the 5 tech giants use your online property to make massive profits.

Last year alone, they took in $1,400,000,000,000.

Here's what you need to KNOW & DO:

The internet was designed to be free for users.

Instead, these corporations turned it into their CASH COW by collecting and monetizing your digital property.

Whether you know it or not, you pay a heavy price every time you log on.

On the internet, you are no more than a serf.

You don't control your own identity.

You can't take your content or community from one site to another.

You are tied to a platform. FOREVER.

Even worse, you're being surveilled.

Your every move is tracked, then turned into massive profits for Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon and others.

Here's the breakdown:

GOOGLE

In 2021, Google's revenue was $257.6B

Most of it came from advertising:

That means, from tracking your online behavior and identifiers, and selling it to the highest bidder.

Here's how Google is tracking you:

Google Search, Chrome, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, and Calendar collect a shocking amount of personal information about you.

Google uses your personal profile to sell ads on their search engine, and on over three million other websites and apps.

Google Analytics — a free service used by millions of websites and apps — is the biggest cross-site tracker on the internet.

It lurks behind the scenes on around 70% of the top 75,000 sites, collecting your info.

APPLE

In 2021, Apple's revenue was $365.8 Billion.

Apple is not in the ad business and preaches "privacy is a fundamental human right."

But that's not the whole story.

Here's how Apple is tracking you:

Per the NYT, Google pays Apple between $8 and $12 billion annually to make Google the primary search engine on its iOS devices.

In 2022, that amount is estimated to reach $20 billion.

MICROSOFT

In 2021, Microsoft's revenue was $168.1 Billion

They only made $10B in ad revenue.

But that's changing.

Here's how Microsoft is/will be tracking you:

They've been assembling a formidable empire in the ad-tech space, and have multiple ways to access your data:

LinkedIn, Xbox, Azure, Bing, Edge and more.

Brands will soon be able to advertise in Xbox.

META

In 2021, Meta's revenue was $117.9B

Almost all of it from advertising.

Here's how Meta is tracking you:

Anything you do on Facebook, Instagram, (possibly) WhatsApp, the “sign in with Facebook" button.

From metadata - browser, EXIF data on photos, location, camera.

And Meta Pixel, used for retargeting, is on over 8 million sites.

AMAZON

In 2021, Amazon's revenue was $469.8 Billion.

Amazon gathers data about your preferences, so that they can sell you stuff on Amazon.

Here's how Amazon is tracking you:

Your purchases, reading habits on Kindle, entertainment on Prime Video, requests on Alexa, and even home visitors with Ring.

Their software is so good at prediction, that third parties hire its algorithms at Amazon Forecast.

Some will argue that tech companies created the tech and rightfully own it.

But the internet was built with tax payer dollars.

Big tech only owns the application layer that runs on top our free internet protocols.

Here's how the internet works👇

https://twitter.com/mishadavinci/status/1551211815358459904

Security is also a real concern.

Centralized databases are an easy target.

And big tech has been responsible for massive data breaches and the loss of billions of records.

Both Microsoft/LinkedIn and Meta/Facebook were involved in the biggest data breaches last year:

Meanwhile, in web3:

Genius innovators and developers are working round the clock, building an internet that works for all of us.

Here's a viral thread from visionary VC @cdixon that explains the importance of web3:

https://twitter.com/cdixon/status/1442201621266534402

Web3 is not just an improved version of the surveillance internet created by the tech giants.

It's a whole new paradigm.

In web3, you are no longer a mere digital serf. You are owner of your identity, content and data, and more.

NFTs realign the power dynamic for artists, creatives, and small businesses.

DAOs transform how companies are owned & structured.

Decentralized social apps let you own your social identity & community.

DeFi removes banks and institutions from financial transactions & services.

DIDs (decentralized identifiers) let you issue & control your own identity.

But you can't sit and wait for this new internet to unfold.

You must learn and use the new technology, and play your part in shaping the future.

Here's what to do next:

Use these top free resources to learn all aspects of web3 👇

https://twitter.com/mishadavinci/status/1508062989387141120

I am partnering with some leading web3 startups on something for you:

FREE ONLINE events for newcomers who want to learn the basics, quickly.

There are a limited number of spots for our first event on August 26.

Sign up here for early access: lu.ma/q7rw3f4q

That's it, folks. I hope this was useful.

If you enjoyed it, please share by retweeting the first tweet.

I write about the ideas, trends and people shaping web3 and the future.

You can follow me @MishadaVinci.