We’re worried about who has access to our data — what’s being collected, where it’s going, and whether someone like Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is getting its hands on records it shouldn’t.

But here’s the thing: most of us have been giving away our data for years, and we barely think twice about it.

We’ve been trained to hesitate if a stranger on the street offers us candy. Yet when it comes to our digital lives, we don’t even ask questions. We embrace free. Free email. Free cloud storage. Free messaging services. We don’t stop to wonder: Why is it free? What’s the catch? Free is convenient, and we assume it’s safe. Time and again, we hand over sensitive information.

We saw this during the pandemic when people proudly posted photos of their vaccination cards, complete with full names and birthdates. We see it every day when people post real-time vacation photos, essentially broadcasting, “Hey, my house is empty right now!” It’s become so normalized to give away personal information that when someone doesn’t, it’s met with confusion. Recently, while purchasing makeup, a cashier asked for my email. I declined. She looked confused. “Ok, but we need it if you want to return anything,” she insisted.

No, they don’t. They need a receipt.

People assume free services must be secure. Why? Because they’re widely used? Because they’re password protected? If you don’t pay for them, who owns your data? Because it might not be as protected as you think.

Take email, for example. Many providers scan your messages, not just for spam filtering, but also for event reminders and “smart replies.” It may not be a person reading your emails, but they’re being processed all the same. Think about all the sensitive documents you’ve emailed over the years — tax returns, medical records, personal contracts — without a second thought. If you’re storing them in a free email service, they’re likely sitting on servers you don’t control. If you’re using a free document-sharing platform, the same applies.

And it’s not just emails and documents. By default, Venmo makes users’ payment histories visible to everyone on the platform. That means unless you’ve manually changed your settings, anyone can see who you’re paying and what for. Don’t take my word for it, search Venmo yourself. You might be surprised at how much is public. If that doesn’t make you wonder what else you’re unknowingly sharing, it should. And if Venmo payments are public, how confident are you that your emails, searches, or messages aren’t just as exposed — to corporations, to the government, or to whoever is buying the data?

The issue isn’t limited to individuals. Entire industries have built their business models around collecting and monetizing data often without scrutiny. At Trump’s inauguration, some of the biggest names in tech were in attendance, including Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Sundar Pichai (Google), Shou Zi Chew (TikTok), Elon Musk (X, Tesla, SpaceX), and Jeff Bezos (Amazon, The Washington Post), among others. These weren’t courtesy appearances. They control the platforms shaping public discourse, and they profit from our data.

So, when Musk’s team expresses interest in IRS records, it’s not about whether they should have access — it’s whether they ever needed it in the first place, given how much private data they already control. People assume their digital lives are private unless they’ve given explicit permission to share. But the truth is, it’s the opposite — privacy has to be taken back. The same tech giants that claim neutrality in political affairs are sitting at the table with those forming policies that directly benefit them. Meanwhile, Americans, whose data and digital lives fuel these empires, are left wondering who’s looking out for their interests.

It’s worth taking stock of what we can control and protecting it. Use a separate email for junk — those store sign-ups and marketing lists — to keep your primary inbox cleaner and more secure. Pay for a secure email service for important communication. Don’t mix work and personal — keep them on separate accounts and devices. Think twice before posting personal details online. Do you really need to share vacation photos or medical updates the moment they happen? Venmo is easy, but sometimes, cash is king. And remember, if someone asks for your email, you can say no.

I need to do some cleaning too. Though I’ve moved much of my email to an encrypted service and use a strong password manager, I have years’ worth of emails, attachments, and messages sitting where they probably shouldn’t be. Maybe it’s time for a digital cleaning party — wine, friends, and clearing accounts, deciding what should stay, what should go, and what needs protection.

Privacy isn’t given just because we demand it — it’s something we build for ourselves. And if Musk wants more data, the least we can do is not serve it up on a silver platter.