No, this is not about some startup working on the next iteration of “smellorama”, but it is about something that could stink as well.
We go about our lives participating in the digital marketplace, interact with businesses and other individuals. We purchase stuff, use services, shop around looking for options, wear a smart watch. Overshare. Then we are surprised when we are offered exactly the thing we just mentioned and we blame our smart speakers listening on our conversations with no permission.
The truth is, that while we engage in the digital economy, we are generating, and giving away a lot of data about ourselves. Sort of a “scent” we leave behind, that the digital hounds are ready to inspect. It And soon -if we are not there yet-, we will let off so much data about ourselves, that it will be potentially possible to build a very close model of our us, of our own behavior. This same idea, when applied to buildings, factories, or airports, is what very fancily has been named a “Digital Twin”. One based on your own data, could be used to predict your every move.