1135: Sandra Matz | How Algorithms Read and Reveal the Real You

The Jordan Harbinger Show

Jordan Harbinger

Social Sciences, Self-improvement, Entrepreneurship, Talk Radio, Business, Science, Education

4.8 • 12.1K Ratings

🗓️ 1 April 2025

⏱️ 88 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Companies harvest 6GB of your data hourly. Psychologist Sandra Matz explains how they predict everything from depression to politics—and how to fight back.

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1135

What We Discuss with Sandra Matz:

Companies collect ~6GB of data per hour on individuals through social media, credit cards, smartphones, and location tracking, enabling predictions about personality, politics, and mental health.
Facebook identified depressed teenagers in 2015 and sold this information to advertisers rather than providing support, prioritizing profit over well-being.
Algorithms need just 300 likes to know someone better than their spouse, while facial recognition can determine sexual orientation with 81% accuracy from facial features alone.
"Anonymized" data isn't truly anonymous — three credit card transactions can uniquely identify a person, revealing unintentional information beyond our curated online personas.
Data co-ops offer a practical solution for regaining control. MS patients in Europe and Uber drivers in the US have formed co-ops to collectively manage their data, allowing them to benefit from data aggregation while maintaining ownership and directing outcomes toward their shared interests rather than corporate profit.
And much more...

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Coming up next on the Jordan Harbinger Show.
0:02.9	Facebook in 2015 was actually accused of predicting whether teenagers on their platform
0:08.0	were struggling from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem,
0:11.6	and then they were selling them out to advertisers.
0:13.8	So this is like someone at their most vulnerable state.
0:16.0	Not only are they suffering from anxiety, they're also teenagers.
0:18.7	They're still figuring out the identity.
0:20.3	So the moment that you tap into this vulnerability, the damage that you can do, I mean, it's very
0:25.8	obvious.
0:30.0	Welcome to the show. I'm Jordan Harbinger. On the Jordan Harbinger show, we decode the stories,
0:34.5	secrets and skills of the world's most fascinating people and turn their wisdom into practical advice that you can use to impact your own life and those
0:41.4	around you. Our mission is to help you become a better informed, more critical thinker
0:45.1	through long-form conversations with a variety of amazing folks, from spies to CEOs,
0:49.5	athletes, authors, thinkers, and performers, even the occasional cold case homicide investigator,
0:54.0	hostage negotiator, gold smuggler, or Russian spy.
0:56.9	And if you're new to the show or you want to tell your friends about the show, I suggest our
1:00.0	episode starter packs.
1:01.2	These are collections of our favorite episodes on topics like persuasion and negotiation,
1:05.3	psychology and geopolitics, disinformation, China, North Korea, crime and cults, and more.
1:09.9	That'll help new listeners get a taste of everything we do here on the show. Just visit jordanharbinger.com slash start,
1:16.0	or search for us in your Spotify app to get started. Today, my friend Zandra Mott, shows us how
1:20.6	companies steal our data, use our data to target us, not only to sell us things, but how they
	...

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