Why Apple wants to spread lies about you

A new Apple patent could be a powerful defense in the war on privacy

It's becoming harder and harder to maintain any sense of privacy on the internet. Do a search for just about anything online, and somewhere there's a data collector compiling information about you and your searches. Even though the eyes on you at all times are digital, being watched is still unsettling. But such a loss of privacy is an inevitable part of life on the net, right?

Not if computing giant Apple has anything to say about it. According to a report from InformationWeek, Apple recently scored a patent for a technology that, essentially, creates lies about you.

How does the tech work? In short, it works by way of what's being called "profile pollution." As you search and use the internet, Apple would create a number of different online profiles for you. One, of course, would be your real one, filled with data on what you search for, and where you searched. The others would be filled with lies.

The new technology goes as far as to fake actions for the fake versions of you — your Apple-created doppelgänger really could be performing searches for "classical music concert tickets" at the same time you're watching Justin Bieber clips on YouTube.  And, at the same time, yet another version of you could be perusing Betty White's twitter account. That way, when Big Brother (or anyone's brother, for that matter) wants to know whether or not you're having a baby or whether you just like J. Bieb's song Baby... well, it'll have a hard time figuring it out. And if you care about your privacy, that's a very good thing.