Written by a Grade 12 Student in International Business
Introduction
Is it time for us to consider if government and business digital tracking has gone too far? We are being tracked and surveilled every single day. Is our data safe? Is our privacy protected? Do we have control of our data? These are the types of questions I consider as we advance digitally.
sur·veil
/sərˈvāl/
verb: to keep under surveillance; closely monitor or observe
Do you enjoy a customized experience by others using your data? I know I do, but only if I consent, and more importantly, only if I fully understand to what I am consenting. Think about how much data is collected in our daily digital lives, some without our knowledge. Do we realistically know what we are agreeing to when we click “I agree” to extremely wordy policies?
Due to the sheer volume of the American population, I decided to take a closer look at some of their surveys and how they feel. As illustrated below, they are inundated with policies.
Let me take you through some of my concerns.
My top 5 concerns regarding our digital privacy
1) Our devices are listening and their cameras are watching
Devices can use their microphones to constantly listen to us. When we say phrases like “Alexa” or “Google”, they react to us, but what is stopping them from continuously listening? It has been proven that our personal data can be used to take advantage of us and in fact display advertisements to influence our behaviour the next time we go online.
Many applications use built-in cameras in devices such as phones and computers, which allows for unauthorized surveillance of our private lives.
Learn more here
2) The law doesn’t protect our private information and criminals can take advantage
There are very few laws regarding what sites, applications, and social medias can do with our information.
Without sufficient law, our privacy can be ignored for the sake of profit, control, and unfortunately, criminal activity. One growing concern being identity theft.
Find out more here
3) Companies and governments can abuse their power and influence our behaviours
Government sites and applications, along with powerful companies like Facebook and Google, know extensive information about us and can use our personal data to influence our thinking and behaviour.
Websites and applications can use tricks called “Dark Patterns”, that deceive us into doing things that we didn’t intend, like consenting, making purchases, or signing contracts.
Learn more about “Dark Patterns” here
4) Even our so called “secure” data can be hacked
Technology is always changing and so are criminals. Hackers, have the ability to retrieve our “secure”, sensitive information to commit fraud or do us harm.
For example, credit card fraud whereby our cards are being used illegally. I believe that any unauthorized access to our personal identification, financial, or medical information is very disturbing.
5) As social media grows, so does the risk of our data being sold or stolen.
I do not fully comprehend what my data is being used for and who it may be sold to, do you?
In the scandal involving Facebook in 2018, the data of 87 million people was stolen and used for advertising during elections. This platform couldn’t keep its users safe. Facebook makes a huge profit from our data, and this is their priority over our privacy.
For more information click here
The results show that Americans share similar concerns:
Do the benefits outweigh privacy?
Conclusion
In conclusion, I think we are extremely vulnerable to exploitation through many avenues that benefit companies and governments. Personal data has become a commodity.
There are some benefits to consider:
- Security/Crime
- Education
- Healthcare
Do these outweigh privacy?
What do you believe is the right balance? Many consumers feel they have little control over how their personal data is used and less than half believe that the industry can self-regulate when it comes to privacy.
With that, I leave you with one final thought. Below are Google and Facebook user survey results. Do you share their concerns? I certainly do!
- 86% are very concerned about how Facebook and Google use their personal information
- 69% are very concerned about their privacy when using smartwatches, smartphones, tracking devices, smart speakers, tablets and computers
- 66% are very concerned with online shopping and services
To review detailed results, click here
Please provide your opinion!
Hey Charlie,
Very insightful post! This piece revealed some truly eye-opening information about what kind of power big tech has over us. I found the statistics about how often we agree to privacy policies quite shocking, and made me reflect on how quick I am to agree to something without reading it first, but after reading this I’ll think twice before doing that.
Hi Charlie,
This was an amazing post! A concise overview of digital privacy that anyone would benefit from reading in this day and age. Personally, I know a lot about cybersecurity, but there were still some helpful things that I was not aware of! I also really appreciate you taking the time to link helpful resources that could seriously save someone a lot of trouble. Thank you for spreading awareness about such an important issue.
Hey Charlie,
This was a very thoughtfully composed and very informative post. I love how you used a variety of questions throughout to capture the reader’s attention, and how well this post is formatted is very impressive. This post has really opened my eyes to how large this issue really is and your personal insight towards this topic was very educational. Overall, very professional post, I look forward to reading more of your work in the future.
Great post Charlie!
You have definitely put a lot of thought into this issue that does not get enough consideration as to what it can do negatively to our population.
I love how you backed up all your research with data and multiple surveys.
I to, am concerned of how little control we have over our personal data on the web and think that their should be more laws to help protect our private information!
Nice work!
Hey Charlie, this is the first time I can actually say that I enjoyed reading something. I learned a lot from your blog and it has definitely raised some concerns thatĺl I’ll be sure to think about next time I use one of my devices. I look forward to further researching the points you´ve made and I’ll definitely be sharing the information I’ve learned here today.