Privacy, Online, and Off

Privacy and the Government

As technology begins to grow more and more our privacy appears to be shrinking. Nowadays technology has become so advance it has allowed the government to survey what websites we have been using and how as well as other factors. Now what are these factors you may be wondering? If you have social media you have more than most likely already signed a contract adhesion allowing that social media app to sell your data to private companies, who then sell it to the government. The cycle is vicious and when you end up digging deep into the topic it can be quite overwhelming as well. Some of your favorite companies, apps, or even devices can be taking advantage of the lack of security surrounding your information right this very second. According to Pew Research the use of Social media has grown drastically over the past few years. With every "six out of ten Americans claiming they want to do more to protect their privacy. " The people as a community have grown worried the government as well as other companies are not protecting their personal information and that the laws in place are just not enough to protect the people's rights.

                     How it Affects Us                                                                                                                           

With this information being sold, it can affect me as well as my loved ones in various ways. Our information can be put out on the web for strangers to find and use. Sadly, in most people's cases including young adults around the same age, who have barely started their journey independently, already have a digital footprint as well as other personal information out there. A digital footprint is no joke and with social media, many feel way too comfortable either posting private or inappropriate information that can have a larger affect on their lives later. For example, Tweeting your current location, or where you have been, or like to go. Though an innocent act, it can make you an easy target for trafficking, stalking, or anything else along those lines. I especially try to stress this to my younger sisters,

being that the internet can be confusing and take advantage of those young in age. I feel the internet is hard enough as it is for me to figure out and navigate, let alone them. So not only are these social media apps making money off of selling our personal information but profiting off of and allowing dangerous situations like this to occur, when they allow predators online and target a young demographic. 

                             

   What Should the Government be Doing?

The government should be creating stricter regulations as well as enforcing them. Including limiting the information companies steal and then resell. Advertisements are specifically created for you based off of your recent web searches. While, this may seem small once this information is redistributed, it is unknown what company or who will get their hands not he sites you have been visiting and use it to determine the kind of person you are. That leads us to terms and conditions. While, they are a pain in the butt to ready and many of us skip over them, it is imperative to read to understand what joining a certain social media app binds you too. The government needs to enforce this should somehow create a way to determine if someone has actually read and is ready to commit to the terms and conditions. Along with that some way to confirm age. It is not difficult to lie about your age to obtain status on an app and to ensure the privacy of younger audiences and reassure the fact they are  prohibited from using the app and compromising their privacy she early on.                     

               Ways to Protect Your Privacy

According to the article Digital Privacy Comes at a Price, in order to protect your privacy you should practice "digital distancing". This includes using "virtual private networks with no-log policies as well as Tor – free and open-source software that enables anonymous communication – in order to conceal user location and use from intrusive network surveillance."  Basically, you should avoid accepting cookies on certain websites,

avoid viewing sites that require you to login to see their content, and possibly even install a VPN to encrypt your messages and provide you with a higher level of privacy. While privacy is is currently at risk there is always something you can do to lower your chances of your privacy being breached and your digital footprint expanding.  As long as you remain aware of the danger and are proactive you can continue to safely use social media as well as the internet.