While technology has enriched our lives in a multitude of ways, it has also exposed us to a number of threats to our privacy.
The development of technology has completely altered the way we live, work, and communicate, and although these benefits are undeniable, the harmful impacts are often unavoidable.
Technology has made the problem of privacy more complicated and dynamic. And we are the ones to blame.
Our digital footprints will follow us for the rest of our lives, and as Juan Enriquez mentioned in his TedTalk, our online lives are just as permanent as a tattoo.
Aside from the personal issues of posting and permanency, many of the search engines, websites, and social media platforms we use on a daily basis collect and analyze our personal data. And it is often done without the individual’s explicit consent.
Think about it. How many times have you agreed to the terms and conditions of an app without actually reading it? How many times have you pressed the “accept all cookies” button when visiting a new website for the first time? How many times have you entered a phone number or email into a web page to “unlock” some sort of benefit such as a discount code or giveaway?
In the moment, accepting these terms or releasing these small tidbits of information may not seem important, but it all contributes to a greater plan in the end.
Our personal information is being used behind our backs for advertisements, research, and surveillance. By turning a blind eye to these privacy violations, we enable further infringement.
That is why it is so crucial that we read policies before blindly accepting and limit the information we choose to share. These privacy issues are not going to go away overnight, so we need to do our part in protecting ourselves.
So, next time you go to enter an email address into a website, I hope you use a fake one. And next time you go to check off that you agree to the terms and conditions, I hope you thoroughly read it.
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