Internet privacy has been a
controversial issue since the beginning of the World Wide Web. Advertising
firms want to know everything about you, such as what you are searching, what
websites your going to, what you are buying, who your friends are, what your
friends are buying, and so forth. They can even use the most personal
information such as a pet’s names. If you put it out there, they will find a
way to use it. Firms do this in order to sell your information to large
companies for their own profit. From there, these companies will customize the “perfect” product to
propose to you through advertisements. On the other hand, consumers want these advertising
firms to know as little about them as possible. Consumers go to great lengths
to protect their computer from spyware, malware, and viruses.
Do we really know what is going on through the Internet? According to Rick Jackson, CEO of privacy technology
firm Privada Inc. states, “ We consumers don’t have any knowledge of what
really goes on out there.” He also mentioned as an example that big firms would
follow every click you would make and then compare to other companies. This
stalking does not just stop at a large firm level. Individuals who are very
computer savvy are watching and waiting for you to put your personal information out
on the web in hopes that they can steal your identity. Unfortunately, consumers have no control over
this online behavior. Even Rick Jackson was a victim of identity theft.
Another issue that online websites
are facing is the selling of your information to people when you sign up for things online. They do this
behind consumer’s backs because technically they are allowed to do so. There
are only a handful of websites that will protect your information. A survey
site, called SimplyQuick.com, surveyed 90 companies and only 30 percent of the
sites would guarantee that your information would not be sold to a third party.
So how does one protect from this dilemma? You just have to be careful what
information you put on websites and keep up to date on the new ways people are
scamming. But a big question for me was, why are we as a society not more informed about this situation?
Sullivan, Bob. "Online
Privacy Fears Are Real." Msnbc.com. Web. 04 Sept.
2013.
This reminds me of the saying nothing in life is free. I personally don't expect websites to let me use them for free without them getting something in return. This for most websites is some of my information. I am not okay with websites I pay to use giving out my information.
ReplyDeleteIt is very scary to think that everything you do on the internet is tracked but at the same time it is helpful to our economy. If companies are able to tailor sales to consumers then we will buy. This helps our everyday economy even more. Thank you for sharing! Enjoyed the article!
ReplyDeleteI think that a lot of people just don’t think when they are on the internet. They so often fill out “surveys” that could potentially be bogus sites. Without knowing whether the site is secure, they flippantly hand out their personal information. Like you stated in your article, this could lead to them being tracked more closely and/or having their information sold. We so easily forget that everything we put on the internet really cannot be “taken back” once it is published for the whole world to see. Good article!
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