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Data Privacy In Today’s World

Data Privacy In Today’s World

There is one thing that we all can relate to living in a modern and digitally-centered world like what we have right now, the prevalence and importance of data. As businesses and organizations take their products and services on the web, we have seen an increase in user activity and the rapid rise of data proliferating both online and offline. It is a must for data now to go digital for easy access and billions of data about almost everyone in the world right now can be accessed by just a click of the button.

While we may consider this advancement pretty convenient for many of us, it has also raised privacy issues especially that most of the time these users are not aware that their data can be accessed by third parties without their knowledge nor which of their sensitive information is readily available to others. A lot of tech users feel helpless over their own data when in reality they share too much information on social media and other online platforms without really knowing how this information is utilized. Should we really be concerned about data privacy in today’s world?

“Google does a good job of protecting your data from hackers, protecting you from phishing, making it easier to zero out your search history or go incognito,” says Douglas Schmidt, a computer science researcher at Vanderbilt University who has studied Google’s user data collection and retention policies. “But their business model is to collect as much data about you as possible and cross-correlate it so they can try to link your online persona with your offline persona. This tracking is just absolutely essential to their business. ‘Surveillance capitalism’ is a perfect phrase for it.”

And yet Google has also played a major role in creating the superstructure of what corporate user data protections and transparency mechanisms look like today. 

(Via: https://www.wired.com/story/google-privacy-data/)

To think about the amount of data circulating in today’s world can be both baffling and scary especially for ordinary individuals who are pretty much powerless in this entire equation. You have no idea that even simple online searches you make are all saved and used to categorize you as a consumer. Not all the time you agree for all your data to be used without your knowledge but since most of us frequent the web on a daily basis, the amount of digital footprint you leave continues to accumulate and you can no longer keep track which ones you don’t want to share to others and want to keep private.

Not only does encryption give us peace of mind as we shop, bet online or send “spicy memes” to our friends while bored at work — it is also a vital source of protection against cybercrime and identity theft.

Weakening encryption might assist the government in spying on suspected criminals, but it is also ripe for exploitation by those seeking sensitive information that can be harnessed from our computers servers and phones.

For instance, strong encryption protections, like passcodes, have caused a steep decline in phone thefts. If encryption is weakened, this could be reversed. Encrypted messages and transactions can make a literal life-or-death difference for victims of stalking or domestic violence.

(Via: https://thehill.com/opinion/cybersecurity/414743-new-aussie-bill-spells-trouble-for-data-privacy-around-the-world)

If you think that only tech giants like Google and Facebook have access to your data at will, many of these online and mobile platforms can also submit your private data to the government even without your consent. While it is helpful in the apprehension of criminals and other law-breakers, it is a cause of concern among private individuals who frequent the web whether to socialize, shop, study, research, or even work. This power of the government may be abused by some and take advantage of people’s information for their own interest.

Australians should be wary about the future of their data and their own lives if this bill is passed but while there is still time, you can voice out your concerns and check if your state also has issues when it comes to data privacy. Ignorance is never an excuse at this digital day and age, so do your research and be more careful in sharing your personal information on the web. Remember that online attacks like malware can also ruin your computer hardware that may also lead to data loss, which is a big problem if you haven’t yet secured a backup. https://www.harddrivefailurerecovery.net/do-your-data-recovery-for-mac-a-nice-tool/ and https://www.harddrivefailurerecovery.net/mac-data-recovery/ can offer help for Mac users who are facing more threats now as well as Window users.