Issues of Privacy and Confidentiality

Ever since the emergence of the web, privacy has always been an important issue. While the need to protect your devices against hackers and malware was the major concern in the earlier years of the web,  the need to protect your sensitive information has become increasingly more necessary with the rapid growth of new media over the last decade. Today, not only is your information sought after by hackers and individuals with malicious intent, but by technology and media companies as well.

Companies like Google, Facebook and Apple provide services that are so integrated into our devices that they are constantly monitoring and collecting information on us. The data that is collected ranges from device and application efficiency to browsing and shopping habits. The information collected on device/application efficiency and user habits is used for analysis to provide customer satisfaction through new features in future updates and can be viewed as a positive thing. I believe that this type of data is essential to improving technologies. The collection of information on a user's interests and purchase habits are controversial. This type of data is sold to advertisers and businesses to better target their customers. While some may disagree, I believe this is a positive thing as well because the collection and sale of this type of data leads to advertising that is specifically catered to my interests. I receive advertisements on things that interest me instead of random products which in turn allow me to discover new products and services that actually benefit me. Information such as location tracking, private messages and documents is the type of data we need to make more secure while allowing companies to collect necessary data. This will lead to a secure media experience while allowing for the growth and improvement of these technologies.