Loss of Privacy

Technology was an invention made by humans in the past that has only become more important in our everyday lives as time goes on. As we advance the capabilities of technology, we become more accustomed to having it at our disposal at all times. One particular innovation of technology that has taken over the world is the internet. It is defined as "a global computer network used to share information and communicate with one another." Although it seems technology has taken over humanities lives completely, there are still many helpful resources that can be used to help with everyday activities. One main reason the internet is so popular is because of the ability to communicate with other people no matter where they are in the world, as long as they have internet access to respond to you. Another reason is the ability to easily access several types of information to help you with your problems throughout the day. Technology and the internet seem to be great additions to the world from a surface level, but dig deeper into the situation, and you'll find that our privacy has become a thing of the past, and the internet is to blame.

While we use the internet and our apps such as Tik Tok and Instagram without a care in the world, in reality, our privacy and data is being stolen without us even realizing. Companies all around the world gather data from their customers all the time, and they take that data and use it to show or advertise certain products they believe the particular consumer would be interested in. They can also take into account which gender the consumer is, and then advertise more products that they believe the consumer would like. This has become the norm with big name brands, taking their customers private data and using it to their advantage to try to get ahead of their competition. 

Not only can we be tracked through our actions on the internet, but our calls can also be monitored without us knowing. Christopher Soghoian, who spoke about this during a Ted Talk, had this to say about the origin of our cell phones. "Our telephones and the networks that carry our calls were wired for surveillance first. First and foremost. So that means when you're talking to your spouse, your children, a colleague, or a doctor on the phone, someone else could be listening." Most people would believe that our government is responsible for wiretapping our calls, which is partly true, but several others also have the power to do so. Another foreign government could be listening to your calls, or even a hacker, anyone with the power and knowledge to break into the surveillance system of these telephone companies, will be able to listen to you and your loved ones talk over the phone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni4FV5zL6lM

Technology and the internet have helped humanity immensely through the years that they have existed, but we have gotten so careless with how important these things are in our lives, that we have turned a blind eye to our privacy being invaded by these innovations. Our privacy and data are being invaded every day, and many people have no idea that these basic human rights are being violated. Fortunately, there are steps we can take to try to avoid this happening, such as using certain websites and apps that refuse to track our data. For example, it is much harder for a hacker to invade a facetime call, or to see text messages between two iPhone users.