Would it bother you if you found out that Google knows what you've bought, where you've been, and what you think?
If you'd rather be in the dark, stop reading now; ignorance is bliss. But if you want to know the extent that Google, Facebook, and other big companies know about you, check out this article. You can skim it and just read the bold headlines to get the gist of it, but the writer provides a bunch of resources to find out how much information Google actually has on you.
It bothers a lot of people to know that all this information is gathered, but I never understood why.
Personally, I'm not concerned about my lack of privacy on social media. I take more precautions than most to keep my information safe from people, but I don't really care that corporations have my information.
For one, I can't keep google from getting my information without being a professional hacker. There are ways to keep all your information private from everyone and everything, but it involves a deep understanding of network structure, coding, and other computer science stuff.
For two, the information is in the hands of corporations, not people. Granted, people have the jobs at the corporations but privacy is taken very seriously. The only thing the information is used for is targeted ads.
That's not to say this isn't dangerous.
I've never in my life payed any attention to an ad on Facebook, or Youtube, or anywhere online. Actually that's not true. I actively avoid products and companies that advertise at me. But there are many people who use the internet and are more susceptible to targeted ads and ad campaigns.
Have you seen our president lately? He ran a smart campaign that played to people's emotions, but there was also a huge social media aspect. This website talks about how the Trump campaign used targeted ads and social media to influence the election. Lo and behold, here we are with our commander and chief.
In a way, we are living in a cyberpunk dystopian future where mega corporations know everything about us. I think it's necessary to put limitations on how much information can be collected on individuals. It's a new technology and it's never been monitored or controlled before. Now is the time to put limitations in place, otherwise we may wake up one day to find ourselves in 1984.
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