Public’s Opinion of Data Privacy
As technology has developed and businesses have begun to gather and share more information about individuals, the problem of privacy in relation to data collection has become increasingly important. Many individuals have realized the breadth and depth of data collection and usage, and they worry about the possibility of privacy breaches as a result.
According to Hoofnagle et al. (2019), people may be wary about having their data collected since it can be used for personalized marketing. Ads that are tailored to a person’s interests and preferences based on information collected by companies can be perceived as an invasion of privacy. Many consumers also worry that their personal information might be sold or given to third parties without their knowledge. Private information may be used to create a complete profile of an individual, which can then be utilized by businesses or even governments to spy on people (Wachter & Mittelstadt, 2019). Still, not everyone shares similar worries about their personal information being misused. It’s possible that some people may be more open to sharing personal information in exchange for the ease and convenience offered by technological advancements (Matos, 2019). Furthermore, some individuals may not be as knowledgeable of or worried about, privacy problems as others due to the fact that they may not be the primary target of data collection and usage.
Actions Taken by Governments
Governments everywhere have acted to safeguard citizens’ privacy in the digital era to prevent the inappropriate disclosure, use, or retention of private data (Oliver et al., 2020). The establishment of data protection legislation is a particularly noteworthy move performed by governments to safeguard individual privacy. Examples of such legislation are the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the US’s California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) (Oliver et al., 2020). These regulations allow people greater say over what happens to their personal information and penalize businesses severely for any breaches in security. Individuals are also afforded the opportunity to decline further collection or exchange of personal data, as well as the right to be informed of the specifics of any data acquisition that may affect them.
Srinivas et al. (2019) state that one measure governments have done to safeguard personal information is the creation of data protection bodies. These agencies are accountable for investigating and punishing businesses that break data protection regulations. In addition to enforcing data privacy regulations, these bodies also offer firms assistance and tools to comply with such regulations. For reasons of national security, governments have also instituted safeguards to secure citizens’ personal information. Among other things, several nations prohibit the use of citizens’ private information for spying and intelligence gathering (Srinivas et al., 2019). A warrant or other judicial authorization is normally required before intelligence services can acquire personal data, and the data can only be used for permitted reasons.
Action Taken by Internet Companies
Arora et al. (2019) claim that the establishment of rigorous data privacy regulations has been a crucial move made by Internet corporations. These policies explain the sorts of data collected by the organization, how it is utilized, and with whom it is shared. In addition, they provide clients control over their data, such as the opportunity to terminate their account or request that their data be erased from the company’s servers. In addition, several Internet organizations have used encryption to safeguard data in transit, such as when it is delivered over the Internet, and at rest, while it is kept on servers.
According to Habibzadeh et al. (2019), Internet organizations are using two-factor authentication to ensure data protection. Two-factor authentication is a method that requires users to present two pieces of identification prior to account access. This may consist of a password and a fingerprint or a password and a code transmitted to a mobile device. This makes it harder for unauthorized individuals to access a user’s account. Additionally, several Internet firms have taken steps to increase the transparency of the data they gather (Habibzadeh et al., 2019). They provide frequent transparency reports that describe the sorts of data they gather, how it is utilized, and the frequency with which they get requests for access to user data from governments and other groups.
Summary
People’s reactions to the potential violation of their privacy vary greatly, highlighting the complexity of the problem around privacy and data gathering. Others may be eager to provide their data in exchange for the ease and benefits that technology may bring, while some may be more worried about the possibility for their data to be exploited for targeted advertising or shared without their authorization. Each person has to weigh the pros and cons of sharing certain information on their own and make an educated choice based on their own values and priorities about privacy. Several initiatives have been launched by national governments to ensure citizens’ privacy in the digital era. Among these include limiting the acquisition and use of personal data for intelligence and surveillance purposes, enacting data protection laws, and establishing data protection bodies. There is always room for improvement when it comes to privacy safeguards, but these steps are a solid first step toward ensuring that people’s private information is treated with the utmost care and respect. In order to reassure their consumers, Internet firms have adopted measures including enforcing data privacy regulations, encrypting customer data, requiring two-factor authentication for user accounts, and disclosing more information about the data they gather. In doing so, businesses provide their consumers greater agency over their data and enhance their ability to maintain their online privacy.
References
Arora, A., Kaur, A., Bhushan, B., & Saini, H. (2019, July). Security concerns and future trends of internet of things. In 2019 2nd international conference on intelligent computing, instrumentation and control technologies (ICICICT) (Vol. 1, pp. 891-896). IEEE.
Habibzadeh, H., Nussbaum, B. H., Anjomshoa, F., Kantarci, B., & Soyata, T. (2019). A survey on cybersecurity, data privacy, and policy issues in cyber-physical system deployments in smart cities. Sustainable Cities and Society, 50, 101660.
Hoofnagle, C. J., van der Sloot, B., & Borgesius, F. Z. (2019). The European Union general data protection regulation: what it is and what it means. Information & Communications Technology Law, 28(1), 65-98.
Matos, S. (2019). Privacy and data protection in the surveillance society: The case of the Prüm system. Journal of forensic and legal medicine, 66, 155-161.
Oliver, N., Lepri, B., Sterly, H., Lambiotte, R., Deletaille, S., De Nadai, M., … & Vinck, P. (2020). Mobile phone data for informing public health actions across the COVID-19 pandemic life cycle. Science advances, 6(23), eabc0764.
Srinivas, J., Das, A. K., & Kumar, N. (2019). Government regulations in cyber security: Framework, standards and recommendations. Future generation computer systems, 92, 178-188.
Wachter, S., & Mittelstadt, B. (2019). A right to reasonable inferences: re-thinking data protection law in the age of big data and AI. Colum. Bus. L. Rev., 494.
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