In today’s digital world, our personal data is being collected, stored and sold more than ever before. Every time we scroll through social media, shop online or even just browse the web, we leave behind a trail of information that companies and governments are eager to collect and use.
Data privacy has become a more serious concern than people may realize, and it’s high time we start looking into this.
At the heart of the issue is the power that big tech companies hold over our personal information.
Corporations like Facebook, Google and Amazon gather enormous amounts of data from us. They know our interests, habits and far more. Yet, most of us have no clue how this data is being used or who’s accessing it.
A major concern is that this data is often sold to third parties — without our informed consent — leading to the manipulation of our online experiences and even our real-world choices.
For instance, during the 2016 presidential election, the Cambridge Analytica scandal exposed just how much personal data was being harvested from Facebook users and levied in order to create more compelling political ads.
These ads were tailored specifically to sway voters’ opinions, often leveraging misinformation on topics users showed they cared about. Evidently, concerns about how companies can misuse our personal data for profit and influence are far from a new development.
Personal data also lends itself to fueling misinformation. Social media algorithms, utilizing our personal data, are designed to keep us engaged.
More often than not, this exposes users to sensational or divisive content that makes it difficult to make reasonable conclusions. We have to regain control over how our data is used to shape the content we see and the opinions we form.
Many believe the solution lies in government regulation.
Countries within the European Union have already enacted strong privacy laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Under such laws, companies’ transparency about how personal data is collected and used is required, and individuals can request to access and delete their data.
The United States should follow suit and implement stronger nationwide data privacy laws; here, data regulations simply aren’t as extensive. While there are a handful of state-level laws like California’s California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), such measures need to be taken to the next level.
Our personal information is increasingly up for grabs in today’s digital climate, and without stronger regulations, manipulation and misuse will never stop. Governments must step up and introduce comprehensive laws that protect our data, hold companies accountable and ensure that our privacy isn’t just another commodity.
Until then, we’re all just data points in someone else’s profit-making scheme. And that’s a reality we can’t afford to ignore.
