Do you know what is lurking beyond the black mirror that we use everyday? I sure don't! That is why I protect my privacy in any way I can think of, including taping the camera on my laptop and taking the location settings off on my phone (unless I am using Apple Maps).
I use social media everyday of my life. I am constantly scrolling, retweeting, Instagram posting, and sharing Facebook posts. This makes me more susceptible to my information being sold/shared to other apps wanting to use my information for their own personal gain (Ex: using my information to provide advertisements catered to my search history).
Social media sites and apps are constantly scavenging for your information. Your search history may be deleted on your computer, but it will still exist as a footprint in your social media usage. You can never truly "delete" something permanently. For example, the ugly picture I took of myself may be deleted off social media and my phone, but it will still exist in my social media/phone footprint.
According to The Guardian, the data that Facebook and Google collects "includes tracking where you are, what applications you have installed, when you use them, what you use them for, access to your webcam and microphone at any time, your contacts, your emails, your calendar, your call history, [and] the messages you send and receive".
This is very concerning that Facebook and Google can track you, check your messages, and even watch/listen to you. Those are good examples as to why I always keep my laptop taped at the webcam. I should be taping my phone camera as well, but sadly I do not tape it due to easy access for selfie taking and snapchatting.
Privacy has been a big concern lately since the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal.
A few days ago Britain's information commissioner has fined Facebook $644,000 for the Cambridge Analytica scandal. According to Los Angeles Times, in "2007 and 2014 Facebook processed the personal information of users unfairly by giving app developers access to their information without informed consent".
Facebook is not the only social media/site sharing your information. Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and even Google share the information you put out. Have you ever searched for an item on google and later found an ad for it on another social media site? I know I have.
I remember I was searching for Tarte cosmetics and their Peach lip glosses on google. I clicked on the website and closed it after deciding I wasn't going to buy it. I opened up Instagram and started scrolling. Sure enough, an ad for Tarte cosmetics peach lip gloss popped up in my feed. I didn't even follow Tarte, so it was an advertisement picked specifically for me because somehow my information was shared with Instagram to cater to what I have searched.
If there is one thing that you and I can both learn from this information is that privacy is not taken as serious as it should be online. We allow people to check our social media footprint without a second thought. We turn a side eye when an ad pops up on YouTube for something we googled. We leave our location settings turned on. These are all things most of us have done or continuously do.
I have taken my security on social media/apps more seriously since the Facebook scandal. It is sad that it took a scandal for people to find out what is happening to their data and where it is being used. I feel as though it is not our responsibility to make sure companies don't abuse our data, but sadly we cannot 100 percent prevent it from happening. I will always make sure to protect myself and educate myself about privacy in regards to social media.
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