Blog #5: Privacy

  With the technological advances we have seen in recent years, life has started to almost revolve around technology. With every great innovation comes risks and the biggest risk we are facing in technology is our own privacy. With so much of our sensitive information online, protecting our information should be at the forefront of our online presence. Hackers, scammers, and even our own government want our sensitive information in order to use it against us and control us through it. Although complete privacy seems far fetched, it is definitely obtainable. 

While I have not been hacked personally, I have seen numerous instagram accounts that were hacked and stolen a lot of sensitive information. Private content is frequently leaked through fake accounts that impersonate people by using pictures of someone and direct messaging accounts urging them to send money. They impersonate the person and make up a story about how that person needs money for something serious which pulls people into sending the money. They also send out links that if clicked on, make that account vulnerable to be hacked as well. 

We can protect ourselves from these issues by installing VPNs, being mindful as to what information you put out online as well as using different communication apps that are encrypted. In reality, lots of these companies already have lots of your personal information and use it to monitor your usage and interests but being more mindful with where your information goes can limit the damage that is done. The government’s overreach into monitoring everyday apps puts Americans at risk to lose their information and get hacked. They claim national security, which they overuse, as the reason that activity needs to be monitored but in reality it's all about control. While monitoring the activity on apps enhances their ability to get ahead of criminal activities, it puts regular Americans at risk. 

The government needs to put more regulations in place to protect Americans from being monitored everyday by private companies. These regulations will give Americans more of a piece of mind when it comes to cybersecurity and lessen the amount of information stolen from American citizens everyday. Private accounts online will help to add a layer of protection to your information that inhibits some hackers from getting ahold of your private information. Being educated on the current scamming trends will also make it harder for you to be a target for scammers to steal your personal information. Simply ignoring random calls, emails, and texts will protect your information more than people think, even if you just answer them for fun. Especially with the AI capabilities today, just the sound of your voice can put you and your family at risk of being targets.