The Privacy Paradox

Today, phones are commonly seen throughout American society. This technology has become so significant to have in our daily lives because it allows us to connect with the world around us in a fast and efficient way. Smartphones have such a widespread of tools implemented that goes beyond texting or calling. These tools or apps that we use everyday can be things such as using the internet, google maps, or social media apps. When using an app such as Facebook, it is commonly noticed that if you “like” something within the app, another similar thing will pop up. This is because while we are using these social media apps or browsing through the internet, we are in fact giving personal information that goes towards algorithms. While listening to The Privacy Paradox the word privacy is mentioned continuously. This word in fact is something that slips the mind of many smartphone users. It is easy to go onto our phones thinking that it is private or kept between friends, but instead everything we do on our phones eventually turns into data that is released to the unknown. Luckily, there are ways to decrease the amount of metadata given out that is discussed within the podcast. One way to decrease this is by going to an app and turning off accesses that the app doesn’t need. Although, many apps tend to make this a complicated thing to do by withholding certain elements within the app until the access is given. This is a great example of how many apps as well as the internet fail to give users the privacy that should already be our right. With that being said, it is important to become more aware of what we are allowing apps to have access to, as well as checking up on previous apps downloaded or even the internet to help decrease the amount of privacy being taken advantage of. Until there are rules and laws that keep apps and or the internet from invading privacy, it is our job as a user to control the most we give out to them.