The personal information of many individuals is held by large internet companies and organizations. What are the advantages and disadvantages? Internet conglomerates such as Google and Facebook are now in possession of personal records of billions of people. This situation can be both advantageous and disadvantageous.
Seen in a positive light, giant internet companies collecting personal information benefit both society and individuals. Government can use online personal records to enforce the law. One way it can be done is by locating criminals by tracking their online footprint. Google searches, map quests and online orders can be an instant tool in pinpointing the exact location of suspects. This way, resources like time, money, labor and possibly, human life are saved. Internet companies also tend to make use of user data to provide better online experience for their users. One example of such application of personal data is on social media sites: Facebook and Twitter show ads and relevant content based on one’s search history. In this respect, user data is key in creating a meaningful online interaction between users and internet companies.
Some downsides are equally worth mentioning. The most immediate issue is cyber security. Concerns have been raised over potential hacks into user accounts, leading to leakage of sensitive user information such as email addresses, passwords, credit card numbers and so on. The result of such incidences is often financial, emotional, and at times, physical damage to the individual. More worrying is the use of user data for political gain. Recent scandals involving Twitter – a good case in point – revealed that the platform executives meddled in 2020 US presidential election. In no way can the large-scale collection of personal information be justified if it is used for malicious intent.
In conclusion, though society and individual gain from large companies having access to personal records of many people, they are also at risk of many forms of damage as described above.
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