BLOG #5: Tech Ted Talk Reflection

As a young college student, I’ve noticed how much technology shapes the way we live. It can be helpful in many ways, but it also comes with risks that many are unaware of. Whenever we use an app, send a text, or post something online, we give away bits of personal information. This creates a digital version of us that keeps growing. Most people, including myself up until now, don’t realize that this information is often being tracked and shared with companies without our permission.

    In the TED Talk, "Your Online Life, Permanent as a Tattoo," Juan Enriquez talks about how the internet leaves a mark on us, kind of like a tattoo. Once something is online, it is very hard to erase. These digital trackings show more than just our hobbies or interests and they help big tech companies learn about our habits which could then affect our choices. While we may move on from a site, our online data stays with it. Most of us, again including myself, agree to terms and conditions without reading them, not knowing that we might be giving up our privacy because of that small action.

Another Ted Talk speaker, Finn Myrstad, explains how companies design apps and websites in ways that push people to share more than they mean to. He prompts the question, if you lock your front door to stay safe, why let your devices give away your private life? This shows a bigger problem and really puts things into perspective. It also made me wonder, why aren’t leaders and lawmakers doing more to protect us? I believe the government should take responsibility in protecting our privacy online. They should create rules/laws that stop companies and law enforcement from misusing our personal data. There are already global guidelines that protect privacy, and we should be following them and they should be enforced more strictly.

The only way we can get the change we need is if people understand what’s happening and decide to take action. While we wait for the government to implement laws, we need to do what we can to stay safe and become more educated. We need to be more careful about what we share online, reading privacy settings, and understand that our data could be collected at any time. The more we learn, the better we can protect ourselves and speak up for our rights online. I would encourage everyone to become more educated on this topic because it has completely changed my perspective on how I use the internet now.