For class, I read “Americans and Privacy: Concerned, Confused, and Feeling Lack of Control Over Their Personal Information.” I thought this article was really interesting, and it highlighted just how many people are feeling totally out of control of their privacy and personal information.

62% of people believe it is not possible to go through life without companies or the government collecting data on them, and I fall into that majority as well. Even if you don’t use social media, if you make any purchases with a credit card, use email for work, or go anywhere with surveillance cameras data is being collected. It is not possible to avoid your data being collected and lead a normal life in today’s society.

I don’t think this is a bad thing, and it definitely feels inevitable, but I don’t see how the consumer is benefited. Every now and then I get a targeted ad that reminds me I need something or inspires me to make a purchase, but data collection really only benefits the companies. I think this is inevitable, and I’m not sure it is bringing about harm, but I would also not say that data collection is bringing about any good.

81% say that the privacy risks outweigh the potential benefits, and I can definitely see why most people feel this way. We don’t see really any good come out of this in our day to day, yet we fear our information will be stolen. I tend to agree that it can feel scary that companies have access to so much of my private information, yet I’m not seeing any amazing benefits for anyone but the company.