Why Is Personal Data Privacy Important?

Data privacy is an important topic among many people around the world. The idea of personal data being shared orally, online, or otherwise is a major source of concern. Some data is shared voluntarily, such as among family and friends within social networks, and some is involuntary, such as when organizations trade personal data like currency. Organizations that collect data without prior notification are potentially putting people at risk for years of turmoil from problems such as identity theft based on how the data is used and stored. Online organizations such as Google, Facebook and Twitter, along with government organizations such as the National Security Agency and the Internal Revenue Service each have their own reasons to want personal …show more content…
In the time since September 11, the typical response from most people concerning the issue of data privacy has been something similar to “Go ahead and read my e-mail – I am not doing anything wrong!” Unfortunately, this idea has led to an increasing loss of data privacy. Criminals are not the only people who desire privacy. Consider the desire for curtains on windows, having a fenced yard, closing the door to the bathroom, or finding a quiet, private place for an important conversation. It can be hard for some to articulate why privacy matters; however, giving up these everyday pleasures surely would result in a feeling of exposure or …show more content…
If the person then makes a search for a wig and corrective surgery, it would be safe to assume the person has undergone chemotherapy or some form of major surgery and the marketing companies would begin advertising for support services. Even then it is still not a complete picture as the sequence of searches could simply have been to conduct research for a project. Meanwhile, the marketing company has tracked this inaccurate personal information and will store it for an unknown period of time. If the behavioral information about an internet user is joined with other public information, such as government records, business and personal information, and information posted on social media sites, there is potential to create a detailed online identity with both accurate and inaccurate information.
A few ways to prevent a search engine or ad company from getting personal data can be to download an ad-blocking browser extension from the Web, monitor cookies to keep marketing companies from tracking habits, and to download a search engine that doesn’t collect any information such as DuckDuckGo. When downloading new software, avoid downloading a toolbar. If using Hotmail for web-based e-mail, use Google or Bing as a search engine. Using different websites for e-mail and searches will prevent any one site