Ted Talks- Privacy:

            

        In the Ted Talk videos on privacy, I learned that privacy is increasingly compromised by the growing technologies we use. With every app downloaded, website visited, or online purchse made, individuals unknowingly leave behind a digital "tattoo" that is collected and stored. These tattoos are often sold to companies and corporations to update their databases. Many people are unaware of their personal information, such as location, browsing history, preferences, and even texts are accessible online and are vulnerable to being hacked. With technology expanding many people's privacy continues to be invaded without their realization or consent, which is exposing them in ways they are unaware of. 

        As a teenage girl who is constantly online and active on every social media platform, these privacy issues can have a big impact on my life. Even if it doesn't seem obvious to me, I am now aware that every time I post, like, or share something data is being collected on me. This might include my location, interests, habits, or even who I am interacting with. Companies use this information to build a profile for me. This invasion of privacy can lead to cyberstalking, identity theft, or having personal texts shared without my control. 

        As for my family, this problem is prevalent for my siblings as they are around my age and also use social media like a lifeline. My parents are not as easy as a target because they do not use it as often and are less likely to share posts or like anything. My friends should also be aware of this problem because some of them are more active on social media than me, and probably have more data collected. 

        The government should be doing a lot more to protect people, especially teens, from privacy risks that come with being online. First, there should be stronger laws that limit what data, and how much of it, companies can collect. Teens should have extra protection since they are more vulnerable and easier to target. The government should also require apps and websites to be more transparent, clearly showing what data, they are going to collect and giving people choices to opt out of anything they want to. On top of that, there should be better education about digital privacy for everyone and all ages, so that people understand what is happening with their data. Lastly, there needs to be tougher consequences for companies that misuse or leak personal information. It should not be up to individuals to protect themselves from hidden data collectors they are unaware of.  
 

        People can protect themselves from invasions of their privacy online. For one, they can check privacy settings on most platforms and make sure their accounts are private, this will mean only people they approve of can see their posts or personal information. Next, avoid sharing any personal information like locations, phone numbers, addresses, school names, or more. This will keep people from knowing where you are, other than the online data collected which is kind of impossible to avoid. Other online problems like hacking, can be prevented with a two-factor authentication of your accounts, and make sure you have different passwords for all accounts. Another thing to investigate is using ad blockers, VPNs, private search browsers or data collection blockers to prevent tracking. Read into what apps use what data and make sure you're up to date, so you know where your information is going.