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  • Essay / Privacy Concerns Regarding Social Media

    Since social media has been presented as a necessary and almost vital part of our lives, several concerns have arisen about the limits we should set in terms of our privacy. The mass of information that users pour into this incessant flow of data is most often misused for profit. It should also be noted that mass does not translate directly to volume. You may think that your daily Foursquare check-in at a grocery store or restaurant is apparently harmful, but think otherwise, this information translates into extremely high volume. Whether you visit these places can be used strategically to understand your demographics, income level, interests, and overall lifestyle. For example, data collection companies can interpret this data by tracking your daily 9 a.m. visit to the grocery store and potentially broadcasting this information to a marketing company to bombard you with (presumably) perfectly tailored ads. This is much more serious if you make your purchase through one of the popular Apple or Android paid services, detailed and accurate payment receipts are saved to your account and may also be mishandled. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay So far, your daily 9 a.m. trip to the grocery store tells you not only what time of day you prefer to shop, but also what you buy, how often you buy it and whether or not you have couponing skills. And because marketing works at its highest level when it's personalized, the industry has recently started using AI (artificial intelligence) to perfect the advertising process. For example, a simple AI tool could inform you that you go to this specific grocery store around 9:12 a.m. and reach your destination at 9:37 a.m., leaving a time window for your occasional stop at a nearby coffee shop. All of this information that you may not even know or keep track of is already noted externally. On a less professional than a personal scale, social media has contributed to the malicious and ill-intentioned surveillance of countless users. Unfortunately, many of us are unaware of how simple messages can reveal our identity. For the purpose of socializing and sharing our daily thoughts and/or activities, we can potentially provide the ideal information a stalker would need. Popular and successful social media platforms make it relatively easy for users to share your photos, location, and even contact details, but who exactly is this sensitive information shared with? This is an important question that every user should ask themselves in order to avoid being a potential victim of harassment. For example, "63% of Facebook profiles are visible to the public, which means that if you search for a person's name on Google and add "+Facebook" to the search bar, you will see virtually most of the profile of the person. A study of Carnegie Mellon University student Facebook profiles found that approximately 800 profiles included a current resident and at least two studied classes, theoretically allowing viewers to know the precise location of individuals at specific times. "The typical user most likely thinks their location is harmless and of little importance, however, their..