Week 11

Much of what we do on the internet is closely watched by many people. These watchers could be our friends, family, work, or even our colleges. But what about the companies or people watching us that we do not even know about?

When signing up for any social media account you have to sign or accept terms of service. I was shocked in class to find out that Facebook, which is owned by Google, collects and stores data from my Facebook account activity. They are able to do this because I had given them permission to do so when I accepted the terms of service. This may sound like not that big of a deal but how much privacy on the internet do you really have if everything you do is monitored? in my opinion, none.  

Before watching most of these TedTalks, I did not think that much of what I post on the internet was very intrusive on who I am. I thought I was safe from the intrusive eye of the internet, in reality though, if you're on the internet, you're not safe. I may not post extremely private information on social media, but the information that I am searching or looking at on the internet can say a lot about who I am.

DuckDuckGo, one of Google’s rivals, recently conducted a study that showed Google is keeping tabs on website visitors on nearly 4 out of 5 (85.6% to be precise) of the top 50,000 websites in the world. It would not be that far of a stretch to say that Google knows exactly who you voted for, where you live, if you're on a diet, and so on. 

This knowledge can be stressful, but there are some ways to be safer on the internet. 

1. Pick a safer browser. A great option for this is DuckDuckGo, a web browser that makes safety its number one priority 

2. Don't Over-share on social media websites 

3. Use security software like a VPN, which makes it harder for websites to track your location 

4. Be wise about the Wifi-Networks you choose to join

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