Should we all have a bit more privacy online?

Should we all have a bit more privacy online?

By: Colby Stecker

Date: 9/24/24

Do you feel safe while being online? Well, there are some things that make us feel safer and some that don't. We should be able to be online without having to worry about people looking at our private information.

I think that we should all have more privacy online because some apps can track you and can even look at things that you have deleted! 

Some apps, like TikTok, are owned by international organizations and that worries some people. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, which is a Chinese company, so that means that if they ask for information from TikTok it could potentially end up in the hands of the Chinese Government.

The information collected by TikTok is similar to what is gathered by Facebook. Patrick Jackson works for the security app Disconnect. He says Facebook is worse than Tiktok, simply because it's a bigger platform. 

What about some apps that can see things that you unposted after they got deleted? Facebook LiveAgent employees can see everything a customer writes before sending a message. Another thing that's crazy is Facebook still keeps a copy of your post even if you delete it from your page.

But what about the benefits from having your phone with apps that track you? The weather app, for example, can track where you are if you allow it, and it shows what the weather is at your location. What about Google Maps? Google Maps will let you know about any traffic nearby, and the fastest way to get to places. It can also tell you where you are if you get lost.

I propose that each app that can track you or keep track of what you delete should have an option when you first download the app. It should ask if you want to allow it to track you and/or see what you deleted. Another option is for all apps to completely stop tracking you and saving your actions or information. 

So now you know that some apps can see what you are doing and some even track you. I hope that everyone can be more careful and learn about what information they might be giving up when they download a new app.