Online Privacy

By Jasper Yu-Dawidowicz 

Computers and phones have evolved quickly since they came out. How companies track and monitor our information has also changed. Many companies store information, such as web searches, emails sent, YouTube videos watched, and much, much, more. Since March, when many schools, companies, and businesses were forced to shut down due to COVID-19, many of us have been spending much more time on computers and surfing the web. What may have not crossed many minds is what is happening when we are online? What information do companies collect and what do they use it for? How can we protect ourselves and our privacy during this age of technology?

We use the internet very frequently, if it’s logging into a website for school, watching a YouTube video in our free time, or just to google something. Everytime we do one of these actions, some company is collecting data on you. One of the largest companies that is known to track and collect lots of data on its users is none other than Google. Google tracks lots of things about you. Everytime you log into a site using a gmail account, Google knows. Everytime you search something on Google, they know. When you use Google Maps to get somewhere, they know your route, where you went, and how long you stayed there (if you want to know more, visit this site https://policies.google.com/privacy). One thing that Google says they use this information for is to personalize ads which they make money off of. While these services may seem free, you are paying Google with your information. There is something unsettling about this. It has been shown that personalized ads manipulate you into buying items. You don’t know how long your information will be stored for or if someone will hack into it. We don’t know if these companies are doing bad things with your information. We have to be extremely careful about our private information. 

Some of the Google services can be helpful, and save time. One example is logging into websites with Google. How many websites have teachers told you to log in to using your MS447 email account? Probably too many to count. The problem about this is; A) Google is tracking you and collecting even more data about you. B) When you leave 447, you will have numerous accounts that you don’t know exist that could lead to hacking your personal information, like your name, email, phone number, credit card, etc. C) Logging into all of these different accounts with google increases your digital footprint drastically. Digital footprint is the evidence that you leave behind your digital activities. In schools, teachers often teach about your digital footprint and how it’s important to keep it small and observe it. Well, always logging in to websites with Google does not allow a time to think about what you are logging into and if it is really worth it, not to mention that it leaves a HUGE digital footprint. Logging in and creating accounts for websites without Google’s help allows you to think twice about what you are logging into and the consequences of doing that. Not even just logging into websites using Google increases your digital footprint, all the examples mentioned before do to, YouTube videos, web browsing, emails, google maps, etc. all increase your digital footprint. 

Recently, many of your parents received an email from MS. 447 saying that the school would set up accounts for a site called Remind. Remind is an app that allows teachers and schools to send information to parents via text. These accounts however, were created with the information that parents provided on the emergency contact form, that was filled out at the beginning of the year. What is surprising and shocking about this, is that this information on the emergency contact form was provided only if the school needs to reach parents in an emergency, not to create accounts for parents without their permission. Though there were most likely positive intentions behind this, such as allowing parents to stay more engaged with their child's learning, there are negative outcomes to this. Not all parents would like for their information to be given out to 3rd party websites and for an account to be created for them without their permission. Parents should at least be given the option to opt-in or out of this before accounts are created without consent. This again creates another problem, parents who don’t want a Remind account will be left out of the information that other parents receive. This situation that has arisen shows how we need to be careful about who we give our information to and make sure that we know exactly how it is used.  

As the benefits of the digital world expand, so do the consequences. We must be careful about everything. Next time a teacher tells you to log into a site with Google, think twice about what information is being stored and how you are being tracked. Next time you want to google something, be mindful of what is happening. Ask your parents to help set up privacy settings in your gmail accounts. Be careful when you’re on the web.