Whether we notice or not, society is constantly being controlled and surveilled by
government and private organizations stretching across the globe. As of January 2019, 57
percent of the global population has access to the internet. Being connected to the largest
information database in the world, however, does come at a price. The personal data of Internet
users is being compiled and analyzed by governments, multinational corporations, and political
consulting firms. Over time, different web pages and domains try to find ways to better adjust to
the needs and wants of the users, using information from their Internet history, cookies, to
understand the user and their interests. For multinational corporations and political consulting
firms, generating a profit is a large incentive for collecting the data of those online. The
collection of data and Internet history violates basic privacy rights and gives these corporations
too much influence on the lives of users, which is why it is important to hold an annual assembly
or a general convention where nations who are facing similar data issues can join under or create
their own legislations to mandate the processing and protection of personal data.
Starting from the expansion of the Internet into the public domain, the collection of
online data began in the 1990s. The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a
medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without
regard for geographic location. The collection of Internet data and user history has two sides;
allowing corporations to meet the better needs of the user, while additionally protecting the
populations by feeding governments the information needed. Exactly twenty years ago, the
World Wide Web became publicly available. Its creator, the internationally known Tim Berners-Lee, posted a short summary of the project on the alt.hypertext newsgroup and gave
birth to a new technology that would fundamentally change the world as it was known. A
relationship between the government and large companies such as Facebook, Apple, Microsoft,
voluntarily sell information to governments for the regulation on the collection of cookies.
Taking away freedom and privacy, and looking into the lives of citizens has been called out as a
popular trend of governments. In 2016 itself, passwords, security questions, and date of birth
were stolen around 3 billion Yahoo accounts. The greatest problem is that cookies and personal
data from account information; such as names, passwords, dates of birth, and security questions
are at risk of being stored in often insecure locations, shared with third parties, with businesses
relying on sending access this data to advertisers who then target consumers with advertising.
With many security breaches now well publicised by the media, consumers are increasingly
becoming aware about what happens to their data and have looming privacy concerns about what is being stored and processed, and by who. Policymakers and regulators have recognized the lack of protection. Therefore, the General Data Protection Regulation and the necessity for companies to process their data collection in accordance with protection policies, structure, and personnel, is a way of compliantly respecting users’ rights.
The protection of private and personal data of users should be protected. A regulation on
data protection and privacy for all individual citizens, to give citizens more control over their
personal data gives a regulatory environment for business so both citizens and businesses can
fully benefit from the digital economy. Under the terms, not only do organizations have to ensure
that personal data is gathered legally and under strict conditions, but those who collect and
manage it are obliged to protect it from misuse and exploitation, as well as to respect the rights of data owners--or face penalties for not doing so. The processing of personal data should be
with citizens’ consent, unless the purpose of the processing is a person or important public
interests. There should be a number of rights in protection: the right to view information (right of
access), right to rectification (correction), the right to erasure, along with the right to restriction
of processing and more.
Another constant threat nations face are the potentials of data breaches and cyber attacks
which could result in the loss of thousands of user’s private data. To combat this, the idea of
keeping security software up to date should be promoted. This can be done by enabling more
firewalls, anti-virus, and anti-spyware software. Also training employees to secure all
technologies and databases that contain sensitive information with lock in passwords can help
safeguard private data.
The collection of personal data and information poses a significant risk to the privacy of
users on the Internet. With the potential to have their information leaked, stolen, attacked by
malware, and used for purposes without their consent, it is evident that there is an issue today
with how we promote our regulations that protect users from these threats.. Privacy is a
fundamental right to all that must be safeguarded through the insurance of proper legislation via
general conventions, improvement of cyber security, and applications of basic framework from
already successful nations.
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Written by: Nayana Sharma
Date Published: 1/3/2021
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SOURCES:
“Brief History of the Internet.” Internet Society ,
https://www.internetsociety.org/internet/history-internet/brief-history-internet/ .
Clement, J. “Topic: Online Privacy.” Statista , 7 Oct. 2019,
www.statista.com/topics/2476/online-privacy/ .
“101 Data Protection Tips: How to Keep Your Passwords, Financial & Personal Information
Safe in 2019.” Digital Guardian , 15 July 2019,
“Data Privacy Law: The Top Global Developments in 2018 and What 2019 May Bring: Insights:
DLA Piper Global Law Firm.” DLA Piper ,
www.dlapiper.com/en/us/insights/publications/2019/02/data-privacy-law-2018-2019/ .
“General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Overview.” IT Governance ,
https://www.itgovernance.co.uk/data-protection-dpa-and-eu-data-protection-regulation.
“New Map Sheds Light on Global Data Protection.” New Map Sheds Light on Global Data
Protection , International Association of Privacy Professionals, 29 Jan. 2019,
iapp.org/news/a/new-map-sheds-light-on-global-data-protection/.
Rodrigues, Alvin. “The Data Protection Landscape in APAC.” Fortinet Blog , 30 May 2018,
www.fortinet.com/blog/industry-trends/the-data-protection-landscape-in-apac-.html
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