Privacy: What's Left to Protect
Arguably, the most important questions we need to ask when we begin our connected lives are, "why do I want to use this tool, app, game?" and, "why does the creating company want me to use it?" Most likely the reasons are different, placing us "users" in a bit of a conundrum. You see, in order for me to make the most of a particular app, I have to volunteer a lot of personal information, and the more personal information I offer, the better the company knows me, and the better the company knows me, the easier I am to target... and to sell stuff to... and to make money off of and so on. Sometimes there are options to keep privacy levels high and we make efforts to give away as little as possible, but often we volunteer our information in small chunks, not really recognizing that we've given all we have. Information about you is tied into the things you click, like, share, purchase, almost purchase, post, review, search, visit (IRL and online), etc. It doesn't feel like an invasion, because I feel safe - because I'm using my device in the comfort of my home and I'm sharing my life, ideas, and thoughts with my online community. However, even if I have a private account, I need to remember that once I post something, it's no longer private.