By Chloe George

Our country’s increased use of technology and internet throughout the pandemic is in need of serious government regulation.

This has been a large topic in the media throughout the recent presidential campaign and within the regular news cycle as well. At the beginning of the pandemic, Zoom was not a secure online system, especially for schools, with many breaches.

With public information being easily accessible, it’s vital that the information we do allow large companies to know is being protected. Just because we allow our location to be shared doesn’t mean we want it shared to large companies using it for their benefit. We see this being done with everyday apps on our phones.

With our current government regulations on data privacy, there are some benefits. Although companies such as Google and Facebook use our data and harbor it, they use it for locational services as well. Google recently said location services can help track the current spread of COVID-19. With this they can see where you’ve been and if you have been in contact with anyone who has tested positive or has come in contact with someone who was.

Though our data can be used for good, especially in the times we are living in, it’s just as important that our basic human rights and online usage are both protected. We need to know that things we want to keep private are. Our use of Zoom and other social media platform data is vital to be kept protected and not spread to other larger companies.

Additionally, our online rights should be protected, and our information shouldn’t be shared unless consented to. Knowing our rights and how to protect them ourselves are essential. Without equal trust between the people and the government regarding our data, a mutual mistrust will continue to grow.

Chloe George is a student in a Media and Democracy class at St. Bonaventure University.

Sources

https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED607215

Categories: Jandoli Institute, Media, Politics