I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me

Over the past few years, the advertising sector has experienced notable transformations. Businesses can now collect copious amounts of data about individuals as they go about their daily activities. They observe, monitor, and scrutinize personal details such as the online platforms we access and the goods we buy. This level of intrusion has sparked concerns regarding our privacy. In this blog entry, we will explore further how advertisers infringe on your privacy and provide recommendations on how to safeguard your personal information.

Let's clarify what we mean by privacy. Privacy means having the ability to control what information about yourself is collected, shared, and used by others. In regards to advertising, this means having the right to decide what personal data is collected about you and how it is used. Unfortunately, this right is often being violated by advertisers who are using increasingly sophisticated techniques to gather and exploit our personal information without our knowledge or explicit consent. This raises concerns about the ethics of advertising and the balance between commercial interests and individual privacy rights. However, there are ways we can protect ourselves and regain control over our personal data. By being aware of the data we share, using ad-blocking software, and regularly clearing our cookies and browsing history, we can limit the amount of information advertisers collect about us. We can also be more selective about the ads we interact with and the information we provide.

Advertisers are engaging in the practice of tracking our location through various apps and websites. In order to do so, they request permission to access our location data, citing the provision of more relevant content or services as their reason. However, it is essential to note that this information can also be utilized to monitor our movements and target us with location-based advertisements. This raises concerns regarding our privacy and the extent to which our personal data is being shared without our explicit consent. It is important that we remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to protect our privacy in an increasingly digital world.

As we visit shopping malls, it's quite common to receive suggestions or advertisements for stores and products in close proximity, all based on our location data. Nevertheless, it's understandable to feel apprehensive about the extent of surveillance and tracking being conducted without our knowledge or consent. This raises concerns about the privacy of our movements and the potential misuse of this data.

In order to protect our privacy and prevent location tracking, it's important to take certain precautions. One of the most important steps we can take is to carefully consider which apps and websites we grant access to our location data. It's also vital to regularly review and adjust our device's privacy settings, ensuring that we only share our location with trusted sources. By being mindful of these factors, we can help ensure our personal information remains safe and secure.

When it comes to safeguarding our location data while utilizing location-based services, one of the most effective methods is to employ a virtual private network (VPN). This technology aids in concealing our location and makes it more challenging for advertisers to monitor our movements. Additionally, it's crucial to frequently assess our privacy settings and eliminate any applications or services that we no longer use or have lost faith in. By taking these measures, we can ensure that our location data is kept safe and secure.

In today's world, advertisers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their approach to gathering information about us. One area where this is particularly evident is in the collection of our location data, which can be used to build a detailed profile of our movements and habits. However, there are steps we can take to limit the amount of information that is collected about us. This might involve being selective about the apps and services we use, as well as taking measures to safeguard our location data. Ultimately, the responsibility for protecting our privacy lies with us, and we must take active steps to ensure that our personal information is used in a way that we are comfortable with. By staying vigilant and taking control of our own data, we can protect ourselves from unwanted intrusions into our private lives.

To put it simply, advertisers are invading our privacy through location tracking. We can limit the information collected about us by being choosy about the apps we use, utilizing a VPN, and reviewing our privacy settings regularly. It's crucial that we take responsibility for our own privacy and ensure that our personal data is being used in a manner that we're comfortable with.

Reference:

(n.d.). Protect Your Personal Information and Data | Consumer Advice. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/protect-your-personal-information-and-data

Klosowski, T., & Han, J. (n.d.). How to Protect Your Digital Privacy - The Privacy Project Guides. The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/guides/privacy-project/how-to-protect-your-digital-privacy



Comments

  1. KimberlyMay 2, 2023 at 6:40 AM

    Jatavia,
    I enjoyed reading your blog. Businesses invade our privacy by tracking our every move using cell phones. The oddest thing to me is when I'm thinking of something, and I won't say it out loud, and an ad comes up for the exact thing I was hoping to purchase. I can honestly say that I need to read the privacy notices organizations provide before using an app. Since taking The Leadership and Media Strategies course, I have researched ways to protect our privacy online and while we use apps. Thank you for the suggestion on using ad-blocking software. After reading your article, I started using the VPN service that Norton Antivirus Software provides for a fee. Location-targeted ads are helpful and harmful. Organizations need to be transparent about what they do with our data and how they use it. I often wonder whether organizations will find a way to track our location and invade our privacy while we use a VPN service.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Blake BlessingMay 6, 2023 at 6:43 PM

    Jatavia,
    I really like the topic you choose for your blog this week. It's crazy to me how advertisers are able to track our activity in so much depth. Now, with the new location tracking these advertisers use, not only can they track what we say, text, or call, but they know where we shop, eat, and where ever else we may choose to spend our money. Today it seems as if our phones are the advertisers and all the information we put in them is used to make decisions for us. For years I've noticed how when you download an app, it always asks you if they can track your activity and location. Before taking this course, I never knew why, but I always selected no because it seemed very unnecessary. This conversation leads me to think about the other ways these advertising companies will use our information as their tactics continue to evolve over time. As a society, we need to decide how far we will let them go.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Charles HardyMay 7, 2023 at 4:24 PM

    In recent years, advertising has evolved significantly, leading to businesses collecting vast amounts of personal data and raising privacy concerns. Privacy entails control over what information about ourselves is collected, shared, and used by others. However, advertisers often exploit personal data without explicit consent, causing a dilemma between commercial interests and privacy rights.

    To safeguard our personal information, we can be mindful of the data we share, employ ad-blocking software, and frequently clear cookies and browsing history. Additionally, we should be cautious about apps and websites granted access to our location data and consistently review and adjust our device's privacy settings.

    Advertisers tracking location data can monitor our movements and target location-based advertisements, raising concerns about the extent to which our data is shared without consent. To protect privacy, consider using a virtual private network (VPN) to conceal the location and make it harder for advertisers to track movements. In addition, regularly assess privacy settings and eliminate untrusted applications or services.

    In conclusion, advertisers are increasingly invading privacy through location tracking. We can limit the information collected by being selective about app usage, employing a VPN, and routinely reviewing privacy settings. It is vital to take responsibility for our privacy, ensuring personal data is used in a comfortable manner.

    References:

    (n.d.). Protect Your Personal Information and Data | Consumer Advice. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/protect-your-personal-information-and-data

    Klosowski, T., & Han, J. (n.d.). How to Protect Your Digital Privacy - The Privacy Project Guides. The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/guides/privacy-project/how-to-protect-your-digital-privacy

    ReplyDelete

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