Privacy

 Privacy in the Digital Age

Before watching the TED Talks about privacy, I knew that companies collected information about me online. However, I never really thought about how much information they could actually collect or what they could do with it.

Like most college students, I use my phone constantly. I use social media, search things on Google, watch videos, shop online, and communicate with friends. All of these activities can leave behind information about who I am and what I am interested in. 

One TED Talk that stood out to me was Gary Kovacs' Tracking Our Online Trackers. Kovacs explains how websites can track people as they move around the internet, often without them realizing how much information is being collected (Kovacs, 2012).

This immediately made me think about targeted advertisements. There have been plenty of times when I have searched for a product and then started seeing advertisements for that exact product on Instagram or other websites. I always knew there was some kind of tracking involved, but I did not realize how widespread online tracking could be.

Another TED Talk that caught my attention was Jen Goldbeck's How Surveillance Tech Erodes Your Privacy. Golbeck (2026) discusses how modern technology can allow companies and governments to collect information about people's movements, searches, habits, and everyday behaviors.

That is probably the part that freaked me out the most. There is a difference between choosing to post something publicly and having information collected about you in the background. Most people probably do not even realize how much data they create just by using their phones normally.

These privacy issues affect my friends, family, and me because we all rely heavily on technology. Even someone who does not post much on social media can still have a large digital footprint through apps, websites, online purchases, and other services.

I also think it is unrealistic to say that people should simply read every privacy policy before using an app. Most privacy policies are extremely long and complicated. People often click "accept" because they want to use the service, not because they fully understand everything they are agreeing to.

I think the government should create stricter and clearer rules about digital privacy. Companies should have to clearly explain what information they collect, why they collect it, how long they keep it, and whether they share or sell it to other organizations.

People should also have more control over their own information. It should be easier to tell a company that you do not want certain information collected or that you want your information deleted.

At the same time, there are things we can do ourselves to improve our privacy. We can check our privacy settings, limit unnecessary app permissions, use strong and unique passwords, and turn on multi-factor authentication. 

We should also think more carefully before giving apps access to our location, contacts, microphone, or camera. An app asking for permission does not necessarily mean we need to give it permission.

Overall, these TED Talks changed the way I think about privacy. What concerns me most is not just the information I intentionally put online. It is all the information that can be collected without me really thinking about it.

Technology makes our lives easier in so many ways, but that convenience should not mean completely giving up our privacy. I think individuals need to become more aware of their digital footprints, while companies and governments need to be held accountable for how they collect and use personal information.

References

Golbeck, J. (2026, June). How surveillance tech erodes your privacy [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/jen_golbeck_how_surveillance_tech_erodes_your_privacy

Kovacs, G. (2012, February). Tracking our online trackers [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/gary_kovacs_tracking_our_online_trackers