Data Privacy should be a concern for everyone. Companies use our data to track us and benefit their businesses. The United States government does not have strict privacy data laws. It doesn’t have a singular law that covers the privacy of all types of data. Instead, they have HIPPA, FCRA, FERPA, GLBA, ECPA, COPPA, AND VPPA. Even with these laws in place companies can use, sell, and share data that they collect without telling you. On top of that companies can sell your information to third parties and they can keep on selling your information. It’s a never-ending cycle because there are no national laws that businesses must contact you if they share your information. According to a study, 6 out of 10 Americans believe they can’t go through life without their data being collected. About 81 percent of Americans believe they have little to no control over the information being collected. Currently, only 3 out of 50 states have comprehensive data laws. California, Virginia, and Colorado have to give their users a notice and choice on whether or not they are accessing their data. The user also has a say in whether they want a company to access, move, correct, or eliminate their data. New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina are following in their footsteps and have big data privacy proposals in the works.
Image: https://iapp.org/resources/article/us-state-privacy-legislation-tracker/
Something you might have noticed is that ads are specified to things you have searched up previously or ads depending on your location. This happens because companies sell your information to data brokers and they put you into categories. These data brokers have a “profile” on everyone which is why certain ads are shown to you that others might not see. For example, An aritzia ad would be shown to women ages 18-25 and not to women 50 and up because their target audience is young adults. A big scandal that shows why we need stricter data privacy laws is the 2015 Facebook-Cambridge analytica data scandal. There was a massive data breach where 87 million facebook users’ information was acquired by a political data analytics firm. Most of these users took a personality test which resulted in the user and their friend’s data being gathered and sold. They got paid to take this personality test. Later, this data was used in 2016 by Donald Trump’s campaign team to target ads.
Image: https://medium.com/@manon_71723/what-happened-with-privacy-fc38b50ac964
Overall, there is no way to stop companies from tracking and selling your data until the U.S. government creates serious online privacy laws. Companies are in their right to collect, use, and sell our data for their benefit.
Sources:
Klosowki, Thorin. “The State of Consumer Data Privacy Laws in the US (and Why It Matters).” The New York Times, The New York Times, 6 Sept. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/state-of-privacy-laws-in-us/.
Auxier, Brooke, et al. “Americans and Privacy: Concerned, Confused and Feeling Lack of Control over Their Personal Information.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center, 17 Aug. 2020, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/11/15/americans-and-privacy-concerned-confused-and-feeling-lack-of-control-over-their-personal-information/.
Naylor, Brian. “Firms Are Buying, Sharing Your Online Info. What Can You Do About It?” NPR, NPR, 11 July 2016, https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/07/11/485571291/firms-are-buying-sharing-your-online-info-what-can-you-do-about-it.