Privacy vs. Security

Privacy and security are terms that are very similar and are often used interchangeably. Many people believe that the terms are closely related, and one cannot exist without the other, however, these terms can stand alone and have their own definitions and their own meaning when it comes to how they apply to technology.

Security is one’s personal freedom from external forces that may harm the individual. Security, or being secure, is a state of being removed from a situation that has potential threats or present dangers. It refers to protective measures that are in place to protect you, your belongings, and your data from attackers, threatening events, or criminals. The goal of security is for information to maintain integrity, availability, and confidentiality. It relies on the strength of internal controls to restrict the effects of external factors. Privacy is the freedom to do as you wish without any intrusions or interruptions. It’s the ability to do as you wish without drawing attention or being surveyed.

The relationship between privacy and security is very prominent. To better explain this relationship, lets use a window as an example. The window has several functions, such as allowing viewers to see the outdoors or the window can be opened to let in a breeze. However, a window works both ways, people can see in while the viewer and see out and someone could take advantage of the open window to enter the home. Putting up a curtain allows for privacy to be maintained by blocking the view of people outside. To maintain security, a lock can be installed on the window to prevent people from entering. Both solutions solve the problem, but there is a sacrifice of freedom. It's important to note to not get confused when considering the definition of privacy. Privacy ensures the freedom to do as you wish without unwanted attention, it does not mean that there is freedom to do everything you want in the exact way that you want to (Sagar Khillar, 2018).

When it comes to technology, privacy and security are often forgotten. With the constant rush and need for better technology at an increasingly faster pace, privacy and security have been pushed to the wayside. More and more companies are collecting and storing customer data in order to either better serve their customers or to create better marketing strategies. This constant collection of customer information has left many people feeling that there a no online services that they can utilize without providing their personal information. Many users would argue that these companies should respect their users and be honest about what information is being stored and what it is being used for. The author of this blog does not necessarily agree with this sentiment. Most of the sites that gather user information in this manner are free to use such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google. These sites offer free services to millions of users and most of these sites rely on ad revenue, so they utilize this information to bet tailored ads to their customers. With that being said, these companies need to inform their users about information storage and usage.

Facebook has been involved in several scandals involving user information privacy. One such scandal, and the most recent, involved Facebook exposing personal data of over 87 million users. This scandal ended with Facebook paying over 5 billion dollars in fines, however, they were not required by law to change they way that they conduct business. While they don’t have to change their business strategies, that does not mean that they can’t be investigated for misconduct again. Facebook has been involved in many other scandals. Cambridge Analytica used a Facebook quiz app to gather information on millions of Facebook users. This information was reportedly used during Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016 to assist with building psychological profiles on voters. Zuckerberg apologized for the incident and testified in front of Congress on April 11^th, 2018. This incident led to Facebook allowing users to download their data archive, so they would know what information is being stored. This led to the discovery that Facebook was storing deleted videos and Facebook later apologized for this “bug”. The 2016 election also led to fake Russian Facebook accounts purchasing over $100,000 in ads. While this incident led to some public outcry, there was no action taken against these accounts since Facebook encourages free speech (Jenkins, 2018).

Security has also been forgotten by many of these companies. Security is often sacrificed for the sake of availability and accessibility for users. This is evident from the many security breaches that have been publicized such as the Equifax breach which affected over 140 million Americans in 2017. While this is one of the major breaches recently, security breaches have become a common occurrence. Since companies have been lax with security and privacy, users should be vigilant of any terms of service or user agreements that they accept and if there have been any recent major breeches in certain industries.

References

Jenkins, A. (2018, April 6). We’re Keeping Track of All of Facebook’s Scandals So You Don’t Have To. Retrieved from Fortune: https://fortune.com/2018/04/06/facebook-scandals-mark-zuckerberg/

Sagar Khillar. (2018, March 13). Difference Between Security and Privacy. Retrieved from Difference between: http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/internet/difference-between-security-and-privacy/