Prompt: The personal information of many individuals is held by large internet companies and organizations. Ċ Do you think the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

As technology advances in the modern era, so is the sprouting of popular online apps, that generate millions of users , in which each individual identity was taken. There must be some benefits and drawbacks to this but I believe the disadvantages outweigh the precedence. Ċ For tech giants, collection of the vast amount of customer statistics and then by collaborating with government agencies, the data shared can lead to invaluable discoveries boosting innovation and solving humanitarian problems. For instance, a telecommunication company in Colombia shares call input with United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to measure the movements of people due to climate change. Moreover, with the shared information online, everyone is traceable. It may sound horrendous but to some extent, it is safer. Criminals can easily be tracked and further attacks can be prevented. In 2008, police in the United States was able to arrest 72 gang members, by pulling out the vast amount of information from Facebook. Ċ On the other hand, the internet world could be dangerous if the online companies,especially the smaller ones, don't know how to protect themselves.Unsecured websites can compromise the identities of their users. First, someone's personal info can be accessed by computer hackers . This may result in stolen credit card information or files getting attacked by viruses and worms. In addition, spammers lurk around the internet looking for potential prey, by sending unsolicited emails and messages. Spam mails can then direct the recipient to phishing websites or sites that download malware to the victim's computer. Ċ In conclusion, although, personal statistics kept by internet companies may lead to several benefits to individuals and society, it may also come with a price. Having individual privacy compromised has much more negative impacts and could endanger the lives of people.